Accessorizing my Adventures....

   This past winter I got hooked on making bunting banners.   You know.... those pointy pennant thingies that car lots use.  Well... these are colorful cloth banners.   Glampers decorate their vintage trailers with them and I'm planning on decorating my Camper Van with one... or two.... or maybe more.

These are a few on the ones I've made.   I sell some on my family Etsy site:  Bunkhouse Boutique... http://www.etsy.com/shop/BunkhouseBoutique   Check Us Out.
  They also can be used to decorate for Parties, Birthdays, Photography props, or children's rooms.

National Glamping Weekend...

June 2 & 3, 2012 is National Glamping weekend.  Hope you all are making plans to go "Glamorous Camping"
  I think I might.   Where... I'm not sure yet, but it sounds like fun to me.
  I am a "Sister".... I've joined the Mary Jane Sisterhood and the Sister's on the Fly Sisterhood... women and vintage trailers.  Camping, Glamping, Fly Fishing (I dunno about that one).... nothing but us girls.   We will see what this summer holds for my adventures.
http://www.nationalglampingweekend.com/

Craft Retreats... Highly Recommended

  Spent last weekend in the Beautiful Bavarian town of Leavenworth, Washington.
  Each year we hold a family craft retreat.  We've been to Leavenworth a few times, Whistling Jacks a couple of times.  This past weekend we again went back to Leavenworth.
  We get a 3 bedroom suite in a motel within walking distance from downtown.  We... being my Mom, my Daughter and my Sister as crafters and my 2 little grandsons.  This year, we invited my Niece, who has never been to Leavenworth before.  I'm glad we got to be the ones to take her.
  The boys played with toys they brought, cut paper, colored and played Angry Birds on my Kindle.  Sis did some sewing... she's learning to make quilttops, Mom did some embroidery, Daughter did beading & knitting, Niece did some beading and created some great scrapbook greeting cards and I worked on emblelishment on a quilt top and spent time relaxing and enjoyed whatching the activities of the boys. 
  I totally enjoyed the weekend. 
  Then... of course we did some shopping.   We walked into town and enjoyed the afternoon.
  On the way home, a neighboring town, Cashmere, has a wonderful Antique Mall that we HAD to check out.  I found a Vintage Barbie red coat and a suitcase pair.
  I highly recommend planning a retreat.. antique shopping... crafting... or whatevery you like to do.  Get away, relax and refresh.

Some Eye Candy....

While in Spokane this past November I found this cute little creation on the sidewalk out in front of a shop in the Garland District....

A dress made out of ties... and a Bacon Cupcake on another Garland district shop: Celebrations.

:) Suzy

Vintage Trailer's I checked out this Past Year....

  My trip to Roslyn and the Vintage Trailer rally was just the beginning...
I am uncertain of make, model or year of these or even who they belonged to, but they were great to see and fun to dream about.

The Pink & Crome was adorable, My daughter & grandson checking it out and the dawg is my son in law's, an American Bulldog.

A Very Cute red & White canned ham.... Love the Coca-Cola staging.

Then during the summer was an Antique Show & Vintage Trailer rally in Prosser Wash.  The Antique Show booths were set up under trees near the Yakima River at a Bed & Breakfast... (I will later inster the link to this show)....

This little cutie is owned by one of the Mary Jane Farms Sister.

Now I'm looking for one of my own to play with.  I found this one out in a pasture in Prosser, it's a shasta with wings... looks like an 18ft, cute pink & white painting.  I haven't approached and I don't know if I want to,  it probably has water damage & stuffed full of critters.

And this is my little sweetheart.  It was a frosty-frosty December day.  I moved her up on the lawn and decorated her for Christmas.   The kids call her the "Beast".  She's a 19ft Ford Econoline Okanagan moter home.

I had a little bumper mishap this past summer and I haven't had her repaired yet. 

Our Camping History

    My husband and I got a Coleman Camp Stove & Lantern as a wedding gift back in 1973.  The stove & lantern went into storage right away while we were overseas, so we didn't get to use it the first couple years of our married life.  We lived in England due to my Hub's military career.  In July of 76, we traveled and tent camped all over Europe, touring 7 countries in 3 weeks.  Once we were back in the states, buying our first home, building our family with our first child we continued our camping adventures in a two man canvas tent.  After awhile we came up in the world and bought our first pickup & camper.... about 1978ish.  Our daughter was less than 2 yrs old and our son was a twinkle in his father's eye.... as they say.   My family did tent camping when I was a kid back in the late 50's & late 60's.  We roughed it by traveling up to the hills, pitching our Huge Tent and camping for a week at a time.  My father was very much into horses and we quite often took the horses with us.  We kids even traveled in the back of the truck with the horses & gear.   It was memory making times.
  So now that we had bought our first camp vehicle, we took the two kids on week long travel trips all over these Pacific Northwest mountains & valleys.  We were providing our kids with memories.   Through the years up until they were into their late teens, we took our yearly family week long camp out.  Naturally their interest in going with the "folks" faded and/or they got busy with their own adult lives that our camping trips slowly stopped.   We sold the camper & settled for staying in Motels & Hotels when ever we went on trips.
  A few years ago, my Hub & I bought a 19 ft Conversion Van Moter Home.  It was cute, funky and perfect for our twosome trips. The kids called it "the Beast".  We've used it quite often and I had looked forward to many adventures together in our old age.  Sadly.... very sadly... I lost my husband in Feb.  
   "The Beast" sat for the rest of the winter and the early spring.  I got out to start it in May a couple of times.  I drove it to the next town a couple of times just to keep the fluids going.   In July, (acctually June...as corrected by my daughter) my daughter & grandsons came over to go camping.  We were going to go up to Roslyn, Washington to the Vintage Trailer ralley.  The morning we planned to leave, I thought it would be a good idea to open up the hood and check the oil.  This is what we saw.

Bird Eggs & a HUGE nest on my engine battery.  Sadly.. they were cold and would not have had a chance to hatch as I had taken the MH to my bro-in-law to check out (which he didn't do... ) for a week.   We removed the nest carefully, cleaned up the engine and headed out an hour late, but on our way.  So begins my first "Solo" adventure with the beast.
:) Suzy

Sewing Day...

  I work at a JM Smucker Fruit processing plant... we make concentrates out of purchased Fruits for juices, jams & jellys.   This is Grape Harvest season... and we would normally be half way through grapes by this date... we haven't started yet this year.   The first day of Grape Harvest for us will be Monday.. a full 3 weeks later than the norm.
  So with the weekend free I've put it to good use by sewing.  I have for the past 30+ years been involved in many crafts  and sold at street fairs, craft faires, Christmas craft shows, renaissance festivals and such.  I am starting a new venture and today I spent the day sewing pennant banners for fun decorative uses in bedrooms, parties & glamping. 

  My sister, my daughter and I have an Etsy website called the Bunkhouse Boutique.  We listed crafty & vintage things in the beginning, but have not listed anything this past year.  I want to reboost the idea and get us out selling at Farmer's Markets.     I also have an Etsy site that I've listed miniature dolls & faeries... but again... I've not listed in over a year.
  So I look forward to this new venture in our crafting life.
:) Suzy