The Rules

The teams of decorators have to be the same size. It could be you and your roommate vs. two other people, or it could be a whole sorority versus a whole fraternity. Just make sure everyone is under the same time constraints. Set a budget that you think is realistic to the project, and set a timeframe that works for everyone. Then all you have to do is pick a day to get started and complete the project under your own guidelines.

The Results

Theoretically, all of the participants in this project should end up with awesome looking rooms. Of course, you may end up with a group of people who just pull a prank, but that would be in poor taste. Make sure you pick an opposing team that will take this seriously, and then do your best to give them a great space to call their own. If everything works out correctly, you could do this every year.

If you need some creative ideas before starting this process, check out the Lowe’s How-To Library. It should have all the ideas you need to make your experience a success.

My husband and I have recently been discussing the idea of buying new furniture for our home. We’re moving into a new apartment soon, and we would like to have new furniture to fit the space. This led us to a search online because we know we can find the best selection and the lowest prices on the internet. This process got me thinking about the pros and cons of buying furniture online, since it is usually something that happens in stores. I compiled my analysis into this lovely little article in the hopes of helping other people figure out whether they should buy furniture online or not. So, let’s get started, shall we? Here is a quick comparison to help you determine what you should do in your furnishing future.

The Pros of Buying Furniture Online

Low prices: The prices for furniture online are always lower than the prices in stores. Online furniture retailers don’t have to cover the same overhead that other stores have, so they are able to offer lower prices on all of their best pieces online.

Extensive options: You can find furniture online that you cannot find anywhere in stores, especially if you live in a small town. My husband and I really want a white leather sectional, but we can’t find one that works well for our needs anywhere but the internet. You may have the same experience in your search.

Easy selection: You can easily see all of the furniture you have to choose from on a website. You can’t do that with a store. You have to browse through aisle after aisle until you hopefully find something that will work for you.

Quick comparison: With a website, you can easily compare two pieces side by side to figure out what you want. If those two pieces are on opposite sides of a store you’re looking in, you may have a bit more trouble.

The Cons of Buying Furniture Online

No testing: If you buy your furniture online, you don’t have the option to test it out before you pay. You could end up with a really uncomfortable chair or a cabinet that doesn’t look good in your room’s lighting. This will basically turn your investment into a waste of money, unless you’re lucky enough to have everything work in your favor.

False advertisement: You may not get the exact product that you ordered if you buy online. A white couch in a picture may turn out to be yellow when you get it home. You really can’t tell what you’re getting until it comes in.

Shipping prices: Shipping furniture can be pretty expensive, depending on how big it is and where it is coming from. You have to keep that in mind when you start weighing out the costs.

Blind trust: You have to hope that you are going to get the furniture you ordered when you work online. You never know who you are giving your money to, so you have to be prepared to lose it all just in case. That sucks, but it is a high possibility.

Think about the pros and cons listed above, and you will hopefully see where you should put your scholarship money. Whatever decision you make, I hope you get the furniture you need to make your home your own. Now wish me luck in my search. I think I’m going to need it! (wink)

Use Large Wall Art

You may be able to create a painted look just by hanging large pieces of art on the walls. You could put a minimal amount of holes in for the nails, and then you could hang up a huge piece of art to make your room look better. This doesn’t have to be anything printed. It could literally be a solid panel of color. As long as it is braced well and it looks in line with your design, you should be just fine.

Change the Lighting

Sometimes all you need is a little change of perspective to make your room look different. You could change out the light bulbs into a different color and then transform your walls and everything in between. This may not be ideal for studying for your online colleges, but it could still get the job done. Just use a red bulb, a blue bulb, or anything else you can think of, and your room will look completely different soon enough.

Hang Fabric on the Walls

You could also cover the walls with fabric without having to actually paint them. Hang curtain rods from the ceiling or the top of the walls, and then you can just drape long panels of fabric on the rods. This will allow you to take down the “paint” when you leave and still cover up any paint you don’t like. If you don’t like the look, just take the fabric down and pick something new. It’s that simple.

You may feel confined in your designs because you cannot paint the walls, but this just gives you a chance to explore other options. If you can think outside the box in the right way, you should be able to find a technique that works for you.

