first outing

Yesterday was the first time we took our Maggie out with us. We parked her Ole Carousel Antiques Center in Stanfordville where I rent space and sold a few things in the parking lot. Truth be told, customers were far more interested in the trailer than they were in my merchandise! Everyone wanted a tour of the tiny space and all thought she was adorable!
While I didn't think to take pictures of our selling spot, I did snap a few photos of the interior ... again, not the greatest pictures in spite of the fact that I just got a new phone ... problem? I didn't realize the protective plastic piece was still on the back ... more to come!

My daughter made these beautiful curtains for over the sink just yesterday morning before heading over to the Center ... 

that same daughter was the one who made my chalkboard wall ... this is the wall to the left as you step in ... 

... then, before I knew it, she was napping here ... can't blame her, looks comfortable, doesn't it?

Before leaving, my younger daughter had cut hydrangea to place in my vintage coffee pot ... it's missing the inside pieces so it's perfect for this ...  

I do have another coffee pot just like this one, but smaller that does have all its parts ... now I really need to get the gas guys out here to hook up this stove ... I need my coffee!

... soon after placing those flowers, however, I created a mess pricing things on that pretty little display table ... it's such a great workplace, though ... charming, cozy ... love it.

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sign on my trailer door

back at home

Maggie Mae is back home ... after spending a week in the shop - only because we were away - she's home where she belongs ...
The guys at Trailer King were great! The did everything they needed to do to get her to pass NYS inspection and now she's really road worthy. I asked if she could handle a trip upstate or to Cape Cod and the answer was a big yes ... she's ready to roll. I left feeling really confident. Tomorrow the decorating resumes ...

ouch

Well ... I can't say I regret making this purchase, but I will say that the gentleman who sold me the trailer did indeed neglect to tell me a few things. The guys from Trailer King called to tell me that the bearings need to be packed, there are no brakes on the driver's side, the wiring was done completely incorrectly, shocks are necessary and that I do, after all, have to install the electric brake system in my car. The good news? Yes, there is some. ...
The frame is solid, they think the camper is very cool and there is one man there who buys/sells these things and he'll be working on it.
By the way ... the window we broke yesterday is a Jalousie window. Very easy to find replacement glass and an easy do-it-yourself fix. I youtubed it.    .......   good thing.

failed

Well Miss Maggie failed NYS inspection today. Left rear running front left marker light out and bulb just spins as it's rotted out on the inside ... right rear running light out and can't get it to light up ... left brake pad corroded ... needs to be replaced ... Friendly Honda doesn't do repairs on vintage trailers so they sent me down to Trailer King ... I left her there with these guys who Honda tells me know what they're doing. They were very nice and they'll call tomorrow after going over the trailer and let me know what needs to be done to get her to pass and how much it will cost.
Before getting there we had a minor incident in the driveway ... my older daughter was backing the Pilot up so we could hitch the trailer to the car ... the back of the Pilot was up and I thought nothing of it until I heard CRUNCH ... It took out one of the slats on the jalousie window. She felt terrible, but nobody was hurt and it can be replaced ...
Speaking of replacing things, I found a fresh water filler with lid on ebay three days ago. I waited until this evening to bid and I won. I won't tell you how much I paid for it, however. I will tell you I really wanted it and I better not lose this one ...
I'm going to collect all the receipts to see just how much money this beauty has cost me so far ... I know it is a minuscule amount in comparison to what some folks put into their vintage travel trailers, but it would be good to keep a running record ... then again, maybe not.

                 

lined drawers ...                                                lined shelves in cupboards                

 before image of stove ... ok there is no after image ... but someday, there will be ... we'll paint this white ...

what you see in the drawers and cupboards are bowls/cups filled with baking soda ... there is not much of a musty smell, but we're trying to eliminate what there is of one ...

the windows were clean, but that old inspection sticker remained ... finally got a straight edge razor and took it off today ... now i need ot get my own sticker ... that was supposed to happen  Wednesday ... went to hitch the trailer to the car and the ball was not where I'd last left it ... my sister 

- the sensible one  - had taken out of the car prior to a trip to the jersey shore to make room for what? ... idk ... sand toys ... anyway ... next Wednesday this old girl will get her inspection ... 

