Day 1317: Disney At College

It's been a wild three years since I was sitting at home, desperately trying to figure out how to decorate my first college dorm room. Agreements as to who would bring what had already been made with my soon-to-be roommate, I'd picked a relative color scheme, and I had basic dimensions of the tiny box I would call home for the first nine months of my college career. But even a little tiny box has white walls to fill, a desk to decorate, and Disney to incorporate. 

With another year of college just around the corner and an entire new class of Freshman getting ready to move into their first dorm, I couldn't help but recall the days of frustration, searching across the internet for that perfect idea on how to make my room mine...and that most certainly includes Disney. There seem to be thousands of dorm room ideas out there, but only a select few include elements from the Disney franchises, and for those of us that can't imagine a room without a bit of magic, it's sometimes difficult to determine what to do. 

So here are a few ideas for how to bring Disney into your dorm room: 

Keep It Simple and bring in a little Disney at a time. My freshman dorm room featured a desk that was Disney, but not overly Disney, a motto that I've taken with me throughout various other housing on campus. By bringing in a Disney-themed quote, park map crafts, and some vinylmation, I was able to have reminders of Disney on my desk while also keeping things professional. I went with a black/light blue/red color scheme, bringing in a custom-made shelf for my knick knacks and a canvas idea I got off Pinterest to complete the look. 

Utilize Disney Home Merchandise like this Once Upon A Time/Happily Ever After pillow I found in the Disney store. While Disney merchandise might not be as cheap as that pillow you can get from Walmart for four dollars, if you plan strategically with a couple of items here and there, they can really make a house feel like a home, and they have items for every room, from the kitchen, to the bedroom, and even the bathroom!

Use All Your Space. This is extremely important, especially in a small dorm room. Every space in the room is unique, from that spot on your futon, to above your desk, to the wall near your bed. While there's a time and place for a blank wall (I have one above my current desk), sometimes you can find a spot just waiting to be filled with some Disney. In my freshman dorm, we had our beds lofted (below), and the wall next to mine was perfect for some daily reminders of my friends, family, and Disney through Instagram Photostrips. 

Make It Unique by adding pieces of Disney that are distinctly you. I have a love for vintage Disney items, whether they be from the parks or films, so items like my Jim Shore Teacup or the vintage attraction posters I added last year are a must. But I'm also an avid fan of Once Upon A Time, so in addition to the toy yellow bug on my desk, there are tons of little references to the show throughout my college collection. If there's a specific item you collect, make it a part of your decor, because that's what college decorating is all about in the first place: being yourself. 

Do It Yourself and create items for your dorm. My apartment is now filled with various canvases themed to everything from Once Upon A Time to Hamilton, and it's one of the easiest ways to add both some color and character to a blank wall. If painting a canvas isn't quite your style, try making Disney Park Map Coasters or filling a picture frame with a meaningful quote. Just because it's DIY doesn't mean it has to be impossible. 

Small Can Be Big in a dorm room, no matter how well you think something's going to fit. It's here that some of the smallest merchandise in the Disney Store can make the biggest impact on your room, like the Vinylmation on my desk or the Tsum Tsum collection that now sits on my mantle. These are especially great for those that don't want to even come close to over-the-top Disney, because they're not always immediately recognizable as Disney, but still bring a big of magic to the party.

Keep Moving Forward with decor you can keep adding to. While not entirely focused around Disney, I recently added the quote canvas below to my bedroom wall. The wall reminds me that while there are million things I haven't done, there are a lot of adventures I have had too, and as the days go on, I keep adding to the wall. It helps me to keep moving forward, and allows for continuous change in my room, which is nice, especially after a few months of living in the same small box. Change can be good sometimes. 

While there are plenty of other secrets to my college decorating, many of which you can find here on Everyday Disney, these were just a few of my favorite tips. I hope that, if you're moving into a dorm soon, that some of these ideas helped inspire you, but I want to hear your ideas too! Let me know what some of your favorite college decorating tips are in the comments below! 

Have a magical day!

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 952: Pink! Blue! Pink! Blue!

My dear friend from high school is on her way to college this fall, and of course she's got herself an awesome new roommate. Well, we all remember what it was like to first start chatting with that new college friend, especially when it comes to making decisions on the dorm room you'll end up sharing. Some people try to match all their stuff, something my freshman roommate and I did mostly on accident. But for them, things are a little different, especially when it comes to the debate between pink and blue.

