DiY Decor #1 - Bookshelf Update

Making a dorm room look more fab than drab can be a challenge.  But in a room that small, even the littlest tweaks and additions can make a huge difference.  I'm a fan of do-it-yourselfing, and thought I'd start sharing some of my favorite finds.  This one is quick, easy, and cheap...

Photo Credit: East #2: Malinda's Black & White Bookcase at Apartment Therapy

This is such an easy way to add some style to your room, not to mention cheap.  Apartment Therapy has a tutorial of how to make this fantastic bookcase.  This works for shelves and drawers as well.  All that you really need is some wrapping paper and tape.  Usually, you aren't allowed to paint or wallpaper anything in the dorms, but if you use tape this won't be permanent but it will make your new home look even homier.

Photo Credit: Before and After: sanam's bookcase at Design*Sponge

Packing Up Tips - Moving Your Wardrobe

Photo Credit: she wasn't kidding when she said she had nothing to wear by jamelah

I am quite the shopaholic.  I'll admit it.  Due to this I have stocked up quite a bit of clothing, most of which I would consider essentials that cannot possibly be left behind at home when I go off to college.  Clothing is important, we can't just walk around birthday-style all the time, that wouldn't go over well at all.  Getting a wardrobe moved can be difficult though, for clothes take up a lot of space and can be exceptionally heavy when all lumped together in one space.  Have no fear though, you can efficiently move your wardrobe from home to school without abandoning your favorite pieces to save space.

::Roll 'em Up::
Rolling is always a good and easy option when packing clothes.  It's fairly self-explanatory, you literally roll up your clothing so that you can fit more of it into one space.  This works especially nice if you have the luxury of toting your clothes to your new home via suitcase, for it won't be as difficult to carry compared to a tote-full of thirty-some tee-shirts.  Check out Ehow for some good instructions if you want to make sure you do it just right.

:: Vacuum for Space::
I always remember seeing ads on TV for those SpaceBags that you can vacuum the air out of to save space.  A lot of packing websites suggest using these.  I personally have never used them, or even tried them, but if you have these readily at your disposal I say go for it!  Anything to make the move easier!  Just make sure to pack like items together, and don't forget to take a miniature vacuum [with a hose] along for the ride incase the dorm you are moving into doesn't have one;  you really don't want to get stuck there with piles of clothes that you just can't unpack.

::Shoes On the Bottom::
I strongly advise you to NOT pack all of your shoes in one tote or box (well assuming you have as many shoes as I do - enough to fill a tote and then some).  If you cram a tote full of shoes it will likely become a health risk due to its weight.  Instead, mix your shoes in with your clothes; layer the bottom of a tote with shoes and then fill in the rest with clothes.  You can still keep your categories the same, for example, pack dress shoes with dress clothes and work-out clothes with sneakers.  Don't put your shoes on top though, All your clothes will get smushed and the weight won't be as evenly distributed as it is when you line them along the bottom.

::Keep em' Hanging::
When I moved into college my freshman year, I somehow thought it would be a great idea to take all of my clothing off their hangers;  my theory was that I could hang them up in order in my closet, plus it would take up less room when moving.  Where my brain went the day I decided upon that, I don't know, but please learn from my mistake.  Moving in took twice as long because I had to re-hang all of my clothes once we got there, not to mention I took up a great deal more space because of all the hangers I had to fit in somewhere.  So leave what clothes you have hanging hung up. You can throw the pile in the car or you can fold them in half and into a box so that they are still on their hangers.  Either way works, as long as you keep your hangers attached to to your clothes.

::Store Before::
Many times, college students will buy those awesome plastic storage carts with all of the drawers.  These are perfect for storing socks, tights, and the ever important under-things.  If you have planned on getting and using one of these, perfect, go ahead and fill the drawers with the clothes you planned to store in there.  That way, you don't have to transfer that massive load of socks once you get there, it will already be done.  Just make sure it doesn't get too heavy.

Now as long as you are organized and don't forget your favorite sweater or lucky tank-top, you should be all set to pack up your clothes and move your lovely wardrobe to college.

