Crocheted Embellishment to a Doormat for Vintage Flare.

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Using Plarn to Embellish a Doormat!

Hello All! I’d like to share a fun, cute project I just completed…three plarn flowers to adorn a doormat! Earlier this month my husband and I took a three week adventure in our new-to-us travel trailer. About mid-way through we realized we really needed a doormat to help control the amount of dirt/leaves/grass that was being tracked into the camper. I jokingly mentioned the vintage green doormat with the daisies in the corner would be perfect and surprisingly, he agreed! A quick internet search indicated the vintage style doormat is available online and also offered at some ACE Hardware stores. We stopped at the first ACE we could find and unfortunately, they did not have any in stock. Disappointed but knowing we really needed to deal with the debris being tracked into the camper, we purchased a plain taupe doormat. It worked great and a day later I decided I would crochet some plarn daisies to decorate our doormat.

I decided to use plarn (plastic bag yarn) so the flowers would not be damaged or grow mold when the doormat got wet. You can find a great tutorial on how to make plarn here: http://thecrochetfoyer.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-make-plarn.html. Keeping with an upcycle theme, I pulled three random dark blue buttons from my button jar for the middle section. I followed my Spring Blossoms hair clip pattern, only I made five petal flowers instead of seven petals. I sewed the flowers and the buttons to the doormat and then gave each a little squirt with a glue gun both under the button and the back of the doormat where they were sewn.

I’m really excited with how cute the doormat turned out and how great it looks with our blue and white campground mat! We have another trip planned for the last week in October and I am really looking forward to using our new, adorable doormat!

Happy Crocheting!
Darleen

My New RV

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For a long time now, my husband and I have been wanting to buy an RV and drive off into the sunset. We began looking over eight years ago. We used to drag the boys with us but they quickly got bored of it and so we would usually go look on our own. We looked at EVERYTHING. New, used, Class A’s, B’s and C’s, 5th wheels and travel trailers. We looked at 40 foot million dollar motorhomes, (just for kicks) to tiny teardrop campers. It was entertaining for us and helped us determine what we wanted. Eventually we decided we wanted something less than 30 feet so it would be easier to drive and allow for smaller campsite options but also big enough to allow for a little elbow room. We also decided we would get either a Class A or B. For those not familiar with motorhomes, that is either the one that looks like a bus (A) or one that looks like a UHaul (C). Neither of us wanted to drive a large pickup truck on a regular basis and that is what would be needed to pull a trailer or 5th wheel the size we wanted. Purchasing a new motorhome was cost prohibitive so we looked at used. However, finding a used one that passed the sniff test was a challenge as so many smelled of either smoke or mold. There were some that smelled so bad we wouldn’t even get up the two steps into the house because the stench overwhelmed us.

Eventually we did find an RV that checked all our boxes and this past January, we purchased our first RV. We purchased a 1998 Safari Trek 2480. Yup, an RV that is over 20 years old. Some thought we were nuts but we are excited about it. Our first step was to get the “motor” part of the motorhome up to speed and we brought it to a repair shop. It was there for almost three months. I don’t like to complain so that’s all I’m going to say about our experience with that shop. Right now it is with a local mechanic who is finishing up on our needed repairs. We are excited we found a local guy willing to help us get this awesome coach back on the road where it belongs.

Since we purchased it in January, most of the time it had been in the shop but we did have it at home for about six weeks total. In that time we have been cleaning and cleaning and cleaning some more. While it didn’t smell, it is over 20 yrs old and in need of a deep clean. We have also been making repairs to the house, getting it ready for paint and other updates as well as learning the systems. I hope to have some before and after photos to share with you. One of the great things about the Trek is the amount of cabinet storage. As I’ve been cleaning I found three awesome hideaways for yarn and WIPS. 🙂 Eventually we will be taking the Trek out on extended adventures and yarn storage is a must.

While the Trek was in the shop, I spent my free time scouring thrift stores for kitchen must haves for the motorhome. I’ve always been a huge fan of buying second hand when possible. This is no exception and I believe I have just about everything now to fully stock the kitchen. I also missed the Trek and designed a new hot pad. I then made a second that matched our RV. I think it’s a pretty good likeness!! I’m looking forward to cooking meals in our Trek and using the hot pad.

Although we aren’t quite ready to drive off into the sunset, we are excited about our new home on wheels and the adventures that await. Stay tuned!

Happy Crocheting! -Darleen

EDIT: 2023 update-we traded in our Trek for a small travel trailer. Super excited about our upcoming adventures!