She told me this morning that they're very similar in many ways except one: the things they're buying for the dorm room. Of course, we each have our own personal space, but as she buys blue sheets and towels, her roommate finds a great pink comforter and pillow set. Of course, there was only one thing I thought of when she told me about this pink and blue debate:

Now, I highly doubt their dorm room will end up a complete mess of pink and blue, and instead it'll look rather awesome as it showcases both of their personalities. That's one of the greatest things about dorm rooms. There's little bits of each of us in a room that's completely blank, despite the fact that you share the space together. 

A quick note before I go: From August 11 to August 20 I'll be headed to California for a Disneyland and D23 EXPO adventure, so Everyday Disney won't be updated until I return (all missed posts will be made up on August 21). However, you can definitely follow my Instagram and Twitter for live updates and all the adventures I'm having! I'll be posting on both daily, and you might just find a periscope in there too! Follow all my social media for the fastest updates and I'll see you all in a week and a half! 

Have a magical day!

Day 936: An Awfully Big Adventure

Some of you may remember when I introduced a new piece of artwork to my dorm room last fall, in the shape of some canvas art with one of my all time favorite quotes on it:

Well, as much as we loved our little room 309 in VMC, all dorm room stunts must come to an end, and this fall we'll all be moving into a new townhouse for our Junior Year. Of course, a new, bigger home means there's more decorating to be done, and since I have a busy schedule this fall, I'm trying to get ahead of the game by finishing as much of the decorating as possible before I actually head back to SNC, and there's no better place to start than the bedroom I share with Megan.

You'll see more of how Disney made it's way into this new dorm room later in August, but you had better believe that I made a brand new quote canvas just for us, and this time, it's Hook themed...see? 

Actually, I'm not joking. It really is Hook themed, or Peter Pan themed rather. Well..sort of. It's a combination of some of the versions of Peter Pan out there. Below I've included the original mock ups of the canvas as well, just so you can sort of see what went into creating it. 

Which leads us to the finished product...

I'm absolutely in love with this new one, but then again, I also am in love with the first quote canvas I did. It'll make the perfect centerpiece on the big wall in our dorm room, and I can't wait to hang it alongside the other decorations we have. Oh...and of course, it'll go perfectly with Cardboard Colin! 

Have a magical day!

Day 867: Reduse, Reuse, Recycle

Coming home from college means packing and unpacking and repacking and sorting and organizing and boxes and attempting to fit a futon into a bedroom that's already pretty much filled with stuff. Somehow I got it done, and now my friends and family all comment on how my room apparently reminds them of a dorm room, which I'm fairly proud of. The room is full, that's for sure, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Taking the futon back out in the fall will make for another change, but for now I'm going to enjoy the time I have with a room that's set up exactly how I want it.

But I came across a few challenges as I reorganized my entire room. You know those things that you don't really need but don't want to get rid of, all while debating if you're actually becoming a hoarder? I've come across a few of them, including the beautiful tins some of the Disney Vinylmation come in. After sitting on my shelf for around two years, I finally found a use for a couple of them, one in particular, which now sits on my desk:

Figuring out how to save the Disney tin while also making real use of it got me thinking too...what other Disney things are just sitting around that could be re-purposed? After all, I don't think any of us can disagree with the fact that we all have obnoxious amounts of Disney stuffed into our homes, even if half of it is just little stuff like this.

So over the summer I'm going to try and come up with a few new ways to use Disney merch, even if it's a bit out of the ordinary. After all, in order to come up with a solution we may have to think outside of the box!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 24 due to computer issues).

Day 864: No Worries

There's really only one motto that can explain the feeling you get when you complete another semester of college and only have a summer to look forward to: "Hakuna Matata."

Of course, as worry and carefree as the end of the semester is, there are a few other emotions that might just be running through your mind. The end of every semester is pretty bittersweet, regardless of who you are. So to celebrate the end of the semester for us college kids and the upcoming end of the school year for pretty much everyone else, here's a few emotions you might experience when you finally don't have to worry about papers and exams and actually going to class anymore:

We've all had that one professor or teacher that decides to give you a final that had absolutely nothing you studied for on it. I'm talking like the one you studied day and night for...and then they put completely irrelevant information that wasn't even in the textbook on the exam.

For our graduates, this is a big one. The world is big and scary and, as I grow closer and closer to my own senior year of undergrad, I know the feeling well. Will I find a job? Will I become a hobo? Where will I live? How will I pay off my student loans? 

I'm probably not helping, am I?

"When was the last time I showered? I don't remember! I haven't had time!" 

One of the absolute saddest parts about the end of the semester is just that...it's the end of the semester. We have to leave our friends and roommates and school and dorm room and go back home. Yes time at home is nice, but not seeing your best buds for three months is also one of the most depressing things in the world. 

