Rosie is getting close to being done...

I wanted so badly to take Rosie out for Memorial Day weekend but this year we have had more rain days then not.  I actually considered buying pontoons to add to her so I could go floating.  Anyhow I was able to work a bit more on her and this is what I have done.  Curtains have been added.  

Actually the curtains are dish towels held with cafe hooks.  

I also finished the floor tiles and added a black tile on the step up.  I like the contrast of that look.  

I took the stove out because to me it is a waste of space in a camper.  I plan on cooking outside and if I have to cook inside I purchased a induction burner that is much safer than an open flame.  Besides I don't want the camper to smell like food!  So what to do with a big hole in my counter top?  I found a cutting board and attached it to the counter with a hinge.  Now I can open it up and add storage above the fridge.  

The lighting has been an issue because I didn't want to put in a light switch so I needed something with a pull cord.  I found this little cutie at IKEA and it has its own electric cord.  I just drilled a small hole behind the fixture to hide the cord and threaded it into the cabinet.  It looks like it is a wired in fixture.....yay me!!

Now I have added a few decorations like the mirrors here on the side.  I don't know about you but I need to see how bad my hair looks before going outside even when camping!!

Now all I have to do is finish the electric....ugh yes I still don't have it done.  Add the AC and then the cabinet above the sink.  Then Rosie will be done!!

I can now sit and ponder life...

My table has been painted and installed and now I can sit and eat, study, play games or just ponder life.  I love it!!

I painted the top of the table because it was really rough and a baby blue color that just didn't fit.  I was a bit fearful that painting it would make it too easy to get scraped up from everyday use so I put six coats of polyurethane on it.  LOL maybe a bit excessive but I feel better.

Before

After 

I also changed the old leg out and added supports to it and put a stabilizer for it on the floor.  I am really happy with the end results. 

I was able to finally cut the holes bigger in the cabinet front I made over the dinette.  Then I was able to put the doors on.....It looks so classic!!

Ok so I ran into a bit of a problem...my pattern choices are a a tad too bold and are competing with each other.  I love the cushions and not willing to change them so I decided the only choice is throw rugs and possibly solid color pillows and curtains.  Stay tuned to see how that makes a difference to this...

Ugh I am not happy but I will figure it out!

I can see the light at the end...

Rosie is coming along.  

LOL I think I put the cart before the horse.  I was so ready to get the tile in after I painted that I tried putting it over the old yucky black glue that held the original linoleum....it didn't work but it looked pretty.  

So then I had to use some elbow grease which wasn't getting me very far.  This little patch took almost two hours to do...

Well that just wasn't going to work.  I decided if I wet some towels and placed it over the glue that it wouldn't soak the floor and ruin the 48 year old plywood floor.  

Finally it worked too Yay!!  But it was messy yuck!

This week I will start laying the tile after the floor is completely dry.  Then the benches will go in and I will be very close to completion!!

I was also able to attach the shelves I made behind the cabinet I also made....LOL I am sort of proud of it!!  The black arm thing is my TV mount...Rosie is uptown now!!

After a long day of working Miss Diana needed me to sit so she could relax.  She had a rough day of sleeping and eating you know.

Finally Painting the Interior

It's been a few weeks since I last posted and that is because I have projects that are unfinished and I wanted them done before I posted pics....well guess what?  They are still undone LOL so oh well get over it.

Two weeks ago I started making a cabinet that will sit on top of the little cabinet that is located next to the door.  The reason I made it was because I wanted to attach a flat screen TV but the 1967 thin plywood walls would not hold it so this was my solution.  Not only do I get to have a mounted TV I also gained a lot of much needed storage.  Notice I made one side 5 inches shorter than the other side and I curved the shelves so that they matched the ascetics of the curves in the tin can camper.  Well I attempted at least LOL.

Then I prepared little Rosie to be painted here are some before and after pics. Don't look too close I still have to do trim painting where the rollers couldn't reach.  

                                         Before                                                                         After

                                        Before                                                                        After    

                              

So we had a few tornadoes last week and it scared me that Rosie might become a propt for a Wizard of Oz movie so I finally insured her LOL.  This is the picture from my back yard....scary!

But I am safe!!

Until next time.....happy trails!

The Ceiling Is In!!

I finally did it.  I put the ceiling in Rosie!  Believe it or not I didn't need any help holding it up in order to attach it.  Don't look closely because it is certainly not a professional job and also its very dusty from the saw dust and dirt.  I put in all of the panels and trim this weekend and now ready to clean it to prepare it for painting.  

