Stay cool - it's supposed to be a hot spell

This is too cool not to share... :-)

Camper makeover

Our little camper is now usable. We are still looking for a bigger one and have actually found a few we like in our price range.  :-)

But for now our little one is back up and running.
The painting is complete, all the cushions are covered.
The cushion 'covers' are pillow case style.  The covers that were on there were professional covered.  And were done very well.  But I hate wrestling the covers off to wash and then wrestle back on....  So my covers go over the old ones just like a pillow case, easy off for a quick trip to the washer and then slip back on for clean and cuteness.

And the curtains are now done and hung.

A few things I learned about branch rods.  I would suggest branches as straight as you can find. or the tie tabs as above so you can make them somewhat straight.  

These do not slide open and closed easy as they do on a normal curtain rod so a way to tie them back is helpful. Or at least tie them loose enough that you can open and close without too much hassle.

So all is complete but the new floor.

And this is the floor I'm thinking about.

Remember I said I wanted to keep my makeover to $60.00...

Well let's just say that didn't happen.  

I am the dreamer of the family my DH is the realistic one.  It's good that God put us together.  I keep his life from perfect boredom and he keeps mine in the real world. Or as Dave Ramsey would say I am the Free Spirit and my DH is the Nerd.

Material for curtains and cushion covers: $60.00

The paint: $110.00 

(The old dry paneling sucked the paint up.  It took two gallons for the walls and ceiling. and two quarts to do the trim)

The floor (projected): $65.00

I bought some additional fun things for use and cuteness.

Pillow, tea tins, towels, clock, bathroom catch all basket, over the door towel hooks, etc...

But the camper is darling.  It went from dated and drab to fresh, clean, and cute.  

Total makeover cost: $235.00 + a bit for the fun stuff

We plan to keep 'Fern'** even after we find a larger one.  We all have pick-ups so she can just be an extra   bedroom when we head to the mountains.  I can see the granddaughters wanting their own space and Fern fits the bill.

**After all the green Fern seemed to fit.  My DH says he will continue to call it the trailer (see Nerd as I said above) but my D-i-L's as well as granddaughters will call her Fern.  After 38 years and a  makeover she deserves a name, don't  you think.?

Happy Camping!

a little bird

Getting closer...

The painting is done.
Three more cushion covers to do.
Curtains to make.
Flooring to figure out.

But it is getting closer.

A little color change...

I saw this pillow and loved it!!!

Made in the USA - filled with duck feathers.

I am not an impulse buyer at all but sometimes something screams at you, "I'm your's buy me!".  

This did and I did.

The branch curtain rods are up.

Yesterday I got the loppers out and DH wondered what I was up to.

I want some branches for curtain rods...  

He just looked at my like I had grown another head, climbed the tree and lopped branches off for me.  

Have I said I LOVE that man.

Well if not I'm saying it now.

He is a keeper!!!

So hopefully soon the final touches will be complete.  It's camping season so must get done!!!

a little bird

I'm Putting Up the Flag

 Isn't this the truth. Our country isn't perfect but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. So I too am putting up the flag. Friday is Flag Day, June 14th, I hope you too put up your flag.
a little bird

The project has begun.

Do you ever start into a project and then say, "What was I thinking?".  Doors to be taken off, hinges to be taken off, tape everything else off...   :-)

But I am moving forward.  I think I have about half of the interior and ceiling painted.  The remaining doors to be painted are off and ready.  (I think that will be tonight once it cools off a bit)

I painted  this morning until noon and it started to warm up.  The afternoons will need to be spent inside cleaning or sewing on curtains or cushion covers.

As you can see the doors/drawers are much darker than I had planned.  But DH was concerned that it would bee too light so he chose the paint colors.

That's okay I can work with it.

I should have pressed the solid green before taking my picture but these are my fabrics I plan to use.  The cream with green leaves will be the curtains Solid green will be cushion covers and the other two will be thrown in there some where.  I came across the navy print months ago and loved it.  Had no idea where I would use it but knew it would work somewhere.

