Merry Christmas To You All

Merry Christmas and holiday hugs to you all from me and The Cup!  We hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends.

"Camping, Coffee & Christmas Joy . . . 

Life Is Good!"

From My Christmas Sister Liz

On this Christmas Eve Day, I wanted to share a special gift with you that I received from my Sister Liz who lives in Rural Hall, NC and has a vintage Scotty too.  Sisters on the Fly do a Christmas Sister exchange and Liz and I were paired up.  In my box was also an embroidered camping towel and a camping plaque.

Thanks Liz!  Merry Christmas to you and Gary, as well as to all my other Sister Friends, Tabbin' Buddies, and camping partners!!  Have a wonderful day tomorrow with family and friends. 

"Camping, Coffee & Christmas . . . Life Is Good!"

Wishing You...

"Camping, Coffee & Christmas . . . Life Is Good!"

Christmas Greetings

Good evening everyone!  The countdown has begun . . . 6 days till Christmas.  I realize that some folks have been counting for many months, but I usually start a week out.   The Coffee Cup and I want to send you greetings with some photos we found online that are pretty cool.  Enjoy...

The best gift at Christmas is easy to see.

It's not wrapped in paper or under the tree.

Cos' the best gift at Christmas and all the year through

Is having a friend as special as you!

"Camping, Coffee & Christmas . . . 

Life Is Good!"

Coffee Cup Christmas

Today Becky, Wendy, and our friend Jeanne visited the famous and luxurious Grove Park Inn to take in the gingerbread houses entered in the National Gingerbread House Competition.  Over on POSTCARDS on Friday, I'm going to feature the incredible houses that we saw, including the grand prize winner.

We did a bit of shopping while there and I just have to share some things I found with you.  The first thing I saw was a tabletop tree decorated with ornaments fashioned into coffee cups, bags of coffee, Starbucks-like tall coffee cups, coffee pots, and espresso machines.  It was just way too cute!  The ornaments were kinda pricey so I wasn't terribly tempted to buy any.  Maybe I'll find them somewhere after the holidays on sale.

Then I spied all the coffee cups and mugs. Talk about a kid in a candy store . . . LOL.  I might have missed one or two, but check out the ones I did get photos of.

OK campers, you know I had to buy one!  But the big question is, which one did I pick out?  Give up?  This one . . . 

"Camping, Coffee and Christmas . . . 

Life Is Good!"

Ready For The First Night

Since The Coffee Cup is parked outside under the carport and our first scheduled camping trip isn't until March, I've had the luxury of decorating and playing house at my leisure.  On Monday, I headed to Hickory to pick up the mattress that I ordered two weeks ago.

I had a great debate with myself about which size to purchase. The Cup is 84" wide, so I knew that a regular twin would fit easily. However, an extra long twin at 80" would fit well too.

The width didn't play into the decision because the gaucho couch pulls out to almost 46 inches and a twin mattress measures 38".

So . . .  did I want a nice tight fit or would I like a little space to hang my feet off a bit?  Did I want to wrestle with the mattress trying to get sheets on with little way to raise the corners or would some extra room at the top and bottom make it easier to pull up the corner of the bed?

Easy is always better when camping, so I chose the regular twin.

The next step was to go shopping.  There are several mattress stores nearby and I sure found a variety to choose from.  The prices were all over the place too. I ruled out one with coils right off the bat.  

I found a nice firm, light-weight, foam Sealy mattress that jumped to the top of my list.  At a third store the saleslady wanted to know the prices of all the others I had seen and then questioned those prices saying they couldn't possibly be correct.  I scratched that place off my list!

In the end, I got the Sealy and picked it up this past Monday.  It fit perfectly in the Pilot and I knew it would be a perfect fit in The Coffee Cup.  It was so light that I lifted it up by the plastic!

It was also flexible enough that I slid it through the door and onto the gaucho.

I snitched my mattress topper out of SplashT@B to see how that would work.  Once again it was a perfect fit.  My oh my, there's going to be some good sleeping going on in The Cup!

On one of my shopping trips during The Long Wait, I found a set of sheets on sale at IKEA that was beige with white dots . . . perfect!  All I can say is that I sure am glad I went with a regular twin.  It still wasn't easy putting the sheets on those back corners though.

On one of my junkin' trips with Becky, I scored a 1940's quilt with a basket pattern.  It was another case of knowing it would be just right in the Scotty.  I love the white background and the pastel-colored baskets . . . it's a nice contrast to the birch that's everywhere.

