My Senior Year Apartment

I’ve been missing here for the last few weeks. It makes me kind of sad because I’ve just been so busy with school, sorority recruitment, and basically just enjoying the beginning portions of my last semester of living away at college. September is literally my favorite month, and I can't believe it's almost over! Where in the world did it go?

For the most part, I think my bedroom in my apartment is completed and I wanted to share it with everyone! Of course all rooms are always works in progress, but so far I'm in love with all of the space I have and how it's coming together. If you follow my blog, you know that I've been obsessing over decorating this space for months, so it's so much fun to see how it's come together.

 

We'll start with the view from my door! This is my bed. As you can see, I have the black and white chevron bedding from Urban Outfitters. So far I love it. It's a heavier fabric (more of a denim) and it holds up so well. I have red sheets from Kmart (finding red sheets are so hard!).

I hung up a vinyl monogram decal above my bed, and I love the interest it gives that wall. It's so classy!

 

My mom made the three dot pillows on the bed. One of my favorite details on the red and white polka dot ones, is that they are lined with crochet lace trim!

 

Looking at the nightstand (by the way, all the dark wood furniture was included with my apartment!), I have a chalkboard that I'm attempting to do some awesome chalk art on. This was my first attempt. My lamp came from Target two years ago and of course I have my alarm clock. Sorry for the cords you see, those are my phone charger and the cord to my little mini fan. It gets so hot sometimes!

From my past rooms, you probably remember my PB Teen dottie bins. One holds my Bath and Body Works collection (wallflowers, soaps, Scentportables, and other random odds and ends). The other holds my DVDS.

 

Here's another look that shows a few of my sorority paddles.

 

I've learned that I am most definitely not a handy person when it came to hanging my curtains. Keeping the intense eastern sun out of my face in the mornings were a huge priority, but hanging these curtains was way passed my limited about of DIYer skills. But, they are still hanging, not too crooked, and hung almost perfectly where they touch the floor. I bought them from Walmart.

 

 

Looking at the other wall beside my bed is familiar wall art: IKEA Wildflower wall decals! I had them in my room last year and adored them, so this year I bought another set. I just love them! You can also see Dottie, my ladybug Pillowpet hanging out on my red storage cube.

 

Turning around, here's the look at the other side of my room. I have my dresser and desk over there. And in case you are wondering, the leopard print box underneath my dresser is my nail polish collection! This proves to be the most convenient hiding spot for the box!

Here's a closer look at my dresser:

 

 

My TV is a Christmas present a few years ago from Target. I hung up chalkboard bird garland from World Market (I think they are adorable). I have a mason jar with fake fall flowers, a pumpkin candle from Bath and Body Works, my bird tray with my favorite perfume. And a bird from with a picture of my dog (also from World Market). In case you are curious about my dresser organization, the top drawer is dedicated to underwear and socks. Second drawer is pajamas and camis. Third drawer is shorts. Fourth drawer is jeans and pants.

 

Beside my dresser is my desk. Of course I have my laptop and my printer. But I also have a couple of Vera Bradley magazine holders that hold my textbooks. A red desk lamp, a couple decorative cupcake photo holders, chevron frame, Anthropologie mug with pens, and my Victoria's Secret mini dogs hanging out on my printer. Of course I also have a Pumpkin Cupcake candle too!

 

I also have above my desk my Vera Bradley ribbon board in Poppy Fields (boy do I miss this print!). I just have some photos and important things displayed there.

 

 

Beside my desk I put up my full length mirror, bought another storage drawer set to hold my school supplies, and on top of that I have my makeup collection. So essentially, this is my makeup area.

 

I'm lucky enough to have a walk in closet too! Here's a quick look. It's not the most organized, although I do like the hanging shelves for my cardigans and shoes.

I'm also lucky enough to have my own (huge) bathroom. I seriously don't even know how to handle this much space.

 

 

I absolutely adore my shower curtain from Ikea. I wanted to match my red dottie rug and towels that I bought from Walmart a couple of years ago. No matter where I looked, nothing matched. But Ikea had this super cute one.

I also really like having my wire shelf in my bathroom too. It hold three dottie bins that hold haircare products, makeup removing things, and body washes.

Overall I love my room! It's so spacious and it's fun to have a room to myself. I love having a walk in closet too.

What are you loving about your dorm room?

 

Just a Peek

Since there’s still a few finishing touches left for my new room at college, I thought I’d give you guys just a sneak peek of what it looks like…

 

Hopefully you like it! Of course it has chevron and dots!

My Summer Dorm Room

Hi guys!

Curious as to how I decorated my single dorm room for my six week summer school stay? Well, here's a quick look!

 

I used things that I already owned from over the course of the last three years, mixing some things in and out so I wouldn't get too bored with what I was using this past school year in my sorority house. The key was not to go too overboard, since it's only six weeks, but make it feel home-y and cozy enough so it's a refuge  from being in class for four hours everyday (summer classes don't play, guys).

