AEppelTreow Winery

A few weeks back I was searching for wineries in Wisconsin (why do most of them seem to be in Michigan?) and stumbled across AEppelTreow Winery in Burlington, Wisconsin. They're located on the same property as Brightonwoods Orchard and call themselves an artisan cidery & distillery. Upon further research, I found that AEppelTreow uses local apple crops to make hard ciders, orchard table wines, sparkling champagnes, fruit dessert wines and unique spirits. We were in! We went on a Saturday and between Luke and I, got to try 10 different products (sample policy = 5 per person for free, $5 beyond that). They offered generous pours and the staff was super friendly. We ended up taking home a 4-pack of Bunting Berry-Apple Cider as well as a bottle of Pommeaux Apple Dessert Wine. Both did not disappoint! I think I went through the bottle of Pommeaux in less than a week (oops) - I want to go back for more! I would highly recommend AEppelTreow to anyone in the Chicago/Milwaukee area looking for an aunthentic winery experience. For more info and photos, check out their Facebook page.

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Brightonwoods Orchard

We enjoyed some festive fall apple "picking" a few weekends ago at Brightonwoods Orchard in Burlington, Wisconsin. It's a beautiful 15 acre property in southeastern Wisconsin that's just over an hour from Chicago. They don't actually offer "pick your own", but the abundance of different apple varieties surely makes up for it. Brightonwoods grows over 200 kinds of apples... many old-fashioned and European varieties you can't find anywhere else. My favorite was the Calville Blanc d'Hiver - a French apple from the 1500's - it was sweet and tangy with an almost banana-like taste. Yum! The other reason we headed to Brightonwoods was for the on-site winery. More on that next...

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Head over Heels Challenge

Another fabulous Minted.com challenge has gone live and I need your help! The "Head over Heels" challenge is all about wedding invitations - one of my favorite things to design - so I entered a total of 6 invitations. I'd love your thoughts and your VOTES - it only takes a minute (I promise). Thank you!

Parisian Balcony in Spring - Vote Here

Acorns in Fall - Vote Here

Simple Landscape - Vote Here

Beautiful Buttons - Vote Here

Grecian Goddess of Vines - Vote Here

Old County Courthouse - Vote Here

Love for Leaves

We headed up to Wisconsin this past weekend to enjoy the beautiful fall weather... and Abbey had a blast. She loved the leaves! She was running, rolling and diving in them whenever she could. I was able to capture a few of her escapades below. She's too funny and way too cute. We're also pretty sure she thinks she's a human (check her out on the golf cart). Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Wisconsin Fall Colors

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

The Art of Blogging

(more on the delicious libation soon)

Wicked

Have you seen these ads by Essie... the nail polish brand? I don't get it. The following ad makes me hungry for a sundae, but then I nearly gag thinking about drizzling nail polish over my ice cream. Ultimately, it doesn't make me want to paint my toes or indulge in something sweet. Maybe the whole point is to disturb and disrupt? I just wish they'd rethink their campaign all together. Just one of those random things that's been bugging me... so I had to vent. What do you think?

Wedding Invitation: Caroline & Tanner

Caroline and Tanner continued the "rustic elegance" theme with their wedding invitation. The couple wanted to create more of a traditional feeling for their suite, so they decided to go with a 1-color design on ivory stock. The monogram looked beautiful in a rich chocolate brown ink and the "rustic" motif was continued through with a few smaller leaf elements on the rsvp and reception cards. The full suite was printed digitally and included a total of 6 elements: 5x7 invitation, 4bar reception card, 4bar rsvp card, 4bar rsvp envelope, A7 inner envelope and A7.5 outer envelope.

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Rustic + Elegant Thank Yous

Remember when I shared Caroline and Tanner's wedding logo and save the date designs with you? Well, the fun didn't stop there! I created custom thank you cards for the couple utilizing their rustic elegance theme. Each A6 card was printed 1-sided in full color and accompanied by a white envelope. Due to the large number of cards ordered (450) it was most economical to go with a basic envelope vs. a colored option. The front of the card had an off-white hue to create depth. I love how they turned out!

Photos ©2011 Keg Design