DIY Customized Enamel Dishes

I love the chance to get to experiment with a new product.  Making custom things for a our little vintage trailer, Riley, is one of my favorite things. So, this week I made some custom dishes for Riley with DecoArt's really cool Chalky Finish Paint for Glass.  It has a completely matte finish and gives a fun well worn, vintage vibe.

This was a really simple DIY that gave a really custom look to some very plain enamel dishes.

To start you'll need stencils for your mugs or dishes that you want to customize.  Craft stores offer a huge variety of pre-made stencils.  Or you can create your own custom stencil with a Cricut or Silhouette machine and some vinyl like I did.  I used the DecoArt Chalky Finish For Glass paint in the colors Relic and Everlasting. 

With a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol, wipe down the side of the mug to remove any dirt or oil from the surface.

Adhere the stencil to the mug and using a foam stencil brush, dab on the paint in a thin even layer. When the paint is dry, remove the stencil carefully. To cure the paint and ensure that it sticks through wear and tear and even the dishwasher, you will want to follow this baking method. Place the dishes in a cold over and turn the oven on and bring to up to 325F.  Bake for 30 mins and then turn off the oven and leave the dishes in the oven until they are dry.

I love DIY's like this that take just a couple simple supplies to make cool, one-of-a-kind pieces.  Oh and stayed tuned the recipe for these Homemade Chocolate Chipotle Marshmallows is coming soon.

This post is sponsored by DecoArt.  All my opinions and ideas are my own.  Thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.

Chalky Finish for Glass

• Can be baked at 325F for 30 mins. for a dishwasher-safe finish
• Covers in one coat on most surfaces.
• Easily distressed for a vintage look.
• Mixable colors for a custom design.

Riley Repairs - it's not pretty

It's been a busy month. I'm sorry posts have been sporadic around here. I'm out of my usual routine, with lots of traveling and I'm still going to school and getting my required courses to keep my teaching credential. Stay tuned all my faithful readers, I'll be back soon with lots of fun ideas on a regular bases very soon.

This is what's been keeping me busy this week.  Riley is in need of some repairs. On our way back from our Spring Break trip to the Napa Valley, we had a bad tire blow out on the I5. It was late at night, pitch black and the tire that needed to be changed was on the road side of the trailer.  It was nerve wracking watching Lonnie dodge semi-trucks while I kept the kids in the ditch listening to a coyote yip and howl at us very near by.  The blow out ruined not only the tire and wheel, but it ripped out a lot of the wheel well and all the electrical to the trailer.  It was a mess.  

My brother Joash and my Dad offered to help us tackle this huge job. Yesterday we began taking off the side panels to get a better look at the damage. I turns out that Riley, who was built in 1948, has had some water damage. A lot of the base of the frame was rotten and chunks were missing. We definitely have  a lot more work cut out for us then we expected. Today is day two of Riley repairs and we have 3 sides of the trailer off. I wanted to share the not so glamorous side of owning a Vintage Trailer. We found awful papery insulation, hornet's nests and a lot of rotten wood that has to be replace. I'm lucky to have a great DIY family. They are eager and knowledgable - the perfect combo.  We are trying to fix just what's necessary. I don't want to gut Riley. He's old and I really want to keep him as original as possible. But, it's going to be so nice knowing he is road ready.

Flying Creatures Once Called This Home

Yucky Insulation

The Torn Up Wheel Well

Brand New Solid Boards Going In

I've known since we bought Riley, that I'd need to paint him sooner then later. But, now that the side panels are off and we are making all these changes, paint is totally the next step. I think I want to keep the green, but I'm considering different patterns and designs for the paint job.  Here's a few that have caught my eye.

Coral Bottom with White Stripe

Cute Scallops

Splash of Color Down the Middle

Flat Black

What do you think?  Do any of these or a combination of a couple scream Riley?  I also found another 1948 Kit Companion on Craigslist and it says that it has the original paint job, so it would be fun to return Riley to his original glory.  Here's the twin and the original paint job.  Don't you like the angular lines?  Doesn't it seem right to go with the original look?  I'd love to know what you think.

The Paint Job Riley Would Have Originally Had

Land of Nod Photo Shoot in the Desert

When I found out that The Land of Nod was coming to do the girl's room, I offered for them to use Riley, our vintage trailer, to shoot some of their fun camping themed products.  I was so thrilled to see Riley is May's Nod catalogue.  He's famous now!!! I knew he was destined to be a star.

