The Chris Loves Julia Podcast W/ Preston Pugmire

It's a hard day. But it's a good day. Today's episode of The Chris Loves Julia Podcast with Preston Pugmire will be the last of the series. Despite the million+ downloads, multiple sponsors per episode and the success stamp that most people would put on the podcast, last week, I had a major breakthrough that left me in tears. And then lead me to have a really, really difficult conversation with the team to end the podcast. We recorded our final episode less than 24 hours later, and the feelings were (and still are) very raw. That is to say, okay, I cry more and explain what led me to this unexpected decision. The theme of the episode is fear, because it had everything to do with fear. But we touch on the scary thing that happened at our cabin, a bold decision that made our bathroom plans "click," and share some of our favorite moments from the podcast. I know this will come as a shock to many of you, and I'm sure you will share in our sadness about it. But the time is right, and we can't wait for what's to co

A candid discussion about the best practices when choosing paint colors. Julia reveals for the first time a huge mistake she made behind the scenes.  Posts mentioned in this episode: DIY Shiplap built-ins: finished and styled! Perfectly Putty Paint   Leave a Rating and Review for the Podcast!   Theme song: Headphones by Preston Pugmire

We interviewed four successful interior designers that are all self taught. Amber Lewis, Jenny Komenda, Shea McGee and Brian Patrick Flynn all open up about everything from their education backgrounds (in some cases, dropping out of school) to advice they would give to anyone trying to break into the field. 1. Amber Lewis | Principal at Amber Interior Design and founder and CEO of the blog, Amber Interiors.  Based in California, but designing all over the world, Amber makes her signature casual California design look effortless, cool, cozy, eclectic and unique. Find her (and her amazing work) at amberinteriordesign.com , @amberinteriors on instagram, and check out her shoppe to get her signature look in person (in Calabasas) or online here.   2. Jenny Komenda | Interior designer and the owner of Juniper Studio, Jenny's Print Shop and founder of the blog, Little Green Notebook. Phoenix based, Jenny has been blogging about interiors since 2007! Her style is approachable, eclectic and the perfect mix of splurge

Here are the four questions we answer this week: 1. I have a question about windows in the bathroom: I currently live in a row home in Philadelphia, my bathroom has two windows in it that back up to my neighbors patio and a restaurant patio. I have blinds on the two windows in my bathroom, to keep any peepers from being able to look into my bathroom but I feel like its a waste of perfectly good natural light to keep them closed all the time. My husband thinks we should put sheer curtains up and keep the blinds open to solve the peeping/natural light problem but I can't say that I've ever seen curtains in a bathroom before, what do you think we should do? Best,Lane The balance of natural light and privacy is a big thing in a lot of bathrooms, so we cover a few ways to frost a window (the most affordable option--check out this film for this method!), different blind options (the easiest option, we'd recommend cellular honeycomb blinds for maximum light/privacy balance), and even high tech electrically-charged

In this episode, we peel back the curtain on a few projects happening around here. What you see are the photos, but there is always more uncertainty and conversations about nearly every decision. We take you through conversations around 2 projects we're knee deep in (our bedroom and bathroom) and how we come to conclusions as a couple. We also answer the question, "What is your process for renovating a room?" And! Talk about how we sometimes feel we have unintentionally betrayed our readers. In the first few minutes, we talk about how our bedroom is coming together. Side note: Do you say "make the bed?" or "fix the bed?" Either way, we get into it about throw pillows and this scene comes up. We share what intimidates us, big, normal house projects that we still haven't learned how to do and the secret we've been keeping: we don't know how to do everything. And that's okay! What's Your Process For Renovating a Room? Live in a space long enough to decide your feelings about it and discover pain points. Make a

Here are the four questions we tackled this week: 1. How to balance over-improving your home for someone else and making it perfect for you. Jen largely answers her own question, but we chime in with some examples from our own home. Sometimes the value is enough for you that it's worth the money, and sometimes you can get the same value for spending less. What we did with our kitchen ranges is a good example. 2. How to choose and display art in your home. We give a lot of tips and talk about the various ways we display art in our home, as well as how to make differing display options feel cohesive and not combative.    3. How to fix lines on a wall from painted stripes   There's going to be a lot of people dealing with this issue in the coming years, because about ten years ago, stripes were the rage. We talk about a couple of options, but unfortunately none of them are super convenient. But worth it, to get rid of the stripes.   4. How to handle a living space that is two stories high   This can be a trick

