Welcoming a new life into the world is so exciting! Close to 100 people gathered at Lauren & David’s baby shower today to share in their happiness and showered them with love, good wishes and presents. Throughout the day, you could tell that both Mom and Dad-to-be were so appreciative at the show of affection and are looking forward to the day they can introduce their new bundle of joy to everyone.

The shower was held at the Eaglewood Spa & Resort in Itasca and was the perfect setting for any celebration with expansive hallways and a comfortable banquet room that overlooked a lush green golf course. The attention to detail was amazing — there were so many special touches that their family arranged to make the day memorable. Instead of looking for a table place card, guests were greeted with water bottles with baby-themed labels showing guests names and assigned table number. Another fun touch was a huge calendar for guests to guess the day that the baby will be born. Blue and pink pens markers were provided to indicate whether they believed that it would be a girl or a boy. Scrapping on the Spot helped to capture some of these guesses by creating a girl and boy signature page for everyone to record their guess by signing their name.

It was an absolutely enjoyable day and we were so happy to have helped record one of the happiest moments in their lives.

Congratulations Lauren & David !! We know you will be wonderful parents and wish you all the happiness in the world!

Shhhhhhhh…. here she comes …… SURPRISE !!

Little did Liz know, but her very good friends started planning for her surprise birthday party in December of last year. As the months went by, she knew there was a surprise party happening on this night, but thought it was for someone else. The room was full of excitement as everyone prepared for her arrival and when she walked through the door, the deafening sound of “Surprise!” filled the air. She was thoroughly surprised.

Liz celebrated the evening with just over 100 of her family and friends at the Lakewood Banquet Hall in Glenview, IL. Her friends decorated each table with giant sized cupcakes decorated in pink and green flowers, beautifully decorated home-made cookies and pastries and brought in decorative bows and Happy Birthday balloons to add a special touch to the evening. Lakewood’s unique buffet tables displayed martini glasses filled with fruit that hung in a brass tree display, marble carving stations and a suspended dessert station.

At the end of the night, her close friends Donna and Barb were so excited to present Liz with a scrapbook commemorating her night. Using her favorite colors (apple green and pink), we decorated it with some of her favorite things … polka dots, cupcakes and various sparkling embellishments. It’s a book that we know she will look at and smile over time and time again.

Happy Birthday Liz !!

Giddy up! It’s the Grandma & Grandpa Rodeo sponsored by the Grandma & Grandpa Club in the Del Webb Sun City community. Little cowgirls and cowboys came dressed in their finest duds and were treated to an afternoon of games, hot dogs, line dancing and arts & crafts. One of the things they created was their own picture frame — donning the borders with stickers, cowboy action figures and barnyard animals. So what did they do with those frames? They came to our corner and had their photo taken under a rodeo banner! We printed them out and glued them onto their frame as they waited.

Watching all of the proud grandparents spending quality time with their grandchildren was such a pleasure. The afternoon was filled with sparkling, happy eyes and smiles. And it was a greater pleasure knowing that those smiles were captured and placed in their frames to view and enjoy for many years to come.

What does leopard patterned lounge sofas, cut out masquerade faces of the Bride & Groom, trivia contests, balloon creations, a private DJ and a buffet food bar make? It makes a killer evening with family and friends! And that’s exactly what Patty & Mike’s Wedding Shower was all about — and more!

The evening was a enjoyable social gathering of several of Patty & Mike’s family and closest friends at Drink Nightclub in Schaumburg, IL. Their private area of the nightclub was a comfortable setting providing a relaxed atmosphere and gave the happy couple a chance to really enjoy the night with all of their guests.

As everyone enjoyed the evening, a continuous presentation depicting their relationship together played across several video screens. It shared the many things they have already shared together and conveyed the strength of their feelings for each. Another colorful touch was the balloon decorations provided by Balloons by Robin — borders of colorful balloons cascaded across many of the arches of the room with an amazing “wall” of balloons that accented the gift & signature table.

No matter how many wedding showers we have been in, each one is special in its own way because of the couple’s own special touches. Patty & Mike’s Wedding Shower was amazing!

We wish you a lifetime of dreams, happiness and love…. Congratulations !

What do you get when you combine a 3 piece string trio, several vendor tables, food samples and gorgeous ladies modeling the latest bridal dresses?  A fantastic Bridal Fair !!!

That’s exactly what took place at this afternoon’s Bridal Fair held by Park Place Banquet Facility located at 406 W. Woodstock Street in Crystal Lake.   Brides-to-be were greeted by the beautiful sounds of chamber music and a room filled with ideas and choices of services and products for their special day.  Vendors were carefully chosen and included local businesses providing cakes, chocolates, massage, travel, hotel accommodation, bus services and formal wear.  Businesses of particular interest to many of the people who attended were:

Kiera’s Confections:  www.kieraconfections.com

Country Inn and Suites:  www.countryinns.com

That’s a Wrap! Creations:  www.ThatsAWrapCreations.com

Coach USA Company:  www.vangalderbus.com

Gipper Formal Wear:  www.gipperpromandpageant.com

And yes, Scrapping on the Spot was also there!  It was great talking to all of the Brides-to-Be and the family and friends that came with them.  All were very interested in the bridal shower services we provide and loved the fact that we could customize a scrapbook, take the photographs and complete their scrapbook during their shower.  Brides also found great interest in the handcrafted gifts they could give to their bridal party and families — all done to match their wedding design and theme.

We love telling people’s stories through their eyes and helping them preserve their moments in time…. and we’d love to help tell yours!

For more information on Park Place Banquet Facility, contact Lauren Thibodeau – 815-477-5871  lthibodeau@crystallakeparks.org