And don't even get me started on cleaning out your dorm room. 

Ultimately, however, the end of the semester brings a lot of JOY! We're done! No more class! No more homework! Yeah we still have responsibilities and jobs, but we don't have to schedule our lives around the hours the caf is open! We no longer have to sit in front of our computer with a blank stare, willing a paper to write itself! Textbooks are turned in, final exams taken, and worries put aside! Hakuna Matata! 

Inside Out begins playing in theaters June 19! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on May 24 due to finals...haha!) 

Day 807: Break? What Break?

Spring break has always been this sort of really important week for me. For some reason, I'm always able to go ahead and get a lot of stuff done in a week of what most people use as time off. Of course, last year I took half my break and went to Disney, but we'll talk more about that in another blog post. This year, however, I returned to my old ways and created a Spring Break Mission Log, which basically is a motivational system I've created for Spring Break that helps me get things done. It worked really well a number of years ago and I've just kept the tradition. Plus, if this spring break has anything to show for it, the system still works because I've gotten my fair share of work done, right along with binge watching a considerable amount of television (I tend to multitask...)

So what exactly have I all accomplished so far this week? That's a good question, and here are a few of the highlights, both things that were originally on my list and things that just happened that were awesome:

Well...This Happened:

I guess it's not really every day you get a random tweet to tell you that you were featured on a list of favorite #CollegeProblems. While I am a college student who basically survives on crackers and biscoff, this was not something I was expecting. So...Reach the Big Leagues of College Problems? Mission Accomplished.

Watch the premiere of iZombie:

When it comes to creating a Spring Break Mission Log, you have to keep in mind that not everything can require a lot of work. You have to throw in some really fun, easy stuff as well, because those things are easy to accomplish, meaning you're more motivated to move onto the next thing. This was one of those easy to accomplish tasks. It just so happens that a new CW show, iZombie, stars a number of cast members who were also on Once Upon A Time, and since I love OUAT on an obnoxious level, I generally go around and watch as many of the other new projects as I can. Turns out I love the show...and one of their cast members is pretty great too:

I also have two favorites from him. Pretty good turnout for the first episode, am I right? 

Make new Door Decs:

You already know that I make door decs for our dorm room, partly because our dorm just isn't that into them and partly because I really want our door to be super awesome. Previously, we had the Frozen theme, and before that it was Elf and Monsters Inc. But I needed something more springy, but still Disney. Thankfully, it didn't take me long to figure out our newest theme: Alice in Wonderland! 

It took a while to get everything completed, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm especially fond of the way the wording on the window came together. What's next for the dorm decs? Well, they'll stay like this for a while, but I've hopefully got one last trick up my sleeve before the end of the year, which has just a subtle hint of Disney to go along with it. 

Other tasks I've completed? I filled out a few honors group applications, sorted music for my job, Disneybounded like no other, researched LinkedIn, Caught up Everyday Disney, Drank a TON of Starbucks, and checked off many other tasks on my to-do list. Then again, the week isn't over yet, and there's still items yet to be accomplished! Don't worry though...Spring Break isn't over yet. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 20).

Day 781: Wash All The Dishes

Another pretty short blog post for you today, but it won't be over without references to college, The Chinese New Year and, of course, Disney!

The other night, we were faced with a common problem in my dorm room: dishes. You see, there are four of us living in this one little dorm room, and in this little dorm room we drink A LOT of coffee and tea, not to mention the ridiculous amounts of oatmeal and other food we tend to eat. In the end, this accumulates to a surplus of dishes:

And when there's as many dishes as we have here (and that's actually not even all of them), you really need some serious music to go along with your dishwashing escapades. I try to mix up my music every so often, listening, as you know, to everything from Pearl Jam to Classical Music to Disney Parks to Christina Perri to Once Upon A Time to who knows what else, so I did what every other crazy music person like me would do: I asked someone else what I should listen to. My roommate Hannah helped me instantly on this very important decision, recommending the Mulan soundtrack, and boy was that a good choice.

I mean, when "I'll Make a Man Out Of You" comes on, you just have to get your work done while simultaneously pretending to fight the Huns. Needless to say, the dishes were done pretty quickly, and it wasn't until later that I realized that Mulan happened to be the absolute perfect choice when it came to a soundtrack for the day. Why? Because February 20 happened to be the beginning of the Chinese New Year!

So as we begin another lunar year, I encourage you all to do your dishes, preferably before it gets to the state that our bathroom sink was in when I finally got around to it last week. But, in the chances that you are as procrastination-filled as my roommates and I, I do suggest the Mulan soundtrack for your next date with the soap and sponge.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on February 24).