Decoration Inspiration Part 2: The Bedroom - Update

Macy's was having an AWESOME sale this weekend, including an additional 10% off. So, coupon in hand, I went to explore and see if they had anything I couldn't live without.

I had long ago promised Sean that I wouldn't start buying stuff for the new place until we actually had the keys. But then I found this...



I love this bed set and it was SUCH a good deal. For only $90 I got an eight piece bed set (normally $250) that includes everything you see above except for the sheets. So, I just need to find a nice set of white sheets, and I'm good to go on my new bed set.

I love it so much and it is just what I wanted. I really wish we were closing sooner now, but June 17th will come soon enough. Stay tuned, I will post pictures of the actual set in the actual room as soon as we are moved in. :)

June 6th Update: The bed set came in the mail today and I love it just as much! The yellow is a bit softer than it looks in the pictures, but otherwise its great! It was definitely worst the $90. Thank you Macy's!!

Home Buying in the Burbs Part 2

So now that we have our dream home picked out (okay, maybe not our DREAM home, but our dream home for now), we have begun the long and frustrating process of getting it inspected, appraised, and purchased.

At first I thought we were getting off easy. Everything has gone relatively smoothly to date. Since the home is new, their were minimal things that needed to be done and the seller agreed to repair all of them. So here we are thinking all is going well, and then today our bubble was completely burst.

Issue #1: Our amazing realtor (and yes, I stand by that statement despite this) forgot to put the dishwasher repair in our repair agreement. That was the one big thing Sean and I were concerned about and the only thing she forgot. So now we have to hope that the seller will still agree to repair it OR we will have to make a claim against the home warranty to get it fixed. Annoying.

Issue #2: We had the re-inspection today to make sure everything that was listed in the repair agreement had been done. It had not. For some reason the gas was still off, which means the inspector couldn't check the furnace, air conditioner, stove, or fire place. This means we will have to pay to have him out AGAIN. Sandy (our above stated realtor) is going to try and get them to cover the cost, but I'm honestly not sure why they would.

Issue #3: So because we are applying for a 100% financing loan through OnPoint Credit Union (which is a great bank, BTW, and the mortgage broker we are working with is awesome), we have to jump through a few additional hoops to get our financing. One of those is getting a condo certification that gives them a bunch of information about the homeowners association and determines whether we can get 100% financing or if we have to put 5% down. So the original condo cert that the bank got was wrong and we were told we would have to put the 5% down. Now we are finding out that we may not have to put the 5% down, HOWEVER, its suppose to take up to 2 weeks to get the cert. We are suppose to close June 17th. Clearly that will be cutting it close.

So, there goes my dreams of an "easy" home buying process. I'll continue to share updates as they happen, so stand by for more on that front.

Decoration Inspiration Part 2 - The Master Bedroom

So for part 2 of my decoration inspiration I decided to tackle the master bedroom.

For most of my relationship with Sean, everything in our bedroom has been mis-matched and one of several different bed sets. My goal with our new place is to have things be cohesive and my style.

The first thing we plan to buy when we move into our new place is a bed set for a King Size bed, including a new bed. We measured the wall and it should be just big enough for a king bed and 2 night stands. Sean and I have very different taste when it comes to bed furniture. I LOVE sleigh beds and Sean refuses to sleep in them. So, after looking at a bunch of different sets, we finally found one we agree on.

 

This bed has the sleigh bed feel without having the foot board. That is Sean's biggest complaint when it comes to sleigh beds, so I agreed to look for a bed without it. The other thing I like about this set is that its pretty classic in style, so it won't be "out of style" in a few years when we go to sell our house. 

This is the bed set that I want. I love the idea of a light bed set against the dark wood. There are SO many windows in our new bedroom, and I want to play that up by picking bedding with a more laid back feel.

That's it for the master. I'd like to put up curtains eventually, but the house comes with all the blinds, and it doesn't make sense financially to replace all of them with curtains. So we will have to see where we go with that. Maybe eventually we will replace them, but not right away. 

Make-up to Try: Benefits Cosmetics

I spend WAY to much money at Sephora. I've typically had a couple of go-to brands I buy from regularly (Smashbox, Makeup Forever, Urban Decay, etc...), but occasionally I will step outside the box and try something new.

Most recently, I finally accumulated 500 points on my Insider card and got to indulge in the full sized sample. On this particular day they were offering a full-sized sample of two Benefits Cosmetics: a full size blush and mascara.

The first was this amazing blush, CORALista. First thing I noticed upon opening it was that it had a light perfume smell. I wasn't a big fan of the little brush that came with it, but I have a large assortment of my own brushes, so it was easy to find something to use in its place. The color is great. A light coral-pink color that can be layered to be as dark or light as you want, so it really could work on just about any skin tone. I have a medium complexion myself, so I usually find a couple sweeps does me nicely. Its definitely one of the better, more versatile blushes I have come across.

