Thursday, June 3, 2010

Alphabe Thursday: T is for The Tumbleweed.....






It is Alphabe Thursday again Hosted by the wonderful Jenny at http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com and this weeks letter is the letter T! I am so excited because I have waited for this moment to unveil the Tumbleweed, our little retro travel trailer that we have painstakingly given new life too....
It all started with an idea...I worked five years ago at a sewing store and a lady came in to buy quilting things for a retreat. I asked her where it was and she told me how she and a group of women had vintage trailers that they had done up in themes and they left their husbands home and went off camping and sewing...I was hooked! There is also a vintage camping group of women called "Sisters on the Fly" where women do trailers in a theme and they camp and fly fish....This all put the idea in my head...Then the idea became a dream...Wouldnt it be fun to transform something like a trailer? When I moved to Utah, the dream became a wish and my husband made it come true for me....We searched together for the perfect little trailer and we found it...300.00 and a trip in the truck and we brought her home.....This was back in October and we both were so excited about all the things we were going to do. Unfortunately, we had to wait for Spring and it is a long wait when you are all gung ho like I was! Here is what the little Tumbleweed looked like on the outside when we bought her.....








Here is what she looks like now....













We did all the work ourselves, from repairing dry rot and putting in flooring to sewing up a cowgirl storm....if its fabric, I made it.....It was a rough ride at times...She was a rough old girl...Here are a few befores....










Now Y'all sit back and enjoy the after shots.........






























So there it is, Our little Tumbleweed....Ahhhhhhh, sweet success. Isnt it great to have dreams and wishes come true?

43 comments:

PeggyR said...

Gosh you are so amazing with stuff! Everything turned out great!

Jackie said...

What a beautiful transformation ! I like it very much . Take care and see you next week !

What Comes Next? said...

WOW! The transformation is amazing! well done - it looks like a fabulous place to hang your hat!

What Comes Next? said...

WOW! The transformation is amazing! well done - it looks like a fabulous place to hang your hat!

Maria said...

Your Tumble weed is gorgeous!!!
It's amazing what can be done with some hard work and love.

I am sure you will spend many happy hours in her.

easternsparkle said...

Woe, wow, wow - what an amazing tranformation, it's amazing. Hope you get plenty of time to enjoy yourselves this summer!

Pondside said...

Won't you have fun with Tumbleweed!? I love what you've done - wonderful to have the vision and follow through on it.

Anonymous said...

WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOW!!!!
SPEECHLESS!!!

Jen xo said...

whee do i start... gotta love that red stove and fridge, love the cowboy hat on the horns and i got a giggle at the boot under the bed!!

it looks amazing, im sure you will have many happy adventures in it...all your sewing is fantastic too...

yes it was my wardrobe,:(((

Jody said...

Can't believe it's the same trailer!! I wouldn't have given you 2 cents for it before--now it looks like a million bucks!

BROOKE said...

What a fantastic begining to adventure!

PaTcHwOrK jEnN said...

It is beautiful, I am ready to move it. ;) The before and after pictures are amazing. Can't wait to show dh.

Viki said...

I can only imagine the joy and satisfaction you both have for completing this project. It's gorgeous. I can only think of how many trips the tumbleweed will make and how much fun you will have with it. Great T post.

Maggie said...

Tumbleweed is everything I dreamed of as an adventurous young girl who loved horses.
How lucky are you.
Go, have fun and then blog all about it.
Maggie.

roc said...

melinda..this little trailer is a true gem!! LOVE IT!!! makes me want one really bad!!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I KNEW the inside was going to be awesome, just from the few sneak peeks. I just didn't know the back story, which is also precious. Your end result is something out of a fairy tale. It's the perfect place for you and your husband to get away. I can see many years and many miles ahead for the Tumbleweed and the two of you.

BTW, there used to be a group of women who had those old slip stream trailers and met each year somewhere in Texas. I had a friend who had one, but that was back in the early 90s, so I have no idea if she still has hers or if she meets the other gals each year. I think they had some type of cowgirl theme or name to their group, also. I'll have to send her an e-mail, since we lost contact after I moved to Kansas.

Laurie said...

Perfect Melinda! Oh how I wish I kept mine! This is so flipping cool!!
What an amazing amazing job. It must have been so fun camping.

mub said...

It looks AMAZING! I bet it's even more fun to go places in such an awesome trailer =D

Debby said...

YIPPEE!!! YAHOO!!!! GETTY UP & GO!!! Melinda this looks so amazing and fun. I bet you are going to have so many wonderful times. Love it!!!
Hugs,
Debby

gin said...

ya'll did an amazing job. there is a lot of fun waiting to be had. enjoy!!

