Beautiful, EASY Skylight Light-Blocking Shade for UNDER $10

We have a wonderful skylight in our camper. I love it, except in the morning when it's like a prison searchlight hitting my eyes! It came with a 'light diffusing' shade installed, which basically means it does NOTHING to block the light.

I looked into buying a shade for it - very expensive! So, I've been stuffing a piece of reflectix in it at night. It looks tacky, I may live in a travel trailer, but I have my standards! It also ends up laying around and getting in the way all day, until of course, I need to put it back up and then it can't be found.

Knit Your Own Cargo Net in Any Color You Want!! Bonus Fruit Sling!

Hubs and I toured a highly overpriced Basecamp trailer by Airstream. I sure wish I could get in on the marketing that has made them such a status symbol. But I digress (and if I'm upsetting any airstream owners, I doubt it, since they don't read my blog AND their Basecamp is already equipped  with expensive cargo nets ALL OVER THE PLACE)

Which is exactly what made me think I should incorporate some cargo nets into my travel trailer! I mean, who doesn't want to model their RV around Airstream? They may be overpriced, but they are beautiful.

So, as a joke, I hung a cargo net over my side of the bed which happens to be under a bunk.

Turns out cargo nets are really helpful! So, not so much of a joke!

I started looking for an attractive cargo net. Guess what, they come in black ... and black ... and oh yes, black!

So I designed a REALLY easy knitting pattern to make my own cargo net. How easy, you ask? Well, if you can knit, you can make a cargo net. You don't even have to purl unless you want to.

DIY Pretty, Adjustable, Easy-to-Make Water Filter Stand for your RV or Travel Trailer

Hope you're keeping safe! Unfortunately during this insanity of CLOSING THE WORLD, they have closed all the Corps of Engineer parks around, so we are at our home base, and I have the chance to do a few new projects

One of the things I've been trying to figure out how to do was make a nice stand for our water filter.

We use a 'whole house' type of water filter. It's great, but presents some issues when trying to attach it to the RV. It either falls over, or puts undue stress on the incoming water fitting.

I've been unaware of this since hooking up the water is hub's purview. He finally mentioned that it's a PITA and I decided to come up with a solution.

My first solution was to cut a hole in a cat litter bucket. This is great looks nice - but still too low.

Hmmmmm, how to make a bracket that will adjust for the differing heights of the various places we camp, or even different rv's.

Keep reading for full instructions, plus an alternative.

Random Crap Memory Box - Lightweight - Inexpensive - Easy DIY Craft + Free Printable

I originally made a memory box out of plywood that was quite elaborate (eventually I'll write up the instructions). Now that we live in our RV full time, weight is always an issue. My plywood memory box needs to be replaced with a lighter weight version.

I surfed the net and looked for some ideas. Cute ones like "Making Memories" generic ones like "Ticket Box" Smaltzy ones like "Love lives here" but none of them were right. 

Then I remembered seeing a cigar trinket box that said "Random Crap from here and there" - Perfect! 

This one is easy to make and costs $2. Well, plus the hot glue if you don't have it already. But, being a crafter, I'm sure you have it! Read on for full instructions! 

Holiday Decor that Doesn't Take Up Space!

If you live in an RV or camper or even just camp a lot, you know how hard it is to try to store and carry holiday decor. This week's post is a special Holiday article by a guest author with a great idea for space-saving Holiday decor! This idea is great no matter where you live - easy holiday decor!



(Don't worry, if you don't sew or don't have your machine with you, I have a solution at the end of the post)

Here's Karis to tell you how she did it -

Life Doesn't Have to be Perfect to be Wonderful! Free Printable and Silhouette Cut File

Free Printable and
Silhouette Cut File

I made this file earlier this year because I was so depressed about my new Grand Design XLS 19RLE camper. We had sold our house and moved in full time, only to find out that it had a horrible leak. After waiting for weeks to get into the repair shop, they DIDN'T FIX IT. They pulled the window out and did a poor job of putting it back, but the wall still leaked. It turned out that it was the entire seam that runs along the wall between the side and the floor. 

I fixed it myself.

Solve the Puzzle of Traveling with 1500 Pieces!