Next, I got a full sized sample of this BADgirl Lash mascara. It has a think, fluffy brush which is great for my thick lashes. The brush itself is a little long and may not be an easy application for someone with smaller eyes. But it goes on in nice thin layers and doesn't clump as much as many of the other mascaras I have tried. It's a great everyday mascara because one coat covers and darkens, without making it look done up. My biggest complaint with mascara has always been having to have an every day and an evening mascara, but this one works well as both with just a couple extra coats.

I was very impressed with both products, so on a recent trip to look for a new bronzer, I decided to give Benefits another try.

 

I ended up picking up this bronzer and blush in one combination called 10. Again, the first thing I noticed upon opening it was the scent. It was different from the CORALista, but still very pleasant. The instructions say to take the brush it comes with and sweep it across the top before applying to your checks for high and low lights. I tried this, but wasn't such a fan. I still don't like the brush these come with. So I tried it again with my own brushes and have to say it looked MUCH better. The small brush it comes with just made it look too dark. With my own brushes I was able to control the amount that went on much better. The light blush against the dark bronzer makes for a great check bone highlighter and, if all you want is some bronzer, sweep it around the box and apply as desired. It's a great light bronzer, but not what you want if you are looking for something dramatic.

All and all my first experiences with Benefit Cosmetics was pretty darn successful. I think next I'm going to give some of their eyeshadow a try.

I'm always looking for new stuff to try, so what about you? What are some of your favorites? What brand of makeup do I just HAVE to try and why? Comment below.

Delta Omicron Turns 50!

Last night I had the honor of joining with the collegiate chapter I advise in celebrating their 50th anniversary on the Portland State Campus.

The night was truly memorable for so many reasons:

1) The food was generally awful, but made much more tolerable by my dining companions... and the delicious tiramisu with hand made (by one of the other alumni) chocolate lyres.



2) I almost made it through an entire section of public speaking with out crying.... Almost....



3) Being in a room surrounded by so many amazing Alpha Chi Omega women is always a memorable, worthwhile experience. Especially when I get to brag about the amazing women I work with.



All and all it was a fun evening and a wonderful experience.

Happy 50th Birthday Delta Omicron!

Wish I Was Here Wednesday

I love this place. The hotel is in SoCal and has a beautiful view of LA.

It makes me want a vacation again.

Decoration Inspiration Part 1: The Living Room

So ever since Sean and I found out we got this house, I've been thinking non-stop about one things....

How am I going to decorate?

Currently, I live in what can only be described as "single man motif." Sean had a lot of input into everything we purchased, so its kind of a mishmash of stuff. However, he agreed that I could decorate the new place however I wanted.

I have a rug that I love, so I've taken my inspiration from the colors in it. Here's a bit of what I've found so far. As soon as we know we actually have the place, I'm going to start making purchases.



I love these bar stools! We have this amazing, high breakfast bar in our kitchen and I wanted something kinda classic looking. Not to mention that 3 of them are only $129.99 at Target! Love them so much!



My kitchen has round handles on everything. I know this is probably going to show some of my quirky-ness, but I hate how round knobs on square cabinets looks. So I want to replace them all. I found these brush nickle knobs that will match our fixtures. A steal at $3.04 a piece.



I LOVE this chair. It's absolutely beautiful and matches the colors in my rug SO well. Another Target find at only $299.99!



I love how classic this sofa is and it goes with EVERYTHING. Some nice throw pillows, and it'll be perfect. Find it at Ikea for $499.00!

Next up is finding a new bedroom set, bedding, and stuff for the master bathroom. Stay tuned... I'll post pictures of that soon!

New Home!

Sean and I finally found a place. It's located right on the Hillsboro/Beaverton border and has everything we want.

We put in an offer last week and it was accepted! We start inspections and stuff this week. If all goes well, we are expecting to close Mid-June. Sean is freaking out, but I'm excited for the next phase in our life.

Below are some pictures of the new place.


Our New Living Room, Complete with Fireplace


Modern Kitchen, Appliances Included


Light and Bright Master Bedroom


Large Master Bathroom

Home Buying in the Burbs Part 1

So Sean and I are buying a house!

We got approved on Wednesday and went to do our first round of looking at places on Thursday. We ended up finding a place that we LOVED and we were going to put an offer in.

So Friday morning we met our realtor back at the house, where she told us there were a couple other offers and we needed to get ours in now and at our best price if we wanted the place. So we took one last look around and decided to make an offer.

I was SO excited. The house was amazing, especially for the price.

And then my realtor called us. Apparently, the assistant that she talked to that morning didn't have all her information correct and when my realtor called to talk to the other realtor, she found out that they had already accepted an offer on the place. I was SO bummed, but Sean and I had already discussed the "what if" since we knew there were other offers.

So the hunt continues. We are going to an open house today to look at another place and have an appointment set up to go looking again on Wednesday (though we are hoping to move it up sooner). We have found a couple more pretty amazing places to go look at, so we will see.

More on this to come... :)