When @anthropologie takes over campFor many years weve hosted an amazing group of inspiring creatives here. Last week we welcomed back again the team who gather here from the far corners of the country and Canada for their creative work retreat.Theyre always the best dressed crew.Always the guests that leave This old place better than they found itAnd the only guests we let move our furniture around.I have a soft spot for these people. Anthropologie was the first big retailer to pick up my second book – (and the reason it sold out and went into its second printing) One time they asked us to do a collaboration product for the holidays so we created the gifting candle (that they gave it a full page in their catalog out immediately) They asked me a couple of times to lead creative workshops at their Chicago flagship- (scroll for Pics here of all these things Ive loved doing with them)A team we love & hope to always see return This store has always been my inspirationThank you, @krismox ( & Susanne Stoll!)
This is for all my fellow holiday crafters.So were knee-deep revamping the new craft selections in our C.C,C. (Camp Craft Cabin) And its got me thinking about seasonal versions – so I started digging back into favorite holiday craft projects Ive done for camp in Christmass past:So to kick it off early, sharing this Camp Holiday Edition some of my favorites that were made on assignment or in partnership with brands and magazines that we love: @Anthropologie @Better homes and gardens @Sweet Paul, Flea Market Style Magazine, Glossed & Found HERE:No.1: Custom local syrup (signed & numbered bottles wrapped in local prohibition era newspaper).No.2: Collab with @Anthropologie – mens holiday gift box candle.No.3: Custom PBN Holiday wrapping paper for a mag story .No.4: Evergreen tablescape for flea Market style mag.No.5: Graphite lllustration of my favorite hometown Victorian a for holiday card .No.6: Drawing / leaf decor craft project for Sweet Paul magazine.No.7: PBN Stationary design commission for press feature.No.8: New Years cocktail recipe for a Glossed & Found feature .No.9: Packaging for Maple syrup year II ( in custom wooden crates with recipes books).No.10: Christmas cards (printed felt lined wooden shields, wool liners). We are endlessly inspired by the friends who are makers – and makers whove become friends. One of my new years resolutions is to take the time to make more of the little handmade things. The hand crafted things. Its all part of ongoing research to bring these opportunities to our guests in seasons to come.More to come !
We just added 3 more (socially distanced) nearby cabin rentals to our must book list.@milwaukeemag just announced what may be our favorite round-up: Adorable cabins within 90 miles drive of MilwaukeeEXCERPT:Too often you see a cute Wisconsin cabin on Airbnb or Instagram and then, after noting the location, realize its a few hundred miles from Milwaukee. Thankfully there are adorable cabins decked out with design-driven decor and tucked into a woodsy or waterfront setting that are only an hour-and-a-half away. Its easy to practice social distancing when theres, um, nobody else around and not have to worry about being seated too close to another table at a restaurant or being elbowed in a hotel”Cont…Chicagoan Tereasa Surratts Wisconsin vacation retreat (where the designer hunkers down with her daughter and husband) is also a spot where major brands like Crate & Barrel and Anthropologie not to mention actress Reese Witherspoon have hosted photo shoots, drawn to the campy decor with a vintage vibe. When you bunk in the side-by-side historic cabins (Cedar Cabins exterior is forest-green and Log Cabins white perfect for a group traveling together) you also get access to the lakes private beach and Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire pit. Also on the property are a treehouse, tee-pees, sports courts, boats and canoes. Although there arent kitchens, you can go old school by grilling outside and using an outdoor washing sink, storing food in an indoor mini-fridge.UPDATE:Although the 2 little side by side cabins are currently buried in a snowdrift (so we wont have them back open again for another couple of months). We have other winter cabins & options open for rentals.*the last 3 pics here (Cascade Wisconsin designed by @maaike_interiors ) is my FAV – we just booked our stay this morning *first two shots here : camps little log cabin Photos: @BobCoscarelli (image 2) & @svetlanadamiani (image 1) Thanks, @kristineahansen for the inclusion
I wish there was a way to know you were living in the good old days before you actually left them. – Andy Bernard (The Office) Back in pre-pandemic (good old days) weve loved the past decade of taking camp out of the woods & hitting the road, (caravanning the airstream, 20 ft tipis, fleet of camp trucks & tents to urban corners.. to share camp with folks that cant make it to us in wisco)From hosting supper clubs with @SohoHouse +@LandAndSeaDept, throwing a flea market for @Rejuvenation, hosting workshops at @anthropologie , Camp sleepover at @msichicago, product launches at @crateandkids / NOD & at @Gant, @barnesandnoble (& so many other adventures) its always been fun.But Looking back now, we admit that we took the most meaningful part for granted… coming together to raise a glass, hanging with old friends & making new ones.So were looking forward.To a new year.To turning the corner on this pandemic so we can come together again like the Good Old Days.And when we do, well appreciate all the hangs together more, and not take for granted the gift of being able to enjoy each others company.Looking forward to sitting around the bonfire with yall again in 2021 – in the woods, in the city and in some new ways.Cheers to a New Year, and knowing that soon enough well be back in the good old days.
