Sunday, August 4, 2013

Chicken Wire Lighting

When Billie and I were putting our heads together on the lighting options for the Craft Coach we weren't thrilled about any of the options. We knew we wanted something different and also knew that we were limited on space. After some collaboration we came up with little something. We weren't sure if this idea was going to work, but we're pretty pleased with how it turned out.


It may just look like a bunch of fabric scraps lining a wall, but it's more than that. It's a light fixture of our own design.  With just a few supplies, we created a truly unique way of lighting a small space. 


First we measured the length of the trailer.  Next we cut our chicken wire into more manageable pieces and folded it lengthwise in order to make it double strength.  The LED rope lights were heavy and we needed it to support the lights. We stapled the chicken wire along the top of the trailer and curled up the chicken wire to create a "channel" of sorts to place the rope lights in. 


We placed the rope lights in and stapled the other edge of the chicken wire along the top of the trailer. Now I know you might be thinking why bother with the chicken wire? The answer is: we didn't like the look of the rope lights by themselves and wanted a simple way to cover them up, but not completely conceal them in order to still have light. We then proceeded to tear a ton of fabric strips and tie them to the chicken wire. 


 It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it gives just enough ambient light. We also have the rope lights along the shelves on the left side. 


The Craft Coach is a constantly changing space. It makes for a fantastic backdrop for all our creative musings. We're always coming up with new ways to display as well as making her a more functional mobile store. It's a small space, but we strive to make every inch count. 


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Saturday, July 20, 2013

The Craft Coach Transformation

Don't you just love it when things fall into place? When the stars align, when circumstances keep presenting themselves in order for something amazing to take place. That's how we have felt about our ascent into this crazy, mixed up, beautiful world of mobile commerce. We are still relatively new, but so far loving it and learning things every day.
We wanted to share a few before, during and after photos of our "coach" Ramblin' Rose. She was definitely a diamond in the rough, but we had a vision and were determined to get it as right as possible and polish her into the beauty she is today. Fore warning, photo overload is about to commence! 
The Before and After

The Demolition 
We replaced all the rotten wood and even added more studs for support 
New insulation and paneling as well as custom made counters 


Replaced aluminum panels and custom painting
Billie and I did have some help from her hubby as well as our father, but we were right in there with them, sawing, drilling and sweating our hearts out. We learned a lot and will use the skills on future projects, because at Craft Coach there is always something on the horizon!

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