Last weekend we packed up Susie Q & headed off into the woods!
Our friends were getting married at a cabin nearby so it was the perfect excuse to campout with some of our dear friends for the weekend.
Sharing the trail & campfire coffee with this guy is my favorite. We were indeed in our happy place & grateful for the much needed rest.
In between wedding festivities, we hiked the nearby trails with friends & went kayaking on the lake.
The weekend was filled to the brim with campfire conversation, copious amounts of coffee, laughter, fallen leaves, roasted hot dogs & toasted marshmallows, cozy flannel, dirty hair & happy hearts.
Autumn camping, you are my favorite.
Share your happy place with me in the comments! I want to hear from you!
love,
natalie
one month ago, our 1997 13ft shadow cruiser camper lovingly named susie q joined our family! see the first blog post HERE.
we’ve slowly made small changes inside over the last few weeks to better fit our family & our own aesthetic. today i thought i’d share some before & in-progress photos!
BEFORE:
& NOW:
it’s amazing what a can of paint, some fabric & pops of color will do!
with the exception of the floor & carpet insulation around the top bunk, i painted every square inch of susie q. in total, it took me about 20 hours. i coated the laminate cabinets & faux wallpaper walls with this primer first. once it was dry, i painted two coats of white primer + paint all-in-one from the hardware store. it’s holding up very well & stains wipe off easily with a magic eraser!
i also painted the front of our mini fridge in chalkboard paint & love doodling cute quotes & phrases to the front!
my biggest splurge inside the camper was having the cushions professionally reupholstered. i was able to find a great coupon to joann’s fabric store for the gray linen blend fabric, which cost about $125 in the end. the trim fabric was found at hobby lobby for just a few bucks. it cost $200 to have the cushions reupholstered so i spent about $350 on this project.
it was well worth the expense, though! the new cushions zip off for easy cleaning & i love how much the new cushion colors brighten the space!
i was able to shop our home for most of our accessories & artwork. it’s so fun what you’ll find when you start shopping your closets & drawers!
above – i cut a piece of cork board to size for the side of our nightstand & added postcards, fun photos & more of places we love & adventures we’ve been on. we plan to add to the board as we travel to different places!
my sweet cousin gifted me the cute tea towel when she heard about our camper! i was able to find a cheap hook at walmart to hang it near our sink.
i also added fresh flowers & candles throughout our space. woven baskets & cute plastic plates are great for corralling like-items together.
i am always on the lookout for extra camper storage solutions. i found this great wire bin at walmart on sale for just $6. it hangs over the door of our closet for storing books, magazines, coloring books & color pencils.
most everything else came from inside our home. the mugs are from 1canoe2 & the globe print is from meg’s shop.
we still have a handful of changes to make, including curtains, but it’s always so nice to see a little progress & lots of hard work!
what do you think, friends?
love,
natalie
on saturday we pulled out of the driveway with sweet susie q in tow for our maiden voyage! to say i was a little excited would be quite an understatement – i was downright giddy!
we were away for just one night – our weekends are really filling up! – but it was a wonderful 24 hours.
we planned to head out to the river, but after many hours researching the best camping sites with full camper hookups, we opted for beaver lake.
we would highly recommend starkey campground! it’s wonderful for both campers & tent camping. the facilities are clean, the lake is crystal clear, the swimming spots are beautiful & it’s just 30 minutes from downtown eureka springs!
once we arrived, we set up camp in less than thirty minutes. we brought along our pups – huck & dandy – & they did so well! they’re definitely outdoor loving dogs.
before we left, i managed to paint this area of the camper. there’s still so much to do, but i really love the white walls. we are having the cushions recovered this week… i cannot wait to show you!
i also set up this water station just outside of our camper. it’s blueberry & mint-infused water & it was perfect for hydrating.
luke also baked fresh bread for the trip! i made rice krispy treats for dessert, too.
later that evening we cooked dinner over the fire & enjoyed the sunset. we woke up the next morning to an equally beautiful sight.
we enjoyed hot coffee in the crisp morning air while watching a bald eagle’s nest from our campsite!
{mug is from 1canoe2!}
i cooked breakfast for the first time in our little camper kitchen! it was so much fun! we have a little list going of supplies we forgot that are needs for our next trip… like salt. oops!
after breakfast, we headed out to the lake for some much needed rest.
i brought along my taproot magazine, la croix & watermelon. such a wonderful couple of hours soaking up the sun!
living life with this man is indeed the sweetest. we had such an amazing time with susie q & are thrilled for more adventures to come!
love,
natalie