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

Sweets

First Year

One year down, a lifetime to go...isn't that how the saying goes? Luke and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary last month. As previously mentioned, we went to brunch at North Pond in Lincoln Park. We exchanged cards and the traditional "paper" gifts. He gave me some beautiful card sets from Papyrus. My Mother-In-Law also showered us (okay, mostly me) with gifts too. She's so sweet! Flowers, antique china and diamond earrings!!! Luke mentioned to her that she was "showing him up" (haha), but I didn't really mind. It was a wonderful gesture. I can't believe it's already been ONE year. Time flies when you're having fun!

I was adamant about saving the top tier of our wedding cake (a.k.a. cupcake tower) for our 1 year anniversary. The Carrot Cake was delicious back then...could it be just as good a year later (and frozen)? After defrosting and unwrapping it, it looked safe enough to try so we both dug in. Verdict: Very yummy! The coconut frosting was still my favorite part...thanks again, Traveler's Cafe!

Photos ©2010 Keg Design.

Southwestern Wedding Inspiration

I'm trying to catch up on my blogging this week... I'm taking inspiration from my trip to Scottsdale, and sharing some southwest-inspired wedding ideas. Please feel free to add to the list. If you recently had a "southwest" wedding, I'd absolutely love to feature some of your photos on Keg Design. Send images to kelly@kegdesign.com. Thanks!

Turquoise Studded Sandals

Tribal Style Beaded Purse $30 (Etsy)

Hairy Cowboy Pocket Games $7.99 per dozen - for the kids!; Sterling & Turquoise Ring $126 (Etsy)

Campfire Inspiration; Native American Beaded Purse - $495 (Etsy)

Cactus Candy Singles $0.75 - Unique Wedding Favors!

Groom's Cactus Cake - $75

Southwest Seasoning - Customized Wedding Favors; Cowboy Hat & Boot Picks - $4.99 per 72 pieces

Southwest Wedding Bands

Slice Margarita Glasses - Crate & Barrel

Old is the New New

Here's a blast from the past...my parent's wedding photos! Personally, I think they were pretty hip for the early 80's. My mom's dress was beautiful - if it fit me I would have seriously considered wearing it for my own wedding! My mom and dad just celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary last month, so a big congratulations is in order. Next year is the B-I-G 30! Thanks to both of them for being such good role models and parents.

Silk vs. Real flowers...certain elements of this trend are coming back.

Grecian inspired bridesmaid dresses = definitely back in style!

Long coat tails on the groom...this will make it's way back, just wait & see.

The "bonnet veil" is super cool...for today's styles go here.

Frilly cake, with kitschy topper - I love it! Buy your own for only $6!

Yellow gold wedding bands...we jumped on that one!

Then there were the hairstyles...

The "Farrah Fawcett" - we've seen this style come & go in the 2000's.

Full beard and mustache...not so sure about this one! Love you, Dad.

Dessert on a Stick!

It's like I just struck gold! Check out these amazing Cake Pops from Bakerella. Maybe I'm way behind the times, and everyone knows about these already, but they're so cute and so yummy looking. From cheesecake pops to mini cherry pies - I'm loving them all! I'm not much of a baker myself (actually I don't think I've ever even made chocolate chip cookies from scratch in my life), however I'd be willing to give these recipes a try. Wouldn't a personalized Cake Pop or Pie Pop be the perfect favor for your wedding? Really, the possibilities with these are endless...

All photos from and credited by Bakerella.com.