THE BRAVE // vintage rv renovation inspiration

lot has happened in the past week (including my first burlesque show on Saturday!), and I've got some Brave news forthcoming, but for now lets just look at pretty pictures, eh?  My aesthetic has changed quite a bit since my last Winnebago journey.  I was into textures on vintage prints on more textures next to more prints... you get the idea.  Hence my obsession with all things 70's.  Faux wood?  Hell yes.  Tacky patterns?  Bring it on.  But my current style is a bit cleaner and simpler, with some nods to that vintage style I was hot and heavy with back in 2008-2010.  The Brave needs a refresh, so it makes sense to give her a look that matches current me!  Plus, with my plans to film the video podcast inside the Brave,  I want something less dark, dim, and cave-like.  I know it's, like, all the rage to white wash the interiors of these vintage RVs and trailers, but the truth is, a good whitewash can seriously open up and brighten a space, and when you're dealing with a space appx 20 x 8 ft?  I'll take all the openness and brightness I can get.  
Obviously this is going to be a DIY-heavy endeavor, so I'm excited to share projects as things start to get rolling.  I have some boring mechanical stuff to deal with first, but I'm already filling my brain with inspiration for her cosmetic overhaul.  I don't even think Pinterest existed when I did my updates to the Brave before my last trip in 2010, and it's crazy how many RV renovations are out there now!  It's fun to see how many people have taken an interest in reviving these old gals since I was deep into that world in 2010!
 
  I really want her to be clean and bright, but still full of personality.  And for me, practicality and functionality has to be major.  I see a lot of cute RV or trailer renos and I feel like you'd have to remove half the stuff to make it driveable.  I mean, I love styling spaces as much as the next blogger, but I also am going to be driving this beast thousands of miles, so she really does need to be functional as a vehicle that drives on the interstate. It seems like most of the renovations I've found that I love are trailers, which seem a bit easier to work on since you don't have to deal with being inextricably enmeshed with the chassis of a truck.  The layout of my Brave is pretty much stuck, since everything is where it needs to be to work with the truck base, which is fine because I really love the layout I have.  I've been in a few Braves and mine is by far my favorite layout, very open and light, all things considered.   Right now on my to do list: 

• whitewash interior
• reupholster bench seating in rear
• refinish counter + table
• make new curtains, possibly new rods too
• redo bathroom (not sure what I want to do yet, though)
• finish flooring
• repaint flying W on exterior!

I seriously can't wait to transform the Brave into a mobile home and studio that reflects my style and give it a fresh new life!  It's gon' be awesome, y'all.  *does geeky excited dance*

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Home Sweet Brave

I'm totally settled into the Brave now and it's looking better than ever! I've decided to live in the Brave when I move back to Tacoma after camp is over as well, which I'm pretty excited about! It's actually really nice to be able to set stuff up and leave it there, unlike my trip last fall where I drove every day and had to make sure everything was put away safely while I was driving. It's really interesting to me how it doesn't seem small at all. It feels like just the right amount of space for me! I'm looking forward to living in the Winne for as long as possible.

Brave Sneak Peek!

Here's a little sneaky peek of my little Brave in the woods! Since I'm not totally settled into it yet, there's still a bit that needs to be done, but I was so excited that I finally had a lens for my camera that would actually be appropriate for taking interior shots that I just had to share some photos! My new quilt looks absolutely amazing in the Brave! I got those little Winnebago figurines from Etsy a few months back. Totally going to be one of those weird old ladies who has a strange collection of Winne paraphernalia.

Right now I'm trying to figure out all the fun stuff that I'll be doing for my campers! I really really want to have a fun DIY thing that I can create for each of my girls that they can take back with them from camp and keep as a memento. I still have little neat things from when I was in highschool, tucked away in books, so I was thinking of making a bookmark for each of my girls with their name on it and something like a positive list of words that describes her, or a verse that encourages them, etc. I REALLY want to take an instax photo of each girl to include on this little bookmark thingy, but I don't have an instax camera yet and that would all be coming out of my (extremely limited) funds, so I'm gonna have to think about that and see if it'll work. I'll definitely share a DIY with you guys once I figure out what I'm doing!