Dorm Room Inspiration: Marcela's Beautiful Elegant Room

Marcela's dorm room is simply charming! She is a lucky girl to have such a GREAT dorm room with such good bones. How awesome is it that she has warm wood floors and fresh mint walls? The simple, understated glamour of her room is so calming and unique.

With the help of a DIY headboard, elegant lighting, and thrifted night stands, you too could achieve a look very similar to Marcela's simple, chic space.

DIY Shopping Bags

This one is dedicated to all you shopping girls out there!

One super chic, creative, and cheap way to make great wall art is to frame up your pretty shopping bags and gift bags! It's super simple and looks oh so sophisticated! Not only is this DIY project beautiful, it actually only requires FOUR STEPS!

1. Start collecting cute shopping bags and gift bags. Pick out your favorites and cut off one side of the bag. Leave one handle.

2. Gather various sizes of frames to fit the different sizes of bags. Try thrifting for the frames!

3. Use a really strong glue (Super Glue will work) and attach the bags to the center of a large white piece of construction paper.

4. Pop the bag (glued to the paper) into the frame, hang on the wall, and enjoy!

Puffy Frames: Buy Or DIY!!

Today I found something great! It's called a puffy frame and it's pretty much an adorable inflatable fabric frame. I think it's a great way to add a unique flair to your wall. It's also very functional. You can place cork board inside and create a bulletin board, attach mesh screen to the back and have more jewelry storage, or use it as a frame for pretty posters and prints. The frame is created by Working Class Studio and comes in various sizes, shapes, and colors.

What's Working Class Studio? It's a really neat division of SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) that is centered around promoting the creative products that are developed by their super talented students, faculty, and alumni!

The products can't be bought on their site but can be found on SCAD's online shop. Their prices are a little steep... (sigh) but you do get the opportunity to help support lovely and creative students just like yourself! If paying the full price isn't for you, there is a WAY cheaper option at Target. However, you don't get the various options of sizes and colors.

If you don't feel like buying at all, why not make your own? I have never tried and I haven't found anyone who has, but I still believe that it would be fairly simple. All you need is...

> A fabric of you liking (solid or print)

> Fabric paint (only if you want to paint on the frame pattern like the actual puffy frame)

> Colored ribbon for hanging

> A pattern (be creative) to shape the fabric to

> Access to a sewing machine

> Stuffing to make the frame puffy

The process is as simple as cutting out the fabric to the proper size and shape, stuffing and sewing it, painting the pattern on, and attaching the ribbon to hang it by! Simple, right? I think so. I might try this one myself!

Design Inspiration: Simple Easy To Make DIY Room

I love this bedroom! It is so simple and fun. I wanted to share this room with you because I believe this room could so easily be a dorm room! All you need to achieve this look is ....

> a thrifted end table that you can paint a pretty color

> a thrifted lamp that you can paint a fun color

> a pretty assortment of quilts and pillows

> a little rug, faux sheep skin rug (learn how to make your own here)

> cheap black frames in various sizes

> cute prints (magazine clippings, photos, mini-posters) that can be framed for the wall

> a thrifted chandelier that you can paint different colors

What do you think about this look? I want to hear from you!

Complementary Color Scheme: Yellow And Purple

Yellow and purple color schemes can sometimes be a challenge to work with. It would be so easy to use the wrong shade of yellow and turn the room into a mess. However, if handled beautifully and thoughtfully, your room could be an oasis. Just like the other two pairs, the tones and shades that you use influence the over all feeling and mood of your space. Now for some inspirational yellow and purple rooms!

Complementary Color Scheme: Red And Green

Generally people associate red and green with Christmas. Well, I am here to dispel all those holiday-ish myths and bring you the truth, the beautiful truth about red and green. There are certain shades of green that could easily be called "Christmas green" and those are the shades that you want to stay away from. You will know them when you see them! Try exploring muted greens, yellow greens, blue greens, and of course all the many shades of red. Here are some inspirations for this type of room...

Complementary Color Scheme: Blue And Orange

This combination may be my favorite of the three complimentary pairs. The colors work off of each other so well! You can be bright and bold or minimalist and calm when using this color scheme. All you have to do is change the shade or tone of the color and you get a whole different feeling! Take a look at these pretty orange and blue interiors.

Color Inspiration: Complementary Color Scheme

Whether you are moving into student housing for the first time, moving into the dorms again, or renting an apartment, it's time to start designing your space for the school year 2010-2011! Before you can start purchasing your bedding and accessories, you need to do a little thinking and planning. One of the first things you need to think about is your color scheme.