My sink ... it doesn't work ... well, what I mean is the holding tank is rusted out so I won't be using it unless I attach a hose ... I read in one woman's blog that she uses the sink as an ice bucket for her wine! ... she'd rather drink wine than do dishes ... I'd have to agree with that ... I did throw some dirty water down the sink after washing down the cabinets only to find that the pipe under the sink leaks ... bought some plumber's putty ... easy fix ... I'll be using the sink as an ice bucket, too, but I'll need it to drain outside ... not onto the stuff I've stored under the sink.

Why is it that cleaning the Shasta is more fun than cleaning my house?

So my little vintage trailer doesn't have a fridge ... it has an old ice box! It's pretty cool ... I'll put bags of ice up on top because I'm not sure I can find a block of ice anywhere ... and I'll put my cooler on the bottom ... out of the way and nice and chilled it will be!

We tried to find a frame to put around the mirror just to add a little flair to this, but we finally realized it would be easier just to buy a mirror ... I think I'm repeating myself here ...

 You can see my cabinets are all in nice shape ...

 These doors, however, seem to have rust on them ...well, it's not rust, but whatever it is, it won't wash off ... I wanted to paint them at first, but I think we may just remove them and store them ...

 Now this is handy ... a bottle opener that catches the caps ... I think we might use this ...









 This blue enamelware was left behind by the previous owner ... a percolator, 4 dishes, 4 bowls, 4 mugs ... I didn't want blue so I sold them on ebay ... by the way, the curtains sold, too.

 I love these ... one over my table and one over my sink ... I even have one in my old house!

I don't love this ... and I don't see myself using the propane light so I may remove it ... anybody want to buy this?

and the bed ... just covered it today with an old, cozy comforter ... when do we leave?

small changes

Ok ... so after too much time thinking about curtains, I ordered enough of the same ones I already had to cover the rest of the windows ... They should be here Wednesday. Today two new pillow shams arrived for my big king size pillows. I have some on there now, but they are awfully dark and we're trying to lighten the place up ... going for the cottage look. My older daughter and I were bothered by the switch plate near the table - I'm not sure why ... it wasn't awful, just too ordinary. We didn't buy an extraordinary one, but what we replaced it with is nicer than what was there - photo to come tomorrow. While we were out we bought those styrofoam frames that people put on their walls to make it look like they've got panels on their walls. We wanted to put it around the mirror that's up now ... At first we thought we'd put a frame, but couldn't find one large enough or one that would go over the clips on the mirror. We went this styrofoam piece, but alas it's not big enough either. Then the lightbulb lit up ... why don't we just replace the mirror. That would be so much easier ... so we will. I also finished putting in the rest of drawer liners ... I had run out of the stuff I picked up, but got more and the job is done. My older daughter painted the inside wall to the left of the door with blackboard paint. She put on several coats and I'm excited to bring out the chalk. Lots of pics to come ... documenting all this so we can look back and say wow! look what we did! ... so much with just a little ...

etsy shop

My Etsy Shop, myeverydayvintage, is being built and will offer vintage pretty and practical vintage items for your home, your trailer and for you! Check it out.

finally ...

Well, it's finally cooled down enough to spend the better part of the morning working in the trailer. Here are some before pics of the interior. The curtains hanging were actually made by the gentleman who sold me the trailer. They are retro style and do indeed look like they belong in this Shasta, but they're not my style. I can, however, appreciate the work that went into making them so I couldn't just toss them. They are listed on ebay if you're interested in purchasing them - starting bid is $8.00. 

Take a look ... 

 The curtains go nicely with the blue rug he installed, but eventually we will take that out, too ... cherry red is more to my liking ... 

 ... and while the style is right for the trailer, they don't let in enough light for me either ... 

 ... if I knew how to sew, I'd try to make my own out of a vintage floral fabric - and my older daughter does know how to sew ...

 but we just washed and ironed some old kitchen curtains for now.

 It's hard to get a good look on a grey day, but they're white Battenburg lace curtains and they add a little charm this old girl was lacking. 

