Snow Days *

December 23, 2015 / erin / 1 Comment

We’ve had a very nice string of snow days and cold weather here, which has been the perfect excuse to work away on the trailer! FINALLY! I am so excited to show the progress we have made, and it totaled 4 days of work! (More like 3 1/2)

First thing we had to do was finish up the drywall and muding process. If I never see drywall again I will be a happy camper!

While we waited for the mud to dry and Ben ran off on errands, I got to work with sanding the floors down once and for all.

There was this patch in the floor that was coming up and could cause some major splinters, so we tore it up and patched it with the original trim we ripped out of the trailer.

Seemed to do the job just fine, and it was seriously the perfect fit! So far, we’ve gotten away with working with a lot of recycled materials and its been able to keep the costs low.

One thing we may have an issue with, and this has just come to mind recently, is that the drywall may have a hard time staying put if the trailer is going to be mobile often. Once we have more structures built into it, such as the kitchen etc, it may not be an issue. I guess time will tell and much like most I do in life, this too is just going to be trial and error . 🙂

Okay, so drywall and floors completed! Next thing I went to work on was priming and painting! Even tho my arms usually want to fall off by the time I am through, I kind of enjoy painting. Its relaxing. And no, this does NOT mean I will help paint your house for you 😉 okay I might.

All of these small details started to come into play, and they needed to be dealt with. SO. If you look back up to the first picture, you can see in the corner is a big silver piece of foam board. — We cut it to sizes, skinny long strips, and used it to insulate the gap where the wall and ceiling meet. That area will be covered by some ceiling trim and may also put up LED lighting there too… Time will tell.

I then went thru and spray painted the area black… The small spot at the top where the yellow foam is showing is kind of an eye sore, so I made it match the black metal for now, until we decide how that will be covered.

Next order of business was staining the floors! YAY! And cleaning up some more areas. Behind the pulley bar for the back door, is a lot of messy over spray, and it’ll be built in (one day) but we took the time to clean it up, and I also spray painted it black to make a cleaner look for now.

All of that took 3 days.

All was fine and dandy, until about 2 days ago I mentioned to Ben while trying to get to world 7 on Super Mario, that it would be nice if this bed had a frame, even if temporarily built on some 2×2’s, but it would be better than mattress on the ground.

Being the doer he is, he ran off to get the lumber needed and we spent the afternoon making the bed frame, sizing the storage that will go underneath, and even made cubby holes to access by lifting the mattress.

Oh, another cool feature is he made it to fit a queen bed, but also made it easily adjustable to fit a double, in case we decided to downsize on mattress size. (Its a tight squeeze with a queen)

Finished (?) product 🙂

I lifted the lace I have to show you how its lifted, it raised the mattress 14 inches off the ground and it makes a WORLD of a difference. The other half is still a cluster of stuff, but its looking better now that I can store under the bed! And it is all VERY organized and neat! 🙂

It is difficult to get used to the new temperatures at our new elevation 😉 but in all seriousness, it makes a world of a difference and we are struggling to find a new happy medium on the radiator!

Our little holiday shrine 🙂

Happy Holidays everyone! Seasons Greetings and a Happy New Year!

Peace and Love ❤

Homemade Toothpaste

December 8, 2015 / erin / 1 Comment

I’ve been trying to be less wasteful, more natural, and be more open minded to trying new things, and making my own products at home rather than buying them.

Our friends we stayed with in Iowa for Thanksgiving make a lot of their own products as well, and they have gifted us their homemade soap and I am in LOVE with it. While we were staying with them, I had the opportunity to try out their homemade toothpaste, and I decided I would have a go at making my own.

Now I pulled THIS RECIPE from google and tried it, and I also added Dr. Bronner’s peppermint Magic Soap to the mix. JUST A TINY BIT, like… 1/2 of a teaspoon. The oils I used were peppermint and eucalyptus.

Here is where I went wrong.

And I ALWAYS go wrong.

When I started making it I decided to half the recipe to start, to have a tester bottle. When I half a recipe I forget I am doing so at SOME point in the process of adding ingredients, and I did that this time too.

I halved the portions and then decided to use the same amount of drops of oil as if I didn’t half it. *facepalm*

I noticed when I brushed my teeth to see how it tasted.

SO. I went BACK to the drawing board to finish the full recipe to make up for the STRONG taste.

Its been about 3 days now. I don’t mind it at all. Ben on the other hand….

