Happy Hour No. 3


To us, Happy Hour is a time to sit back, relax, and catch up with friends. Itโ€™s a time to chat about everything and anything, and thatโ€™s exactly what we want to bring to DIY Playbookโ€™s monthly Happy Hour.happy-hour-graphic

We wantย these monthlyย posts to be aย chance to catch up with friends and bring just a little extra happy to your day. So grab your coffee (or champagne) and letโ€™s catch up!

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Casey

  • We recently added this wide lens to our photography arsenal and it is so amazing! We used it to take the pictures for the Lowe’s makeover reveal post, and it captured the entire room wonderfully! If you’re looking to upgrade your lens, this is a good one for wide room shots.ย casey camera
  • Over the summer, I binge-watched all of the TV show Parenthood. It was sooooo good, and I cried just about every single episode. Now, I’m onto Friday Night Lights. Another great one. I’m only on season 1, but I’m loving it.

Bridget

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  • I bought this custom home art for my brother-in-law’s new houseย and I was so excited to gift it to him!ย I actually worked with this same Etsy seller when I bought a portrait of our home for our first anniversary (paper theme!) and loved the product (and her) so much that I bought another for Matt’s brother. The owner of thisย shop is amazing to work because she’s so kind, so quick to respond, and SO darn talented. If you’re looking for a custom home portrait for a new homeowner or a personalized Christmas gift, you should definitely check her Etsy shop out!! <— Act fast, becauseย this amazing shop is currently offering 15% for DIY Playbook through next Friday. Use code: DIYPLAYBOOK at checkout!!ย maison-jules-bridget-fall-sweater-toms-booties-5
  • Since I love my TOMS so much, I decided to splurge on anotherย pair of TOMS booties. I know since they’re open-toed I won’t get as much use out of them throughout the winter as my other TOMS, but I love them already and hope to wear them all the time! And yes– they are just as comfortable!!
  • My super generous sisters surprised me with this winter coat for my birthday and I love it so much I’m almost excited for the cold weather to get here. #almost

Link It

FYI

We’ve been working on a fun project for the holiday season and cannot wait to share with you guys soon! We’ll go into more details very soon, but essentially we rounded up our favorite bloggers to create a magazine-style holiday gift guide. The gift guide will be available on Monday, November 14th on the blog and will continue to be available until the holidays are over. We are so excited and busy working away to finalize last minute details… we can’t wait to share it soon and hopefully inspire others to find the perfect gift for everyone on their holiday shopping list.

diy-playbook-sos-instagram-18Also, we’re looking for more #DIYPlaybookSOS submissions. If you want some design help for a tough space, please email us some photos and an explanation of what you’re looking to improve. If chosen, we’ll share your before pictures and a design plan/mood board right here on the blog. Just email [email protected] with the subject line “Save our Space.”

Casey Updates

With the Lowe’s makeover behind us, I was able to have some fun (more relaxing) weekends this month. We spent one Sunday with my godson picking out pumpkins. How cute is he?!harry-pumpkin

I mean, that vest? Ugh. So adorable. It was a fun fall day filled with pumpkins, apple cider donuts, and homemade taffy apples!

Finn and I also celebrated our 2nd anniversary (which I chatted all about in this post).finn-anniversary-deck

It was a nice low-key night together. We ordered deep dish pizza, enjoyed champagne on the deck, and just spent time reminiscing about the past year of marriage.ย casey-bag-purse-nordstrom

I also started a new job this month, so things have been crazy on the work front. I think it’s a great step for my career, so I’m very excited for what’s ahead.

Bridget Updates

October was so much fun because we had a lot to celebrate! To kick-off the month, the Lowe’s Fall Makeover was a wrap so we were able to take a deep breath. The month leading up to that huge project was insane and came with a lot of late nights. So after it was over and we were SO excited with the outcome, we were ready to celebrate!! And the celebrating really hasn’t stopped since then.

chicago_bridget_matt_cubsBetween two weddings and lots of birthdays this month, our weekends were busy in the best way possible. My birthday was actually this month too and Matt totally spoiled me. Instead of buying me “gifts”, he opted to do things around the house that would make my life easier and help eliminate some of my stress. <– The guy knows me way too well! He did a ton of outdoor chores, cleaned the whole entire house (while insisting I could NOT help at all), and then helped me get a lot of blog photos out of the way so I didn’t feel pressure to meet those looming deadlines. Then he topped it off with a day filled with exploring together. I didn’t open one present from him and yet theseย were the best gifts I could have ever asked for.

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But enough about me — let’s chat about my little sister’s Golden Birthday and the SURPRISE party we pulled off for her milestone bday! Maggie is an amazing person; the girl has a heart of gold and is ALWAYS doing for others without ever taking credit for it. To finally spoil her for a change,ย weย secretly planned a night out in Chicago for her and her friends. We rented a trolley to cheers to 27 years and spent the night cruising around her favorite city. Maggie was a little less shocked than we anticipated (she secretly knew almost the whole time and didn’t say anything!!)ย but we had a great time anyway. AND…. the Chicago Cubs won the final game to get into the World Series for the first time since 1945 so needless to say, it was a great night in the city!!ย chicago_bridget_fashion_fall-cubs-flags

 

Bridget&Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.