Lots of Love for my Radio Flyer Wagon....

A few weeks ago while at a neighborhood garage sale with my other "sisters" I came across this adorable  Radio Flyer Wagon. While it looked like it was lacking a lot of love, I could only see how adorable my two little girls would look cruising around in this one of a kind wagon. Plus it was a steal at only 10 bucks!!!! I can only say..I'm so glad I saw it before any of my other sisters, because when we are garage sailing together..better watch out because we all seem to have the same eye for things. 

This is what it looked like when I brought it home. 

BEFORE:

The wagon is a Radio Flyer "Trav-ler" Wagon and made entirely out of wood except for the wheels and handle. Fully tested at the neighborhood sale because it carried an abundant amount of our loot!! It was definitely in need of a coat of paint and a few minor fixes. It was missing the front gate piece and the wood on the floor of the wagon had started to rot in a few spots. I enlisted the help of my dad who is the BEST at fixing anything and everything...literally! He replaced the floor piece of the wagon and built a new front gate piece that exactly matched the back piece. Now the wagon was as good as new!

I took the entire wagon apart and with a wire brush sanded off any rust spots from the metal (that was the hardest part). Once I finished with that I used some black glossy rustoleum spray paint and gave it a fresh coat of paint. It looks brand new! I also spray painted the wheel covers a glossy white because they had really faded into an off white color. I love how it turned out.

For the wooden part of the wagon I removed the front, back and sides and gave them a few coats of red paint (Red paint that I happened to already have on hand from our shed that exactly matched the red on the wagon!). I also found a spray bottle of Thomson's water sealer and sprayed a coat onto the base of the wagon to protect it from the rain. 

Lastly I decided to make a cushion for the wagon. This way my little girls tushies would be nice and comfy! I measured the length and width of the inside of the wagon and then headed to Joann's. Luckily the 2 inch foam padding was 50% off and all the batting was 40% off..YEA! Thankfully they cut the foam at the fabric counter to the exact measurements that I wanted. I picked out some fabric that I thought suited the wagon perfectly and headed home. I covered the foam cushion with the batting and then made a slipcover out of the fabric that I had purchased. I also made the slipcover removable by leaving one side open and sewing on a ribbon of snaps. That way if it gets dirty I can just unsnap and throw it in the laundry machine. Brilliant!

I also sewed a little pillow for little E so her little back doesn't hurt from the wood on the back of the wagon. 

I added a buckle strap in the back of the wagon to keep little E safe while we are out cruising around!

This is what it looks like today (as of yesterday!)

AFTER:

For the Radio Flyer Decal I couldn't find replacement stickers that matched so I used painters tape and taped very carefully around the decal to keep it paint free. Once the paint dried I removed the painters tape. I love the rustic look it still had so I didn't paint over it or try to "fix it up". 

 Here is a picture of the buckle I installed for little E..

The cushion finished with a little pillow as well..

I rolled up the edge to form a hem and then pinned the snap ribbon (found at Joann's in the sewing supply section) onto the hem and then sewed it together.

I can't wait to take the girls on a picnic!

Today will be the perfect day!

Happy July 4th!

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