Wow… what a month it has been! We know there has been lots of “recap” going on this week and we promise this is the LAST ONE! When we scheduled our recaps for the entire year, we didn’t want to leave out our monthly recap, especially since it has been such a busy month both on the DIY Playbook and behind-the-scenes. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE everything about the holidays and to be perfectly honest, we’re selfishly a little sad to say goodbye to December 2015. Let’s look back at what we tackled this month on and off the blog…

 

On The DIY Playbook:

• We upped the PDA around here with some smooching pics for our DIY mistletoe post
• We’re all about adding personality into our homes & decor…like our monogram wrapping
• Everyday Christmas gifts got a major upgrade (we’re still loving the Instagram coasters!)
• It’s going to be sad when B has to take down all of her gorgeous holiday decorations!
• Casey went classic with a white subway tile backsplash, but went for a more contemporary look with her kitchen lighting
• We revealed our 2015 Christmas Card and the crazy bloopers behind this silly photo shoot
• Janimal shared her secrets for the perfect Christmas bow!
• Family & tradition…it’s what the holiday season is all about!
• Goodbye brown-on-brown, hello white & bright —> Bridget’s Dining Room Reveal
• These are a few of our favorite things…
• These are a few of our (boys’) favorite things…
• Jute vs. Seagrass vs. Sisal, we broke down natural fiber rugs with this guide
• We love our city, but we are especially smitten during the holidays!
• Casey learned you can’t go wrong with campaign style furniture
• Bridget adorned her hallways with lots of Christmas cheer
• #DIYPlaybookHoliday Recap
• We put a twist on the ordinary year roundup with the DIY Playbook 2015 Yearbook
• A look back at our most popular instas from the past year

Behind the Blog – December 2015

Casey: Last month, I filled you in that I was getting Lasik in mid-December. Well the surgery came & went, and I can officially see 20/20! It is crazy! I was a bit nervous going in, but it was completely painless and the actual surgery only took about 7 minutes. I wish I would have done it sooner. I feel like I have a whole new world at my fingertips!

Besides the gift of sight, my other favorite part of December was spending lots of time with my family. We had our annual cookie day, went to the Zoolights, and have just enjoyed all being together during this special time of year. And how cute is my godson, Harry? I just want to eat him up.

The Mr. & I have also enjoyed our version of “Elf on the Shelf.” Bridget chatted more about it in this post, and even though we’re sans children we still think it is hilarious to move around our little elf. Those husbands of ours are so creative, and put the elves in some interesting situations. We will definitely be sad to pack away our elves until next year.

Bridget:

Like Casey, I spent most of my December enjoying quality time with family and friends, which made the holidays so much fun!! Lots of cookie baking, gingerbread decorating, shopping, checking out Christmas lights, enjoying holiday festivities in downtown Chicago… all the December basics around here.

And beyond those family traditions, the crew even snuck in a Christmas card picture for the first time in way too many years.

We didn’t have ANY pictures of ALL of us together (with the addition of two hubbies) so we thought this Christmas we needed to make a point to get a photo of all 7 (!!) of us. As for the “Chestnut Club” sign (remember when I DIY-ed it for Father’s Day a few years back?), it made it in the pic as the official welcome to our two newest members, Matt & Joe (aka the son-in-laws). Our family lived on Chestnut Drive growing up and so we referred to our house as the “Chestnut Club” <– fancy, right? Obviously, the boys are pretty excited to be a part of the “club” now, but hey…. how could they not be?! Haha #exclusive

And now that the holidays are behind us, Matt and I are excited to enjoy our time off for our winter break!! On our to-do list: sleep-in, relax, do some organizing around the house, and that’s about it. A perfect ending to a crazy-busy first semester!

Bridget&Casey