My name is Kerrie Sanderson and I live in Northern
California. I grew up in a the Bay Area near San Francisco. Now I live further
North, but always near the water. My Dad had a high stress job as manager of
the F.A.A. To relax he fished on the weekends. He fished in bass tournaments
and even won the Western United States Championship. Needless to say, I grew up
camping almost every weekend. When I was a wee one we camped in our baby blue
VW bus, Then we got a real canvas tent with cots, and then a Dodge
moterhome(all of which are vintage now!). I love camping! Thankfully I married
a man who likes to camp too. We raised our four children tent camping along the
coast. I even camped while 8 months pregnant in the rain! Ten years ago our
camping turned to glamping when we were able to purchase our vintage caravan
'The Pearl' from dear friends.
The Pearl is a 1972 Timberline 16 footer with two
double beds, a single bunk, kitchen, diner and outhouse(potty). She is fondly
named after my favorite Great Grandmother Nora Pearl. We also have a soft spot
for Jack Sparrow and his Pearl.
We have decorated The Pearl in a beachy shabby
chic style. We painted an aqua stripe on her exterior using Krylon #1512 'Blue
Ocean Breeze'. The interior came already painted a fresh creamy white with
seafoam green trim. Would you like to come inside for a peek?
The first thing we did was replace flooring with
laminate wood from Ikea. I filled her with feather down blankets and lots of
rose covered quilts and pillows from Rachel Ashwell Simply Shabby Chic. The
rose cottage curtains are from Homegoods. Unfortunately they did not have
enough for all the windows so I used white sail cloth curtains from Target for
the rest.
The kitchen countertops, stove, oven, light fixtures, and vintage
shower with toilet are all original. The previous owners made the crescent moon
on the outhouse. Isn't it cute! I try to use vintage retro accessories like
the aqua radio, fisherman's basket, tin artwork, and clock.
We have enjoyed
glamping in her for 8 yrs. along the California Pacific Coast. We often drive
the 2 hrs. through the Napa Valley wine country to our favorite destination The
Sonoma Coast. We like to camp on the peninsula between the sea and bay or in
the dunes. The furthest we have ever gone is Yosemite Valley which is a 5-6
hrs. drive. The Pearl loved being tucked in the redwood forest with views that
only Ansel Adams can capture.
Unfortunately The Pearl came with water damage and the
dry rot has caused the wall that the door is on to come loose. We are afraid
that it might fall off if we travel anymore. So she sits and waits for her
renovation. We also discovered that the stove had a gas leak. During our first
few outings in her, my daughter and I became very light headed while sleeping in
the bed near the stove. There was also a stinky odor that we just thought was
the toilet. Thankfully my hubby realized what it was and disconnected the stove
from the gas. So be careful to check everything for safety after purchasing
your vintage caravan.
Our plans for renovation are to rebuild the entire side
of the caravan where the dry rot is. My hubby and son are both carpenters and
will be doing all the work themselves. they will build new kitchen cabinets in
a weathered style wood, add a vintage tin backsplash, paint the stove and
oven(if it can be repaired) white or aqua, remove the bunk and build a captains
bed with storage underneath, and re-do the floors in a weathered wood.
The
style will be what I call Nordic Coastal with lots of white, driftwood grey, and
sea blue. I envision faded blue sheer curtains blowing in a sea breeze. The
rose floral linens and pillows will remain...I always have to have roses.
I
also am collecting a mismatch of rose china. The decor will be minimal with a
few sea and rose paintings( I am an artist) and scatterings of seashells.
Hopefully a tiny chandie too!
If you would like to read more about The Pearl you can
visit her blog at HERE
Thank you so much Kerrie for sharing your lovely Pearl with us - I hope you can share pictures of her again soon, once she has undergone her make-over...she sure looks lovely now and I love the way she has been loved and used on so many holidays away...
...and folks if you want to check Kerrie out, she has her own blog HERE and a Blog for Pearl HERE which both makes for interesting reading ;)
So tell me...what do you think of Kerrie's Caravan?
Has she inspired you to buy one this Spring? or have you already bought one?
What colours do you want to paint yours?
Or do you have a Caravan that you have already 'Made-over' and would like to share with us here...either way...tell us about it :)
Looking forward to receiving your lovely comments :)
So tell me...what do you think of Kerrie's Caravan?
Has she inspired you to buy one this Spring? or have you already bought one?
What colours do you want to paint yours?
Or do you have a Caravan that you have already 'Made-over' and would like to share with us here...either way...tell us about it :)
Looking forward to receiving your lovely comments :)
Bye for now my lovelies xxx
