Last Christmas...I gave you my heart...

I was cleaning out my "photos folder" this week and came across this image. I almost forgot that my Mom had this personalized photo necklace made for my Mother-In-Law last Christmas. It's a Swarovski crystal heart on a sterling silver chain. In my opinion, it's a wonderful "keepsake" rather than an "everyday" piece, but that's just me. I thought I'd share it as an example of a unique wedding "thank you" gift you could give to your mom, grandma or friend after the big day... or even a gift for the holidays! If you'd like more information on where to get one, just leave a comment. Cheers!

Greetings from the Windy City!

Well, hello! My sincerest apologies for being MIA last month. I've been swamped with projects (which is a good thing), but I've found myself just trying to keep my head above water. I can't believe that Christmas is in nearly two weeks! I feel like September turned into December in the blink of an eye. Maybe that means that winter will fly by and we'll be back to warmer temps quickly? Although, those chances aren't so good. We had our first snowfall in Chicago this past weekend. I look forward to more snow for Christmas and New Years and then I'll be over it. Way over it.

Here's to trying to catch up on some of my recent design projects... Liz contacted me a couple of months ago about designing her dual Save The Date/Holiday Greeting card. She wanted to play up her Chicago wedding location and also incorporate a photo of her and her fiance, Hank. We ended up with a 4x6 double sided card. It's literally a representation of a "dual" design: the front is all about the holidays and the back contains wedding information. I love the color palette and textured background!

Buried

Dear Blog,

I miss you.

I'm currently dealing with this:

(getty images)

I hope to resurface soon.

Thanks for listening,

Kelly

Etsy Love

I was happily surprised when Betty over at Bombshell Bettie's Vintage included one of my Keg Design letterpress cards in her Etsy Treasury collection today. It's always nice to be loved! :)

Happy Halloween!

Autumn Part II

Photos ©2010 Keg Design.

Gorgeous

I spent the weekend in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It's absolutely beautiful up there! So many colors and so many leaves. The seasons are definitely one of the pluses of living in the Midwest. Even the first snowfall is fun, but come February I'm always cursing my Chicago roots!

Photos ©2010 Keg Design.

Stamped Gold

While I was out in LA for work, I met a very talented jewelry designer named Lizzie. She was actually the fashion stylist on set, and I was in love with all her baubles! I couldn't leave California without one, so I ordered a custom Stamped Gold Disc Necklace from her collection. I had it customized with "Kelly & Luke", and I was excited that Lizzie was able to finish it before my flight back to Chicago. I've been wearing my new necklace ever since! Check out more from Lizzie C Jewelry here and here.

Photos ©2010 Keg Design.

Los Angeles

Here's a quick photo recap of my recent work trip to LA. I was out there shooting an advertising campaign at Universal Studios Hollywood (the New York set). I stayed at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood. It was fabulous! My first day in LA also happened to be the hottest day in Los Angeles' recorded history... thermometers hit a whopping 113 degrees! It was hot!

(All photos ©2010 Keg Design except Photo #3)

A Perfect Sunday

I don't do football. Instead, I had a perfect Sunday hanging out with Murphy. I made Eggs Benedict Caprese (for me, not him!) and it was amazing. No recipe, just winged it. Well, I had to look up how to poach an egg, but that was it. Oh, and the beautiful weather too. Can we skip Winter this year?

Fairy Tales Do Come True

Greatest photo EVER. This particular dream of mine hasn't come true yet, but one day it will. I mean, it better. I keep telling my husband that a walk-in-closet, parking spot (aka garage) and central air are on my list. I've been living without them for years, but eventually I won't be able to go on. At what point do the perks of city living outweigh the negatives? I think I'd be willing to live in the suburbs for a closet like this...

(photo source unknown)

Eating Soup with a Fork

As designers, we often go to bed at night hoping for some totally awesome assignment to come our way. So when Chris Rathje contacted me last year about designing the cover of his first book, Don't Be Afraid to Eat Soup with a Fork, I was thrilled. Chris and I went to high school together, and, as with most people these days, reconnected via Facebook. His book, composed of a collection of short stories, is very well written. It's about his journey to realize that any dream is possible, and touches on many inspirational moments. Below, are a few of the early cover explorations I designed for Chris. To see the final book design and learn more about the publication, go here.

Travel

Sorry for the long absence. I've been traveling quite a bit lately. For work and for fun. I took this shot a few weeks ago as my plane was heading into Chicago O'hare. Pretty cool, right? Be back next week...