It has been a while. And, this is still a lot of work.

So we have been busy. And busy doesn't really bode well for those in the midst of restoring a vintage camper. Here's sweet hubby doing a dramatic interpretation of our feelings about the work left to do with this little project. :) lol. So. Much. Work.

But the good thing is, we are making progress. It's almost summer so no more late night track meets during the week for coach hubby and no more late nights on the horizon for me at work either, so we might actually make some progress on this little beauty-to-be. 

We have picked our color scheme: 

So that makes us smile. And, this weekend, hubby installed the countertop and backsplash. 

We covered up the funky looking ceiling with a fresh coat of white paint, and restored the patched area that now is professionally sealed, and restored. 

The wainscoting in the back is starting to go up. Hubby should have that completed, and we'll paint it and add the funky flower wallpaper for some extra bling in that area. And, we'll trim around the windows, so it should look great. We will do the same in the dining area. I'll be sure to post pictures of that process! 

We were excited to see the kitchenette area coming together tonight. I just love that little stove color!

Here's a better shot of the front ceiling area above where the "dining table" will be. that area also will fold down into a bed when needed. The wainscoting will be added along with the wallpaper. We also ordered a vintage-inspired globe for the Humphrey Gas Light (it works!) shown in the picture. Since it is fragile, we probable won't add that back in until the finishing touches.

Here's a shot of the Happy Little Camper in our garage. Yep, it's inside and both of our cars are in the driveway. On more than one occassion throughout this rennovation process we've considered putting our house on the market and moving to a place with a three stall garage! :)

It really is starting to look pretty cute. Hopefully within the next few days we'll get the cabinet doors back on, the wainscoting complete, and the faux hardwood floors in. Then, we'll be glamping before we know it! Woohoo!

Until next time!

A little bath. A little color. A little more waiting. A little progress.

A whole month has passed since our last update. We've given the sweet little camper a bath.

The pink suds were definitely the highlight of this task. It just made me so happy! It was seriously like the first sun-shining day and we embraced the sign of spring to get our "clean" on as we wanted to get some paint on the little vintage camper to make it a little more glamp-ourous.

As I've mentioned before, it's really great to be married to an artist. Sweet hubby tackles these types of tasks with such ease! He didn't even mind that I stood over him and captured his progress for the blog! Thanks sweetie!

And, drum roll please...................we started to spray! By we I totally mean sweet hubby. Though I did stand over him and watch, and take a picture. And, I helped pick out the paint color. So, the color....

We were torn on the color. My original thought was making this camper a pale yellow--hence the original nod to little miss sunshine. But, we ended going with a turquoise/aqua/teal color that we like. Once we started spraying, we really thought the color looked pretty cool. It's called Sea Side by Rustoleum. It has a fun, beachy vintage camper vibe that make us smile. It reminds me of the color of Scooby Doo's collar. Yep, I'm a geek. I seriously just made that point of distinction. Perhaps we'll call the camper Scoob. ZOINKS! Ok, back to the color. . . 

As the first coat started to go on, it just started making our pinterest project feel much more fun. 

1st coat applied! Way to go, sweetie! It looks great! We stopped to snap a picture of the artist.

We think it kind of matches our vintage boat that we got last year. two years ago. Thanks for clarifying, sweetie. Anyway, we named our boat, Newman. He is a 1969 Newman. We got him before Pinterest inspired us to show some TLC to a 67 camper. Who knew we had such a heart for sixties fun? Guess we're groovy, man. 

Anyway.....back to the camper.....

Covering the bumper made a huge impact. Seriously, is this thing getting cute, or what? We're excited to spray the stripe (I think we're going with a dark grey, though I'm growing fond of the original color of the stripe that seems to have this funky brown, green, sparkle thing going on....) and spray the white to cover up some of the wear and tear of years gone by.

