After three months and a lot of work, Billy the Kit is ready to hit the road! When we bought Bobby Jean she was pretty much move in ready. We just painted her, fixed a few small things and went on our way. This was great because it made things pretty easy for us when it came to leaving town but the more time we spent on the road the more we wished we could change a few things. There was nothing wrong with Bobby but we knew there was much more potential for her to be better. With Billy we were starting from scratch so we got to make all those little things happen!
Before and after
On the outside, we gave her a fresh new paint job, built a new rock guard, fixed the broken lights and hung a thrifted "Pals" sign on the back. Our hearts almost stopped when we saw this sign sitting in a pile of junk at our favourite antique barn.
"William H. Bonney, also known as 'Billy the Kid' continued to ride, never leaving New Mexico. He was caught in Fort Sumner by Sheriff Pat Garret and killed. Sources report that he was unarmed, and shot in the dark. He was buried with Charley Bowdre at Old Fort Sumner. Advices report that sometime later, an unidentified person snuck into the graveyard and chiseled an inscription. The epitaph read only one word... 'Pals"
Inside, we replaced and sealed all the rotted wood, painted everything a warm white, installed new brass hardware, put in vinyl plank flooring...
...built a new (longer) table that drops down into the second bed, replaced the light fixtures, re-upholstered the cushions...
...made copper plumbing curtain rods, sewed curtains, added a brass and wood storage shelf...
Refinished the counters with a faux concrete finish, painted the backsplash and fridge, installed a new hand pump water system, made a wood and leather spice rack...
...built a bookshelf / side board with hidden storage for valuables (tutorial coming soon!), made a yarn wallhanging, hung some motivational posters and planted a bunch of succulents (all secured with velcro!)
We cannot WAIT to hit the road! Thanks again to everyone who helped us make this reality. XO