Sunday 25 November 2012

Finally, a bit of sophistication

So finally, I have managed to introduce a bit of sophistication into our quirky little Morris. I want to keep the "shabby chiq" style with the bunting and the nautical theme, but I wanted to contrast this with the expensive look wall coverings that I saw in the caravan book as quoted in one of my previous posts.

I have therefore bought a lovely wallpaper from B&Q in deep blue. It is covered in a floral pattern that is raised, thus giving texture to the walls, but I am only adding it to the ends of the van so as not to make it look too small. It has taken quite a while to prepare for this. As well as ensuring the walls are clean, I have had to mix up a quantity of paste and paint the walls allowing to dry first. This ensures that the paper is going to stick very well and not peel in the future as the wooden boards it is attached to aren't porous. The only warning I would give with this is that the wallpaper sticks so well, you need to ensure it is in the right place as it doesn't "slide" like it would usually.

Here's a pic:







In contrast, I have gone for something fairly plain and still along the nautical theme for the cupboard doors - a light blue stripe in the same "holiday blue" as the exterior. The only slight problem I have faced - even through it was a number of days since I finished the stripes, they still feel rather tacky. I am therefore going to wait and see how long it takes for them to dry before starting any more. Here's a sneak peek!















Next steps? Well to be honest, it is only a few weeks now til Christmas, it is very cold in the van (it is not plugged into the electrics whilst sat on the drive) and we are going away at some point, so I don't think we will make much further progress before then. However, as long as the light blue paint sets on my cupboard doors, I would like to get a few more painted with different size and shapes stripes to add to that higgeldy piggeldy look. I would also like to finish off the wallpapering at the back of the van and get the cupboard doors back on. I would also like to get a few more cushion covers completed at my mother in laws house. So, I probably won't write for a few weeks and update again when I have made more progress.

Then after xmas - need to pull apart the front interior of the van and do the curtains / floor. Exciting!!

Thanks for reading.

Saturday 10 November 2012

A u-turn on the interior!!

So, I must admit, renovating Morris has been quite a bit of fun (and frustration) in our household, but it has also taught me a number of new skills that will be handy going into the future. So last weekend, me and my mother-in-law Erica spent a day starting to re-upholster the cushions at the front of the van. As you may remember, a few months ago, I purchased a large amount of biscuit coloured material on sale at Dunelm due to it being at the end of a roll. Last weekend, we cut out the first cushion and I had my maiden attempt at using a sowing machine. This was no where near as bad as I pictured, but I must admit, after a days work, I had only done the long straight seams, leaving the difficult bits to Erica, and had only managed to create one cushion (which we hadn't finished due to the need to purchase velcro). But, never mind, it's a start at least!







We have also continued painting the interior of the cupboards and shelves that have been expertly re-attached by Pete.





Now, I bet you're wondering what the "U-turn" title relates to? Well, as you know, I have covered the cupboard doors in a plastic sticker to look like "boat wood". I really like the effect and think it adds a warmth to the interior. HOWEVER, it also looks scruffy at the back when you open the doors and it peels up at the edges. I have therefore decided that I am going to remove the covering, and instead hand paint some "beach" themed stripes in a cute type of way onto the cupboard doors. I will do these stripes in the same blue that is on the exterior of the van to link the interior and exterior together. Hope you think this is a good idea, as I am going to start this tomorrow!!

And finally, I think I may not have enough of the "biscuit" material to cover all the cushions and to complete the curtains. Therefore, on the "AbaKhans" website I have found this:

Chenille Stripe Navy 150cm

I am hoping this will link to the biscuit, keep the beach theme going, and will link to the dark blue wallpaper I am soon going to be adding to the back and front. 

So, not sure if I am making much progress but I hope it will show itself soon!!

Thanks for reading again, Tan :)