4. COLOR

 Now that the inside of the camper was cleared out, it was time to sweep and prime. I had anxiety choosing the perfect color palette for the pop up. I knew I wanted something bright. I have a blue wall in my sewing room and it helps me relax and focus. So off to Lowes I went. I picked a bright blue (Valspar, Rushing Stream) and a very light gray (Valspar, Notre Dame). I used these paint swatches to choose the perfect fabric from Walmart (Waverly, Disks Azure). I really enjoy the fabric because the pattern is small enough where the bright colors will not overwhelm the camper. I plan on using this fabric for the bench cushions and some of the curtains. While I was out with my swatches and fabric sample in hand, I went back to Lowes to choose a vinyl flooring. My intent was to purchase a faux wood pattern, the cheapest they had. By the time I left I had purchased a luxury vinyl floating floor. Luckily I only needed two boxes (JUST BARELY), because at $55 a box I was pushing other items out of my camper budget.

Our little camper came equipped with a cream colored dinette. Boring. I removed it from the camper and sprayed it with several coats of Valspar Stone spray paint. My genius idea is to top the dinette with polyurethane to give it a faux granite look. I also taped off (VERY WELL – this stuff sprays everywhere and is messy) the counter top and sprayed three coats of the stone spray paint. I purchased two cans of spray paint for these two small projects and they didn’t go very far. The texture is amazing and I can’t wait until it is warm enough to apply the poly to both the dinette and counter top.

I love me some color. I was very excited to begin the painting process, but I knew immediately that I would have to prime every single pressboard and wood piece in the camper. Twice. So I did. The white made my little pop up feel open, but I couldn’t wait to start with the blue and gray. The benches and steps were painted blue and any wall areas light gray. The gray is light enough to look white in certain lighting.

I was on a roll! I enjoyed painting and bringing life to our future home away from home. I was chatting with my sister and another friend about what I could do to update my ugly camper fridge. The front was made with a particle board insert and BOTH ladies suggested Modge Podging fabric to the front. So smart. I began by spraying the metal part of the fridge a dark gray and then went to work with the front. I used a multi-purpose sealer to stiffen the fabric (two coats). Once it was dry I measured and cut the fabric to fit. The metal part of the fridge and the particle board had a gap that was just the right size for placing the thickened fabric in between. I applied a layer of Modge Podge in the middle of the particle board and slowly smoothed out the fabric. Once I got to the edges I added a tiny more Modge Podge and used a flat head screwdriver to make sure the fabric edges didn’t show. Once the Modge Podge was dry, I added two more layers on top of the fabric to ensure it was adhered well enough for camping.