Close only Counts in Horseshoes and Hand-grenades

Carlos (our 1972 Jayco Jaywren) is starting to look slightly glamporous...

This week Ryan got the cabinet closer to being finished. The supports when up and laminate counter-top (which we bought on the cheap at "Menards" for $16) was secured. Since all of that was in place... I finally got to do something fun... put up the back splash! It's not quite finished yet, but here is a sneak pic. 

Our new counter and counter-top

My handy work with our new aluminum back splash!

Not quite finished, but getting closer

Progress Straight Ahead

The Saga continues.... 

           So we have worked on Carlos (1972 Jayco Jay Wren)  for about 1 week and half straight... and so far this is all the progress that has been made. It is pretty obvious that we are not very quick or efficient at getting this renovation completed and needless to say, the camper completion did not meet its deadline of being finished by Memorial Day weekend. But the world must of agreed that we shouldn't go camping this Memorial Day since it was 45-60mph winds and afternoon/evening severe thunderstorms all weekend. 

Nevertheless, here is what we have been working on this past week...

I went to town and ripped out the old, unstable cabinet with the rusted (non-functional) stove... I think it actually took me less than 2 minutes to rip this thing apart with my hammer and power drill! :) it was fun.

Ready for the new bench to be built....

Lola Mae hanging out in the shade being a good dog keeping me company while Ryan was a work...

Sadie Lou was being a little monster and not helping by chewing and destroying the lights of the camper...thus adding more work for my dearest husband. It took us almost a full day to figure out the weird lighting system and get it up and going properly. Ugh, that was annoying. Thanks Sadie... we really appreciate all of your help.

Ryan fixing the back brake/running lights... look at that look of determination on his face. Love it! :)

The Kansas sunset was pretty... if only the wind would have given up for the night.

What we think was the nasty sewer pipe that was hiding in the bumper that we didn't know was there... ewww.

I had Friday off from work, so I did some painting. I painted the overhead cabinets, the walls that were not being ripped out and the ceiling. The new coat of white paint really freshened up the place.

The yellow trim on the cabinet doors... that yellow circle is where the battery operated LED lights will be attached since the camper will no longer have electricity on the inside. Because let's face it, the best camping sites do not have electric hook-ups! :)

The "before"picture without the new back window. Note: The previous owners had put a window AC unit in that back window.

The "after" picture... our new back window.

Our new bench and wood supports, courtesy of Ryan's handy work. I cut all the insulation for the back corner... this picture actually makes it look like we have done something.

Another shot of the bench that will eventually fold out to make a bed.

YAY! It took some hard work, awkward position, arm pain, gloves and holding our breath. But finally the GROSS, smelly, and non-functioning Monomatic toilet is adiós. THANK GOD! We still need to built up the lower part and cover this with plywood to make it level, then add a shelf and this will become our new closet. We will not be replacing a toilet in this camper as we don't think we would ever use it.

Hope everyone enjoyed our latest update, keep an eye out for the next. Hopefully it will be the last and the camper will finally be finished and ready to be taken out for its maiden voyage!!!

A Must Needed Push...

Camper Inspiration:

I was daydreaming yesterday about the possibilities for our camper. I am hoping that in 5 weeks we can get it all finished so that we can take a celebratory trip with our new adorable camper for memorial day weekend. So to help me keep on track, here are some inspiration pictures of beautiful camper restorations.

Happy camping and happy dreaming... I am off to work on our mess of a camper to make it look like one of these!

DIY Cupcake Stand

GeTTiNG CRaFTY WiTH HeaRTS!

I made this cute, Valentine's themed cupcake (or other treat) stand for the whopping price of $4.29.

 

I made a quick trip to my local Goodwill and found a brass candle stick for $1.29 and spray painted it a neutral white. I attached the candle stick to these adorable heart plates, which were only $1 each... and ta-da! Now I am ready for some sweet Valentine's Day treats!e

Still Silhouettes

I have been wanting to do this for a while now, but it wasn't until I found these wall hangings (which use to be a dirty aged cream color with contact paper flowers in the center area) from Goodwill for 99 cents a piece...that I finally found my inspiration. 

The silhouettes themselves took me quite a while since I used my laptop finger mouse and not a real desktop mouse...but I think it was well worth the effort.

Now with a bright, bold yellow color and silhouettes of the two of us I think this will be a great addition on the wall of our vintage camper!

Day 2: Our toils and troubles continue

Day 2: The demolition continues...

On Sunday, we were more prepared. We were armed with T-95 respirator masks and long rubber gloves to continue on with seeing the extent of the water damage and dry rot of the camper support boards. Here is what we found lying just under the flimsy wood paneling and the rotted wood:

Doesn't he look happy right now? I think that was a sarcastic (what did my wife get me into) smile!

The saga will continue on another day; once the 6 inches of snow we got yesterday melts away and it warms up again (gotta love the mood swings of Kansas weather!).

Camper Renovation: Day 1

Finally, we had a warm enough Saturday where we could work on our "new to us" 1972 Jayco Jay Wren travel trailer (which by the way we have decided to name it "Carlos").

I headed out with so much excitement (and fear) of what we might find and what type of critters or smells we might encounter.  

"And the fun begins"

 

First things first, the prior owner had done some handy work of their own and had screwed down a make shift bed with plywood where there should of only been a bench.  So I pulled out all the nasty foam and bedding (I had gloves on: I don’t even what to think about the gross stuff that was on that), found a ¼ of a century old hot dog (YUCK!) and continued on my way of removing the “DIY don’t” addition to the camper.

"Notice red arrows: This is the plywood bed that leaves no room to walk the the bathroom area"

I knew that I was going to want to save all of the original hardware from the cabinets, so I got to work with a few bits and the power drill. I wanted to save some of the unique charm of the camper and by saving the hardware it will also save us some cash. I am sure the travel lock hardware which is specialized for a camper is not cheap. Anyway, I can take the old ones (which I separated and label by type zip lock bags), clean them up and repaint them with special spray paint and they will be good as new!  

"Crappy cabinet--sans cabinet doors and hardware"

 

So while I was hard at work with the power drill, Ryan started to see how much water damage was in the back corner of the camper. After a little digging, finding a mouse nest, and realizing that we should probably have masks on with the fiberglass insulation that he was pulling out…we gave that part of the project a rest until we got the proper protection gear.

 

"No more make-shift bed. And the big mess Ryan made."

"Looks pretty gross, right?"

 

 

I took down the old disgusting oven hood with my hand dandy power drill and ripped off part of the lovely contact paper back splash.

"Lovely back splash and lots of other junk."

  

"The aftermath in the yard."

More vintage camper renovation to follow…. Stay tuned!