Holly Goes Lightly

Anyone else would be happy; ecstatic even, at the idea of having a boutique and living in the flat above it…adding at tea party space would have been icing on an already moist, and exploding with flavor, cake.

BUT…I wanted just a little bit more.

Her name was Holly; I dreamed of her while designing an idea for a craft fair I had coming up. My plan was to close the boutique early and take it on the road to participate in this event just one town over, stepping out and getting a bit of exposure for my Simply Lyla’s boutique. (Lylas by the way is not a family member but means Love Ya Like a Sister…something I had started at our church in Michigan and kinda something I loved when moving to Oklahoma too)

I decided to look on Craigslist one night for a mobile boutique option; hubby was open to the idea when I suggested it, so I had to look quickly…while he was still in the mood…kinda like a wife may bring up the idea of another baby BUT absolutely nothing like that at the same time!

GUESS WHAT?!?!

I found one…the very first search. It wasn’t in the Tulsa area but in a random, small town, 4 hours north of us in Kansas. It was a Friday night and the seller had just posted a few hours before; I had heard that this was the best way to find these vintage campers since the “glamping” trend became a very real thing. (Thank you Pinterest) People were now finding these vintage campers, redecorating them and playing “glamorous camping trips” in them. Not going to lie, the idea of chandeliers, blinged out cannisters, new flatware and whimsical zebra pillows did cross my mind; even lingered a little while.

I sent an email to the seller expressing my dying need for this camper and waited. He didn’t respond until MONDAY MORNING which was the absolute biggest test in patience…EVER. I was the first one to inquire on her and he said that he would hold her until the weekend when we could get there to pick her up. The rest, as they say…is history.

Look at the pictures below to see a bit of her transformation; it was a doozy AND what started my love affair with vintage campers…I just had no idea how much until a year later. You’ll hear all about that too; I pinky promise.

The interior; from left to right. You could literally only stand up in the middle 2 feet

The demolition. EEK! Lots of water damage and we had to start from scratch

Outside gets some love

Interior gets LOTS of love

Parked in front of my boutique before her big reveal

Her rear end

Her first craft faire

Her first night on the town

Comments

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Let's Get Social

Social: [soh-sh uh l] Adjective: of, relating to, connected with, or suited to polite or fashionable society: a social event. Noun: a social gathering or party, especially of or as given by an organized group: a church social When the Traveling Kates host events, we’ve decided they must be called socials for the two very specific reasons listed above, as found in the dictionary. We think that having the Kates anywhere could be very fashionable and what could be more fashionable and fun, than a gathering of friends to shop and socialize with? As much as we would love to have the Kates ready to roll for Mother’s Day and graduation parties now, we know that waiting and doing everything right…is the better choice for us, as well as those looking to host socials straight away; we get to design her with just the right finishes and displays, get THE best products t...

The Rolling Cottage

Fast forward a couple years; the boutique is fabulous and constantly evolving to include new artisans, the tea party space is booked nearly every weekend, Holly Goes Lightly is more popular than any person on Main Street and then…hubby said he was ready to retire. What did that mean? Retire into our little life on Main Street or take on a whole new adventure? After talking about our options and love for living tiny, I made the craziest of suggestions…what if we sold it all, bought a travel trailer, and traveled the country? Mind you, I’ve never camped and thought moving into our 500sq ft was tiny but was now suggesting to go uber tiny and travel around despite not ever actually being in a travel trailer before. Again…I found myself letting my fingers do the walking over my laptop keys to Craigslist; searching for a new adventure…one that had never been uttered or even thought of before. Things happened quickly after that; I mentioned the idea to a few people and just like t...

Traveling Kates

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