So, I wanted to share a little of the behind the scenes of this shoot.  We spent the day out at Red Rock Canyon State Park, watching the creative genius of Nod at work.  It was such a fun experience for me.  I loved watching all this creativeness at work, from the stylists to the photographers to the creative directer.  I was just enjoying soaking up all their knowledge and expertise.  It's really truly amazing how much work goes into getting these gorgeous shots.  So much thought and attention to detail.

Be sure to head over to Honest to Nod today.  I'm sharing my Homemade Chocolate Graham Cracker recipe there. If you look closely in the shot below, you can see my homemade vanilla bean marshmallows and graham crackers sitting on the bench.

Here's some of the teepee shots.  They brought a whole trailer full of stuff to style these shots, including that cute windmill in the background.

photo credit The Land of Nod

And here's some of the shots of Riley and our family have a little party with Land of Nod party supplies.

photo credit The Land of Nod

The Nod team working their styling magic.

Capturing all these amazing scenes. 

I can't say it enough, thank you Land of Nod for these amazing experiences.  

Riley (my vintage trailer) Style

Last week, after being inspired by this month's Ford Fiesta Movement theme, STYLE, I challenged myself. I decided to give Riley, my vintage trailer, a little more style.  I had saved a few vintage items that I've found at flea markets and thrift stores this year and I also added some fabulous new finds.

I'm really happy with the results and I hope that my Riley Style translates and you can understand where I'm going with this. I tried to stay true to my original inspiration board, a little vintage, a lot of color, and very much outdoorsy. I think I found a lot of the pieces I wanted. The only thing I'm missing is some pink plaid and maybe a little more mint green here and there. He's getting some personality though, and although he is a mountain man, he doesn't take himself too seriously. There's a lot of fun, quirky pieces that keep this old guy (built in 1948) young and hip.

I'm really happy with the color palette. The forest and mint green, red and pink are really fun together. This pink striped throw is incredibly comfy and I love the touch of feminine it adds to the space.  I want to find more pink for Riley, like another floral similar to the front door vintage tea towel curtain I made. I also love this red and white camp rope pillow, I think it's a modern take on a cable knit sweater. 

   

This adorable print called, Theodore Collects Firewood, is hung by a vintage wood hanger. Art in trailers can be tricky. You don't want anything heavy or breakable. This can easily be taken down and laid flat when in transit.

I like to have reading materials in the trailer, these a a few of my favorites. The Sunset National Parks of the West book is from the 60's, My Cool Caravan was a Christmas gift from my hubby when we first got Riley and the mini Ansel Adams National Park book I found in a gift shop when we did our Southwest road trip.

This might be my favorite pair of pillows.  The handsome bear pillow has been named Fuzzy Wuzzy, by my son Dylan and the white faux fur pillow gets pet by everyone who sees it.  

My Hudson Bay pillow shams look great with this fun camp log pillow.  And I'm absolutely dying over the S'mores pillow. He's my kids favorite addition to the trailer. 

   

Like a thought, my vintage picnic basket works really well for blanket storage.  

Yesterday I made one more pillow. This felt white bear kind of looks like a polar bear, but actually he's my California bear. And this new pillow looks great beside the Alaska pillow I made years and years ago. And really, does anything say mountain man more then read red plaid flannel?

I still like my birds and wire hanging thing that I put up a while ago. It's fun to change out the pictures now and then.

I found this green oak leaf tray at a local flea market this weekend for only $5. It may come inside for Fall decorating as well.

The bird theme is repeated in Riley. The shelves are edged in this fun detail. I keep my vintage jadite green melamine dishes on one of these shelves. I know the wood is kind of a yucky yellowy color, but I can't bare to cover it up. Although I love when old trailers are painted crisp inside, I feel this obligation to keep the original finish. 1948 is pretty dang old, you don't see too many trailers that old out there. What do you think? Shouldn't I keep Riley as original as possible?

So, what do you think? Did I succeed in making Riley a little more stylish? What was your favorite addition? What else does he need or what would you do to him? I'd love to know your thoughts and opinions.

Be sure to check out more of the movement's STYLE videos this month, maybe you'll be inspired.

This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my participation. The opinions expressed are my own.