House Tour

Wreath is from Kirklands, similar here

Hi friends! I asked a while back for feedback and suggestions on what you wanted to read on my blog and literally every single response I got was asking for home and decor content + several requested a house tour! I forget that even though I did blog about buying my historical home and renovating it, most of you weren't following me back then so you had no idea!

I did a before and after renovation home tour back in the day (you can find all my house posts by clicking the "white house on the prairie" topic link at the bottom of this post), but I thought it was time for home tour 2.0 now that my sunroom is complete and we've been living here for a few years / really made it home.

Special shoutout to Hive Helper for doing all my cleaning prior to the photo shoot! Having two giant long haired dogs means my house is rarely this clean.......(read as: dirty paw prints and dog hair everywhere) but Hive Helper saved the day! They offer home cleaning with tons of add ons, errand running, organization, garden work.....you name it, they'll help. I can't recommend them enough. They serve all of Oklahoma City and Denver, too!

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Preparing for the Perfect Christmas

Sweater Dress | Similar Scarf, also love this one and this one | Lips, color is Fiery | Christmas Cup

'Tis the season to deck the halls! Nothing puts me in the Christmas mood more than decorating. Pulling out old favorites and purchasing new pieces to add to my collection - I love every bit! I always seem to put pressure on myself to decorate everything perfectly, though. Let me tell you what... Perfect's not easy!

This year, I insisted on hanging Christmas lights on the exterior of the house as well as putting wreaths on all the windows. Christmas Queen, over here. It ended up looking perfect, like a house straight out of a movie, but my poor husband had to spend two whole weekends on a ladder to meet my high expectations. He strung and re-strung the lights, he took them down and exchanged them for a different color. He called out a professional to help, then said professional quit halfway through. Once it was finally all up and working, a fuse blew. Back on the roof he went! God bless him, he deserves a major award. Thankfully I was able to serve him a glass or two of Red Diamond Iced Tea to show my appreciation. How 1950's house wife of me!

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Highlighting History in Your Home

One of the biggest trends right now, at least in terms of home decor, is turning something old into something new and appreciating the history behind it. You can thank Joanna Gaines for that. I fully support the trend, so much so that I bought my own historic 1920s home exactly one year ago.

Since purchasing the White House on the Prairie, my husband and I (with the help of an incredible contractor) completely renovated, remodeled and redesigned our dream home. It was a HUGE task that took a lot of time and money, but it is something I will forever be proud of! I love coming home and feel so lucky to live here.

One of my favorite parts of the process was getting to decorate and put my touch on everything. Since it is a historical home in a historical preservation area, I wanted our decor to balance out the new and the old and play a part in telling the story of the home (and of our city and state). One of my favorite decor pieces, which is hanging on the wall next to our kitchen bar top, has the coolest story behind it. The history and background of the piece makes me love it even more.

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The Solution for My Not-So-Green Thumb

Top (sold out, similar here) | Jeans, old by Joe Fresh, similar here | Pumps | Bracelet | Lips (color is Patina) | Mini Cedar Trees

I like to think that I am pretty dang good at interior decorating.... I designed an entire home renovation single handedly, after all. But when it comes to landscaping, I am at a loss. I knew I wanted some sort of something on either side of my front door, but I didn't know what.

Ever since we moved in to the White House on the Prairie, I've tried to put live plants on the front porch. I don't exactly have a green thumb.....so it has been a bit of a struggle, to say the least. The rosemary plants froze, the flowers died (probably from lack of water, oops!), the ferns got too much sun, and the little evergreen trees I bought on clearance needed about 15 feet more space to grow. I had just about given up when I got these mini cedar trees from Plantscape Inc.

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Timeless Home Decor

In light of our two-year anniversary this weekend, I've been reminiscing on our engagement and wedding. It's crazy how fast time flies, but some things seem like they took place in another life time! Like registering for gifts....... C still makes fun of me for insisting we buy an apple corer/slicer/thing with one of our gift cards. I don't even remember that we have it until he brings it up! But I swear, I will make homemade apple pie one of these days.....and I'll be glad I bought it!

Regardless, I wanted to highlight a few of our registry items that I'm still head over heels in love with. So many styles come and go all too quickly - I wanted ALL THE TURQUOISE THINGS when we were registering, but I forced myself to balance it out with lots of neutrals and I'm so glad I did! It made transitioning into our new house much easier. I have a new found love for yellow, and it blends so seamlessly with the turquoise and white theme I picked out a few years back. I tried to link as many items as possible in the widget below.

Pottery Barn Duvet Cover & Euro Pillows

If I could recommend one thing to any bride or someone picking out decor for their first home, it would be to choose simple, neutral items for any big pieces (dishes, couches, bed spreads) and accent or mix and match with fun, colorful and patterned items (pillows, napkins, linens). Those pieces are much cheaper and easier to change with the seasons or as trends come and go. I like to swap out pillows and table decor with every holiday, and having neutral backgrounds makes it that much easier.

I hope a glimpse into my home inspired you in some way! I think a house is such a reflection of someone's character.

What are you up to this weekend? As I mentioned above, it's our two-year anniversary! Last year we started a tradition of going to brunch, watching our wedding video, and then hopping around to our favorite places in OKC for a progressive afternoon of cocktails, desserts and fun. I can't wait!

Thanks for reading!

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