Ms. Thing

I'm so excited to introduce "Thing 1"... Ms. Audrey Anne. She was born two weeks ago to my dear friend Megan and I can't get enough of her. She came into this world a happy and healthy girl, weighing 8lbs 13oz. Mom is doing great. I can't wait for Baby D to arrive so they can become fast friends. She already attended his "first party" over the weekend (my baby shower) where he got more loot than I know what to do with! Seriously, babies require a lot of things! We love you, Audrey. 

Photos ©2012 Keg Design - Instagram Obssessed!

Growth Spurt!

32 weeks and counting...

Dr. Seuss Baby Shower

"A person's a person, no matter how small. -Dr. Seuss" As I mentioned earlier, my best friend is also pregnant (she actually had her baby a few weeks ago now!) and I had the honor of helping her mom and sister plan her baby shower. Since the baby's sex was a surprise, the theme chosen was "Dr. Seuss." It was absolutely adorable and perfect for Megan since she is a high school reading teacher. Her mom and sister did most of the hard work and planning, but I pitched in my efforts on the favors. I had found some cute "Thing 1" cake pops on Pinterest as inspiration and used my creative skills to execute them. Since I'm NOT a baker, I hired a friend with her own cake pop business to create the plain red pops. I decorated them with white candy melts, black icing and blue cotton candy. I must say, it was MUCH harder than I expected! But I think they turned out great in the end! All of the centerpieces were made by Megan's mom and included a quote from a Dr. Seuss book. Other cool features included red and blue custom soda bottles and napkins folded like diapers. I found a baby-sized "Thing 1" t-shirt to give to Megan too. Oh, and the "belly" cake was to die for - it was made by this Chicago based high school student who definitely has a huge career in front of her. 

Photos ©2012 Keg Design

Zoo Cute

You know when you get super excited about something and just can't contain your joy... well that's how I feel about two very functional items - the diaper bag and car seat I've picked out! I'm in love with them! The LeSportsac Zoo Cute baby bag is light weight, durable and absolutely adorable. What's even better is that I virtually got it for free... I've had a $200 gift card to Bloomingdales since our wedding (3 years ago) and finally found something to spend it on. The bag goes perfectly with the Peg Perego Denim Primo Viaggio car seat I registered for. I'm obsessed with denim - it's boyish yet sophisticated. And an Italian company to boot. Ciao bambino! Check out Peg Perego's 2012 denim collection here. 

Mama Megan

Have I mentioned that my best friend is also a soon-to-be first time mom? Megan is actually due in 2 days! It's been such a blessing to have someone so close going through the same experience. Since she's been 10 weeks ahead in the process, I've gotten the amazing opportunity to always ask her "what's next..." as well as "what the hell is happening to my body?" or "can you believe my doctor just did this?" We've had a lot of funny conversations! Megan & Bryan decided not to find out the sex, so they have an extra special surprise coming to them in a few days. I'm rooting for Team Boy (so we can continue to swap stories), but really just praying all goes well and they have a healthy, happy baby! Megan just finished decorating her nursery last week. Isn't it adorable? A soft and sweet little lamb theme - perfect for a baby boy or girl. She and her mom spent many painstaking hours stenciling one of the nursery walls (it took them much longer than expected) but I think it was definitely worth it. My favorite pieces in the nursery are the adorable rocker from PBK and the rustic bookshelf Megan found at a flea market. She painted the bookshelf white but left the back shelf exposed to match her farmhouse style crib and changing table. PBK's Sweet Lambie bedding and mobile finish it off. 

Red, White & Blue

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! We were up in Wisconsin enjoying the week with family and friends. It was a HOT one! Temperatures in the 100+ degrees is not super fun, especially when you're pregnant. I shouldn't complain too much though since it was sunny every single day. We spent most of our time in the lake or the pool trying to keep cool. Today marks the start of my 30th week of pregnancy! I can't believe I only have 10 weeks (2.5 months) to go. I'm still feeling pretty good, but don't know how much bigger my belly can get (apparently much much bigger). My brother and I were HUGE babies (9 lbs & 10 lbs) so this little guy could be on the extra large size if he takes after us!

Photos ©2012 Keg Design

Growing

3 years!

