APRIL 3, 2011

Call us crazy--it won't be the first time, and it probably won't be the last time either. We are just those kind of people. This is our latest project.

And with these books as inspriration:

And Constance (find her on this site)

And this amazing talent:

It will be fabulous! I just know it. If I could just decide on a theme or a color or a name. Maybe it's too soon. I will keep you posted.

APRIL 13, 2011

TAKE TWO

The inside is just as scary as the outside, but that's okay. We will be gutting the entire thing!

aPRIL & MAY 2011

TAKE THREE

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which is good because I don't have time to type a thousand words about the camper progress. I will say that my son, Michael, is an amazing carpenter and is doing a fabulous job on that part of the redo. My husband is jumping in on jobs that Michael Jr. will let him do--like scraping the paint off the outside.

TAKE FOUR

So far my camper duties have involved photography and an occasional planning meeting. I am chomping at the bit to get to the decorating part. I know all this structural stuff is important, but really I was very happy to see the light fixture go in above my bed. Love, love, love it. And it only costs $20 at Lowe's.

Son Michael has made all new cabinets, including doors and drawer fronts. He is something, that boy!

There is quite a bit of storage in the seats and under the bed area.

He never stops working. Got to love a guy like that.

TAKE FIVE

In the books I have read about vintage campers, it is suggested that you pick the name before you even start the project. If I had waited until I had the name, the bushes would still be growing out the backside because my guys would have lost interest. Nothing, I mean, nothing came to me for the longest time. And then, there it was. And I knew. After weeks of thinking and praying--yes, that probably sounds ridiculous considering the important things that there are to pray about, but I was desperate--it just was so very apparent. I was at the mall in Bath and Body Works, and saw this:

And standing in that store, I could see it painted on the side. And I let out a squeal. And Tessa *got* it right away. And I was happy, very happy. And I will try not to get carried away with this post. It's just that it communicates why I even wanted a vintage camper. The added plus is that I love the scent and have a gift card to buy it for when I get carried away this summer!

TAKE SIX

Son Michael has been at the Police Academy for the last two months, so he has only been able to work on the weekends. He has been very generous with his off time considering that he now has so little of it!

I was kind of running out of money for this project--actually, I never really had any money for this project. The guys had been using this and that from around the shop. Well, this and that ran out last week, so I had to get a bit creative. I cashed in a handful of gold jewelry--the majority of which was found in apartments that hubby had cleaned out. There were a few pieces that I no longer wore or cared about. The value of gold is high right now, so I was able to get about $500. Son Michael is happy to now have a bit of a budget.

Michael made a track for the piece that is needed to make the table area into a bed. Clever, he is! And the storage area under the bed is enormous. It can be accessed from the outside also!

And, of course, he hinged the bench seats for additional storage.

The window frames are going to the sandblaster's tomorrow. What's next? Glad you asked!

Flooring - found in the warehouse (no cost)
Old tin backsplash - bought at an auction a while back (no cost)
Install cabinet doors (need to buy hardware)
Hook up sink and stove (had sink, stove came with camper)
Run gas lines
Caulk and paint
Buy new tires and hubcaps (no bargain)
Upholster cushions (foam will cost, fabric have)
Make curtains (have several ways I could go with what I have)
Design outside lettering and choose colors (hopefully Tessa is on this one)
Sell my first born to pay for exterior painting? Just kidding.
Accessorize and stock the thing all cute like

I am sure that there are other things that the guys are planning on doing that I have no clue about like brake lights and such. Once school is out at the end of the week, I will get to help a bit more with it.

SEPTEMBER 2011

TAKE SEVEN

CARRIED AWAY'S DEBUT

We took Carried Away on her first outing last weekend--not quite perfect, but still quite capable of handling a weekend at the lake.

Against the strong opinion of my son, I decided to paint the outside myself for four very good reasons.

1. It was cheaper. Much cheaper.

2. It was quicker. Much quicker.

3. Her condition warranted it. No matter how much I spent, this little girl was never going to look perfect. She's old and has battle scars that were just not going to be covered up with a fancy-schmancy paint job. She's a lot like me.

4. It's been done successfully before. I did my research and there are plenty of hand-painted trailers owned by Sisters on the Fly. That was good enough for me.

Also against the strong opinion of my son, I chose to paint her bottom bright yellow. There are some good reasons for that as well.

1. Everyone in the family (except my son) voted on that color.

2. It was a color on the shelf at Home Depot (Rustoleum oil-based).

3. It made me smile and sing "You Are My Sunshine."

You may wonder why my son's opinion is even mentioned here. Well, that would be because he did all the inside carpentry work. I did, as nicely as possible, remind him that he was on the construction committee not the decorating committee. In the end, he did agree that she looked pretty good--considering.

Tessa had enough sense to take a shot of my beginning efforts. I admit that I had my doubts for a few hours.

I am quite happy with the results. Of course, I still have the white to paint on the top. Labor Day weekend did not wait for me to finish. Husband had enough sense to stop and have me take a photo of her first outing.

It was some feat getting this comfy mattress through the door, but oh, it was worth it. Unfortunately, it came off of my guest room bed, so that room looks weird right now.

There are lots ofthings to notice in the kitchen besides I did not finish painting that board. That was because it was nailed in right before we left.

The old tin was one of the pieces I bought at an auction for $10.

The string of lights I bought on clearance at Home Depot.

The dish towel from William Sonoma came from Goodwill.

The bar and little shelf thing came from IKEA.

Modern conveniences: micro, fridge, stovetop

And now onto the dining area.

I fell in love with that yellow Waverly fabric at a local outlet. It was $5 a yard. I already had the blue that I used for the piping. I actually had a local guy do the cushions for $25 a piece--worth every penny! I know that the tablecloth does not really match, but the table was still a little sticky from painting. *grin*

I made the curtains from some long IKEA ones that I had previously used in the house. I love the little pinch pleats and the red rings that I sewed on. I did not want to use the clip-on ones that are so popular . They are hung by twine right now, but that may change.

I have several more things to finish and tweak, but I could not go another day without sharing. I hope you will stop back to see some more finishing touches. I have a trip planned for October, so it will motivate me. I promise! And in closing, the following photos were just too cute not to share.

That sink came in handy. Temperatures were over 100, and Jett was a sweaty mess!