There’s always a moment of complete stress and panic when I walk into a new dorm room; something about it just screams prison cell when I open the door for the first time. Even after being here a couple weeks the task of decorating seems daunting, and the idea that this is my new home for a year seems impossible. So to help make the transition a little less stressful and a lot more fun I’ve come up with my top 4 DIY decorations that will allow you to feel a little more at home.
1. First thing to making your space less like a cell and more like a room is through wall hangings. Posters and pictures are always a quick and easy fix, but one of my all time favorite ways to cover up a wall is by using a tapestry. You can find tapestries almost anywhere but they can get pricey fast, so why spend money when you can make your
own? Spend one of the last sunny days out in the quad with your roomies tie-dying your very own unique tapestry. All you need is a white sheet, some tie-dye and a little creativity and you’re ready to go.
2. My next favorite DIY idea comes in the form of jewelry holders. Take the glass out of an old picture frame and criss-cross ribbon in its place. Then hang it on a command strip and you have an instant earring holder. If you want to make your necklaces stand out too, you can use a wooden dowel. Tie ribbon to both sides then hang the top of the ribbon on command strip. Hook the necklaces around the dowel and BAM organization and decoration all in one.
3. My BIGGEST issue with dorm rooms is the lack of shelving on the walls, so why not make your own custom shadow boxes. Take the bottom of a sturdy shoebox and then use wrapping paper, photos, magazine cutouts, or anything else you can find to cover the box. Flip the box so one of the sides is now the bottom and the opening is facing forwards. Finally you are going to want to cut two holes; one hole on the upper right side and one on the upper left side. String ribbon through both of the holes and hang the ribbon on the command strip. You can now have custom shelving in your dorm room!
4. One of my favorite ways of lighting my room is using Christmas lights. To make your room appear less Christmassy and more chic you’re going to use plastic cups. Buy a pack of mini cups (the ones you used to take fluoride from, not the big red ones), scrapbook paper, paperclips and of course Christmas lights. Your first step is to cover the cups with paper. You’re then going to want to cut the bottom of the cup off. Flip the cup so the wide opening is down and the “new” small opening is on top so it looks like a lampshade. Take the paper clip and straighten it out, poke two small holes on either side of the cup and put the light into the small opening. Finally place the paper clip through the two holes making sure the paperclip is over the wire and voilà beautiful custom lighting!
Just remember ladies decorating a room should be FUN, not stressful!