Knock Knock, Who's There?

One of my very favorite brands is Knock Knock.  They have a variety of items all of which are fun and hilarious, and even, on occasion, practical.  If you are looking for a gift, Knock Knock more likely than not has the perfect thing for whoever you are looking for whether it is a friend, a roommate, a coworker or a family member.  They especially have something if the gift is for yourself! :D

Here are a few of my favorites 

::Practical (but still fun)::

5 Days a Week Paper Mousepad A schedule is important, especially in college. This one is perfect because you'll never miss it right next to your computer!

Mental Note Pad I for one always have random thoughts and this is a perfect place to jot them down.

Daily Mood Tracker Paper Mousepad How are you feeling today? Always nice to document your tragic days and your amazing days.

Things You Must Do To Make Me Happy Pad Keep the peace in your room by letting them know how to make you happy - no one wants to get on your bad side.

Or Else Sticky This is better than a sticky note...its fanta-stick! (haha)

Packing Up Tips - Don't Lose It

I am the queen of accessories.  I have tons of necklaces, earrings, scarves, hair accessories and more.  Packing these smaller items up can be a huge headache because I don't want them to get tangled up or (god-forbid) lost along the way.  The trick is to pack carefully and efficently.  As I've been saying, do NOT just throw everything in a bunch of totes and go, not only will it make everything much more difficult but you will certainly lose several of your belongings in the mess whether they are broken (like your favorite picture frame) or lost (like that ring you have had for four years).  Thankfully there are many ways to avoid such tragedies:

::Packing Jewelry::
Probably the smallest of anything you will try to pack, jewelry can be tricky.  It isn't the worst idea to invest in a jewelry tote of some sort; they are especially good for moving your rings and earrings from one place to another.

Alyssa Plush Fabric Jewelry Box in Pink by Mele at Organize.com

Unfortunately, the most difficult item, necklaces, are rarely given a space in these travel totes.  But have no fear, you can still take them to college without collapsing in despair because they have become irreversibly tangled.  The trick is to wrap them up somehow.  I have (not surprisingly) a lot of bandanas I've collected over the years, these work great to wrap up necklaces in.  Just lay one out, wrap a few times, lay another one out, wrap, and so-on until it is full.  Some of my necklaces are much too long for a bandana though, but no worries!  A tee-shirt works wonderfully for these longer items.  It's the same process as I explained with the bandanas.  Make sure to secure your roll once you have it all rolled up.  I use rubber bands, its quick and easy.  It's best to use a few, one on each end and one in the middle.  For your longer necklaces, it is usually a good idea to fold the wrap in half and secure so that the necklace can't manage to slip out the ends.  Don't want to lose your favorite piece after you went to all that work to avoid just that!

::Packing Fragile Items::
I take quite a few different vases, jars, frames and other trinkets that are more than easy to break, so I have to pack these very carefully.  If you want to spring for bubble wrap then by all means do!  That is probably the best way to pack anything really fragile.  But it's not really necessary to splurge on that (although it is fun to play with, who doesn't love popping bubble wrap?)  It works just as well to use newspaper or, my favorite, cloth.  I have what seems like a million tee-shirts.  I will be taking these with me to college anyway, so it works nicely to go ahead and use those to wrap up any fragile items I have.  Make sure to tuck some of the fabric on the inside too!  Also, don't forget which boxes you have fragile things in, its very easy to just pull things out and accidently drop that favorite glass figurine.

