Living Room Updates

As most of you know, I got married about four months ago. And slowly but surely, I've been updating R.B.'s bachelor pad. I started on the living room before we were even engaged, and I thought I'd let y'all in on some of the updates we've made in the last year or so. And, I need your help too, so read to the end!

*Please forgive me for the quality of some of these older photos. We had to scour our iPhones for old pictures, and they're not great. But, you'll get the idea...

The above picture is actually after a few preliminary changes. R.B. used to have a really large dark wood coffee table. It took up most of the floor space and made the room so dark. We got the glass top table at Scott's in Atlanta. The legs are bamboo, but we painted them gold to lighten it up. 

Those side tables (from Target) are also changed - R.B. had dark wood tables on either side of the couch (he seemed to love the color brown before I got involved).

This is from Christmas of last year. R.B.'s dad and stepmom gave him a cowhide rug for Christmas (on my recommendation). I love the texture and depth it adds, but it's still way too dark in there for me. 

Can you spot Zelda, the Frenchton?

There are several changes in this photo. First and foremost, the lighter couch. It makes such a huge difference. We also added a lighter chair on the left side of the photo. If you look at the previous pictures, you'll see a black leather recliner that used to be there. 

The pressed flowers/ferns on the back wall are from Scott's, and the frames are from Hobby Lobby. 

Oh hey, Olivia and Elliott. This is what the mantle and fireplace looked like before we painted the mantle. And, here's the preliminary after...

Isn't she lovely? This beauty is attached to the wall, and we can't really move it because the wall isn't painted behind it and there isn't any floor trim back there either! R.B. had this completely filled with books, and this picture was taken after we had taken the doors off the bottom sections to start painting. A coat of paint went a LONG way on this little booger.

See what I mean?? Paint works wonders!

Now on to what the room looks like today...

Zelda made another cameo in this pic. 

Doesn't it look so much brighter?? Let's go little by little...

I got a great deal on this antique sideboard at an Skyland Antiques in Tuscaloosa. We left four of the pressed flower pictures here and added the pressed ferns to our bedroom. The wicker chairs are from World Market and were in my old apartment. 

This is the newest addition to the room. We picked up this adorable little desk at the Trussville Antique Mall yesterday. That little chair and the mirror are from estate sales in Montgomery. They've both been sitting in our sunroom because we haven't had anywhere to put them, but they fit perfectly here. I should probably lower the mirror a little, but it's super heavy and a pain to hang. So, it'll have to work for awhile.

Whew! Doesn't that look better?? That mirror on the right is from an estate sale. The painting was my wedding gift to R.B. It's by Birmingham artist Dirk Walker. The little copper pitcher on top of the bookcase is from Cottage Collections in Montgomery, but most everything else is stuff we've had for awhile. 

These prints used to be where the pressed flowers are now. The bar cart is from Target, and the wreath was a wedding gift from Williams-Sonoma.

And, here's the mantle today. I want to change out those vases and that side table that the cable box is on at some point. The TV wires also drive me crazy; I need to get a cord cover for those. 

This is where I need your help! This little table is just not cutting it in this corner. Our Christmas tree will go here in a few weeks (!!!), but I need something permanent after the holidays. I feel like I need a plant/tree of some sort to fill out the space, and it needs to be tall. Give me some suggestions!! We love that vase - a wedding gift from Williams-Sonoma - but, it's just not working here. 

So, there you have it. It's still a work in progress, but it's leaps and bounds ahead of where we started. Do you have any suggestions for our space? What's your favorite part? 

Skimp or Splurge?

Last week, I saw this beautiful open cardigan by Joie on fellow blogger Christine Andrew.  #Need.

I loved it. I wanted it. I saw the price tag. I passed out.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't fathom paying $448 for a sweater.  I love high-quality pieces that I'll use forever, but that price was way too steep.  So when I was perusing Target last week, I noticed they had sweaters on sale.  Then I spotted this beauty - and immediately couldn't believe how similar the sweaters are!

The Target sweater is thick and is surprisingly higher quality than their stuff normally is.  Bonus: it's only $29.99!  Target is also currently having a sale on sweaters.  They're buy-one get-one 50% off (and be sure to check Cartwheel for coupons, too - I got an extra 10% off).  So I ended up with that sweater and a faux fur vest (I can't find the one I got online UPDATE: the vest can be found here!) for about $40. Booyah.

So, which one would you get?  Would you splurge on the the by Joie or go with the Target sweater?

New Music Monday

Happy Columbus Day! Hopefully, some of you are enjoying a day off from work. I'm not, but that doesn't mean I can't fill the day with beautiful music. 

I discovered You+Me just recently. You+Me is a collaboration between pop star, P!nk, and Canadian singer/songwriter Dallas Green, who performs as City and Colour. They wrote and recorded their entire album, rose ave., in six days (oh, how I wish I was that talented), and it will be released in full tomorrow on iTunes!