We start this episode with a small recap of our time in Seattle visiting the HGTV dream home and then describe where and what our dream homes would be! They might surprise you! Then we dive into a new segment, that we eventually decide to call "Cabin Log" (although Cabin of Green Gables was a close second! Ha!) where we're telling a few more nitty gritty details of our adventures in renovating our new-to-us A-frame. While we love our cabin, it's hasn't all been views and a walk in the park. This week's log story includes a whole lotta snow and a very expensive lesson. For the main segment, we go through House Beautiful's 16 Decor Trends that are Going to Be Hot for 2018 and weigh in on each. • Chris raps about the tone on tone trend. • And although House Beautiful is telling us to go moodier (compared to what?!), there's a big change we're making in our house that goes in the opposite direction! • And then, yeah, I mispronounce agate over and over and over. (I now realize, I was thinking of the word agave!) H

While our podcast usually airs every other Monday, this year, we are adding a special Q&A episode on the former off weeks--we're calling...waiting for it...CLJ Q&A! It rhymes. These episodes are shorter (we're shooting for under 30 minutes) and still have all the same fun and banter, but we answer YOUR questions! Although these are specific questions that come from real listeners, they are either questions we get a lot or we think can be applicable to many homes and situations. If you have a question you'd like us to answer, you can send it to podcast@chrislovesjulia.com. Topics this week: 1. How to add detail and interest to a blank slate. 2. What to do when you have competing focal points. 3. Some things you can do to temporarily renovate your kitchen, or tips to make it look a lot better until your big reno! 4. Tips for mixing wood types and stains.

We just finished a week long bathroom renovation in the Pugmire's home, and it turned out super awesome. We talk about how that project came about, who foot the bill, and the purpose behind it. We also talk about some of the flack we received because of some of the design elements, and our thoughts around that.   Happening This Week: Dealing With Water DamageWe've been going through our list this week, scheduling out our priorities for the next few months and then something happened that is forcing us to make our Master Bathroom a priority. And it has to do with portions of the ceiling below the bathroom (in the girls' bedroom) falling in.  General Discussion: Creating and Meshing Holiday TraditionsYou like white lights, he likes colored lights. You go sledding on Christmas Eve, he makes popcorn and watches movies. We all have our traditions that make the Holidays feel like "The Holidays", but what happens when your significant other has their own traditions that are different from yours? We talk about some o

We closed on a super awesome cabin, and we've already had our first party! We talk about our approach to the design with the cabin, and a few eye-opening things we've learned about minimalism. When planning a space that will be rented as a vacation home, as opposed to a primary residence, it's surprising the number of things you can do away with. And taking that one step further, do we really need those extra things at all? Impromptu Game: Name That MinimalistWhile talking about the cabin design, Jules shares an article from Apartment Therapy that defines 6 different types of minimalism. She names what they are and Preston and I take turns guessing their definitions. We also say which ones we identify with most, and would love to hear your matches in the comments. Can't Get You Outta My MindJulia: Something Jules and I have been talking about recently is the responsibility people have to those around them. I don't know why, but humans are just naturally competitive - sometimes that's good, sometimes not. She

In this episode we cover a lot of ground, starting with upcoming bathroom renovation plans. We talk about a common sentiment regarding tubs in the master bath, and why we think it's wrong. We also discuss incorporating the tastes and even sentimental decor items of your significant other into your home's decor, even and especially when that is sports paraphernalia. And how bringing those items into the rest of the home, in a cohesive way, may just quash a man's desire to have a man cave.   1. Vintage Framed Sports Photo (or any athletic photo printed in black and white with a nice white mat and thin, black frame. 2. Heritage Football. Go for worn leather sports paraphernalia over a brand new ball. 3. Pennant. Pennants have a natural sports look to them and are trending. 4. These wall hangers for any time of ball are perfect for incorporating those vintage ones from #2 into your gallery wall. 5. Trophy 6. Put a bunch of old baseballs into some sort of vessel, like a large mason jar. 7. Vintage pins for the she

