More Bling for Bing

For a collector and vintage-lover like me, the treasure-hunt for Bing has been more fun than any pursuit I've taken up in a long while. Right now, these treasures are piled on the dinette table, waiting to be hung on the walls or tucked in the appropriate drawer or cupboard.

Now here's a crooner whose golden voice captured my heart even as a little girl. I can't resist those eyebrows, can you? 

My camper's namesake will have his portrait--an original, 1945 magazine ad I found on eBay--hanging in a place of honour in my glamper. 

Ah, Bing.

Just for fun, this is what's on the other side:

I've wanted a coffee carafe for years, but never found the right one until I spotted this little gem in a thrift shop:

We found this for $5 at a local dollar store and cut it to fit the doorway. It won't stay white long, of course, but it can easily be washed.

We couldn't resist this retro bicycle from Homesense. It actually works too. Graham fell in love with it and I let him play with it until we discovered that, like a real bicycle, the chain is greased. They say you have to learn the hard way; let me just say that black grease doesn't look good on my brand new, red cushion covers. Don't panic: the grease came out. 

Whew!

My dad has saved probably every single license plate since before I was born. This one used to perk up our family's boat trailer. 

B.C. 74. Just like me: born in British Columbia in 1974. 

I bought this DVD collection on eBay. The movies are hilarious, while the cover makes for perfect wall art for Bing!

This eight-place cutlery setting was a total score at Wal-Mart for only $12! Ariel and I did a happy dance right there in the store when we spied this set. Not vintage Bakelite, mind you, which would have been groovy...still, this set has lots of little forks and spoons perfectly sized for children's hands. They are decent quality too--stainless steel with plastic handles.

LOVE!

A fellow glamper sent this little Mary Engelbreit plaque to me all the way from Nova Scotia. Too cute for words. Thanks, Beth!

We had camping tumblers just like these when I was a kid! Talk about a trip down memory lane...I just picked one up and suddenly, I could smell the sun-baked forest floor of the Cascade mountains. Had to have them because they trigger so many memories! 

Another Wal-Mart score: 98 cents each.

I'll add a few (or maybe only one) of these stick-on mirrors to Bing's bathroom door so we can get our glamp on at camp without risking broken glass from fallen mirrors. You know, seven years of bad luck and all that...

Every glamper needs a little Paris chic, non? A French soap label is just the thing for the tiny water closet. 

Ariel and I have this thing about Paris. Someday, we'll take a trip there together. For now, we can't resist anything depicting the Eiffel Tower, Parisian cafes, or French-looking bicycles. We happily dug these sweet stickers and cards out of a discount bin at Michaels. 

We love Paris in the spring time, we love Paris in the fall...

I picked these plastic picture frames up from a thrift shop months ago, planning to repaint them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints and hang them somewhere in the house. But I think I'll hang them in Bing, instead, to pick up all the gold accents. What should go inside the frames? Hmmm....

What shall I do with these? Not sure, but I adored the colours. I'll probably string ribbons through the tops and hang them somewhere, like little ornaments.

Doug's grandmother (pictured in the bow) was an avid paddler, and this cedar-strip Peterborough canoe is still in the family. I think this photo belongs in our travelling cottage.

You know what? I wish Bing had more wall space.

A Chalkboard Fridge

I always had my heart set on using chalkboard paint somewhere in Bing. I just love the idea of incorporating kid-friendly features like that into a camper. You never know when it's going to rain, right?

I finally decided on the fridge door for my chalkboard. I wasn't crazy about the idea of painting it black, or green--the other institutional colour of choice. Fortunately, Martha Stewart offers some interesting colour alternatives, like this pretty blue and soft greyish brown:

Here's the door before:

And after three coats:

Just for fun, I added some pretty scroll work stickers from the scrapbooking section at Michaels:

I was hesitant to add such a big block of blue to Bing's overall red, white and gold palette, but I think it's a fun shot of colour. I may embellish a little more with the stickers but for now, we have a pretty and functional chalkboard in an area where the kids can sit on the floor and create fridge-art all day if they like.

Excuse me while I get snap-happy....

