A CL Guide to Dealing with an Undesirable Space

Living in a cramped area with a faulty A/C or a leaky faucet that keeps you tossing and turning would stress out the most poised of co-eds. But don’t fret! Many college students have mastered the art of making tough situations work, and dealing with a less than perfect dorm or apartment is no exception. If you cringe at the thought of going home after classes, continue reading for some classy tips.

Shun Bare Walls

Opening your front door to a room full of vibrant photos, glossy posters, and colorful decals will keep your spirits lifted in the midst of a stressful day and hide cold, drab walls. Even switching out your curtains can make all the difference. “Since typical dorm curtains scream 1976, try replacing them with inexpensive curtains from home,” said suite101.com. Curtains can also turn into a great DIY project, perfect for a roommate bonding session. Try buying inexpensive curtains in a light, solid color and paint them or sew on some buttons or patches. How you decorate is a reflection of your personality, so don’t let old paint get the best of you.

Be Your Roomie’s BFF

If your living arrangements aren’t what you had in mind, don’t deal with it alone–become close with your roommate(s) since you’re all in this together! No one will understand the contempt you have for the communal bathroom or a tiny bedroom quite like a roommate will. If you’re rooming with students that you don’t know, grab lunch, kick back and watch a movie, or go out together at night to get to know them better. If you’re rooming with good friends, then you’re all set–your support system is already right by your side!

Get To Know Your Neighbors

It’s best to feel comfortable with who you’re sharing your space with and to become familiar with who’s living in the surrounding dorms and apartments. This will ensure that you won’t spend every waking moment in a place that you don’t care for. Happily introduce yourself (saying that you’re one of their neighbors), and start up a conversation about something simple, like how they feel about their dorm or apartment. Also, keep your dorm room door open as much as possible–it’ll make your room appear inviting and students will feel inclined to stop by! And if you’re living in an apartment, let your neighbors know that they are always welcome inside whenever you’re home.

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

College is about more than just loving where you live. Your experience away from home is for learning about yourself, making memories, and getting an education, even if that means dealing with a few decades-old dorm room or an apartment with beaten up furniture. Try your best to look past your living space’s flaws, and focus more on how you can make the situation better!

Here at College Lifestyles, we’re all about lending a helping hand, so to help the ladies that are currently struggling with dorm and apartment decor, my question for all you classy readers is: how have you transformed your undesirable spaces?

Tiana Blue is an intern for College Lifestyles™ and is a print journalism major at Penn State. This sophomore is an avid blogger that loves to write, draw, roam the streets of Manhattan, and channel her inner chef by watching Food Network re-runs.

The IT Spring Handbags for Every CL Girl

One of my main fashion addictions is small accessories – handbags, rings, belts… and I’m assuming many of you have this addiction, as well. This accessory addiction could be a huge problem for your bank account, unless you understand the fine art of seeing it, liking it, and making it (aka, the fashion DIY). So, my CL ladies, let’s talk about the “It” bag looks for the upcoming season, and how to find or make a cheaper version!

A favorite look of mine for spring is the disco bag! It’s the small bag with a long,cross-body strap that is perfect for every activity, from sightseeing to a night on the town. And while this Marc Jacobs shoulder bag is adorably chic, this particular piece, costing $625, is out of many of our budgets. Instead, fall in love with this statement cross-body bag from Forever 21 – and for $25, you can be fashion-forward, and still afford your Starbucks fix!

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Another fun trend to try for spring is the boxier, vintage camera bag inspired tote. With more simple detailing, classic fastenings, you can pair it with other statement pieces for a standout look. Prada has a tailored, elegant, boxy bag, and it can be yours for the low price of $2,250! Or, try this fashion DIY for a more credit card friendly approach.

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For another statement piece, go for the faux fur clutch; however, instead of searching the sales rack at your nearest department store, try out this simple DIY. All you’ll need is a yard or so of faux fur, ribbon, a chain, a needle and thread – and voila! A chic and trendy faux fur clutch that will be sure to impress.

Remember, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to look classy and fabulous; it’s all about the way you carry yourself in your fashions! Have confidence, and present yourself with poise, and soon everyone will be dying to know where you got your Marc Jacobs lookalike!

