Vintage caravans have been reborn in many different ways over the years and the latest example of this is truly inspiring for classic caravan lovers.
Vicki Owen, the owner of the shabby chic, vintage inspired boutique Love Your Home, has ‘up-cycled’ and transformed a broken down, neglected Abbey Piper caravan into a stylish, vibrant, vintage photo-booth.
A mother of two boys from Shropshire, Vicki visited her local caravan park and purchased an old caravan for just £250.
And she was inspired to try her hand at ‘up-cycling’ – a form of recycling where you find a new purpose for unwanted items, which is becoming increasingly popular in the UK.
The caravan was in such a bad state that the seller was surprised that she chose the battered vehicle, seeing as it was covered in Owl droppings at the time.
But little did they know, Vicki had a major transformation process in mind
Just 12 months later, the caravan had changed from a plain, boring shell into a trendy, vintage inspired photo-booth and set up her own business selling photos at weddings.
A complete transformation
We caught up with Vicki to talk about the exciting transformation process, and she explained that the pink polka-dot material for the curtains was also used as a casing for the beautiful cushions.
With heart motifs, signs displaying positive messages, and a pastel colour palette of blue, pink, green and yellow – the caravan really does feel welcoming.
After the renovation was finally complete, Vicki felt the name Martha would be the best fit for her new photo-booth caravan.
Apart from being a stylish photo-booth, Vicki counts Martha as her own private space.
She describes the retro caravan as a private hideaway, where she can disappear to and have a break from the kids, husband and routines of the daily life.
“I feel like moving in sometimes,” Vicki jokes.
Martha also has a hidden sentimental value. If you look closely at the front of the van, a sign offers home-made Cherry Pie.
Vicki tells us that her grandmother used to make the best home-made pies so hanging the sign is a sweet remembrance of her nan.
Affectionate approach
The caravan photo-booth business, Martha was launched on the 1 March in style with celebratory drinks and fun.
In only two weeks after the launch the business had started on a high with multiple bookings for weddings in the forth-coming weeks already arranged.
Vicki’s initial plan was to take Martha to wedding fairs across Shropshire and Mid Wales to give brides and grooms the chance to hire Martha for their big day and could even use Martha as a prop.
But with the business already having such a positive response, who’s to say we won’t be recognising that cute little caravan on the streets of London or even further afield?
Vicki’s attitude towards her business/hobby is thoroughly positive and she hopes her caravan can really take off.
As well as weddings, she is open to using Martha as a prop and for photo-shoots at birthdays, charity events and even school proms.
One of her recent bookings includes a friend’s daughter’s tenth birthday party.
With the theme being set as ‘Princess Afternoon Tea’ the party will include lots of pampering like painting nails and doing make-up and of course, pictures with the props and if her ideas are anything to go by (oversized glasses, feather scarves, blow-up guitars and coloured wigs) it’ll definitely be a lot of fun!
Popular photo-booth
Martha has already made appearances at Mellington Hall and Maesmawr Hall and Hotel.
The photo-shoot packages start from £150 to £430 with the most expensive package including a three hour professional photo-shoot with Martha and all of her quirky, vintage props.
Customers are given 50 instant pictures which can be used in a guest-book.
Also, an edited disk is provided with the pictures and all snaps are copyright protected.
The pictures can be presented in an online gallery so they can be shared through social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook.
But, what advice would Vicki give to other creative individuals looking to start their own caravan companies?
“Enjoy it!” Vicki exclaimed, “Make sure you enjoy it and be creative!”
“It’s amazing what a difference a bit of paint can make.”
The team at CaravanTimes wish Vicki well and hope Martha, the stylish, vintage photo-booth has a bright, prosperous future ahead.
