Monday, March 31, 2014

Glamping Week Begins



Yay! Camper Glamping Week! Yes, I named it Camper week but I just didn't like the sound of it and so I made the executive decision to change the name to Glamping Week. I've got all sorts of fun stuff for you this week and I have LOTS of work this week. Let me catch you up just in case you missed something. We bought a vintage Serro Scotty Camper to redo and take out west this summer on a trip. You can see my original post here.


I have fallen in love working on Lucy, that's her name, and I have given you some updates along the way. I'll admit that I haven't been that good at filling you in. So we have a little test run mini trip planned soon and this baby has got to be finished....in a week! (I'll fill you in in just a bit on all of the progress.) For these past few months as I have had "Camper Brain" as we call it here, I've come up with some fund stuff that's camper related. Did you see my little pin cushion up there? Yes, that's one of them, there will be more rings like that all week long.

While all of this fun is going on, I figure we need to have a Give-A-Way as well. Here is the prize and the entry form, please share so everyone can get in on the fun. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And now I will catch you up on the last 8 months of the camper.


The inside had good and bad. First the good...The floor and the structure underneath were very sturdy and well taken care of.


You can't see very well in the picture, but the floor has little specks of gold glitter in it. Very retro and the only damage was a blob of black spray paint that we will hopefully be able to remove.


The bad, the roof, or what's called the overhang. There was a lot of water damage. These vintage campers are made from plywood, 1x2's and aluminum. There's not much holding these campers together so when they get wet, they rot easily. 


We wore our dust masks and removed ALOT of rotting wood. That took a long time.


We eventually got it so we could breathe and it didn't smell to terrible.


Next, I replaced most of the wood cross beams. They are what's holding the camper together. I also sealed and then re-sealed all of the outside. Every little screw, pin hole, crack, edge, you name it got some kind of sealant.

When replacing the cross beams, I had to take the outside off at both ends. It was the only way to get to the rotted wood. I had to replace a floor beam at the back as well.




Next, I moved onto the outside. The outer body was in good shape except for a dent that I am assuming happened when the previous owners backed in to something. The small metal railing that is supposed to go the corner where the two sides meet up was not big enough after the damage. Now let me stop here and say, we were never out to recreate the exact Serro Scotty that it was in 1969. We wanted to keep as much as we could but we have done some things that vintage restorers would cringe at.

How I fixed the bumper was one of these things. As someone who just wants to have fun camping int a super cute camper, here was my solution to the bumper. Ductwork, I found it in what is now my favorite department at Lowes. This aluminum is for heating and cooling vents. It happened to be a nice corner shape. I did some cutting and was able to screw in two larger corners.


After getting the outside in shape it was time to work on the kitchen. The cabinets were all needing to be rebuilt. We decide to cook outside and avoid the mess inside so we opted to leave out the stove, which meant I could get another drawer in the cabinets.


The cabinets still need some painting and there is caulking to be done, but it's getting there. I found the counter top at the Habitat for Humanity Store. It was 6.00 and the metal trim is for carpeting, but it worked well as metal edging.


I insulated everything.


And installed the all important air-conditioning. Can't glamp without it!

This is where we were at the end of January. We took it to the camper shop to get a new water tank, a water heater and pump installed, and a battery/electrical system put in. We now have Lucy back as of this past Saturday and the work has begun. I'll show you more tomorrow, especially all of the sewing I have been doing.



Back to the photo WAY at the top of this post... Here's what I did to make this Camper Pin Cushion.
The pin cushion was made using my pin cushion in a cup pattern that you can find here. I left the top two rings off. The camper was sewn on the top and the bunting was made with little scraps of fabric and my new Pin Cushion Bunting Pins. More on those and other things you can do with them and the little campers later in the week.

Go enter the Give-A-Way and then tell all your friends!

Be back tomorrow,








Visit my Website, Etsy Shop, Blog, Facebook

60 comments:

  1. How fun! Even though I'll probably never undertake such a project its fun to see what you're doing to it...
    Keep posting pictures...we're all along for the ride.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm with Peggy! Along for the ride! Can't wait to see what you do with your fabrics! XO

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, and I blogged about your Giveaway: http://44thstreetfabric.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-adorable-giveaway-for-you.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think being outdoors with the family is the best part! The giveaway is pretty awesome too!

    Angi Mullis dj2isme@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Now that project was truly a labor of love.

    Love your pin cushions and thanks foe a chance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So much work but will be so much fun for you and your family. I'm in awe!
    Thanks for sharing your labors.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've been trying to talk my husband into buying me a camper, so far the answer has been no. I love vintage campers that have been spruced up!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love you colorful fabrics and pincushion bowls.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have a friend who is in the middle of restoring a vintage camping trailer too - she's having so much fun! Might have to suggest a girlfriend outing when she's all done!

    ReplyDelete
  10. The camper looks like an interesting job. But of course I especially like to see sewing projects!

    ReplyDelete
  11. We are total glampers! We go camping but rent cabins or yurts with stoves and fridges lol just in case we get rained out!