XOXO

Lauren Zeinstra is a senior at Western State College of Colorado, majoring in Marketing and Management. Vice President of Internal Affairs for the Student Government Association, she loves coffee, fashion, learning, and dance parties!

Group Halloween Costumes for Those Classy Co-Ed’s on a Budget!

These days, I wake up to find my car covered in leaves, to feel the temperature is a couple degrees cooler than the day before, and I hear party and costume talk more and more with each day.  This can only mean one thing: Halloween is right around the corner!!  Halloween is my favorite time of year, and not for the parties or candy (though I do love the candy), but because it is a time where people of all ages can be creative, unique, and stand out with their costumes.  I used to spend lots of $$$ on costumes that I wear only once in my life!  Now, my friends and I have grown out of that phase in our lives, and have moved on to bigger and better (and more affordable) things.

If you are a classy, sorority lady like myself, you know how important group costumes can be.  There is three nights of Halloween at Binghamton University: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  In my sorority, tradition holds that one night we dress up all together as the same thing, one night as a smaller group, and one night is personal choice.  Whether it is a sorority rule or you just don’t want to dress up alone, here are some great group costume ideas I have thought of over the years.

1. Santa’s Little Helpers- a great costume for the whole sorority.  With Christmas coming just around the corner after Halloween, why not bring in the holiday joy a little early?  All you really need is a Santa hat (around $5 at any party store) and a red dress.

2. Devils and Angels- Another great one for large groups.  Just wear black and red for devil or white for an angel.  Then all you need to buy is Devil ears or an angel halo.  Party City has a 3 piece devil kit (ears, bow tie, and tail) for just $7.

3. Clue Board Game Characters- This is such a different idea and pretty easy to do.  Dress as a maid with white hair for Mrs. White.  Wear anything purple with a beard, a pipe, and glasses for Professor Plum.  Mrs. Peacock wears blue and is very wealthy so pearls or a big brooch would do the trick.  For Colonel Mustard, an adventurer’s costume or even military themed outfit would work, with a hat and magnifying glass (even an Indiana Jones hat would work, $10 at Party City).  And for Miss Scarlet, anything sexy and red will do!

4. Gilligan’s Island Characters- Another good one for small groups.  Gilligan wears a red shirt, white pants and a navy hat.  Skipper wears a blue shirt and a captain’s hat.  Pigtails and a plaid shirt for Mary Ann.  A flashy, shiny dress for movie star Ginger and glasses and a button down shirt for the professor.

5. The Incredibles- Not only is it a great movie, but it is also a fun costume!  All you need is an Incredibles shirt (about $20 if you order it online) and a black skirt or shorts with high black boots.  Use a black sleeping mask and cut out holes for your eyes.  This is a great costume for large groups- someone can even be Syndrome! Just get a black shirt and paint or tape a big S on it and wear a towel or a sheet as a cape!

6. Charlie’s Angels-  There’s lots of ways to go with Charlie’s Angels, but the easiest is to wear all black and high black boots and stand around each other all night doing the signature Charlie’s Angels pose.

7. Powerpuff Girls- another threesome, but you can always have double the girls! This one has a lot to do with color.  Wear pink, green, or blue with pigtails or a pink bow in your hair.  Then do very colorful eyes to match what color you are wearing.  I will definitely be doing this one this Halloween!

8. Deal or No Deal Models- another great one for large groups.  Wear the same color dress and make a fake briefcase with cardboard and silver and black spray paint.

9. Football Players and Cheerleaders- not so original, but if you are hosting a party with a fraternity, like my sorority is, it is a great way to dress up together with the boys.

10. My favorite one of all, my masterpiece- the Seven Deadly Sins! I have 6 best friends and we will definitely be doing this one this Halloween.  It is a bit tricky, so we will have to put our creativity at full blast (especially for sloth- any ideas?!), but here is what we were thinking: For lust, wear something a little sexy and red with bright red eye and lip makeup.  For Gluttony, just a black dress with all different types of food taped on (and when you are out and hungry you’ll have something to snack on!).  For Greed, incorporate money into the outfit.  Wrath is also a red theme, similar to lust, but I could see a punk-rock outfit as well with very dark black eye makeup.  Envy is anything green and for Pride, trophies, medals, a Miss America sash, and a Tiara.  Here is some inspiration from the America’s Next Top Model photo shoot!

