Miss Gussie the Glamper Got a NEW Look!

Whew, where has the time gone??? It's been a busy month and a hot minute since I set down to blog. 

If you've been following along on Facebook or Instagram, you know that in between everything we've been working on, I busted out the paint brushes and Miss Gussie the Glamper got a new look and she went back out on the road after a year and a half of being parked at home! 

My favorite brushes - just the cheapest straw brushes that can be found...

My sweet doggie loves the camper and insisted on being outside with me the entire time I was painting! She was upset when I left out Friday morning and she didn't get to go with "her" camper. (There's a no pets rule at the Mineola Antique Fair and honestly as cute as she is, she's not people friendly, so she would have growled at everybody who came near and we can't have that.)

I've had a sketch in my planner for a while and finally made it happen - Miss Gussie joined the cactus craze! It's been a little over 3 years since I originally painted the camper white with the turquoise lace stripe and the heart with wings. I knew at the time I painted her, that I would eventually want to repaint or add to, so we did just that! 

She's got cactus and succulents painted all over her! 

We decided that Miss Gussie would get back out on the road some this fall and her first appearance was at the August Mineola Antique Fair. We had rain and drizzle on both days, so we had to be careful with where we positioned everything and we left some items inside the camper plus we have an indoor place as well. (We will not complain about the rain though - we are in a drought situation and need every single drop we can get!) 

Her next scheduled appearance is September 7-8, once again at the Mineola Antique Fair! Come see Miss Gussie in person and get a tour! 

For those who are wondering what type of paint I used to paint the camper - originally (2015) I primed and then painted with white barn paint from the hardware store. As the lady at the paint counter told me "you are basically painting a tin barn on wheels" so we rolled and brushed barn paint. I used a good quality turquoise and brown paint, but I can't recall the exact type. This is the paint I used to add the cactus (plus a small can of red.) I simply washed the camper before painting this time and went to painting one afternoon. Concerning my original paint job and how well the DIY paint job held up - I've notice a few tiny places where the paint is chipping off, although nothing major. My original paint job cost less than $200 ($50 of that was for the lace stencil I ordered) and I simply wash and scrubbed with a sanding block beforehand. The camper has set out in the weather the entire time. Honestly, the camper skin was not smooth before painting, so I'm still tickled with how my paint has held up. I knew I would want to paint and change her up periodically, so if the paint really gets to chipping off, we will just paint a whole new scene! The local body shops all refused to even consider painting her and even if they would have, their paint job would have cost way more than I paid for the camper. I love being able to change and alter the look from time to time and it didn't break the piggy bank! 

Every artist has to sin their work, right?! JE'18

P.S. The tin signs, most of the clothes, and all the dream catchers can be found in my etsy shop and I ship worldwide! I'll be adding more clothes and new items in the coming days, as well!

All Gussied Up - The Glamper Reveal!

Miss Gussie, the glamper, finally got all gussied up with a fresh coat of paint! I've had my 1959 Arrowhead camper a little over a year. I immediately decorated the inside, but I had been putting off painting the outside. I ask a few auto paint shops and they declined the job. The mister kept saying I could do it, but I just wasn't sure I could. Then one day, I finally decided, yes I could do it and dove right off in the middle of it all! 

 I started by scrubbing and washing her up. Now, by no means is she a perfect camper, just don't tell her that! I know my paint job is not professional, its perfectly imperfect and cost me less than $200 and I actually had a lot of fun painting her. I like her - She's cute, happy, fun, and if I decide I want another paint scheme later on, I'll paint again. I've heard some people say an estimate of $2000+ for a pro paint job, but let's be real, I don't know if she's worth that.

 When I started the job, I thought I would be happy and content just to get her painted a fresh white.

As I was priming her,  I got a vision! She was chippy, peely, distressed. If Miss Gussie was a dresser, chair or table, we would have all loved her vintage character and charm, so I decided I wanted to play to that idea. My paint job is by no means professional and who knows how long the paint will last (check back in a few years for a report on that.) So if she starts to have a little peeling and chipping in the future, maybe it'll look just right and it was meant to be. I decided she needed a lace stripe, like my burlap pillows and a frame and flowers like my business cards and logo. I use a heart with wing stamp on all my packages along with my cards, so a turquoise heart would fill the frame. She didn't come with wings, but by golly, she needed a set of wings!

 So I ordered a lace stencil on etsy and got started painting and then I wondered what the heck was I thinking??? A lace stencil on an uneven metal surface IS. NOT. EASY. But oh, it was worth it!

 Thank goodness for spray adhesive and like I said earlier she's perfectly imperfect and several touch ups were required!

 My favorite paint brushes will always be the cheapest, little ol' straw-like, bristle brushes. I found a small sponge roller for the stencil worked best for me though.

