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!

Apartment Mood Board

Now that I've finally purchased the Urban Outfitters chevron duvet (at a deeply discounted price thankfully!), I've been playing around slightly more seriously about what I want my apartment to look like. I'm pretty sure since most of my stuff is red, that it's going to be red, black, and white. But I've really been loving vintage and more feminine details though, so I've been working on ways to get more of a cottage feel to it.
 

I'm not totally sure how I'll incorporate that vintage/cottagey feel to the room, but here is my latest mood board playing around with some things I already have, and incorporating items that I've been lusting over. Using the Urban Outfitters duvet as a starting point, I knew I want to incorporate red into the room for warmth and to cheer it up. And of course the easiest way to do that in a dorm room or apartment is through the accessories.

 

Using the Urban Outfitters duvet as a starting point, I knew I want to incorporate red into the room for warmth and to cheer it up. And of course the easiest way to do that in a dorm room or apartment is through the accessories.
 

In this mood board you'll see the Vera Bradley Poppy Fields Ribbon Board (which sadly is discontinued, but you might be able to find it on Ebay). Not only is Poppy Fields one of my most favorite VB prints of all time, but it also is a great sort of cottagey/vintage look that I love, that also incorporates red. I see this going over my desk and holding important pictures, notes, and coupons for me.

You'll also notice the polka dot pillow. I know that somewhere polka dots are going to be incorporated. I have to PB Teen dottie bins that might live on top of my dresser or nightstand. I also have a small accent pillow that my mom made me that could reside on my bed (or I also have the Aztec pillow from Ikea, but I'm not sure if that print will look good with the chevron).

It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but at the top are these adorable twig frames with birds on them from World Market. I actually already purchased one last month because I love the shabby chic/ cottage vibe. I see this residing on my nightstand with a picture of my dog or maybe my boyfriend in it.

It's hard to miss the giant scrolly Ikea mirror. I love the vintage look of it, and I hear it's lightweight, making it potentially good for hanging in my apartment. I think it's important to have light reflecting in my drab space too. I envision this over my dresser.

The bird garland from World Market has been calling me for months. The birds are chalkboard and I love how fun these are. I'm not totally sure what to do with them, but one potential option could be to hand this over my full size bed in place of a monogram. Though I'm not sure if this is long enough, so we'll see.

The chalkboard from World Market sneaked its way into my monthly lusts. I love this chalkboard a lot and I can envision cute quotes, notes, and pictures on this. I'm not sure how heavy it is, but I love the white vintage-y frame. Plus the price just can't be beat.

So that's the image that I have in my head currently, but nothing is ever set into stone. Let me know if you have any ideas for my apartment!

Apartment To-Do List

Hi guys!

I may have been only out of summer school for a couple of days, but already I’m planning for the apartment I’ll move into here in the coming months. I’m super excited, let me tell you! Mostly because I love decorating new spaces!

Awhile back, I was visiting my little (who currently lives in that future apartment) and I snapped a couple of pictures of my soon-to-be room so I can have an idea of the space I'm working with! As you can see, I've been having quite a bit of fun with my new favorite app, A Beautiful Mess!

 

 

 

So from the pictures above you can see that I'm going to have lots of space (a full size bed, a room that is an L-shape, a walk-in closet, and a huge bathroom all to myself!). The tricky part about all that space is making a big impact without sacrificing a lot of money or style.

As of now, here's a little checklist of things that I'd like to buy, make, to do to my future college room to make it feel like home:

-I need to buy some cozy, soft bedding that makes a statement! The bed is the first thing you see when you walk in, so the more colors/impact it can make, the better!

-Lots of cool wall art/décor that doesn't fade into the plain white walls.

-Lots of fun pillows on the bed

-2-3 lamps in the room to bring in lots of light

-Maybe some curtains to bring in more color and keep some of the eastern facing sun out.

-Put the dresser back in the bedroom, and make a nice area for putting on my makeup and storage of my perfume.

-Create a relaxing, nice study space at the desk.

-Include personal touches like a monogram decal and frames around the room.

-Try to keep the room warm and inviting

-Have a set color scheme that doesn't sway too much.

-Include lots of storage in the closet and in the room for my school stuff, makeup, clothes, accessories, DVDs, and other endless odds and ends.

That's about it for the checklist right now. I'm really stuck on bedding and a color scheme for the room.

I'm stuck between a nice, clean cottage color scheme of gray, yellow and white. And between a red, black, and white color scheme. Also yellow, gray, black, and white is an option as well. I have the most things in red, black, and white, but I really love gray and white.

Let me know if you have any ideas for my room or suggestions for a color scheme! I'd love to hear!

Take a look at some of my bedding contenders and mood boards too! I need all the opinions I can get!

Senior Year Mood Boards

Hi everyone!

So I’m still completely stuck as far as what bedding to get for next year, but to visualize it a tad bit more, I whipped together some mood boards super fast. And I’m still completely confused.

Let me know which one you like better!

The first one is centered around the Walmart comforter with daisies, zinnias, and poppies. The main colors are going to be yellow, gray, black, and white. I'll incorporate chevron and dots into the room, as a well as a black monogram wall decal. 

The second option has chevron as a bigger focus with the chevron duvet cover from Urban Outfitters. In this option, red, black, and white are the main colors. I'll have red sheets from Target, use my Vera Bradley Deco Daisy pillows, and incorporate dots as well. 

The second option has chevron as a bigger focus with the chevron duvet cover from Urban Outfitters. In this option, red, black, and white are the main colors. I'll have red sheets from Target, use my Vera Bradley Deco Daisy pillows, and incorporate dots as well. 

Wanna see a couple of other bedding contenders? Take a look here and now see how utterly confused I am! Also, take a look at a little to-do list I made about all the things I want to incorporate in this room!

 

Let me know which one you prefer! 

Movin' In Tips!

So with college move-in days quickly approaching, I thought I'd share some tips with everyone about the most anticipated day for all college students: move in day!

{From PB Teen...how can they make even moving in cute?!}

It can be scary, fun, exciting, nerve-wrecking, sad, happy, and probably another million things! Having moved myself in twice before, and my brother four times before that, I feel like I have tons of experience with this day!


1. Try to stay calm and relaxed! Yes, moving in and getting used to your new home can be tremendously scary and stressful, but just take deep breaths and try to be flexible! In all six of the move in days I've seen, something always seems to go wrong. No matter what you do, something will. My brother's sophomore year, his name was the only one (out of four) that wasn't on the door! That freaked him out, he swore he was going to be homeless! That was until his RA told him that she just ran out of supplies. So just remember that everything will fall into place!


2. Pack in an organized fashion! This is huge! When you pack your boxes/plastic containers, try to use logic when placing things together. Put all of your desk, supplies, school things (as in academic stuff like books) in the same place. Repeat that with your shower and vanity supplies, and also with your clothing. That makes unpacking extremely easy, and will help keep your dorm more organized too!

{While this picture might seem crazy, the bin is holding all my jeans/bottoms}

3. Arrive early! I know! You probably want to sleep in! But if you have a long drive to your college (mine is 2 1/2 hours), you definitely want to leave even earlier. Why? Oh boy, there are a lot of reasons. First, mid to late August is hot! The earlier you get there, the more likely you will not have your flip flops melt into the pavement (happened to me my brother's freshman year). Plus, it's a lot less miserable! Second, parking. I have two cars come up to move me in. My parents, and mine. So figure that most of the other students are doing the same. In parking lots that already are too small for the number of students, this will just be crazy. You might have to park miles away. Which is not fun. Third, I like to see the room before my roommate shows up. I like having first choice for bed (I always like by the window haha). Not all dorms are created equal, let me tell you. Fourth, it gives you more time to settle in before the night activities happen. I know at my school we always had floor meetings at around 5 to 6 where we met everyone. Then we'd have dinner with our floor, go to an ice cream social, and then movie night on the hill. You don't want to miss all that fun, trust me.


4. Do the majority of your college shopping before you get there. This is important. I know we don't want to load up our cars to capacity, but waiting to buy all your things in your college town is not always the way to go. Why? Because every store in your city, is going to be like Christmas Eve/Black Friday. There will be mayhem. The odds of getting what you like/want, are extremely slim too. Take the Command 3M strips that all dorms require you to use for your walls. My entire college town sells out. Target, Walmart, and every other store sells out of these important things. So buy them at home. Same with notebooks, folders, and other school supplies. I know it seems impossible, but both Walmarts and Target in my college town sell completely out of these necessities. My roommate this past year made that mistake, so she wound up with wide ruled notebooks with puppies and kittens on them (I personally would like the puppies, but she wasn't as fond of them).

{The only things I left to buy was some posters from Hobby Lobby}

5. Before leaving home, check yourself for these things: your phone, charger, laptop (my brother did forget this one year), student ID, wallet/money, and important numbers like your social security number and your student number. You'll need them.