There you have it, my favorite group costume ideas!  What will you and your friends be dressing up as this Halloween!?

Looking for more DIY Halloween costumes? Check out CL Intern Samantha’s article A Classy Co-Ed’s DIY Guide to Fun, Easy & Affordable Halloween Costumes.

Erin Pitkow is a junior Cinema major at Binghamton University and a proud member of Alpha Epsilon Phi! She LOVES television and movies and is currently attempting to watch every movie listed in ’1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die’. 33 down, 968 to go!

DIY Designer Ribbon Headbands for the Stylish Co-ed

Glam headbands are the new way to stay chic and bring the heat.  By designing your own, you can personalize your ribbon headband to match your style or accessorize your favorite outfit.

Here are the supplies you will need:

• approx. 20” of ribbon (play with different textures and widths!)
• 2 elastic hair ties
• decorations  (anything will work—flowers, studs, feathers, jewels… it’s time to get creative!)
• hot glue gun with glue sticks (or a needle and thread for you crafty gals)

Supplies can be found at your local supermarket or craft store.  We like Hobby Lobby because of their wide selection of decorations!  Prices for decorations range from $1.50-$5.99 typically and ribbon costs less than $2.

Let’s get started!

1. Loop the 2 elastic hair ties together as shown.

2. Place the ribbon top-side down.  Now place one of the loops of your hair tie knot around the ribbon leaving about ½” of the outside edge of the ribbon extending past the elastic loop.  Fold the ribbon over the hair tie loop and glue (or sew) being careful to not attach the elastic, only ribbon to ribbon.  There should be a loop in which the elastic hair tie rests freely to allow for movement when you are finished with this step.

3. Test the length of the ribbon for your desired fit and place a mark on the inside of the ribbon where you want the other end of the elastic to attach.

4. Cut off the excess ribbon 1” longer than the place you have marked.

5. Attach the elastic hair tie to the other side of the ribbon using the same technique explained above.

6. Start designing!  Using your hot glue gun, you can now decorate your ribbon headband anyway you like!

Here are some styles of headbands we can’t get enough of!

Fashionable Flowers

Grecian Goddess

Precious and Perfect

Design your own glam headbands with these easy DIY steps!  Show off your creations around campus, share them with friends, and feel good knowing savvy little you is a designer-in-training! Watch out world…. the College Lifestyle gals are intelligent, inspired, and fabulously crafty.  So get designing ladies, and send us pics of your best creations!

Cool Gifts for Your New Little Part 4 – Initiation Basket

Check out the final part for crafting for your little, the Initiation Basket! (part 1, part 2, part 3) The time is finally here, your new little is getting initiated!  Here are some great things you can put in her initiation basket.  There are some simple ways you can personalize items to your little, your family or your organization!  Your little is going to be most excited about things you put in your love making special for her, and you will feel great when the everyone is telling her how cute everything looks!  I would like to make a special shot out to my family for being amazing and sending me all of the pictures I needed for this series (especially Cayte and Colleen, sorry for the late notice!), you are all the best!

Contents:

1. Flowers – get your little a bouquet of flowers or a bouquet of your sorority flowers, they will brighten up her day and her room!

2. Wall Letters – Use wool letters from the craft store and craft your littles initial or your

organizations letters! (check out the wood letters in this dorm decorating post for a how to!)

3. A Family Tree – a great item for your little to keep for years to come. You can make very cute family trees out of wood cutouts and ribbon.  Use a sorority symbol, paint them, and write the names of all of your family members.

4. Pin box – pick up a small box from the craft store, paint it and use a cute quote on the box with a paint pen.  You can make a small pillow for the inside.  This box can be used to store your pin, lavalieres and even mascot charms.  Use a straight pin through the loop of the charms to hold it in place on the pillow.

