Trial-run

I am currently in sample-production of clothes for babies and toddlers, and looking for people who are interested to 'try before others buy'.

'Harem Girl' trousers

You can purchase these sample designs for half-price, in exchange for feedback and photo of your wee one having awesome fun in their new stylish togs. The focus for Made& Voyage wears is still bright prints and colours with pre-loved accents. Eco-style.

>>>If you would like to take-part head to WWW.MADEANDVOYAGE.CO.UK to shop 

or contact products@katycaseyco.uk to discuss

Quality Construction

    

Caravan Diaries: Pretty Lady

Glossy Turquoise (Sandtex col: Teal) + retro inspired diagonal symmetry with wheel arch. 

Now, glossy as it is now..this was a longer road than anticpated. As last blogged, we primed and then elected yellow as our family travelling ID, this didnt last long as it was too 'normal' for unusual and not authentic enough for my nostalgic memories. We then bought more paint (total cost of which now exceeding the price we paid for the van) and I slapped it on the side panel, ignoring my previous process of sand and primer..... the result: 

Panels: patchy vs primer

 As you can see, I succumbed and prepped the end panels. Our wee man did his first bit of large-scale detailing as the letters under the window #veryproud. I would recommend doing it once and doing it properly. (erm seemingly a boring suggestion to those with a character like my own, but seriously, re-doing all the fiddly metal edging was worse). 

The diagonal was a nod to a BBC documentary on British Caravanning, in which women were interviewed from the seventies school of new and avid family caravanners. Their vans were cool, utilitarian and purposed for a freer life- away from the kitchen sink- on the road.

 'Not all women's lib was about burning your bras'  one housewife stated.

Interior peek... work has begun on the homespun skandi explorer interior

Cubbies under the seating in our typical family colours

Oh & of course- his & hers mug cosies

The reason for a bargain price..off to buy filler today
having 'patiently' let it dry..a bit

Seating/beds re-upholstered by hand. Seat backs & trimming of a
neon persuasion to be added later

Caravan Diaries: Paint

Exterior Improvement: peach tones to happy brights..but which one?

Our wee man says blue, yellow and green. My default setting is red, though would this look to seasonal with the green Ranger details? 

I needed to start by finding out how to paint the outside of a caravan. My assumption (and a family penchant for car improvement programs) led me to think I would need acres of car spray paint- at £7 a can, this would cost more than the van, but look good. Also, fumes for a preggers lady arent good.  So, as was suggested by the nice man in Halfords, I Googled it. (As an aside, when did that become okay terminolgy to use in advisement settings? My doctor in consultation even recommended this recently- is it a sort of 'i havent time to explain / you seem capable of researching this further / i dont really know #tag) .

Here is a lovely blog The Happy Caravanner, that has helped me..and our budget. Sometimes a job can feel monumental and you just aren't sure how to get it done.. I now know how to begin.. wet and dry sandpaper + primer + gloss (whichever colour we choose). 



She says: 
'Painting the exterior is quite a big job and I have had lots of practice to get a good finish however if you are having a go then preparation again is all important!

Wet and dry sand paper with plenty of water.
Good quality exterior paint (several coats) and lots of time and dry weather!
I use a short haired or sponge roller and small brush for the edges.

Time consuming but rewarding I would say that if you want to see a fast result then you will get fed up very quickly, by just painting the interior walls and putting a few crochet blankets over seats brings speedier results.'

Ideas: 

Trad. green + shop inspiration blog here!

Interior of Nicole Caulfield's gallery

ps Check out this Off Grid blog

Azure blue

'Fiat' red...

as an aside, 

it would really suit us to have a tattoo / Memphis Belle style design on the side; possibly my shop logo but possibly a Reitveld style lady.

and now the hard work begins...

Phase 1: Primer. 

Following the experienced advise of The Happy Caravanner, I went against my own grain and prepped the van first. I dont like faff and I tend to plan then plough-in however, this time I thought it would be less costly to do it properly first time- rather than risk a flakey paint situation in 2 years time. Primer went well, though the bumpy surface meant the process was more curcular brush-strokes than Mr Miyagi.

Phase 2: Decision made...yellow!

SO, it turns out there isn't the widest selection of exterior gloss paints available in DIY/trade stores. People apparently want red, green. navy, black or white front doors etc. The most unusual colour- cheery and bright, was yellow. Et voila! ....However, 'Hot Mustard' from Sandtex was a little less sunshine, a little more signage than I hoped. Chipper yes, but also seemingly the colour of little choice for other quirky folk starting caravan-based businesses. Two issues that I have struggled with, so I puzzled-it-out on the front driveway to see whether we were 'sticking or twisting' colour-wise...

The answer... we TWIST

Hubbies off the buy 'teal' from the same paint range this evening. Homebase price-match B&Q who stock different Sandtex colours, so hopefully one £14.99 can will go over and 2nd coat the van. The yellow was a runnier paint than I expected but turns out thats brilliant! Went on  3 panels within an hour. That's how we roll. I think cost-wise, the white areas will stay white until August, when they may go grey, but teal and white has enough tradition whilst complimenting a skandi-bright interior and my work neon logos, Always keeping in mind, is the van visible from the road for attracting custom? 

