August 2016 Recap + Personal Updates

We’ve always done a monthly recap here on the DIY Playbook, but we have decided to reformat this monthly tradition.

Some of you mentioned that you appreciate the personal updates and hearing what we have going on behind-the-scenes. While others noted that you like the links to things we are currently loving across the internet (other blog posts, articles we loved reading that month, items we recently purchased, etc.).

We decided to do a little bit of both in our new and improved monthly feature that we have affectionately named, “Happy Hour“.

What’s Happy Hour?

To us, Happy Hour is a time to sit back, relax, and catch up with friends. It’s a time to chat about everything and anything, and that’s exactly what we want to bring to DIY Playbook’s monthly Happy Hour.

We want these monthly posts to be a chance to catch up with friends and bring just a little extra happy to your day. Each month’s Happy Hour will be posted at the end of the month and will loosely follow this format:

• Love It <— items we are currently loving or recently bought
• Link it <— blog posts, articles, and links we found noteworthy throughout the month and want to share
• Casey’s Updates <— What Casey has been up to outside of the blog this month
• Bridget’s Updates <— What Bridget has been up to outside of the blog this month

So grab your coffee (or champagne) and let’s catch up about August 2016. 

Love it

Casey

• I recently picked up this chambray shirt and it’s just so good. Not too thin, and I can wear it by itself or layered over a cute top. A new staple in my wardrobe (Fit tip: I ordered a M and it’s perfect!)
• My leather jacket was getting very worn, so I scooped up a new one. This one is so comfortable, and you seriously can’t beat that price! I’m pretty sure I’ll be wearing it on repeat this fall. (Fit tip: Be sure to size up)
• I spent soooo much time looking for the perfect fall bag for work, and I finally pulled the trigger and got this one. Love that I can wear it cross body, or on my shoulder and there’s enough room for my laptop.

Bridget

• • It’s no secret that I love a good graphic tee. So when I saw this SUPER COMFY one for $14… of course I just had to buy it. Plus it has stripes, so we were practically meant to be. 
  • My sister wore these lace up heels recently and I totally want a pair. She says that they’re super comfortable, not very high and can easily be worn to work. If they weren’t $89, I’d totally buy them and wear them all.the.time.
  • When peplum is mixed with a casual sweatshirt, you get this adorable top. I bought this blouse when I was back to school shopping but made sure to wait unit LOFT had a 40% off sale. The fit is awesome (read: you can order as much dessert as you want on your next date night because this shirt will never tell).

Link it

• Pretty sure we both want to buy just about everything in this new collection
• This is definitely something we both want to do more of before we start families…
• A Chicago DIY’ing duo with some serious skills. I mean can you even believe these amazing planters?!
• Proof that a family-friendly basement can be stylish
• Social Media Etiquette 101 (yes to everything in this article!)
• Not only are Katie & Jeremy just about the cutest couple ever, but they’re hardcore DIY’ers. Love this laundry room they’re working on!
• This is such a great idea for a patio space.
• We’ve been nominated for a blog award (Best USA Interiors Blog for the 2016 Amara Awards) and would love you forever if you took a minute to vote for us! The awards event is held in London..so that would be pretty unreal!

Casey Updates

This month started off with our whirlwind trip to Atlanta for the Haven conference, and luckily it has slowed down since then. Bridget and I had an awesome girls weekend together, and we enjoyed catching up with our friend Michelle (from the blog Iron & Twine). Love hanging with online friends in real life!

On the work front, I’ve been busy juggling a lot of different video projects so the weekdays have been hectic! It’s gotten to the point where my husband and I say we’re 2 ships passing in the night. I’m often up and out the door for work before Finn even wakes up, and then he works pretty late and I’m in bed early.

But because we don’t get a lot of quality time together during the weekdays, we’ve made our weekends a priority. Date nights, bike rides, and afternoons spent exploring have filled our August weekends…and it’s glorious! We’re also big TV binge watchers at night, and just finished watching all of The Flash, Veep, and always seem to sneak in some How I Met your Mother reruns. Seriously just so good.

I also joined the gym near me and have tried out a few new workout classes. Pilates, Body Pump, Spinning….I’ve been changing it up every other day and it’s been amazing! My body is constantly sore, but it hurts so good. Hoping to burn off some of those summer cocktails I’ve been enjoying a bit too much lately.

Bridget Updates

Like Casey mentioned, the month started with our amazing trip to Atlanta for the Haven Conference. We had SUCH a great weekend but I knew in the back of my mind that when I got home it was almost time to head back to work for the school year. And that’s exactly what happened.

After we headed back home from Atlanta, I spent the next few days preparing to go back to work. I did some last-minute organizing around the house, did a tiny bit of back-to-school shopping, and spent as much time with the family as I could before we were all back-to-school. Transitioning back into the school year is always a bittersweet but wow, I have NOTHING to complain about because my summer was absolutely perfect.

And to cap it all off, we spent our last “free” weekend celebrating baby Owen with a backyard “Baby-Q”. Being together with our extended family and celebrating the newest member of the Chestnut Club was the perfect way to end one amazing summer!

Bridget&Casey