It's really good that there will be a new floor as the old one really CLASHES with the new colors.  :-)

Oh one more idea.  I am thinking of different curtain rods.  Below was something I saw on Pinterest.

I don't know if I'll do it but since it's a camper the branch idea might be fun...

The summer project

I am a summer project gal.  I always like to tackle something that I can look back and say I accomplished.---

One summer I took all the doors off in the house and painted them and did all the woodwork throughout.  One summer I painted all the old  kitchen cabinets  That kind of a thing...

We are saving for a bigger camper.  
We have a little 17' 1975 Kit Companion and it worked great for us when it was just the 4 of us.  But now there are ten.  I love family!!!!!!!!  So DH and I want to get something bigger.  My dream camper would be a walk around queen bed in the front.  Four bunk-beds in the back and then a sofa that makes into a bed as well as a table that makes down into a bed.  DH wants a slide (or tip-out whatever they are called) and an awning.  So we are saving our pennies and looking.  But in the mean time, I have a cute and useful albeit very dated camper that I own.  So the project is a makeover.

I will be on an almost non-existent budget as my pennies are going for a, new to us, bigger camper.  I have a gift card to JoAnn fabrics.  I have some paint that was purchased and not all was used up.  I think the biggest expense will be the flooring but it is a small camper so I think in truth that won't be much either.  I'm hoping to keep my redo to $60.00

So the challenge is on.  I will keep track and see if it's possible.  :-)

I think some before pictures are in order.

Notice the drawer.  DH used the camper in the winter one time and it was COLD.  He had the heat at full force - so much so that it melted the drawer trim a bit...

He believes he can warm and bend it back into shape.

My search will begin today.  

I think the first should be the wall paper and material for curtains.

Then I can choose my paint colors.  My thoughts are green and white.  Light and airy...

This is kind of what I'm heading for:

The Pearl from the Sea Cottage blog

Screen Savers

Thanks Mom for the GREAT idea!  Miss Chessie has trouble seeing the screen on the shady side of the house.  The little girl next door screamed the other day (thankfully just in play) but Chess heard her and didn't realize the screen door was shut and blasted right through it.  Knocked the door right off and tore the screen...

This morning again she didn't realized it was closed and ran into it but at a much slower pace so didn't do any damage.  (this is good as DH just repaired the door day before yesterday).

As I was having a lovely visit on the phone with my mom I told her about the door.  Her idea put something on it so she can see it's closed.  Moms are great people with great ideas!!

So that's what I did.  We now have 'screen savers'.

I'm hoping that DH doesn't mind or think they are too tacky...

But since he is the screen repairman it may be okay.

a little bird

PS. I should add that these are little satin ribbons that I hand stitched in place.  A clip of a thread and they can be removed without any damage to the screen.  :-)

Ah sweet summer

It's here!!!  Summer break has arrived.  I slept until 5:51.  I woke to the birds singing sweetly outside my open bedroom window.

I remember as a young girl waking in the summer to the soft calls of the mourning doves outside my window.  The sweet smell of pines came drifting through as well.  We all had chores to accomplish but after that we were free to entertain ourselves.  My favorite form of entertainment was to curl up with a good book.  I remember reading Little Women and crying openly at the death of little Beth.  

I have so many things I want to do I don't know where to start.  So today I will make a list.  A list which will have chores that need to be accomplished but also delights to refresh the soul.
A girls tea party
Canoeing with my DH
Camping at the river
Morning walks with Miss Chessie Blue

I hope you too are able to take some summer.  Some time to sit and refresh your soul.  Time to sit in the yard and enjoy all the beauty God has blessed us with.
a little bird

One more day

Just one more day...  I am ready for summer break.  I am ready to sleep past 5:00 am.   Summer break is a time to rest some, work around my own home, have some spend-the-nights with grandchildren, camping, canoeing, and the list goes on and on.  Maybe even some time to sew and blog.  :-)
Happy summer!!!
a little bird