Fun Vintage Finds!

I saw one of these plaid Skotch Koolers in Salvation Army a few months ago but it was $10 so I passed.  Then I found out when I went on my sisters on the fly outing that $10 was a fairly decent price so I was kicking myself because it would look really cute displayed in my camper.  Well, there are several on ebay but I didn't want one bad enough to pay the price + $12+ for shipping so I kind of blew it off.

Today I went to an auction ... it was cold, it started raining BUT I got a Skotch Kooler and this cute BBQ tray for $1!!! 

I think the tray is just adorable and I love the cooler, rust and all.  It will look cute displayed with my vintage Girl Scout and camping stuff, don't you think?  Sometimes waiting is all it takes!

Hey that's my fabric!

Looking through these calendars while decoupaging the traincase I found "my" curtain fabric in September 1962.  How funny!  Of course, mine's a reproduction but still it's kind of fun!

Let the decorating begin!

FINALLY!  Hubby got the LoFlyte painted inside and I'm itching to decorate!  Hung my first official decoration up and now I'm ready to go.  I went thrifting for camper stuff and found some tin stars at Salvation Army for cheap.  I repainted them with Army Green Rustoleum spray paint (I have a fascination with spray paint, always have ... hubby used to say "if it sits still for a minute, you'll probably paint it") and I think they look pretty cute. 

I also snagged some cute Lincoln Beautyware canisters at the same thrift.  Figured I could spray paint them green and use them to store non-food items.  Well first thing was to get them clean so I stuck them in the dishwasher.  Yikes!  Apparently someone before me had the brilliant idea to spray paint them and the paint melted into clumps all over the originally harvest gold canisters.  So I'm now scraping paint down to the aluminum in order to spray paint them.  Worth the work?  Probably not but they're cute and I'm persistent!

I also bought a stack of old Girl Scout calendars off eBay and plan to use them to decoupage the round train case I purchased for more storage. 

Lastly, while still on a spray paint kick, I purchased some Rustoleum vinyl and upholstery paint (did you know they made that?  I didn't!) and sprayed the 2 bench seats next to the bed and the bed guard for the bunk bed that we're going to use as a shelf.  The vinyl was pretty faded and dingy and I went with the sand color (basic beige) which has really freshened them up.  I love spray paint!

Let the light shine in ...

Well the inside is about 1/2 painted ... using Valspar Barcelona White which is quite a bit more yellow than white ... maybe it's "cream" as hubby calls it.  Anyway, it looks so fresh and clean inside.  We're using a semi-gloss so that should help brighten it up even more.  One thing I have to give Shasta credit for is the amount of light inside their old campers.  The LoFlyte has panoramic windows in the dining area (meaning a huge set of windows across the front and one behind each seat) and a total of 7 window sections in a 12-foot living space.  Front and back windows go nearly the width of the camper.  There is a big section of windows in the kitchen area (this section goes from in front of the sink to behind the dinette seat on the street side of the camper).  There are windows on each side of the front dinette (behind the seats) and windows on each side of the couch/bed area plus a tiny little window on top.  With the front door open and the screen door allowing more light inside, it's open and airy and completely non-cavelike.

While I absolutely adore the cute little canned hams, I've been inside a couple and they seem dark and dreary.  I'm falling more in love with this LoFlyte by the day.  So anyway, with the paint on the walls, I decided to put up one of the sets of curtains I've made (still working on the rest).  It's a perfect match ... I had a choice of going with ivory or beige and decided to listen to my daughter and go with beige.  I'm so glad I did.  I think they look great. 

Now I just have to get the rest of the interior painted, the cabinet hardware put back, the bench seats and bed screwed back into place and the shelf section across the back re-trimmed and I'll be ready to start decorating.  I can't wait!

Camping and the Cutest Darn Curtains Ever!

Well, I went on my first Sisters on the Fly camp out last weekend .. what a blast!  They really do have more fun than anyone else!  Other than a minor mishap where I jackknifed the trailer into the SUV and put a big old dent in it (the SUV, not the trailer), it was a wonderful weekend ... neat people, great junk (went to the Nebraska Junk Jaunt) and gorgeous weather.  Couldn't have asked for more.

While I was there, I got to reminiscing about how much fun I had at Girl Scout camp as a child and decided THAT was the theme for my trailer!  For those of you unfamiliar with Sisters on the Fly, most of the trailers/campers are themed.  Most are cowgirl-related but there are some done up in ladybugs, ants, etc.  One of the ladies there had a red/white Shasta and everything she had inside was pretty much red and white ... it was beautiful.  On the fold down bed, she had a gorgeous white crocheted throw with red crocheted flowers, cute little red and white curtains, red and white accessories, etc.  You get the picture.

Another one was done in pink and cowgirl stuff.  She had adorable curtains, boots and had even decoupaged posters on her ceiling.  Very creative.

So, after going through a few theme ideas myself, I decided that since I've collected GS stuff for quite a while, why not incorporate that as my theme.  I ordered 10 yards of reproduction vintage Girl Scout fabric and started making curtains, found some old GS and GS camp pennants and will put them on the cabinet doors along with other assorted stuff.  I also had the brilliant idea that since I'll never use the bunk bed, I'll use it as a shelf only.  I removed the back half and will remount the front half (the part with the edge) so it only goes 1/2 way across my bed.  That way I won't bump my head in the middle of the night and I can display stuff on it.  I also even have an old Cadette uniform on a dressmaker's dummy that is wearing my old badge sash which I think will be cute to display also (as long as I don't scare myself in the middle of the night when I see a "body" in my camper).

I got 1 curtain done so far and I think it's the cutest thing ever.  What do you think?