Have you heard of Tereasa Surratt's books, A Very Modest Cottage and Found, Free, & Flea? I just picked them up the other day after discovering her blog. She and her husband were lucky enough to purchase and renovate an old summer camp called Camp Wandewega Lake Resort, in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Apparently, they hadn't any idea of the treasure trove they'd inherit with the decrepit property. While renovating, they found lots of fun things: dozens of mid-century aprons, untouched boxes of board games, old sporting equipment, and an incredible collection of a hundred-plus pieces of vintage Fiesta Ware that had been hidden inside a wall.
Knowing the power that one mundane object has when grouped with its siblings, her book is an compilation of drop dead darling vintage collections (and how and where to get them). Wool tartan camp blankets, vintage fishing tackle, tablecloths, salt and pepper sets, tin picnic baskets, vintage locker bins, decades-old life preservers, wooden water skis...the list goes on. Loved the section on her hand-crocheted hot pads, and how-to start your own collection.
A Very Modest Cottage, primarily details Tereasa's rescue of a run-down century-old log cabin from her childhood and moving it across two states, from Illinois to Wisconsin. With renovation done on a dime, she fills it with vintage finds and installs it as a guest cottage at her resort on the edge of the woods overlooking the lake.
Both books are quite inspiring to me, I've a long held dream of a little place on the lake up North. One day, it'll happen. Until then, if you care to visit the resort, rental information can be found, here.
