Happy 4th Birthday to The DIY Playbook!


4th_birthday_DIY_playbook-2Pop the confetti, pour the champagne, bring on the cookie cake because today marks The DIY Playbook’s FOURTH birthday! <— Even typing that sentence feels crazy to us because we honestly can’t even believe it ourselves. How is our baby blog turning 4 already?!! #proudparents

Four Years Ago…

bridget-casey-computer-2014When we hit publish on our first blog post 4 years ago, we honestly didn’t know what to expect. We knew we loved all things DIY, we knew we loved reading other DIY blogs, and we knew we were already doing a lot of DIY projects, but we didn’t know much past that.DIY_Playbook-4th-birthday-bridget-casey-2

We set out to follow our passion of DIY and learn about this blogging world as we went, but didn’t haveย manyย expectations outside of that. Looking back 4 years later, what a journey it has been so far.

Then & Now

  • In the beginning, we were overwhelmed with the amount of information we needed to learn and test in order to build our site… but with lots of trial and error, we figured it out as we went.bridget-casey
  • In the beginning, our photography was awful… but with A LOT of practice, research, and investing in some new equipment, we improved.

    Our First Website Header, 2013
  • In the beginning, we had no clue what our style was or that we even had a style… we just took it one project and one post at a time until we eventually found a look we loved.
  • In the beginning we had a few readers (both of our moms and maybe a few friends tuning in on a good day)… four years later we can’t believe the amazing people and strong women we have connected with because of this blog.

    Our First Headshot, 2013
    Our First Headshot, 2013
  • In the beginning, we were nervous to put ourselves out there… and although it’s still not always easy, we learned not to take ourselves too seriously and have even developed some thicker skin along the way.
  • In the beginning, we didn’t make any money and never intended to do so… and now we know a lot more about contracts, invoices, financial projections, and taxes than we ever thought we would.DIY_Playbook-4th-birthday-bridget-casey-3
  • In the beginning, we had NO idea where this journey would take us… 4 years later, this blog continues to amaze us thanks to the incredible people we meet, the places we see, and the opportunities we are blessed with.

    4th_birthday_DIY_playbook-2

  • In the beginning, we almost didn’t start the DIY Playbook because we had no idea what to do or where to start….yet here we are four years later feeling grateful that we pushed ourselves to step WAY outside our comfort zones.

It’s not always easy, but it’s ALWAYS worth it

Running the blog and juggling our day jobs makes our lives busy… very, very busy every. single. day. The only way to say it is that it’s hard, really freakin’ hard to juggle work, blog, marriage, family, friends, and life.

DIY_Playbook-4th-birthday-bridget-caseyBut honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way because we are in LOVE with our work here. We are passionate about the DIY Playbook and look forward to getting home from our day jobs so we can dive into our blog work. Even on days that we feel completely overwhelmed by our never-ending to-do lists, we remember how lucky we are to have this blog in our lives because it brings us so much happiness.

4th_birthday_DIY_playbookLittle by little, a lot has changed since that very first post. Imagining what our lives would be like if we weren’t brave enough to start the blog is pretty scary.

We pause today and share this journey with you because we hope that ourย story will help inspire someone reading today to follow your heart, take a risk on your passion, and chase your dreams…even if it is super scary and full of unknowns.

It’s Time & Yes, you CAN do this!

Birthday_DIY_PlaybookWe’re not urging anyone to quit your job and do something drastic, we are just encouraging you to take ACTION on that daydream that won’t seem to stop nagging you. It’s nagging you for a reason.

Getting started on the goal you’ve been dreaming of won’t be easy, it will probably feel completely overwhelming, scary, and downright impossible. But we are here to say that it’s worth it…well worth it. The only one that is holding you back is YOU and the only one capable of making that daydream a reality is YOU.

Bridget_Casey_Headshot_rookies-3You can do this, you just have to DIVE IN! Then keep chipping away at it, keep learning, keep pushing through it and over time you’ll stop to realize you have given life to your passion. Chasing your dreams and passions is worth all the hard work and is far more rewarding than you will ever anticipate.

Whether you’re looking to start your own blog, get certified as a yoga instructor, start an Etsy shop, run a marathon, open your own business, buy a fixer-upper, go back to school… whatever your daydream is — DO IT!bridget-Casey-rookies-birthday-2

If the blog has taught us anything these past four years it is that we are capable of a lot more than we ever thought. But you’ll never know what you are capable of until you startย chasing your dreams.

We love you guys and feel so blessed to have you in our lives and on this journey with us. You have helped us every step of the way and we can never thank you enough. We are celebrating the DIY Playbook byย popping the champagne and cheering YOUย on as you follow your daydreams. It’s the greatest gift you can give yourself and you deserve it!

Bridget&Casey

P.S. And if you ever find yourself up way too late with a looming to-do list thinking, “is this really worth it?!”… email us! We’ll be the first ones to let you know that YES, it is worth it… and so are you! Keep up the amazing work, you’re changing the world by sharing your passion.ย DIY_Playbook-4th-birthday-bridget-casey-3


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.