Wrapping Up 2011

Happy New Year's Eve, folks! Another year is almost behind us. I feel like 2011 was a good, but long year. It kinda dragged out near the end. For us, 2011 marked Luke passing the bar exam, getting a new puppy and spending our summer up at the lake. The later part included a horribly scary diagnosis for a loved one - which has been very hard to deal with. I hope 2012 brings new joys, healthy progressions and lots of luck. Here's how I "wrapped" up the 2011 holiday season...

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Holiday Details

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. I wanted to share our holiday cards with you. I sent out three different designs this year. All of them featured our cute and cuddly puppy, Abbey. The first primary design is courtesy of Shutterfly (free stuff is always cool). The "Believe" design is one of my own and is available for sale on Minted.com. The last one is super funny and interactive. I found a perfect "naughty" photo of Abbey to place inside and the final greeting reads "Happy Holidays, anyway" - since of course all of the scratch off coins are heads!

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Christmas Mantel

I had a lot of fun decorating the mantel this year. I started out on Pinterest, gathering inspiration for holiday decor. A few of my favorites included this silver beauty and rustic topiary design. I wanted a Pottery Barn meets vintage look. Something a little eclectic to fit the aesthetic of our condo. I've always preferred traditional colors for Christmas (red and green), but like how the silver trees and white stockings modernize the look. Hobby Lobby was my greatest ally! I scored the stocking holders and stockings there, as well as the beautiful (artificial) garland. The topiary trees, wreath and ornaments were already part of my collection.

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

Deck The Halls

Happy December! Not sure how the last month and a half got away from me, but it did. Its been busy. We've already hosted a couple of holiday parties, so the house is fully decorated. The halls are literally "decked" out. More photos to come soon.

Photos ©2011 Keg Design

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