WILD POPPY TRAILER

Hello! My name is Taylor Kitto, I have a online vintage shop and also help out with the Ruby Rose Etsy shop. I've been working with Stephanie pretty much since the shop opened and I have always been inspired by her vintage trailers and Airstreams. I love tent camping, but the idea of "glamping" has always appealed to me (mostly because I like having good food, a soft bed, and a pretty space!)

My dream finally became a reality a few weeks ago - I purchased a vintage travel trailer! It took a lot of elbow grease, time, and patience but I am finally done with her and I couldn't be happier. Overall the trailer was in decent condition but was in need of some TLC. Water damage on one panel, chipped and distressed wood, and window problems were the biggest issues, which isn't too bad.

At first, I couldn't even imagine sleeping in the bed area; filled with grime, spiders and other creepy crawlies. It's amazing what some deep cleaning and fresh paint can do to a place!

Beforrrrreee......

After!

 

This weekend we packed her up for her first trip out and just like I imagined, it was like heaven! It's tight and cozy in there with a big ole' husky, a lil mutt, Philip, and I but we love it nonetheless (as you can see in this next photo, Rory claimed her spot) and honestly, I don't need much space (I live in teeny tiny studio and actually prefer small spaces!)

A new table (made by myself and my guy), fresh coat of paint, subway tile back splash, aluminum paint over the pink formica laminate counter, turkish towels for curtains, and new cushions really made this little trailer come to life. I would love the get some more color in there, perhaps some more Kilim pillows, so I'm just going to have to keep checking Ruby Rose to find some! ;)

Before & Afters: the airstream

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”

―Jack Kerouac, On the Road

The thought of traveling in an Airstream is so....romantic.

With the people you love, the friends you make along the way....

but have you ever seen the inside of 1975 Airstream bathroom??

Not so romantic-not even close! The yellowish gold, plasticky surroundings?? An odor that grew stronger as the years wore on from old plumbing??

 

We knew the time had come to update the bathroom, I had pitched the idea of a clawfoot tub to the mister-just planted the seed.  This is how we usually do the remodel dance: I pitch, sometimes they catch.  'Too heavy' he says, ' They come in acrylic' I say.
A few days later the mister says, "Let's do it," and the production begins...

TA DA!!

Once again, a bit of the material was recycled, some new, and some traded. The mister built in a cabinet around the pipes, and around the sink, to match the lower walls. A bit of Carrera marble left from our kitchen and maps from an atlas we found at a yard sale years before all found a place.  My personal fave is the mirror above the sink, it was probably the first 'vintage' piece I ever bought back in the 80's! 

(while photographing, Betsi couldn't resist a dip!)

We are all done with our Before and Afters...the road calls! If you have any of your own, please share!

Before & Afters: Kitchen & Living Room

The past few years have been a series of 'befores': kitchen, dining, flooring, upstairs attic room and then the Airstream bathroom...

whew.

Call it a can of worms, a series of fortunate events, a big ol' mess...

THE KITCHEN

The house is dated 1928 and was about 945 square feet-tiny, but it worked for years. The dining room was maybe six feet by eight feet: tiny. The kitchen was still original and was made for very petite people.

We took the wall out between the dining room and kitchen, re-worked a little here and a bit there until we got a much more functional space.

For a while we were able to set up a temporary space to use,while work was happening all around us.

Open shelving or cabinets? A bit of both! After laboring over which brackets to use for shelving-some were too ornate, some too small-the mister decided to custom make floating shelves. This created a more clean look, with so much else going on.Oh this ol' fridge! We loved this little guy. Though we hated to see it go, luckily a great young couple down the street adopted it!For a while, we moved the kitchen into the living room.
Ta Da!! We made it to After!!

We have cupboards and drawers on the left dedicated to baking, flowers, and tea making. To the right is the misters department 'the command center'. It's wonderful!

We were able to keep costs down with a bit of craigslisting, the mister trading service for product, and by saving for what we absolutely wanted: reclaimed flooring and the doors and windows. 

One of the items the mister wanted was the Sub-Zero fridge. There was one on Ebay and when he saw that it hadn't sold, he contacted the seller and made an offer: it was accepted! It had been used as a second fridge and only for drinks, otherwise brand new for a quarter of the price! Lucky us.

Last step, my dream item: reclaimed barnwood floors. The mister was willing to go along as long as we could find a company to tongue and groove them.  We did, making us both happy!

LIVING ROOM

And again, TA DA!!

We moved a small round table into the living room for sometimes dining, sometimes puzzles-although, when friends come over, we tend to bring a bunch of stools around the kitchen island. Before the remodel, the front room was much more floral, when I brought the Satillo serape we threw on the back of the couch, the vibrant flea market art naturally followed. Now, we can easily change out linens and art when we want a new feel, and keep the base pieces!

With the new year, we plan on enjoying more impromptu meals, gatherings, and most of all, glamping and camping!

Hard dirt and hard work

This week we invited one of our crew to contribute to the blog. Here, she kicks off our Befores & Afters series with her backyard project...

As I find myself in the throes of "winter", my thoughts are increasingly taken with planning for the future. For instance, what should I plan for my garden this year, and I look to the past for inspiration. I.e.: I'm looking back at the transformation that took place in our yard over 2013.

Having lived in the valley for 30 years with the heat and challenge of trying to grow things in a desert, my experience here in paradise has been a fruitful one. ;-) It started with a large, dead yard, a landlord that gave us free reign, a lot of hope, and a rototiller! I'm afraid I don't have any pictures from the VERY beginning but just imagine nothing but a cement slab, some unfinished brick work, and lots of dead crabgrass. We decided to start small and just put in a couple of box beds....and then I thought, but what about some grass for The Kidlet to play on? After getting our hands on that blessed (and tortuous) rototiller it was all over. It took HOURS to till the hardpan for sod and my body felt like it had been hit by a truck in the weeks that followed.

Finally, we got the sod in and my body started to loosen up from it's achy stiffness and I thought, "what about another bed right HERE?" Then, "what about a little bit farther out?" And it spread like a beautiful little plague. My dad came for a visit and was sweet enough to take a day to help me build a pergola (and by help me, I mean, he did most of it and I just nailed what he told me to). And so it was, by bits and pieces, days here and there we slowly pieced the yard together. 

We hung pictures and tapestries, thrifted furniture, and made a "settee" out of planks, cinderblock and blankets. Our garden, our lawn, our outdoor room, finally came together and it's brought me so much joy and satisfaction, aches and pains. 

Isn't it interesting how often we find the things that are the hardest, whether emotionally or physically, often bring the most joy? Maybe because it cost us something. If it didn't cost us anything then the value would be subdued. So here I am, looking back at what we've come through this last year and planning, with some trepidation, for things to come. 

I hope this year proves as blessed in it's challenges for all of us!

-Kendra G. (The Body Electric)