My husband Ryan and I are the proud parents of a “traveling teepee” camper by Bethany. Bethany was a Minneapolis-based service organization that produced a few thousand campers to earn funding for their missionary work. The camper-fundraiser company is now defunct.

The exterior of the camper looks like a little house. To take the cuteness up to eleven, I added farmhouse-like exterior details to the camper: a white picket fence, wrought iron design welcome mat, fake grass, and fake succulent window boxes.

The AstroTurf works really well when you are camping on gravel, concrete, or asphalt. It is a place to take off your shoes or wipe your feet. It is made of plastic, so when it rains, it dries out with a shake. Also, it is made of plastic, so when the sun is out, it is burning hot on bare feet. And, truth be told, when it needs shakeing, it is so heavy that I do it very awkwardly. I usually hit myself in the face with the rug and/or dirt and/or chunks of random ground. Still, I recommend the AstroTurf if you are looking to up your kitsch.

I will add that the AstroTurf appears to make our welcome mat obsolete, since we are putting a rug on top of another rug. Not so! If our shoes are very muddy, we use the bristles of the mat. We also use it for small campsites, when I can’t decorate like the whole shebang.

My favorite camper craft I have done so far are these fake succulent window boxes. They have a plastic hunk inside of the box that the fake plants are pushed into. It was fun to push the plants in, because it was spongy and made a funny sound. I might do another one for my kitchen window box with a winter theme.

The picket fence, although photo-worthy, is barely practical. Above, you see I tried to push it into holes on the asphalt, breaking off a leg of one in the process. It has been better used to mark off our campsite edge. I do so because I am a Grinch and I don’t like wet, laughing children running through my eating area. Grrr!

Ryan and I feel our camper is lovely enough for a camper museum. Let me know if you have any leads on this because we have the original canvas and an unaltered interior. 

Edited to Update: Our beloved Camper has now been sold to Vintage Camper Gal Wisconsin! Here are a few final shots to preserve the memories of this cute little gem of a Minnesota original camper! We showed the Bethany and 1968 Plymouth Fury at a neighborhood car show, and took it to 5 states. The Bethany always made a statement around town. We miss our little camper, but it is in good hands!