{Cute gift idea: give your roommate a Vera Bradley Zip ID
case for only $12. A college must for easy access to your ID!}

6. This is completely optional. But my freshman year, one of my roommates (and now a very dear friend), brought us all little move in day gifts. She gave us Starbucks grande size tumblers and mini hand lotions from Bath and Body Works, along with a little note. I seriously died when I saw that from the niceness of it all. So last year I copied her. I bought my roommate a water bottle with the school's logo on it, and some candy. I think this is such a good idea, and you definitely don't have to spend a ton of money. Even just a note is a great way to reach out to your roommate that first day.
(Some ideas I like: something representing your college, little school supplies, handwritten card, yummy little foods, a cute coffee mug with hot chocolate or tea, hand sanitizer, a lanyard, cute pens and pencils, a journal, or my favorite: the Vera Bradley Zip ID case shown above!).


So there you go! Do you have any advice to add to this list? Any concerns or worries about going to college?


Thanks for reading!

10 Things All Incoming College Freshmen Should Know

Hey everyone!

As August approaches, it is safe to say that the anxiety level of incoming college freshmen rises. And to be honest, I think the anxiety level for all ages of college students rises. I know last summer I was a complete lunatic about college, as a sophomore.

This year, thankfully, I am so much calmer.

So I definitely want to help others get through pre-college jitters, and to truly enjoy the ride. Because in the end, you only have one freshman move-in day, and let me tell you, it will never feel just like it does that day.

{Ugh...packing!! But after reading this, hopefully this is your biggest worry!!}

While I think there are a lot of important things to know going into college, I'm going to offer my favorite 10 tips that would have helped me. There are tons more (and if you wanna add any, please do!), but these are the first few that I definitely thought of.

1.) Don't plan on being best friends with your roommate. You'll hear this a TON, but that's because it's just good advice. College is scary, so it's understandable to grip a little tighter to your roommate the first week or so. But expecting to be the future maid of honor for your roommate is just going to creep her out, limit the number of people you'll get to meet, and possibily make your living situation not so great.

2.) Keep your dorm room door open the first two weeks of school. This is a must in my book. If you are afraid that you won't make friends, this is the fastest and easiest way to avoid that. It's not only showing that you are friendly and wanting to seek a community feeling, but also let's people, who are just generally curious, see the amazingly decorated room you have! (Bonus: keep snacks and soda on hand and people will love you forever!)

{Decorating Your Door Also Helps! See our Halloween Door?}

3.) Become friends with your RA (Resident Assistant). This is also very important I think. Your RA is a student just like you, so feel free to ask them to watch a movie in the community lounge or go to the dining hall with you! They'd love it. Plus, it's a great way to meet other people on your floor and to have an ally in the building in case you need help filling out a work order (because lights burn out and your sink drain will clog). Plus, if your RA likes you, chances are, they won't dog on you too much for the TV being a little too loud during quiet hours. And they arrange cool floor events like this one I attended!

{See all these creeps and weirdos? This was my floor. Moments like this will be remembered forever.}

4.) Be flexible. If your roommate goes to bed at 9 (which my freshman year one, actually did. And she woke up at 6 am), be nice and either limit the amount of light in the room, or head out to your living room (if you're in a suite), study room, or common lounge. Flexibility is just needed in general when you live with others. It's all give and take.

{By just having one lamp on, you could be saving yourself from roommate drama}

5.) Go to all the free events you can. I know my college offers tons of things the first four days you move in, all to make you feel at home, introduce you to people, and to have fun. For instance, move in night is always movie night on the hill. Go! You'll have fun, feel good to get out of your dorm room, and you just might meet some cool people! I always shake my head when people complain they don't have many friends when they're freshmen, because when asked if they went to these events, they ALWAYS answer no. Facebook in your dorm can wait. There's plenty of time in October and November when nothing is going on, for that.

{There's a world outstide of you dorm room! Explore it!!}

6.) Join clubs and events...at least for one meeting. This is what everyone talks about when they say hit up the free food and free shirts. Do it. My college has a zombie club, swing dance club, and totally other random groups. It's not like high school. And just because you go to one meeting doesn't mean you are bound to them the next four years.

7.) Be open to Greek life. I know, we've all heard horror stories, watched TV and movies where all they show is hazing and partying. However, that is nowhere close to the truth (especially hazing, which every college I know of has ZERO tolerance for). This is the number one way to meet people. Trust me. And just because you are shy, smart, dumb, old, young, black, white, or whatever, doesn't mean it's not for you. Be open! That's what college is all about! Push yourself to expand outside your comfort zone! There's nothing to lose!

Source {Go Greek!}

 8.) Remember, you are there first and always for school. Definitely don't skip class. Especially not the first week. Buy your books (check out all the online sites for cheap alternatives! I really like Amazon and textbooks.com), bring your supplies, and do your homework. You won't regret it.   

(Pssst...if you want some AMAZING college study tips, read this by The College Prepster!!)

