Blog Archives
Stylizing the Senior Year Apartment
Posted by Stronglikemycoffee
Today brings…a lil’ sneak peek inside my casa. I’ve been working so hard to make my personality shine through! I’m very happy with how bright and fun everything has turned out. :)
My thoughts on decorating: Invest some money to make yourself happy and comfortable with your living space! Just because you are a “college student” doesn’t mean your style has to suffer. By the time you are in your 20’s, you might want to replace the thumb-tacked posters and beer bottle tower with actual items like, you know..flowers, candles, pictures in frames, books.
My mom and I found this elephant shelf in Sedona last spring, which I use to hang my costume jewelry. The hardest part about decorating was finding simple and inexpensive ways to fill up so much empty wall space! Target, Wal Mart, Bed, Bath & Beyond and most other home decorating stores have simple canvases with pictures and quotes to spruce up a bare wall, and I found several to play up the blank spaces in my room.
Pinterest craft #7345: Map boxes. My room majorly lacks STORAGE for odds and ends like cords, chargers, random papers, loose change. Solution: I used empty shoe boxes wrapped in maps like Christmas presents! The boxes are displayed on my book shelf and storage bins. Little does anyone know that they contain 3 Target receipts, a stack of post-its, a pack of pens, some gum, chapstick, hair ties, paper clips and my electricity bill. ;)
And of course I have an “exercise shelf” ;)
Clothes Pin pictures are also all over the Pinterest page (what would I do without that site?) and I made my own version to fill up some wall space. It reminds me of a mobile, since it’s vertically oriented. But this is the spot where I lay out my zebra-print yoga mat to stretch out after a good long run and I love looking over at my favorite pictures of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Arizona, New York and SoCal. Having a ton of pictures around the room is also really fun for when new people come visit. Sometimes there’s an awkward lull in conversation, but pictures tend to bring up stories. Instant conversation starters. :)
My dining room is the second most used room in the apartment, because I like doing my homework and work there. I bought this table and assembled the set (50 minutes each chair = not my favorite day) but I’m proud of it now. The beautiful wildflowers outside of our unit will serve as the centerpiece until winter kills them off and then I’m sure a pumpkin-something-or-other will replace them.
The picture on the right is my coffee cart. Another awesome way to clear up counter space and fill up space in the empty room. I haven’t decided yet how to use the bottom two shelves or the hooks on the sides but something tells me Pinterest will solve that problem fairly soon.
So that is a glimpse into my home. It feels good to be here. Mostly I just feel like living here has made me feel like an adult when I’ve felt like a kid thus far. (I installed my own door knob! HGTV here I come!)
My point with all of this? It’s 100% worth it to invest at least a little extra in your living space, whether that be a shared dorm room, a new apartment or your first house. Your room is a representation of YOU and your whole mood will improve if you create a positive place reflective of your personality. Just my thoughts :)
P.S. I considered making this a true “Cribs” experience with the what’s-in-my-fridge segment, but you guys already see enough of what I eat ;) Ha!
I love that my evening walks around the apartment lead me to views like this. Senior year is so drastically different than my previous three years of college…..and I like it. :)
Posted in College, Healthy Lifestyle
Tags: apartment, college, craft, decorating, diy, elephants, happiness, health, home decor, senior, style
Hodge Podge Collage
Posted by Stronglikemycoffee
The interior designer in me is coming out…..today I’m brainstorming how to decorate my apartment and new room!
*By “interior designer” I mean amateur photo-hanger and pillow-assembler.* ;)
After beginning to move in, I realized that I had a lot more space to work with than I anticipated. My master bedroom is more like a suite! There is too much blank wall space, even with my furniture. I’m loving the organized-chaos look from some Pinterest boards, basically a collage of frames on a wall. I’ve decided to alternate between black and white frames, including a good mixture of candid photos of me with friends and family, scenic photos of the beautiful places I’ve travelled, and appropriate quotes to inspire and compliment my room.
On my quest to find wall-worthy words, I searched for quotes from my favorite songs and tv shows. I basically have 5 favorite TV series of all time. In not-so-accurate order:
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Gilmore Girls
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Friends
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Grey’s Anatomy
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Friday Night Lights
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House Hunters
(Aaaalmost making the list is Desperate Housewives; ER; Law & Order: SVU; Sex & the City; The Real Housewives of Orange County; Trading Spaces; and Parenthood!)
SO many memorable lines from each of these shows (I speak fluent Gilmore-Girl-quote.) *If you follow me on PINTEREST you’ve probably already seen my quote pin binge.
Top Contenders:
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Kacey Musgraves “Follow your Arrow”
- Eli Young Band’s “Guinevere”
- Gilmore Girls – Max Medina’s proposal to Lorelia:
- Friday Night Lights – Coach Taylor’s game-day quote:
- Classic Gilmore rationality:
Think I can pull off a House Hunters quote?
Yeah probably not ;)
What is your favorite TV show and/or quote?
Posted in Coffee, College, Fitness, Healthy Lifestyle
Tags: apartment, art, college, decorating, Inspiration, interior design, organizing, photography, quotes
Dorm Sweet Dorm
Posted by Stronglikemycoffee
It’s been almost a month since I moved back to school, but only a week with my new roommate, Fernanda. She moved in last weekend after we met at the start of this semester, and we seemed like more compatible roommates. We both share a love for organization and tidiness but our room was a little plain with the big blank white walls. I wanted some fun and some color:
First, I had 8 of my favorite photographs printed in black and white – 4 vertical and 4 horizontal. I posted them above my bed. Since my room colors are black, white, red and gray, these circular designs for wall art were a perfect find!
Then on Wednesday, I was feeling suddenly inspired. I wanted some “art” for the walls, and I’ve always wanted to try painting. I’ve never actually painted a picture since finger painting in elementary school, but I bought myself some 8×10 canvases, 10 different color paints and 4 different paint brushes.
Since I only have one class on Fridays, I spent the afternoon making two original paintings to hang above my bed. I am totally an amateur and have no painting experience, so of course they are a little cartoon-y and silly but now I have two things I LOVE decorating my walls…Coffee and Elephants :D
I came up with what I wanted in my head, penciled the outline of the elephant and just had fun with the rest. The coffee I completely free-handed because that one was a little bit easier. It was a fun project to work on and now my room is a little less plain. Starting to feel a little more like home <3
Posted in College, Life Updates
Tags: art, coffee, college, crafts, decorating, diy, Dorm, elephant, painting, photography