Be My Guest...

Today's post isn't too exciting but the last stop on the casa tour is our re-done guest room. I don't even have a picture of the before because it was 1/2 storage and 1/2 room! But the after is great! We moved everything that was in our Master for the last 7+ years into the guest room.

 We now have a  Queen in the guest room instead of a full which is nice and I wanted to make this room "homey" and tranquil for our guests! I got all the decor at either Target or Home Goods and we kept it simple and easy.

So that is everything Matt and I have been working on for the past 2 months and all that is left is some more work in our garage by moving things to storage so I can eventually fit my car in our garage! Parking on the street blows!
Happy Monday Friends!

Dining Re-Do!

This was our eat-in kitchen when we first moved in, we didn't hang anything on the walls and I just worked with what we unpacked first. I have to tell you that this table was my first single purchase, my Mom and I picked this out when I was 22 for my apartment and it has been the focal point of meals for 11 years. But all good things come to an end. 

 We wanted to create more space and we were not sure that our Pottery Barn formal dining furniture would fit in this space but with some tweaking it worked......And this idea to switch out tables was actually Matt's idea....so kudos to him! And by removing the side table it opened the space more.

 This is my kitchen, it is much smaller than my Ohio home but it works for now and I love how open it is. I also LOVE the white quartz counter tops I must have them in my next home!

 I got all the new decor from Home Goods and when we removed our side table we lost our wine rack so I incorporated this fun crate into the table decor. I love how it is functional and darling! And yup, that is a wire apple.....why not?!!! I wanted the table linens to match the house but also work into Fall and I like how it turned out!

 I got the EAT light up marquee sign and arrow at Home Goods and I am obsessed with both!!!!! The "spoon" canvas Matt got for me as a surprise from Ikea and it may not fit in perfectly but it fit in perfectly with our budget! ($14) I also added 2 pillows to the chairs at the head of the table for a little luxurious feel....and the side of the table with no chairs is a bench! I love it!
Can you all spot Oscar lurking in the shadows??

When my family was here we were all able to sit at the same table and eat and I loved it, so when Matt's family comes back this will be a perfect fit also!
Thanks for taking a tour of my home.....I have a few more rooms left that I will show next week!

Loft Make-Over...

After Matt's family was here over the 4th of July both Matt and I realized that our guest situation wasn't working and we needed to do some changes to our little abode. This was the loft before...I love this big desk but the bigger the desk the more junk I pile on it....don't we all? This loft was just a space that was a catch all and we blew up a air mattress for a 2nd guest bed right here in the middle......not very homey.......

 SO here is the AFTER!!! NOW>.....Disclaimer....those shelves are entirely TOO high and I hate them but they came with the house and they are not ours to move....so I had to work with what we can. Also our budget was tight so thanks to Ikea and Target we not only have a 2nd comfortable guest bed but I still have a desk space.

 The Daybed bedding is not perfect but I got it on sale at Home Goods and it was in my price point so  I made it work and by adding the fun chevron chair to the desk it not only gives me a comfy space to blog but gives guests a place to sit and set their stuff on! The daybed was also a perfect fit because it is perfect for lounging during the day!

 The lamp we already had and the chandelier canvas was from........you guessed it... Home Goods! I just wanted something small to anchor my desk. It looks better in person....for some reason this picture makes it look so bare!

 This Ikea daybed not only has storage but it also pulls out into a full size bed!!! BAM! And yes, it only took like 4 hours to put together! #nightmare

So there we go........ I love that this space is much more put together and more inviting to having guests stay also!!!!

Fall Football Patio

Starting in a week or two it is that time called....maybe... "Pre-Fall" where Football reigns but not quite pumpkin take over!!! I wanted to turn my Summer patio into Fall Football Frenzie!!! Here is what I have done for our Town Home Patio, I can't wait for it all to come in! The rich Crimson just screams Fall Saturdays to me!!! And I think this will be very easy to transition into Pumpkins come October!!! I am excited to get this all fixed up before my family comes Labor Day weekend!!!!!!

BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!!!

Fall Football Patio by nsavage featuring red throw pillows

Welcome mat / Polywood patio swing / CB2 home decor / Mudhut red throw pillow / Red Mum Basket / OU Sooners University of Oklahoma Burlap by GracefulOfferings / Oklahoma University College Burlap Garden Flag

Master Bedroom Makeover!