I still have to make window curtains, two chenille pillows, and a crazy quilt throw with the coffee fabric I've been collecting.

Unfortunately, my sewing machine is in the repair shop, so those projects probably won't be started until January.  That's OK because I don't need to add anything more to my Christmas plate and will need things to do when those long winter months set it!

Thanks for stopping by today to get an update on my sweet Coffee Cup.  

"Camping, Coffee, and Christmas . . . 

Life Is Good!"

Coffee Cup Entertainment

Last January, I shared one of my Coffee Cup projects with you.  I found a vintage, non-working radio in Williamsburg, VA that I eventually gutted and refinished.  My plan was to repurpose it in The Cup for playing tunes from my iPod.  If you'd like to go back to that post, you can read about The Retro Radio Project HERE.  

When Tony and I were discussing the design and purpose of the tall floor-to-ceiling cabinet, I requested that he open up a portion of that cabinet so my retro radio would slide right in.  On my to-do list last week was to wiggle it in.  I say "wiggle", because it's a very snug fit!

Inside the opening is an outlet so I can plug the speaker in.  It's in the back corner, mounted up high, so it's not visible.  I'll just reach around behind the radio and put the iPod and speaker inside of it, so it will appear and sound like the music is actually coming from the radio. 

If you look closely on the right side of the cabinet, you'll see something metal mounted to the outside wall.  That mount will hold a small flat-screen TV that will tuck neatly against the wall and will swivel out when in use.  I don't get all crazy about watching TV when I camp, but I do like to see news, get weather reports, or watch something if the weather is bad.

Once again, this was an item on my wish list and Tony did a great job of positioning it perfectly for me.  The swivel arm will allow me to watch it in bed or while sitting at the dinette.  Just below the TV is an electrical and cable outlet.  The TV slides off the mount so I can put it in the car while traveling.  And I love the fact that you really don't know it's there unless you peek around the corner of the cabinet.

I gave my Coffee Cup entertainment a lot of thought and I love the way it turned out!  Now if camping season will hurry up and get here!

Have a good weekend everyone and remember...

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good!"

In The Kitchen

Hey everyone!  I hope you had a fine Thanksgiving with lots of the important things . . . family, friends, and of course, food!  We traveled to Landis to spend the day with Rob and Trisha.  Then on Saturday, they drove over here to see The Coffee Cup in person.  Rob even made a post over on R & T's Podding Blog about their visit.  If you'd like to read it, just go HERE.

Little by little I'm getting her decorated with the items I've collected over the past year.  My main focus has been on the "kitchen".  I made the decision early on not to put in a sink or stove.  Based on my experience camping in SplashT@B for the last six seasons, I knew that I wouldn't be doing any actual cooking inside.  So I opted for counter space instead and will continue doing my cooking outside.

Three of my vintage-style tin coffee signs are in place.  The smaller square ones fit perfectly on the upper cabinet doors.  I attached them with industrial Velcro, so they aren't going anywhere!  The reason I know this is that the ones I attached to SplashT@B's walls are still in place after the coldest days in winter and the hottest days in summer.  The third sign that is sitting on top of the backsplash, leaning against the wall, was given to me by my Sister in Tennessee, Sharon Lambert.

I love the little black Emerson microwave and it fits nicely on the counter.  This is the same one that many T@Bbers have and The Coffee Cup will share it with SplashT@B when the 2013 camping season rolls around.  The same goes for my black Keurig.

I'll use the little brown tin that Sandi gave me to put sugar packets and creamers into.  It's just the right size and it's a good fit for the area between the Keurig and K-cups in the basket.  I still need to find my coffee cookbooks, but for right now, the Bobbsey Twins, Rebecca's guest book, and Book One of the Coffee Cup Trilogy will occupy the space beside the microwave.

The long wooden box that you see on top of the microwave is from my Grandmother Ritchie's sewing machine.  She had the Singer treadle model with four pull-out drawers.  I've always kept art supplies in the boxes, but I re-purposed this one for holding three of my favorite coffee cups.

I haven't actively collected menus and brochures from coffee houses, but I do have these three that I've gathered.  The vintage one on top is from Bright Angel Lodge Coffee Shop in Grand Canyon National Park.  It's way cool isn't it?  This photo also gives you a good look at my countertop laminate . . . it's a retro boomerang pattern in blacks and grays.

I appreciate you coming by today.  Have a great week as we move into the Christmas season and remember . . .

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good!"

