A Little Less Than Simple

I have decided to revive this blog. I know I have said this in the past and I have done a very crappy job of sticking to my word. But I am going to try my hardest to go with it this time. I started this blog while I was in high school, being inspired by people like Zoella, who I adore, and now I am in college. I have learned a lot since the beginning. And I want to share that with people. I enjoy writing, even if I am bad at it. And I enjoy the things I write about. I have also changed quite a bit since the beginning, even since I last blogged. And I also want to share that with people. Because I have gone through a few things and maybe one person could be helped by hearing my stories. And even if no one finds what I have to say useful, that's alright. Because this blog is also for me. It's a way for me to say something. Even if no one is listening.

So prepare for my first blog post from my return on December 31, 2015, also known as New Years Eve.

• Bedding: I would recommend buying 2-3 sets of sheets. Make sure they are XL Twin because that is what most dorm beds are. So this way you always have one to put on your bed. You can just take the dirty ones off and put on a clean pair right then. Then just wash your sheets and do the same thing the next time you want to change them. I also recommend this with pillow cases. For pillows, I like to sleep with a lot of pillows, but it's a personal preference, I would say to bring two, that way you can stack them up and lean against the wall if you're sitting on your bed. I also say to bring a body pillow, just to put between the wall and the bed for some extra comfort. Another thing, which is going to be a good investment, is a mattress topper, which is like an extra foam layer to go on top of your mattress. A lot of dorm beds are super hard and uncomfortable, so this just makes it feel a little better. Finally one of my favorite parts, blankets. I love using a ton of blankets, even though I live in California and it doesn't get too cold. I would recommend bringing at least two or three depending on the weather where you live. I would also recommend one of those be one of those fuzzy throw blankets, that way if you are just sitting at your desk or on your bed you can wrap up in a soft blanket, and it won't be too big.

• Desk/Electronics: I'm not going to go into school supplies, and such right now, but I just wanted to mention a few things I think you should have on your desk beside school supplies. Firstly, a desk organizer. I think it is so important to keep your desk organized, and organizers just help make that a lot easier. They give you a place to put your pens, pencils, paper clips, and other supplies you might have. You also need a lamp, for all that late night studying. My school didn't provide one, but I would check with yours to see if you need to buy one. This next one isn't necessary, but I think it adds a nice touch to the room, and that is a plant. I feel having a succulent on your desk just makes you feel better and adds some life to your room. A printer also isn't necessary, but depending on how much you see yourself printing, you may find it easier just to find a cheap printer to keep on your desk, rather than always going to the library and paying for it. And the big necessity of college would probably be a laptop. There's going to be so much work you have to do requiring a computer, you are going to hate having to go the library every time you need to use one. Another thing you will quickly realize you need is a surge protector. With 3 people in a room, you will soon figure out there are not enough outlets for 3 phones, 3 laptops, 3 lamps, 3 printers, etc. 

• Bath: Of course you are going to need towels. I would recommend getting 3-4. This is just so you don't have to keep constantly having to wash them, and you can have a few extras on handy. If you are in a communal bathroom like me, you will definitely need shower shoes. I recommend getting the flip flops with the holes in them because they seem to be the most convenient. I also would recommend figuring out if you are going to put on clothes after your shower, or if you are going to walk to your room to change. If you choose the later, I would recommend a robe or a towel wrap, just so your towel doesn't fall down while you walk to your room, but that is up to your personal preference. Of course, one of the must haves is a shower caddy, or it will basically be impossible to get everything to the bathroom, without making multiple trips. They have ones with removable portions, but it's up to you if you think you will need that or not. 

• Photo Wall: I’m sure we all have tons of photos on our phones, with tons of memories of our friends and families and good times. But since they’re just sitting on our phone, we never look at them. The solution, print a ton off and put them on your wall. You can go about this a ton of different ways. You can arrange the photos on your wall in shapes, words, or just by sticking them to your wall. When you put them on the wall, be sure to attach them in a way that won’t damage the wall, especially since colleges tend to fine for room damage. I recommend using taping. Maybe if you don’t want to do each one to the wall individually, find a frame, piece of cardboard, a corkboard, or giant piece of paper, attach all the photos to that, and put that on your wall. This would make it a lot easier to take down at the end of the year, and you can easily put it back up next year.

• Quote Wall: A spin on the photo wall would be to make a quote wall. Instead of using photos of you and your friends, use photos of inspiring quotes, movie quotes, quotes you like, or even song lyrics. You can find pictures of these on sites like tumblr, or weheartit. If you can’t find one you really want, you can always create your own on an app on your phone. All you need is a background picture and whatever text you would like. To put these on your wall, just do the same as you would for the photo wall.

• Fairy Lights: Or Christmas lights, whatever you call them (I like fairy lights because that sounds more magical.) You can hang these up around your room. They can go on your wall, around your desk, above your bed. You can also put some above your bed, on the ceiling, and put a sheet or curtain over them to make a cool glowing effect. Another idea, if you can find some small battery operated ones, would be to put them in a jar and create a fairy jar. Or if you can't find any Christmas lights, you can use the decorative ones that come in star shapes, or paper balls, whatever you prefer. 

• Wall Flowers: If you want to add more to your walls, you can put some paper flowers on them. Just use a stencil from the internet, and cut out some flowers. Then you can fold the flower and tape one side of the flower to the wall. This will create a 3D effect and having the flowers sticking out from the wall. You can also do this in different shapes, like butterflies, paper cranes, hearts. And you can customize it to fit the color scheme in your room, and make the flowers in specific colors.

• Plants: A way to add some life to your room are plants. You make think it might be a little hard to take care of soemthing, when you can barely take care of yourself, but there are many plants that are low maintence. As long as you have a desk or table by a window, you can most likely get a plant. There are succulents and air plants, which require little watering, and add some liveliness to a room. You can also decorate the pot or container they are in to add more decoration to your space.

• Tapestry: I have seen a lot of people doing this, so I'm guessing its a pretty popular thing. That is to hang a tapestry on your wall. Most people do it by their bed, and it adds some design and color to the room. It is a pretty easy decorating technique because all you are doing is hanging up a piece of decorate fabric. If you don't want to put a lot of effort into decorating your walls, or if you have a wall that is just plain that you don't know what to do with, then I would suggest going this route. 

• Pops of Color: I don't know if any of you have a color scheme for your room, or if you care about the color scheme, but I suggest using color. It will make your room a lot more lively. If you want to keep your room on the more neutral side, then just use pops of color, whether thats a few colorful pillows, or some colorful desk supplies. Or  if you are already going for a color scheme, add a few pops of metallic. Like a few gold pieces on your desk, or maybe silver or copper, whichever goes best with your room. This gives it more variety, and makes your room more interesting.