A Nifty Little Idea

even if I do say so myself. 
I wanted some way to be able to hang up a few pictures and notes in the van, but the interior is covered in fabric and I am loathe to stick pins in it.  Yes, that will probably change, but I haven't gotten to that point yet.  Freedom is still too new (to me) and I just can't bring myself to stick pins in her.  At this time...

What I came up with as I was lying in bed waiting for the sand man to visit and dreaming about heading out on the "Big Adventure"  was fabric-covered sheet metal attached to the little hidey-hole cupboard doors on either side of the on-board television which, by the way, is analog and useless in this digital age; but I digress.  The idea blossomed into a plan and here's how it all went down.  It has a good ending.

I called the local lumber/steel/recycling place and asked if they carried sheet metal and if so, could they cut it to size for me....and they could.  And I was happy. 

The cuts were a little rough, but I used a heavy duty nail file to smooth them up a bit. Next step was to drill small holes in the metal so I could attach the sheets to the doors. I decided to use small nails.  Only time will tell if that was a mistake.  If it was I will have to remove the nails and use screws. 

 The next step was to add double-faced carpet tape to the sheet metal, then cut my chosen material to size leaving a hefty border around all sides, remove the backing to expose the top side of the tape and "wrap" like a present.

 

Before taking my little wonders out to install on the doors, I took a pair of needle nose scissors and poked a hole in the fabric where the holes were drilled into the metal.  They were easy to find by feel.  I probably could have skipped this step because I used nails, but if I ever need to use screws instead, I don't want the fabric to wrap around the screw and I think that's exactly what they would do and possibly pull the material out of shape or pull it away from the carpet tape on the back.                                                            

 

 Here's the sheet metal, wrapped and nailed to the cupboard door.  All ready for magnets and pictures of that new grand baby!  ;-)

 

On the To-Do List will be fixing, covering, doing SOMETHING with that gaping hole left by the TV.

 

Thanks for stopping by Two Dogs today.  Hugs, Shawna

A Few New Items For Freedom

What do you do in the depths of winter to entertain yourself?  There's TV, the occasional walk, playing with the dogs, the internet, and FaceBook, reading...  Yes, there's all that, but most of my spare time has been spent dreaming about the day I get to pack up Freedom for more than just a few days' stay somewhere.  For that time when the dogs and I pull out of the driveway of our sticks and bricks home that is no longer ours and we head out on the open road to whatever adventures come our way.  The day we make Freedom our permanent home. 

Part of getting ready for that future date is the continuing work on Freedom to make her our comfy-cozy little abode on wheels.  The desk/kitchen table I made is installed, and we have several plastic drawer units in place.  The bed is more comfortable than the one in our house, and I continue working on the little things while saving for getting a few more of the big things (think solar), and some confidence to install it, but that's another post.

Below is the desk/table installed in Freedom.  In the center is the cooler cube I purchased and the cover I threw together for it.  I definitely need to make another one that is a bit bigger, or more appropriately 'fuller', and cover the cube with Reflectix, but for now this works.  It's not only my ice chest but also the seat for my desk/table.

I have an on-going list of things on my wish list at Amazon and was able to purchase a couple of items earlier this month and got them installed.  It seemed I did not have enough light to my liking, especially something that was handy and something I would be able to turn on when entering the van in the dark.  These LED battery operated stick-on lights from Amazon work perfectly and throw out a good amount of light.  These are on the ceiling, one towards the front right at the side doors and the other is toward the back near the bed.



The other item I purchased was a drink holder.  I loves me some coffee or tea while on the move and Freedom, being an older gal, did not have the kind of cup holders that worked with my to-go cups.  Searching Amazon (I love that store!) I found an adjustable holder that I was able to attach over the top of the console where the integrated holders were.  It works really well and doesn't look too bad at all. I positioned it so I have a little opening to stash a pen or two and I can put a notepad behind the holder.  Am thinking the holder on the right might be useful for the GPS.  Will try that out during the next short road trip.

Thanks for stopping by Two Dogs today and following along as we get Freedom ready to roll. 
Have a great week!  Hugs, Shawna