Tag Archives: crafty

refinery29. boom.

Look what we found….Bad Loo Loo was featured on Refinery29′s “Best of Etsy: 30 Cool Indie Finds Straight From Chi-Town”

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And then we danced around the apartment jumping up and down for a good 15 minutes, only quitting to enjoy some champagne cocktails to celebrate.

bad loo loo is born.

It’s been one of my personal goals for about two years now to open an Etsy shop.  I am always making things and creating things that people tell me I should sell.  It seemed like such a daunting task and for the better part of two years, something that was easier to check off my list always took precedence.  Finally, I whittled down said list to the point where it was getting a little ridiculous to not do it.  And then Indie Wed came and went and I had lots of product and beautiful pictures to boot.

So Bad Loo Loo was born.

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Named in honor of my little sister who my brother and I have called “Boo” since before we could walk and whose nickname for me is “Loo.”  When I do something she doesn’t like, she’ll scold me with a very firm “Bad Loo Loo” in a tone that makes me laugh every time.  Somehow, it just seemed the appropriate name, my alter ego perhaps: a superhero who wields scissors specifically for cutting fabric and 14 different kinds of glue and who could not be prouder of herself than when she gets through a session with her sewing machine without crying.  I imagine her wearing a cape and drinking sangria and using her washing machine to tea-dye everything she can get her hands on.

Here are some things you can buy from Bad Loo Loo if you are so inclined, or just browse around and see what she’s up to as new things will be added from time to time.

If you see something you like, or are interested in a custom version of one of our creations, feel free to reach out to Bad Loo Loo via Etsy or at badlooloodesigns@gmail.com.  She’s always here, causing a little bit of trouble, searching out any mischief she can find and would love nothing more than for you to be a part of it!

xoxo,

Bad Loo Loo

louisa + jeff in the greenhouse with the maps.

Louisa + Jeff were married in September at the gorgeous Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago and the day was nothing short of that: simply gorgeous.  Louisa and I worked together for over a year and it was such a pleasure to get to see how all of the planning came together on a perfect day for the happy couple.  

I loved getting to know them over the year and meeting Louisa on her lunch break at work for a coffee, honestly, I say it all the time but I have the best clients ever.  It’s also really fun for me when I love everything a bride picks.  Her dress?  Love.  Those red shoes?  To die for.   And you know I’m a sucker for those map garlands.  PLUS an entire room full of cacti?!  Slay me.  And also, I die.

The dream team of vendors that we put together, it didn’t hurt.The ethereal pictures from Laura at Lark Photography are show stopping.  I was audibly ooh-ing and ahh-ing as I looked through them.  She captured everything so ethereally.  You look at the pictures and think, that was in Chicago!? 

Louisa + Jeff really wanted to keep their love and appreciation of the natural world in the forefront which is not always an easy feat in a city wedding but Laura nailed it.  And the flowers, oh the most lovely flowers.  Janessa of Forget Me Knodt really knocked it out of the park with this one; so many of Laura and my favorite pictures featured her gorgeous creations. 

Overwhelmingly, everything we did or element we included we tried to be very thoughtful about it. Louisa water-colored each individual invitation and all of the table numbers and we incorporated little packets of seeds for guests to take home and plant. There wasn’t a lot of “stuff” just for the sake of “stuff” and the whole event turned out so effortlessly chic, I think we were all a bit in awe as it came together that day.  
   
 

*all photos courtesy of the lovely Laura of Lark Photography

Louisa + Jeff’s Vendors
Ceremony+ Reception: Garfield Park Conservatory
Planning + Day-of Coordination: Anticipation Events
Catering + Cake: Limelight Catering
Photography: Lark Photography
Florist: Forget Me Knodt
DJ: Ruby with Toast & Jam
Transportation: M + M Limo
Ceremony Musicians: Neil Dixon Smith
Photo Booth: The Traveling Photo Booth
Guest Hotel: Hotel Burnham

kardashian kollection.

There are times in life when things line up.  When what’s meant to be is.  When magic happens.  My sisters’ bachelorette party was one of these times.  There were times during her planning where I had to put a lot of thought into things: writing a toast for the reception, how was I going to be a maid-of-honor AND wedding coordinator, if I should get chicken or fish, but choosing a theme for her bachelorette party was not one of those times.  Hence, Saradashian’s Last Stand was born.

I designed and printed the invites (front to back) complete with photshopping my sister in with the Kardashians, tied them up with ribbon and stuffed each envelope with feathers and sequins.  The liners were custom made because really, when other time am I going to get to do something like this?  When you’re talking about the Kardashian’s, it’s got to be over the top.  Bible.

