Day 970: A House for the Town

I can still remember a time when I was freaking about moving into my first college dorm. Having never moved in my entire life, it was a huge step, and the terrifying number of boxes and crates sitting in my dining room prior to move-in day absolutely caused some shock. Granted, the transformation my bedroom at home went through as I moved in this year was none the less terrifying, but at this point I've gotten pretty good at this whole moving thing.

I also remember my debates prior to college about how I was going to bring Disney into my dorm room, and it was something I thought long and hard about. The internet doesn't have much on the subject, but over time I've come to find my own classy collection of Disney memorbelia, knick knacks, and real actual textbooks, and as usual, I snapped a few pictures to give you an idea of where in the world I'm living now and how you might be able to bring a bit of Disney into your dorm or apartment too!

First up is my desk, which you can see is definitely the most condensed area for Disney. However, it's a pretty equal balance between actual Disney stuff, Once Upon A Time, family items and school necessities. You probably recognize a bunch of it from my previous desk setups, but I have to say that I spent a lot more time at this desk than I think I did the last two years. Alright, maybe about the same as last year, but the lack of shelf space definitely threw us all for a loop after having multiple giant shelves last year! 

I did manage to find spaces for a couple little pieces though, including my new Jaq and Gus figurine and the little yellow bug that one of my roommates got for me. It's a little bit of Emma Swan to go with my strange amount of pirate stuff. 

The walls in our room are also covered in Disney, although maybe not as obviously. On the wall above my own bed and next to my desk we have a quote canvas from Peter Pan and attraction posters from the Disney Parks (there's four total, although one is cut off in the picture). Then, on the other side of the room, above Megan's bed, is a new multi-canvas work I put together inspired by Mary Poppins. It certainly brighten things up! 

Of course Cardboard Colin finally got to come with to college, and he now watches over us from a spot right next to my bed. Charming keeps him company on the wall! Meanwhile, on the side of my desk, you can find the awesome Mickey wreath Megan made me for our high school graduation. It's been a key feature in all of my desk setups so far, so a spot where we both could see it felt like the right choice! 

As an English major, an extra bookshelf was absolutely necessary, and I keep my books up with these awesome new Haunted Mansion bookends I got while at Disneyland! Also on the shelf, but not pictured, are a few of my Starbucks You Are Here Mugs and the oil cans from Cars Land! 

Down in our kitchen, because yes we have a kitchen now, we have what I realized could be called our own little Kitchen Kabaret! This setup sits right on top of our stove/oven and keeps things lively in an otherwise pretty boring kitchen. We spent a lot of time figuring out how to bring color and excitement into a room we spend a lot of time in!

Finally, in our basement, you can find our ever popular quote canvas and Christmas light combination! You probably remember this set from our room last year, and after a few repairs, it's officially made it's new home in the basement of our townhouse. Thankfully the lights didn't take as long to put up this year, but I'll let you know if Jennifer Morrison likes them again as a part of #101Smiles!

Finally, also in our basement living area, you can find a couple of the Disney decorative pillows. Of all the things I've bought for my dorm rooms, these have to be one of my favorites. They're the perfect way to add a little bit of Disney without being too obvious!

And that's about it! To give you a general idea of where I live otherwise, I'm in a townhouse I share with five other girls (three of which I lived with last year). We're situated right along the river, which makes for a great view, and our only big downside is super thin walls. Our neighbors tend to get a bit loud, but we're quietly planning an attack that involves Let It Go and it's a small world.

Hopefully, if you're just joining us, this gives you a few ideas of how you might be able to decorate your dorm room or apartment! That's definitely my goal with these yearly posts on my new campus living, because I definitely continue to refine and develop a new style based on where I'm living next!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 18 due to a tight schedule).

Day 748: Disney Desk Flair

It seems that with being back at school, I suddenly have found a wealth of new blog post topics, even if this one is more inspired by the Disney Style blog than my own dorm room.

Today, while in search of the last few blog posts to make up for the last week of nothingness since, really, all I did was edit video and that can only fit into one topic, I found one about Disney Desk Flair, showcasing some of the interesting desks at the Disney offices.

It's always been a dream for me to have a Disney office, and someday hopefully I'll get to that point. I can't even begin to express how many times I've seen something at Disney World and turned to my dad and said "For my office" as if I have one and know exactly where it's going to go.

Of course, not all of it is going to end up in the office in the end, as you really do have to keep things clean, but I loved this article, which you can read HERE, and couldn't help but think of my own desk here at school.

My desk has changed a little bit from last semester, largely due to the fact that I have almost twice the number of books now as I did then, and I still have bookshelves filled at home. Overflowing in fact. But overall, there's a lot of Disney influence in my desk without it constantly screaming Disney!

I think one of the things that really helps tie it all together is the nautical sort of theme I have going on. I found the jar at Hobby Lobby in the fall and instantly loved it, a plan forming in my mind. I picked up the sand that currently resides in it this past trip in January, right from the little beach on the walkway near the Magic Kingdom monorail station where my brick is! The little boat also came from Hobby Lobby and the Seagull (from Finding Nemo) is another of the things I picked up on my trip.

But that doesn't mean there's not a fair share of real Disney stuff. I may have a lot of books, but I feel like if there's two stereotypes of English majors, it's lots of books and lots of mugs. I definitely have both and ran into the issue of "where do I put all these mugs?" I solved my issue by working them into my desk decor. Here you can see my Fairy Tale collection next to my Mickey's Diner travel mug and my "I'm Inspired to have dreams as big as Walt Disney" quote frame!

Remember when I said there was a nautical theme? Yeah, more like Captain Hook. Somewhere along the line I got really into the whole pirate and Irish thing, and maybe, just maybe, it's got something to do with the guy in the middle in the frame here. 

And of course, I've got my Vinylmation. I've had numerous people compliment me on these little guys, and I really am in love with the custom designed shelf my Dad and Brother made me to help hold them. There's more at home, but these are my five favorites, and they look rather good together, don't you think?

But no post about my Disney Desk Flair could be complete without this little beauty. I've talked about it numerous times, but my Mickey Mouse wreath that Megan made me for our high school graduation is one of my absolute favorite things. It'll definitely be coming with me if I do get a Disney desk someday. 

This is just the beginning though. There's plenty of other little Disney hints on my desk, and it would probably take me a while to could them all up. Plus, I'll soon have a new desk to add just a little bit of flair to, even if I'll be the only one who ever really sees it down in the deep, dark, music library. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 24 due to a busy schedule).

Day 600: All Moved In

What's weird is exactly a year ago I moved into SNC as well, only it was Thursday last year and I was a freshman and that's how this all makes sense. Also technically I moved in yesterday, so that's how this all matches up. Now I'm a sophomore, and I like to think I have this whole packing up my room and moving to a dorm thing down. I don't know, you'll have to decide for yourself.

That's only a picture of my desk, since the rest of the room is still taking shape, although for the most part everything is in place. We just have the decorations left to figure out. But at the moment, I'm sitting at that desk working on this blog, and that's an accomplishment in itself, that everything is in place and ready to go.

As you can see, several of my Disney pieces that you may have seen on my desk last year have come back, although I'm not sure how they wouldn't. Disney is my life after all. There are a couple of new additions too, such as new picture frames, the "Work like a Captain, Party like a Pirate" sign, which perfectly describes my life while also relating to my unhealthy obsession with Captain Hook, and of course, Buckley and Butterfinger, my Irish dog and bear.

Oh, and the textbooks are new. Yay. (You can hear the enthusiasm in my voice, can't you?)

Have a magical day!