If you're drawn to beautiful harmonies and a stripped down, not overly produced sound, you'll love You+Me.

You and Me is the first release from their album. Hope you enjoy it as much I did!

Kelley's iPhone Dump

Happy Friday, everyone! I thought I'd be lazy and dump some iPhone photos here for y'all.  Zach and I have been all over the place recently and we finally have a full weekend home together this weekend.  Praise Jesus, hallelujah (now you're singing Black Widow, right?).  Here's what's been going on in our world recently...

We were in Mentone, Alabama, a few weekends ago for our sweet friend Alice's wedding. Here's my backseat driver.  My passenger seat driver had abandoned his duties (aka: fallen asleep).

This is my new favorite neutral nail polish: essie's "BBF Best Boyfriend"...

Isn't this little cottage where we stayed in Mentone adorable?  It was perfect. We even talked about renting it again for a week-long mountain vacation. (Sidenote: We found out at the wedding that the cottage is actually owned by one of our friend's grandparents.)

This was the view from the wedding.  Absolutely breathtaking...

Obligatory selfie. Please note the small child attacking the tree.

October 1 was the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  The First Lady of Alabama, Dianne Bentley, held a candlelight vigil on the Capitol steps. All of the state buildings are lit up purple for the cause.  It was a completely moving program...

Domestic violence awareness and prevention is one of the First Lady's platforms and she is extremely passionate about it.  Check out the hashtag #DBversusDV to see more of her work...

And I'll leave you with this gem.  That's me making my brother love me.  It's working.

Tonight, we're heading to Art in Concert featuring the Pine Hill Haints and the Owsley Brothers.  Zach and I both love bluegrass and folk music, and Maeci shared this article about the Pine Hill Haints on her FB, so it should be a fun night.  If you're in the Montgomery area, you should come check it out!

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Oversized Plaid Scarf + Sneak Peak

Last week when Fran posted about this scarf, I knew I had to rush over to Target to get it!  I've been loving the trend and wanted to make sure I had one when the temps started to dip.  What's even better?  It was cool enough this weekend to wear it!

Me and my friend Katie (aka "sister")

Even though we're die-hard Bama fans, we couldn't pass up going to the Auburn vs. LSU game and tailgating with friends! Notice how I am not wearing anyone's colors :)

That's me in the center! So, you get a better idea of the scarf.

I really love the scarf!  I can already tell it's going to be a staple this fall and winter.  It's big and oversized, the colors are wonderful and it's super warm!  I could actually use it as a small blanket if I really wanted to.

The best part?  It's only $16.99!  So get ya'self one.

So I'm still working on a few tweaks to our living room, but here's a sneak peak at our layered rugs...

Hope y'all are having a great week!  We're halfway there folks.

Personal Styling Without Obligation

Well, we have been MIA for awhile now. I have been home about one day a week for the last three weeks due to work travel (and I leave again today!). So, it's been a crazy month. 

But, I'm here today to tell you about a new obsession of mine. Have you ever longed for a personal stylist without the obligation or awkwardness of buying what they pick out for you? Well, look no further than Keaton Row.

Via

My friend, Alexia (shout out!), introduced me to the free service. Basically, you fill out a style profile and they match you with a stylist. The stylist puts together several looks for you based on your preferences, and you can pick and choose what you want to buy. The stylist then gets a commission from the retailers, so there's no obligation for the client!

All of the clothes/shoes/accessories come from Nordstrom, Shopbop, asos, and Les Nouvelles, so there are tons of options and lots of price points and name brands. 

My stylist, Melissa, has put together several looks for me already, and I've purchased a few items that I really love including this little number...

Via

And, for those natural fashionistas out there, you can apply to be a stylist with Keaton Row and start getting paid for what you love to do!

So, check it out. Like I said, there's no obligation. And, you can get $25 off your first purchase of $200+ with the code REFERFRIEND25.

Let us know if you sign up, and tell us all about your stylist!

This is not a sponsored post. I just love Keaton Row, and I thought you would too!

Layered Rugs

I love the look of layered rugs.  It adds an extra texture to the room and a bit of depth.  I started rearranging our living room last night (hello, four months later) and I'm planning on using the rug that was originally in there and layering it with another natural jute rug we have.  I've had layered rugs on my brain and have been looking at some inspiration photos so I thought I'd share with y'all...

via design manifest

via decor pad

via lonny

via little green notebook

via lonny

via domaine


via apartment therapy


via lonny


via lonny


via sanctuary decor

I've switched around our living room and rearranged several things. I love rearranging furniture!  It just makes the space seem new and fresh without having to go out and buy all new stuff.  Once I have a few things in place, I'll be sure to post pictures!

We're headed up to Mentone, Alabama, on Saturday for a good friend's wedding.  I just know it's going to be beautiful and the setting will be picturesque.  Hope y'all have a great weekend!