Bell Bell Bell

Two weeks ago my mom and I were not able to get much work done on Bell because we were busy with work and I was writing a 10 page term paper for my summer class.  But when writer's block or whatever the saying is took over my productivity at writing, I started making decorations for Bell.

The colors we have chosen to go with are a lilac, bright fuchsia/purple, navy, and a hint of avocado green.  The "theme" of our trailer is Be Dazzled Bell.  This means jewels and sparkles everywhere!!  I've put jewels on the lights, mirror, clock, outlet covers, salt and pepper shakers, napkin holder, and little storage containers.  Other things that will get dazzled with jewels are the garbage can, the curtains, curtain rods, cupboard door corners, and anything else I can stick a jewel to with mod podge or hot glue.  I'm just having a blast with the decorating part!

Some of the decorations I've bought or made and/or be dazzled!  I can't decide which door mat to go with...bright with flowers or green with an owl that matches the vintage oven and decorations already in the trailer??

Finished cushion covers with the salt and pepper shakers sitting on top!

Last week my mom and I tore out the front paneling of Bell to replace some broads and add new boards for strength.  I also started sewing stuff for Bell last week. I was able to finish cushion covers between driving tractor and finishing up my summer class.  I also got a futon mattress ordered up, a few boards painted, and cupboard doors ready for painting!

So a little rebuilding and putting back together is called for here!

There are a few goals for this week.  1. Start sewing curtains, pillow covers, and a table clothe. 2. Order (check) and put new tires on Bell.  3. Rebuild the front frame.  4. Wash the outside of the trailer and get ready for sealing and painting.  AND 5. Paint some more.

At this point, we have most of the materials we need for fixing our little trailer up.  We have the primer, paint, wood trim, linoleum, wood boards, and seal.  The trick is putting it all together and me holding my horses so things get done in the order they should.  I just want to jump to painting!!

Bell's Rehab, Days 1 & 2

As seen in the previous post, 1970 Bell, A Buying Adventure, Bell needs some help. 

We brought Bell home on Thursday.  On Friday, my mom and I went to town to pick up some supplies and price things out for her.  We looked at new linoleum, picked up paint swatches, and fabric.  From seeing Bell's surface, we knew that these were things that were needed.

Well some things changed on Saturday, Day 1, of rehab.  First, we scrubbed and scrubbed the table, counter, oven, stove, and windows clean.  Obviously, this thing had a nice thick layer of dirt on it from living in the Columbia Basin.  Bell hadn't had much attention in the last few years.  Then my mom vacuumed while I swept the outside off.  During this time and tearing out linoleum it became more obvious that there are pieces of would paneling that need to be replaced and/or glued together at cracks, trim needs to be replaced, reinforcement of water damaged areas needs to be done, and the dinette cushions need to be burned.  She's a project for sure!

These few things scared my mom and I.   Right away we began wondering if we really knew what we had gotten ourselves into.  I doubt we'll ever know, but we had some good laughs on Day 1.

The highlight of Day 1 was finding the power hook up amongst random cords and hoses under the couch.  So we plugged 'er in, and sure enough she lit up inside.  It was a relief to know we had power inside!  Both outlets work...cell phones can be charged!

The other cool thing on Day 1 was using an adapter and plugging the trailer into the car.  Again, she lit up but on the outside!  Most the lights work.  The best part of this is that it's the important lights that work on Bell.  These things made my mom and I feel sooooo much better about our camp trailer purchase.

Sunday, Day 2, was the "Over and Under Day" as my mom called it.  We looked at the roof and the undercarriage.  The roof has been sealed at some point, but we don't know if its still good.  We'll talk to a professional about that since we are far from being pros.  We also went under the trailer.  To us non pros things seem ok, but we'll ask for help on that too.  The two other projects of the day were getting the water tank out because we want that replaced, and cleaning the rock guard. 

The laughs of Day 2 came from the findings of glasses, an eagle necklace, and a football trading card.  The best part was an envelope of papers with receipts with previous owner's names on them.  It looks like we may be owners number 5 of Bell and her journey looks to have begun in Oregon. 

By us buying Bell, a whole new journey awaits...

1970 Bell, A Buying Adventure

So why did I tow home a 42 year old camp trailer a few days ago?  Well....I'm beginning to wonder myself but I tell myself it will all come together in time. 

My mom and I have actually been wanting an old camp trailer to redo and make cute.  We were checking Craigslist constantly, making calls, and being told the same thing:  "it just sold."  We did this for a month and then took it as a sign we weren't supposed to have an old trailer.

Last weekend there was a Sister's on the Fly rally at the fair grounds in Moses Lake.  This group is our original inspiration for wanting a vintage trailer.  It's an all women group that meets up to camp, fish, travel, hike, and hangout together.  Most of these women have old, cute trailers. Going to the rally that weekend made us want one and want to join the group.  The search for a trailer was back on!

My mom and I were on Craigslist through out the day saving adds and making calls.  Same story, though, when we called they were already sold.  Vintage trailers in the price range of $500 to $1,200 don't stay on the market long.  The other problem was all these trailers were a few hours away, which made going to view them tough with hay on the ground. 

So one afternoon, and with lots of suggesting by my dad, my mom, sister, our friend Holly, and I went on a drive to Mardon to knock on doors and ask if they owned that old trailer and if they wanted to sell it.  We were on a mission, but nervous about going to strange doors.  We headed into the residential area of Mardon and went straight to a house we knew had an old trailer.  Holly and I climbed to the top of these people's steep driveway, kinda jumped the fence, and knocked.  They answered!   So I asked if they wanted to sell their trailer.  They said "sure, make an offer after you look at it."  So the four of us girls piled into this little Bell trailer and crawled all around the outside.  We told them we liked it but wanted to look around a bit (a.k.a. knock on more doors). 

No one else answered their doors.  So we called back to the owners of the Bell and made an offer of 200 bucks!  They took it without hesitation!  Just like that we had bought a vintage trailer.  Wow!  We were so excited because we did not think knocking on doors like little snoops was going to end well.

My dad and I towed the trailer home the next evening.  It's funny.  We went from giving up on getting a trailer to having one with in a week of the fire for one being rekindled! 

These are some "Before" pictures.....

 She needs a bath and a paint job.

 There is a faded decal on the back that I am going to recreate on the computer as a stencil then paint on again.

 Where's the fridge?  We'll be putting my small dorm fridge in.

 Table needs to be put back, and the cushions are going to be replaced.

 Dirty, stain linoleum has to go.

A couch should be in this spot.  We'll be taking care of that as well.

...Bell has a long ways to go and a lot of cleaning up to do before anyone camps in her.