 

As you can tell, I used my PB Teen dottie duvet cover with my basic red Walmart sheets. I think this combination looks really sharp against white walls. I added only two new things to this room: the Ikea throw pillow on my bed and a chevron frame from Hobby Lobby on my bookcase (which is yet to get an actual picture in it haha).

 

Because I wanted to make sure my ample supply of wall space wasn't too barren, I used ribbon and hung some of my favorite Instagram pictures from them with clothespins (an idea that is waaaaay harder than it looks, seriously I cheated and used tacs on the walls...shhhhh don't tell on me haha).

 

But it came together really nice! Plus this room was a gem to begin with! It has an adorable dormer window and a slanted ceiling, making me feel like I'm tucked into a little attic apartment. Plus it has a an accent wall and the walls are actually not white, but a kind of yellow, off-white.

So that's my room for summer school! I also have my own bathroom, a long hallway, and a closet too. Seriously, I'm so in love with this room.

 

 

 

The Reveal: Junior Year Room!

You may have wondered when I would finally reveal what my room in my sorority house looks like. And honestly, I have no excuse for why it took like six weeks to get pictures up. But, I think it’s time.

Sorry for the blurry iPhone pictures, but you know, that’s how it goes sometimes.

But anyway, this picture shows my little corner of the room. I decided to arrange my massive amounts of pillows like a daybed, which I actually really like. It makes it feel less dormy and more cute. As you can see, there was a slight change of plans when it came to bedding. See, the white and black damask 5 piece bedding set cost only $39. Yes!! You read that right. A five piece set: comofter, bedskirt, sham, and two throw pillows for less than $40. With fast shipping (less than a week from Canada). And I love it.

 

Here’s a closer look (still blurry, sorry) at all my pillows. Normally, I would tell college students that this many throw pillows is slightly annoying. But, I’m addicted. I love all of them. Maybe it’s because my mom made four of them (the dottie, zebra, and two Vera Bradley ones) and my big made the other. So all of them have emotional ties to them. But I think they really are adorable. You'll also notice on the far right of the picture is the paddle my sister made me! I love it! And some frame decals with pictures of my family, boyfriend, and pets are there too!!

 

Here’s a slightly closer look at my dottie bulletin board (Hobby Lobby $5!), the sorority letters I made, and my Keep Calm and Carry On poster. I love this wall. And my zebra lamp.

 

 

And here is my metal shelf next to my bed. Because space is a premium in my small room, I decided to forgo the desk and just to a shelf, since there are a plenty of places to study around the house if I need a solid surface (although I’m usually the type of person that likes to sit on the floor or in my bed to do homework). So you can see my laptop and next to it a couple of Vera Bradley magazine holders that hold my school notebooks and folders. Below on the bottom shelf, are my two PB Teen dottie bins. The one on the right holds DVDS, and the one on the left holds all of my beauty sprays and lotions. The top shelf is home to a cute dottie frame from Hobby Lobby, a mug full of pens and pencils, alarm clock, and my lamp!

 

 

Across the room is my closet, which houses my dresser as well. Ignore the fan and my roommates random blue chair. The black curtains came with the room, so I just took some ribbon I had and tied them back. The space above the closets was the absolute perfect place for me to put the wildflower wall decals I bought from Ikea. That maybe my favorite part of my room.



Here is a closer look at my dresser. I knew when moving in that this area was going to be my dressing area. So I bought the red egg crate from Target to hold earrings, jewerly, bobby pins, and hair ties. I also have two more Hobby Lobby frames on display (I promise they do now have pictures in them! The one on the right has a picture of my boyfriend and the left one has a picture of one of my guinea pigs). I have a red mug that holds my makeup brushes, a fake orchid (the only kind I can keep alive), my pin box, and my Vera Bradley makeup pouch.

And here is a picture of our decorated door and you can see more of the clothes side of my closet.

So overall, I'm in love with my room. I think it came together really nice! My storage sysem is working great (which I'll probably go into more detail here soon in another post). And I got rave reviews about it during recruitment's house tours.

I hope you all enjoyed!

Chevron Crazy

I don't know about you, but I am loving chevron so much these days! It doesn't help that it is literally everywhere. So it makes sense that since it's such a popular print these days, that it's available for dorm decorating. Are you crazy for chevron? If so, I found some of my favorite back to school items that are sporting this fun zig zag pattern.

First up, these chevron fabric bins are definitely calling me. Not only are they so cute, but they also are perfect for holding DVDS, body care products like lotion, and whatever else you need to have corraled. And what makes them even better? Oh yeah, the chevron!

Definitely a popular item this fall, this chevron duvet is absolutely goregous! It's from Urban Outfitters, and honestly this is the best one I have found so far in terms of chevron bedding. It comes in other colors too, like yellow, brown, and blue (perfect no matter what your color scheme is!)

