Progress

Roger has been busy, and I am impatiently waiting for the day when it's all done. It's hard work waiting for the "boring" stuff to be done, so that I can do the "fun" stuff. But, I'm glad I have a husband who is handy and smart and thinks about the details. The first step was ripping out all the stuff we didn't want.

The weird sitting area at the front is gone. We will be putting a built in desk at that end. Right now, there is a folding table to hold Roger's tools and supplies.

We removed the standing shelves and the shelves over the "kitchen" area. The only original overhead bins we left are at the back.

Now, we have a crumpled mess of aluminum behind our house. I think Roger is hanging on to them in case he needs to patch anything.

After some research, we became less worried about removing things and took out the back wall that originally divided the bathroom from the rest of the trailer. Roger will be putting up a new wall back there to create the reading nook.

Found a rotten spot in the back. It would appear that at sometime in its history, the trailer was in an accident. The rear driver's side is quite beat up, and that was causing moisture to seep in and rot the floor.

It's been patched and replaced, so now it looks like it did before we found the hole!

Our first wall is framed! Progress at last! The plan is to build walls in front of the original aluminum walls so that we can run wiring without having to open the original walls and then re-rivet them back into place. We'll also be able to add an additional layer of insulation.

One more thing! We bought an electric fireplace to go in this spot. Hurray for sales at Lowes! This is the model we chose. Now, we need to find a window air conditioning unit so I'll be set for year round crafting!

Three's a Collection

I didn't set out to collect toy toasters. I don't think anyone sets out to collect toy toasters; it just happens. One day, I was at the flea market and saw the toaster with the rooster. Plaid is fun and roosters are fun. I brought it home and it sat in my kitchen for about a year.

A few weeks ago, I spotted the blue toaster at the same flea market. It's in crazy good shape and such a great color. It had to come home with me.

Today, Roger was restocking our booth at the antique mall and saw the red toaster in a display. Red is my color, you know, so he brought it home, too.

And, that, my friends, is how you start a collection.

See more thrifty finds at Young Heart's weekly link-up!

New BIG Project

Wow!! It's been over 2 months since I've blogged! I need to do better! But, we're not going to call that a resolution, because I never complete those.

The other day, I sent Roger a picture of a vintage trailer with a chandelier in it. He responded that a chandelier was completely impractical in a camper and maybe what we needed was a second trailer as a playhouse. Well, I didn't have any problem getting behind that idea!

On Saturday, we convinced my brother to haul this home for us. He's pretty easy to convince. Our bizarre requests don't even phase him anymore. Like I told Roger, when you begin your marriage by buying a church to live in, nothing else you do will surprise your family.

As best we can tell, this is a late 50s Streamline travel trailer. Possibly an Emperor model. When your serial number is only 4 digits long, you know it's old.

This trailer isn't going anywhere. It's going to be my craft space. I can hardly wait. In fact, I'm dying for Roger to get done with the boring stuff, so I can do the FUN stuff. He thinks I'm going to spend the summer polishing the exterior. He's so cute.

Here's a quick tour of the inside.

Someone has started a seating area in the front of the trailer. This is all coming out. My craft table will take center stage here.

The kitchenette would have been to the right of this built in storage cupboard. The sink and countertop have been long since removed. There's a set of rough bunkbeds in its place. Those are going away to make room for a waist high countertop where I can cut fabric without having to bend over.



Across the way is this big metal "thing". A fullsize range would have gone in the open space. The rest of it is two closets. The closets will remain, but I'm hoping we can remove the metal whatever-it-is up to the closets.

There is a nice open area at the back of the trailer which was the "bedroom". There would have been a twin bed on each side of the middle aisle. A bathroom would have been through that back doorway. All of the fixtures have been removed from the bathroom, so we are going to convert that to a nice little reading nook. Kind of like a window seat.

So much work to do! So much planning! I've already got a car seat full of paint chips and a pinterest board dedicated to ideas and inspiration for my craft trailer.

Stay tuned!

Recent Finds

Been a while since I posted, but that doesn't mean we haven't been adding to our stash! So, many things, and I've been trying to clean up the house a bit, too. Not easy when you've got a lot of vintage treasures sitting around.

I have a cousin who is an avid garage saler and has a great eye for vintage stuff. She brings me treasures now and then. Today, she brought me this fantastic Samsonite travel case. I have never had a round one. She also gave me this avocado green Disc-Go-Case for holding all my 45s. (I don't have any 45s, other than the ones that came with the case.) I'm just thrilled because it says, "Disc-Go-Case" on the top!

My mom and I spent the morning at an auction a few weeks ago. I fell in love with this hatbox the minute I saw it. The orange, green and black masquerade graphics are so unique! I think this would make a great Halloween display case. The lid is in less than stellar condition, and I might have overpaid, but I couldn't help myself!

These salt and pepper shakers won me over with their creepy coolness. They're Humpty Dumpty twins! (Still a bit dirty, but nothing that won't clean up!)

Both of these satin aprons are from Ft. George G. Meade in Maryland. I'd never seen souvenir aprons like these before. They definitely need a good steaming, but I have high hopes for both of them!

