A Very Modest Cottage

The amazing story of the charming little cottage that could and the woman who rescued it When Tereasa Surratt decided to restore a dilapidated old cabin to its original state AND move it 245 miles from Illinois to Wisconsin, everyone said she was crazy. But she saw potential where others saw junk, and knew that with hope and a hammer there is always a way. To her, this cottage was not just a building, but a precious piece of her childhood and hometown that she was determined to keep alive. A Very Modest Cottage follows Tereasa’s adventures as she rescues this gone-to-ruin cabin and gives it new life as a guest cottage on the edge of the woods overlooking a peaceful lake. Moreover, she achieved her goal on a budget of around $300. Tereasa takes us by the hand with design details from choosing paint swatched to how she selected the furnishings. Part how-to design guide, part scrapbook, and completely inspiring, this special memoir shows how even the simplest architecture can have a powerful emotional affect…and that when you roll up your sleeves and work to make a dream come true, anything is possible.

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Found Free & Flea

Creating Collections from Vintage Treasures A guide to collection and decorating interiors with vintage collections. Part how-to guide on interior design, part resource guide on shopping for antiques. When Tereasa Surratt’s husband convinced her that they should buy a derelict summer camp in Wisconsin, they had no idea the treasure trove they’d inherit with the property. While renovating the decrepit cabins at Camp Wandawega, they kept stumbling upon curious objects, some dating back ninety years or more: a Boy Scout patch, an old sled, a pristine set of Fiesta Ware, dozens of midcentury aprons, an untouched box of board games in their original packaging. Tereasa knew the power that one mundane object has when grouped with its siblings. So she set out on a five-year expedition to turn the more than 150 found items into full-fledged collections. Relying on her own thriftiness, she only acquired pieces for free or at a bargain price: items that she found, negotiated for free, or unearthed at a flea market.

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