We love to do puzzles when it's rainy or too cold to go outside. Sometimes even when it too hot to go out! I made a puzzle system that costs a total of about $5 and works for just about any size puzzle.

I've tried all kinds of ways to keep the puzzle together while we travel. 

I searched Amazon for puzzle keepers. They have keepers like this

and keepers like this:

I've tried rolling it up like this - not a fan!! Also, assembling a puzzle on a sheet of felt is an exercise in frustration!

And they all cost quite a bit more than I want to spend. So, I made my own frugal version that works great! Read on to see exactly how I did it. 

How I Beat the Heat with DIY Magnetic Solar Screens on My RV / Camper / Trailer

Beat the heat! How I built solar screens on my RV windows.

We've been in cooler regions of the United States this summer, so heat wasn't a problem -- but we had to come back to central Texas this month! Heat over 100 degrees! 

I made really nice adjustable, removable fabric awnings for my previous camper.
(If you want to know how, click here) 

I liked them a lot, and they are super cute, but they have a couple drawbacks. If it gets really windy in the middle of the night, they will bang on the camper. Sometimes loudly enough that you have to get out of your cozy bed and put them away.  It took a lot of time to make the awnings - making the solar shades take almost no time at all!

So, I came up with the idea of solar screen covers for the windows. There are a lot of advantages.  There is a video at the end of this article that shows how stable they are in a windstorm.

• They block up to 90% of the sun's heat.  
• Unlike the silver stuff, you can see through your windows and don't feel like you're living in a cave.  
• They are easy to put up and take down. 
• You don't have to remove them if it rains or is windy. 
• You can open and close all your windows, including the emergency window without removing them.
• You can have airflow through the trailer and still block the heat

Best of all YOU CAN SEE OUTSIDE!

The screens are held up with magnets and are easy to install and remove without a ladder. Interested? Read on to see how I did it!

Note: all my affiliate links will generate money for your favorite charity! They are all set to go to smile.amazon.com

Make a FREE Sturdy Cone Thread Holder that Folds for Travel

Actually, it doesn't have to be a travel holder, I use it at home all the time. It folds up very compactly for travel, though.

By the way if you need a reliable, sewing machine that makes great buttonholes, I recommend this one - I love it!

Even though it appears to be made from plastic it sews GREAT and handles everything I want to sew - from lightweight polyester to heavy denim

I use cone thread for a lot of sewing. I was looking online at a neat holder like this one

suddenly it struck me -  I have something similar  .... You know those CD/DVD stackers? well, I thought - "hmm, that would make a good thread holder".  Five minutes and a piece of wire later, I had a nifty free thread holder.

Protect Your Glass Doors

I was on a forum and someone was showing a complicated way they pad all their glassware and dishes before moving the trailer. Hah! I thought to myself, I am more clever than that! I don't have to do anything before we move because everything is arranged nicely in the shelves and stays put!  

Then I saw a conversation about the damage to the glass doors from the items rubbing on them during travel. Hmmm, this might be an issue. Sure enough, when I opened the cabinets, I could see a couple small areas where the dishes had rubbed on the glass and damaged some of the frosted pattern. I have no idea whether the frost is really etched or just a sprayed on finish. It really doesn't matter at this point, either way, there's damage.

Well.... do I want to spend an hour getting my camper ready to move every time we change location? That's an easy question - NO - NO I DO NOT - I spend a lot of time and effort designing storage systems so that we pretty much lift anchor and sail away without a lot of prep (to mangle a metaphor or two)

So, what to do?

DIY Window Bird Feeder for Our Fine Feathered Friends!

This is going to make you smack your forehead.

I was sitting in my new travel trailer that has a lot of windows, watching the birds and wishing I had a window bird feeder. So, I designed and built a nice wooden one, based on one I had seen years ago. It's nice, but it takes time, materials and woodworking skills to make it.  It also takes up a lot of room in my tiny house. 

One day as I was walking through Dollar Tree, I saw something . . . 

How To Sew Your Own Kayak Sail for Any Kayak! DIY Tutorial with Photos

When we bought our first 'beginner' kayaks, they were really neat. They were made by Lifetime and were small, lightweight and best of all, they came with the sails you see in the photo.  We have long since moved on to better kayaks, but we use those sails with every kayak we own including a Hobie tandem. Since we lost a sail in a near death experience, I came up with a way to make them myself. Here's how I did it

Watch TV Around Corners with a DIY Sliding TV Mount for Small Spaces

I was so excited when I figured out how to mount a tv or heavy object on a thin wall with no visible big hunk of wood!