In this episode, we're discussing everything Instagram. We start with a few details about our recent Instagram Auction, and the not-so-small problems that kept us scrambling well past midnight to deal with. We then move into a general discussion on using Instagram as a business tool, and some of our best practices for growing an organic following (and why it matters). And of course we need to juice it up a bit, so we hold nothing back in discussing the trend of buying Instagram followers, giving our opinions on it and even sharing some cases where it has "worked." • an experiment with Preston's Instagram account Our Tricks for Growing an Organic Instagram Following We talk about an open source tool anyone can use to see the momentum your favorite Instagram accounts have. A few other things we touch on include: • finding your content and making it great • posting what your followers want to see, not what you want to share HOW I GAINED 50K INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS RAPIDLY AND ORGANICALLY Hot Topic: Is It OK to Buy

After discussing my (Chris) laziest way of being thoughtful, this episode goes deep on all the details of our DIY Magazine shoot. Julia and I share the parts that surprised us most, and give a few confessions of how underprepared we were (i.e. - the outdoor kitchen was not even recognizable as an outdoor kitchen when the crew arrived). Julia also shares how a tiny lady bug saved the most crucial shot of the entire week.   This Episode is Sponsored By WONDERBLY (previously known as Lost My Name)The holidays are fast approaching, and birthdays know no season. If you have a kid in your life and you want to make them feel special, visit www.wonderbly.com. Wonderbly allows you to create custom story books for children in a way that puts them at the center of the plot. This isn't just Find-and-Replace on the name - they actually build the story around each child so every book is unique to them.  Visit www.wonderbly.com and use promo code CLJ at checkout to get 15% off your order.

After a quick dip into some recent reviews, we talk about Chris's process for the planning and building parts of projects. We share some of the thoughts that have gone into our outdoor cooking area and then jump head first into the topic of sleeping babies. While every kid is different, Chris & Julia are 3 for 3 on solid sleepers despite crankiness and tummy troubles, so Preston is interested in learning more. We wind it all down with a game of Fake or Real on Amazon's worst products. Episode Sponsored by GROVE COLLABORATIVE  www.grove.co/chrislovesjulia Other links mentioned: • SmileDirect • The Lively Show • Jenny's Print Shop • "Wipe Your Bum" Sign • 50 Shades of Grey Outlet Cover • Woman with Inhaler Decal • Maryland Cutting Board • Nick Cage Lifesize (or mini) Cutout

In this episode we talk about a few things, but the main event is, of course, The Property Brothers. Drew & Jonathan Scott talk about their relationship as brothers & business partners, their recently released book, It Takes Two: Our Story, and give a few insights into their personal & professional lives.  

We talk about our little baby girl, some major things that happened this week in CLJ history, and give some great tips on mixing metals. We also talk about some issues we've had with contractors and how we handled them, how we wish we would have handled them, and how sometimes a bad contractor is a great motivator to DIY.

In this special Q&A episode, we start off talking about the progress of our big backyard project and how we're charting new territory with it. Julia reveals her neurosis when it comes to their third child's birth date and they open up the mail bag to answer as many of your questions as possible!

We start this episode talking about a few behind-the-scenes details of our furniture line we launched last week and how that even came about. Then we go in-depth into how we handle sponsors and sponsored posts, answering a few questions we’ve received about the process and share a few times we messed up. We take our listeners through how many actual inquiries we get a day, and  what goes into producing sponsored content.

The Gang talks about the things in their house that aren't perfect cause they live in it like a normal family even though these things don't show up in pictures. We also discuss the Total Solar Eclipse that is happening in our little town next month. Also, Home Depot is getting sued and you might be blown away by the reason.

In this week's podcast, we are diving deep into all of the questions we have gotten about blogging and have an open and honest conversation about what it takes. For the first time, we're also discussing why, when and how Chris quit his job, and the lessons we have learned about separating criticism from critique. We share a few tips on how we have grown our following organically. We also answer some tough questions you've asked, like "Do you feel like you're at the mercy of your readers to survive financially?" and "Is there room in the field to start a blog today?" We're holding nothing back and can't wait to hear your thoughts on this week's episode.