Glamper of the Week - Cheryl & Buddy Blue

Each week we will be featuring a “Glamper of the Week” on our blog. These stories will be about the women who make up the Glamping Nation, and the campers they have lovingly and creatively restored.

Glampers know better than anyone that life is a journey, not a destination, and there are lots of twists and turns along the way you might not expect. Those twists and turns however are what make the journey worth taking! That’s exactly what happened when Cheryl Ovenshire got interested in glamping and began remodeling vintage trailers. “I loved camping for years in our motorhome,” she said, “but it lacked the personality and coziness I had wanted. I LOVED anything vintage and designing, I had gone to college for interior design, and it was in my blood!”

She had been interested in glamping for five years before she took the plunge and started searching for her own trailer to glamp-up. After searching for months, she finally found a 1967 Scotty Highlander. Cheryl spent the next month painting, doing minor repairs, sewing curtains, antiquing the cupboards and putting in a custom backsplash. She loved the results until she and her husband, and their two dogs, took the trailer out for its first trip and quickly realized they needed more space! In another unexpected twist, Cheryl also lost her job around this time, so she chose to sell her first little trailer. But glamping was in her blood now, so it wasn’t long before she was on the hunt again for her next project. Her Mom found a cute little trailer for sale on the side of the road, called Cheryl to tell her about it, and sent a few photos. For Cheryl it was love at first sight, so her mother did some wheeling and dealing for her, and it was hers! Cheryl took an 1800 mile round trip to pick up the 1975 Caravan Sprite Muskateer, a rare little gem of European design, with big windows and everything she was looking for in a small space.

The trailer was in fair to good condition when Cheryl bought it, with just a few areas of past leaks that were easily fixed. She and her husband had big plans for the tiny space, and removed the big, old, rusty stove to replace it with a wide kitchen countertop, with a built in microwave underneath. They also replaced the floors, and put in her most complimented upgrade – a fireplace! She also replaced the original dining booth with an antique table and a folding rocking chair. She left one of the original benches to one side to use for extra seating, although she customized it with Ralph Lauren fabrics.

Buddy Blue, as she named her Sprite, was a labor of love. Cheryl has spent the last six years fostering and working with rescued bull dogs. Right after she sold her first trailer, her beloved bulldog Buddy passed away, leaving Cheryl sad and blue. “He was my long time camping partner and furry son…” she said of Buddy, and after his death, “My husband knew I needed something to get me out of my sad and depressed mood, so we got started working on my Sprite. It needed some serious transforming from its dark cave like black and red interior, and gray exterior. I wanted to make it a cozy, French country blue, with a bulldog theme and name it ‘Buddy Blue’ in his memory… he is always camping with me in spirit now!” With Cheryl’s loving attention to detail, and her eye for design, she transformed the little Sprite into a dream glamper, complete with a permanent bed with a big comfy mattress. “Remember this is GLAMPING!” she says, of the luxurious details she included in her redesign.

Like so many others, Cheryl started with one trailer, but now has something of a collection of them. “We now own several other trailers, including one we have on our property in Upstate NY. Lucille is a ’55 Lintz with a fish camp décor for summer visits. Most of them are project trailers that we will take on at some time in the future. They are like potato chips, you can’t have just one!”

Cheryl loves to take Buddy Blue out camping. “I love anywhere there is peace, water views, and antiquing close by! The North Georgia Mountains have some beautiful parks, and of course my home of upstate New York has beautiful views of Seneca Lake, with quaint little shops, beautiful countryside, and wineries to visit!”

Of course, when you’ve got your own collection of trailers, and live in beautiful Georgia, you don’t even have to leave home to have a great “staycation.” “We have a great group of friends locally, and we do at least one annual glamping event on our property here at home. We are hosting another local event here in October to coincide with the Country Living Fair in Stone Mountain, Georgia. This year we will have 7-8 trailers here! I’m a member of a couple of groups, Tin Can Tourists, National Serro Scotty Organization, and Southern Vintage Trailer Friends. The friends I have made through vintage campers are priceless! We have the best time together!”

You can follow Cheryl on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CandCDesignConyers

For more information about the upcoming Country Living Fair in Stone Mountain, Georgia visit the Stone Mountain Park website at http://www.stonemountainpark.com/events/Country-Living-Fair.aspx

I can speak from experience, you have to check out the entire Stone Mountain Park while you are there! It makes for an entertaining day for the entire family. The night I was there, they even had a laser show on the face of the mountain, although that’s been a few years ago so check their website for the current schedule and activities.

Thank you Cheryl for being our first Glamper of the Week! Your story brought tears to my eyes more than once, and even though I never met Buddy, he will always hold a special place in my heart now too.

Check back here each Tuesday for a new story about a Glamper and her trailer – and be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you never miss the latest glamping news, stories, how-to’s, recipes, and so much s’more!

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Happy trails to you, until we meet again!