Well it just doesn’t seem to agree with him, and it just sets his gag reflexes going. He thinks it may be the coconut oil (I used unrefined) but I think it may be the baking soda? It tends to have such a salty strong presence that it can easily overpower the senses.

I may try looking up some other recipes and try them out, and pay attention when I make a small portion this time! 🙂 But it doesn’t seem all that bad to me.

If you have any suggestions or make your own and you like it, let me know your secrets! 🙂

a little DIY

November 22, 2015November 22, 2015 / erin / 1 Comment

Okay, it’s cold, and the trailer work is a little slow as of late due to work and weather.

I am going to share some of my DIY projects, past and present.

Probably the one that I am most proud of, and I hope to do more like it, is an old rocking chair that I was given by my father in law. Rustic old thing that more than likely would be passed over by people time and again.

I also have had in my possession, some light brown hide that’s ready for use. One day I may want to try and make a purse out of it (there is a LOT of it) but I KNEW as soon as I saw the rocking chair that the leather would be PERFECT for it. I’ve been in possession of the leather for awhile just waiting to put it to crafty use 🙂

Here is how I started… I cleaned and stripped the chair completely so it was just the frame remaining.

I chose the spray paint color I wanted to use and had at it — The reason I choose spray paint is simply because it’s cheap, and if I wanted to re-do it one day it would be fairly easy.

I then just traced the seat bottom size on some brown paper, so I could cut the leather to fit properly. That leather was NOT easy to cut, a good pair of scissors would be advised. . .

I purchased some decorative nails from Walmart as well as upholstery nails. The tiny upholstery nails were sturdier and I liked the look it gave too, almost simple, so I placed those in between the decor nails.

Here is the final product. I LOVED how it turned out and it was so easy. I ended up gifting it to a friend to was recently married and I knew it would fit her new home and her style.

I hope its enjoyed and loved! 🙂 The best part being if she doesn’t like it, it would still be very easy to re-do again!

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2015October 31, 2015 / erin / Leave a comment

I cannot feel my body.

Strike that. I CAN in fact feel my body. Every single muscle. They’re all yelling at me for not getting off my butt and keeping active on a regular! Three days ago I woke up and decided it’s been awhile since I’ve jogged, so I went. I totaled 2 miles, and this elevation was a big adjustment! Then two days ago I went to work with Ben 🙂

Another free day came up on Thursday, so we decided to use this beautiful weather and put it to use!

Originally, when we foamed the trailer, we only put about 3/4 inch of foam on the roof, and it seemed to do the trick… that is until the cold front started creeping in. It really needed more, so we added another 2 inches or so, coated with silicone and threw some gray granules on top. Again, foam is Ben’s profession, it’s what he wakes up to go do every day, so I was his “helper”. I basically tailed the hose and carried it behind (it’s a rather large hose… you’ll see below), cleaned up the job-site, taped up wind blockers and back spray, blew off the roof etc etc. Like an assistant.

The rather large snake on the ground is the foam hose and on the end of it obviously is the spray gun. It’s nice to have someone tail the hose and keep it out of the way, especially on a small surface. *Below* Boots are wrapped and taped so I don’t have to buy new ones 😉 and my dusk mask is on to breathe the clean air while sanding the walls inside down.

We really did end up getting a lot done on Thursday. It was a full working day, from about 10 AM or so, until 6:30 PM. We finished the roof which was the most important on the list. We will need to foam the bottom just a little more but that can be saved for another day.

Almost only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades, but we ALMOST finished the drywall. I am getting MUCH better at drywalling 🙂 We still had the front of the trailer, the ‘V’, to mud and tape still, and we had to frame the door and put in the bull nose and trim it up a bit. We were SO close… but we ran out of drywall mud. I HATE having to stop a project due to lack of supplies! But alas, such is life and all things are never ideal. Good news is I have the mud now, and after I finish the drywall up, I already have the painting supplies ready to go next!

At FIRST, I was very nervous on the roof. I didn’t go up last time but this time I wanted to get even more involved. I wouldn’t say have I have a fear of heights, cause I don’t, but I DO have a healthy respect for high surfaces that doesn’t have a railing on it.

