I just moved into my first "real" apartment. By that, I mean that it is the first apartment where I have my own bedroom and I don't have to comply with university housing rules (like nothing within two feet of the ceiling). Decorating is entirely my own choices, at least in my bedroom, so I literally have almost complete free reign over the way my room looks (I can't paint over the god-awful panelling, but a girl can manage).
I have been DIY-ing wall art since I moved in, and as I browsed the home decor sections at Walmart, TJ Maxx, and Michael's--sadly the closest Target is about 30 minutes away--I realized that a lot of college students who are decorating their dorm rooms or apartments can't afford to spend $20 on every single canvas they hang on their wall or to spend $40+ on a tapestry. I realized that painting my own canvases and making my own decorations is a lot cheaper than buying them, and I can customize them to make sure they actually match my room.
So, in lieu of dorm-shopping season, here are some DIY decor ideas for the college student who is buying their own "school supplies."
1. Canvases
Okay, this can sound challenging, I know, because not everyone is artistic. But, I think there are several simple designs that anyone can paint that can add color and fun to any bland wall. Whether you paint simple stripes or an ombre, a heart or your initials, you can create something unique and decorative that will be perfect in your dorm or apartment. And, if you do consider yourself artistic, or at least think you have good handwriting, you can always write out a favorite quote, whether with paint or Sharpie, or you can try to paint flowers, plants, your pet, a landscape, etc.
Keep in mind that even if you mess up, you can just paint back over it until you get it right.
2. Yarn tapestry
This can look intimidating and it is very time intensive. But, it's super boho-chic and you can use old scraps of fabric, ribbon, yarn, etc. to make it as unique as possible. There are loads of YouTube tutorials on these, too, and I think they add a huge statement to any room. With these yarn tapestries, you can be as plain and simple or as embellished as you want. You can add braids and knots and tassels, or just keep it fairly simple and let the yarn hang naturally. Bonus, they're super duper lightweight, so just a simple Command Hook can hold it up just fine.
3. Photo garland
I think this is one of the most common DIY's I've seen in dorm rooms, but for good reason. It's an easy way to display all the photos you want without spending too much money on frames or spending hours taping each photo up individually. Spice it up by adding other things besides photos, like fake flowers, completed coloring pages, ticket stubs, etc.
