Wandawega Blog Archive

Coming soon. .Going on week seven of isolation in the woods- And doing zooms in rooms we have historically barely had time to walk through, let alone work in..Camps hodge-podge of tools and wood working machines in the former Rathskeller-turned shop have been getting put to good use these days. .But theyre all about to find a different home now because we have big plans for a whole new use for this level. (Ssomething weve dreamed of doing for years – a way to finally share it with guests, and we finally have the time to make it happen)..Were in the planning / measuring / shopping / sketching phase right now – and hope to have it ready in six weeks .We may be delusional, but were giving it our best shot and cant wait to share it with you when its safe for us all to be near each other again:).In the meantime – toasting yall from afar . by @bennett_young

April 29, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

UPDATE ON THE GIVEAWAY: we packaged up all of first test batch samples that we show here to ship out to those who asked – We wish we had more to share, and will announce it here if we are able to sell it in the future through our camp store opening soon! Thanks to everyone who reached out!.Camp Made White Pine & Spruce Infused Oil. *comment below if u want one.(Part II of our homeMade infused oilTrials – After daily shaking of the concoction, strain the oil through a pillow case into bottles)We sourced a 200-count bulk lot of vintage 1960s era pharmacy bottles to funnel ours into.TYPE DESIGN NERD WARNING:I finally had an excuse to break out the antique Duro Sign Maker Decals that we found years ago at an antique junk shop downstate. Four seperate metal cases, each with assortments of of 1930s -50s fonts: Gold leaf style, drop shadow, block, all water-transfer in untouched new old stock condition. These letters were the poor mans sign painter, applied one at a time, on any surface from metal to glass to wood. Trunk libraries like this were self-serve stations found in every hardware store in America back in the day. (The packaging recommends lettering your work truck with them among other things.) Weve been Duro-lettering everything at camp since we found this lot. Every metal trunk holds a different overflowing library of fonts, in a range of sizes, styles, colors. Super industrial (and considering that theyre nearly 80 years old, most still work remarkably well.) ..- So weve got the first small batch of Infused oils ready. We dont have this tested yet, so were just giving some away from our initial homemade trial batch. Let us know below if anybody wants to be a guinea pig, were giving this assortment away. And because weve been making so much new swag lately, your bottle will come boxed up with a few other little surprises inside as well.- BENEFITS & USES:We are not infused oil experts by any stretch – but have been told the following ;The crisp, clean, and woodsy aromas of evergreen oils have grounding properties that help instill peace and calming. conifer essential oils a combat stress & anxiety.

April 27, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

ITS BACK!First sign of summer for us is putting the pier back in. .After rebuilding our storm ravaged beach, this is a welcome spot to take a breather..Now we have to sand the planks on it. And then repaint them. And then repair all the broken Adirondack chairs on it.Then finish installing the rope rails that lead down to it. Time to get back up and get to it.Well sit here tomorrow. Last nights sunset (Mother Nature is a pretty good painter)..We are well and satisfied with the amount and variety of work our good fortune has given us to do. – Daniel Burnham .(Thanks for this reminder, @bhwoodworks)

April 26, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Quarantine project No.12:Wandawega homemade Spruce & Fir Infused OIL (our 11 step process)1 HARVEST : clip only the young branches..2 WASH : with mild soap (we used @mrsmeyerscleanday ).3 DRY: pat dry, spread out flat to air dry..4 CLIP : To scale to fit in your jar ..5 MASH : up the needles in the vessel..6 MIX : in almond oil to soak them completely..7 COVER : screw lid down tight..8 STORE: in a dark and cool place.9 SHAKE : daily. for 14 straight days..10 STRAIN : through cheesecloth..11 BOTTLE: we discovered the motherload of hundreds Un used brand pristine dead stock 1960s amber glass medicine bottles and made a private label. (More Deets on that to come)WHY WHITE PINE ?It is said to treat lots of ailments, But favorite is that is has calming properties. And because we are holed up in 24 acres thats packed with all varieties of evergreen trees. So you use what you have. . (Best stop: bottling and packaging of hundreds of little vintage products)Thanks @ahutchgram for always saying that sounds like a great idea no matter how ridiculous it sounds at the time Im saying it.

April 23, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

The earth laughs in flowers -Ralph Waldo Emerson Happy Birthday, Mother Earth !.This first shot of Charlie girl hurts my heart every time I see it because I knew at that moment just how fleeting it all was – I now cant get 9-year old Charlie to wear a flower crown. Maybe in another decade when shes goes to Lolla?.So to help welcome spring, were stocking up on seeds. Its almost time to replenish our wildflower fields again. Thank you, friends for sharing your visit & flower pictures with us: @tylerbartley @marciak_sas @theawkwardbird @spinaa @dheny @craftedconcept.co @thewanderboys @stockmfco Megan Yanz.UPDATE and Correction: Special note to our instagram family : Please note creative credit due to @VIORLANDI (also the beautiful bride shown) for shot number 3 : (to accompany photographer credit listed Megan Yanz) credits Including (but not limited to) -event planner, -styling, -design, -photo art direction. …And, the extended camp wandawega family would like to Apologize to the bride for our oversight for the partial credit omissions for the lovely photo of special day. (And also congratulate her for her achievement of being awarded wedding of the year ).For more beautiful shots from this series , please visit : https://www.instagram.com/p/B08yWjxB94m/?igshid=dip7yhv7amikAnd for more of Victorias creative work, please visit her feed @viorlandi..Friends of camp: at Wandawega, we respect photographers work and the creatives that they work with and always want to try shine a spotlight on everyone as much as possible so that they can receive proper credit for all of their efforts. If we mess up- we are sorry (both for past mistakes and any potential future accidents or errors). #human #tryingourbest