Happy Thanksgiving

As this Thanksgiving day winds down and I've enjoyed food and fellowship with family and friends, I wanted to take a minute and give thanks for all of you who have traveled this Java Journey with me for the past year.  I hope you had an equally wonderful day with your loved ones.  

The Coffee Cup and I send you love and well-wishes on this day and for the Christmas season that we can now look forward to.  Happy Thanksgiving!

"Camping, Coffee, Family & Friends...Life Is Good!"

A Perfect Fit

One of the biggest question marks hanging over my Java Journey from the very beginning was this:  Will The Coffee Cup fit into my carport?  I measured side to side and top to bottom dozens of times.  I measured the Scotty on my first trip to Michigan in June of 2011.  If my calculations and measurements were correct, the answer would be yes . . . just barely, but yes.

The big unknown factor was the height of the Fantastic Fan's dome on the roof.  Tony told me it was about four inches, so I knew it would be tight.  This morning, my friend George-who-can-do-everything, came over to lend a hand.  First order of business was to remove the corner braces from the right side of the carport.

A Sawzall made quick work of it.  Then we unhitched from the Pilot, slid the trailer dolly under The Cup, and moved her around in order to back into the carport.  It was the moment of truth!  Inch by inch we pushed her back, stopping to check the Fantastic Fan dome, and then pushing a bit more.  My numbers were correct . . . whoohoo!  We had a whopping 1 1/2 inches to spare!!

Tom's Gorilla safety lock is on, the stabilizers down, and chocks in place.  It's time for her long winter nap and time for me to start playing house.  Over the next days and weeks as weather permits, I'll be pulling out all my coffee goodies so the decorating can begin!

For a long time I've dreamed about looking out my window and seeing her parked in the carport.  Here's that view:

Thanks for stopping by today and have a lovely Tuesday everyone!

She's Home!

The Coffee Cup is home!  Yep, she is actually sitting out in the driveway and all I have to do is turn my head to the left to look out the window to see her.  

This past week in Ohio and Michigan was a true adventure and if you'd like to read about it in detail, you can scoot over to POSTCARDS to get caught up on what happened.  Over here, I'll spend the next few weeks going into detail about her.

But for now, take a look at my sweet Coffee Cup!!

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good!"

Meet The Coffee Hound

Mornin' everyone!  Before I get this day kicked into full gear, I wanted to share a bit of fun and silly news with you. 

I camp with T@Bbers and Sisters and Glampers who often have a little "mascot" along for the trip.  Those travel companions have their picture taken at spots along the road on the adventures they take.  You might see them posed in front of waterfalls, sitting on a picnic table eating breakfast in a campground, riding shotgun in the car, perched on the counter with National Park rangers, or in front of a sign at a popular tourist attraction.

I've been on the look-out for the perfect traveling companion for my adventures in The Coffee Cup.  Several weeks ago, I found him.  Meet the Coffee Hound . . . 9 inches of soft, cuddly cuteness!!

You'll notice that he's wearing a bandana with coffee beans on it, but what he doesn't have is a name.  I was thinking "Charlie", but I'm open to suggestions if you have any.

Thanks for dropping by today and one day soon, you'll see me and the Coffee Hound with The Coffee Cup out on the road!!

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good!"

Coffee Cup Pillowcases

Well, instead of being in Michigan ooing and ahhing over The Coffee Cup on this September Wednesday, I am at home.  Unfortunately, there was a big hiccup on Monday.  I won't go into all the details, but simply tell you that there was yet another delay.  It has taken me a couple days of days to get over the anger, disappointment, and frustration, but I'm calm now and thinking positive thoughts once again.

It looks like I won't be showing The Cup off next week at the "My Grass Is Blue" Sister gathering in Townsend, TN after all.  But SplashT@B is excited that she's getting to go and all will be well.

In the meantime, I wanted to share my latest artsy-fartsy-java-project with you . . . pillowcases!  I found the coolest, most simple instructions online for making pillowcases with French seams.  They are so easy to make and not one single stitch shows!  So I gathered up some of the coffee fabric that I've been collecting for the past year and whipped up a couple for The Cup's homecoming.

I'm really pleased with the way they turned out and I'm toying with the idea of making some to take with me to the Country Living Fair in October for our Buy, Sell, & Trade Days.  I think if I found some neat aqua fabrics along with some pinks, reds, and yellows, I might be able to sell them in pairs.  What do you think?

I'll keep thinking good thoughts about The Coffee Cup up in Michigan and I have my fingers crossed that I'll see her soon!

"Camping and Coffee . . . Life Is Good"