Dorm DIY

I'm no DIY {do-it-yourself} expert, but I love attempting a decorating/crafting scheme every now and then.

So let's do some DIY, dorm style!

The wonderful thing about a dorm is that you can run wild since nobody really has expectations about how a dorm should look. Pretty much anything goes! So even if my DIY ends up looking not-so-hot, it's ok!

1. Photo collages are great if you want to display a whole bunch of photos. Anyone else have a hard time narrowing down pictures? I made these collages using Picasa {a free photo editor from Google}, printed them out on paper, and stuck them in a frame.

2. Magazine files are perfect for maintaining those random papers that accumulate from who knows where. Just toss the mystery papers into a file, and wallahhh, a clean desk! The file on the right has a bunch of folders in it, one for each class.

3. Wrapping paper as wall paper adds some color to a stark white room. Plus, it's so easy and so inexpensive! The wrapping paper cost $3 at Homegoods and is adorable to boot. All I did was cut the wrapping paper to fit inside the shelf, and used scotch tape to adhere it to the wall.

4. Because I'm a string light fiend, I already had those gigantic lanterns. Rather than hang them from the ceiling {which dorm policy doesn't allow, hello fire hazard}, I hung them from the top of the shelf using command hooks. Easy peasy!

5. Wall decals dress up a wall, but don't cause damage or involve nails. Perfect for dorms!

6. This was a plain white cup that I wrapped in a scrap of wrapping paper. That wrapping paper keeps popping up everywhere, huh?

7. Hang jewelry from the wall using tacs {or tiny command hooks}. Double functions as a jewelry organizer and wall decor.

8. Plain ol' cork boards are great, but patterned cork boards? Even better! Simply wrap the boards in a fun fabric and attach with a stapler.

Happy decorating!!

The Month of May {a recap}

Another month gone by?!

Finals. Moving out. Graduation {not mine, but counting down...just one semester left!}. Summer session.

What a busy month it has been!

Finals week came and went. 1 Project. 2 Presentations. 3 Exams. Dunzo!

Moved out of the dorms and realized I'm going to miss this little room. We had many-a-late-night conversations here, talking about the most random of things until 2 A.M. The tiny room was filled to the brim with string lights and pictures from Israel...and we couldn't imagine it any other way.

So many sweet friends graduated this year, including two of my roommates! 

This girl is the kindest, most generous, selfless friend!

After graduation, I headed home for the weekend, and then returned back to school for a summer session of furious studying, writing, speech presenting. It was intense, but you can't beat the fact that an entire class is completed in just two weeks!

Now real summer finally begins! Let the good times roll...

Spring Party

We started off the night with dinner at the cheesecake factory, then prepartied at LACMA {Los Angeles County Museum of Art}.

The event was held at the Peterson Automobile Museum {home of the Batmobile!} and lots of other shiny cars. I think we managed to do everything besides tour the main attraction...must have been too distracted by the smores bar and Italian sodas.

Spring semester is speeding by. Just a few more papers, projects, presentations, and final exams to crank out. TWO more weeks!

Travel Break Chronicles {Part 5}

In the late afternoon we docked in Barcelona, which means we had the night free to explore the town. After much debate, we decided to see the fountain show at Montjuic.

There were three different fountain shows. The first one was to classical music and the second to contemporary music. We only stayed for the first 1 1/2 shows so the third one remains a mystery, that's my excuse to go back ;).

Montjuic also has a huge castle looking building that you have to climb a bazillion stairs to get to. From the top you could look down and see all the city lights.

After the show, we walked along a  long street of shops. We tasted coffee and ate a baked carne something that tasted amazing.

Then we returned to our flat and found that the neighborhood was all lit up for the Christmas season.

The next day we went to Park Guell, which is Barcelona is famous for. Just like the other crazy cool buildings we had seen before, this park was designed by Gaudi.

Artsy benches decked out in colored ceramic.