April 22, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

Quarantine creative distraction projects No.11!Inspired by our little log cabin, we made a limited edition series of 200 of these little Camp Log Stacking games. (Its also a mini reproduction of the giant one we have at camp). The last shot is the origins of our little cabin back in the 1920s when it was part of the Log Cabin Camp roadside motel outside Beardstown, Illinois before my brother Sam and David moved it 350 miles north up here to WI and restored her to its original small town glory.. We have been busy beavers stocking the new camp store (while we are also planning our online camp store version, stay tuned)…Shout out to all of our Small businesses friends…. .#JustKeepMaking .And See you on the other side

April 20, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

HOW IT WORKS:THE FOOD CRATES MUSTBE ORDERED A WEEK IN ADVANCE.DELIVERIES ARE ONLY MADE WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY (ORDER BY MONDAY MORNING)MISSED YOUR WINDOW TO ORDER EARLY? NO WORRIES! (THEELEGANT FARMER HOURS ARE 10-6)GO THERE IN PERSON & SEE EVERYTHING THEY HAVE TO OFFER!NOTE THE SUBSTITUTES MAY HAVE TO BE MADE BASED ON AVAILS AND TO PLACE YOUR ORDER: CALL262-363-6770(you canspeak to any bakery or merchandise)THE CRATE PRICE IS ABOUT $202.Now more than ever, its important to remember the little guys. Its make-or-break time for too many small businesses..Were trying to do our part to support the local smalls.We wont have anywhere to come back to when we come out of this if we dont help them stay open now.One of our favorites local smalls is @elegantfarmerpies who we partnered up with for our new Culinary Camping program. (Shop from our Camp Newspaper, then Apple crates of Wisconsins best foods get delivered to your cabin door with a phone call) .Like you, were looking forward to getting back to the day that we can go back to normal. And when this order is lifted, we cant wait to launch this program. along with our new implementation of our Camp No contact virtual check in processes. (Meaning that you have the option to check in online – without coming in contact with a person if you choose)This is where we take the social distancing need next level. Because of our small staff, weve always been way more DIY than most resorts- but with our new system, folks will now get to isolate in private buildings to their hearts content. .For the first time, were able to truly appreciate how having 25 acres with quarters in separate buildings will help us all keep distance- keep sanity – keep hope- in the shared great Wisco outdoors.Were grateful to be afforded the privilege of keeping our staff gainfully employed during this downtime to build, grow & repair. So that we can come back stronger, better, safer than before.Sending all small businesses the best vibes right now to pull through this, too. ..#StayAtHome #supportyourlocalbusinessesNewspaper photo by @nathanmichael More at #wandawegacustoms

April 16, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt

slide for the AFTER >>>.(Quarantine barn find project)My little brother Sam texted me this 1st shot a few months ago from a shed he was standing in, knee deep in bat crap and cobwebs.SAM: You wont believe what I found- I think you need this for WandawegaME: You can’t be serious. Dont show David, he’ll Want it. We wouldnt know where to start ( I like to think we arent afraid of projects – but this looked to be too far gone). Flash forward what feels like a blink: Sam just texted me these progress photos yesterday.Now I know why he got it for free– it had no interior, and almost nothing to work with but the body- it’s a 1958 Morris Minor 1000 Traveller. ..Hes been busy and with some social distancing baton passing buddies pitching in ( Jack helping on woodwork, Kevin on paint). Hes already rebuilt it from ground up.He and his youngest daughter Samantha have this crazy idea of making it an Ice cream selling wagon at our hometown fair..Sam’s always loved a lost cause project – and usually has a half dozen in the works at any given time. But theres something to be said for elbow grease & sheer will power, especially when youre stuck at home with only time. It’s inspiring to see all the dream projects people have been taking on and sharing since the stay at home order was put into effect, but even more inspiring when people can show us how to see past the ugliness of a current situation -& instead to see a bright little future underneath.Samantha is still 11, so Sam is gonna have to drive her ice cream wagon to the fair. If the fair doesn’t happen this year, he wants to park it on main street of our rural hometown. But when it’s time, she’s going to be ready &we want to be the first in line to buy one of her cones.It seems like now is the most ill advised time to start dreaming of opening a small business..But I for one am thankful for those crazy dreamers who help us see farther out past this dark time. .(&now wishing Id said yes to this beautiful little wagon.) .*sam and Samantha arent done yet- well post the rest of the ‘afters’ soon. (last few shots are the old ads / inspiration)

April 14, 2020 • Published by Tereasa Surratt