A few days after we finished spraying, we took the camper to another RV "fix it" shop in town. Seriously, who knew we had two? To make a long story short: They listened a little better. But, were very slow in their response and time on task. Like crazy slow. Like, do you remember that you are still working on our camper kind of slow!??!? We had to call a few times to check in. They checked the internal wiring to make sure the original wiring was safe, and it got a thumbs up. They fixed the back window and resealed it. Thumbs up. They really liked the color. Thumbs up. 

While we waited for the camper to return--a total of three long weeks--I found this and couldn't resist.

Our project is definitely starting to become a cute little glamper. And, I'm having fun picking out things to make it even more glamper-ous. Thank you, Pinterest, for the inspiration. I knew this was a good idea. Thank you Hubby for making this become a reality. I actually might want to spend the night in this thing. Eventually.

It's ok to hire a professional. It's even better if they listen. Oh well. Moving on in the name of progress.

So, we decided to turn to a professional when we realized the sweet little vintage camper had a brake system that had been "jimmy rigged" and looked a little dangerous. We thought we'd take our camper to a local company that has many years under their belts to get an inspection. Hubby was pleased when they said it seemed to be in "pretty good shape" for its age and that we should be relatively happy with the little amount of work that needed to be done.

Bonus.

They gave us an estimate that seemed "reasonable" (in terms of vintage camper restoration, we're not really sure what to expect) but we were able to pay outright for the work estimate (pushing the likelihood of granite countertops further and further way) and decided to go for it.

Hubby was pretty excited that they were "open" to the idea of refurbing the gaping hole in the roof of the camper. As we met for lunch the day he got the call with the estimate he excitedly told me that the 25 year veteran of camper restoration that would be working on the hole would come up with solutions and would give him a call to address some ideas. His clear directive, "that sounds great, I'd like to explore some options because I really don't like the look of a square patch on the roof." No problem. Until the next day. When they invited sweet hubby in to look at the progress. And, they had replaced the gaping hole in the roof with this. Without checking with him first. Yep, they replaced the square patch that he really didn't like with a larger more rectangle-like shaped patch. Huh. Not what we were expecting.

My husband is pretty chill about most things. Like, typically tends to let things go. Doesn't really ruffle many feathers or get his feathers ruffled on a regular basis. But, he did call the company out. Asked why they did exactly what he asked them not to. I was proud of him. It was a big step. It didn't really matter too much. But, I can guarantee that we won't be back there.

So, in the end. We do have a top of the line new brake system. Check. We have the gaping hole fixed recovered and sealed. We are done with that local business. So, I guess we've made progress.

We called another place in town that will take a look at rewiring the inside (something the last place didn't pay much attention to) to upgrade the system and make things a little more safe/attach the lights and refrigerator to the battery pack that was installed last week.  We've officially doubled the investment but if the price that these canned hams are selling for on ebay/craigslist are any indication of resale value, with a little more TLC I'm sure I think that we could still get our $ back if we ever tire of this project and want to sell it.

But, how could I consider selling this thing? It's going to be awesome, right?

Over the past few weeks, we've continued to make some additional changes to the interior and exterior. Probably the most significant change in the last few days occurred when I removed the metal hood from the back window.

I scraped away at the disgustingly dirty, silicone (?) grime and sealant. 

Tried a little Goo Be Gone but I think there is just too much goo that needs to be gone.

So, I tried another power tool to take away some of the grime and residue and remaining stickiness from a previous owners' name decal. A little more sanding and it should cover up just fine with a new coat of paint.

It's a little blurry because that thing was shaking me like a leaf. But, I felt like a rock star. If a rock star actually used power tools. On vintage campers. Ok, you get the point. It was a big step for me.

And, I think it looks a little better already. Can't wait to start painting it!

Until next time!

There's a metaphor here.