Checkerboard Wall
I was watching an episode of HGTV Design Star last night, and one of the designers made a really cool wall of mirrors that mimicked a checker board. It had a bunch of square tile mirrors on the wall, and they were raised to different depths to give the wall dimension. You could do something like that, or you could literally make a checkerboard pattern out of mirror tiles. Play around with some ideas until you find something that works for you.

Mirror Stripe
You may be able to make your ceilings look higher by putting a vertical strip of mirrors on your wall. If you can find a mirror that is as tall as the wall, great. Otherwise, you may have to get titles or a series of small mirrors to cover the space. Put some molding around the edges to give the mirrors dimension, or paint thin lines around it for the same effect. Just make sure it doesn’t look like something you cheaply threw together, even if you did

Mirror Mosaic
You could get bits of broken mirror and use them to create a cool mosaic for a wall or a piece of furniture. I have done this several times in the past, and I have found that it is best to do this with other glass tiles. That gives the mosaic dimension, rather than just looking like a broken mirror. You could make a mosaic desk top to write on, or you could make a really cool wall hanging. It’s up to you.

Find a creative way to use mirrors in your dorm room, and you will make the space seem much larger than it is. You don’t have to be a construction worker or an interior designer just to make something cool out of mirrors. As long as you are willing to think outside the box, you should be good to go.

Wear
Since the walis tambo is a reed broom, it can be a little rough on hard wood floors at times. The reeds used in the tambo are soft, so they do not do as much damage as those of some other Filipino brooms. Nevertheless, you may find less wear with a Swiffer over time, depending on what sort of floors you need to sweep.

Culture
There is something appealing about the culture behind the tambo that makes it seem more effective, even if it may not necessarily pick up as much as some Swiffers do. When you think about the hard work that goes into creating a walis tambo, you can’t help but use one just to show your respect to the men and women who sacrificed their time to make the broom. A Swiffer is impersonal, no matter how well it may clean the home. You could find the charm of the tambo enticing over time.

Money
Most people do not realize just how much money they have to spend to keep up a Swiffer. When you add up the cost of the broom itself and the pads you need to change regularly, it can be a highly expensive cleaning solution for your home. If you use a Swiffer Wet Jet, then you also have to add in the cost of batteries and cleaning solutions. If you are living on a teaching career budget, a tambo may be the most logical solution for you.

Environment
Tambos are also better for the environment than Swiffers are because they do not create any waste with pads and accessories. The brooms themselves are made by real people in small factories, not by wasteful machines that pollute the air as they make the brooms. If you’re a tree hugger (which isn’t a bad thing in the slightest), you might choose the tambo over the Swiffer.

You will be the only one who can determine which option you like better, but at least now you have a good idea as to how the tambo stacks up against the competition in the modern world. Test out both options in your dorm room and see what happens from there.

Here are some ways that you may be able to set up a recycling system in your dorm.

Reasons to Set up a Recycling Program

Before I get into how to set up a recycling program, I thought it may be nice to shed some light on the sheer importance of this process. I found this article on GreenWaste.com that has some really interesting statistics about recycling in the modern world. Here are some excerpts from this article to put things into perspective:

• Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save:
  • 3.5 cubic yards of landfill
  • 17 thirty foot (pulp) trees
  • 7,000 gallons of water
  • 380 gallons of oil
  • 4100 kwh of energy

  And, at the same time eliminate 60 pounds of air pollutants

• The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years.

• Because so many of them are recycled, aluminum cans account for less than 1% of the total U.S. waste stream, even so, the energy required to replace the just the aluminum cans wasted in 2001 was equivalent to 16 million barrels of crude oil, enough to meet the electricity needs of all homes in Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco and Seattle.
• During the time it takes you to read this sentence, 50,000 more 12-ounce aluminum cans are made. Let’s recycle them.
• Although recycling is the most common method of plastic waste pollution prevention, less than one percent of all plastics products are recycled in the U.S. Americans throw away 25,000,000 plastic beverage bottles every hour!

Do you see the sheer power of recycling and what it could do for your life and the lives of others in the future? If so, you need to think about setting up a dorm recycling system.

Different Ways to Recycle in a Dorm

For the most part, all you need to create a recycling program is a place to put the recycling and someone to take that to the recycling center. You would be a natural volunteer for the second job, but you could always ask leaders in your dorm to alternate doing this. Find out where the closest drop off center is from you, and then all you have to do is make a plan to visit it once a week.