Malisa said...

Amazing! My husband and I are thinking about doing the same thing with an old RV. I can't wait to get to work creating! You have inspired me!

Unknown said...

It is a joy to see someone realise their dream; to see a transformation thanks to hard work and good co-operation; as I understand that your husband helped you; that you two worked together. Well done!
Go places, do fun things, meet interesting new people. Then blog about it!

Best wishes,
Anna

Anna's Ts

Jo said...

I just love this so much! this is way too cute! you did a fab job with both the interior and exterior!!!

mrs. c said...

You and hubby did such good work, pat yourself on your backs!!!! It is noting but darling and I want one too! Where in the world did you find a trailer for 300 dollars??? It is so cute!!!! Thanks for sharing!

Ruhammie said...

OMG!!! That is TOTALLY FUN!!! You two did a great job and what a fun theme! (Just researching for this months YOE!!) :)

Birgit said...

Hi Melinda,

Oh wow -- now that would be paradise for me with my love for the Old West. What cute fabric you have for the curtains!!! :)

Love it!!!!

Hugs,
Birgit

Jenny said...

Everytime I see pictures of this jewel it makes me want to clap my hands and hop!

Because of you I am on the hunt for one of these myself. I want to make it into a little studio. I have plans! No camping for me but you have been an inspiration! Not sure how my husband feels about you at the moment, though, ha!

This post just made me smile! You did an amazing job with this little jewel of a trailer.

OK, I want to go on and on about this but I've already done that with you on other posts and the other students are getting restless!

So I will just wrap up by saying - you are terrific...and so was this link!

A+++

Cheryl said...

Melinda, this is wonderful! Hope you enjoy your first trip in the old gal.

Micki said...

Your Tumbleweed is just so pretty now...what a transformation!
Micki

Pam said...

Melinda,
Congratulations on a wonderful transformation of your trailer. The Tumbleweed is so full of special fun ideas. You certainly used your talents to make the project come to life. I love it.

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

You guys are amazing! I wonder if there is some kind of trailer contest for you to enter your girl in?

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

so much hard work and heart shown here in Tumbleweed's restorations! It is absolutely cheery and a perfect place to take on future adventures :o)

Blessings & Aloha!

Amanda Lee said...

This is so cool! I love how it turned out. this must have been such a fun project. And yes, the house is in O.S., and we're also looking at places north of there.

Joanne Lendaro said...

Just what I expected, WONDERFULNESS!! LOVE IT!! You are so talented and creative, and also lucky to have someone beside you who loves, appreciates and enjoys it too. Thanks for sharing!!

Helen in the UK said...

FABULOUS!!! You've both done a wonderful job on Tumbleweed ... and a man who helps makes dreams come true has got to be a 'keeper' :)

Susan Anderson said...

This is so clever and such fun! What a great idea!!

=)

Colleen - the AmAzINg Mrs. B said...

Is that not the BESTEST EVER cowgirl abode?? Oh yes it IS! Great re-do :-) You need to enter this in some type of contest..or beauty pageant..or county fair..something for the world to SEE this ;-D

Quiltmoose - Dagmar said...

Wow, I really, really love what you've done with the trailer! Gorgeous details! Have a lot of fun with Tumbleweed!!!

Marva Plummer-Bruno said...

Oh this is so awesome!!!! Love it! You guys did a lot of work! Looks fab!!!

Unknown said...

What a fantastic trailer you have just done the best job here ye ha ride um cow girl!

Love Dawn xx

Brenda said...

I missed this post! I want one of these so bad I can taste it. I had a very old pop up camper years ago when my girls were grade school/middle school age. We had a ball in it. I made curtains,cushions great fun. But unfortunately it was just to tired and worn out when I bought it to keep it together. The canvas tore and the thing that put it up and down would break ect. Hubs finally used the undercarriage to make a great hauling trailer.

Shawnee said...

SWEET! I want one now!! Hubby ......

Paula Clare said...

Melinda! OH MY GOODNESS! I am here via Missy of Little Messy Missy...she has been part of a vintage camper tag swap on my blog...and she told me about your little trailer! It's SO adorable! The inside of MY little camper is cowgirl too...and I'm NO seamstress, but I had such fun doing all the renovating...hubby and I did it ourselves. Sisters on the Fly are my heroes! And now, so are you!

Type in "canned ham" in the search bar at the top of my blog...you'll see before and after pics of my own little canned ham! Isn't the world of vintage trailers SO much fun?!