The Interior
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Not all storms come to disrupt your life; some come to clear your path.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And then it was on to the best part — at least for me — the interior! New kitchen wallpaper, a shelf above the stove, add some organizing items and stock the cabinets. It took some thought and research to hang things on the walls safely and without damaging any wiring. Oh, and it took a reliable stud finder. Me! Very funny, Bob! Only slightly more seriously, though, I still use the old knock, knock, knock, knick, knick, knock, knock, knock method! Ha! Let’s get to it!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I added a compass rose decal to the ceiling. It gives us something other than a plain, white ceiling to look at while in bed. And speaking of ceilings, we now have a Fantastic Fan at the front of the trailer, but we opted to keep the original spring-loaded vent in the rear of the trailer. Such simple technology but great functionality.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I finally completed the Swedish-style window blinds! Some nice, dense fabric to keep out the cold at night and shield the interior from the blazing dessert sun. The blue material is outdoor fabric and it can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. The lining is a thick, but not stiff, cotton canvas. I washed it a number of times before cutting to soften it further. And I made insulated window covers, not shown here, to cover the windows and protect the fabric of the blinds and the interior for long-term storage or if Birdie will be sitting in the sun for any extended period. The sun in the Southwest can be brutal.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The window cranks are very cool and they work beautifully! They are in the Atomic style. They presented a challenge, however, when it came to using blinds instead of curtains to cover the windows. If I cut the blinds to fit inside the cranks, a portion of the window was still uncovered. If I covered the window completely for privacy, the blinds had to deform to fit around the cranks. The solution was the trim. It helps to completely cover the window, but is flexible enough to mold itself around the crank handles when the blinds are lowered. I’ll have more on the design and construction of the blinds in an upcoming blog post.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Wrapping the bunk shelf around on both sides of the dinette/bed gave us a good deal of additional storage including a place to put the TV, bed linens, and have extra space for the personal items that would otherwise make living in such a snug space challenging. A narrow wire basket serves as a sort of bedside table. It’s small but holds a cell phone and charger, a tablet or book, and a bottle of water.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The wall sconces are 1940’s porcelain bathroom light fixtures and are the perfect size. Flat-backed shades keep them from intruding into the space. They were rewired and fitted with 12V bulbs. The little pull chains at the bottom make the most satisfying, velvety click when pulled. Honestly, that click was half the reason I got these! Mm-hmm!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The new cushions were made with high-density foam and are amazingly comfortable to sleep on. I resized a full-sized fitted sheet to the bed dimensions but left the top sheet, blankets, and bedspread alone. The extra length and width provide ample coverage and warmth. All in all, very cozy! These photos were taken on a cold, rainy day; apologies for the foggy windows!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
As a captioner, I cover many college classes for students with hearing loss. One of those was a wonderful art class in which they were creating wire sculptures. It was amazing! Some time later I chanced upon a shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico and this was one of a number of sculpted birds for sale. If I can track down the name of the artist, I will post a link. This bird makes me smile.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Behind the wavy headboard it is a power outlet with USB slots and a headphone jack. There is also a long slot into which we slide a large metal tray, the only place to store a tray that large. This tray, along with its collapsible stand, becomes a handy outdoor table. The stand is made from salvaged broom handles cut to length and lashed together to form a stand. I learned to lash in Girls Scouts, but I needed a refresher from a good knot tying book.
I love rope, twine, and string — especially hemp cordage. Check out some ideas for twine crafts here.
. . . . . . . . . .
Friends are the Best Gifts
. . . . .
A birthday gift from a fellow cactus lover
. . . . .
Over the years we’ve been blessed with wonderful family, friends, and neighbors. Below are a few of their trailer-warming gifts and we think of them every time we handle one of these treasures.
. . . . .
Handwoven placemats from a dear weaver friend
. . . . .
Our little squirrel nightlight from a wonderful neighbor
. . . . . . . . . . .
Some Craft Projects for the Camper
. . . . .
A previous project - the telephone insulator
. . . . .
A recent project - spice rack
This project will have a tutorial in an upcoming blog post. Stay tuned!
. . . . .
An upcoming project - a hanging organizer
Check out more creative ideas and fun mods on my Lovebird Pinterest Board. There are several sections depending on what you’re interested in, but there’s a selection for Camper Crafts with more projects than I have room or time to try, but maybe you will! Let me know what great things you came up with!
