DIY: This Week/Next Week Dry Erase Calendar

A few weeks ago, I was browsing Pinterest looking for some DIY projects for my apartment and I came across this post. Immediately I thought, I must do this. 

(Here's the picture for those of you who are too lazy to click the link... you're welcome)

So classy and simple, but will totally help me stay on top of my assignments and to-do's!

After a trip to Michael's Crafts, I left without a good picture frame to use for the project. The frames I found were either too big, too small, or too expensive. Womp.
Fast forward about a week, and I returned to Michael's and what do ya know! They were having a sale on the exact size and color picture frames I wanted. 2 frames for only $4! Such a steal and PERFECT for this project! So, I gathered up the rest of the supplies I needed. I left Michael's with 2 white picture frames (11x14), 8 sheets of coordinating scrapbook paper, and some other supplies needed for another project (here!).

My friend Sarah who writes Laughs, Crafts & Photographs came over to help me with this project. She wrote up her own amazingly perfect step-by-step tutorial with high-quality pictures that you can find HERE. We had a lot of fun listening to music, chatting, and crafting!

What You Need:
2 coordinating picture frames.. (mine were 11x14) and scrapbook paper. You can use a different scrapbook page for each day of the week or alternate between two designs. I also used modge podge for this project, but I think tape would work just as well!

How:

First, I took the backing off of the frame and decided to modge podge the scrapbook paper right onto it. I wasn't planning on using these frames for any other purpose, and it seemed easiest because that way I would know exactly how to cut the paper to fit inside the frame. I cut 8 2" strips, one of each pattern. I used one strip per day of the week, and one at the top for labeling "This Week" or "Next Week". 

After the modge podge dried, I wrote in permanent marker the days of the week and left blanks below so I could write with dry erase marker the dates. 

I think it turned out pretty well, don't you?

Can't wait to hang these up in my apartment!

Must-Have School Supplies for Every College Freshman

Confession time: I love shopping for school supplies. Every year, I look forward to back-to-school shopping to prepare myself for a new and successful school year! 

Since I've started college, however, I am becoming more frugal and am getting used to the idea of reusing some of the same supplies for more than one year. I've found that binders have a longer lifespan when they aren't being thrown in lockers and piled on top of one another and carried around the halls!

When I started my freshman year at Temple, I wasn't sure what I would need and what supplies should be left back in high school. Here is my must-have college school supply list for all of you who are starting to get those school supplies together! If you already have these items lying around the house you should definitely use them! Any way to save money helps, trust me.

The List

• 1" Binder, one for each class (depending on your schedule)-- I don't like to use one master binder because I find it too bulky and heavy to carry around in my backpack all the time. However, if you scheduled a lot of your classes back-to-back, it might be helpful to combine one or two classes into a single binder. 
• College ruled notebooks with sturdy spirals (1 for each class) -- I can usually use the same notebook for at least 2 semesters which is great. Some of my notebooks have lasted up to 4 semesters of classes!
• Pencil case to hold....
• Plenty of pens -- Go with colors if you can, it makes note taking much more interesting!
• Highlighters, various colors -- Again, note taking is much more fun in color!
• White-out -- Trust me, if you like taking notes in pen... you'll need this
• Mechanical pencils + lead -- I've found that most classrooms in college do not have a pencil sharpener... so mechanical pencils are a must-have (or, if you're like me, just use pen!)
• Pink pearl eraser -- If you're using mechanical pencils, you'll probably want a separate eraser because the erasers on those are crappy.
• A good, functional planner -- this is IMPORTANT... I couldn't have gotten through my freshman year without it! Check out this post to find the best planner for your needs!
• Sticky notes, whatever size/colors you please. These are useful for note-taking and sticking in textbooks!
• Index cards -- for studying purposes, of course
• Stapler -- Obviously you'll need to put those 5 page papers together somehow... a mini one for your pencil case might be helpful. 
• 3-hole punch-- this one is optional, but if you're like me you'll hate having a binder pocket full of handouts. With this, you're able to easily organize everything so you can actually see all those papers!

That's my list! Hopefully with this you're able to get a feel for the things you need and the things you shouldn't bother wasting your money on. Also, if you have a dollar store around, a majority of these items can be found there... don't spend more than you need to!

Kayla Plans: My 2014-2015 Planner

I'm obsessed with school supplies and organization. I would rather buy a new notebook and pens than shoes. I don't know what that makes me but I'm perfectly okay with it. That being said, it would make sense for me to be madly in love with planners. Which I am.

This year, I am particularly excited to use my planner. It's from a cute little site called May Designs. This place is heaven on earth for girls like me. They have the most adorable planners but it doesn't stop there! Food journals, baby diaries, notebooks, coloring books, fitness diaries, you name it! The outside design is completely up to you! Choose form a plethora of patterns and deigns AND choose a monogram or title for your book! It was so much fun to make and I waited patiently for it to arrive. When it did, I was BEYOND happy with how it turned out. 

Here's the finished product:

Cutest thing ever! I got it on sale for $17 and that INCLUDED SHIPPING! Can't beat that. I'm in love. 

Stay tuned for another blog post where I show you how I am going to organize/color code my planner this year!

MY FIRST APARTMENT: Dollar Store Kitchen Supply Haul

So this year I will not be living in a dorm! Instead, I have an apartment about a block off-campus with 4 girls. One of whom I know well and will be sharing a room with, and the other 3 I've only just met. It was a last minute decision, so my roommate Kelly and I took what we could get. The rent is quite cheap and it is a pretty good location so we couldn't pass it up!

Two of the girls have lived in the apartment since last year. They told us that they have plenty of kitchen supplies and have pretty much all we will need. However, I decided that I'd want some kitchen supplies of my own. Eventually, I'm going to need them, right? 

My best friend Kelsey was home for the weekend and she told me that Target had great microwave/dishwasher safe plates, bowls, and cups for cheap! So, of course, I had to go and check it out. There were 4 different colors to choose from at my local Target: teal, pink, red, and black. I decided to go with black because I hadn't purchased anything else for the kitchen and didn't want to start out with a crazy color right away! 

This is what they look like!

 And they're dishwasher and microwave safe!

Pretty basic, right? I paid $6.33 for all three sets. Two plates in a pack, two bowls in a pack, and four cups in a pack for $1.99 each. Not too shabby!

After my trip to Target, I started thinking about getting a list together for the rest of the kitchen supplies I'll probably need/want to have for myself. Kelsey also mentioned that the dollar store was a great place to buy some supplies. I kept this in mind and today I went out to Dollar Tree to do some investigating.

Here's what I ended up with (minus the plates, bowls, and cups that I already told you about)!

4 sets of Tupperware (red lids had 2 in each pack, green lid had 3), measuring cups, measuring spoons, a colander, a big spoon, and a spatula. At $1.00 each, that's $9 total for everything! The dollar store even had flatware but I decided against buying it in packs of 2... hopefully I can find some for cheap elsewhere! Otherwise, I have no problem heading back to Dollar Tree!

I think the only things left on my list would be the bigger ticket items like pots and pans, a crockpot, and some cookie sheets (obviously gonna need those!). 

What are some of your must-have kitchen items? Comment below and stay tuned for another post in my "My First Apartment" series!