Dorm Room Decorating 101

Since it's almost time for school to start, I thought I would do a post about my freshman year dorm room. It seems like yesterday that I was going shopping for all the dorm room essentials, and now I am going into my senior year of college!

Because you typically don't have much to work with, decorating a dorm room is an ultimate makeover project. I remember walking into my room for the first time thinking "I thought it was bigger than this..." or "how in the world are we going to make this look good?" It was possible. But here is what I started with:

I wish I had taken pictures of the space before I moved anything in. These pictures have a few of my things in them, but as you can see, everything looks pretty bare and yucky- notice the water stains coming from the ceiling. There was a flood the year before I moved in because of a water pipe breaking. Girls were running around the hall in their rainboots - so glad that didn't happen when I lived there. 

Here is what we transformed the room to look like:

I loved my desk area. We covered up the wall here with simple curtains made from two tension rods and fun fabric. The curtains made a huge difference in the room and really made our room stand out. In fact, we were finalists for the "Best Room on Campus" competition. 

Another shot with the curtains. The middle curtain is another simple curtain made from a tension rod and fun fabric. The fabric is literally just sewed around the rod and we then draped ribbons over the curtain and tied them to create the "balloon" effect. 

The space under my bed is my least favorite part of the room, but I know you have to have somewhere to store a TV, micro-fridge, etc. 

Another shot. The patterned rug also made a big difference in the room. Trust me, you want a big rug so you will feel somewhat sanitary when you sit on your floor. Also, the two small brown ottomans not only acted as footrests, but also came in handy as a storage space since they open up. These are $17 at Target and come in lots of fun colors. 

I loved my futon! The throw pillows were so fun to pick out and added a personal touch to the room. They also added comfort and came in handy when people ended up sitting on the floor for movie night. 

Of course I had to have some pillows on my bed too :)

Hope you have enjoyed looking at my former dorm room! We had a lot of fun decorating it and you will find that the little details go a long way in a tiny space. Make sure you like how the room looks because you will be spending a whole lot of time in it. This doesn't mean you have to go spend a ton of money - get creative! I got a ton of my stuff at places like Marshall's and TJ Maxx. Target also has a huge selection of dorm room decor to choose from. 

Good luck! Would love to see other ideas!

The Look for Less

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it is HOT here. I love living in SC, but it gets too hot to do anything outside unless you are in a body of water. So, when I was trying to figure out plans for the weekend, I thought shopping would be a good idea. My boyfriend mentioned going to some outlets earlier this summer, so it was a perfect time to do this.

Then my wheels started turning. Why not do a closet overhaul for him while we are at it? I mean, he hasn't cleaned out his closet in...well, a very long time. It was time. I clean my closet every year when I move home for the summer. But, once again, we aren't exactly a lot a like in that area. You might remember that from this post. I thought it would be a fun little activity for us to do together. You know, bonding time. And I would get to play Stacey London in real life.

We purged. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought. I realized he had way more t-shirts and collared shirts than he needed. We only got rid of a few collared shirts that had stains or didn't fit anymore. I talked him into getting rid of quite a few t-shirts. Did we really need to keep the homemade basketball jersey/undershirt that had the number "88" written on the back in Sharpie? I didn't think so. He thought so. We talked it over and agreed it could go.

He also has quite a few t-shirts that have shrunk up to where they are almost midriff shirts. Those needed to go too. The only way he let go of some of them is by me assuring him that his mom could make a t-shirt quilt out of them, that way they aren't really gone forever.

I also went through and made a list of what tops matched his pants. This may seem a little extreme/controlling, but I have gotten texts multiple times that say things like "I am wearing navy blue and black together today...does that match?" Hopefully you know the answer to that.

We hit the outlets Saturday morning. J. Crew was our first stop. Since he doesn't really love their clothes, we didn't find too much there. I should tell you that he is a man's man. He does not do anything artsy. That means no v-necks (although he surprised me by trying on a few), no skinny jeans, no cardigans, no skinny ties, no button-ups with fading or graphics, etc. He likes the plain and straightforward clothes.

 Gap was our next stop, and we hit the jack pot. Here's what we got:

• 1 dress
• 1 clutch
• 1 button-up for him
• 3 solid t-shirts that can be worn alone or as an undershirt
• 1 pair of leather flip flops for him

Our grand total added up to a whopping $62! You can't beat that. After going in a few other stores, we found some more great deals at Banana Republic. Between the two of us we bought:

• 2 dresses
• White shorts for me
• NICE gray dress pants for him
• 3 pairs of boxers

Our combined total was $82. A little more expensive, but Banana Republic is more expensive than Gap to begin with. It was still a great deal. His dress pants alone would have normally cost that much. 

Bargain hunting pays off. We got some nice clothes at a great price. It helped that we knew what we were looking for before we went. Well, we knew what we were looking for for him. In my defense, I have been looking for some white shorts, and one of the dresses I bought is orange and will be perfect for those hot football games in September. 

Right now, a lot of retailers have their summer inventory marked way down. Even if you buy something and can't wear it much this year, it's always fun to pull something brand new out of your closet at the beginning of next year. 

We left happy campers. After our little "What Not to Wear" session, we both ended up with a few new things and hopefully I will not be receiving any more texts about navy blue and black combinations :)

"If the Shoe Fits..."