5. Letters / Shirts – though your little probably has made her own letters, this is a great time to give them special letters you have had passed down or special family letters.  You can even make  big / little letters!

6. Stuffed Animal – get a stuffed animal of your sorority mascot.

7. Quote Plaque – Use a small wood plaque from the craft store to write a quote that is special to you and your little!

8. Stool – this is a traditional gift for many

organizations, you can purchase a unfinished stool from the craft store and make it super cute with paint and mod podge (mod podge can come in a glitter finish or simply glossy to finish all of your painted crafts)!

9. Paddle – for me personally this was one of the things that I was the most excited about, however, these can also be the most expensive.  This about developing a theme for your family and varying the colors year to year to fit the colors in your littles room or her favorite colors!  Get a bunch of your sisters together and order your paddles online to save money on shipping costs!

Here are some tips on crafting and buying for your little:

• Spend your money on items that your little is actually going to keep and use, not fillers that just make your basket look bigger!
• Make everything you can! It means more when it come from the heart!
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  If you are not good at writing with puffy paint and your friend is, offer to paint something for her solid colors while she helps you with your projects!
• Pass down everything you can.  Don’t be afraid to re-gift items, it is the sincerest compliment to the person that gave or made it for you!
• Get together with a bunch of sisters and share crafting supplies like paints and brushes, that way you all don’t have to spend your money on the same items!
• Split pack of items –  candles, markers, etc.
• Try to chose an overall theme for everything you make, this will keep you focused and not questioning what to do on everything.  Use the colors of your littles room so she can display them proudly on their walls! (as you can see for my little the theme was pink black and white / zebra print.  I carried this through most of the crafts that I made for her!)
  

  Traditional Blue Eyed Family stack after initiation! (Bayley, me, Cayle, Kelly & Colleen!)

Remember its not how expensive the baskets are, it is the heart you put into it that counts!  Even if you do not have a lot of money to spend, and who really does these days, you can make great gifts for your little on a tight budget by planning smart and starting now! Look for things on sale, the dollar spot at Target is a grate place to find little gifts  you can personalize later!

Kendall Meyer is an intern with College Lifestyles (TM).  She is an Interior Design major at James Madison University and a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority.  Ask any of her little and grand littles, her favorite past time is crafting for all of them!

Check out this great post, Newbie Scrapbooker Must Haves, for some sweet tips on scrapbooking, a great way to keep all you great sorority memories!

Cool Gifts for Your New Little Part 3 – Movie Night Basket

We are back with part three of cool gifts for your little!  (check out part 1 & part 2)  This week we are going to do a movie night basket!  What is better than a night in with your girls or better yet your new little! Here is a basket full of goodies that you guys can use for a “family” night in with fun and movies!  A special shout out to one of my sister and best friends Liz for the inspiration for this basket!  Don’t miss the final post in this series on Thursday for the initiation basket!

Contents:

1. Ticket – make a movie ticket out of paper and write a note to your little on it about how excited you are to have her at your family movie nights!

2. Popcorn Bowl – these can be found at the dollar store or the dollar spot at Target.  Use puffy paint or paint pens to personalize it!

4.$5 Movies – Places like Wal-Mart, Kmart and Marshall’s usually have a rack of pretty good old movies for only $5 or less.  Pick up some chick flick classics!

5. Tie Blanket / Pillow – if you did not use a blanket in another basket this could also be a great place to use it, what better to cuddle up with than a soft blanket while you are watching your movie! (Check out my article about no sew curtains and pillows for directions!)

6. Sorority PJ Bottoms – There are a great little basket filler and super cute!

8. Coffee Mug / Hot Coco – You can grad a sorority coffee mug or personalize your own with your littles name!  Add some hot coco mix and marshmallows for a hot drink to enjoy during the movie

9. Mani/Pedi Supplies – there is no better way to start out your movie night than a mani / pedi secession, make sure your little has everything that she needs! (nail polish, toe separators, file, lotion, ect.)

