Construction instead of destruction

The last two days have been charged with positivity. As my daughter so insightfully articulated ..."Daddy's stopped taking things out of the caravan, and is finally starting to put stuff back in!". 

It seems we are finally in the construction phase, and it's a great feeling to finally be finished with the destruction phase. 

After drilling holes in the aluminium framing for the wiring, Geo couldn't find a store that sold plastic grommets (apparently they are little plugs that the wire passes through that stops the sharp aluminium cutting into the wiring) so he created his own alternative! He's really quite clever sometimes! It was my job yesterday to plug the drilled holes with these little hose offcuts ... 

Then I turned my back for a second and he had wired up most of the caravan through all the makeshift grommets! He ran out of cable though and we've had to wait two days for an extra roll to get delivered so he can wire up the ceiling too. But no twiddling of thumbs here!

Our caravan now resembles the inside of an Esky! 

These polystyrene packaging offcuts were sourced from a friends furniture truck business. Ordinarily it would be going to landfill, but we have saved it up over the last month or so and are using it to insulate the van! 

It's a lot like piecing a quilt as it can be quite a puzzle to fit the bits of polystyrene together. 

Geo is resourcefully using every last scrap piece, as there are always nooks and crannies to be filled ...

Last night he installed the new battery box which will house two batteries, the fuses and everything "power" related. It now has a door that opens so this can be accessed from outside the van. He has even sealed the box with rubber paint to further insulate all the electrics... Safety first! 

(The battery in there is another portable one that is just weighing the box down while the glue dries)

 We spent most of the day scraping off old glues and caulkings from the windows, frames and door, and scrubbing the aluminium with steel wool to bring it back to shiny ... Ouch, my arms still ache!

Tomorrow I'm back in the sewing room, and I'll be glad about that! 

I've started crocheting a flower cushion too.. Cute huh? 

Finally, no more vinyl!!

This last week has been a bit of a roller coaster.

Mum came back for a week and it has been lovely spending time with her.  Unfortunately though her health has had a bit of a setback and we have been running to and from doctors all week. Thankfully it looks like we have everything sorted now and she is off again on her cruise to SE Asia! Oh! to be retired. ;)

Geo and his trusty sidekick "J" have been stripping out, sanding, and cleaning off all the old caulking around the windows that had dried and hardened, and pulled up all the vinyl from the floor. This involved using a heat gun and a scraper - during our hot and humid weather it was NOT a fun job and seemed to take days.

But eventually the vinyl disappeared! And so did the windows and the door and the aluminium strips (seams?) that hold the caravan together.  

And inside the van (well, what's left of it!) is a network of cables and diagrams that is so far beyond my understanding .... but I have faith in my Geo. :)

We have been looking at lights - trying to determine where in the van we'll need them, and choose the type of lights that will suit. We both believe in task lighting - it will be rare that all the lights are running at the same time. Instead, lighting over the table, over the kitchen area and above the wardrobe/dressing area are the main places for lights. We will add some downlights for ambient lights over the lounges and probably reading lamps for the beds. We are a family of bookworms!

I am a big fan of these LED lights from Ikea. We've had them before, and they are great! Energy efficient, cool, and long lasting. I reckon they'll look great under the cabinets above the lounge.

We have a few days to get everything ready for the final wiring stage, and then later in the week we will start putting the old girl back together! We have been trying to figure out the van's name. She is definitely an old girl, and we have been throwing around lots of names like "Millie" and "Audrey", "Pandora" and "Phoenix"(for obvious reasons) but she hasn't quite developed her full persona yet. I'm sure that once she has come out the other side of her "surgery" we will have a better idea. 

Geo's Nissan Patrol is called Humphrey, as we used to have a large stuffed camel called Humphrey in our lounge room that the kids loved riding around the house, and when we bought the patrol they remarked how the car felt like it was lurching around like a horse or camel. And the name stuck. I am sure that the van will make her name known soon, too. :) Of course, suggestions are welcome!!

I have been sewing every chance I can get, and have nearly finished all three duvet/doona covers. Here's a few sneak peeks ...

I have also chopped up my denim collection and have grand plans to turn them into a wall hanging storage solution. Also, all the offcuts from the doona covers are going to be pieced together into curtains for the bunks. Might even sneak a few pockets into the curtains too - great for hiding secret treasures and trinkets ... ;)

Found this old denim dress and had a fabulous crafty break through moment! Will show you the result next week...

I have really been surprised at how much I have enjoyed sewing these patchwork covers. I just love putting all these bright and colourful squares together and seeing how they turn out - much like my addiction to crochet granny squares!!  

 

I hope that your week has been full of crafty adventures and breakthroughs, too.  But for now,  goodnight and may you dream sweet dreams. 

Fumes and sprinkles!!

Today Geo started removing the old Lino from the floor. This involved a heat gun and a scraper, a dust mask and a whole bucketload of sweat!!

Our rubbish pile from the van is growing bigger ...

Geo has also pulled out all the windows and stripped them down, then cleaned all the aluminium until they were nice and shiny again. He scraped off all the ancient putty around them that had hardened and cracked and has bought new weatherstripping and will eventually reseal the windows with a flexible sealant like Sikaflex. 

The fumes from all the thinners and the Lino glues were making him dizzy though, so we may have to take a fan to move the air around more!!! 

I finished the top of Lily's cover today so am pleased with that!! 

All in all a productive day!