Matt and I are moving up in the world.......we are finally getting a KING size bed!!! YAY! So if you know me then you know I have been throwing myself into this full force! I love the upholstered bed look and we finally decided on this bed from West Elm. Here is the rest of our new Master Bedroom Makeover, everything here has/will be purchased!!!

New Master by nsavage featuring pottery barn bed linens

Medallion sham / Pottery barn bed linen / Pottery Barn home decor / Home decor / Pottery Barn abstract wall art / Pottery Barn home decor / Pottery Barn cheetah throw pillow / Fabric furniture / Liza Embroidered 280-Thread-Count Sheet Set / Metal Dachund Greyhound Dogs

I like strong colors and I also love neutrals but I have decided to make Grey and Red the main colors with the accents being in Silver, Yellow and Blue!!! What I like about the bed and the bedding is that down the road I can make turquoise the accent color or even oranges for a Tuscan feel!

Master palette by nsavage featuring Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn vase / Threshold Scooped Back Chair Yellow Floral

Thoughts??? Does this work?????

Inspection Day....

Hey Guys! Today is Home Inspection Day, I don't think anyone would excited to have an inspector comb over your home for 3+ hours! EEK! Fingers crossed everything goes well!

Today is also #TBT aka Throw Back Thursday and I thought we would throw it back 2 years ago to the day of our Okc Home Inspection and after reading it.....today is already a WIN!!!!!
Let's go back to that dreaded day...

Ok......it is 7:30am and the inspection and buyers are set to arrive at 8:30..............And as embarrassing as this is I am a sharer.....so my toilet stops up............I do not know how to plunge? I just don't so when I tried it was tragic......it overflowed on me and it is now 7:40am so I call my Mom screaming and she arrives at 8:00am and we put drano down and then I plunge again................
To read the rest of the post click HERE!!!!

April 11

 This past weekend Matt was able to come home for the first time in 5 weeks!!! I surprised him by bringing Oscar to the airport with me to pick him up. Oscar was a tad worked up if you can't tell....I think until Matt got into the car that he thought he was going to the doctor! Poor baby.
I wanted Matt to be at the house for the second showing we had set up this past Saturday. Just in case there was any question about the home that I could not answer.....and to help clean! haha! The weekend was good, but it was hard....when you don't see each other for 5 weeks, we each have gotten into new routines plus adding in all the stress in our lives we were at each others throats. It was sad that our weekend was squandered away but you know, it is what it is.

Here is the house before the showing all cleaned up, shining from top to bottom!!!

So....April 11 huh??? Well that is our closing date! Give me just a minute to be proud of myself........
As of today the house has been listed for 3 weeks....so I sold our home in under 3 weeks! Also the couple that came Saturday did make an offer which we then countered. Matt had one number in mind and I had a slightly higher number in mind so I told him to trust me and THEY ACCEPTED! I think given the price of our home selling it for only 13k off the list price is a huge win! Our contracts are signed, the Title Company has been chosen and this Thursday is our home inspection! eek
Funny thing is yesterday I actually had 4 more calls on the house and it was nice telling people we are in contract (yes I took their name and number in case anything happens)!
I mean I did it! In 1 month I had the house re-carpeted, "staged", organized, listed, 3 showings and an offer accepted!
The couple did have a realtor.... to get more traffic I did advertise I would pay the buying realtor 3% commission which was a good but expensive plan! The realtor told me that the couple fell in love with the home after the way I "sold" it to them. I explained why I loved this home and showed them my favorite things and the realtor said she didn't know what they loved more me or the house. And guys, it isn't that often that I am actually proud of myself....so this was special to me. She said I should be a realtor in Denver........hmm.....maybe so! I know that selling 2 of my own homes doesn't make me a realtor but maybe I have a knack for it and my Dad might have hit the nail on the head when he said "I could sell a paper sack to anyone"

So today lets be happy, today I will beam with pride and tomorrow we will freak out about having 30 days to do SO much! M'Kay?

I'll Be Home for Christmas.....

Are you ready for a picture overload???? GOOD! HA, So........our trip got off to a rocky start..... we showed up at like 6:30am to the airport on Saturday the 21st to find out due to the Oklahoma ice storm our flight had been cancelled and all others were booked! So after a stressful hour at the SW desk we were able to get booked on a flight that put us in Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon!

 Look at this welcome.......my parents live close to the airport so they came to pick us up......with a sign and everything! We loved it!

 You know, sometimes you don't even realize how much you need a hug from your Mom and Dad until you get them. And I know the same goes for Matt with his family as well as mine!

 We were so lucky to get to Oklahoma in time to go to a Thunder game!!! Gosh I missed this experience! It was so much fun....... Thunder Up!!!!!

