Organize Your Residence Hall Room

                  With move in right around the corner it is time to start thinking about how to organize all of your belongings into your residence hall room. As college students, we must find ways to use space creatively in order to maximize our storage. Below are some suggestions to help keep your room orderly and organized.

                  I would highly suggest finding some way to organize your desk drawers. Find different dividers that allow you to separate desk supplies such as paper clips, staples, pins, etc. This will make things easier to find as well as providing more space to fit as much as possible into the drawers. Apply this concept to your dresser drawers and even for under your bed. Storage containers provide order to space that may otherwise be wasted. Consider putting shoes or clothes that you may not wear regularly under your bed, to make more space in your closet or wardrobe.

                 Another option is if your residence hall room comes with loftable furniture, consider lofting your bed to add more usable space below it for your desk or dresser. Although you may not store your things under it, this provides you with more room to add a storage unit somewhere else in your room. If you cannot loft your furniture consider renting a bed loft from bedloft.com.

                 Looking for a way to keep cords from TVs, DVD Players, chargers, and other electronics from getting tangled? Try using binder clips to give each cord its own holder and prevent them from getting mixed up.

            If you want to add seating to your room, but do not want to lose valuable storage space, then find ottomans that have a double purpose. Many cubes can be used as ottomans or seating, and still have a hollow space inside to hold blankets or video game controllers. Want to be a bit crafty? Transform an egg crate storage bin into a seat. Cover a wood frame with padding on it with fabric of your choice to create a half seat/half crate.

            Another great idea for storage is to utilize your wall space. Instead of putting picture frames and other décor on your desk or dresser, taking up work space, consider hanging them on your wall. You can also repurpose an old drawer that is not too deep. Add door knobs, or hooks along the outside so you can hang things from it. You can also put picture frames and other small items inside of the drawer. This way, you can still display your items, without taking away usable area from your desk.

             Along with these ideas, please view our past blog posts for more suggestions on how to organize and decorate your room. Good luck with move in and I hope we have been able to help you create your home away from home. 

Life is Like a Blank Canvas

Using blank canvas is a great way to show off your creativity and pizazz to your room. There are an infinite number of possibilities that can show off your interests and pull together a room. Below are some great and easy ideas on how to use canvas.

            One idea is to using painters tape to create an abstract design. One way is to tape the canvas and paint each shape created with different colors. Another idea is to paint to canvas in one color, apply the tape, and paint over the canvas again in a different color. Use multiple colors to add even more dimension and create a color explosion.

            Like superheroes? Use canvas to show off your favorites. If superheroes are not your thing, consider displaying your favorite CD artwork or characters.

            Ever wonder how to apply photos to canvas; it’s easier than you think. All you need to do is print your photo on to a piece of tissue paper. Cover the canvas with a solid layer of Mod Podge and adhere the photo to the canvas. If you’d like, paint the edges of the canvas prior to using the Mod Podge. Once dry, wet the tip of your finger with water and drag it along the edge of the photo and the excess tissue paper will come off more easily.

            If you want to make the canvas more functional, try painting it with chalkboard paint. This was you can write different notes, reminders, and quotes. You can also add string or ribbon in order to hang pictures from them or create a bulletin board design. Other options include displaying quotes, designs, and abstract designs.

            You can find canvas at a number of different stores including Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Jo-Anne’s, and Target. Hopefully these ideas can help you add color to your life and create your home away from home. 

Re-purpose T-shirts

We all have a multitude of t-shirts from various organizations, clubs, and events. Between high school and college we cannot possibly wear all of them, yet you may not want to get rid of them. So then what can you do? Here are a few suggestions.

To turn your t-shirts into wall decorations, you have a couple different possibilities. First you can frame a section of the shirt that either has a design or logo you would like to remember. However, this may require you to cut the shirt for it to fit inside the frame. If you wish to maintain the integrity of the shirt then consider covering canvas or foam board. This still allows you to show the logo or wording, but you do not actually have to cut the material; simply fold and pin it on the backside so it is not shown.

