Category Archives: Product Reviews

Favorite Things – Travel Trailer Miscellaneous

Posted on by February 20, 2017avatar

There are few things I have gotten for the trailer that have worked out really well. I brought a wooden toolbox I had made that has a rope handle. I filled it with jars and a utensil holder to store all my silverware (4 place setting set from Ikea) and kitchen utensils. Since my trailer only has 2 smallish drawers in the kitchen using the toolbox freed those drawers for other things.  I then added the OXO rotating utensil holder for my longer cooking utensils.  I obviously have to pack these when I’m moving the trailer, but have loved having everything … Read more…

Favorite Things – Instant Pot

Posted on by February 20, 2017avatar

When I was going through the decision process of what kitchen appliances to take in the travel trailer I decided an Instant Pot was one of the best things I could get. It has mutiple functions in one appliance: Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Saute/Browning, Yogurt Maker, Steamer & Warmer. Here it is on my counter top extension and ready to make Thai pasta. I had never used a pressure cooker before so I bought it a few months before hitting the road so I could figure out how to use it. It’s become one of my favorite appliances. Some … Read more…

Favorite Things – Magnetic Spice tins

Posted on by February 20, 2017avatar

Since I cook almost all my own meals and rarely eat out, spices were going to be important to me when I started traveling full time in my trailer. But how to store them in an accessible way? My preference was to have magnetic spice containers so I purchased the Kamenstein 6-Piece Colored Magnetic Tin Set from Walmart since they had the best price.  Before selling the house I washed them, labeled them, and filled them with spices.  When I got settled in to the travel trailer the problem became what to stick them to. The only metal in the … Read more…

Favorite Things – Extend-a-Shower Shower Rod

Posted on by February 20, 2017avatar

The showers in most RVs are little and mine is no exception at 40 inches wide and 24 inches deep. Fortunately, I’m short so the lack of shower head room is no issue for me.  The shower curtain that came with the travel trailer was awful — nasty, scimpy material on a poor ceiling sliding mechanism. I wanted a rod that would allow more room when showering, but not be sticking out in the way when not showering. I found the Stromberg Carlson Extend-A-Shower in satin nickel. The best price I could find at the time was the sale price at … Read more…

Testing spray paints on resin furniture

Posted on by April 24, 2015avatar

I’ve had six good quality resin Adirondack chairs for quite some time. I bought them for my house in Texas that was a soft moss-green with snow-white trim and the original forest green color of the chairs was perfect for the white decks on that house. I also had three forest green tables and one white table. They all held up really well on the west-facing decks that baked in 110 degree Texas summers, but I did freshen up the color on them three years ago with a coat of forest green paint. The problem in 2015 was they were … Read more…

Stop loss bags for clear finish storage

Posted on by April 13, 2015avatar

Just a quick post about a product I’m trying — I am not sponsored by these folks are anyone else. I read about StopLossBags in The Family Handyman magazine and wanted to try them since I’ve had to throw away a considerable amount of varnish and polyurethane over the years. Storing polyurethane and varnish is a matter of protecting it from air and these bags look like they will solve that issue. I used a small funnel to store about half a quart of leftover oil-based polyurethane and was able to easily push the product up to the top of the bag forcing … Read more…

Bed legs alternative to bed frame

Posted on by April 13, 2015avatar
The DIY Girl - universal bed legs

After spending months researching alternatives to a bed frame I stumbled across universal Bede’s at us-mattress.com. With all my research, how had I never seen them before? Here’s their description: Are you tired of metal bed frames limiting the space underneath your bed? I don’t blame you! Here’s a tip – get rid of that metal frame and experience the new generation of mattress support! These bed legs are made from 100% recycled plastic and are available in four different heights so you can customize the amount of storage space under your bed. The Universal Bedlegs System easily attaches to … Read more…

Favorite paint tools

Posted on by February 27, 2015avatar
Favorite paint tools - The DIY Girl

I am a big advocate of good tools for painting since they make a huge difference to how difficult it is, how long it takes, and how it turns out. Buy good tools and take care of them and they will last for years and years. So I thought I’d run down my favorite paint tools and why I think they’re essential. Paint It doesn’t matter how great your painting tools are if you’re applying poor paint. Bad paint isn’t just a pain to apply — it’s a pain to have on the walls since it doesn’t clean up (it wipes off … Read more…

Kitchenaid vs Ninja blender review

Posted on by October 23, 2014avatar
Ninja NJ600 vs Kitchenaid Blender Reivew - The DIY Girl

I thought I’d give you my 2 cents worth and do a blender review. I don’t really use a blender for much other than smoothies, but I am a devoted consumer of protein smoothies so my blender gets used almost every day for lunch. I need one that crushes ice easily, is fairly easy to clean, and holds up well under a lot of use. Once again, I am not sponsored by either company so this is unbiased by money, but it is biased by experience. There’s no doubt that Kitchenaid blenders have a motor that does a great job of … Read more…