    ReplyDelete
  12. When we go camping we sleep in tents! I love the fresh air, hiking, and sitting around the campfire!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. LOVE that camper pincushion! Love the fix-it-up posts and pics!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I'm so fascinated by those little trailers -- they're just so CUTE! Completely out of the question with a family of six...but that doesn't stop me from drooling over what everyone else is doing with them. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I was a poser glamper when we were kids. We had a soft-top tent trailer. Ahh - the good old days!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Can't wait for the big reveal. With your talent I'm sure it's going to be beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  17. the giveaway is so bright and precious

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your pincushion is sooooo adorable! Thoughts of camping bring great memories of Scouting for me. Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The best thing about glamping week is seeing the great transformation of Lucy - how fun! Many thanks for sharing with us!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love your fabric, I have been collecting for a while now Can't decide what to make iwth it so it will just "season" until I do! Would love to win your pincushion, thanks for the opportunity. qltdiva1@fuse.net in case you need to contact me! Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gorgeous little pincushion. Thanks so much for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  22. Love the pincushion; it is super cute. You are doing a great job on the camper. Can't want to see it by the end of the week.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Pin cushions are just too cute!!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. That is the cutest thing I've seen in days!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I just love your camper! It reminds me camping when I was a kid because my grandparents had one.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Your camper is going to be wonderful when done. You and your family will have years of fun with it. My parents had a 22 ft camper when I was young and our family had many great years of weekend outings with it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Now that is hood family fun! Love your pincushion!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. What a cute pincushion! Thanks for the tour of the camper and the giveaway! Love seeing the renovations!

    ReplyDelete
  29. What I like best about Glamping Week is seeing how you are restoring Lucy!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a cute pincushion! Love seeing what peope do with the little campers.

    ReplyDelete
  31. We love camping! Seeing Lucy being transformed is my favorite part. My grandparents used to have a silver stream camper they took to the beach when I was little. I love the way campers take me back to my childhood. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  32. What I like best about Glamping Week is living vicariously thru your adventures. I''m not a camping kid of person but Glamping makes me wonder if I could survive with the added touches. Love seeing Lucy's transformation and the pincushion celebrating Glamping is just way too cute.

    ReplyDelete
  33. What a darling camper! I'll look forward to reading all of your posts about it this week!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Happy Glamping! I will live vicariously through these posts. I would love to have a camper like yours to decorate and enjoy. My dad had one very similar to yours that I spent many hours playing house in. I loved the plastic dishes in a very 70's color scheme. I can't wait to see it all decked out in your fabulous fabrics. I hope get something from your line to make curtains for my craft room soon.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I love all your camper posts since I absolutely adore campers but they are illegal where i live! I cant wait to see your camper all finished!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love glamping week because it's just so darn cute! <3 <3

    ReplyDelete
  37. Many years ago my husband and a couple friends bought a motor home and had to remodel the whole thing. They even took the skin off the shell and redid the outside. I did the cushions, curtains, etc. It was a lot of work but so worth it when it was finished. You'll have such a sense of accomplishment when it is all done. thanks for sharing the fun (??) time.

    ReplyDelete
  38. the pictures!!!! We want a camper so bad!!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I also restored a trailer! Mine is named LUCY. http://aaronsbooth32.blogspot.com/2012/11/lucy-trailer-update.html

    ReplyDelete
  40. Gorgeous pincushion - I love the camper van on top!

    ReplyDelete
  41. That pin cushion would be very useful in my sewing room!
    Hubby uncovered our camper last week. Can't wait for our first camping excursion!!!

    ReplyDelete
  42. I love our trips down south to our land and keeping an eagle eye out for a "Glamper". I know that someday I will find it!! I love this pincushion and I hope it becomes mine. Happy Glamping week.

    ReplyDelete
  43. This would be perfect for my camper.

    ReplyDelete
  44. That is the most unique pin cushion - would love to see it on my sewing table. Your camper is really coming along - congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
  45. We just started to redo an old camper. I love the pin cushion, soooo cute.
    Holly
    hollyheh@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  46. I enjoy following the transformation. We had a trailer about that size once but it was before I'd even heard of glamping.

    ReplyDelete
  47. I think watching this transformation is amazing. It is a house remodel for sure. I adore your cutains. The pin cushion is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Hope you have the most amazing glamping trip ever

    ReplyDelete
  49. So enjoyable to watch Lucy's makeover. We used to camp in an old school bus. Such fun memories!

    ReplyDelete
  50. I love seeing the renovations and look forward to seeing the adorable cushions you made in place when the work is complete!

    ReplyDelete
  51. I'm not one for camping, but I like that you have put in air conditioning! Now that's glamping!

    ReplyDelete
  52. I've never been Glamping but with a charming little trailer I might be convinced to give it a try. I <3 your Pin Cushion! Beyond cute <3 <3

    ´*•.¸(´*•.¸♥¸.•*´)¸.•*´
    ♥•.*.*.*.Cherry*.*.*.•♥
    ♥•.*.*.*.Chick.*.*.*.•♥
    ¸.•*´(¸.•*´♥´*•.¸)´*•.¸

    ReplyDelete
  53. I love to go camping wi4y my family. We have a tent....someday, we hope to refurbish our own trailer.
    Thanks for the chance to win!

    ReplyDelete
  54. Really a wonderful camper and a lovable pin cushion. Wishing you many happy hours of glamping.

    ReplyDelete
  55. How adorable! We love camping and I love camping and sewing!! thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  56. Lovely camper pinnie. I'm a full-time RVer and make all the pillows, curtains, etc. in ours. I collect pinnies so your pincushion is perfect for ME!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Pin It button on image hover