Our Teardrop Stash

Shortly after our big evening of spending, our stash began showing up at the door. Below are our two windows, the Fan-tastic Vent still in the box (but, trust me, it's awesome), and four boxes of flexible chrome - one length of it is laying on top of the pile. The red color is the 3M tape used to mount it.

We also made a day-long pilgrimage to Baltimore to do some more essential shopping. We got these LED lights from Ikea. What is awesome about them is they're already 12V. Not to mention, they're slightly pose-able and emit little to no heat.

We also went to the Loading Dock in southeast Baltimore. It's a great architectural salvage/ReUse store. We found a box of 45 blue vinyl flooring tiles - 1x1. The interior of the tear will be just under 45 sq ft. We have no wiggle room to waste material! We found discounted adhesive too.

Lastly, I bought two new enamel cups for our collection on Etsy. Together they were $3 - $4 with shipping. I couldn't pass them up. The flowers on the blue-rimmed cup are wearing off a little more on one side than the other and the green-rimmed cup has a pretty serious chip but that should smooth out as it gets used. Overall, a great purchase :)

So needless to say I am beyond thrilled with everything. I'm ready to get this show on the road!

Jeremy is due for a construction update so stay tuned!

Purchases!!

Oh boy, did I ever do some good spending last night! We bought 3 big purchases for the teardrop: an exhaust fan, chrome detailing tape, and windows. Can you smell the hole my credit card burned in my pocket? It was red-hot!

After some good searching - and recommendations from teardrop friends - we decided on a Fan-tastic Vent for the exhaust fan. We also heard "Don't buy from anyone except Scott at Adohen Supply Co". We took their advice and got a crazy deal on a 5000rbt model vent. We opted for white interior trim, a low profile base, and a clear, flat, dome cover.

This model has a thermostat so if we're camping and go off and leave the dog in the trailer we can be sure that the temperature won't move much from where we set it. This is a good thing when you have a heat-restricted pup!

And what a find on flexible chrome detailing! We were looking to trim out the wave on either side of the trailer with aluminum. Instead we found Flex Chrome in almost any size and shape you could ask for! Please please please check them out! We chose part #HR027C. I comes in 108in strips so we bought 4 of them.
Lastly, we bought these awesome windows from R.W. Johnson Teardrop Trailers. We were originally looking for safari windows off of a VW bus but realized that they would be too large to fit into our door. I did a search for crank-out windows and found these instead. Ideally, we would have loved for them to have an aluminum finish but apparently you can't find them anywhere anymore - I asked around. I think we'll take these babies apart and spray them silver. Jeremy is a window man - hopefully he can get them back together!

Aren't they just wonderful! "Crankout with screen. WIN". You really can't get any better than that :)
Woohoo!!!

A Few Teardrop Holiday Picks

I hope everyone's holiday preparations are in full swing. In case you still need a gift for that special teardrop lover in your life, the following are a few suggestions. Enjoy!

Teardrops and Tiny Trailers by Douglas Keister.

Buckle up as Douglas Keister takes you for a decidedly retro ride in the world of diminutive travel trailers in Teardrops and Tiny Trailers. The demand for vintage trailers-the smaller the better-has risen dramatically in recent years, with the most in-demand trailers being "teardrops," first manufactured in the 1930s and containing just indoor sleeping space and an outdoor exterior kitchen. Also profiled in the book are "canned ham" trailers, whose shape resembles the profile of a can of ham; small-size examples of America's most beloved vintage trailer, the Airstream; miniscule gypsy caravans in Europe; and fiberglass trailers made in Canada. Two hundred color photographs showcase these trailers' sleek exteriors, retro-styled interiors, and, in many cases, the restored classic cars that tow them. Teardrops and Tiny Trailers includes a resource section chock-full of places to locate vintage trailers, clubs to join, and rallies to attend.

River's Edge 10-piece camper light set.

Woody and Teardrop salt and pepper shakers.

Happy Trails wall hooks.

Santa Travel Trailer Camping Christmas ornament.My House Has Wheels calendar from YeeHaw.

And in case you're feeling crafty, you can get this ribbon from J. Caroline Designs ribbon.

The Collections Grows...