The paper you see taped around the perimeter of the trailer in the first of these above three pictures is to help block the foam from spraying over the side etc. Last time I taped the paper around the top perimeter with both feet on the ground. (I’m kinda tall). THIS time I did it with both knees on the roof! Yipee! And THEN — by the end right before we coated the roof with the silicone, I went back up top and I was able to blow it off and walk around with confidence.. The extra foam did help as it made it more of a sturdy surface too 🙂 In between I had to also work around and trim the sides with a knife after the foam set in. No wonder my back hurt.

But seriously. . . I am really REALLY enjoying this process. It’s also nice not being on a timeline and worrying about a budget and a deadline. This way, we are able to work as we can afford it, and still live comfortably in it in the meantime. The work itself is very enjoyable, like I said, I am getting better at drywall! This third time I do it I may be just perfect. HA! It’s not easy, and this really does have a learning curve, but we are winging it and so far its working! I can’t wait to start our next project and we’re not even close to finishing this one!

It’s been a little over a month and I would recommend it over and over again if someone had asked my two cents. After moving twice (one across country) in less than 4/5 months, it’s taking a bit of time to bounce back up on our feet– as you can imagine– but bouncing we are and it’s great! 🙂

On that note, I’m going to get ready to go out and enjoy my Halloween! I love Halloween and all of the scares 🙂

. . . . .

October 26, 2015November 5, 2015 / erin / Leave a comment

My nose is very very sensitive to smells. Not in a bad way, I can just smell you, or that thing, or “insert scent here”, from a mile away. If it’s a dank enough smell it might send my gag reflexes going.. Courtesy of my mom’s side of the family 🙂

My favorite smell is the wind. I loved gym class growing up in the fall and spring time when we were able to go outside, because when we would come back in… You can smell the air, earth, and wind on your skin and hair. It’s a different smell than lined dried clothes, but that one is still ranked up there.

My second favorite smell is pine, actually, probably tied for first. But that smell, the pine and the needles covering the ground and the way it silences your footsteps. It reminds me of going to the Upper Peninsula Michigan when I was a kid to visit my grandparents camp on Lake Superior, and my other grandparents home. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve gone to the UP but it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL country up there, gorgeous! They call it Gods Country up there for a reason. Anyways, I digress, I love the smell of pine.

SO!

All of this talk about smells is leading somewhere. I went to the car wash the other day and they gave me a free air freshener, looks homemade somehow, and I picked the pine scent, but it looked like they also had an “air” smell. Next time. But my car smells so good I could live in it.

That was all.

NEXT order of business!

–SO. I HATE waste, and I really have been trying to minimize my carbon footprint, but in our current situation we don’t have a fresh water tank / running water set up in the trailer. (It will be coming just not yet). In the mean time we have been buying water either by the gallon or just recently in cases of water… and I KNOW I KNOW that is really bad for the environment, so this is why I’ve been looking up ways that I can recycle and re-use the bottles we will end up going thru!

My favorite ideas from one of the lists I found were…

Little greenhouses / Planters for plants
A vertical plant stand which you can use your grey water for it to grow plants like lettuce etc. Something that will be good for the kitchen etc.
Curtain/ Door sheer by painting the bottom of the bottles that are cut off
Making designs from the different colored bottle caps

http://www.boredpanda.com/plastic-bottle-recycling-ideas/

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2015/06/31-creative-ways-to-reuse-plastic-bottles.html

45 Ideas of How To Recycle Plastic Bottles

(All of these links found in a simple google search)

Maybe I’ll think up a few new ideas to use the bottles for, but I don’t want to recycle that many away, it’s more of a challenge to be creative and see what I can come up with.

Altho sometimes I tend to get obsessive and that’s all my time will end up consisting of… hope that doesn’t happen this time 🙂

Working day – 2 & 3

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015 / erin / Leave a comment

We’ve started on the drywall and the floors now. I would love to say the drywall was a beautiful experience but holy crap was I ever frustrated with that drill. No issues now, I’ve moved on, and I don’t expect this is the last project that I will be working on so we will meet again.

Each time we do work on the interior we have to unload the trailer, do the work, then load everything back in… needless to say each time it gets more organized, practical, and it honestly starts to feel bigger. It might be without trim for a while on the inside but painting and staining day is coming! This is the first time either of us have ventured into something like this, so the work is definitely what I would call “homemade”, but I promise my vision is coming to a reality and it’s looking good!

I was trying to decide what to do for the floor. As construction continued I decided that I (which ended up being Ben) was going to just sand off the ick on the floor and ramp door and I will work on staining them so I have a “hard wood floor” look. I saw a fellow “micro-liver” do this on a YouTube video and thought it may work, look good, and save money in the long run. Fingers crossed!