P.S. just seen these, 

Colour chalk-board paint for the interior doors

Interior NEON gloss paint range

 UM Yes please!

Next post: Final colour and starting on the interior.

Caravan Diaries

It has happened, it is here. 

We have been blessed with a beauteous lady-love, our two-berth Ranger Caravan!! 

I have been there, you fellow bargain hunters, 'watching' caravans on a well known auction site, at the top of your limit and that's for a leaky holey incomplete van that you need to drive to the wilds for..then it sky-rockets in price and away with your dreams. Sorry if this is currently you, hold on fellow nostalgees as it has just happened for us.
Upset over the creative nimbleness in my fingers- with no retail outlet to pursue. Imminently with second child, and experienced in how it feels in the tail-end of hurricanes at our favoured Land's End in a tent, we longed to re-live our happy caravanning youths and buy our own.

THUS I will blog the #HOMEontheroadIMPROVEMENT journey of our £30 van, 'gifted' by sympathethic festival caravanning neighbors. Ones who understand the drive to caravan in leaner but very happy times .

Today: Seeking Inspiration

Retail in Awning area

Beauteous Exteriors

Retail look

Shelter

Paint ideas

..Make yourself better about the size of YOUR task

Seating

Door Ideas, nice

Retro roots

OLDer school

Formica dining memories x

Kitchens

Outside-in 

Kitchens

Seating

I will search for specific inspiration project-by-project, such as painting the exterior, to ply or not to ply (I like ply) and how to have an uber cool but light-weight kitchenalia look. So excited. Bare with.

Maybe not

Record Time

New from xxxMADExxx shop 

'Record Time' recycled vinyl by your nostalgia evoking artists. 

A ticking talking-point for your home, shop now

Venus by Bananarama   £10

Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics   £10

Work by Technotronic feat. Reggie   £9

#slightlysingedfingers

Thrifty Missus

I have been enjoying the opportunity to re-browse a special book on my shelf- Granny Chic by Dottie Angel (Tif Fussell) and Ted&Agnes (Rachelle Blondel)

This was a necessary pleasure (good phrase I shall re-use...as in "it was a necessary pleasure to eat some of my son's Easter egg whilst he napped"..I feel guilty even writing that..doesn't mean it didn't happen). Necesseity in this case was mostly budget-driven; I haven't found a rug I like in the shops far-and-wide, for a reasonable price and with enough 'quirk'. Inside these pages is a fun idea that uses your cupboard staples. Patterned hessian I bought 'for later'. and the rest of a tin of varnish from our Pre-loved purchases gave me a fun arvo back and forth from the potting-shed to 'lacquer' the fabric on the washing-line. Blanket-stitch during Madagascar2 with the wee man et voila

Road-tested by our 2 year old, the verdict was: laid upon with blanket and cushions we cuddled and counted the windows above. Success.

Bring and Share...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbRU-HbsqUw

"ITS JUST SO GOOD!" I say to my husband in a Despicable Me style Unicorn-adoring voice

We are in a season of our life where pocket money is budgeted for, and sometimes userped. Where the Christmas Gift list has sparkly presence December-ward and mine was FULL of album requests. I know high-street closures and nicked downloads are being hailed as 'the time is nigh' and music as we know it is changing BUT not I. Happy with shelves of CDs, tape-player in the car and a limited playlist on the Ipod show us for who we are- old skool and proud (or normal for ninetees teens).

As such, impacted in the Summer by the music video to 'Waiting all night', unusually focussing on a BMX accident documented from heartbreak through resilient recovery to happy new beginning, I was Rudimental's newest fan and by the Winter I was hopeful of shiny paper encasing these glorious tunes. I was not disappointed.

AND SO I MUST SAY if you do not have this album, allow yourself some inner joy from a deep bass, and a combo of contemporary off-beats and more recognisable dance (in my opinion MJ Cole-style A FAN OF COURSE), and some more (Emili Sande) and less known vocalists truly beauteous. Please do not ignore this call to purchase, you oughta hear how good these tunes are. Car journey and creative exploits alike are more inspired to the soundtrack of the Rudimental HOME Platinum Edition.
Winner.

Warm-up sentimentally

Worn and worse-for-the-wear, our pile of t-shirts was ever-growing. Those threads that hold such special memories you cant comprehend them worn by another person or in the recycle bin. 

So, patchwork the answer, traditional past-time of the 'fore-mothers' et voila, here is a pretty gender-nuetral alternative to fossil fuel warmth. To make this blanket more contemporary we laid-out a brick pattern repeat in the colour pairs. 

Idea by www.katycasey.co.uk not for resale.

Instructions available below, alternatively...commission me to make one for you by emailing info@katycasey.co.uk or xxxMADExxx on Etsy