A couple of weeks ago I shared a few great tips of things we have learned in our year as RV owners! Today I thought I would share a couple of fun updates that we have completed and other things we have added that we love.
#1: US Map Bumper Sticker
Our friends/neighbors got us this awesome bumper sticker that we put on the back of our RV. It’s a map of the United States and as we visit each one, we add the illustrated state sticker in it’s designated spot. We love it! It has held up great in the heat, the rain and the wind. I love adding each state and thinking about the memories we’ve created in each place. I think we’ve done pretty well over the past year and we will have at least two more states to add this summer!
There are a few different variations of map stickers, but my favorite is the one they got us. I like the vibrant colors!
#2: Plaque
Our same friends got us this cute plaque for Christmas, which we hung inside by the door. They spoil us!
We didn’t want to put holes in the walls, so we have been using mounting strips and they’ve worked perfectly!
#3: Split Drawer
The boys have a long drawer underneath their bunk. They kept squabbling about whose clothes were on whose side of the drawer, so my handy husband added a wooden divider inside the drawer. Problem solved!
#4: Mirror
Mirror, Mirror, on the wall. Aubrey wanted a mirror in her “room” so that she doesn’t have to fight over the bathroom in our limited space. We found this mirror for $5 at Target and it worked perfectly in her little space. We used the mounting strips on the back side to prevent it from banging around while the RV is in motion.
#5: Bingo!
We found these travel Bingo cards that have been a lot of fun while on the road. Between these and other games and DVD’s, the kids never complain that they are bored while we travel.
#6: Privacy Curtain
(I saved the best for last). Aubrey wanted privacy in her bedroom. Fair enough; the boys have curtains on their beds but for some reason the overhead didn’t come with curtains. Aubrey’s a teenager now. Teenagers need their privacy 😉 I figured I could make a curtain easily enough. The only problem was that I couldn’t find a tension rod long enough to reach from one end to the other (and the one that I did find was super expensive). It took a little bit of thinking, but I used my problem solving skills and came up with a great solution. I’ll share my step-by-step method, but first, here’s a sneak peek at the finished product:
To start with, you can see that I didn’t want to drill anything into the ceiling, so we bought sticky back, plastic command hooks instead. You might worry about the durability but let me assure you that it has worked great!
Rods: I bought two adjustable, decorative curtain rods. I chose a light weight rod so that it wouldn’t be too heavy for the hooks. I took the two rods and put them together; since they are adjustable, each rod comes with 2 pieces so that you can slide it to the size you want. They didn’t have one long enough for this space, so that’s why I bought two and then I put the two mid-sections of each rod together. I did have to use clear packaging tape to hold the rods together because they wanted to slip apart. I taped them after I had them on the rod and you’ll see why when I explain the hooks.
Hooks: I bought 6 hooks and mounted them to the ceiling: two on each end and two in the middle. I placed them each as pictured so that the rod doesn’t slip out of the hook. It’s probably easiest to mount the hooks one direction at a time, otherwise it’s almost impossible to get the rod in there. So, put your 3 hooks that are facing out on the ceiling first, put the rod in place and then go back and put the remaining 3 hook on going in the opposite direction, holding the rod in place. Does that make sense?
Curtains: I measured my space (added a couple inches for seam allowances) and cut out two rectangles of fabric for the curtains. Aubrey wanted Harry Potter fabric but I didn’t want Harry Potter, so I made them double sided. It is SUPER easy to do. Basically, you just cut out rectangles of each fabric, sew them right sides together, leaving an opening to flip. That’s it! Her side is Harry Potter and our side is blue. It’s a win-win! You could also buy premade curtains and hem them up, if that’s easier.
I did two sides of the curtains (left and right), leaving an opening in the middle in order to open and close them easier (especially with the center hooks in the way). I sewed on strips of velcro on her side of the curtain; a piece at the top, the bottom and the middle. This way, she can Velcro them shut when she is changing and whatnot.
I bought curtain rod ring clips for the curtain itself. I wanted simple and didn’t want to deal with grommets (I was on a time crunch to get them done before vacation!) and I couldn’t just make a casing at the top to put the rod through because of the mounting hooks. This was as simple as it got. I put the rings on the rods and then clipped the curtains. It makes it super easy when I need to take them off to wash them!
This privacy curtain has worked out really well, and I have a happy teenager which make everything happier! Ha ha. They have been functional and durable.
Here are the supplies you will need for your curtains. You can buy them in the store but some things are a lot cheaper on Amazon; I didn’t have time to wait for Amazon since I procrastinated on making this until the day before our vacation!!
What things have you found for your RV that you love? Leave me a comment; I’m always looking for great ideas!
