Huaka'i Annie Our '57 Aloha Project

Before:  Hubby and Max brought the '57 Aloha home from George, Washington.  It was a long and painful trip with truck trouble and traffic.  Since the trailer had been loaded at the farm with a fork lift it took some ingenuity to get her off the trailer.

The first step was to take all of the metal off.

 

 

We loaded up the old stove and ice box, and drove around the county asking experts if they could be restored.  It was cost prohibitive as there was too much rust.

One day while I was at work Hubby started the tear down and just couldn't stop.

I am not kidding when I say that at this point I didn't think we'd ever go camping.

Hubby painted the trailer frame and built a new floor.

We laid the marmoleum. 

Using the old walls as a pattern the new walls were built. 

Framing the curves wasn't easy but Hubby had a plan.

He trimmed off the walls up to the curves.

TaaDA!

The walls went up.

We took a trip to Maui for inspiration.  Hey!  We were tired!

We were inspired and I chose a color palette.

All of the staining and finishing was done by Hubby.  He's a perfectionist and I am not, enough said.

The cabinets got built and installed.

We had our original seats recovered with aqua vinyl and white piping.  Remember, I have Gerrit the upholsterer extraordinaire. 

I polished and cleaned parts.  We wanted to use the original hardware.

So we did.

The new old appliances were installed.  We found the appliances in George, WA.  I spent hours cleaning them.

I sewed a canvas bunk.  Twice.  Hah!

The Formica and sink were installed.

We ordered a mattress from Overstock.com.  It was actually the first thing we did as the cabinets were going to be new so they could be any size we wanted to fit around the bed.  The cabinets are two inches smaller than the original.

In June I went to the Farm Chick's Show in Spokane and found some treasures.

I sewed curtains and Hubby continued to work on the trailer, wiring etc.

We went everywhere to find the missing window.  We finally found one in Anacortes.

I polished aluminum.  After a lot of research, trial and error, and hard labor I got 'er done.

Hubby wired and insulated, such a small sentence for such big jobs.

Hubby pounded out some dents and dings and we resigned ourselves to the imperfections.

 Hubby wrapped her.

I was polishing for a long time while Hubby was getting her ready.  It wasn't a fun job but it was rewarding as I could see where I'd been.

Hubby put the metal back on.  And repolished...

The exterior lights were installed, the license was taken care of, the fantastic fan went in, the door was rebuilt.  Many little things taking time!

Hubby built a table.

The curtains got finished and the right rods and rings were found.

 We started to move in and hang curtains,

My Dad and Hubby repacked the bearings.

I painted the wheels.  Hubby put a  hitch together and hooked up the lights.

We hitched up and drove around town to check things.

We had a party in Annie!

I put together a mini bar.

We checked the oven with chocolate chip cookies.

We still have trim to finish, no running water and an awning to sew but Annie is road ready!
After:

We took our first trip to George, WA for a family reunion.  It was so much fun!

We took another little trip and decided it was all worth it!

There were times when it seemed impossible and it was probably too ambitious of a project for our first one but Yee Haw we did it!  We are happy campers!  You may visit us at the Mt. Baker Vintage Trailer Rally at the Lynden Fairgrounds this weekend.  Saturday afternoon is the official open house and many of the trailers are open to the public.  See you there!

Pinterest Fail

When a friend's daughter was trying out for cheerleader, she had trouble with cartwheels.  She couldn't consistently turn a cartwheel.  The cheer coach told her to leave it out of her routine and to "stay within her talent level."  I've been saying that ever since and it is good advice in certain circumstances.  I may be saying and thinking it but I don't always take my own advice.  

A case in point is the awning I am attempting to sew for the Aloha.

You see, I saw this cute awning on Pinterest.  Isn't that always how these things start?  I can do that!  There are no instructions with the pin but hey, how difficult can it be?  After all, I lined the curtains!  That almost makes me a seamstress.  No, actually, I am still sewing seams with stress.

 Isn't it darling?  You can understand my attraction, right?

I used a plate to make the scalloped valance.

 I ordered the special poles from Cabella's.

 The print isn't going to match on the scallops but the scallops will match.  I am choosing my battles and want to win the war.

The  power outage on Saturday, when I was really on a roll, slowed me down.  Then on Sunday I over thought and reconsidered my method.  Monday brought a new day with power and then a new set of problems.  One stinkin' thing after another.

My awning is draped over a chair in the living room, I'm stuck.  Some very long seams need to be taken out.  The house looks like Joann's blew up, I'M CRANKY!  I have a cold.  Poor, poor pitiful me, a girl that should have listened to the cheer coach, may not have an awning in time for the Mt. Baker Vintage Trailer Camp Out.

 Now instead of finishing strong I am pouting and stalling.

And procrastinating.

And skipping over to an easy project. 

I ordered a tin sign and added Huaka'i Annie and a '57 using scrapbook stickers.  This is apparently my talent level.  Now if I could just learn to stay in it!

Sunday Funday

Sometimes the obvious gets past me.  Lake Padden and Whatcom Falls Park are two beautiful spots in Whatcom County that I'd never visited.  Yesterday after church Hubby and I went to both and did some walking.  We hiked around the lake on the trails and then went to the falls and walked on the trails there.

 We stayed on the trails but others were jumping off the rocks or walking the tight rope over the water at the falls.  

 The bridge built by the WPA would be a great pattern for the little bridge to our house.

 I made a Margarita pizza for dinner.  It was easy and pretty tasty too.

It was a good day.

IKEA Field Trip

Yesterday afternoon I went on an outing with my Therapy Thursday gals, Leslie and Marjean.  I had not been to IKEA for several years.  Since the dollar has changed we decided that it may be a good idea to visit our local IKEA in Canada.  The border has been so busy that I hadn't crossed in a long time.  There wasn't a wait and the traffic was good.  We almost got lost but I made a quick U-turn and we fixed that issue.  I've seen many Canadians flip a U-turn on Guide Meridian so I assume it's legal in Canada. Hah!

I wanted to check out bookcases and found some grey ones that I think would work.

 In the meantime, I filled a blue bag with miscellaneous IKEA junk.

 I actually went for the hanging clips which I just happened to find in a random spot.  I never did find any more.  I needed them for the Aloha.

 Who goes to IKEA without buying the tea lights and some napkins?  Not this girl!

 Meatballs anyone?  Yes, please.  Swedish meatballs are the best and are small enough to add to soups.  The US Customs officer asked if we had any meat and then told us the only restricted meat is lamb and goat.  Goodness, I hope not! Ikea meatballs are beef and pork.

 Leslie found faux plants for .99 each.  We all bought three or more.

 The topiary looked a little sad when I pulled it out of the bag this morning however; fluffing and a new pot makes it a designer's dream.  That's a slight exaggeration.  I think they are pretty and sometimes we all need a little plastic green to soften a vignette.

 And of course, something new!  I saw the elder flower juice concentrate and I thought I could substitute it for St. Germain liqueur in cocktails when we want something lighter or nonalcoholic.  

And the bottle is pretty!

 I have one drawer for utensils in our kitchen.  I looked for an organization method.

Squirrel!

 While cleaning out the drawer I found this plastic green thing.  I have no idea what it is.  Anyone?

 We'll see how long this organization phase lasts...

It was a fun trip with the girls, a lot of laughs and treasures.  It's good timing too because when mid August comes around I start nesting, organizing and cleaning our home.  I made a Target and Costco trip this week, Fall cleaned the kitchen and now just need to order the firewood.  Autumn is coming!  Bring on the pumpkin recipes!