Tag Archives: interior

The Airstream Diaries: Interior Cleaning AKA The Struggle is Real

This was the dirt/hair in the Airstream on a good day. YIKES!

One of the reasons that I was pumped to move into the 188 square feet of the Airstream was less cleaning. Less room, less cleaning, right? RIGHT?!?! Well, yes and no. I don’t have to clean two bedrooms, a kitchen, an office, two bathrooms and a living room/dining room, but I still have to clean, unfortunately. It’s one of life’s inevitable chores.

And although I don’t have as much space to clean, I do feel that I have to clean more often. A small space can look instantly cluttered if there are clothes laying out or the bed is unmade. It doesn’t take me a whole Saturday to clean like it used to, but there’s still a never ending stream of dishes and laundry.

Hello, my name is Bambi and my favorite hobbies are playing with my ball, begging for food and shedding!

Lately the dog hair has been out of control too. Bambi has been shedding her summer coat and mama and daddy both have long hair. Our shoes and paws also track in sand from the outdoors. It’s a never ending fight against hair and sand around here. Rugs help and so does the gravel path outside, but we sweep and/or vacuum every other day.

I recently went on a fall deep cleaning spree and even cleaned out the lights in the Airstream. Woof. It was like a science experiment in there.

I think if I ever was “wealthy” (whatever that means), I’d live in a small house and hire a housekeeper. I just can never seem to keep up.

What about you? Is cleaning a struggle for you? Does a dirty house stress you out? Let me know in the comments.

love,
melanie

Easy DIY: Washi Tape Mirror

You know those projects that somehow never just finish themselves? Those projects are super inconsiderate. I can’t even believe them sometimes. My dishes are the worst. They just pile up and pile up until finally I get angry enough and do them myself.

The mirror in my bathroom was one of those projects. I had planned to paint or cover the edges in small strips of wood, but sometimes all I’ve got time for is a five minute project. I found this washi tape that has been lying around since our wedding and simply put it up around the mirror to hide the ugly, old edges. The best thing about washi tape is that if you mess up, it doesn’t leave residue or loose it’s stickiness. There’s really no trick to this project.

I love projects like that. No tricks, just treats. It’s super simple and it makes a big difference.

What’s your favorite 5 minute DIY? I’d love to see links to your projects in the comments!

love,
melanie

Airstream Inspiration

I feel guilty about not being “productive” this weekend. Do you ever feel that way? Learning to relax is definitely something I need to work on.

Tropical Storm Andrea put a damper on our Airstream progress. This past weekend, we had planned to install the floor, but it rained crazy-hard. And when it wasn’t raining, it was a humid, unbearable 95 degrees. Gotta love living in the south!

But instead of staring longingly out of the window at the airstream, I decided to make myself at least feel productive by looking for inspiration for the Airstream’s interior.

A few of my favorites are below.

For the source, just click on the picture!

This is my ultimate inspiration. I love the clean lines and the bright white in this airstream.

I adore this desk! It folds down for more space. Gorgeous and genius. It’s the Natalie Portman of desks.

The storage under the bed in this Bambi airstream is so clever. And I just want to climb in that bed!

Although it isn’t an airstream, I really admire the woodwork that went into this bus. I also love the pattern mixing in the textiles. Custom woodwork and pattern mixing are two aspects I want to incorporate into our own design.

For more of my airstream inspiration, follow my board on Pinterest!

love,
melanie

The Biggest Before and After EVER!

The old library shelving

We had our reference section sitting on our study carrels for 6 months because the shelving collapsed when we tried to move it : /

I’ve been absent ’round these parts because… (dun, dun, dun!) I’ve had a huge project at work (whomp, whomp). But this is no ordinary project. Last year, I wrote a request to the senior leadership team at my school to fund new library shelving. The old shelving was falling apart. Literally. The furniture in the library was all original to the school, so it has been there since 1969! After much fighting, scraping and the occasional tear, we got the go ahead for new shelving!

Today I am happy to bring you the biggest “Before and After” this blog has ever seen!

AFTER!

I no longer feel like I might get assaulted when I re-shelve books!

It has been a long process. We weeded 6,000 books from the collection. We researched and designed shelves. And we physically moved and re-shelved 24,000 books.

I am tired. My body hurts. I didn’t know being a librarian often involves so much physical labor. I actually soaked in Epsom salts last night. I am an old lady, but a happy old lady who knows that hard work pays off.

love,
melanie

Before and After: Cedar Chest

before

Most of the things that live in our house are either thrifted, handmade or gifts. Rarely do George and I buy any home goods full price. We both grew up on the low end of a middle class households. When I was little, my mom made all of my clothes and George grew up in the country (’nuff said), so the DIY attitude has been engrained in us.
before2 We thrifted the chest above to use for George’s t-shirts. He has amassed quite the collection since he began working for a clothing company– one of the perks! We knew that Lane Cedar Chests are good quality, but the finish was in bad shape. We thought it might be fun to paint the chest instead of staining the wood. I really liked the bones of this piece, just not the surface. So, instead we sanded it down, primed it and painted it. (We didn’t paint the inside, of course. Cedar smells too good!)

We decided to highlight the different panels of the chest by using a different color. I love the color combination of grey and yellow. Although, I did make poor George go to the paint store multiple times to get the right shade of grey. Grey is such a hard color to get right!

Here’s the after shot! TA-DA! It’s amazing what a little paint can do.

Do you have any Before and After Projects to share? Show ’em to me in the comments!

love,
melanie

Home Tour: Bedroom

It feels like it has been raining for the last month. I have the hardest time getting out of bed when it is raining. Rain pitter pattering on my tin roof is one of the best sounds in the world. Since I’ve spent so much time there lately (and I’ve cleaned a ton!), I thought I’d share my boudoir with you! I don’t think it will ever get any cleaner, so I had to document the occasion.

George made the moon backdrop for our wedding. He free-handed it. That man is amazing.
My dad made this nightstand in woodshop when he was 16. He gave it to my grandma, and after she passed, he gave it to me. It is one of my most precious things.
I love our little bedroom and our home, but I do hope spring will show up soon! I need to get out of this house!