A Bit of Bohemian

Packing Up Tips - The Organized Approach

A good trick to keep in mind when packing up is this: Divide and Conquer.  If you take on packing by just throwing things into boxes you are bound to wind up on move-in day at college digging through every single tote for one thing, which in no way adds to the so-called "fun" of moving day.  Have a different box/tote for the different categories of your belongings.  For example, a bed tote would have (obviously) bedding, pillows, and perhaps, if there is room, your by-the-bed standbys (diary, chap stick, ect).  Here is a working list of categories to help you out:


- Bedding - (see above)
- Hygiene - shower caddy, shower flip flops, toothbrush holder, soap, and maybe even your towels.
(and don't forget the first aid kit, though that could go under misc.)
- Kitchen - cups, plates, silverware, toaster, ect.
- Desk - pencils, pens, notebooks, pencil holder, tape, stapler, organizers, folders, corkboard ect.
- Shoes/Accessories - [may be separate or combined] shoes, scarfs, purses, perhaps jewlery
- Clothes - if you have a lot, like myself, you could divide into sub-categories such as: lounge, fancy, tee-shirts ect. (*NOTE* don't forget to keep your hanging clothes hanging!)
- Decor - frames, curtains, storage baskets, and even spare blankets if they didn't fit into the "bedding" tote
- Entertainment - books, DVDs, CDs, any chords and cables for TV/DVD/CD player, board games, cards
- Miscellaneous - I like to use a smaller box and put some odds and ends in it, things I may have forgotten to pack earlier or random things I know I'll need like flashlight, batteries, extension chords ect. 


Like I said, this is a working list, but do categorize your belongings before packing, or at least while you pack.  It will make moving day much less of a headache.  If you really want to get fancy you can color coordinate each of the categories; this is really nice if you have several totes for one category, like clothes :D.


Also, don't forget to label!  It does no good to be so good about separating everything out if you have no idea what is in which box.  So grab your packing list and get to organizing!  Move-in day isn't so very far off...

Packing Up Tips - Pre-packing

Ah leaving for college, always fun and exciting while also bitter sweet and somewhat frightening.  What was extremely frightening for me was packing up my beloved bedroom into totes and trying to squeeze all of it (or at least I had tried desperately to squeeze all of it) into a tiny 14' x 16' or so space which I had to share with another human on top of everything else.

Where was I suppose to begin?

I love my bedroom.  The year before I graduated high school, I completely redid the space and made it into [nearly] my ideal bedroom complete with lavender walls and a built in desk/shelves.  This of course only made the thought of packing up my serene escape even more daunting.  Regardless, its something that needs to be done, but it should not, I repeat should NOT be taken lightly.  When you are planning to pack up 18 years of life into a few totes and lug it all away to somewhere new, you can't just throw things in and go.  It will not work.

So here is a bit of packing 101.  I am the youngest of four children, so I have moved my siblings dozens of times.  And, since I am probably the most organized of the kids, I also do a great deal of the packing for these lovely trips from residence to residence (I have grown a deep hatred for moving, but that fact isn't really relevant here).  So lets get packing:

That's me on moving day, Freshman year!  Believe it or not, there was a great deal more totes in the hallway and bags in the car already.  I really did try to take everything with me :)

Lists can be your very best friend.  Especially when it comes to packing.  There are a ton of "college packing lists" floating around out there, but really those are all just guidelines, you have to make your own in the end, or at least customize one of them to fit your needs.  SallieMae has a really good list you download as a PDF;  its probably the best I've found.  But, before you start sorting through everything to throw it into boxes and totes, look at the other pertinent lists at your disposal.  This would be the following: 


- list of things you cannot have in the dorms (eg. candles and halogen lamps)
- list of things the school provides in the dorm room (eg. beds, desks, chair)
- list of decoration do's and don'ts from the school (eg. no wallpaper or paint)
- list of what your roommate, if you have one, is bringing vs. what you are bringing (eg. fridge and TV) 


Most schools have a section with their dorm policies in the housing portion of their website, you should find most of these lists there.


Now that you know what not to bring, make a list of everything you plan to take with you.  This quite literally means everything.  From clothing to decor and electronics to kitchen utensils.  It may be helpful to use the SallieMae list from above as a guide when doing this, it could help you not forget things that you might overlook otherwise.  Don't forget to include items that you may not have boughten yet, just make sure to mark that you still need to get those items;  you don't want to wind up at the dorms without any bedding or a fridge.  


So get out that notebook and pen, or at least pull of a word processing document, and get to making those lists!