A sweetheart pillow cover from Camp Wood, TX. I believe it World War II era.

Another pillow cover. This one is a souvenir cover from New Mexico. I liked the cowboy and Indian imagery.

And, three more souvenir pillow covers from Washington, DC, Los Angeles and New York. I think one of these will be kept for the camper. Just have to choose which one!

Camper Party!!

This week started out rough. Lil Kay was in trouble at school, he was in trouble at home. There was much yelling and plenty of tears. We were all tense and on edge. I felt like the world's worst mom. I knew we needed to turn this around. And fast.

It hit me part way through yesterday afternoon - Camper Party!! So, after work, I went to WalMart, got some supplies and picked up some Subway sandwiches. When I got home, I gathered the rest of my supplies and we headed out to the camper!

After eating our sandwiches, we covered the table with a vinyl tablecloth and broke out the crafting supplies. It's September. I figured it's a good time to start Halloween crafting. Besides, kids love glue! And ModPodge is the king of glue! (Okay, I love glue, too!)

Love the way our tissue paper covered jar pumpkins turned out! We also made some mummy jars by wrapping guaze around the jars and putting on wiggly eyes. (I didn't get pictures. Mostly, because I had to help a lot more with that project.)

Did a little reading on the bed/couch. In fact, after we put Boo to bed, Lil Kay and I snuck back out to the camper to do some homework and more reading. It's so peaceful in the camper!

And, we ended the evening with cupcakes leftover from Boo's birthday party on Sunday. And, that reminds me. I forgot to clean Lil Kay's stained face this morning. He went to school with a blue mustache and beard. Swell.

This was such a good evening. I spent time with the kids without any distractions and we had a great time. I'm very excited about this camper. I'm hoping it will become like an extra room in our house. A sanctuary of sorts. But, it needs more pillows....

Auction Highlights

Small auction on Saturday. There weren't a lot of really fantastic items, but enough to keep us interested. I spotted this orange carafe early on. The marking on the bottom is almost impossible to make out, but after some research, I found that it is a Metlox Pottery piece. I just loved the color and shape.

I can't pass up a deck of old playing cards if the graphics on them are good. Saturday, we scored an entire box full! These are all just fantastic. My favorites are the Mixies and Tree Spotter decks, but all of them have great graphics. The Go Fish deck is fish shaped with solid colored faces.

This pottery item came along with the Metlox piece, but I have no idea what it is or who made it. I love the black on orange design, and I'm always drawn to items with a fish motif.

These are the only markings on the piece. If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them!

We are currently working ourselves into a frenzy getting ready for the Red Barn Outdoor Market on Saturday. If you are in the south central Kansas area, you should really try to attend. I know there is a lot going on this weekend, but this event is so unique and fun!

Check out more cool stuff at the Thriftosaurus Link Up!!

More vintage goodness at Vintage Thingie Thursday!

Auction Sampler

Great auction today! It was held in my hometown, so there were lots of familiar faces, not to mention bargains! I'm pretty excited about this huge ornate frame. I just know that this is going to be snatched up as a decorative statement piece!

I knew this was a German religious piece when I bought it, but my German is rusty at best. I broke out my German/English dictionary this evening and broke the code. It says, "Ohne Kreuz keine Krone" "Without the cross, no crown." I loved it when I bought it, and I'm becoming more fond of it all the time! I'm thinking I'll put a hefty price tag on it, and if it doesn't sell, I'll get to keep it!

More religious pictures. I love the art deco details on the Last Supper picture, and the glitteriness (I may have made up that word) of the "Jesus Never Fails" picture. (We came home with a boatload of pictures and frames, because Roger "cleaned up" the leftovers for next to nothing. These are the ones I actual had to win!)

I love vintage Halloween stuff, but I rarely get the chance to buy it. Today, I decided that I wasn't going to let a box full of it slip through my fingers. I bought a box of vintage masks and these two tin noisemakers.

This vintage wallpaper sample book caught my eye early on. It looks as though it has been used for craft projects, but there are still plenty of lovely vintage samples to drool over!

These bridal magazines are all from 1952 and 1953. I've been browsing through them this evening. The dresses are just gorgeous, and the ads are quite educational. But, I have to admit that I am especially enjoying the articles. They are sooooo 1950s!

Loved the vintage nursery decor at this auction. This set of 1960s wooden rock a bye baby images is adorable and in incredible shape.

 

This Hickory Dickory Dock growth chart has a few condition issues, but how cute is it, anyway?

There is a note written on the back of this framed print saying that it is a Swan Soap advertising picture from the 1940s.

And, if you have a nursery, you're going to need a diaper pail! I love that the label on this is still at least partially intact!

Roger is still questioning my purchase of this pink Coleman cooler. Yes, it's dented. But it's PINK! Someone will want this for a their retro camper or even as a cute planter on their deck. And if they don't, it has a home with me. The inside is pristine. I wouldn't be afraid to use it for storage.

This is just a sample of everything we brought home. I'm no longer worried about having enough stuff for our upcoming barn sales. The first one is in two weeks on September 15. Check it out here - The Red Barn Outdoor Market. And, if you miss us there, we'll be at Kansas Barn Sale on October 6.