 I got the one side done and then it really started raining. I thought I would never get to finish the other three sides, then one day the sun unexpectedly came out and I jumped at the opportunity to get outdoors and finish her up.

Everything was free handed (except the lace stencil) and I didn't use any painters tape! The last person to paint didn't use any either, so I knew scraping the windows was already in my future.

 I had pondered and studied on what type of paint to get. I made my decision, and the company website said it was stocked in a local store. The rude salesman, finally ask if I needed help and then informed me they did not carry the paint I was in search of, that I should get auto body paint. Hmmmfff... I went to the local hardware store and told her my project and her immediate suggestion was BARN paint! Of course, she's basically a tin barn on wheels, so I got primer and a gallon of white barn paint to start my job, along with a few rollers and brushes.

 The door of the camper is covered in a turquoisy colored burlap fabric and I had ordered the Mason jar sign last year and I wanted my stripe to match both of them. I decided that Shining Sea by True Value was the closest match and got a quart of it and brown to do the detail work.

I lost a little patience with the lace stencil on the back side of the camper. I messed up a few times and just painted her solid. I knew I wanted to have an arrow somewhere, paying tribute to her brand and model, so I decided this is where it would go. 

Of course, my Sisters on the Fly number needed to be featured too! I haven't participated in any SOTF events, but my glamper is almost ready to hit the road! 

 Now the question everyone ask - "What are you going to do with her?"

Well, she's the GypsyFarmGirl World Headquarters! So she's kind of like my office of sorts, I head out here for photo shoots on a regular basis, sometimes I blog from the comfy bed, and Sunday naps are the best. 

 She's my girly "she shed" escape, instead of a man cave! I get to decorate her however I please and light my candles up.

 She also stores some extra shop inventory and my dress form, along with homemade curtains and tattered quilts.

 I would love to hit the road for a few camping trips and maybe a few vintage sales. Who knows where the road leads us? One things for sure  - I bet that guy who left a note in the mail box wanting to buy her, has changed his mind now that he sees her looking like this, because she's not a deer camp, camper anymore!

Linking to Funky Junk's Party

The 1959 Arrowhead

Last week, I was driving along and a vintage camper caught my eye. Hmmm, should I stop? No, yes, no, U turn, YES!

This is what caught my eye! Now I've been looking for.ev.er, for a glamper to be. Some of you may remember I have a travel master, but it's a yucky mess that needs a total renovation and I just "ain't got time for that."

So I looked inside, expected to see a gutted, stinky mess.

Oh my lucky stars, it had insides, mostly intact! Score! Original ICE BOX, stove, sink, cabinets, and oh that back splash. 

Ok, so the table was missing, no big deal. They claimed it all worked. I snapped a few pictures, talked to the guy and was on my way.

I called my husband, who was out of town. He couldn't talk much. I wanted him to see it and check out the structure more. He did say "you don't have to have me to buy it." I couldn't get it off my mind. Yes, no, yes, no...what to do? I called the folks and ask a few more questions and then went back at 5:00 and bought it! Yahoooooooo! 

No hitch on my truck, darn the bad (good) luck, I wanted to take her home then, but it wasn't meant to be.

So Saturday morning, we headed down the road to get her.

I had taken a few pics, but didn't pay much attention to the tires. The guy at the place told me he thought there'd be no problem making it the 25 miles home. A little dry rot, but they're ok. Since I hadn't paid attention to wheel size, style, and hole pattern, my man didn't know what type of spare to take along with us. (Lesson learned: pay much more attention to tires on any future purchases that must be drug home.) 

We headed down the road at a slow pase, yet less than ten miles down the road...blowout. 

Now what? No spare tire. It was good luck that I wasn't alone, at dark, trying to pull it home last week.

My cool as cucumber, junk partner inspected the situation and we crept up the road to a friends business, took the tire off, unhooked the trailer and had to leave her in pursuit of a new tire. She looked so lonely there. 

We bought a new tire and then went back, hooked up,  returned to the tire shop to get a matching left tire. It was hard for the tire guy to get the tire under the fender. Jeff told him to "let some air out and it'll go under there." 

With a what the heck look, the guy said "really?" 

"Yeah, it'll work," I married a genius! "You'll have a story to tell now," he told the tire man. Oh yes, it worked! 

She got two new shoes and we were on the road again! 

Now she's home and I got to looking around more and I'm planning my glamper transformation! The electricity works, that's a bonus! I found this paper in a cabinet...Arrowhead 15 foot Go-Lite.

My vintage camper Pinterest board sure has got a lot of new pins this week! As soon as I get a few spare hours, she's getting a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint on the inside. She's gonna be shabby chic and vintage glam when I get done! 

I promise to share pics of her transformation, but in the meantime, what should I call her?