DIY
Hand-Painting vs. Spraying Our Interior Doors
Last week, we took some time to tackle a project that has been a thorn in our side for a long time now. A couple years ago, we hand-painted all the upstairs doors a bright white and changed out the hardware. But by the time we were done, my hand was a claw and I […]
read more
July 18, 2016
DIY
How to Make an Indoor Swing!
We're this close to being done with our family room/playroom, but we had one more project up our sleeve--a DIY indoor swing! This simple DIY was also quick and cheap and now it's officially the most coveted seat in the house. The corner fireplace (you can see that makeover here) pushed the area rug, table, […]
read more
July 12, 2016
DIY
Planning our Home Office
I mentioned last week that we'll be turning one of the downstairs bedrooms into a home office and today we're ready to share that blank-space-of-a-room that's about to get a whole lot of function for the first time since moving in to this home almost 3 years ago. It's a relatively small room, at just 10x11 and […]
read more
July 5, 2016
DIY
A Budget Breakdown of the Pittsburgh Kitchen
Last week, we shared all the before and afters of the Pittsburgh kitchen we did with Frigidaire Professional right here. We also shared a fun, behind-the-scenes video (okay, I cried) of the 6-day renovation process right here. Since we shared those, we've gotten a lot of inquiries about how much did it all cost?! So, […]
read more
June 30, 2016
DIY
Before and After: A Small, Pittsburgh Kitchen Gets A Complete Makeover in 6 Days
My aunt and uncle's home in Pittsburgh is more than 90 years old and full of character, but the kitchen, like so many other kitchens, definitely had its fair share of challenges: the small 9x9 footprint, the outdated electrical, the radiator in the corner, no dishwasher, the in-swinging door that hindered so much usable space, the lack […]
read more
June 20, 2016
DIY
Our Outdoor Sofas are Here + What's Next?
The outdoor sofas we ordered a few weeks ago arrived the day before we left for Pittsburgh. As much as I wanted to bust them out of their boxes and arrange them on the newly finished deck, I knew them sitting outside for 10 days, unused, didn't really make a ton of sense. So as […]
read more
June 16, 2016
Decor
DIY Pom Pom Curtains
A few weeks ago, in this Casual Friday post, I mentioned I was on the hunt for some curtains for the playroom. I narrowed it down to two; these more masculine/sophisticated/slightly 90s in a good way (I think) plaid drapes or these simple and whimsical pom-pom trim curtains. I actually think both could have worked, but I […]
read more
May 17, 2016
Design
Welp, We're Doing Another Kitchen.
If you would have told me 6 months ago when we finished our kitchen renovation, that we'd be doing another one so soon, I might have passed out. But, the wonderful truth is that Frigidaire saw overwhelming response from us using their appliances in our kitchen, they asked us if we'd be up for designing […]
read more
May 5, 2016
DIY
Chris Loves Julia, The Podcast!
We've been sitting on this project for so long, it's exciting to finally announce we're launching Chris Loves Julia, the podcast! We love listening to podcasts, and felt there was a gap in the DIY/Home Design podcast space that we could fill. The first 3 episodes will be live a week from today, May 9th, and we'll […]
read more
May 2, 2016
Decor
Disguising Air Returns With Paint! + A Giveaway!
This post is sponsored by FilterEasy, an unforgettable air filters service we've used for the past year that’s smart and simple. We're giving away free filters to 150 readers + a chance to win a Target gift card at the end of the post. We've had the downstairs painted for a couple months, but I haven't talked […]
read more
April 6, 2016
Decor
Tips For Choosing Wall-to-Wall Carpet in a Modern, Family Setting
Our Stainmaster carpet was installed earlier this week and it's even better than we imagined it would be! We talked about it in this post, but wall to wall carpet has kind of gotten a bad rep in the last decade. And while I understand the appeal of hardwood floors, there is an undeniable coziness […]
read more
April 1, 2016
DIY
Before and After: Our New Front Door!
Our new front door is in and we have some photos to share with you today! First I should say that ordering a door online was a bit of a risk. Especially since we wanted a wood-toned one and tones are somewhat hard to read online. But as soon as it got here, we inspected […]
read more
March 29, 2016
DIY
Sneak Peek at the new Front Door + Schlage Giveaway!
Update: Congrats to our winner, Avery! Hope you enjoy your new door hardware. :) Last week, our new front door arrived! We got it installed and trimmed out and it has totally changed everything. The facade of our house finally reflects more of what you could expect when you walk inside. We'll have more of those photos […]
read more
March 28, 2016
DIY
Making the Case: "Why Would Anybody Want a Pot Filler?"
Adding a pot filler to your kitchen is a total luxury. Meaning, it's not necessary, not that you have to lead some luxurious lifestyle to have it (they're similarly priced to a normal faucet). But, you don't need it. And if your kitchen design doesn't allow for it, don't feel like there are things you won't […]
read more
March 4, 2016
DIY
How To Make An Outdated Fireplace Insert Look Like A Million Bucks
We haven't had a playroom update in some time, but we've made some real progress down there recently. We tore up all the carpet, painted the walls two different colors (I'll share that soon, but there's a peek on Instagram!), bought all the material for our built-ins and over the holiday, we revamped the fireplace. […]
read more
February 16, 2016
DIY
Apply for a Spring Makeover with Lowe's and CLJ!
If you follow me on Instagram, over the last few days you've seen a bunch of our friends and family members, in sad spaces with signs saying #CLJtotheRescue. And now we can finally spill the beans that we are, indeed, coming to somebody's rescue and it could be yours! We've partnered with Lowe's to makeover […]
read more
February 8, 2016
DIY
How To Hire A Contractor (and When We Do)
To hire help or not? Can I afford to hire someone? When is it worth it as a DIYer? These are all really good questions that we ask ourselves before we start any large project (which we're coming up on again in our basement). It's also one that we've gotten a lot over the past […]
read more
January 25, 2016
DIY
Now Open: Shop Our House!
I'm back from a whirlwind trip to Miami with Lowe's Home Improvement (more on that in a future post) just in time to launch our new shop page! For quite some time, I have been trying to think of the best way to make it easy for all of you to get the direct sources […]
read more
January 21, 2016
Design
A Video Tour Inside Our Kitchen Cabinets
Ever since we finished our kitchen a couple months ago, I have been surprised how many of you have requested to see inside all of the cabinets! It made me laugh at first, because I didn't realize that was a thing. But then I noticed our friends and family poking around when they would come […]
read more
December 3, 2015
DIY
How To Paint the Exterior of Your Home--Yourself!
Today, I have a long overdue update on the exterior of the Pugmire's home! Back in June, I shared that they had wrote an amazingly catchy song and entered their home in a contest to win an exterior makeover. My favorite line of the song is when they sang, "My favorite color isn't salmon, or […]
read more
November 18, 2015