This weekend, we found ourselves in the middle of the Lowe's having a conversation about the remodel of our vintage camper. Sweet husband has been consumed spending a lot of time thinking about the gaping hole in the top of the camper that made it's debut in our last blog update. As a result, any time he is within a 3 mile radius of a home improvement store, he gets lost in his thoughts. This doesn't bode well for our conversations in which I demand prefer his undivided attention. Had you been a fly on the wall you might have heard something like, "it seems like you aren't listening to my ideas." That was me. Or, him saying something like, "it seems like you just want to focus on the fun things and I'm trying to figure out the bigger issues/doing all of the work." Back and forth. On and on. Little man interrupts and reminds us to be nice to each other which was frankly shocking since it wasn't his best attitude type of day either. We apologize with a little bit of a smile.  And, pick up some wainscoting that we plan to add to the inside of the vintage camper in places where the water damaged the paneling and we've removed the moldy areas, as shown in here just under the window.

As you can see we've also covered most of the space with primer to help cover the smell from years of moisture and neglect. Our parents tell us it just smells like paint now after hubby has shocked it with bleach, primer and a few thousand ounces of Febreeze. We think they are just being nice. 
Today we added a cup of coffee beans. So, we'll either be making progress or perhaps it will just add another level of complexity to the distinct smell that is our vintage camper.

Hubby spent most of his afternoon adding the coat of primer to the rest of the inside yesterday. With a little help from his sidekick. Little man spent enough time in the camper yesterday to get paint on his nose and use the platform of the bed for a quick dramatic photoshoot. Yep, he's got a dose of sassy and a whole lot of drama from both sides of his lineage. Moving on.

Anyway, back to the camper. Saturday ended with the removal of our formica countertop. We thought about adding granite but hubby is worried that it will shift and break as it travels. So, we'll save the $ to add that to our house someday. Remember this vintage camper project pulled from our savings fund to add granite countertops to our kitchen in the house. No regrets. We'll get there eventually.

So, hubby spent considerable time in the trailer last night removing the countertop. He's adding a coat of paint now. We purchased some vinyl peel and stick flooring that matches the maple floors of our first house. We compromised about the backsplash and plans for the countertop. I'm excited what a few more hours will bring to this project. And, more importantly, the fun our family will eventually have in this tiny little vintage camper, when we're actually relaxing and not just pausing for a quick picture in the midst of a remodel of our 1960s camper.

Hubby and I are celebrating our  13th wedding anniversary this week. For a gift, we purchased those maple hard wood looking floors (like our first house together) and if Little man takes a nap I'll probably sneak out into the garage and see if I can help make a little more progress on the camper. 

And, despite a little flare up in Lowe's this weekend (which we laugh about now) we're in a really good place. In terms of our process towards restoration and our marriage. 

You know, I'm struck by the remarkable similarities one can learn from a little project like this when you compare it to marriage. There aren't a lot of instructions. Sometimes things aren't what you expected. You have to be creative problem solvers. To make things better for everyone, you have to be willing to invest a lot of hard work, time and attention. Sometimes you have to change your attitude. Sometimes you have learn something new. Sometimes, despite what is going on around you, you need to stop what you are doing and enjoy the beauty of what is around you. Things aren't always perfect. Sometimes you have to be patient and keep working on the little things that will make a big difference eventually. But, this journey is best when you experience it with those that you love most. And, for that, I am truly thankful. 

Pulling off a patch. Power Tools. And Paint.

So, it's official. My hobby is really a hobby. And, I have the blister from this weekend to prove it.
Since the weather warmed up (to just under 30 degrees) sweet hubby, my little man, and I tackled the first assignment(s) of project renovation.

It started with this: exposing what was under the mysterious patch. Yikes.

That thing has been a sore subject for sweet hubby since the day we made the purchase. He was bound and determined to see what was under the make-shift patch from the previous owners. Looks pretty rough, huh? Just wait Henry Higgins. Just you wait. It got way worse.