 

If you are looking for a more functional use, try either of these ideas. Cover a cork board with the t-shirt, to pin pictures, letters, or reminders. If you do not want to push pins into the shirt, then consider using an old cookie sheet. Cover this with the shirt and add ribbon, buttons, or any other décor to make a magnet board. This way you can just use magnets instead of pins. Both of these options are relatively light, which makes them easy to hang.

Want to get really crafty? Try turning your shirts into pillows. These would make excellent additions to you bed or futon in your residence hall room. You can also create a quilt or scarf to commemorate your memories. Keep in mind these ideas do require sewing and extra materials. You can also turn the t-shirts into tank tops for a new style or for working out. Depending on the style you wish to create you may need to sew or just use scissors.

Hopefully these ideas will allow you to re-purpose some of those t-shirts. We all look for ways to minimize the amount of stuff we bring to college. By utilizing some of these ideas, you can free up space in your closet and add décor to your room. This gets you one step closer to making your residence hall room your home away from home. 

Where Are You?

            Living in a residence hall lends itself to meeting lots of new people. These new friends may want to come to your room to study, go to dinner, or watch a movie. However, it can be frustrating to arrive at a door and not know if the person you are looking for is in their room, out, or somewhere around the building. Many residents make “Where am I Boards” so it makes it easier to find your new friends. They can be as simple as In or Out, or you can add more categories such as Around the Building, Eating, Class, Sleeping, or Extra Curricular. Design your board to look however you want it to. You can use magnets, buttons, clothespins, or Velcro to mark your location. Be as creative as you would like to be to create your home away from home. 

Happy Fourth of July

With the Fourth of July right around the corner, we thought we would share some interesting ideas to help make the holiday festive. The following recipes are easy to make and are great treats to take to a neighborhood or family party. Enjoy.

POP ROCK MARSHMALLOW

         

   What you will need: Marshmallows, straws/lollipop sticks, light corn syrup, paint brush, Pop Rocks, and a Styrofoam block.

What to do:  Use the straw or lollipop stick to hold the marshmallow so it looks like a sucker. Then paint a thin layer of the light corn syrup on the marshmallow. Use the Pop Rocks to coat the marshmallow and then place it in the Styrofoam box for it to dry.

FIRECRACKER POPCORN

            What you will need: 1 bag of popcorn, 1 bag of Red, White and Blue M&Ms, 4 packets Pop Rocks,  ½ cup butter, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 cup mini marshmallows.

What to do:  Pop the popcorn and set it aside in a large bowl. In a medium-sized sauce pan, melt butter, marshmallows and brown sugar over medium-high heat. Be sure to stir the entire time to prevent it from burning. Once melted, the concoction will turn into a thick sauce. Immediately pour over popcorn and gently stir until the popcorn is completely covered. Finally add the M&Ms and the packets of Pop Rocks and continue to stir them in until everything is evenly distributed. It is best served once it has sat a few hours.

PATRIOT BARK

            What you will need: Oreo cookies, pretzels, white chocolate, Red, White and Blue M&Ms and sprinkles, a cookie sheet, and parchment paper.

What to do:  Crush roughly 12 Oreo cookies and about 3-4 handfuls of pretzels and spread the crumbs across the cookies sheet with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate and pour over the cookies and pretzels. Before the chocolate sets, add red, white, and blue sprinkles and M&Ms. Let it harden for a few hours, break into pieces, and enjoy.

LAYERED DRINK

Looking for a festive way to wash down all these great snacks? You can layer drinks in red, white, and blue by utilizing different sugar contents to ensure that the liquids do not mix. For example, Ocean Spray Cran-Apple juice has 40g of sugar so make this the bottom layer. For the white layer, you can use SoBe Pina Colada which has 26g of sugar. Finally, top off your drink with the blue layer by using blue Gatorade with only 5g of sugar. Add ice and your beverage is ready to serve.