10. Candy Jar – This is an easy DIY craft for the movie night basket, check out this how to below!

What you need:

1. Jar (you can use an old spaghetti sauce jar or anything that you have laying around!)

2. Cotton balls

3. Small Piece of Fabric

4. Rubber band

5. Ribbon

6. Puffy Paint

7. Candy

What to Do:

Clean you jar of any labels.  To create the top use the cotton balls to puff up the top a little.  Cover the cotton balls on the lid with the fabric (cut in a circle slightly larger than the size of your lid).  Use the rubber band to secure the fabric to the edge of the lid.  Cover the rubber band with the ribbon for a more finished look.  Use the puffy paint to personalize the jar.  Fill with candy!

Kendall Meyer is an intern with College Lifestyles (TM).  She is an Interior Design major at James Madison University and a member of Alpha Sigma Tau sorority.  Ask any of her little and grand littles, her favorite past time is crafting for all of them!

Check out this post about some great movies that you could think about putting in your basket!

A Classy Co-Eds DIY Guide to Dorm Décor

It might be summer vacation, but the next school year is just around the corner.  If you are anything like me, you are dreading the white walls of the dorm room you will be living in.  Have no fear… Samantha is here!  As a senior at WCU, I have seen my far share of dorm rooms, and I know what needs to be done in order to make your home away from home actually feel like home.

Now I know the rules at every university are primarily the same… no nails in the wall, no holes, nothing fun!  Well, I have not only abide by those rules, but I have found another solution.  Yes, that’s right co-eds, I have found a solution.  Drum roll please… 3M Command Hooks!  If you can’t use nails, then use these.  They totally work!

But enough about that… let’s get to the decorations!

Inexpensive Wall Collage

During my freshmen year in college, a friend of mine came up with the idea to create a wall collage in her dorm room.  I thought it was one of the coolest and most creative things to do on a large white wall.  Two years later, when I moved off campus into my own house, I too, created a similar wall collage.

The best thing about this idea is that it is fun, expressive, and adds that little something extra to your boring dorm or apartment wall.

My first wall mural was black and white because that was the theme I had in my room, but my second collage was based off of a beach/seaside theme.  The wall collage included one large canvas board, two medium boards, four 3×5 photo frames, and a 4×6 photo frame.  Because I changed my themes, I got to restart and redesign the whole collage – colors and all!  (Which makes this idea versatile and fun)

What You Will Need:

• 4 Pack of White Canvas (Wal-Mart)
• Fabric Paint or Spray Paint
• Paint Pens or Sharpies
• Ribbon
• Hot Glue Gun w/Glue sticks
• Gems (be sure they have a flat back)
• Picture Frames

Step 1 – Paint canvas boards and frames with selected fabric paint/spray paint.  Let dry for at least an hour and a half.

Step 2 – Plug in the hot glue gun.  While that is heating up, cut 7” to 10” strips of ribbon.  These will be used to hang the frames and canvas boards.

Step 3 – Apply lines of glue on the back of each frame and attach ribbon.  Be sure to create an upside-down “U” with the ribbon.  Make sure you add enough glue to either side to insure that the ribbon will stay attached.

Step 4 – Once the ribbon has been attached to each board, now begin to decorate!

Remember to get creative.  Use famous quotes, inside jokes, funny sayings, your initials, or sentences in another language.  Add jewels or stickers to spruce up the detail.  Once you have decorated the boards, pick up some inexpensive and small nails from Wal-Mart or Lowes and line them up all over the wall.  If your dorm has restrictions on holes in the wall, then pick up the 3M Command hooks and use them in place of nails.

Decoupage Table

I have yet to make a decoupage table of mine own in college, but I did decoupage several different things in my art classes in high school.  It is an extremely fun, creative, and messy craft to do alone or with a bunch of friends.

You can use just about anything – photographs, magazine clippings, hand-written notes, greeting cards, whatever you want.  You can also decoupage any piece of furniture you choose to.  If you want to make a major statement, decoupage a headboard.  Base your hole room around your headboard, or if that is too much of a hassle, stick with the side table or a chair.  This project should reflect your personality… remember that!