On another note, here is another stunning Colorado sunset…

What I am also in the middle of trying to figure out is how we are going to have the bed set up in trailer. The mattress we have in there currently is your standard queen size, and it takes up way. to. much. space. SO. I’ve been looking into some space saver beds/couches and I’ve had luck, but haven’t quite found the “one” that clicks. I’m mostly doing online searches, and planning on having to possibly save up for a better quality one, but I want to make sure that we like it and its going to work for us! Since both of us are rather tall, the length matters a lot… I think we can get away with the width only being about the size of a double, but we cannot really skimp on the length.

I’ve ALSO been pouring over Pinterest looking for shower/bath/sink/kitchen combos and seeing how others have done it, or even if they have done it. Some trailers just skip the shower/bathroom idea because of the lack of space, however, with enough time to think and plan, I believe we can come up with some clever options. It’s really nice that in the mean time we are parked in an area that gives us a place to take care of all of that, and also work on the construction without worry of any issues arising.

I want everything to look good, put together, and still be homey and stylish, so I am okay with taking as much time as I need to perfect it all. We have the time, so we may as well use it.

Happy Monday! 🙂

Working day — 1.

September 17, 2015 / erin / 5 Comments

One of the first major things that had to get done on the trailer was insulation, we just needed the time to do it. It worked out rather nicely that spray foam happens to be Ben’s profession so gaining access to it was rather easy and convenient, not to mention a major cost saver, and clearly the best option for the job.

So yesterday started with hauling everything out of the trailer, and we started with the ramp door. Screw by screw we took it apart and moved onto the walls and interior, we weren’t quite sure if we would end up spraying that day but were prepared to sleep in the trailer stripped if needed. This project will continue to progress as time and money allows, all the while having it for our permanent living quarters, so my standards have lowered drastically.

The ramp door came apart rather easily… I couldn’t imagine before we dove in how it would work etc when Ben would explain what we would need to do. But a few You Tube videos and 5 minutes in I had no problem working my way around that trailer.

This is really my first major project of anything construction related, so I’m asking Ben all the why’s, how’s, and why comes constantly. Once we got started everything just became common sense more or less and it flowed pretty easily. AND it was a lot quicker once he found the power drill for taking down the walls!

Here you can see the ceiling of the trailer, and in the process of the interior being stripped. I think I am going to leave the ceiling as is (meaning no drywall or ceiling cover). I like the strip of wood the way it is, so I think I am just going to get some darker stain for the wood, stain it and paint the metal, leaving the bars black. I have a few other things that I will plan to tie in with the ceiling wood strip, but I’ll save that for when the time comes.

Empty and ready for foam! 🙂

I did spray one tiny spot myself, but I didn’t want to make too big of a mess so I left it to Ben 🙂

Almost finished with the roof, just getting a coating on the foam. We decided to foam the roof and not the inside ceiling for a few reasons. One I just liked the look of the ceiling… Two, the black bars had a space between them and the sheet of metal above it, and its working out to be a great use for various gadgets, nets, and hooks. I want to make every space count in this small trailer so we thought this would be beneficial to keep.

I also want to reuse and recycle as many products and pieces as possible. (There is something we took off the trailer and I’m not sure WHAT I am going to do with it but it will be SOMETHING cool!) So anyways, above you see what the manufacturer used as a “trim” of sorts for the wooden interior. We ripped all of that out and some of it we cut up into small strips. We then put them above the beams and under the metal sheet that is the ceiling, between 2-3 pieces stacked for each spot. The reason we did this was so that when we foamed the roof it would still keep that space available for hooks etc.

Figuring out how to insulate the underside of the trailer was looking to be the biggest struggle but it actually didn’t turn into that much of an issue. Not sure whether to use foam board or spray foam (the preferred choice) we saved that decision for last. It was really an issue of HOW we were going to get under the beast — Ben managed to get a small fork lift to lift the trailer and create between 3-4 feet under it, foamed within a few minutes and presto! 😀

Next step is drywall! That might be a few days but I am a patient girl! My biggest struggle right now is deciding what to paint the interior…

PS. the insulation is making a WORLD of a difference.

Oh, and I am also exhausted from yesterdays work! BUT it feels amazing because I did it!

dynomadic life

Dynamic Design. Nomadic Nature.

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