It’s so exciting to have a whole room to decorate! It feels like throwing paint balloons at a white canvas a la Princess Diaries. Love that film! Mia had amazing rooms – she had her own tower with a spiral staircase in the first movie then a princesses dream room in the second! We haven’t got her budget and space to work with but here’s a few simple ideas to add personal touches.
It’s a real comfort to have some photos up. It’s also a great way to show your new friends your life back home:
Brilliant Bargain – When you create a new account with Snapfish you get 40 free prints. I went completely crazy printing off photos! I also stopped off at Paperchase and at Blackwells in the Portland building to a buy a sheet of wrapping paper. Some of their prints are really pretty and make unique posters! My favourite is easily my Ikea ‘Drops’ collage frame which looks like a movie strip – a bargain of only £5!
Middle road – The poster sales at Notts are frequent and offer 3 for £10. They also sell white tack! I would also suggest a Sasco Academic Year Planner. It’s available on Amazon for around £10-£15 and comes with coloured stickers and a key so you can be extra organised. Best thing is that it’s like a whiteboard and the special pen wipes off. The second best thing is that it’s purple!
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The Princess Treatment – If you want to treat yourself you can make a poster of your own photos on Snapfish. The biggest one is 40”x30” and costs £19.99. There are also 3 smaller, cheaper sizes. Alternatively if you’re creative you can make your own photo collage!
The majority of my room is decked out in Ikea splendour. There’s an Ikea in Nottingham but it’s quite far from campus. If you have a car it’s a 15 minute drive otherwise I would pay a visit to Wilkinsons which is opposite the Victoria Centre for cheap practical buys such as bins and bed side tables.
The Perfectionist – Nothing worse than piles of socks mixed up with your tights in one drawer? Ikea offers Skubb – clothes dividers. For £6 you get 6 different sized boxes to place in your drawers to organise your stuff! Available in pink, white, black and blue how can you go wrong? This beautiful miracle storage is also available as shoe boxes – 4 for £9.
Light Up My World – Looking for a practical, cheap yet pretty lamp? Ikea’s got America’s Walmart beat with a simple yet cute white lamp called Lampan for £2.75. Perfect for late night reading or writing essays. Also you can’t forget fairy lights! The best bets are to search for hidden treasures on Ebay or Amazon.
Finally no room would be complete without bits and bobs. Want to collect more? Visit the Broadmarsh centre’s Evolution for treats like pillows, frames and wind chimes but do make sure to bring a cuddly toy from home and anything else that makes you comfortable. Happy accessorizing!