Oh, and we also baked cupcakes in honour of a friend's birthday who I can't be with in real time but we will definitely celebrate in spirit with her tomorrow. xxx

Decorating with colour

I have finally sorted out the main colour scheme for the van and have selected flooring, wall and ceiling paint, trim colours for the cupboard doors and blinds. Woohoo!!

 It has been incredibly difficult to choose just a few colours. I always knew the inspiration - shades of ocean waves... But wow, who knew there were 500 shades of white!!! So many choices!! Very hard for a Libran like me. ;)

Yesterday I had a GREAT day as I randomly stopped at a fabric discount warehouse (on a whim) and I found the most FABULOUS fabrics for the van bed linen. I was on a high most of the day! Then at home I realised I had to wash and dry and IRON it all before I could even think about sewing!!!!!!  15metres of fabric all up!! I found the perfect navy cotton drill that I will use as the base fabric for all the patchwork doona covers - it's just perfect. Dark, hard wearing, natural fibre, and won't show the dirt. :) Perfect. And I finalized my patterns so the covers will actually be reversible - just in case a muddy little puppy jumps on the bed!

 Talking about muddy puppies, Mozart had his spa day yesterday ( while I was fabric shopping) and is like a totally different dog! He is so much smaller and seems a lot happier - I think he gets quite hot and bothered when his fur is long. 

Just adorable. It's going to be vital we get him clipped regularly so it is easier to check him for ticks. 

Last night Geo and I stayed up till midnight (again) discussing van layouts, cupboards, lighting, ventilation and a few other ideas. We are thinking of building a hideyhole kennel/bed for the dog in one if the awkward corner spaces under the couch. It will utilize a dead space and give Mozzie somewhere that is just his. He used to like sleeping in the bottom of the cat tower, so it will be quite similar!! 

Also we have decided on some LED lights and some down lights for over the lounge. Also Geo had a great idea fir bringing the lounge into the van 4 inches or so, and creating a window ledge - perfect to rest a wine glass on. Priorities!! He even joked about a wine cellar behind one of the lounge back panels ... Ooooh, really? Have to have somewhere to store a few bottles, at least! 

Anyway, here is the final decorating theme. Of course, these lovely calm shades will be buried under chaoticly colourful cushions in bright bohemian pinks and oranges but at least we're starting with a good base, right?

I've been trying to figure out how I can still have plants. Herbs, mainly, but I love having houseplants oxygenate the air we breathe ... Maybe I could hang a vertical herb garden on the door? Wonder if orchids would survive?

Colour

I am loving playing with colour.

The colours I chose for the interior upholstery are quite sedate ( for me) but the accents will be anything but!!

I wanted to make co-ordinating doona covers for each of us in the caravan, as everyone had kind of grown out of their existing ones and I didn't fancy taking my  1000 thread count WHITE cotton sheet and doona covers to the Red Centre!! 

I also wanted an excuse to use up my fabric stash!!  So I've designed some simple patchwork panelled doona covers and I am on the hunt for a navy or dark denim look fabric for the bulk of it. As for the printed cotton patchwork panels, I have heaps!! I just love this orange kitty print, don't you?

Lily has selected her favourites, and I spent all day piecing out her doona panel. Can't wait to start sewing!!!

And I found these ribbons in my vintage trims stash - they'll be fab on my daughter's cover!!

Geo has been busy gutting the van even more!! He wasn't going to reline the roof, as it seemed in a reasonable condition, but boy are we glad now that he decided to! There were holes in the roof - actual holes! Nothing my Geo can't fix though, so out came the welder .... 

Now we can start fresh, with a clean slate. We are insulating all the walls and the roof, using recycled polystyrene of all things! 

This weekend and next week will be super busy as we rewire, insulate and install all the new lining, ready for painting. 

There is so much to do, that at times we feel quite overwhelmed. But then we do a little bit here, and cross something of the list there. Eventually, we'll get there. I have faith. In us.

And just look at these awesome stainless steel cups Geo bought for the van ... How can we be anything but happy and excited?

We are living and breathing this revamp at the moment, in between school and work and washing commitments ( I still can't get over how much washing I have to do ) so there isn't much time for socializing. But soon we will have our home on wheels and be ready to hit the road. And it will be worth it. Even if there is more washing. 

Gutted

The last ten days have been busy.

We found a warehouse where we can work on the van, and sort through our gear, only ten minutes from Mum's. It's fabulous! The kids ride their scooters and play table tennis (we are talking 1000 square metres) and I have a store room/ sewing room to make the linen, and a fridge full of ice-blocks to keep everyone cheerful.

I have been so busy! Planning, researching, selecting paints and colour schemes, finding a flooring option to suit, and digging through boxes of old fabric to see what I can reuse or revitalise!

Hours and hours of Geo and I,  discussing, measuring, imagining what the old girl can be. Limits of time and money flavour most decisions, as always, but my Geo is a resourceful man, and always seems to find a way!

When fixing the fridge, he realised he had to pull off a section of the panelling to fit the new fridge cupboard in efficiently. And then he discovered the remodel five years ago was actually just cosmetic. They had glued the new laminate over the old, rotting, water damaged ply.

It had now disintegrated into what could only be described as tinder. Loose, dry wood shavings next to shonky, shonky wiring. So ....

Last week he gutted it.

I had difficulty watching. Our little home on wheels was no longer looking anything like a home. It looked like a tin can. An empty tin can. On wheels.


But ... I know it will be fabulous when its finished. It will be safe, more importantly, and fabulous.

In the meantime ... I will hold my breath.

More soon.