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anne sage

… has a wonderful blog that i just stumbled across. (she did a lovely post on camp and accompanied it with a fab curated set of camp gear, inspired by us 🙂 thanks, anne! her full post here Shopping Guide: Colorblock Napkins, Vintage Aluminum Cooler, Cashmere Camp Blanket, Retro First-Aid Kit, Cedar and Spearmint Face Wash, Bone Handle Knife, Woven Slip-on Shoe, Leather Backpack. Images: Matthew Hranek for Martha Stewart Living.

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Camp Pendalouan maps: then + now

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…

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CAMPADX

CAMP ADX is a creative camp in Portland, where you can learn to make a backpack, cook over a campfire or, as they say, “survive summer.” These guys have mad design skillz–think designers go to camp…. love,love,LOVE it. CHECK IT OUT [all images from Camp ADX]

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time capsule…

He was in his 70s and said he vacationed here (at camp) when he was a boy. he came bearing photos. which were so charming and humble they were heartbreakingly adorable. so when they told us that they had an entire photo album full of images of his vacation at wandawega… i almost lost my mind. so we paid them a visit in the burbs last sunday… brought our portable scanner- and documented several years of vacations at camp wandawega (circa 1940s). thanks, Judy & Jerry! here are some (new / old) shots….   last week a charming elderly couple…

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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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Fearless Friends at Camp

Summer camp has always been associated with adventure, animals, and a little danger. I grew up with fantasies of running away to some remote mountain, farm or never-ending trek through the wilderness — but almost never alone. I always imagined my dog, or cat, coming with me. The bond between animals and adventure is a strong one thanks to books and movies like Homeward Bound, My Side of the Mountain, Old Yeller, even Milo and Otis (I prefer voice-over instead of CGI talkies, FYI). It was clear to me early that animals were fearless — or at least hapless —…

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