(Tutorial Here)

 Then, I added a dishwasher to my camper

(Tutorial Here), and - now I can't turn the tv as far as I used to!

I figured there must be some way to redesign the mount, and after some trial and error, and much more elaborate ways of accomplishing this, I came up with a very simple, sturdy and easy to make way to make a movable tv mount that can swing around corners! Read on to see how I did it!

How To Add a Two Compartment Sewer Hose Storage to A Camper/RV - Bonus How to Modify for Permanent 90' Fitting

If you're new to my blog, make sure you click here and check out all the tutorials & ideas I have on my blog. 

I love my little camper, but it doesn't have a bumper to store the sewer hose in. When you drain the tanks, it's bad enough to deal with the hose, without having to try to shove it into a bucket. I didn't like having it stored in the camper with the rest of our stuff, either. So I was excited to build this storage area for it. This post will show you how I built an RV sewer hose storage from a vinyl fence post that will work even if you have a permanent 90' fitting on the end!

IF YOU STORE YOURS IN YOUR BUMPER: Even when we had a trailer with a bumper, we did not store it in the bumper - the inside is metal, and rusts, and gets rough and will eventually make holes in your sewer line. So even if you have a bumper, this is a better way to store it. After making the holder, just strap it to your bumper.

I used a 5" square vinyl fence post, two fence caps, some metal strapping, screws and a piece of scrap plywood. 

Double Your Drawer Space

If you're new to my blog, make sure you click here and check out all the tutorials & ideas I have on my blog. 

I don't know about you, but I never have enough drawers! Especially in my camper, where I only have two small drawers.  This project will work in your home too!

I recently came up with a way to double the storage in my drawers!

Find Hidden Storage in your Camper Wall!

If you're new to my blog, make sure you click here and check out all the tutorials & ideas I have on my blog. 

If you've used every wall space you can find, how about finding some space WITHIN the wall?  I added about 5 feet of 4 1/2" deep shelving in my unused wall space! 

I discovered this when I installed my REAL stainless steel washing machine. Click here to check it out!

So, here's how to add more storage without getting a bigger camper or house (yes, this will work in your house too!)

How To Make A Secure Self Latching Cabinet For Computers Or Other Important Things

If you're new to my blog, make sure you click here and check out all the tutorials & ideas I have on my blog. 

I'll show you how to make a cabinet that locks automatically when you close it.
A simple way to make sure a cabinet door always stays closed. 

I don't like to have to remember to close things or latch things or bungee cord things before I hit the road with my camper. So I designed and made a quick and dirty self-latching cabinet. And here's how I did it.

How To Sew Your Own Sturdy Carrying Case for a Blackstone Tabletop Griddle or Propane Grill Plus How To Easily Make a Rain Resistant Zipper Closure

I just got an amazing Blackstone Griddle. It's a great size for cooking for a smaller group and does a fantastic job. It has such a loyal following, it even has its own facebook group! Two, actually, one for owners, and one for recipes.

Here is what it looks like - it's bigger than it appears.

 It's about 18" x 18" which doesn't sound very large, but it's hefty!

Since we are going to use it as weak travel, I needed a bag for it.

How to Make Your Own Sink Cover for More Counter Space DIY Tutorial.

This is a simple project, and really adds a lot of space. Most campers/trailers/rvs come with a cover for your sink, but some are not very useful. Mine was made of the same chipboard/formica as the counter. I couldn't even use it as a cutting board, and after a few years, being by the sink made the chipboard swell up and become 'unsightly'. Of course, if you buy a second hand camper, you might not even get one!

I decided to make a more useful, durable and attractive cutting board / sink cover myself.

How I Raised My Low Camper Sink! Added Storage Too!

THIS IS MY FAVORITE MOD EVER! I can't tell you how much I love this!! I go into the camper and just stand in front of my 'new' sink and smile!! It's so nice and much more comfortable! Plus it looks snazzy! and has new storage . . . .  

I love my camper!!! But one thing that has always been irritating is