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just a few more exterior pics

So here are just a few more pictures of the exterior of Miss Maggie Mae ... It's finally cooled down enough around here to get some work done on this lovely creature. We'll move her into the backyard to paint the exterior. It's shady back there and probably better for the paint - and us! Waiting for my photographers to come in to take pictures of the interior. I'm using a camera on a phone and the pictures seem to come out just a little too small for posting. More to come very soon ... :)

We plan to paint the exterior a cherry red on the bottom and white on the top. We'll polish the aluminum stripe ... clean up the hitch and I might even paint my propane tank red, too. I've seen that on a few other vintage trailers and it's pretty cool ...

Did some shopping today and picked up drawer liners, a few cooking utensils ... and some pillows. I'll wash the shams I picked up, put them on the pillows then toss them in as soon as we get the place vacuumed and dusted a bit more.I ironed the some pretty white curtains that used to hang in my kitchen windows you see there in the background. I think they'll brighten up the interior nicely. We thought briefly about painting the cabinets, but they're in such good shape we thought we'd leave them as they are - at least for now. We will paint the oven and the icebox with appliance paint and, eventually pull up the carpet thought it's relatively new and in very good shape. I just don't like the blue. I'm hoping to be able to put in a red and white floor myself. I'm sure I can find that on youtube, too! 

read read read

It's been so hot in NY! I'm not complaining - I can't complain ... While I don't usually work in summer, I did take a part time position teaching and I work in an air conditioned classroom. This doesn't happen during the regular school year, by the way. I only work a half day and when I get home I have a pretty pool to jump in to each afternoon ....
But I want to work in my trailer! When I bought it at the very end of June I thought I'd be out there every day because I don't really work in summer and I'd have so much time! I have the time, it's just too hot! ... maybe I am complaining.
I have, however, been reading a lot. There are so many wonderful blogs with not only pretty pictures of fabulous campers, but some really good information and some very practical advice. Check out the Links I Love. Because I've never owned a trailer, everything I read is new to me and I'm grateful they're out there.

getting ready

Well, I haven't spent too much time working on my new project ... it's been so incredibly hot here where I live that it's really hard to be outside if you're not in the pool. Between having a couple of house guests and working summer school and the weather, not much has gotten done regarding the physical labor. I have, however, spent way too much time perusing websites and my favorite magazines for ideas on how to transform my beautiful little trailer. She's ready to roll right now, but I do have some ideas I'd like to put into play.
First, I'd like to paint the trailer. My first choice is pale pink below the silver streak and white above it. My kids are thinking yellow or red ... we settled on a cherry red, but I really love that pink.
One of our local body shop guys came over with his family to take a look and gave me a fair idea of what it would cost to have it professionally painted, but we're probably going to attempt it ourselves. The paint job would have cost more than I paid for the trailer ... just can't do that right now.
Any suggestions regarding painting a trailer would be very much appreciated. We plan on heading to a paint store instead of a big box shop and getting some advice there. We'll buy a sprayer, some blue tape for prep work and aluminum polish as well. It may take a while, but I have some willing volunteers who work for food and I don't mind cooking!
More to come ...

here she is

So here she is ... Maggie Mae ... I was going to name her Pearl ... I had even thought that I'd have my daughter make a fancy "P" with a mermaid tail ... but I kept thinking ...
I had a lot of time to think ... we traveled 4 hours to pick her up and my older daughter slept for half the trip!
Then it came to me ... Maggie Mae ... that'd be perfect ... after all, she's an old girl.  A few miles flew by and I turned on the radio mostly to stay awake as I seldom listen to the radio in the car - I like the quiet ... I'm sure you can guess the name of the song that was playing ... it was settled.

Three weeks prior I had seen a few ladies selling their wares at the Country Living Fair in rhinebeck, NY. They had such pretty little travel trailers all cottaged up and I thought ... I want to do that! Of course, I have a real job and doing things like that is very realistic, but I started looking anyway ... reality in the past year hasn't been very pleasant and because life is short, I thought if you want one, get it now ... you can always sell it if you change your mind. Besides that, my sister, who's the wise one of the two of us told me to go for it!
I searched craigslist locally then moved up to Albany, down to Northern Jersey, over to Western Mass ... before i knew it, i was in Binghamton then even further west in New York ... yikes!
But it was love at first sight ... towed her home and I plan to make her even prettier ...
stay tuned for more pics and the makeover :)