I'm obsessed with pencil cases (you seriously can never have too many in my opnion), and this one is a MUST. Carrying this in your backpack or purse, or even to hold some makeup would be so much fun.

 I love this Preppy Dorm Room set of art! Of course the Home Sweet Dorm one is a cute chevron pattern. I abolutely love this set. It's wall decor that elevates a dorm from looking like a dorm, to looking like a magazine type space.

This wall caddy from Etsy would be great for college students, especially ones that live in dorms with bunk beds. It could hold magazines, books, and anything else under the sun. Best part, the bold chevron pattern!

This Urban Outfitters rug is super adorable! It comes in a variety of colors (I love the yellow one!) and could definitely add more interest and a pop of color to any dorm room. Isn't it just perfect?

This is yet another fabulous rug from Urban Outfitters. If you wanna follow the chevron trend, but want more interest besides the busy little zig zags, this rug is perfect! I absolutely love the floral and think it would be perfect covering those cold, harsh floors that many dorm rooms have!

I love this dry erase message board that also sports this popular pattern. This etsy shop has great patterns and also carries calendars! Perfect for the busy college student.

This is honestly just the tip of all the wonderful chevron out there right now! So if you find any other lovely back to school items sporting these happy zig zags, let me know!

Inspiration

So last night I was looking at another site that often gives me ample amounts of design inspiration Decor 2 Ur Door. (since I got my iPhone a year ago, text wording is weirder than ever, I don't think I've typed "ur" in years) Anyway this site has some awesome design ideas for a more traditional dorm room and while I don't find myself wanting to purchase anything, they literally have given me so much inspiration in the past.

Here's a tour of their site and some of their awesome rooms!

 This. Is. So. Perfect. I love this red damask look. From the black, white, and red theme (my favorite!), to the dottie and chevron pillows, this look is just so pulled together and I absolutely love the layering! Who doesn't want this to be their bed in their dorm room? Plus, Decor  2 Ur Door has a great idea for making headboards for otherwise plain old dorm beds. How cute?

Here's another look I'm in love with. I love this black and white zebra look. Unlike a lot of dorm rooms that feature zebra, this is done in a super classy kind of way that I love. Plus, I'm totally loving the monogram wall decal frames above the bed. So cute.

 Look at this black and white damask room! Once again, beautiful. And I love the frames and mirror (maybe it is, maybe not haha) above the bed.

Look at the gray textiles? Definitely not something you'd think you would find in a dorm room, right?

Definitely not your average dorm room, right? Hopefully this will inspire you for in your decorating whether for a dorm or not. I know it has inspired me greatly!

Dorm Room Drooling Part 2

I forgot to add some of my other favorite places to look for awesome dorm room decor, so prepare for more inspiring rooms!

PB Teen

How I love PB Teen. The products, while pricey in some areas (or most actually) are all really great quality, timeless, and beautiful. There's always a debate among college dorm "experts" whether one should invest in a great duvet cover or comforter that is over $100 or just buy the bargain bed in a bag from some place like Target, Walmart, or even Bed Bath and Beyond. I fall somewhere in between. I've had a $30 comforter from Walmart, that I loved. But I definitely noticed fading over time (and after about five or so washings). And I have a PB Teen dottie duvet cover that has held up pretty well (and one that I'm planning on using this upcoming school year. If you're like me and like to change up yearly, buying an expensive one is probably not a good way to make your parents happy.

Anyway...sorry for long debate. Back to looking at inspiring dorms and products.

I am definitely a fan of PB Dorm this year. The colors are kind of dark and moody (which is mature and cool looking, showing it isn't meant for an elementary schooler).

Isn't this damask duvet just lovely? Seriously, I was just wondering if I could convince my parents to go along with a new duvet cover...probably not. But a girl can dream, right? Doesn't this just scream mature, college girl? I think so. And I love the pairing of gold with the black and white. Reminds me of my freshman dorm room, maybe that's why I love it. See? 

Anyway...just look at this brillant dorm room from PB. In. Love. Literally. Words cannot describe everything that I love about this room. The walls, the bedding. Just lovely all around. I can't imagine coming back from class to a dorm that looks this darn good. I would never want to leave.

Just wow. Hopefully other people find this just as amazing as I do.

Ruched duvets are all the rage these days and this blue is so beautiful. I love the plain top paired with the printed sheets. Perfect for a great splash of color in a white dorm room.

I love how so many different retailers are incorporating today's trendiest prints in dorm design. Like this Ikat print. It's so much better than those bright girly pink bedspreads you are always bombarded with year after year.

These wall decals are all so cute too. Definitely would bring a ton of interest and fun on the walls of a blank dorm room.

This dry erase calendar is perfect for organzing a busy college student's tests, quizzes, homework, and activities around campus. I love the vintage frame look of it.

And here is just one of their inspiration rooms...Room 816

So lovely. I can't even stand it!

Next I'll highlight some of my favorites from Urban Outfitters for dorms, so look for that coming up!