Budget Friendly Update for Camping Trailer-Part 1

When planning a make-over for a camper or RV, it is important to consider how you will be using the space in addition to how you want it to look. If I were choosing something to look at, I would consider something like these that I have pinned to my Pinterest board:

Absolutely adorable, right?

Or this one. So cute.

But I can’t see Saint moving all the darling accessories out of his way to prop up his feet after a hard day of fishing. So, I had to think about what we could both live with. We needed:

• A place for everything and everything in it’s place.
• Something that will travel well without having to be put away and gotten out at each campground.
• Light and open (as much as a small trailer can be.)
• Easy to clean.
• Comfortable with a homey, resort feel.
• DIY improvements that were affordable.
• Something that would retain its value.

We decided on a coastal cottage look. The most bang for the buck came from painting the oak cabinets.  We had paint leftover from repainting our kitchen cabinets. We used TSP to clean them, removed the doors and drawers, and used a good oil based paint. We did two coats without a primer and the coverage was fine. The white glossy color was too bright for the tones  of the counter top, floors and walls. I wanted a driftwood tone, so I bought a small can of Sandalwood stain (gray tones) and wiped it on and off, leaving an antique look in the crevices. It achieved that driftwood look I wanted and by using paint I already had, the project cost less than $10.00.

We took the old gold hardware off and sprayed it  with RustOLeum oil rubbed bronze paint. Well worth the $7.00!

The next thing we did was remove the old 80’s valances from all the windows. For all except the bedroom, I used fabric that I already had. Natural and traditional burlap, blue striped “ticking” fabric, and some white sheers I already had were altered. I used lots of inspiration from things on Pinterest, especially the fabric flowers that I cut and stitched and hot glued.

I decided on a nautical navy and white stripe fabric for recovering the booth cushions. We did not remove the old upholstery. It was easy to simply wrap the fabric around like a package and duct tape it to the back. If and when we want to change it, it will be simple to do. We also used burlap to cover the padding around the seats, above the door, and under the sofa.

So, here is a before and after picture of what we have done thus far:

Dining Booth Before

 

Dining Booth After

 

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

I made the pillows out of the burlap and striped fabric I had left, and I did a faux screen print of a starfish and seahorse that I linked to on an earlier post here. I used a twin fitted knit sheet from WalMart to “slip cover” the sofa; totally removable and washable. Added cost, $17.00 for the set, and I used the flat sheet on the top bunk in the back.

So, what do you think, so far? I’m loving it…and right on budget.

Total thus far: $34.00

DIY Privacy Curtain for Travel Trailer

Our Work-In-Progress continues, and I’m so excited about this simple update that I could hardly wait to share it.

My quest to replace the country blue decor with a coastal theme has gone well. You can see previous results here:

http://thymelesssageandrandomrants.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/move-that-bus/

Although I had updated the bedroom curtains, I still had the blue pull curtain that divides the bedroom from the living/kitchen area.

It was not obnoxious, but outdated and too thin to keep light out…probably not for other people, but, I think I might have mentioned that I LIKE DARK sleeping quarters. (I know there are others of you out there who carry clothespins, duct tape, safety pins, etc. when you sleep at a hotel. First, you have to pin the curtains together to keep out the pole lights outside, then you have to tape over the media center lights, the clock, the microwave. I mean, it’s like sleeping in Vegas in most of the motel rooms, even the expensive ones.) Turns out, some campgrounds have the same issues, especially if you have a neighbor who loves the rope decorator lights and leaves them on all night. During one of my wide awake nights, I had a brilliant idea and couldn’t wait to get home and get some rest try this.

WooHoo! This is one of the best tips you are going to get about updating your curtains: A drop cloth from Lowes or Home Depot is the perfect width for a trailer curtain.

I just laid it on top of the original curtain, and it fit perfectly. The drop cloth is considerably longer, but I wanted the curtain a bit longer than the original one. I simply held it up to the rail/rod and marked the length I wanted, folded up the excess fabric, as shown, and cut it off. (I’m using that leftover fabric and I’ll show you how later.)

Now, the drop cloth is hemmed all the way around…until you cut off the bottom. I don’t sew all that much, but I managed to turn under a hem and machine stitch it with no problems only a little help. I think I might have had my machine threaded wrong or something, but I finally got it worked out.

Now for the fun part. I’ve always been scared of grommets. But that was before I knew how simple they really are to work with. My word. If I had known, I’d probably have grommets in everything I own. Purses, lamp shades, the possibilities are endless! All it takes is a package of grommets, a little grommet tool which I got at Walmart for… like …two bucks, and something to punch a hole in your fabric. The canvas type fabric of a drop cloth works great with grommets because it doesn’t ravel or pull. Oh, and it also helps if you have a strong hand. I used Saint’s. It worked perfectly. And, it gave him a chance to show me the antique leather punch that his grandfather and father used and handed down to him.

Oops! Looks like he punched a hole in his sock. 🙂 Didn’t I tell you he never throws anything away? He’s gonna’ read this and never help me again.

When I laid the drop cloth over the original curtain, I marked through the grommet holes onto my fabric so they would be evenly spaced, but I wanted the folds in the fabric to hang better than the original curtain did, so I marked between each one. With this little grommet tool, Saint had these in place in no time!

And I had it hung in even less time.

Isn’t that amazing? And look how well it fits into the grand scheme of things:

A clean coastal look, privacy, and light blocking all for less than $15.00. Now, tell me, campers, is that not one of the best tips you’ve seen in long time?

Happy sleeping camping!