Wandawega Blog Archive

RESTOCKING UPDATE on the new bedding line. Even though Target sold out first thing- Restock IS in the works ! We have many other retailers across the country whove also picked up the collection – from our manufacturing partner @makerscollectivehome to @bedbathandbeyond and (@homedepot is my favorite.Cause trying to keep a 99 year old camp standing means that we basically live there )What we are most excited about is that this line is accessible to everybody. somebody asked me recently why we think that people are so drawn to camp style.I think because its timely and timeless. It doesnt chase trends because its not born from a fad. Camp as a place and shared experience that connects us across generations and zip codes. Its the great equalizer. (which we could all use more of these days)So the layered textiles from the old camps that we bring into our homes are reminders of a simpler time and place.They help us tap into the core memories that shape our childhoods- and our kids childhoodsIts how a silkscreened Souvenir flocked pillow with that old school tassle trim can be a time transporter… How the liner of a comforter that reminds you of the Inside of your childhood sleeping bag can be a talisman- that reconnect us with those shared experiences that shape us.and we think that feeling will never go out of style…Many friends of camp helped with this project. And for that we are so grateful Photos by @bobcoscarelli. (Hero room shots) @prezpipe and @nathanbobey (details & packaging) photo styling @melissa.ann.elias. packaging identity system @joshuaminnich

August 3, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

UPDATE: SOLD OUT at Target.com since launch this morning A big dream for our little camp comes true today!This collection is the result of so many years of hoarding antique textiles for research & inspiration. Were so freaking happy to see it finally out in the world. Every piece has a layered backstory that were sharing on our website. Available on @Target @bedbathandbeyond (and so many other national retailers that it makes our hearts burst).Welll share more in the coming days, and details on more retailers picking it up in store – but heres the nutshell:ABOUT: The Collection draws its inspiration from the textiles, patterns, and palette of vintage artifacts that have filled the rustic cabins and accented the layered history of this national registry resort for nearly a century. Embracing wilderness themes and the lodge motifs of American summer camps, the line celebrates the nostalgia of the All-American getaway: Camp Wandawega, Est. 1925…..Photos by @bobcoscarelli @nathanbobey styling by @melissamariephoto collection with @makerscollectivehome

August 2, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Typography study of Wandawega ( Part No.2 )Camp is a compilation of nearly a century of hand painted, letterpressed, Carved, cast and stamped signs- in every corner and on every surface. Most folks dont notice this.But those who are also type nerds see our obsession showing ;)….two of these by @chesperry of @rightwaysigns

July 31, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

How to spot the real deal.Look for the brush strokes.I grew up with a sign painter mom. From junior high on, I learned the ropes from her, lettering everything from pickup truck doors to store windows in our rural hometown.By the rime I graduated HS I learned enough to talk my way into a job at $6.50 an hour at Weatherford Signs in Carbondale, Illinois (to help pay my way through college).Now shuttered, the shop was one of the best in the midwest, and was consideredsign school at the time.It was at the end of a gravel road in Southern Illinois. Working there, you got the chance to learn from masters of the brush, including Larry Weatherford.He taught us how to cut masks for sandblasting.How to drape chains in the back of the truck on the neon, how to install billboards out of a cherry picker. But mostly, how to hand-letter with a can of One Shot and a good brush. We did everything from gold leaf to building sized murals (in all weather).Looking back it was the hardest and most fun job I ever had. (Until now).My main mentor was 80+ year old dude named Jimmy. Hed been a sign painter his entire life, and was one of the most talented men Id ever known.I was slinging brushes there until I hit 21, graduated, and moved up north to try to get a job as a graphic designer.I miss sign paining & painters. The smell of the paint once you crack the skin.Its a rare art and why we work exclusively at camp with the master himself – @chesperry at @rightwaysigns. Like Larry and Jimmy, Ches is a master at his craft, having painted for over 50 years. We have so much love and respect for those who keep this art alive.Next time youre at camp – look close for the brushstrokes.Talent always leaves its mark.

July 25, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

THE ROPESWING.In our early days, its was in constant swing.the rope is still up, holding strong. Andit will still launch you out into another universe.But all good things must come to an end.(or so says our insurance company)turns out that you can never buy enough insurance for those who think they can do a Mountain Dew and still have the upper body strength of their Youth.so to protect campers from themselves, we have to keep it chained up now.(but for those who remember getting heaved into the sky, it was a good time)shots here from when @parents came to camp to do a feature on our annual kids weekend. all manner of field sports from three legged races, to tug of war. bonfires, fireworks, weiner roasts… and nobody got hurt. once in a while we break it out, just to remember the swoosh of jumping off the hill.and just like that, were kids again..Photos by @kathryngamblephoto & @jane.goodrich

July 24, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Q: Is it too hot to sauna on a Wisconsin July tuesday??(We got the camp cedar hot box custom made in Canada. Shipped here in a million boxes. And assembled it like a ginormous Lego kit on our hillside)Shared by @bobcoscarelli @erikengstromphoto @iamcraigsteven

July 23, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram

Our new friend (and old crush) Ben of @folkmagazine paid us a visit a couple weeks ago.It was his first time here – were always anxious with first timers (cause this place is never as shiny / styled / ready as Instagram pretends it is).The IRL version is way more faded, weedy, & needy than you can imagine. So many spots are still very Blair Witch-y. Its why we push the M.L.E. so hard (Manifesto of Low Expectations).But then people like Ben show up and point their lens at some of the other stuff (the people in & around all the chipping / sagging / rusting ).And it reminds us that Leonard Cohen knew what hes talking about – There is a crack, a crack, in everything. Thats how the light gets in.But at the end of the day (or at the end of our 99th year) what matters are the people we share this joint with. And for that perspective, were grateful to Ben (and other creatives, & campers) who help us see our broken-ness in a different light.As we approach the century mark next year its good to see so many fresh crops of younger campers with an appreciation for preserving history, too. Or it could just be the free Hamms & Schlitz. We dont mind either way.

July 20, 2024 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram