How To Survive Your Dorm Room: Bathroom Part 2

You've probably seen all of my dorm organization posts here, but now that I'm in my second year of living in a dorm, I wanted to share a few more tricks that I've learned. Today, I'm going to share some bathroom organization tips. Sharing a bathroom isn't always the easiest thing, but my roommate and I have learned the best ways to making it work!

You've probably seen my post about these awesome cubbies here, but I wanted to sure them again because, well, they're awesome! I use the top cubby to hold my towels, washcloths, and hand towels. I got a bin (monogrammed, of course) to put in the bottom cubby to hold things like my straightener, blow dryer, curling iron, and other hair and makeup products that I don't use that often. My roommate uses shelf inserts and smaller cubby inserts in her cubby to store her things. On top of my cubbies, I put my make-up bag and a bin with things like lotion, hairspray, etc.

I hate having a mess on my vanity, so I got these Mason jars from Dollar Tree to organize my countertop. One holds my makeup brushes, one holds my hair ties and bobby pins, and one holds my lipsticks! (Tip: Put all of your bobby pins in an empty TicTac box! It makes life so much easier!)

On the other side of my sink, I got a toothbrush holder from Wal-Mart because I was NOT going to use the toothbrush holder attached to the wall (germaphobe probs…). I also got a small bin (from Dollar Tree) to keep things like my toothpaste, floss, deodorant, and vitamins from being strewn all over my counter. 

I also added a Command Hook to the wall to hang a hand towel from (it's monogrammed in case you were wondering (; )

Just so my bathroom isn't so plain Jane, I added a few accessories like the picture frame on my counter, a canvas above my hand towel, and a super cute owl from Hobby Lobby on the opposite wall. I also added a blue rug in front of my sink for comfort and cuteness! I also suggest getting a Glade Plug-In (or something similar) to keep your bathroom smelling fresh. I currently have in a pumpkin spice flavor to put me in a good, fall mood every morning!

How do you organize and decorate your bathroom?

DIY Lilly Invitation

Recently I was asked to make a baby shower invitation for a family friend that is expecting a little girl. I've made things on the computer in the past (like my own thank you cards, computer backgrounds, and another baby shower invitation), but this one is really special! I've developed a different style since I started creating things, and I'm so proud of how this one turned out! The parents wanted something classic, but that would match her nursery colors (Lilly's First Impression was the obvious choice), and they also wanted to incorporate her monogram (because, duh! *insert hair flip emoji*). Adding the Bible verse at the bottom made it even more special because Kinley has been prayed about for so long! I made all of it on Word Publisher, then had them printed out on a creme shimmer paper at Office Depot! Making something like this is great because it's totally personalized, and only costs to have it printed! Have any questions about it? Email me!

Doesn't she just have the sweetest little name?! I can't wait to meet this precious baby girl!

Easy DIY Cocktail Ring Magnet

When I was cleaning out my room to get packed up to go back to school (I leave in a week! Eek!!), I found some broken cocktail rings that I've had for, like, ever. Some I had tried to glue back together, and some I'd forgotten about. But that's what happens when you buy $5 rings, right (besides turning your finger green)? I decided that instead of throwing them away, I'd find some cute DIY to use them for. Finally, I came up with the idea of making them magnets for my dorm room refrigerator!

1. Get your ring top (does this thing have a name?)

2. Get your magnet (I used these from Wal-Mart)

3. Put them together! Ta-da! Now that was simple enough, right?! If you want some extra "stick" add some hot glue or E6000 glue to the ring before you put the magnet on.

P.S. I've been working on my hand-lettering…it's not the best but I'm making progress!

 See Sarah's Style has a GREAT tutorial!!

This was such a pretty ring! And now it's looking pretty on my fridge!

I'm still trying to decide what to do with the bow one, because the magnet didn't fit on it. Maybe making it a thumbtack for my cork board? Do you have any awesome ideas?! Comment below!

Like my monogrammed notecards?! Be on the lookout for a tutorial soon!

TuTu Cute - Color Run 2014

Yes, we were "Team Tu-Tu Slow"

Today I did my first (official) Color Run in PCB, FL! It was an absolute blast! I am not an avid runner (btw I walked the entire 5k), but I am used to walking a 5k distance because I walk 4 miles 4 days a week. It was so exciting to everyone's costumes, and I saw some that I definitely want to try next time.
After browsing Pinterest for hours reading up on tips and tricks for the Color Run (I found great tips from Mama Goes BAM!) and, of course, getting inspiration for my outfits! I decided to go with a tutu, because who doesn't love a tutu?! I've made quite a few tutus (I made about 5 my senior year of high school alone), and so I've learned a few things along the way. Here's a step by step tutorial on how to make a tutu out of tulle.

1. Gather your supplies. I got 3 spools of tulle, one each of red, white, and blue, and some white ribbon from Hobby Lobby. You can usually find this stuff half-off at Hobby Lobby. I got everything I needed for around $8. I normally use elastic for the waistband, but I decided to try out ribbon this time. I like the spools of tulle better than buying it by the yard from the fabric spools because it is the exact width I want it to be.

2. Cut your tulle and ribbon. To get the length I want for the pieces of tulle, I take the tulle, and put it on my waist to get the right length, then I double it and add 1 1/2" to 2" (to accommodate the length lost when tying it on). Remember that your tutu will poof out, so make it longer if you need it to be. For this tutu I cut each piece roughly 22 inches. Fair warning: this is the most time consuming part. (I found this great tip for cutting tulle that works awesome on Pinterest)

To cut the ribbon the right length I wrap it around my waist then add at least 8 more inches. It's better to cut it too long and trim off the excess than to cut it too short.

Here is the method I used to determine how long to make my ribbon.

3. Tie on the ribbon. The easiest way I've found is to tie your ribbon or elastic around a chair and tie it on like that. (See examples below for how to tie your tulle on). For this tutu, I used 10 red, 10 blue, and 30 white tulle strips. (Keep in mind the amount of tulle will vary for each person depending on waist size and how full you want the tutu. I didn't want this tutu to be too fluffy since I would be doing a Color Run in it.)

4. Show off your fabulous tutu!!

This is my finished tutu!

Here are some more pictures from the run!

Before the run with my tutu twin!

After the run, and before the big blast after party!

The after party was so much fun! This picture doesn't even do it justice!

After the blast part. We were COVERED in powder!

Attempting to clean off in the ocean

Here are some of the tutus that I've done in the past:

Peacock tutu and mask.

Back of the peacock tutu!

Black and Yellow tutu

Toddlers & Tiaras tutu for Halloween

So you want to be a cowboy...

I LOVE swaps! Like, I just love them! They're so much fun! But I love any excuse to get to dress up in costumes! My favorites are DIY costumes because they have so much more personality! (And you're not going to to run into 7 other people with the same exact costume!) For our first swap, the theme was Disney. I had such a hard time trying to figure out which Disney character to go as! I only had 3 days notice and a limited budget so I knew I would have to DIY my costume. I ended up going as Woody from Toy Story, which was good because out of my sorority I was the only Woody (but I had 4 Jessies).

For my costume I wore blue jean shorts (with a big brown belt), a plain yellow tshirt, a homemade cow print vest, cowgirl boots, red bandana, and a hat! I already had the shorts, boots, and belt. I got the yellow tshirt from Hobby Lobby for like $4 and a foam cowboy hat & red bandana for 99 cents each. 

To make the vest I bought a plain white tshirt (I went with a size smaller than I usually wear so it wouldn't be huge on me and fit more like a vest). If you want to paint on the vest, do that first! I painted a cow print (as best as I could, I'm no artist) on it to match Woody's vest. Let the paint dry completely and then you can start making the vest! First, cut the sleeves, hem and collar off of the vest. Trim down the sleeve holes to your preferred width. Second, I cut a line straight down the middle of the front of the shirt. If you want fringe, it's super simple! Cut strips about a half inch wide up to about 1/3 from the bottom. Once you get the strips cut, pull on each individual strip and it kind of "rolls up". This gets rid of the awkward cut lines, and this means that you don't have to cut them perfectly even! Be sure to pull on all of the places that you cut to get rid of jagged edges! And TADA, the vest is done! To complete the outfit I cut out a Sheriff's badge and wrote "Sheriff Woody" on it. To go the extra mile, I put duct tape on the bottom of my shoe and wrote "Andy" on it! 

Be sure to follow me on instagram: @haydenlee13 for more pictures and ideas! 

College Girl!!

I'm officially moved into my dorm room! I might be just a tad bit biased, but I think my roommate and I have the cutest dorm room! We decided to go with a color pallet of aqua and coral, but added in a few extra colors too! We decided to get different bedspreads that reflected our own personality, but used taupe as a neutral color for our rug and curtains so it wouldn't be color overkill. (Even though our room came with a doo-doo green wall that we couldn't paint over, which we were not happy about.) Of course almost everything of mine is monogrammed, even my mini fridge! I was so pleased that we were able to make it feel like such a homey space, it definitely makes you feel a lot less homesick. I definitely recommend trying out your mattress pad BEFORE you move. Mine feels like a rock! I'm so glad that I'm only and hour away from home and my parents are bringing me a new one!
I had A LOT of stuff! My car had only clothes in it! (Quick packing tip: keep your clothes on hangers and just put trash bags over them, so they won't get wet or dirty, and get a tension-type rod that is made for a car and hang them all up. This keeps them from getting wrinkled. Also, the easiest way to transport them to your room is to leave them on the rod and just carry it like that. I also packed everything in either duffel bags or the plastic pull out drawers that I put underneath my bed. I didn't want to use boxes because I didn't want to have a bunch of stuff that I had to go throw in the dumpster. The duffel bags that I didn't keep with me, I just sent home with my parents.)

This is my side of the room, and my doo-doo green wall.

Where we put my desk and our fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. 

My roommate's side of the room.

Check back for more dorm tips!

Gettin' Crafty With It

Ok, so like I mentioned before, I love doing crafty stuff! (You should check out my Pinterest boards (; )
Soooo.... I saw these beauties on Etsy, but of course I thought to myself, "I could totally do that!" So I set out on a little adventure to make bow tanks! I won't give away my secrets...yet! But I've made a little extra money from friends paying me to make bow tanks for them! All you need is a monogramming machine (If you, like me, have to have EVERYTHING monogrammed), a racer back tank, a little bit of fabric, and a TON of patience! If you want to see pictures of all of the tanks I've made, follow me on Instagram! @haydenlee13