{My Lilly agenda is more than just cute. It's an organizational tool!}

 9.) Call your mom. And dad. Tell them how you're doing. What your roommate is like, the cool people you've met, your new favorite class, what you've ate at the dining hall. They miss you a lot. And while you are out doing all these awesome things, they're worried they you are drunk/homesick/failing out of school/not eating well/and most of all, forgetting about them.

Source: Etsy

10.) Everyone will feel homesick. You'll miss your mom's cooking, your pets, your very own bed, having a room to yourself, and all your old friends. So use the resources that we have in this day and age. Text, call, email, Facebook, and Skype. If you can, go back home however often you feel the need (in my opinion you should go home when you feel like it, don't let your new friends influence you if you need to recharge).

So hopefully this tips help a little bit! College is definitely stressful, but a super exciting, transition. Relax and enjoy it! 

Thanks for reading! 

Roommates...and Decorating?

Hey everyone!

Since it's getting so so close to back to campus time, I thought I'd offer some advice on concerns that a lot of new college students often have.

And the first I'll tackle is that ever great design question regarding your roommate's side of the room. So many college students are debating questions like:

Should my roommate and I match our decor?
What if our sides look completely different?
What if we have nothing (design-wise) in common?
Can I still decorate my side as I wish, or should I tone it down?

I'm going to answer this question as a college student going into her third year of college, one that has roomed with different girls thus far, and will room with a different one this fall.

First off, interior designers, magazines, Pinterest, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and probably the rest of the world will you tell you match decor with your roommate for a more put-together look. Looking at pictures across the Internet, it looks amazing when this is done. Here's some examples:

From Digthisdesign.net

Rate My Space

Digthisdesign.net

All of these rooms, as you noticed, all have the same exact color scheme, all have the same bedding, and in some cases, each side is a mirror image of the other. They look fantastic when taking pictures of, for trying to sell dorm merchandise or just trying to sell that dorm living is quite pretty and put together. I know I want to move in.

But looking at my reality...

None of my dorm rooms looked like this, I can tell you. Not even remotely close? Why? Well, first off my roommates and I didn't even discuss decor before moving in. We were more interested in talking about what we're like, interests, majors, and who is bringing the fridge and TV.

Take this past school year (in the fall), my room looked like this. There was nothing in the world that was going to stop me from using the red dottie bedspread, including a roommate. See, I bought this bedding the previous February. I didn't know who I was rooming with until June. I didn't talk to her until mid-July.

While my site was all dottie, flowery, and red, her side was QUITE different. She had a plain purple comforter, all of her posters were gray, black and white, and subdued. And she spent a total of about 20 minutes decorating.

It just wasn't something that interested her. Me, on the otherhand, never stopped decorating throughout the school year.

My freshman year, the difference between our side of the rooms were even more pronounced. My side, as shown above. Her side had Care Bears everywhere. There was absolutely no color scheme or any thought about design.

This upcoming year, however, will be the first that my roommate and I are working with a design theme. Jury is still out on how it will go and look, but I'll share pictures and tell you all about it.

I must say however, I'm a big fan of just doing your own thing. Some reasons:

1. What if your favorite colors are completely different? Don't force each other to live/spend lots of money on something neither of you love.

2. Dorm rooms are personal, they help your new floormates and friends get to know YOU. So if you have a Beatles poster or a collage of your artwork, it something you guys can talk about. However, in an impersonal room where it looks like a magazine, you can't get that connection.

3. Roommates are difficult enough without adding in design discussions and differences. Don't add extra stress to that relationship.

4. College students like to hang out. They do not like hanging out in a formal, uncomfortable room. It's important to think about design and comfort, but having a room that is all pink and matchy-matchy make people feel like they can't sit down and relax.

5. It's more budget friendly to get things you want and need, not what will match your roommates.

Finally, I also must advise, don't feel like you need to tone down your side of the room. Bring what you NEED and what you love, and you can't go wrong. Does that mean you should bring your entire room from home? No. Dorms are small. And the first and number one way to make your roommate grumpy with you, is that A.) on move-in day they can't walk around your stuff because it's everywhere, and B.) you have so much stuff you can't fit it in your side of the room.

Real life experience with both A and B. My freshman year roommate (who was a sophomore) brought everything she owned. Every article of clothing, every shoe, every book she read for fun her entire life. Everything. And when she didn't have enough space for her clothes on her side of the closet and had to put three items on my side, I was mad. I don't care I had empty space, that's because I hadn't brought my winter clothes yet. So the entire year, I move her stuff back to her side. Yes, passive agressive, but I was upset.

So please, don't be like my freshman year roommate. Your roommate will thank you!

I'll touch more on these subjects in upcoming days and weeks, so come back and read them, please!

Hope you all have a great day!