In terms of collecting the recycling, the easiest thing to do is to get some labeled trash bins and put them in the lounge or by the elevators. If you put them somewhere people would easily be able to get to them, you will have a better chance of those people actually using them to recycle. They can just pass by on their way to their medical assistant training and not have to worry about going out of their way to recycle. Put at least one set of recycling bins on every floor, and just keep an eye on them throughout the week. You should be able to have success that way over time.

Think about the information above and really try to use it in your dormitory. It just takes one person like you to make a big difference in the community. The time to do something is right now.

If you haven’t cleaned your dorm room in a while, now may be a great time to start. Doing this will give you a better space to work on your paralegal courses and whatever else you need to take care of. Here are some tips to help you make your dorm room look the best it possibly can.

Move Everything to the Center of the Room

One of the first things you need to do if you want to make your dorm room sparkly clean is move everything to the middle of the room. This will give you access to all those mangy little corners that you probably never touch on a regular basis. You would be amazed by how many dust bunnies you probably have lurking in the corners of your dorm room. Make a clear path to all the walls so you can clean the corners that you never get a chance to see.

Dust Everything You Can

Dust collects everywhere in a dorm room, and people can tell whenever they walk in. you may not be able to see a lot of the dust, but it’s there – trust me. Try to clean off every surface in the room, including the ceiling fan and all of the pictures you have hanging on the walls. You can do this with a vacuum if you want to, which will save you from having to fling the dust in the air when you clean. I do this with everything in my house, and I have to admit, it saves a lot of time. You could have the whole dorm cleaned up in five minutes if you learn how to use your Hoover like a pro.

Use Furniture Polish

If you have wood surfaces in your dorm room, try to put some Pledge on them to bring out the beauty of the finish. This is kind of like putting wax on a car. Sure, you already have a clear coat. That doesn’t mean you can’t make it shiny with some wax. Do the same thing with furniture polish, and you can make your dorm room look like a million bucks.

Put Everything Away

When you have the whole dorm room clean, put everything where it belongs. Fold all your clothes and put them in the closet or dresser. Put your books on the shelves you bought for them months ago. Collect all the beer cans and throw them away where they belong. Then make an effort to keep your room clean every day. This may sound like a challenge for a rebellious college student, but it is something you just have to get used to. You’ll feel much more at home in your dorm room if you can do this.

Buy a couple cleaners to use in your dorm room, and try to put them to good use. You only have to clean up once a week or even once a month, depending on how dirty your dorm gets. Just make an effort to tidy up as often as you can, and the awesome designs you have in your dorm are guaranteed to shine through.

Jobs for Interior Design Degree Holders

There are tons of job opportunities that come with interior design degrees. Most people think of becoming interior designers, but they do not consider the different levels of positions they could work in or even the different areas they could manage aside from design itself. Listed below are some of the most common job positions available for interior design graduates soon after they complete their degrees.

• Senior Interior Designer
• Project Manager
• Kitchen Designer
• Interior Designer
• Design Director
• Construction Manager
• Assistant Interior Designer

Industries for Interior Design Degree Holders

There are also several industries that you could choose to work in as an interior design graduate, depending on what you want to do. This is kind of the same as a fashion designer working on an accessory line. Even though he or she may have a degree designing clothing, he or she can use knowledge from the degree program to make jewelry, bags, shows, and more. You can do the same with your interior design degree. Here are some of the many industries you can work in with this degree in hand:

• Office Furniture
• Interior Design
• Home Furnishings
• Engineering Services
• Construction
• Architecture
• Architectural Design

Annual Earnings for Interior Design Degree Holders

Of course, we have to talk money here. We can’t just say that you have great opportunities before you. We have to explain what you can make. As sallow as it may be to focus on money, you know that’s what you’re really thinking about at the end of the day. Here are some salary statistics for interior design degree holders that you can keep in mind for the future.