What you’ll need:

• Table (or whatever you decide to decoupage)
• Fine sandpaper
• Paint
• Paint Brushes
• Paper items for decoration (magazine clippings, photographs, album covers, etc)
• Scissors
• ModPodge (can be found at any craft store – i.e. Michael’s)
• Sponge paint brush

Step 1 – Clean up the table (or whatever furniture you chose).  Wipe down the surfaces, and make any needed repairs.

Step 2 – Sand the wood so the paint will stick well.  Use a fine grade of sandpaper, and with a light hand, sand everywhere you want to paint.

Step 3 – Lay down some newspapers, open the paint can, stir it up, and then dip the brush in.  Smooth gentle strokes in the same direction will produce an even finish.

Step 4 – Let the paint dry overnight

Step 5 – Cut out your paper designs.  Once your pieces are selected, lay them out on the table to plan the overall look.

Step 6 – Pour the decoupage medium (ModPodge) into a small container and use a sponge paint brush to paint the back of the paper.  Lay the paper down in position on the table, and lightly brush the front of it with more decoupage.  Repeat this with all the paper designs you selected.

Step 7 – Paint an even amount of decoupage over the whole table and let dry.

Once that is dry you have a custom piece of furniture to showcase to all of your friends and family.  If you use creative pieces, you will have a major conversation piece!

Ribbon Tied Hanging Letters

What better way to tell people who’s room they’re in then to spell it out for them.  If you haven’t noticed yet, I love being crafty, and these letters are super crafty.  This is another project that can give your dorm room that little extra pop.  You can get as creative as you want, or keep it simple.

At my university, these ribbon-tied letters are a huge hit!  Any room you walk in you’ll see fun letters, especially in the sorority houses.

Paint on stripes, patterns, sayings or whatever you can think of.  You can even write your name continuously all over them.  Here’s how to create this fun and decorative project.

What you’ll need:

• Letter (which you can pick up at any craft store, i.e. Michaels, Hobby Lobby)
• Craft Paints
• Paint brushes
• Ribbon
• Glue gun

Step 1 – Decide on your designs

Step 2 – Start painting your letters.  Use geometric shapes, swirls, words, etc.

Step 3 – Cut enough ribbon to tie in a bow and still have enough to attach to letters.  15″ to 20″ should be more than enough.

Step 4 – Attach the ribbon to the back of the letters with the hot glue gun.

Step 5 – Once the glue and paint has dried, hang your new letters on the wall.

Hanging Frames

Here is my thought, if you are tired of the movie posters or the ones of your favorite actor or actress (ah hem… Johnny Depp) then here is a fun and easy way to make your walls pop.  Empty picture frames.  It’s really simple, affordable, and makes one big statement.  After all, anyone can put a picture in a picture frame… but how many people are going to leave them empty as décor?

What you’ll need:

• A good amount of picture frames (remember to get creative on this part – try frames with designed cut-outs, ridges, or extra wide frames)
• 2 cans of spray paint (whatever color you choose)
• Nails
• Hammer

Step 1 – Take all of the backing off of the picture frames

Step 2 – Set up newspaper outside, in an area that gets a good amount of air.

Step 3 – Begin spray painting all of the frames.  Be sure to cover the frames completely.  We don’t want any uncovered areas.  The frames might need a few coats, so spray, let dry and return for another coat.  2-3 coats will be enough.

Step 4 – Once frames have dried, lay them out on the ground in the arrangement you want.  This will prevent you from make a lot of holes in your walls.

Step 5 – Once you have the frames laid out the way you want, begin making the holes in the wall.

This is an expression of your creativity.  The funkier the arrangement, the longer people will look at it and think “what a cool idea!”

Fun & Funky Storage Containers

Are you tired of looking at all those giant plastic bins that have all your crap in them?  Well have I got news for you.  There is actually a way to make all those yucky clear bins look pretty.  Yippie!  You read right.  All you need to do is pick up a few materials and you will be on your way to fun and funky storage bins.

What you’ll need:

• A few yards of Fabric
• Clear-drying Fabric Glue
• Scissors
• Measuring Tape

Step 1 – Measure out the inside front of those clear storage containers.  You want both the height and width dimensions.

Step 2 – Cut out the fabric in the above dimensions… but give yourself an extra inch.