I think the overall effect is: 

Spit 'n Polish: Before and After

I always love the spit 'n polish stage of any renovation project. It means the hard stuff's done and the fun part--the decorating--is about to begin. 

Before: The stove was grimy, greasy, and covered in rusty spots.

After: A little baking soda and steel wool did the trick for the grime and most of the rust spots. I couldn't get in around the dials perfectly, but it looks much better.

Before: The lino had decades of dirt packed into every groove. 

I got down on my hands and knees--Cinderella-style--and scrubbed with all my might. My tools? A Norwex SiriSponge and these: 

This shot shows both dirty and clean tiles:

The lino is totally '70s, but they don't look half bad now that they're clean. I'll probably never get all the discolouration out, but the whole trailer looks brighter and sparkly clean inside.

Some day, I'd love to have a black and white tiled floor. But for now, the old lino looks kinda pretty in its humble, retro way. Besides, the gold tones tie in with cabinet hardware, counter and table tops, and the heater grille.

I still need to do something about the rust around the fridge.

Now that everything else is starting to sparkle, this rust really stands out in an ugly way. But it's nothing that a little Rust-Oleum can't fix.

To Do List

The painting is done, we've installed the new tow hitch receiver and ball, and our mechanic wired the trailer brake controller and electrical receiver in our Ford Escape last week. We still have a lots to do before she's "finished," but aside from the safety check, we don't need to accomplish everything on our to do list before we take Bing on the road at last.

I don't plan to polish off all the decor all at once--I really want to savour the experience! (And let's face it, I don't wanna spend all summer sewing pillow covers!)

Bing's latest To Do List:

1. Re-install cabinet/drawer hardware and hang cabinet doors
2. Post-painting clean up: remove all tape, newspaper, plastic and put tools away
3. Scrub lino floor, polish aluminum trim/stove, and wipe down grimy ceiling wallpaper
4. Finish sewing curtains
5. Install curtain rods and hang curtains
6. Iron new cushion covers, put them on cushions, and move cushions back out into the trailer
7. Stop and admire. Take lots of photos to share online!
8. Install fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide detector
9. Fix hole in the bathroom floor where the icky old toilet used to sit
10. Buy portable toilet
11. Install toilet paper holder, towel bar and kitchen towel holder
12. Stock with dishes, cutlery and cooking utensils
13. DECORATE!!
14. Stop and admire and take more pictures to share online.
15. Sew pillow cushion covers
16. Make a small doormat and find something to use as a step stool
17. Practice towing!! (Eeep!)
18. Take Bing to RV shop for a safety checkup (tires, propane lines, etc.)
19. Pick our first glamping destination (hmmmm.....)
20. PACK 'ER UP AND HIT THE ROAD! 

Curtain Call

I have several adorable fabrics in my stash that would make perfect window dressings for Bing. I can't decide!

I have, at least, decided on the main curtains around the dinette and kitchen. I've fashioned them from natural cotton, Moda Home days of the week kitchen towels I found on eBay. Their red crocheted trim and cute little Scottie dog and kitten graphics suit my vintage French country vision for Bing, yet appeal to my kids.

To make each panel, I've stitched them together two by two (I need a total of six panels). Like this:

I plan to hem the top edge to the desired length and hang them from cafe rods with clips so I can easily take them down to embroider them--the perfect pastime during rainy days at camp!

But what fabric to choose for the door?

I have a lovely vintage French torchon embroidered with AD--my and Ariel's initials. It's not quite long enough, so I'd have to sew a ruffle or bit of lace on the bottom.

Or, this tea towel printed with images of Cambridge, England, that I brought back as a souvenir many years ago when I spent a summer studying Shakespeare at the university:

There's also this white eyelet fabric with a cherry print that I adore, though it's very sheer:

And this equally adorable cherry print on a cream background that a lovely friend from the Girl Camp Canada Facebook group sent me "just because":

And finally, I have a huge bolt of gorgeous red gingham with an eyelet border that I picked up for $3 in the discard bin at Fabricland. There's actually enough here to do ALL of the curtains in Bing, but I do love those days of the week tea towels.

Do you see my dilemma? To add to my indecision, I also need to pick fabric for the 80 inch long front window. Perhaps that's a good use for the red gingham.

What do you think?