It’s that time of year again; targets are filled with back to school supplies, future roommates are getting in contact with one another, and you are at home thinking of what you can do to make your room feel more like home. The majority of UCSD students are moving into a new space for the school year and what better way to make it more personal than to decorate it exactly to your taste by Doing-It-Yourself? You can use Pinterest, Instagram, catalogs from Ikea or other furniture stores, and even your own life for inspiration.
Of course, it’s all about the layout of your living space as well as how permanent your decorations can be, but here are some money-saving DIY ideas we think would look phenomenal on your wall (pro-tip: look out for temporary adhesives like sticky tack or Command strips so you don’t get in trouble with your landlord!)
1. Paint Swatch Month Calendar
Sick of the ugly white dry-erase calendars from the school supply section? Customize and personalize a wall calendar with you favorite colors. It can even be made into a weekly calendar or to-do list by changing the number of swatches and frame size. You can even grab a ton of extra swatches, use painter’s tape, and create a colorful wall. Here is a simple tutorial, and here is more detailed one!
2. Flower String Lights
Everyone loves string lights whether or not they are on, but why not make them even cuter? Depending on the kind of flowers you want, a variety of materials can be used in order to create these fun floral lights. Here is a tutorial for an egg carton flower lights, and here is one that uses cupcake liners!
3. Wall Collage/Photo Wall
Whether it’s pictures of your favorite memories or clippings of chic magazines, find a space on your wall to create a collage of your favorite photos. Cover the whole wall, use a frame, or even spell out words and to pictures with the photos. Not only will these pictures make your room look awesome, but guests will love them too. Pinterest, Instagram, and Tumblr probably have thousands of examples. Here are some of my favorite wall collages!
4. Clothesline Picture Holder
Clothesline picture holders are probably the first thing that pop in your mind when thinking of ways to decorate your room due to the abundance of Pinterest and Instagram posts. These babies are popular for a reason! You can hang pictures, ticket stubs, or even use it as an inspiration board to create an effortless, but mad cute, display of your favorite memories. Change it up and make yours even better using string lights instead of a clothesline, decorating your clothespins, or hanging letters to form your favorite motivational quote! Here is a tutorial in case you meet some technical difficulties, and you can use this pinterest board for some inspiration!
5. Jewelry Hangers
No one likes to sort through tangled messes of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, however jewelry displays can get expensive. Make your own jewelry holder to make accessorizing in the morning easier! You can create earring holders out of lace, jewelry trees, and accessory holders simply from a coathanger. These jewelry organizers are a triple threat; You get to be organized, showcase your amazing jewelry collection, and create room decor from items you already had at the house! DIY can’t get better than this!