Happy Friday friends! Can we all agree that the summer is flying by?! What a fun month it has been both on the DIY Playbook & behind the scenes. Bridget became an aunt, we celebrated BLOG WEEK, took a weekend trip to the lake with our hubbies, and even celebrated our 10-year high school reunion (10 years, already?!). Wow, we have A LOT to catch up on.

On the Blog

• The highlight of our month was BLOG WEEK <— blog week is one of our favorite weeks of the entire year and we were blown away and SO grateful for your support. We love hearing from you guys and really appreciated your feedback and ideas. Our calendar is already exploding with new ideas and posts… thank YOU so much!! Here are our posts from that jam-packed week…

1. State of the Blog
2. How to Create a Mood Board without Photo Shop
3. What it’s really like working with your BFF 
4. How we make money blogging! <–definitely a popular post with you guys!
5. Rookie Mistakes from our Favorite Bloggers!

• Hearing some of our favorite bloggers dish on their biggest Rookie mistakes made us literally laugh out loud. We love that this post was a friendly and humble reminder that it’s OKAY (and super normal) to make mistakes throughout this crazy DIY journey. We’ve all been there and it was fun to take a look back at these embarrassing moments together.
• This month also brought our last Michael’s Makers project for the year <— more details about this partnership coming next week!
• Bridget shared her final post from her Alaska Trip with 10 must-read tips!
• Neither of us are currently renters, BUT we still love collecting ideas to help renters make their space personal. Here are 9 decorating tips for renters <— we plan on keeping these coming! 
• Dining Room progress: Casey decided on a dining room table, chairs (after lots of research) and is almost ready to choose a counter stool. She also made sure to keep her new table free from any stains and watermarks with this easy sealing tutorial. I wish Casey could have us all over for dinner to celebrate!
• Bathroom Progress: B’s bathroom is almost done (reveal coming soon). New lighting options, a 3-minute shower head installation, a solo shiplap project, and bold paint were all pretty unexpected, but welcomed updates!
• Patio Updates: It only took us until the end of July to finally share updates on Casey’s balcony and B’s patio.
• And last but certainly not least, B became an AUNT! <—- And took her new responsibilities very seriously with this newborn photo session.

Around the Web

• Our blog friend turned real friend, Courtney from A Thoughtful Place, bought a new house and we can’t wait to follow along as she makes it her own! Here’s a “before” tour. Congrats lady!!
• Another one of our fav bloggers bought a house and plans on flipping it to eventually sell it. We’ve never followed along on a “flip-to-sell” journey, so we’re excited to tune in (before pics here)! Plus anything Dana from House*Tweaking does is pretty much amazing. #bigfans
• As if we needed another reason to love Emily Henderson. Her post about blogging in the midst of tragedy is a must read!
• We’ve been digging Young House Love’s new podcast. But we especially loved this one where they chat about bloggers & sponsored posts.
• Our sweet friend, Monica from East Coast Creative, just came out with this awesome web series! She partnered with our favorite brand (Lowe’s!) for a show called “The Weekender.” In each episode, Monica completes 5 projects in 2 days that homeowners can all tackle themselves. Definitely check it out!
• We are proud contributors of the new DARBY APP!!! You can download it now at the AppStore… it’s called “DARBY”. This app reminds us of a mix between Pinterest meets Instagram via hyperlapse videos. It’s a scrolling feed of hyperlapse video tutorials for crafts, DIY, cooking, and more! We’re honored to be among such amazingly talented contributors. Maybe this app will be the motivation we need to get our butts in gear to amp up our video game. #fingerscrossed

Casey

This summer has been incredibly busy for me work-wise. I’ve taken on a few new production clients, and I’m working on a pilot for a new local show. So when my dad asked if we wanted to get away for a weekend to a lake house, it was very welcomed! Some of my family went, and I invited Bridget & Matt along for some laid-back summer fun. 

We went to Beverly Shores which is actually only about an hour from Chicago. It was such a fun weekend, as we went to the beach, hit up some outlet stores, and went on a long bike ride exploring the area. 

On that bike ride, B and I found this amazing PINK house! Can you even?! It was right on the water, and the bright pink next to the deep blue water….STUNNING!

I love summertime, because even though the weekdays may be crazy…it’s always nice to take time to relax and spend time with your loved ones on the weekends. And for us that usually means ice cream, grilling out, and drinks on the patio.

Also, my godson turned 1 this month! I can’t even believe it has already been a year. I love this little guy to pieces and can hardly keep up as he runs all around getting into trouble. What a cutie pie!

Bridget

I’m sure you guys are SICK of hearing about him (I’m so sorry… I promise I’ll stop after this post!!), but this month was pretty much ALL about the newest member of the Chestnut Club. Welcoming Owen into our family and watching Katie become a mom has been SO amazing. We’re all so happy for her and feel extremely blessed to have this healthy, handsome little fella in our lives.

Outside of learning how to hold a baby (note: I’ve never really been around babies so there’s been lots of LEARNING), this month has been filled with LOTS of mini DIY projects around the house. I’ve been working hard to finish up the bathroom & have lots of mini DIY projects in the works that I can’t wait to tell you ALL about! I’m trying to get as much of my to-do list done before going back to work in 2 weeks. AND I want to get started switching the guest room and office, so getting these mini projects out the of the way will help me get to that bigger project sooner!

In the “fun” department, Matt and I LOVED heading to the beach with Casey & Finn for the weekend. It’s always fun when we get together, but throw in a sunny weekend on the beach and we can’t ask for much more than that!

I also attended our 10-year high school reunion this month and had an absolute blast! Since Casey & I went to the same high school, it was our high school reunion (not just mine). But Casey was busy celebrating her nephew’s first birthday, so I went without her.

Although I REALLY wish she was there, Matt and I had SUCH a blast. I was a little hesitant going but I’m very glad that I did.  It was great catching up with old friends and chatting about the “good ol’ days”. Where did those 10 years go?!

I know summer is not technically over for me for another two weeks, but I can’t help but feel so grateful for this time off. Meeting Owen, visiting Alaska, spending quality time with my family and friends, & getting lots of projects done around the house… my summer has been more than I ever could have imagined.

Bridget&Casey