Sweet hubby decided to clip away at things to take a closer look. And, what he found was disgusting. The previous owner (or the one before that) tried to "fix" the issue by sticking a bunch of old t-shirts and some random pieces of trim to "fill" the area. Which basically just resulted in a place for things to get wet. And, begin to rot. And, stink. And, yes, you guessed it, we found the source of the smell!!!! So sweet hubby removed the disgustingness and clipped the metal, and removed the wet, yucky particle board and rotten insulation and we found ourselves with a hole looking into the camper.

And, kind of like John Locke staring into the hatch at the end of a LOST episode, I found sweet hubby staring into the little vintage camper with a little disbelief. No words. Just staring.

What was he thinking? What was I thinking getting us into this? What were we thinking? Could we sell this thing with a hole in the exterior? I literally asked that question out loud. Was this too much work for us first time renovaters? How would we fix this? Why does it still smell so bad? He spoke.

Like always, Mr. Creative, my sweet husband, has an idea. Stay tuned. It's a good one. Until then, here's the view from inside. Yep, it's duck tape.

The rest of the day wasn't nearly as eventful. I removed some of the brackets and hinges so that we could eventually paint. Lesson #1: power tools make things easier.

We pulled the weird looking formica-like, paper-thin backsplash off; still working on getting that off of the countertop and table. It looks better already. 

We removed an old water tank that we don't plan to use from under one of the seats. And, we had another surprise! Another hole! Since we don't need the drain in this area, we'll have to figure something out. Sweet hubby has another idea for that space, too. Stay tuned!

Our last project for the weekend, after bleaching the floor was to seal the space with some mildew resistant/water resistant primer. We plan to add new flooring, but thought it would be good to get started on this task which would hopefully reduce the smell in the camper, seal things and just clean things up a bit. Little man was super excited to help with this part. 

Though we planned on just covering the old floor with primer to start, someone got a little excited to start on the other areas. But, that was ok. This is his vintage camper, too. And, it's going to be awesome. Mostly, because we're doing this together. Which is simply wonderful. Stink and all. 

This is going to be a lot of work.

So, my hobby? It's going to be a lot of work. So far, hubby has been managing the project. I'm more of what one might call the creative director. Or, at least the gal with the camera, the blog posts, and the opinions. And, through it all, the love of my life keeps smiling.

I'm sure that somewhere behind this sweet smile is a man who is a little worried that his wife's hobby is slowly becoming his renovation project. I'll get in there, eventually. When it is warmer outside (or at least in the garage) and when we figure out how to get that weird smell out of there.  It's just an old stale camper smell that I'm sure is par for the course when you set out to restore a vintage camper. But, come on! It's a little overwhelming. Dear hubby thinks getting a little paint in there and adding some cleaning products and elbow grease and we'll be just fine. Again, with the optimism. In the interim time, I might search "removing weird smells from vintage campers" so that we're prepared.

As you can see we've sweet hubby has taken out the drawers and removed all of the cabinets. He pulled that creepy (slightly moldy?) contact paper from some of the drawers and shelves. I, on the other hand, just keep taking pictures so we have evidence of what will be an amazing transformation.

One of the things I've been trying to decide is whether or not we should put a larger mattress in this space (that seems to be the trend on many of the Pinterest-inspired renovations) or whether or not we should keep the flexibility of the couch/pull out bed with a flip cushion like mattress. I haven't actually made it back in there since taking these pictures to measure the area but I think it would probably handle a full size mattress. That would reduce the "seating area" in this space, but really, having a larger mattress to sit on would probably work fine, too. And, likely be more comfortable when we actually spend the night in the camper versus a seat cushion. What do you think?

Hubby removed the freaky-looking water damaged area under the window. It's starting to look better already. Oh, and check out the turquoise stove. That just has super cute written all over it. If nothing else, I'm finding that encouraging. 

Looking forward to the weather getting above zero so that we can make some more progress. Until then, I'll explore some fun fabric options for curtains, pillows, and cushions.