HAPPY MONDAY, Y’ALL. Was it just me, or was last week’s 4-day workweek the longest workweek ever. There were not enough buckets of coffee to get me through last week with grace and gumption. But this week has TONS in store…my new CUR intern (!!!) will be with me in my office on Tuesday – stay tuned for those shenanigans on Snapchat – I’ll be spending most of Wednesday picking blueberries with my family, I’ve got a few interviews coming up for various podcasts and such, and then Thursday we fly to WYOMING for one of my best friend’s wedding weekends. I’ve got a feeling it’s all going to be a big blurry haze of happy.

Another big blurry haze of happy? The fact that J and I bought a house. Like, what? I will never get over that one. Four years ago I was very boldly convincing him that he should call me and now we’re about to get hitched. God is good. So in the spirit of goodness and new home-ness, I’m sharing le tour of le house broken down by room. ICYMI, the foyer looks like this. Now…the living room. 🙂

I’m such a living room girl in that I always wanted it to be a total hangout spot – not just a room with filler couches “in case” guests come over and timidly sit for tea. Ain’t nobody got time for that. We drink coffee with cake (+ frosting, of course) while planning world domination and drink wine while laughing with girlfriends and it’s cozy and comfy and warm and welcoming and exactly what I envisioned – with just the right amount of chic, too. So, living room decor had a lot on its plate to handle in one.

Our process started with the bigger furniture, because J and I are super picky when it comes to couches.

As in, we sat on every. single. couch. in the store before finding ONE that we liked (the one that we ended up getting), and I custom ordered color because neither of the two available options floated my decor boat. Does that make me a diva? HA, whatever, YOLO (bring it back!), got ’em anyhoo.

This top left shelf is one of my favorite lil’ memento collectors. I found a free printable online that reads “Everything is better when we’re together” – cute, right? So I went all DIY up in this ish, cut it out in a circle shape, taped it to a piece of square scrapbooking paper to match the couch, and put that in(which is, essentially, a 3D frame). Inside, I keep things like ticket stubs, name badges from fancy events, boarding passes…anything and everything physical and small to document memories and time together.

The “LOVE” sign was a Christmas gift from my momma before she a.) knew about any house, or b.) knew about a color scheme. Given the fact that our coffee tables have a chrome finish on the legs, she kinda sorta nailed this. And for me, it embodies the living room decor vibe I was going for – very cozy because of the sentimental, lovey touches.

The “Enjoy the Little Things” piece was another gift from my momma, and the Eiffel Tower framed photo was a shot J took himself (props, amiright???). The “Be Brave” silver frame is from Burlington, the far right silver frame was a bridal shower gift (with an engagement photo inside), and that middle frame? That’s the FIRST EVER PHOTO that J and I took together, at the end of the program that we met in when I was at UPenn.

GUYS. This is one of my all-time favorite wall spots in the whole. dang. house. One of my most cherished “photoshoots” is the one that J arranged for when he proposed. He had one of my friends from college – who happens to be a kickass photog – secretly shoot the entire proposal, and the resulting photos are some of the most raw, beautiful pictures to capture our relationship. I knew I wanted those photos of us to have a special place in our home. I went with Framebridge to get ’em done, and HOLY COW PEEPS…I could not be happier with any single aspect of the entire process. Since I’ve got the chrome finish table legs goin’ on, I wanted to continue with the mirrored look to pull the room together. Framebridge is a framing service that lets you digitally upload your own photo or art – or physically mail it in to them – and they send you a fully finished, framed masterpiece. I knew I wanted a.) all black and white photos, and b.) a minimalistic look. Once you’re on their website, you choose the size frame you’re looking for and the finish, upload the photo, and THAT’S IT. You can preview the finished product before ordering, but otherwise, it’s literally the most pain-free process ever. I had all five of these ordered and ready to go in approximately ten minutes, and they arrived to my house a few days later PERFECTLY. Unwrap, put on wall, VOILA.

But honestly, I think my personal favorite thing about Framebridge is their customer service. I’m HUGE on customer service. If your assistance is icky, I will vow to never shop again, regardless of how much I lovelovelove the product. This team is just stellar, though. I had a question when I was uploading photos because I wanted to ensure everything was EXACTLY the same size; I knew exactly the vision I wanted in my head, so it had to be perfect. They have instant online chat support, so my questions were immediately answered. The entire process just feels so personal and helpful and y’all, I’m obsessed. And you guys know…brands cannot pay me to say anything I don’t believe on CUR. Framebridge isn’t paying me period…I just loveloveLOVE how these turned out. Can you tell?!

They’re also just sweethearts, so they offered code COMINGUPROSES15 so that you can save 15% on your Framebridge order if you have some custom framing to do, too!

The storage piece in the back corner is from Burlington (as is most of my life, basically). I needed to fill that space and wanted it to be dually functional and aesthetic, and a storage ottoman or trunk felt like the right choice to keep throw blankets and schtuff. Saw it in store and knew it matched everything perfectly, so we went for it. Also from Burlington are some of the coffee table goodies – the tray, as well as the chrome coasters. The candle is Bath & Body Works (the $10 3-wick candle sale is MY JAM).

Next up is this lil’ corner – one of my favorite hot spots of the house. This chair is CLUTCH, peeps. It’s (available multiple retailers, and !), and it’s one of the chairs I always dreamed about having in a reading nook, because you can legit curl up in it like cat. My inner cat lady is just so hyped about this. It’s also a convertible chair, so you can push the back down to lay flat for more of a chaise look. #fancy

The “Philadelphia” pillow was a gift from my friend Mel, the white + blue pillows are from Walmart (believe it or not!), the lamp (for under $25!), the button frame was handmade by my aunt, and the stack of books currently includes,, , and …all coffee table favorites.

And this one…I’m currently knee deep in it and it. is. life. changing. I kid you not. If you’ve been struggling with burnout or feelings of inadequacy in ANY sense, or if you just feel like you’re not tapping into your full potential in life, . I’m so hooked.

That grey and white beanbag ottoman? There’s a wickedly funny (and random and really, really weird) story that goes with that, and it involves trash. So y’all know…I went to UPenn. I was an RA for freshmen. There are a lot of…pretty well off people at Penn (and an interesting socioeconomic divide because of it, but that’s a whole ‘nother story). When move out happens, many student from across the country or across the globe can’t keep all of their dorm things. They hook their rooms up with the best of the best in the beginning, and come May move-out, it’s all in the trash. In the trash. Sure enough, during move out, this gem of a brand-new ottoman – with TAGS on it – was sitting on top of the trash pile. LOL. Snatched that sucker up so fast it wasn’t even funny. Maybe that makes me trashy, maybe that makes me hella frugal and smart with the $$$. You decide. 😉

(MUST. READ.)

FREE “You are so Loved” print – just Google “free you are so loved print” and take your pick!

|||| || || Building my Empire

And that’s it so far! I’m personally loving the charcoal-chrome-cobalt vibe, because it’s comfy and soothing while still being chic! The living room is where I want to collapse on a couch after a long day, so comfort and relaxation is key. Add the personalized touches and sentimentality since I’m a total mushball, and the room is just about complete!