Searching around on Etsy, I stumbled on Andrea Lauren’s shop full of fun, whimsical illustrations–Paper Sparrow. Mostly inspired by animals, nature and music, the drawings seem perfect for a woodland nursery or campy kid’s room- (and she creates everything from custom invites to camera pouches) from the creator’s store: “Music and animal themed watercolor art, illustrations, and handmade accessories designed by Andrea Lauren” check out Andrea’s blog & facebookpage
My grandfather passed away a few weeks ago. It was sad and hard on our family (especially my grandmother), but he was 93 and lived a long, happy and simple life. He was a strong and caring grandfather, father and husband. He will be missed dearly. A few years back, he and my grandmother moved into an assisted living facility. When they moved, all of us grandchildren were encouraged to go through their home and take things that we wanted (the things that they weren’t moving with them). It sounds a little morbid but it was cool to go through…
The weekend after Thanksgiving, we hosted a small group of women at Camp for a craft weekend. It was a chance for everyone to get away from the city for two days and two nights to make new friends, learn a few crafts, exchange holiday cookies, eat some great food and RELAX. Emily Berman, a good friend of Camp, prepared a weekend-long menu of great cold-weather foods, while I (Hillary) planned and led all the crafts. It was a great time and we hope to get back soon for more crafty fun. Here are some of the details and activities…
We will be hosting a small weekend gathering of fun and creative women up at Camp this weekend… A chance to get away from the city for a few days- to make new friends, learn a few crafts, exchange holiday cookies, eat some great food and relax at camp. Our friend / guest blogger and lovely party planner Hillary Schuster came up with the idea — and we can’t wait. Here is more info on the co-hosts….check back for the post with the shots! HILLARY SCHUSTER – A designer and aspiring event stylist, Hillary lives in Chicago with her awesome…
Good Voyage is a design duo, Kate and Katie, working out of “the unexpectedly great town of Bloomington, Indiana”–their words. I discovered their business on Etsy, where I fell in love with their amazing constellation print (also available on notecards). Clicking around, I found their Big Cartel shop where I realized I had seen, and pinned, their cool painted ducks before (via Design Sponge). Their work is so fun and campy! Check out their site and Facebook page and shop their Etsy and/or Big Cartel site. [images from Good Voyage‘s various sites and Design Sponge]
Browsing Etsy for some cool camp gear, I came across the shop of Philadelphia-based designer and illustrator, Jim DiGiovanni. Under the name Up North Co., Jim creates cool camp / backwoods / adventure / Americana inspired prints and patches that are fun and a bit retro. You can buy his work on both Etsy and Society6, or check out more about his adventures on his blog. Awesome stuff, Jim. [all work by Jim DiGiovanni–purchase on Etsy or Society6]
I love maps of summer camps. There’s such a sense of wonder and discovery at a camp, so their maps end up feeling more like treasure maps than regular road maps. Actually, maybe a treasure map is a bad analogy since it’s not really about showing you how to get somewhere so much as it’s about showing you where you are once you’ve already stumbled upon somewhere. It’s fun to be able to compare old maps to new ones. I love to see how the illustration styles have changed and it’s interesting to look at how a camp’s layout evolves…
The seasons are turning and it’s getting a bit cold for cookouts here in the Midwest. I guess it’s goodbye to summer and hello to fall! [image via the Cats and the Berries; I can’t find the original source image–when I searched, Google Images suggested vintage cookout items on Etsy]
When I was up at Camp Wandawega about a month ago, I saw this invitation pinned-up behind the kitchen sink. I grabbed it and brought it home to photograph for the blog. I love the sort of Boy-Scout-meets-government-issue feel of the design work done by the bride, Lindsay. I decided to shoot the invite with a screened window dappling light on it (I’m trying to get better at styling and lighting). I thought it gave it a slightly cabin-y, Fall feel. I asked Lindsay if she had anything to say about designing this “guidebook” for her August 25th wedding at…
from the author (emily berman) of the blog 52 MEALS: “I’m going to challenge myself to have one dinner party a week for a year. Starting January 01, 2012, I will cook at least one meal a week for someone other than myself, Craig, and Henry. The “dinner party” can be any kind of meal from breakfast to cocktails, it can be at my house or off-site, from one dinner guest to twelve, as long as I’m cooking. And there must be at least one a week (hopefully there will be more), and I have to keep it up all…