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Make Effect

We host Art Camp each summer at Wandawega (in collaboration with Angela of Post 27). A weekend of relaxation, collaboration, production and meeting new friends. Up in Northern Michigan, a similar event happens in June. Make Effect is a 3-day long art and design retreat held at Camp Tosebo in Manistee, Michigan. Here’s what it’s all about, in their own words… What if you could work under the trees rather than florescent lights? Come escape to Camp Make Effect for learning, relaxation, creativity and camaraderie. By day get messy making and trying out new processes and by night get silly…

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Meeting the Cabinologist at Wandawega

Last weekend I had the pleasure of heading up to Wandawega with my friends Emily and Lindsay. Compared with my last visit (which was a giant party, complete with band and fireworks), this trip was low-key and relaxing. We lounged around in the lake and drank some beers–Emily cooked us meals and Lindsay provided her signature bloody mary. The camp wasn’t booked with guests or shoots, like it has been for most of the summer. Aside from the three of us, there were 2 other couples and a friend of David’s and his 13 year-old son. We quickly made friends…

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So I opened the mailbox last week….

and it hit me. holy god-  weve got some talented friends. in one week, we got 4 invitations / announcements / cards – a selection of some of the wedding invitations for camp weddings @ wandawega this year. so inspiring! lovely lovely lovely….. (from our friend Hillary Schuster- Wandawega camp counselor / blogger). a sweet little package that arrived in the mail – similiar design to their wedding invitations. from our friend Sam Spratlin– designer & creative director at Ogilvy from our friends Evan & Nicole- a recent wedding @ Camp. from our friends Keely & Jason – another upcoming wedding @ Camp!

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Cooking at Camp

When I think of camp, one of the first things I think about is packing snacks and treats. Camp is a great excuse to return my childhood days of string cheese, hot dogs, gummy worms and ice cream sandwiches. But I’ve gained some wisdom in my later years. While those candies and snacks are fun and easy, they’re missing out of the fun of actually making the food. My trips to camp now hinge on local farmers markets and delis, acting as fresh food outposts before we head far away from town and into the country. Whether these places are…

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Sunprints and Cyanotype

Did you make sunprints as a kid? I totally remember doing them at sixth grade camp and being pretty amazed at how it worked (my favorite show at the time was probably Mr. Wizard’s World). You use special light-sensitive paper, overlay it with uniquely shaped objects (leaves, keys, office supplies) and leave it out in the sun to develop. You can also use film negatives or images transfered onto transparency material. This paper-and-sun process is a specific example of a very old photographic printing process called cyanotype. The other day I came across a modern version of this printing process, Lumi, a…

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Visual identity: Camp Henry

When I was little, some of my friends went to a short session of camp every summer at Camp Henry in Newaygo, Michigan. When we were looking for a camp to host our wedding, this was one of the first places I contacted. It didn’t work out (because it’s a dry facility) and we ended-up at the incredible Camp Pendalouan. In April of this year, I came across a brochure for Camp Henry–so well-designed that I held onto it, despite having no need for the actual information contained inside. My favorite part is the large map but the whole thing…

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Fireflies

Summer’s in full swing, and for us that means lazy summer nights out in the backyard–drinking beers and watching the cat chase fireflies. I’ve always been fascinated by these crazy, luminescent bugs. We didn’t really have them where I grew up (in Grand Rapids, Michigan) but we used to see them when we’d visit my grandparents’ place down in Peoria. Now I get to watch them dance around my neighborhood here in Chicago. Have you seen all of the amazing long-exposure pictures of fireflies? Amateur photographer (and full time physicist), Kristian Cvecek, spends nights out in the woodlands near his…

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Katie and Cameron’s Oregon Camp Wedding

Katie and Cameron got married at the beautiful Camp Lane in Oregon. Katie describe’s her wedding as “a little bit summer camp, a little bit renaissance fair, and a whole lot of fun.” Family and friends made pies, and pretty much everything was DIY, including the giant catapult that they used to launch the bouquet. I especially loved the march through the woods with all of their guests. This sweet and quirky wedding was shot by the amazing Kelty at Steep Street and you can see more on her blog or by checking out the feature that Green Wedding Shoes did on the…

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Dream catchers

According to Dream-Catchers.org, Native Americans believe that the night air is filled with dreams, both good and bad. The dream catcher, when hung over or near your bed, swings freely in the air, catching the dreams as they flow by. The good dreams know how to pass through the dream catcher–slipping by the outer holes and sliding down the soft feathers, so gently that many times the sleeper does not know that he/she is dreaming. The bad dreams don’t know the way and get tangled in the dream catcher. They perish with the first light of the new day.You can…

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Rent a tent

Michael and I own a European-style canvas tent that we’ve never used. We bought it to sleep in the night we got married but it was too cold and we had to sleep in a cabin. The plan was to deck it all out in plaid blankets, bunting and lantern light. Anyway, now that we have the tent, we’ll have to find some opportunities to set it up this summer — maybe up at Wandawega or over in the park for a game day and picnic. If you’d like to buy your own tent or want to rent one, you…

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