Happy Hour No. 27


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 bring to DIY Playbookโ€™s monthly Happy Hour.What we were up to during November 2018

These monthly posts are a 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 about our November 2018!

Casey

  • In our last Ask Us Anything post, we both shared our everyday makeup essentials and Iย raved about my favorite undereye concealer from Smashbox. Sadly, they’re discontinuing it! I hate when that happens. So I went to Ulta on a mission to find a good replacement. I’ve been using this one so far and I really like it because it’s so moisturizing. No cakey under eyes here!ย Finding clean beauty products
  • As you guys know, I’m slowly trying to replace my toiletries with cleaner versions. I recently purchased this toner and I’m loving it. It’s so inexpensive (and the bottle is huuuuge!) and it gets dirt and makeup off that my face wash misses. Definitely give it a try!winter coats in Chicago
  • Finn and I booked a trip to Quebec City for the days after Christmas and apparently it’s sooooooo cold there. So I’ve been stocking up on all the warm things. I recently got this sweater in gray from J.Crew and it might just be the softest thing in my closet. Also would love your recs for Quebec City if you’ve ever been!

Bridget

  • I bought this brightly colored flannel for the cold weather! I’ve paired it with this vest on the weekends and this skirt during the work week. Who knew a flannel could be so versatile?
  • I also splurged on this blazer. As you all know, I own it in the camel color (and LOVE IT!). I figured I’d get a ton of use out of the gray option for both work and weekend.target hearth and home stockings by joanna gaines
  • I’m pretty much in love with all of the Christmas decor at Target by Joanna Gaines. Did you guys hear they’re coming back to TV?!
  • Did you guys know that Wendy’s sells a tag for your keys that buys you FREE smallย frosties for a whole year… starting in 2019?! They only cost $2 (!!!) and proceeds go to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. I bought far more than I care to admit for all the milkshake lovin’ people (and kiddos) in my life.sperry duck boots during the winter
  • I love my duck boots so much (especially during these cold and snowy months), I bought Matt a pair so he’s ready to shovel in style. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Link Love

Casey Updates

Early in the month, Bridget and I had the privilege of speaking on a panel at the eRetailer Summit here in Chicago. Essentially it’s a conference for brands in the DIY & home improvement category looking to improve their online presence. We were asked to speak about the importance of working with bloggers and it was so much fun!ย Hammer sugar cookies from 4 brothers bakingWe gave out these cookies and they were such a hit. Aren’t these little hammers adorable? They were just as delicious as they were cute! And (obvi) we didn’t make them (if only we had these kind of skillls!). We used 4 Brothers Baking and they did an amazing job!

The DIY Playbook Christmas Card from Minted

We also sent out our Christmas cards a few days ago and we love how colorful and fun they are this year! These are the ones we went with and it fit ourย Kate Spade inspired look perfectly.

As we mentioned in this post, we love getting our cards done way ahead of time so it’s one less thing to do during December. It felt so good to these bad boys in the mail and consider it checked off our list!

Bridget Updates

Yes, it has been two months since we demoed our kitchen and yes, we are still weathering the renovation.

kitchen renovation progressThis month brought a lot of progress, including new cabinets, appliances, and even countertops. But we still have quite a bit on our to-do list. Some of the key things we are waiting for is getting the water hooked back up (I’m looking at you dishwasher!), installing the backsplash tile, the light fixtures, and the floating shelves, along with a few other cosmetic updates like crown molding, paint, and finishing up our window bench.

kitchen before demoIn some ways I feel like this makeover has been SO long and extremely stressful/overwhelming. Then I focus on the fact that our kitchen is almmooosssttt done and looks SO different. That’s when I think, “hey, living through this construction wasn’t that bad, right?”. It’s funny how your mind plays these crazy games, isn’t it?!

kitchen drawer organizationAll I know is that the kitchen is one million times better than it was and everything should be done by holiday break. Then I can’t wait to kick back, relax, and then organize all of these gorgeous new cabinets (haha). You know we’re not great at sitting still around here…

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.