~Camp Avonlea~
Artistic Camp for Young Ladies
(to be exact)
You've all seen what Boy Camp looks like in our lives. Drake (my nephew) has tagged along for the last two years. This time, it was his sister's turn. Ilex was one of four girls attending Camp Avonlea this week. (Heather's daughter was also in attendance!)
I've bragged about my sister Shannon before. Her shop. Her entertaining. Her home. She's done it again, hostessing the camp she wishes she could have attended as a young lady (and as an Anne of Green Gables-obsessed, artistic/creative girl).
Camping (4 days) in a large white tent, nestled in the garden. Poet's Garden, reinvented. Shannon as camp counselor. Dreamy, is it not?
I swear, I wish I was 12 again! (Who in their right mind would wish that?!)
While the original music score from the Anne of Green Gables movie played through outdoor speakers, the girls chose camp names for themselves: all characters from the Anne of Green Gables books.
And what to do for four days? Why, art, of course: living an artful life. Multiple classes each day including watercolor, scrap booking, jewelry making, gardening, and flower arranging. A nature hike at McDowell Creek Park providing collections for nature art. The girls created cards in the first few hours of their first day at camp, invitations sent to their mothers for a tea party on the last day of camp. Artful baking, decorating, and hostessing.What do you think of the art room?
You might well ask what *I* had to do with any of this. (Particularly with a house-full of boys.) Other than the fact that I am a girl who is starting to feel that side of me ebb slowly from existence...... I (you may call me Miss Stacy) was asked to teach a two-hour photography class on the first afternoon of camp.We sat on a quilt in the garden discussing photography tips. We then hunted through magazines (Victoria and Real Simple), cutting out pictures that inspired us. After that, we were ready to practice taking pictures!
What do you do at Poet's when you want to take a picture from a new perspective? Climb a tree!
I had just as much fun taking pictures as the girls did!
Hopefully I'll be able to share more pictures with you tomorrow! 
23 comments:
Oh, that is so amazing!! Spectacular! I wish I could do that! My problem would be trying to figure out which of my daughter's friends to invite, how not to leave anyone out, etc. etc.... (She doesn't have any girl cousins her age.)
Omigoodness--what a great idea! I have a 10 year old and she would LOVE that.
Oh my that looks like so much fun. My best friend and I were Anne of Green Gables-obsessed as kids (ok, in my heart, I'll admit that I still love those books)...we would've loved this! Great ideas!!
Oh that sounds amazing. I want to send my girls too. Will you think about opening it up to outsiders next year? Too fun.
Susan
This sounds so cool. When Heather told me about it, I was jealous. Wish I could go hang out with my friends and work on fun projects for a week!
WOW WOW WOW! This is absolute brilliance! So much fun. I love it.
living the dream...I SO SO SO want to go and want Lily to go and someday Wilder...I think girls need opportunities like this more and more in this world we live in. Please let me know if this ever becomes something open to more because I would send LIly in a heartbeat. Anne of Green Gable marathons are one of the things I remember most about my childhood image of being a girl. Fun fun fun..good job giving those young ladies a moment to remember their whole lives
I can't even express my thoughts except I am so coming next year. Can I? Pretty please, oh, but that would then mean I would leave the five kids at home....hmm....I will work on it. :)
O.K.....seriosly....she needs to do this for a living. i want to send my little girl to this camp. she went to marine biology camp this summer and was clammerin' for more. this would be so much fun....something to think about. i would be her first customer. no doubt about it!
What a fantastic idea! A creative girl camp......I love it!
Craft room......drool! Its gorgeous!
I love the fence shot at the end along with the others.
Have a blessed weekend!
Those pictures are beautiful and so clear and crisp! I love Anne of Greene Gables and just watching the older man makes me tear up as he shows his love to Anne!
Have a great Labor Day!
-Sandy Toes
i have a 12yo girl who would LOVE to come. she even has an anne wig (attached to the hat, with the braided pigtails of course) that she could don. i don't know if i'm more jealous of the camp/art room or the fact that you can camp out in a tent in august without temps/humidity in the 90s and more bugs than... anywhere.
thanks for sharing, heidi-have a great labor day weekend-
jodi
I would have loved to gone there as a girl. Heck, I would love to do that now.
Thank you for sharing your advice. I think we are passing on that home.
Elise
This is so cool. Could this be a new business opportunity? Not just for young ladies, but their mothers????
Thanks for all the wonderful comments, ladies. I have no idea if Shannon will be up for (or even able to do) a camp that is open to a larger audience. We'll have to see if she has any energy after the last four days. :) Hopefully I'll post more pictures in the next day or two.
The photos are wonderful! The girls had the best time at Camp Avonlea.
Shannon is amazing-obviously so talented and creative, but also, so giving and willing to pour into the lives of others.
What a special time and gift for those girls!
What a dreamy way to spend the last days of summer. And I LOVE the hats!
Oh my goodness! *I* want to go to Camp Avonlea! Amazing!
I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go. I'll wash dishes!
What a dream come true! I am in a house full of boys and only dream of things like that! Can I sign up next year?
Sounds Lovely!
That is so cool! I wish I could go to Girl Camp! It is the 100 Year anniversary of Anne of Green Gables this year too. Looks like so much fun. Thanks for posting.
Teri
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