Baby D's Nautical Shower

Ahoy, readers! I know I've had a lot of nautical posts lately, but this should be the last one for awhile. I was blessed enough to have this amazing shower thrown for me and Baby D last month by my Aunt Joanne (and my Mom). It was super adorable! I especially loved the sweets table - check out the brown sugar used to mimic sand in the cake pop pales. I also drooled over the "Welcome Aboard" life preserver cleverly used as a guest book. I can't wait to hang up the finished product in Baby D's nursery. For more details and information on the event visit my baby shower submission over at PROJECT NURSERY. If you haven't checked out the site before, it's a great source for decorating and party planning inspiration. Would love it if you voted for my event too! Happy Friday!

Photos ©2012 Keg Design

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

Blackberry Clean Up

There comes a time when you just need to clean out your phone (and upgrade to a new one). I've been squeaking the last bit of life out of my Blackberry these days, so I'm planning on upgrading to an iPhone. As I was going through all of my photos, I was shocked to see so many random captures. It's a nice reminder of funny moments or (in)significant events. I thought I'd share a few:

Puppy mess (poor Mr. Tiger)

Fish Bar in Lakeview (tiny, pricey, yummy)

Obsession with nail stickers (as mentioned here)

Chamberlain (boutique hotel in West Hollywood)

Photo shoot in Malibu (perks of work)

Mercury Cougar (classic model)

Wisconsin prairie (the Midwest can be pretty)

Ocktoberfest (husband ate this, not me)

Girt & The Goat (finally tried it out in November)

80's Ex'cla-ma'tion (now exclusively at Walgreens)

Abbey (who could say no to that face?)

City vs. Lake

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Life is Good

July was a whirlwind of fun. I enjoyed every single second of it. My plan is to do the same with August. Nothing beats summertime! A few July highlights pictured below:

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Wedding Giveaway!

I am so excited to announce that Keg Design is part of Steve Koo's website launch wedding giveaway. More than $1500 of wedding products and services will be given to one lucky winner... including 100 custom designed thank-you cards from me! Here's the full list of swag:

Engagement session or a couples connection session with Chicago wedding photographer Steve Koo, along with a DVD of usable, edited high-res images and personal reprint rights

A 1-on-1, 2-hour makeup bag makeover session with Chicago’s premier makeup artist, Sonia Roselli

20% off credit for any Sonia Roselli products purchased on the day of the 1-on-1 session

2 hour planning consultation with wedding planner Charlene Liang of Sweetchic Events. At this consultation valued at $300, discuss color schemes, decor, vendor recommendations, etiquette, logistics and all things wedding-related.

$150 gift card for jewelry designed by the fabulous Erin Gallagher

100 custom designed thank-you cards from Kelly at Keg Design

Something for the guy: Two $50 gift certificates towards services at Halo for Men: Chicago’s Premier Salon for Men and a Halo for Men t-shirt

Anyone can enter and it's super easy to do so. You get up to three chances:

1) Check out Steve Koo's blog and comment on this giveaway post.

2) Follow @stevekoo1 on twitter and tweet this exact phrase including the link at the end:

I just entered the Steve Koo Photography Giveaway to win $1500 of products & services! http://bit.ly/mnXVEs

3) "Like" Steve Koo Photography on Facebook here and post this exact comment on your wall and/or his: I just entered the Steve Koo Photography Giveaway to win $1500 of products & services! http://stevekoophotography.com/everthing-else/website-launch-giveaway

Good luck and be sure to spread the word to all of your (engaged) friends!

Win FREE Wedding Coordination!

Calling all Chicago area brides... a new event coordination service is in town and they are giving away 30 days of FREE wedding coordination to one lucky lady! Praveen, one of the women behind the{little}details, contacted me last week about this amazing giveaway and her awesome wedding blog called rivernorthLove. Check them out and go here for all the details on the contest. Good luck!

30 Days of Free Wedding Coordination Includes:
* Unlimited phone and email correspondence and two in-person meetings
* Rehearsal dinner coordination
* Day of services (8-10 hours)
* Bridal party wish/task list
* Detailed wedding timeline (Ceremony- processional and recessional, Cocktail hour, and Reception)
* Vendor contract review, checklist, confirmation, and payment
* Budget updates
* Wedding checklist, tailored around your wedding day specifics
* Delivery of non-vendor items to ceremony or reception venues
* Bridal emergency kit on site
* All the little details. Which includes and is not limited to: wardrobe assistance, wedding party assistance, breakfast delivery, vendor and bridal party liaison, assistance with program/place cards/favor set up, assistance with selection of favors, assistance with selection of attendant and or parent gifts, dessert table set up, and any other specific needs you may have (i.e. the safekeeping of your grandmother's heirloom cake knife)

Garfield Conservatory Wedding Logo

Claudette commissioned me to design her wedding logo a few months ago. She is getting married at the Chicago Garfield Park Conservatory in September. Here are the three logo options I came up with. I had a lot of fun being inspired by the beautiful images of the conservatory, inside and out. Her bright wedding colors were great to work with too! Which one is your favorite?

Blizzard of 2011

Photo ©2011 Keg Design.