Dorm Dec­o­rat­ing 101: Hol­i­day Edi­tion

Dec­o­rat­ing for the hol­i­day sea­son can be dif­fi­cult while liv­ing in a dorm and hav­ing lim­ited in­come from be­ing a col­lege stu­dent. With fi­nals ap­proach­ing, dec­o­rat­ing for the hol­i­days be­comes even more im­pos­si­ble. Learn how to make quick and easy hol­i­day dec­o­ra­tions for your dorm or apart­ment with this how-to guide.

Red Solo Cup Wreath

Sup­plies:

• 17 red solo cups
• A rib­bon/​bow
• Scis­sors
• Glue Gun

In­struc­tions:

1. Align Cups to­gether in a cir­cle and ap­ply glue where they touch
2. Glue bow on top
3. Punc­ture hole in top cup
4. Put rib­bon through hole and tie knot to hang on door/​wall

Red Solo Cup Jin­gle Bells

Sup­plies:

• 3 Red solo cups
• Rib­bon
• Scis­sors

Di­rec­tions:

1. Punc­ture small hole in bot­tom of all 3 cups.
2. Put rib­bon through all 3 holes and tie knot on the in­side.,
3. Cut rib­bon at 3 dif­fer­ent lengths.
4. Tie a large bow with a sep­a­rate piece of rib­bon.
5. Tie the 3 rib­bons with at­tached bells (cups) onto the base of the gi­ant bow.

 

 

Candy Cane Wreath

Candy canes wreaths run on home-made goods web­sites such as Etsy for up to $40! Why waste the money when you can make your own for $5?

Sup­plies:

• 17 candy canes
• Glue gun
• Rib­bon/​bow

Di­rec­tions:

1. Align candy canes in cir­cle ei­ther fac­ing each other to make hearts or all fac­ing the same di­rec­tion.
2. Use the glue gun to ap­ply small amounts of glue where the candy canes touch.
3. Glue or tape a bow in the mid­dle for ex­tra dec­o­ra­tion.
4. Take a piece of rib­bon and tie a hole with a knot around the top candy cane so it can hang.

Sopho­more Tan­ner But­ler lives in Pot­ter Hall and en­joys the fes­tive dec­o­ra­tions.

“Pot­ter Hall is pretty fes­tive dur­ing the hol­i­days. Some peo­ple dec­o­rate their doors. One even looks like a nicely wrapped gift. Oth­ers have lights and gar­land. The lounge has win­ter dec­o­ra­tions that look great. Per­son­ally, I do not dec­o­rate, be­cause I will not be here dur­ing win­ter break.”

Hand-made Gar­land 

Sup­plies:

• 2 pieces of red con­struc­tion pa­per
• 2 pieces of green con­struc­tion pa­per
• Scis­sors
• Tape

Di­rec­tions:

1. Use the scis­sors to cut all 4 pieces of con­struc­tion pa­per into thin rec­tan­gu­lar strips
2. In­ter­loop the thin pa­per strips al­ter­nat­ing green and red and use a piece of tape to at­tach them to­gether
3. Hang the fes­tive gar­land any­where you’d like

Cre­ate Your Own Tree

Sup­plies:

• Wrap­ping pa­per or large col­ored con­struc­tion pa­per
• Rib­bon
• Scis­sors
• Tape

Di­rec­tions:

1. Cut wrap­ping pa­per or con­struc­tion pa­per into a large tri­an­gle or “tree” shape that you like
2. Cut the rib­bon to fit the bor­ders of the cut out de­sign (tree)
3. Use tape to stick it to the front or back of a door, or on a wall for a quick, easy tree!

Snow Man Door/​Fridge

Sup­plies:

• Black con­struc­tion pa­per (for eyes, mouth, and but­tons)
• Or­ange con­struc­tion pa­per (for car­rot nose)
• Thick rib­bon, col­ored con­struc­tion pa­per, or wrap­ping pa­per (for scarf)
• Scis­sors
• Mag­nets or tape

Di­rec­tions:

1. Use scis­sors to cut black pa­per into small cir­cles for the eyes, mouth and but­tons.
2. Use scis­sors to cut or­ange pa­per into a long tri­an­gle for the car­rot nose.
3. Use scis­sors to cut rib­bon, col­ored pa­per, or wrap­ping pa­per into two long rec­tan­gles for the scarf.
4. Ap­ply mag­nets to the back of pieces of pa­per or use tape to at­tach them to a white fridge or door.

To see some of these dec­o­ra­tions in per­son, make sure to stop by Paw­print’s Cook­ies and Co­coa Hol­i­day Party this Thurs­day from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the An­nex be­hind the Art & De­sign build­ing!

To learn about more hol­i­day events com­ing up on cam­pus click here.

What are your fa­vorite ways to dec­o­rate for the hol­i­days? Com­ment be­low!