I didn’t tell her anything about the party other than what the invitation gave away which was to meet at a hotel downtown at 5:30.  At 4:30 I had an SUV (just like Kim Kardashian gets driven around in) pick Sarah and her bridesmaid Shannon up at her house and when they got in the car Shannon gave her a card I had had my parents write her (likely ending with, “be safe!”)  Then they stopped to pick up two more bridesmaids and she got a card that I had my brother write (surprisingly sentimental).  One final stop to pick up the last bridesmaid Molly, and Molly gave her a card I had written her (recounting some of our drunken escapades together to ger her in the mood to party!)  I was so happy Shannon send me these pictures as a play-by-play!

So in this case, I had the party in a hotel room.  This makes things difficult for a myriad of reasons: no access to your dishes, kitchen utensils or dishwasher, having just a tiny fridge and a microwave etc.  Even though we used a lot of things that could be thrown away at the end of the party, I still wanted to make it special.  Everyone got two glasses, one for champagne and one for kahlua and creams (my sister’s favorite) adorned with the Kardashian of their choice.

 
                
         

I made the kahlua and creams by freezing the cream in ice cube trays and pouring kahlua over them.  A bathtub full of beer, and the party was on!  As for food, choose lots of things that are easy to eat on your lap and don’t take a lot of prep.  I did sushi, chips and dips, fruit and dip in individual cups and individual popcorn boxes.  Mini cheesecakes and cupcakes for desserts, topped with engagement rings, perfect for taking to the bar afterwards to fend off any unwanted advances.  Oh and candy.  I just filled a bunch of patterened cupcake liners with all of Sarah’s favorite candy.  She is ridiculous and eats it for nearly every meal yet still somehow manages to be as thin as a rail and never has any cavities.

 

You know I splurged and bought a life-size cardboard cutout of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe to greet guests.  Much to her fiance’s chagrin, the girls are living in their basement, watching over the laundry pile, naturally.

Goody bags for the girls were in little felt buckets I found at Target and I created tags for each using a heart-shaped punch and ribbon.  Easy-peasy.  Included in each was a mini can of Sophia champagne (mini, pink straw included!), a mini-bottle of Kim Kardashian’s perfume, individual packs of Advil, a couple of blow-pops and a ring pop, a pack of Starburst and a pack of Skittles (see: candy obsession above) and then a few things to take to the bar: a stick on mustache, glow-stick jewelry, pixie sticks and mardi-gras beads.  Sarah got a homemade veil and light up diamond to ensure everyone knew who the star of the party was.  Classy, simple and accentuated her outfit.  Seriously, how long did your sister/best friend/future-in-law spend picking out an outfit for her bachelorette party?  Don’t ruin it!

Timeline wise, for a shower or bachelorette party I like to welcome guests with a drink as they are arriving, let them eat and chat for a bit, play a game, open gifts and call it a day.  At a shower, people can stay and mingle, at the bachelorette party we keep drinking and told some hilarious Sarah stories.  I really hate forced bachelorette party games, but think they can be a good ice-breaker when people don’t know each other well.  I created a “Kardashian Kuiz” full of questions about the infamous family (which my sister promptly won) and then took a bag full of props out to the bar with us. And obviously the penis straws and Scott Disick.  Did you think he was going to let us go without him?  Not a chance, doll.

kevin + ryanne + the little wedding that could.

So I’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of these photos in my inbox.  Ryanne + Kevin were married in May at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois.  It was a party of epic proportions that was preceded by a bit of chaos.  The park was exactly their vision: a totally rustic barn surrounded with wide open space.  Kevin + Ryanne did so much themselves: sweeping out the barn, hanging lights and they really rolled with the punches when it rained all week and we had to move the ceremony inside at the last minute.  Also, they were totally cool when the sheep crashed the party and ordered gin and tonics.  And then there’s this picture with this horse, which I think tends to make up for most of the pre-wedding chaos.  I’m pretty sure the only thing that could have made this photo better is if that horse were a magic wedding unicorn. I almost wouldn’t have been surprised.
 


Tutu = nailed it. 
A vintage car, for the win. 

 Oh headband, I die.  

Not bad for a makeshift ceremony site 30 minutes before the wedding?  Thank God for amazing vendors like Heather at Events By Bloom and the indelible Ronald Roberts for jumping in and putting this together with me so that we could wait until the very last second in hopes that the rain would clear.

All the lovely details.

Truly an unforgettable wedding day and a fabulous story for the Anticipation Events archives.  I could not have more fun with you two and I hope your happily ever after is filled with as many outrageously funny stories and adventures as your wedding day was.   

*all eye-candy courtesy of Deidre Lynn Photography

Ryanne + Kevin’s Vendors
Ceremony + Reception: Three Sisters Park
Day-of Coordination: Anticipation Events
DJ: Ronald Roberts
Catering + Cake: Cracked Pepper
Photography: Deidre Lynn Photography
Videography: ZNeff Weddings
Florist: Events By Bloom
Make-up: B. Loved Stylists
Hair: Melissa Bakel
Photo Booth: PeekABooth
Guest Hotel: Windgate by Wyndham