Remember:What happens at camp…rarely stays at camp.Weve hosted some corporate retreats here – some of them were not allowed to mention – but over the years weve found one common denominator: Its always the ones you least suspectwho step up and go all Katniss on us at the archery range.Its the unassuming guy who just announced his retirement who shows up with a new beard and a well-worn axe to split wood like Grizzly Adams.Never underestimate that introverted guy in ITs ability to nail the hatchet bullseye first.Then theres always at least one unsuspecting nice girl whos name you can never remember who breaks out the bullhorn to serenade everyone with Cardi B (weve seen this more than once). Theyve either been waiting for this moment. Or never planned it and might be regretting it now… They ride up on the Harley you never knew they had. The one who reminds you of your great aunt rolls up in the vintage Porsche shes been restoring since high school and you dont even recognize her.Theres the intern who bakes like Rachel Ray and shows up in a homemade jumpsuit and leads a foraging workshop for edible bugs. .Coworkers are full of surprises.There is something very real and scary about getting out of our comfort zones that compels us to show a little more of who we are; that other side of us that we so deftly hide in the conference room.Nothing like gutting a trout with the lady from HR to get some perspective.Heres to getting uncomfortable and real in the best way bonding over a shotski with your boss.We love hosting our company crushes here. We know them for their innovations – but here, we remember them here for the things they do when their guards down.So to all of you who weve booked for the upcoming 2020 Season… Just remember: what happens here at camp will not only NOT stay here at camp-theres a high probability of earning you a new nickname, or be otherwise commemorated in some awkward way. .So come ready, but play responsibly.Photos here from a few of our past favorite company outings – that redefined companyPatagonia, Anthropologie, Studio Gang Architects, Shinola, Beam Brands, Lululemon,
.crying on the plane posting this(not at all awkward for the people next to me) Just got this email.The first overseas trip I took, I picked up the best travel book I could find. It was a Fodors. I dog-eared the hell out of it, filled it with gutter notes & unrealistic hopes to see everything in it. (This was 1993, pre-dating todays ocean of travel bloggers- having an actual book as a guide felt so… official)If someone would have said that all these years later a little place Id adopt with my future husband would end up in these pages- I would never have believed it. Those pages under the orange cover were sacred. Far away places & fancy hotels. That 1st book opened up my eyes that there was something beyond the 2 stoplights in town.Davids response: How is that even possible? Were not a hotel, and were not fine. (Agreed). .So today were grateful to @fodorstravel for including some of us little guys on your list. Then, tomorrow (& every day after) well be grateful that there are people out there who can embrace you even though you may not have a pedigree.Coming home now with a new perspective: Im going to go dig up that first dog-eared copy of Fodors & read the gutter notes of a 22 year olds travel wishlist. .FODORS.com: WEIRD & WONDERFULYou may not have heard of this Wes Anderson-like camp property, but many big & trendy brandslike Anthropologie, Warby Parker, and Crate and Barrelhave used its vintage-inspired rooms stocked with antiques (from felt pendants to cozy Pendleton plaid blankets) and its whimsical grounds that feature a teepee and a treehouse, for photo shoots and design collabs. At the hands of a Chicago advertising couple, this former mobster hideaway (1930s), family-friendly lake resort (1950s), and Latvian priests church camp (1960s and 1970s) has been made uber-cool, with accommodations spread out over cabins and cottages. Archery and taxidermy never looked so enticing. @travelwisconsin Were lucky to be on this list with our friends places that we love so much:.@touristswelcome @thepontchartrain & @shinolahotel @bobcoscarelli @aimeemazzenga
Dream guests this week: hosting the creative visionary leaders of @anthropologie ! Who joined us from as far as Hawaii and Canada to spend a couple of days at the #wandawegahillhouse.These folks are the only guests that we encourage to move furniture around and redecorate during their stay with us.So nice to have them for their fourth year creative retreat at camp – photos by @nathanmichael (guestroom shared by @rejuvenation yesterday )
It warms our hearts to see little pieces of camp finding its way in other folks homes. (From the @anthropologie candles to @faribaultmill blankets, @randomhouse books, the @gant line, @thelandofnod line @threadless & more we are beyond grateful for what the future brings with our collaborations in 2018)*photos here from our tagging friends*
Thanks, @crainschicago for helping us remember the little things in life are what make all those hard days worth it. Sharing our little corner of Wisco is what makes us happiest (and with such a divide in current events, it’s good to know that at least we have something in common *SMORES* ). Story on today’s profile link // thank you @ogilvychicago @joesciarrotta @chelleko @thelandofnod @anthropologie @lululemon @shinola / printed @bobcoscarelli
She may not have gotten a tag for her home, (go Wisco!) but we’re still so happy to find that our little treehouse got some love from our crush @anthropologie yesterday! So Much gratitude to the folks who designed & built her for free out of the kindness of their hearts ( as a memorial to my dad) // LOVE YOU FOREVER, shaun, tyler, steven, bladon, aaron, angela ! // @shaun_oa @bladonconner @afinney @teichelman1973 // “toms treehouse’ is a daily testament to your enormous talents & generous hearts.