It's kind of overwhelming to pick a color scheme because there are so many colors in the world and each color has so many different tints and shades! Sometimes its easiest to just pick your favorite colors, but they don't always go well together.

Well, I have three pretty color scheme ideas for you. The colors in these groupings go great together and the color wheel can back me up on that! I'm talking about complementary color schemes.

Now for a little color lesson...

Primary colors are (as seen on the color wheel) pigments that can be mixed in various ways to create all other colors. These colors are red, blue, and yellow. Each one has their own complement color, which can be found opposite of the original color on the wheel. This means that the compliment of red is green, blue is orange, and yellow is purple. These colors work so well together because they are contrasting and they really stand out against each other. They are truly beautiful together!

Stay tuned because I will be posting visual examples and design ideas for each of these three complementary color schemes. I promise you will love them!

Short Survey Blogger Tag

Jessica from Lovely Undergrad tagged me in this super fun blogger tag that I have been thinking about all morning! I'm pretty sure I have figured out my answers, so here I go...

Rules:

List 3 things that you would want on a deserted island if there was food and water.

List 5 of your favorite novels of all time.

Tag 3 other bloggers.

3 things that I would want on a deserted island. (in no particular order)

1.

Derrick. Not only is he my boyfriend, but he is also my best friend. He is so much fun and he always cracks me up, so there would be no shortage of laughter on our island! He would also be super helpful if we decided to build a Swiss Family Robinson style tree house.

2.

My Bible. Being stuck on an island, free of modern and materialistic possessions would really allow me to grow in my faith. I would praise Him and truly be able to admire the beauty and wonder of the world that He created :)

3.

The knowledge of how to make paint, paper, and other various art supplies out of all natural materials found on the island. With all that time on my hands I would want to do tons of painting and drawing!

5 of my favorite novels of all time. (again, in no particular order)

First of all, I kind of have a confession. I am not exactly a lover of reading :0 Sorry

1. Sold

2. Lord of the Flies

3. A Separate Piece

4. Breakfast at Tiffany's

5. The Giver

3 other bloggers, who I think should take a stab at this.

1. College: The Next Grand Adventure

2. Charade

3. Thrifty Lil Pixie

Summer Plans

I have been trying to wrap my mind around the fact that summer is already here and it's move out time! I have spent the past few days locked away in my room organizing and packing and repacking and reorganizing because today was my deadline to MOVE OUT! While I am super excited about summer, I am going to terribly miss my college dwelling. My apartment and I have been through the good and the bad together over this past school year. I loved every single minute of living there! Honestly, as I walked out the door for the last time I truly felt sad. As they always say, " I left a piece of my heart in... my old dorm room". Well maybe that's not exactly what they say, but that's how I have felt today. However, it's summer time which means it's time to start fresh! Here is a little summary of my plans for this summer....

I want to rejoice because school is out and it is summer time. I want to embrace the world around me!

I will be working for a local interior design company and I plan on soaking up all the knowledge about design that I possibly can!

I want to be creative and paint, paint, paint, paint, and paint. I want to explore my artistic voice.

I want to eat healthy foods, make healthy decisions, and loose that college weight!

One word. EXERCISE

Three words. DRINK MORE WATER

Of course I will also be working on designing my new student apartment and posting design ideas for you guys!

What are you doing this summer? Do you have any trips planned? Do you have any summer resolutions? If so, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment or send me an email at jessecanfly@gmail.com

Apartment Inspiration: Kevin's Teeny Tiny Apartment

Kevin's wonderful apartment is the perfect example of how to effectively create great style in a teeny tiny closet-sized space. He made sure to use a light color scheme with some bright accent colors, which is key when trying to make a small space feel fresh, open, and bright.

When living in a small apartment like Kevin's, it is super important to stay organized and eliminate clutter. In this apartment, Kevin remains organized and tidy and has even planned out the appropriate layouts for a typical day, a dinner party, and an overnight guest.

My New Layout

I am getting so excited about moving! Like I mentioned in a previous post, I am going to totally miss my student apartment (the reason why I started this blog) but I love having a new design challenge. Since the new apartment is actually a brand new building, it's lacking warmth and character. So, the challenge is pretty much the opposite of what it was this time last year.

The other day I visited a room that has the same layout (well is supposed to have the same layout. I may not know till I move in...) As soon as I got back to my computer, I created a layout of what the living room/kitchen area will probably look like.

So, what do you think of this layout? I am totally open to suggestions on the furniture arrangement :)

Happy Mother's Day

Don't forget to tell your mama you love her! Now for a series of cheesy and heartwarming Mother's Day photos.