This view shows the trim.  I decided against using welting so I found some very flexible trim made out of balsa wood at Lowes.  I snapped in half by accident so had to be careful with the rest of it.  

I was also able to make a new front to the cabinet that sits above the dinette.  In the center of this cabinet I will place my light fixture.  I have had to engineer my light because the one I bought just wasn't practical but of course I wanted the look and so I had to customize it to fit my idea.  You will see it in a post soon to come. 

Bailey and I took time out to celebrate The Ides of March.  It's a day that my kids and I have celebrated since they were young.  Beware the ides of March!!  You should Google it if you don't know what it is.  

Bailey and I went and ate Mediterranean food in honor of the day.  Yummy!  A shout out to Ali Baba's at 51st and Yale....it was amazing!!

Scrapbook Weekend...

So last weekend was our bi monthly scrapbook weekend with my girls....one of which is my a gnomie....you know who you are.  It's a weekend of being creative, socializing and eating LOL.  I look forward to the time with my girls as much as I look forward to creating with them.  Well it is quite apparent I have Rosie on my brain because this was the project I created over the weekend.  What do you think?

LOL I love it!!

Original Scotty...

Ok well not exactly what I meant.  I was finally able to remove all the paint from the Scotty emblems that were attached to the cabinets.  The previous owner didn't bother to remove them when she painted over them.  

Getting the paint off was tricky since they emblems are plastic and I didn't want the solvents to melt it.  I did a lot of scrubbing with Goof Off.  Then I researched how the original emblems were painted and tried my best to get the same look.  Here is the result.  I am happy with it!

Baby Steps...

It was a cold weekend and far too chilly to be out in the driveway working on little Miss Rosie so I moved my efforts inside.  I prepped and painted all the cabinet doors and drawers with a aqua blue that matches the material I picked for the cushions and I polished the handles.  This picture doesn't do it justice because of the incandescent lighting but believe me all the handles and hinges are silver.   

This is the light I purchased for Rosie.  I will place it above the dinette table.  I decided on this style one because my Grandmother loved crystal chandeliers and it reminds me of her which of course makes me smile and two because this style has an Art Deco feel which is a true love of mine.  Problem is when I put it together it clinks like a wind chime and every little movement in the camper will set it off.  I have to figure out a way to stabilize it or it will make me nuts and might need to go.  

So that's all I got accomplished this weekend.  I need help to finish the ceiling.  It's too hard to hold the panels in place over my head while setting them with screws.  Once that is done then it's time to paint.  I am still on schedule to be done by spring!!

Electrical is Done!!!

January 17-18th, 2015

By happenstance I came across a guy who restores vintage trailers in Tahlequah, OK.  I called him Wednesday and he was on his way to Tulsa to deliver a trailer and he said he would stop by and look at Rosie and quote me on doing her electrical.  He said he could do it for $200 plus supplies and I sent Rosie off with him,  It was sad not seeing her in my driveway but I was so excited about getting this done....the electrical has kept me from moving forward and I was really fearful about doing it myself.  I am so excited to have it all done.  Thanks Tom the Trailer Dude!!

Instead of a breaker box he used an inlet into two outlets with trip buttons.  So if there is an issue with pulling too many amps then these outlets will trip like the kind in a bathroom.

He then wired across on both sides to the front and rear.  

The front wiring goes into the front cabinet and there is an outlet underneath.  I will add my light right next to this outlet.  

 

The wiring to the rear comes down under the bed which is where I will add the AC. 

From under the bed it moves over to the other side of the trailer to the cabinet.  The previous owner had made a very crude hole here that I will have to fix.  Poor Rosie!! 

This is the outside inlet.  

Just a normal 220 plug. 

So after a hard day of doing small projects (which I didn't take pictures of) like adding a lock to the storage compartment door, hinges to the gaucho bed, replacing the dead blot (because the old key broke) and replacing the nails in my benches with screws (the benches didn't make the trip well); Miss Diana missed me and needed some Gam time.  She likes sitting on my chest LOL 

After Diana had an appropriate amount of Gam time I decided I would take the paint off all the hinges.  I found a cool trick on Pinterest that worked amazingly.  I boiled the hinges and screws in water with baking soda for 15 minuets.  The paint just peeled off.  I used an old toothbrush to get in the grooves but it really took no time.  I love the art deco look of these hinges and so happy I was able to clean them up!! 

So after a long weekend of ups and downs and beautiful yet windy weather I was beat.  Time to relax!!