I’m the kind of person who nests everywhere I stay. I decorate until you can’t see the walls anymore, and I don’t stop until I love the space I’m in. Over the past couple of years, I’ve moved around a lot. It’s allowed me lots of room for creativity when it comes to decorating. Whether I’m moving into a new space or returning to my space in my family home, I always get excited to put my stamp on it. I’ve always had an eye for decorating, a knack for putting together a project, and a slight tendency to hoard that usually guarantees I have all the tools necessary to dress up my area on hand. I’m your local Martha Stewart here to share my secrets.
To prepare to decorate your room, condo, or house, make sure you first take inventory of which spaces you have to fill! Keeping a note of areas you need to jazz up will keep you focused and purposeful in your shopping and/or crafting! Also, try and work out a budget for yourself, and consider the areas you’d rather spend versus save.
Get Thrifty
Thrift stores are a junk lover’s heaven, with something for everyone! I love finding projects or treasures at thrift stores because it allows me to generate a super unique feel in my space. Some of my greatest finds that have moved with me from room to room include a colourful paper world map that serves as wall decor, a collection of vintage Vogue and National Geographic magazines as cute book rack features, and a selection of cute but old, dysfunctional cameras as paperweights and bookends. Overall, thrift stores are a cheap and easy way to keep your space original and classy.
Get Crafty
Like thrifting, putting your creative side to work is a great way to create a space that is both original and feels personal to you. Using old magazines is my favorite way, and the easiest way to add a D-I-Y touch to your space. At their most basic, magazine clippings can make cheap and unique posters. To class them up, check out your local dollar store or craft store for some cute frames for your clippings. My favorites have been borderless frames, as pictured above- they create a neat flow in a space and can be grouped in so many different formations. If you’re feeling artistic, try collaging on a wood panel from the dollar store- just make sure to use a thick layer of glue.
If you don’t have the crafty touch, don’t fret- you can still get creative in your space. Try using Picsart’s collage feature to design cute and original posters for your space, and then take them to your local Walmart or photo centre for printing. One of my favourite collage tricks is to stagger black and white photos with colour photos. Another favourite is setting a photo as the background and layering other photos on top, as pictured above.
Your bare white walls shouldn’t scare you, nor be a bore to wake up and fall asleep to. Let your imagination run wild this year and create a space at school that you love to be in and love to look at. Feeling comfortable and happy in your space will help promote a positive attitude when it comes to the greater, overarching assignment of getting your degree. Get crafty, get creative, and most importantly, have fun with it!