thoughtful design + gifts

Happy Friday!
I was looking for a good gift the other day and came across some fun idea's that I wanted to share with you.
No matter if you need a gift for wedding guests, mothers day, birthdays, holidays or thank you's, it can be hard to know exactly what to get for someone and to stay within a budget.
These are thoughtful little treasures that anyone can put together.

Quick bread in a bottle: Beautiful and yummy.

Potted succulents: We have seen this a lot but what makes it unique and special are all the different vessel idea's out there. I love this one. Take an old vintage tin and coffee cans and bring it back to life with a little succulent garden.

Local Honey: Nothing is tastier then local honey. It is a gift that keeps on giving until the last drop.

local coffee: There are artisan coffee roasters popping up everywhere and boy is their coffee delicious. Wrap some up in a well designed package and you have an excellent and perky gift.

David gets mad when I call it an "airstream"

Because it's really a "canned ham" style trailer, not an Airstream, but who cares?
Shes still cute. and saying "1957 Friendship brand canned-ham-style travel trailer'
is a helluvalot more work that just saying "airstream."
Y'all might remember the camper trailer we picked up last fall?

David found it on craigslist, originally listed for $1100, but when he arrived with cash took it home for $900.

Here is the original post with BEFORES.

And here is the (almost) AFTER!

WHAT WE DID

* repainted the frame

* refinished the wheels

* buffed her out like a shiny penny

* custom curtains (from 1950s hunting dog themed barkcloth from ebay)

* replaced all the vintage teardrop lighting

* decked out her bumper in a collection of vintage tourist stickers

* ordered a custom made striped awning (coming in a month)

* ripped out the sink, lower fridge and faucet & rebuilt the countertop and shelving

* replaced the backsplash

* replaced the north side woodveneer wall and restained.

* repainted the aluminum trim around the door frame, step, light trim & bumper

* found (finally!) a 1950s green/yellow/brown camp blanket to match the curtains (on ebay)

* vintage 50s olive green 'trailer package' dinner set (commonly used in these back in the day)- easy

* charcoal gray custom cut area matt/ rug (to accent the retro gray tiles)

* mini library of wisconsin stuff: no hunting sigage. high life coasters. wild game books. pheasant serving trays.

TOTAL MAKEOVER: 1500.

PURCHASE PRICE: 900.

TOTAL NUT: $2400.

SOME DETAILS:

(after we gutted it of lots of randomness from bad curtains to plastic hardware...

It features a full sized bed on south end

the table on north end folds into a full sized bed

it has a closet! with vintage wooden hangers!

(and a 1950s first aid kit mounted on the inside wall)

it's tiny.

Reeaaaally tiny. like 12ft long. not kidding.

HISTORY: a hunter in northern wisconsin bought her, and used her faithfully for hunting trips for decades. It was also hauled to hotrod shows to sell t-shirts out of. then us. we don't remember your name mister, but thanks for taking such grand care of this little beauty. we promise to keep her tarped in the winter & shiny in the summer.

WHAT'S NEXT: letter the door with "CAMP WANDAWEGA OFFICE" in a black script. Deck her out in the custom awning that is being made for her right now. Find some of those vintage aluminum 50s folding woven seat chairs...? Oh wait! just found em' on ebay: ($75). um will wait for a yardsale to score some (but they are sorta perfect).

(this is the fabric that we found to make the awning - it is a reproduction of the vintage stripe that we found under a chair from the three bedroom cabin.  it was once used to make awnings on the cabins at wandawega. so we were totally geeked out to find someone that still made it!) Here is a shot of the 'scallop edge' detail the awning will have.

Forgotten Chicago- Snappy Service Station restaurant.

     I drive by this everyday.
A few weeks ago we noticed that the facade had been stripped, revealing a gorgeous 1930's enamel- tiled original front.
And a beaming sign that reads

SNAPPY SERVICE SYSTEM
5¢.

A little google digging reveals:

Forgotten Chicago research department went to the Newberry Library to go through Chicago white and yellow pages from 1925 to 1959, looking for “Snappy Service System” restaurant locations. The Snappy Service System restaurant recently revealed at 1141 North Ashland was curiously not listed in any of the phone books examined. 

Following are the Snappy Service Systems restaurants listed from 1934 (the first time these restaurants are listed) until 1959 (the last phone books examined): 

• 6340 North Ashland, 1934 through 1939; restaurant and general office 
• 3229 North Ashland, 1935 only 
• 3757 North Broadway, 1935 and 1936 
• 57 West Chicago, 1935 and 1936 
• 3309 North Ashland, 1936 only 
• 21 South Ashland, 1936 and 1944 to 1946 
• 1156 North Western, 1945 to 1959 
• 1603 West Madison, 1947 to 1949 
• 5605 West Chicago, 1948 to 1955 
• 6351 North Western, 1948 only 


And- a little more digging revealed that the chain had their own plates:
(How cute are these?)

today: went shopping for a banjo

Yup.

Never thought we’d be doing this.

But the Wandawega ‘house band’ is essentially just whoever shows up and picks up an instrument.

So far, we've got the house piano, house guitar, bongos, trumpet, sticks, cow bell, tambourine, harmonica's and a slew of random instruments that we don't even know what to call, but folks like to pick up and make music with...

So - when we got a gift certificate from our friends Kelly (of Fleur!) and Dave, 

it was the perfect opportunity to add a banjo to the collection.

They both had played up at camp a couple of times, and are a helluvalot better than we will ever hope to be.

The highlight of today’s buying trip was were it came from:

Old Town School of Folk Music.

This was David's childhood library. He hadn't set foot in the place since he was 10.

Some scenes from the excursion:

(And a little video clip of the fine young man who tuned both instruments for us before sending us on our way:)

(Thanks David and Kelly)

(We plucked her right off the wall)

(And we picked up this 'johnny cash-esque' black ukulele for charlie).
Because, well...
her accidental initials are:

Charlie
Alex
Surratt
Hernandez
(CASH as in Johnny of course)

the

an afternoon at home.

Our friend bob stopped by this afternoon for a coffee. 

Camera in hand, he roamed around and grabbed some scouting shots for an upcoming shoot. 

I love his eye.

Fast. Easy. Honestly lit.

(We stare at the same things every day, and he sees them entirely differently)

Highlights:

Jack + Angela on the stairs!

Charlie's lowrider (thanks, wills!)

and our $alvation army couch

Long live thrift store furniture !! 

(where most of our stuff if sourced from)

Check out bob's amazingness:

coscarelliphotography.com