I am just in love with this picture. Well, it's not so much the picture but the subject matter :) This is the collection for our galley so far. Jeremy had a good collection of enamelware to begin with but we've been on the lookout for a few more select things.

We went thrifting this weekend and found the yellow napkin holder, the mint green mixing bowl, and the Skotch Kooler with the 50 nifty united states. It says "Happy Motoring" on it :)

I would say we're almost finished. We just need a few large plates - dinner size, some small bowls for cereal, two more mugs, and maybe a few Tupperware containers for dry goods. I love the way it's shaping up!

A Little Bit of Shopping Never Hurts

Hello All! It's been a little while and we've been making progress. Jeremy will have to tell you all about it later. Since I don't want to steal his thunder I'll talk about... shopping!

Over Labor Day weekend we visited family in Orwigsburg, PA (near Pottsville, home of Yuengling beer). They also live close to the big Cabela's store in Hamburg so we made a pit stop there to see if they had anything we could use in our teardrop build.

We found this great camp oven made by Camp Chef. It has two burners on top and a large oven underneath powered by propane. Camp Chef also makes a red camp oven that, along with one burner and the oven, also has a grill plate.

We didn't buy the oven but we might end up building a spot for it in the galley. We shall see.

We also found our Tommy Bahama curtain fabric at Jo-Ann Fabric! We bought 4 yards of it for curtains and maybe pot holders or something for the galley. It's a pretty bold fabric so I don't want to go overboard. (Pardon the picture, the color looks really bleached out.)

And speaking of bold patterns...

I have been eyeing these beauties on Etsy for months now. Same brand. Same pattern. Different Etsy shops(!). When you're presented with something like this it's pretty much a no-brainer. And then when the shirt goes on sale for $10? Fuggedaboutit :)

I'm still waiting for them in the mail but I can see them making an appearance at a teardrop gathering, or twelve.

Stay tuned for a construction update from Jeremy in the days to come!

I Wish I Wasn't Such a Chicken

Jeremy and I were in Ocean City on Saturday visiting Salty Yarns and Malibu's Surf Shop. This Dregs longboard was out on the porch at Malibu's. How cool is this?? We didn't buy it but it's totally Jeremy and me in 10 years - travel trailer, red pickup, the ocean.... aaaah.

I used to have an Arbor longboard in college but was too scared to ride it. I didn't want to fall off and hurt myself - not the best mindset for an aspiring skateboarder :)

Maybe if I buy this one I'll have a better chance of climbing on and rolling off into the sunset. Or maybe I could just hang on to the back of the trailer while Jeremy pulls!

Check out the 37" South of the Boarder ditch board here.

Got Big Wood?

Found an amazing deal on the plywood we need, delivered in about a week. We love you Warren's Wood Works!

Mall Trip

I haven't been to the mall in ages. Truthfully, I'm not really a mall person, but this past weekend was just to unbelievably hot to do much else. Jeremy and I went to Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, MD. This mall is great! Anything you need to find, you'll find there. (I went for the Lego store and the Quicksilver outlet.)

I bought these two great books at Books-a-Million. I had been stalking them on Amazon.com for a few weeks but hadn't committed to buying them. I've looked for them at our local Barnes and Nobel but they stink and never have what I'm looking for. Leave it to good ol' Books-a-Million to come through in the end! Jeremy even found his mag, Monster Children!

Teardrops and Tiny Trailers, Douglas Keister

Sisters on the Fly: Caravans and Campfires, Irene Rawlings

I just started reading Teardrops and Tiny Trailers yesterday. It's an awesome resource and is filled with great pictures. And Sisters on the Fly? Well let me just say I'm green with envy. Definitely take the time to check these books out.

In the Lego store was another great teardrop find. Side note - being a Lego artist must be the best job ever!

In the distance, a choir of angels sings...

Below each shelf, stocked with kits, were little peepholes into make-believe worlds. One of the dioramas was a couple on a lovely teardrop getaway. This made my day.

Look at the fire - and the marshmallows!

It looks like Yogi got into the garbage and is getting scolded by the park ranger.

Well, I hope everyone in the Mid-Atlantic is keeping cool. Beat the heat and reconnect with your inner child by pulling out your old Legos and building something, preferably while enjoying an ice cold margarita!