Good morning! I am so excited! I am finally updating and finishing an easy camper decorating project!
A few years ago I decorated our 5th wheel with souvenir plates. The husband and I were both happy with the project: it felt more cozy and homey, it reminded me of past vacations and it did not leave tons of holes in the camper wall!
Command hooks held the plates great-for about 4 years. They still hold the smaller plates and coasters great, but I also had a few, heavy, full size souvenir plates.
Unfortunately, the Iowa and Minnesota plates are no longer with us.
I probably should have checked the hooks once a year. Or taken the plates down for the winter, and then checked them during spring cleaning.
One year, the extreme temperature swings cracked our camper kitchen linoleum. I’m not sure what freezing temperatures and temperature swings do to command hoods.
I really should have checked them after the Iowa plate fell.
The larger, heavier plates probably needed heavy duty hooks. I used the under ½ pound hooks for all of the plates.
I am still using command hooks and hanging strips to decorate the camper with souvenir plates, but I will also be using some heavy duty hooks.
Heavy duty hooks and hanging strips can work great!
We hung a very pretty, very heavy, framed camping picture (love garage sales!) with the hanging strips that click together- and it stays amazingly well! We might have put too many strips on the small picture-they are all 4 corners, but I’m happy it is firmly attached. I do check it occasionally since there is glass in the frame.
I’m excited to finally be updating and finishing this decorating project. Last year, I took down any heavy plates and then, procrastinated.
The camper wall looked soooo sad for most of the year, as I tried to decide what to do.
Should I put plates up again?
Maybe postcards?
Maybe pictures?
Should I take everything down?
Then, this spring, I found a few souvenir plates at a garage sale!
I love the fun, vintage souvenir plates and the new ones helped me to decide to continue to decorate with them!
Most of them were small, lightweight coasters or decorative plates, one was a cup and saucer- but all of them were cheap! 25 cents to $1! Some were even ones I have been looking for since our last South Dakota vacation – 9 years ago!
Not all of them will get hung in the camper yet.
While some of the plates were for places we have already visited, others were for places that I would like to visit.
Since the family frowned at putting up plates for places we haven’t visited yet, I will store them in the sewing room for after future trips.
Even though it took a couple of hours, it was fun taking all the plates down and adding the new ones. Just like the dresser skirt and all the fabric, most of the time was spent rearranging the plates.
I didn’t take all the command hooks down, some were in places that I could keep using them-after I checked them.
As I took some of them down to reposition the hooks, add hanging strips or add heavy duty hooks, I was happy with how well the hooks of lighter plates were stuck on the wall. The ones I took down did not pull up the wall paper or leave a residue either.
When I finally finished and waited the hour to rehang the plates and coasters-I was soooo happy! I love being reminded of our past vacations!
Decorating with the vintage, souvenir plates is such a fun, frugal way to make the camper feel cozy and homey! I’m so glad that I found new plates to help inspire me to continue using them, and the husband is super happy there are not lots of new nail holes in our 5th wheel camper. Now, if I could just convince the family that we need a wall of future vacation plates!
Happy Camping (or making the camper cozy!)
Frugal Campasaurus