. . . . . . . . . .
A Tiny but Mighty Kitchen
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
We store a toaster oven in the cabinet under the stove (that solved the no-oven issue), along with a set of nesting pans, a kettle and a large salad bowl. There’s a collapsible dish pan under the sink.
Everything that is sitting out fits into a collapsible tote that rides snuggly in the sink when we’re on the road (there are photos of the kitchen stowed for travel below).
Three overhead cabinet doors replace the original two. We can reach everything in these cabinets now; no hidden corners or dark holes.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The peel-and-stick wallpaper went up fairly easily and it’s washable.
New LED lighting in the kitchen is the warmest color temperature I could find.
The basket on the wall is made from date palm stalks. Date palms grow abundantly in the Southwestern U.S., but the basket was made by a wonderful Etsy weaver in Israel of the exact same date palm stalks that grow all around me. I love that. It makes me feel connected to that artist on the other side of the globe.
. . . . .
The kitchen all stowed for travel.
. . . . . . . . . .
When my two brothers and I were small children, my mom would drag the barstools up to the kitchen counter and extend —what seemed to a small child to be — an enormous pull-out breadboard. That was our dinner table when my dad was away, and I’m sure it was a convenient and handy way to corral and feed a small herd of youngsters. That’s where the idea came from to use our small pull-out breadboard as a temporary table.
. . . . .
Everything fits into this collapsible tote.
. . . . . . . . . .
The Bathroom
. . . . .
The bathroom is tiny, too, but it has a shower, sink, and toilet. We opted for a cassette toilet as the tank is easy to dump and maintain. More on dealing with waste in an upcoming blog. Oh joy.
The towel bars are actually the handles from sliding shower doors. They have a low profile, only protruding about 2 inches.
The shelf for the sink is curved to allow the toilet lid to open fully.
We used a bottle trap under the sink. It’s very compact and sleek.
There was even room for a large but slim plastic food storage container between the front wall and the toilet for trash.
. . . . .
We left the existing waste valve on the trailer but now use it exclusively for gray water from the shower and sink. In campgrounds with full hookups, we connect it directly to the sewer. Boy is that nice! When boondocking, we use a collection container.
The shower curtain is on a C-shaped track mounted to the ceiling. We pull it around to keep water away from the shelf area and the door opening, but the whole bath is a wet room. It’s also great that there’s a window for ventilation!
And you can just see a nifty device attached to the ceiling. It’s a fold away handle. We use it for hanging wet things like towels, bathing suits and anything else that’s drippy, like raincoats.
. . . . .
And we did manage a sink after all! This is a footed, enameled metal fruit bowl from a thrift store. A plumbing supply house helped us with the drain fittings. Since the sink is raised, it preserves as much counter space as possible, leaving space to set down a comb, shaver, or hair dryer under the sink lip. The faucet swivels and tilts so it’s easy to put a bit of water in the sink to wash and move the faucet completely out of the way.
On the upper shelf is a bit more surface space and a mirror that tilts to accommodate people of varying heights.
That’s a paper towel holder mounted under the shelf to hang washcloths.
So that’s about the sum of it for now. Birdie is ready to hit the road! Please subscribe to our newsletter and give us a like if you enjoyed reading about our little Cardinal Camper. And stay tuned for more! We will be posting some interviews with people in the vintage trailer community, about resources for Birdie, camping equipment, our adventures, places we camp, what we cook and how, setting up a campsite — including the laughter, tears and misadventures as well! See you down the road!
Bob and Kimberly
Wave to the Birdie!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
We bought a small trailer, we soon learned to love her,
But we needed some help and we needed it fast.
Some nice people helped us, no fuss and no ruckus
Our Birdie will now to 100 years last!
Took a fair bit of screwing, some sewing, some gluing
All sorts of fun and I learned to back up!
It cost a small fortune — we’ve now got a bathroom
And stay toasty warm from sundown to sunup.
We go by our checklist. We’re stowed and we’re restless.
My husband is finally ready to go!
It’s out of the driveway and onto the highway
With waves and a smile from those in the know.
For a small vintage camper — dare say I a “glamper” —
Brings joy and a glance wherever she strays.
Just over the next hill’s a campground where we’ll chill
Some wine and have good times the rest of our days.