By Experience

• Less than 1 year: $31,233 per year
• 1-4 years: $35,291 per year
• 5-9 years: $44,458 per year
• 10-19 years: $59,883 per year
• 20 years or more: $60,796 per year

By Employer Type

• University: $38,000 per year
• State & Local Government: $51,500 per year
• Self-Employed: $35,875 per year
• School District: $44,292 per year
• Private Practice: $43,089 per year
• Non-Profit Organization: $34,000 per year
• Franchise: $30,723 per year
• Federal Government: $83,000 per year
• Contract: $32,000 per year
• Company: $42,404 per year

Does that sound like enough money to sustain your lifestyle and then some? If so, you may want to strongly consider getting a degree in interior design. This should not take that long for you to do, and it could lead to an exciting job opportunity for you. Just make sure you have the right passion for this profession, and you’ll be on your way to success in no time.

Find out the Dimensions of the Bed

If you are using the bed that came with your dorm room, you need to make sure that you know how big it is. Most people assume that they are working with a full size bed, only to find out that it is an extended twin. My dorm bed was about six inches longer than standard twin beds, so I couldn’t use any normal sized bedding. I had to buy something specific to my bed dimensions. You have to make sure whatever you buy is going to fit your bed in the end.

Think about a Theme

Chances are you have some sort of theme you are working with in your room, even if it is just a set of colors or a certain shape. You need to extend that theme to your bedding. You could actually plan that out in reverse, where you pick your bedding and then choose the theme for the rest of the room. Either way though, you need to pick something that is going to work for the space as a whole.

Consider Comfort

One thing you may not think about at first is the comfort that your bedding will provide for you. It needs to be a thickness that you can live with. Anything too thick will make you hot, and anything too thin will make you cold. Since you can’t change the temperature in your dorm room, you at least need to get bedding that will keep you comfortable. Otherwise you’ll be finding excuses to stay at the local Holiday Inn.

You also need to make sure that the bedding you buy is going to be soft to sleep on. I once bought a set of sheets that looked incredible, but they were really itchy and hard. I ended up getting a new set a few weeks later because I just couldn’t stand it anymore. You need to make an effort to pick something that you will actually enjoy sleeping on. Otherwise you could end up hating your bed.

Look for Versatility

Sometimes it is nice to have bedding that you can change up from time to time. You could get a reversible comforter or set of sheets that you could pair with different covers as needed. Seeing that you will probably be living on no essay scholarships, you will need to make sure that you stretch your money as much as possible. That means you have to buy stuff that can handle double duty tasks.

Picking out the right bedding may seem like a challenge, but it is possible with the right amount of effort and consideration. Take the time to think about what you really want, and then find something that fulfills your needs. With the right setting at the right selection, you should be able to choose the perfect piece for you.

Hang Stuff on the Walls

If you have a hard time finding space for your shoes or clothes, start hanging it up on the wall like art. No, this does not mean to cover your walls in thongs and boxer briefs. It just means that you may want to put your shirts, shoes, or pants on display as if they are pieces that people should look at. This gets the clothes off the floor, and it allows you to store your things away with ease. You can get as creative as you want with this, just as long as it looks like you meant to put stuff on the walls. You should be able to pull this off with a decent eye for design.

Create a Sculpture of School Supplies

Your textbooks will inevitably start to pile up in your room, so why not make a piece of art out of them? You could turn them into a topsy turvy pyramid of sorts that has papers scattered around it. As long as you keep everything functional, you could make a really funky piece of art for your dorm room. This saves you from having to find space for your bookshelf or cabinet because you can just leave your books on display. They will become a conversation starter, not a big pile of crap in your room.

Establish Organized Clutter

Sometimes all you need to do is organize your clutter to make it more presentable. You can buy personal organizers to hold your pencils, hair supplies, notepads, receipts, or anything else you need to organize. The clutter will still be there, but it will look well put together. I have an organizer on my desk that holds all of my office supplies. It is filled to the brim, but it looks nice because it is well organized. When people can see that there is a method to your madness, they will react positively to your clutter.

Cover with Class

If you cannot find a creative way to display your clutter, try to cover it. You could put decorative panels around your desk to shield it from the world, or you could try to hide everything in a special cabinet. If you have a desk with empty space below it, you could put a cloth on top to hide anything underneath. This may not be the most creative option in the world, but it does work. You just have to find the right cover for your needs.

Try to minimize clutter as much as you can, and then organize whatever is left over. I know this can be hard to do at times, but it will make a big difference in the experiences people have in your room. If you can make your space look like it is still clean and well organized in the end, you will have a great looking dorm room.