Boy, does time fly...I love you Luke!

B is for Boy (and Belly)

Vintage Button Wedding Invitation

Last summer, I was part of Steve Koo Photography's Website Launch Giveaway. The winner received tons of goodies, including 100 custom designed thank-you cards (or equivalent value) from Keg Design. Jennifer and Tavis were the lucky winners, and I had a blast working with them! Due to the small wedding ceremony they were planning in Australia, they decided to forgo the thank-you cards and had me design their wedding invitations instead. The suite included a 5x7 invitation card and #4bar RSVP card. The theme was vintage - Jennifer actually makes beautiful jewelry out of repurposed vintage buttons - so we had lots of fun with it! They were married this past March in Queensland.

Photos ©2012 Keg Design

Cute & Crochet Logo

So, even though I haven't been blogging much lately, it doesn't mean I haven't been working on fun projects! A few months back, Karen from Clare Bear Hats asked me to design a logo and etsy banner for her growing business. It was a great project to work on because all my inspiration was so darn cute. Check out her etsy shop for adorable children's hats and headbands. They're perfect for baby shower or birthday gifts! My favorites are the Chicago Bears and Owl hats.

InstaSpring

Happy spring everyone! I hope you had a great Easter. Baby D received his/her first basket from the Easter Bunny this past weekend. Boy, do they start them early, huh! Lately, I've been obsessed with the Instagram app on my new iPhone. I don't know how I was living in a Blackberry world for so long? This past month has been really busy (and unfortunately we didn't win the MegaMillions lottery, so we're still working hard). My job always seems to pick up at this time of year, not to mention we're busy trying to sell our condo and prepare for Baby D's arrival in September. I can't wait to find out the sex in a few weeks! Until then, continue to follow me on Pinterest and look out for more 'wordless' blog entries including lots of Instagram photos. If only I'd come up with the app myself I'd be a billion dollars richer!

Photos ©2012 Keg Design

Thirty+

I'm very excited to announce some big news - I'm pregnant!

Due in September!

I couldn't have asked for a better way to kick off my thirties! To announce the news at work today (and celebrate my birthday) I brought in pink & blue rice krispies treats. It was funny to see people's reactions and if they "got" the blue/pink nod before I told them. Also, if you know me, it's a huge deal that I "baked" anything from scratch. Ha! Luke thought his wife had been captivated by aliens last night as I slaved away in the kitchen. Maybe my "mommy" instincts are already setting in?

3 Perfect 10's!

Tomorrow I turn 30! Woah! Today's my last day as a twenty-something. I'm looking forward to a whole new decade of fun and adventure. I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday with friends on Saturday night and with family on Sunday. Both get-togethers entailed lots of pizza and cake (a girl can never get enough cake, right?). I loved the birthday message on the cake below...

Happy Leap Day!

Happy Leap Day! Every four years we get an extra day to balance out our calendars. I always wonder what it would feel like to have a leap year birthday? I don't think I'd like only getting to "officially" celebrate my birthday every four years. I heard on the radio that Justin Bieber is a leap day baby. Not sure if it's true, but that would make the poor guy like 5 years old. Ha ha! I hope everyone has a great day & seizes the opportunity to do something fun with their extra 24 hours!

image source

Arabella On West: Business Cards

I also designed business cards for Emma and her husband from Arabella On West. They wanted a clean, modern design that provided all of the functional aspects of a traditional business card. We landed on a two-sided option that utilized part of the Australian map to pinpoint the hotel's exact location in Adelaide. Emma had the cards printed herself in Dubai. Love them!

South Australia

Australia has always been on my "wish list" of places to visit. I don't know a ton about the "outback", but I do know that it's a long flight from Chicago. I hope to get there one day! Arabella On West (I just designed their logo) is located in Adelaide, SA and is within a block from the beach. The boutique hotel is conveniently located 10-15 minutes from the Adelaide International Airport and city centre. Sounds like Adelaide is great for dining, outdoor markets, museums, parks, beaches, shopping and even golf. Here are a few snapshots from the hotel's grand opening - check out that pool! The hotel opened in 2011 and is currently taking reservations...

©2012 Photos courtesy of Arabella On West