This is the start of a new chapter in my ever evolving life and as life evolves , so does my blog. It has seen many changes in the years I have been posting. When I set out to document this new adventure I toyed with the idea of starting a new blog that would be just about my life in the trailer, but then I rethought that idea as this blog is for me too and it is about my life's journey. So it is also about the past ,where I was and how I got to where I am now.
Thus this new tale is just a continuation of my life's journey now told from inside my tiny trailer which is 7' x 13' . A 1966 Aristocrat Low liner travel trailer that I dug out of the desert over a year ago . The refurbishing took over 9 months . I paid as a worked , thus it may have gone faster if the money had flowed in at a faster pace but all in all I was very happy with the process and over joyed at the support I received. You all know who you are and I give a BIG THANKS to each one of you!!
My goal was to add all the latest amenities I could squeeze into the space plus my studio AND my Etsy supply shop goodies . I managed to do all of this and the pictures will show you how this was accomplished.
As time goes on I will be posting how too's and helpful hints if any of you set out to redo I trailer of your own. My tale will unfold as I live an artist life in a tiny space on wheels. Below are some images of the trailer when I first brought it home and how it looks today. I have been in it one month . Please enjoy the tour !
Scooty's , Dixie's and my space. ( Dixie is taking a nap on the bed).
Old dining area.
New dining, studio space and Etsy store supplies .
This space holds ALL my art supplies and a small printer too. The white box on the ceiling is a 1100 BTU AC/heat pump.
Close up of my tool box and Etsy sale items in cubby drawers.
Everything is labeled and marked for easy locating .
The cubby drawers are mounted on a solid wood panel. They cover the front and back windows too. The trailer had many windows, but for full time living it felt a bit like a fish bowl so I did not mind covering several up.
Even in doing this I still have 7 windows, a sky light, and the front door with a screen door .
Future post will show my solution for the wood panels viewed from the outside.
The trailer holds over 500 Etsy items and extras are stored in the back of my pick up truck.
Light over my shoulder while I work . I picked high end small scale 1" faux wood blinds for the windows . I did not want an RV look as I wanted to use as many 'homey ' items as I could to give the trailer a real feeling of a home. I did use Sunbrella fabric for the cushions as I did not want fading and I knew the material would hold up to heavy use and my doggies . Note the doggie door I added to the door.
The old Kitchen . I LOVED the robins egg blue appliances,
however they were not safe and added a lot of weight .
The new appliances weigh much less and are safer.
New Kitchen, Another weight splurge was the style stone counters and the river pebble back splash . Once again the trailer is my home and so in order to feel like a home, I found certain splurges necessary as to NOT feel as if I was 'camping out'.
Under the 3 burner gas range is a back up propane heater hidden behind a tin door .
New two way refrigerator .
It works on both propane and electric and keeps things icy cold.
It even keeps ice cream frozen solid!
I was able to customize the front panel so I used old punched tin cupboard panels .
Old closet door (now home to my new wet bath ).
New closet door, now door to wet bath and also creates room to display art work,
plus the side wall holds spices for cooking and more Etsy supplies .
New wet bath . A splurge on weight was the river pebble floor mounted on a custom made steel shower pan. This gives the tiny bath a real solid feel for its size. The walls where done in new galvanized tin panels that I aged with muriatic acid then coated with a vinegar solution to make them rust. The wet bath is a ' step up ,then sit down ' as it is only 4 feet in height. It has a window and I added a sky light which makes it feel roomer and adds head room from beyond the 4' . I am only 5'3" so it works very well. It was mandatory to have a real flushing toilet and a hot shower. The toilet has a real ceramic bowl and flushes to a black water holding tank under the bed, then it leads out to a sewer dump outlet. The showers hot water is provided by an on demand small hot water heater that is mounted to the front of the trailer and directly connects to the dual propane tanks. Extra special thanks to Terri !!!!
Wet bath door detail an old victorian door handle . God IS in the details.
Old Bed nook.
New bed nook. I cut down the full size bed and made it an extra wide twin so that I had more room for the wet bath . It has windows at either end so you do not feel confined . The step up to the bed also serves as a sitting area when you add a cushion and pillows. A great place for coffee or to relax and watch a movie on the computer. I belong to Net flicks so I always have a movie or TV series to watch in the evenings. Along the bed side is also a small book case for evening reading.
My private RV hook up rental space allows me to have my own internet service.
You can see I divided the bed space from the kitchen space by using a hand made pot rack .I made this from an old dresser mirror frame. It keeps the pots from taking up room in the cupboard too.
Old floors .
New Bamboo floors ,very hard and durable . The entire trailer had vapor barriers and extra insulation added when the outside was resealed and wood rot replaced .All new plumbing and a 50 amp service was added too. This I hired done as I wanted to be sure it was safe.
The floor has the highest quality underlayment I could buy.
The entrance way is another place to display art . Having room for art work was another 'must' as it would NEVER feel like home without art and books.
Art work is hung and also glued in place with E6000.
Red velvet cup cake and coffee in bed . More Etsy supplies in storage cubby drawers . The bed space is extra wide to make room . Clothes are stored above the bed and a clothes hook on the left wall at the foot end of the bed nook holds about 6 hang — ups.
Thanks for stopping by- XO Julie
1966 aristocrat low liner travel trailer
