My Simple, Organized Life

How to hang Christmas stockings in an RV (or hang anything from the valances). Those standard RV valances…pieces of plywood covered with hideously patterned fabric and fastened above the windows of your RV windows. Not exactly fashion-forward or even appealing to the eyes. But also not permanent. You can simply remove them and hang a curtain rod . Or, you can cover the fabric with a choice more fitting of your own style and décor theme. You can even use a tension rod to hang curtains underneath the valance . All of these ways will jazz up your RV and make it look more cozy and like home. But how do you hang Christmas stockings in an RV? Some RVs have fireplaces , but hanging stockings in front of the fireplace will cover the fireplace and not allow you to use it during the holidays. So, another option is to hang the stockings on a valance, but how? I happened to have some cubicle hooks like these  or these  left over from when I used to work in cubicle land and, turns out

Living, or even just vacationing, in a small RV with several family members can lead to bad smells quick. The RV itself may emit some foul odors from the toilets or sinks, especially if they don’t seal properly. And staying in an RV for any amount of time encourages more outdoor adventures, which brings back some pretty gnarly smells into the RV, like sweaty clothes, wet clothes, and stinky feet. So, how do you make it smell good again? We’ve been living in our RV for over three years now and have found some great ways to keep it smelling fresh and clean. Here’s what we do: Bedroom: A decorative essential oil diffuser keeps the bedroom smelling great, provides a nice night light, and looks beautiful. Kids Room: A compact essential oil diffuser in the kids rooms is a space saver while still emitting a nice scent, purifying the air, and providing a soft night light. Our boys make sure to refill and turn on “Mr. Mister” (their name for their diffuser) every night before getti

We all want an organized space, whether it's just a drawer or the entire house. Finding really useful organizing tools and containers can be almost impossible without having to seek out a specialized store or spending a fortune. But, there actually is a certain time of year when you can find all sorts of small-space organizing hacks, and they may even be on sale. It's back-to-school time! Think about it. Back-to-School caters not only to elementary and high school students, but to college students as well. And college students are trying to fit as much of their stuff into a small dorm room as possible, so availability of organizing tools and containers is at an all-time high. You don't have to be a student to take advantage of the products and sales, so this is the time to stock up on all of those organizing tools and containers you'll need to get your space in tip-top shape stat. Here are 5 of my favorite organizing products: 1. Some of my favorite school product

I’ve written a few posts about how to make your RV or small space look and feel more like a comfortable home (such as this one and this one ). I often get asked how I manage to hang things on the walls and secure things to the countertops so that they don’t fall during travel. It’s true that when an RV is driving down the road, it’s basically the equivalent of an earthquake each time. If you don’t secure everything effectively, you could walk into a disaster zone after each trip. So, what works? Nothing is fail-proof, but I’ve found that there are three adhesive organizers that work the best. 1)  Command 3M Velcro Strips . These work great for holding items onto walls, especially items that you may need to remove occasionally to update, such as clocks and picture frames. These also work great to attach items to countertops that you may need to use, such as remote controls and dispenser containers, but you want secured during travel. 2)  Command 3M Waterproof Strips .

A small bathroom can be a challenge to decorate and make comfortable, but there are some things you can do to make a small bathroom look and feel really cozy. Filling wall space with nice art is perfect for a bathroom. This is where you can express yourself and get away with it. Find a fun piece of wall art that fills the entire wall space, like this one or this one . Instead of hanging a toilet paper roll on the wall, use one of these floor organizers that holds the toilet paper roll as well as stores several backup rolls. A small, decorative trash can with a lid like this one will keep your space looking clean while eliminating trash odors. Nobody wants to see bathroom trash anyway, so a lidded trash can is the perfect solution. A small shower can still store all of your family’s bathing necessities with one of these floor-to-ceiling tension rod shower organizers that looks decorative and keeps everything tidy. Make the most of a small countertop wit

Probably the most overlooked space, whether in a home or RV, is the ceiling. When trying to make a space feel cozy, the ceiling space becomes a key element. You can hang lamps in a corner.   In the bedroom, draping a curtain over three bamboo sticks attached to the ceiling by hooks , really spices up the romance and ties all the décor together. Light fixtures can easily be switched out with fun covers to complete a theme. These are all very simple ideas that can really make a room go from “nice” to “amazing”. Need some ideas? Check out these (affiliate links):         Disclosure: This website contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using these links. The small commission I receive is used to keep this website active and updated for you. Thank you for your support!