Life With Poppy

Well, we almost went camping.  Our two oldest grandchildren were here last week, and we were going to take them with us on Lola’s maiden voyage.

See how happy Bob looks as he’s checking everything out?

That look changed when he turned on the pump and water started running out through the floor!

Well, some adjusting to a couple of connections fixed that, so it was time to fire up the pump again.  But guess what?  Water was also leaking from the pump itself!

Oh, Lola.  Such a pretty face, such a stubborn interior.  We went on a picnic instead.

Bob is trying to make friends with Lola.  He got her a brand new jack!

I’m not sure if that’s a grin or a grimace, but I think the two of them are getting along a little better!

First, a little history.  Lola was born in 1972.  She would have looked very much like Poppy inside.  But, before us, someone loved her enough to totally redo her.  He gutted her (sounds horrible, I know), gave her Pergo floors and new everything!  Sadly, he passed away before he got to use her.  But, we’re going to use her and love her for him–and thank him for all the work he did on her.

Lola has a great black sofa across her front.

Of course it makes into a bed.

I recognize the dinette as one designed by Chriostpher Deam.  It also makes into a bed.

The upper cupboard is also from a Christopher Deam Airstream.

Below it is the stove, sink and prep area.  All very sleek!

Across the way is the refrigerator/freezer, the microwave and a really nice, large pantry.

Oh, and did you notice the flat screen TV on the wall above the dinette?  That wall is carpeted with a gray, indoor/outdoor type carpeting.

Lola has a center aisle, with twin beds on each side.  Dave, Lola’s previous owner, made bunk beds in there!  He even added curtains to make it like a train berth!

There’s a closet at the end of the beds.

While I love having everything new in the bathroom, it doesn’t have much aesthetic appeal.

The commode.  How does one hide that big, black pipe!?!

There’s a nice sized shower.

It’s not easy working with curves, to Dave did kind of a funky thing with the shower which left an odd, skinny space in front of the window.

And, of course, the window across the back.

Okay, here’s hoping that David Bromstad and HGTV phone any day to tell us to bring Poppy to San Francisco.  But, in the meantime, we’re starting on some updating.  We’ve decided to start in the back of the trailer and work forward.  That means the bathroom is first!

All throughout the bathroom there’s are these metal channels with blue plastic strips in them.  The blue has got to go!

I go wild pulling all the blue strips out, then I get busy and remove anything that’s screwed in–shower curtain rods, soap holders, toothbrush holders, etc.

Even this cover above the toilet comes off.  Cool!

Now it’s a thorough cleaning with TSP in preparation for painting.  Thank goodness, Bob volunteers to paint.  There’s a reason for this.  He’s seen me paint before. ;-)

I head to the shop.  You can purchase new plastic strips, but only in blue (hello!  I’m trying to get rid of the blue), green, black and white.  What!?!  No orange or chrome?  I bought some spray paint that’s supposed to work on plastic, so I’m going to give that a try.

It’s turning out pretty cool, but I’m worried about what will happen when you flex the plastic.  Will the paint pop off?

Bob gets busy filling holes and other things.  We’re going to use a special bathroom epoxy to paint in here.

Help Me Get Poppy on TV!  Skip to the bottom.

Poppy is very special to me, and I want her to have the beautiful makeover that she deserves.  I have some great ideas, but I’m not a designer.  Awhile back I started watching Color Splash on HGTV.  Then it hit me!  David Bromstad should make over Poppy!

So, right around the first of the year I wrote a letter to David,  Here’s what it said…..

Dear David,
I love Colorsplash, and even my husband is addicted to the show.  I’m sure most of America would love to have you do a makeover for them, and I’m no exception.  How would you like to make over a 1973 Airstream travel trailer?  I didn’t want to clutter up this email with photos, but have lots of links to my web site and blog.  Here are the details:

About Us – I’m Karen Snyder.  I just reached my goal or retiring from retail when I turned 55 and have closed my retail quilt shop, Anna Lena’s. That leaves me time to continue designing fabric, writing quilting books and programs and pursuing my Airstream Dream.  With the latter in mind, I bought a vintage Airstream on Ebay a few months ago.  I’ve named her Poppy!  Oh, I should say, I’ve never been camping a day in my life!  My husband is Bob Hamiltion.  He’s a cranberry farmer (yes, like the guys in the Ocean Spray commercials).  He’s also the guy that figures out how to make all my ideas come to fruition!  And he has been camping before.

Location – I live in Long Beach, Washington, a beautiful seaside community just north of the Oregon border.  I’d love to welcome you and your crew here to film an episode of Colorsplash.   Not within your makeover area?  No problem, Poppy has wheels and would love a trip to San Francisco.

The Trailer – Poppy is a 23 foot, 1973 Airstream.  She’s in great shape, but very, very dated.  Think lots of fake brown wood grain.  There’s the living room/kitchen, bedroom with twin beds and bath.

My style – I live in a Craftsman bungalow that we built eight years ago.  I grew up loving that style and immersed myself in the genre.  We don’t just have Craftsman details, we have a real craftsman down to the push button light switches, box beam ceilings, window nooks, built-ins everywhere, art tile fireplace, stained glass, etc.  Bob used 24 1/2 gallons of shellac on our interior woodwork!  I also have a quilt studio that we built a couple of years ago.  I don’t think Bob believed me when I told him the inside was going to be orange and turquoise, but it is!  It’s fun.  It’s funky.  It’s where I create, and I absolutely love it.  I could stay out here forever.  But wait, I want to go camping……

Thoughts about the Makeover – Airstream began production in the 1930′s, and I love soooo many things about that era–the “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” attitude during the depression, the WPA and the CCC’s, the movies, the Chicago World’s Fair, art deco (like the Chrysler Building and the Marriott hotel in S.F.) and especially the quilts and fabrics, which happen to be my specialty.  Now Poppy isn’t that old, but I do think it might be cool to do an Art Deco meets fun and funky.  I have a plan for the quilts for the bed, a variation of this quilt.  I love the juxtaposition of the free-form flowers and the geometric background squares.  I plan to use aqua for the background color and, of course, orange for the flowers–perfect for Poppy!

Why make over an Airstream? – Why not!  It’s an icon of American culture.  It’s sure to be a challenge. And you be joining other great designers who’ve tackled Airstream design, like Ralph Lauren, Christopher Deam and McKenzie Childs.

So, are you game?

Sincerely,
Karen Snyder

So, miracle of miracle, I hear back, the production company and David love the idea, we send a video, exchange phone calls and emails, but………….the latest word is the “powers that be” at HGTV want the show to stick to residential.  Argh!

So, will you help me?  Will you go to HGTV and let them know that you’d like to see David make over an Airstream?  It’s really easy.  Here’s the link Just choose Comment and Color Splash and tell them you think David should make over an Airstream!  Hey, it’s worth a try!

Thanks.