"...buy it in every color."
-Author Unknown

I seriously want to act on that quote with the shoes I bought last week. Here they are:

Photo credit: http://www.twosistersshop.com

They aren't four inch stilettos, this seasons latest fad, or something you would see on the red carpet. However, they are quite possibly the most comfortable pair of shoes I own. Simple, black ballet flats. I discovered these at a cute little store in downtown Greenville called Pink Azalea. They are made by Lindsay Phillips, the mind behind the popular SwitchFlops. SwitchFlops are flip-flops that have interchangeable straps, allowing you to change the look of your shoes without changing the sole of the shoe. She also came up with the Snap Shoe concept, which is what I bought. The little black flower on my shoe snaps off, and I can buy other snaps to put on. There are so many to choose from-so many possibilities! I can't wait to start collecting some snaps. If any of you have been in a gift-giving mood lately and have been racking your brains on what to get me, think no more :) I think it's safe to say I am obsessed with these simple ballet flats.

I didn't even tell you the best part. The shoes were $64 in the store. However, when you think about it, you are really paying $64 for many pairs of shoes (as long as you have the different snaps to go on them). Although, I loved the shoes and the snap concept, $64 is a little out of my price range. 

When I got home that night, I decided to browse Ebay and see if they had the shoes. Not only did they have them, but they had one brand new pair in my size for $40. It was meant to be. I signed up for an Ebay account and bid on the shoes. I won the bid and had my shoes on my feet five days later. They fit perfectly, and I have worn them three out of the last four days. If I had the money, I would buy them in every color. In the mean time, I will start collecting snaps :)

Bargain tip: Look around online if something is out of your price range in-store. You never know what you will find. Note: this does not apply to the dress you have been eyeing all season that is 70% in-store. Just buy it, you won't find a better deal anywhere else :)

Make a WISH!

How beautiful was the weather this weekend? I have major spring fever, and have to keep reminding myself that it's only February. This past Saturday my boyfriend and I spent some time in downtown Greenville. It was the perfect day to have a picnic in the park. After we ate we strolled around downtown and "window shopped."By window shop I mean walk up Main Street and go into any store I thought that I would like. Needless to say, Andrew was a very good sport. While I was window shopping, I stumbled across a cute little store called Wish. It was one of the last places we went to, and I am so glad that I did! They don't have a website, but you can check out their Facebook page. If you are familiar with Francesca's, you will love Wish. However, Wish is a little bit more expensive than Francesca's, but the sales are great. I got this little dress for $25

It was originally $75 and then was marked down to $50. I really debated whether or not to spend $50 on it, especially after Andrew told me he didn't like it. No love for boyfriend. Then I overheard one of the employees say that their sale items were an additional 50% off. That's all I needed to to hear, I was sold. I have also learned that if Andrew thinks my outfit is weird, it normally is one of my better outfits.

If you are ever in downtown Greenville, I highly recommend you go to this store. I thought they had just recently opened, but they said they had been open since June. The girl working said not many people know about them, so spread the word!!!

Calling All Online Shoppers

Online shopping has changed the way some people shop. Some choose not to fight the crowds at the mall and instead buy everything online. If you are one of those people, you need to know about free shipping day. On December 17th, more than 1,000 merchants will offer free shipping on orders purchased that day. Apparently they promise to get your order delivered by Christmas Eve if you live in continental US. Go ahead and check out the list of merchants to see if any of your favorites are participating!

Happy Shopping!

Deal of the Day

Gift cards are always a popular gift to give at Christmas. Especially for that person that is really hard to buy for because they have everything. Gift cards that you can buy for half of what they are worth makes the present even better. And the gift recipient will never know. Introducing Groupon.

Every morning when I check my email I have a little something like this waiting for me...

$15 for $30 Worth of Sushi, Japanese Cuisine, and Drinks at Sushi Hana
$15 worth: discount: savings: $30 50% $15 Company Information: Sushi Hana Authentic Japanese and Sushi Bar website Locations: 765 Haywood Rd. Greenville, South Carolina 29607

Groupon sends you deals everyday based on the best things to do, see, eat, or buy in a certain city. Much to my delight, Greenville was just recently added to the Groupon family.  Being the bargain hunter I am, I like to hear about the deals even if they are for things I would never do. If you want to sign up click here. Also, if you email your friends and ask them to sign up, you get a $10 gift certificate for Groupon when they make their first purchase. 

Another website similar to Groupon is LivingSocial.com. I also receive daily emails from LivingSocial that offer me some great bargains for things to do in Greenville. If you buy the daily deal and then get three of your friends to buy it too, the deal is free for you. Most of the discounts on LivingSocial are at least 50% the normal price. For example, the other week there was a deal for a hour-long massage for $30, originally priced at $65. Not bad huh? Here's todays deal for LivingSocial...

David Michael Salon & Day Spa

Keratin Hair Treatment

$130

buy now!

• 57%
  savings
• 7
  purchased
• 2 Days
  remaining

If a keratin treatment existed in Rapunzel's day, she would have been all over it (after escaping that dad-blasted tower, of course). Years and years of having her hair being used as a rope definitely did a number on her locks. While your tresses don't have that much stress, you... (show more)

Get yours free! Buy, share, and if three friends buy, yours is free.

• Share0

Happy shopping!