Love these girls!

That night we visited the Christmas craft fair and finished some last minute shopping. Then we headed back to Israel to finish up the last few weeks of the semester.

What a whirlwind and wonderful travel week it was! So thankful & blessed.

Travel Break Chronicles {Part 3}

Read Part 1 here & Part 2 here.

On our third day, we docked in Marseille, France!

 The city filled with historic charm. It felt like what I had always imagined France to be, except maybe a little older looking, which I guess I should have expected considering Marseille is France's oldest city. Every time we entered a shop, the storeowners would greet us with a friendly "Bonjour!"

From our port, we bused into the main city center. Navigating a foreign transportation system was somethin' else. We had no idea where to get off so we just got off when everyone else did, which ended up working pretty well.

Stripes! Even the buildings in France are fashionable.

 A friendly stranger led us to this amazing outlook. Isn't that view stunning?!

After more aimless wandering, we stopped by the visitors center. Best decision ever. They told us to visit the Notre Dome (which is on top of that steep hill in the picture above).

 360 view from the Notre Dome & God's glory on display. "Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." ~Romans 1

 The main city square where all the big shops are at.

 This is the oldest town in France. Tons of narrow winding streets surrounded by tall buildings and the occasional suspicious man in a long black trench coat. We gripped our bags a little tighter and didn't wander around there very long.

Marseille at dusk.

It was pretty late at this point, around 5:00, and our call time was 5:30 {cutting it super close}. We got lost on the streets and couldn't find our bus. When we found the bus nobody spoke english and we didn't even know if it was the right bus. Finally, an angel of a man, who was probably the only one in all of France who spoke english, came onto the bus right before it left, at 5:15. He told us which stop to get off at and gave us directions to the port. We would have been utterly doomed without him, like standed-in-France-without-a-passport doomed. Not to mention the terrible bumper to bumper traffic and it felt like we stopped at every.single.red.light. My heart was beating so fast and my friend's face was white. The kind man saw how stressed we were and asked when we had to be back by. When we said 5:30, he calmly replied, "Don't worry, you'll be fine, but when you get off the bus...run."  Oh boy, those were not the words we wanted to hear. When the man pointed out our stop, we sprinted off the bus, across the freeway, and ran down the road leading to the port.  And then we did the unthinkable...we hitchhiked...in a big, white van! I thought we could quite possibly be getting kidnapped, but we were just so utterly desperate. The van pressed on the gas and whizzed us to the port. I guess he could tell by our panting voices that we were in a hurry. We finally made it to the ship at 5:40! We were the very last two people to board. The ship had waited for us! God was so kind to us that night and His grace was evident in such a tangible way.

Back on the boat it was time for dinner and then a show.

Just livin' the cruise life.

Up next...Savona, Italy!

Travel Break Chronicles {Part 4}

Find part 1 here, part 2 here, and part 3 here.

Whoops! I had scheduled this post for later in the week, but it had a mind of it's own. I guess part 4 will come before part 3!

Savona, Italy was our third stop. Savona is a quaint, quiet little town and adorable to boot.

We stumbled upon this abandoned fortress.

That green grass and the sun beaming through, picture perfect.

Old stone everywhere and amazing city views!

Ahh, sigh, European cityscapes never get old.

Because Savona is such a small town, there wasn't much to do there, and it also didn't help that we visited right in the middle of their siesta period (basically nap time in the afternoon where everything closes). I think America could use a siesta period, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Back on the ship we celebrated with Thanksgivng dinner! We didn't think the cruise would celebrate an American holiday, but it was such a happy surprise to eat turkey and pumpkin pie. We even decided to order two desserts for our last dinner! 

Our thanksgiving feast!

The next day we soaked in the last few hours of our cruise and docked back in Barcelona.

Goodbye Costa Magica! It's been grand.

Part 5 up next...are you tired yet? I promise it's the last one :). I warned ya this was a travel saga.