To see a cozy cabin nestled alongside a Walworth County lake is nothing out of the ordinary. But if the cabin’s journey took if from abandonment in Illinois to being beautifully restored on Lake Wandawega, that would be worth a story … worth a book, actually. The 11-by-11 foot cabin is the subject of “A Very Modest Cottage,” by Tereasa Surratt, who convinced her husband, David Hernandez, and her brother to move it to their Sugar Creek property where it was lovingly restored. Surratt, a creative director and partner at Ogilvy & Mather, chronicled the life of the cabin in…
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“Tereasa Surrat knew that when it came to building her vacation home, it would have been easier to start fresh. But she had something special in mind. Determined not to let her beloved family cabin suffer the same fate of the crumbling farmhouses that litter America’s heartland, she and her husband towed their cabin from her home in Illinois to Wisconsin, where they restored it to its former glory. The story of a family’s precious heritage taking on new life, a scrapbook of vintage photos and family snapshots and a home improvement manual rolled into one, A Very Modest Cottage…
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“Charming, isn’t it? Tereasa Surratt’s new book, out this week, chronicles her process of relocating + restoring a small cottage on a budget of $300. It turned out pretty great: check out the accompanying website for more info, including video. via chicago magazine’s design dose (they received a promotional copy, which arrived in a metal picnic basket. swoon.)” check out this lovely blog @: http://simple-pretty.com/2010/04/08/a-very-modest-cottage/
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check out the article here:http://www.readmetro.com/show/en/Boston/20100407/1/22/
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“A Very Modest Cottage…Along with my obsession with interiors, comes a love of house, four walls of any kind, that one could call their own. My parents taught me the value of old things, the art of restoration, and the satisfaction that comes from exerting a little bit of elbow grease. When I saw the preview of A Very Modest Cottage, set to be released sometime this month, I’ll confess I got a little teary-eyed.” 1 COMMENTS: kellie said…So precious and priceless. APRIL 9, 2010 9:29 AM VIEW WHITNEY’S BLOG HERE.
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Thank god for Katie. She is a saint of patience and helpfulness, also known as the special events coordinator for the flagship Barnes & Noble here in Chicago. This email made the day even brighter!
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1 modest little book. HIGHLIGHTS: 110 guests.125 cookies.7 varieties of pastries on the farm table.100 books sold out in 45 minutes.3: no of books found who’s insides were printed upside down35: no. of freebie key fobs taken6: folks that bought more than six books7: no. of tables used.2: gallons of coffee consumed2: no. of reporters in attendance4: no. of cupcakes the author shoved in her face before event378: no of photos taken be photographer2: hrs spent hand making teeny little food flags15: no. of hours spent prepping this event over a week 1 superfun event. AND IT WAS ALL OVER…
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This weekend we took over one of my favorite thrift stores in nearby Delevan, Wisconsin and converted the entire facade, display windows. To celebrate the launch of the book in the local cabin community, we semi-recreated the interior of the cottage right there on mainstreet. It will be up through mid May. ‘pack ratz’ 229 E Walworth Ave- delevan (across from the massive antique mall called ‘tommy guns’ and kitty-corner from a lovely little bookstore called ‘bibliomaniacs’
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our friend chris wall gave the modest cottage a nice plug on his blog. check it out at: http://63611th.com/newbuilding/2010/02/08/we-got-skills/ (thanks, chris!) “An Ogilvy Chicago Creative Director, Tereasa Surratt, has just published a book about her own personal monumental restoration undertaking – entitled A Very Modest Cottage which is being published by Hearst Press, and I call it to your attention for a couple of reasons. First, it’s the story of a tiny cottage that her and her husband Dave (who spent several years working at Ogilvy Chicago) bought and restored – and it’s really pretty remarkable. Not just the act…
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