 Monday we got to spend the day with my brother and sister-in-law, it had been a year since we had seen them! I mean.......too long! We did what we did best.....shopped, ate and saw a movie! You like the ice tree?

 Matt and I were lucky enough to get to have brunch with these girlies.......the Kingry Girls! The girls fought over Matt.....he is a bonafide chick magnet! I had missed Melissa very much and when we were at brunch it didn't seem like anytime had passed! That is the true test of a best friend!

 Oh you know....... a token couple picture from Matt and I! Do you love his shirt as much as I do??? Matt got it for Christmas from his parents and we love it!!!

 Oh my dear Becky!!! I had missed her so much so getting to spend some time with her was so good for my soul. I laughed, we chatted, we ate, we shopped and I felt like the "Old Nicole" when I was with her.  Thank you Becky for that! PS- Happy Belated BIRTHDAY!!!!!

 Oh you know......just me and my "Becky's"......BK took time off of work on 1 nights notice to meet us for lunch...I am so lucky to have her in my life! Is it me or do the Becky's look alike in this picture?

 One of my favorite things we did all week was Christmas Eve service at Life Church with both of our families! They decorate the building so beautiful we all took time to take some family photos! And really could Marissa be any prettier?? I want her style when I grow up! hehe

How handsome are the Savage boys? I love how Matt lights up when he is with them! And thanks to Landon Matt and I are HOOKED on the Homeland series DVD's we got from him! We are almost thru Season 1 already!

 Merry Christmas from the DuBois clan (minus a few)........

 Merry Christmas from the Savages!! And yup, my Mother-in-law and I think alike hence our snazzy matching duds! I love them! After the service we celebrated our Christmas followed by a game night! We had a blast!

 This was Christmas Eve service.....the message Craig gave was wonderful, my parents left saying it was the best message they have heard in awhile!

 Here are my people..........Celebrating Christmas Day together and getting to spend time with my cousin Brittany as well as my brother and sister-in-law! It was so nice to be together! Cheers to being home!

 I love this picture and I LOVE my Oma and Granddad! I had missed them so so so much, when you go from seeing someone bi-weekly to a year passing it is just unacceptable!

And lastly my Mom........ Words cannot express how much I love her. Knowing someone loves you and knowing they know you best is.......well, the best!

Christmas arrived at the Savage's

Christmas has officially arrived at Casa de Savage!! While we were putting up all the decor there was some emotions attached...... in one way it was fun to decorate our new home for the first time but it was also bittersweet putting out decor and thinking about where it went in our Oklahoma house. 

I am pretty lucky that I have a husband who likes putting up Christmas light!!! He did a great job! And we won't turn them on until Thanksgiving night! This was a "preview" HA!

This is the beautiful plant that lived in our urns on either side of our front door all summer, I couldn't believe I was able to keep something alive for over 4 months!

 And once the first freeze hit we removed the flowers for winter.......... (we got cages and urns at Crate and Barrel)

 We then wrapped each cage so they would look like mini Christmas trees framing our front door! This past summer when I was telling Matt why I wanted the urns and cages he couldn't quit put it all together but now my vision has come full circle! hahaha!

Here is the finished result!!! They turned out awesome.........And the trees are also wrapped with twinkle lights!!

 Picking green (Martha Stewart Caper Berry paint) for our formal dining room was such an amazing choice! It is perfect for all seasons but extra special for Christmas!

 I hung ornaments from the chandelier with tulle and filled the vases with fake snow and ornaments! Thanks to Pinterest for some of these ideas!

 I went for classic and simple in our kitchen dining room! It is so neat having an open floor plan and being able to see all the decor at once!

 My girl Bella LOVES Christmas! No joke, the minute we got stuff out she came out to see what she could get into!! The tree I have had since I was 21 and when she was a itty bitty baby she would climb the limbs and lay in the tree! Now she settles for a nice spot under it! I love her!

 In the kitchen window I filled a vase with cinnamon sticks and at Hobby Lobby found some fun Christmas accents with leopard! Fun huh? Leopard goes with everything I think!

This year I added some fun "swirly things" to stick out of the tree! Yes, I think swirly things is the technical name! And I love classic colors red, green and gold!

 Here it is again.....It is hard to take great pictures of a tree and capture how it really looks! But now that everything is up I am glad we went ahead and decorated! I am excited that my Mom will be coming for a week and will get to enjoy everything!

Have you all decorated for Christmas yet??