Step 3 – Apply the clear-drying adhesive to the inside front of the storage bin, and then carefully rub the fabric on it.

Step 4 – Continue to smooth the fabric over the inside of the bin.  Once it is all smoothed out, move on to the next one.

In a matter of time you will have newly colorful bins that you cannot see the inside of.  Use them as tables, or leave them out in open spaces.  They are truly a lot of fun!

So go get your decorating on!  Think outside of the box when it comes to spruching up your dorm room, and always remember to make your room feel homey.

Samantha Crotty is an intern with College Lifestyles.  She is a Communication-Print Media major at Western Carolina University.  She loves DIY projects and decorating her room… a lot.

DIY Headbands on a College Budget

This week is my Spring Break and since I am not going anywhere I decided to hit up Woodfield Mall since it is about 5 minutes from my house. For those of you that don’t know, Woodfield is the largest mall store-space even compared to Mall of America. First on a quick rant, I am so thankful that the holidays are over because going to Woodfield is pretty much impossible between Thanksgiving and the end of January because of tourists (literally, by the bus load walking around with video cameras). Anyways, I was walking around the mall and every single store had fun headbands in the windows. I found one with a big bow on it that I really loved, checked the price tag, and then almost had a heart attack. $15.00. Um, what? Then add a little over 10% for sales tax and we are at $16.50 for a piece of plastic with a bow practically superglued to it. The more I thought, the more I realized, why can’t I just make my own? I googled plastic headbands and found out that you can get them in packs of 12 for around $6 or $7. Here are some ideas of how to dress up your headbands for practically nothing!

Go to the clearance section of you craft store. Look for fake flowers, ribbon, or sequins.

You can tie the ribbon into your own bow and attach.

If you go to the fabric section, they have bins of their scrap fabric. You can get these scraps for under a dollar and wrap your headband in any color or pattern.

Also, if you saw in Liz’s post about hair accessories, the snake chain elastic headband, that can be created at from your craft store too! Go to the area where they have ribbon spools and look for cording. They have tons of colors to go with any outfit. Pick your favorite and secure underneath your hair with a small safety pin.

How would you create YOUR headband?

Katy is an intern for CollegeLifestyles (TM). She likes shopping for accessories because they do not need to be tried on and always look good.

A New Semester, a New Start, a Whole New Slew of Awkward Moments: The Fabulous & Awkward Life of a CL Girl!

In the past two weeks I have been thrown in to the dreaded “real world.” For the first time I am not only out of my mother’s house, but also out of the college dorm rooms. My name is on a lease, and the bathrooms no longer magically get cleaned. A new phase of my life began this month when I officially moved in a house off-campus that I share with four of my amazing sorority sisters. After a long summer of paying rent on a house I wasn’t living in and taking every opportunity to drive to Pittsburgh for a weekend to drop loads off at my new home I am fully moved in. That is, if you count still living out of suitcases and slowly but surely D-I-Y’ing my room fully moved in. It has been a crazy and hectic couple of weeks as jumped right back in to my job in Pittsburgh and began my junior year of college. Yikes, junior year. I still can’t believe it.

Over the summer I wrote all about fun exercise trends, healthy foods, and even dorm-room shopping tips for all of you fabulous girls, but this fall my role here at CL will change just a little bit as I bring you a little more personal of a view of my life and the experiences that accompany it. I’ll take some of my own lessons learned, awkward moments, and tips and tricks and relate them to you. More than a CL intern I am a college girl just like you; struggling to keep up with the readings in my heavy courseload, acting as a leader in my sorority, working part-time, trying to make yummy but nutritional food choices and exercise regularly, and most importantly of all, making time for my friends and staying in touch with my family. And don’t forget the drama that is college relationships. Think of my new blog series as a little Carrie Bradshaw, a little Bridget Jones, and a whole lot of Emilyh. This is my real world, and I’m opening it up to you, so be sure to check back soon, it’s going to be an interesting semester!

Emilyh is a junior at Duquesne University, College Lifestyles™ intern, and sister of Alpha Sigma Tau. She is a clumsy perfectionist who can’t help but laugh at the “awkward turtle” moments in her everyday life.

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