Okay, so even if you’re not like me, you probably still have lots of necklaces and earrings lying around (what girl doesn’t love her some jewels?). And you probably have NO place to store them.

I don’t know about you, but I refuse to stuff away my nice necklaces in a jewelry box where they’ll end up tangled and tarnished and I don’t have space on my crowded mess of a desk for anything better. Not that I could afford a fancy jewelry box anyway; I’m a broke college girl with zero cashmoney living the dollar-a-slice lifestyle.

I decided to get a little creative (on the cheap) and come up with a way do store my jewelry and add some personal pizazz to my stark white walls. This on-the-wall jewelry hanger is a creative and easy way to store and display your jewelry. Plus, you’ll spend less time detangling your favorite necklaces and more time actually wearing them!

What You’ll Need:

Cork Board Tiles: Sold in sets of four, you can find these at Walmart, Target, or any office supply store. You’ll have to determine how many you’ll need based on how much jewelry you’re hoarding, but for all my necklaces and earrings (and I’m an addict, remember) I only needed 4 tiles.
Fabric: Optional. Any color, pattern, or design you want! This is your aesthetic choice. You’ll use the fabric to cover the cork tiles, so pick a color or design that matches the rest of your room. 1 yard of fabric will give you plenty of fabric to work with.
Ribbon: Again, any color, pattern, or design you want. This will add an extra polished touch to your jewelry hanger.
Pushpins: Grab the normal ones in any color. I personally recommend clear, white, or black because they will make the jewelry piece look more uniform.
Glue: You’ll need both super glue and a hot glue gun.

What You’ll Do

1. Place one cork tile on top of your fabric (design side down) leaving a 1-inch border of extra fabric surrounding your cork tile on all sides. Cut to size.

2. Line the cork tile with your hot glue on all four sides (like you’re drawing a square), then fold the extra fabric down onto the glue (one side at a time). When you fold down the extra fabric to glue down, make sure the fabric is pulled tight! Let dry. Do not turn over yet.

3. Take another cork tile and completely cover it with hot glue. Glue that cork tile to the fabric-lined cork tile (which is still not turned over) in step 2 by pressing the two tiles together and pressing down firmly. Let dry.
(Note: You need to double up on the cork boards so the pushpins/earring posts don’t go through and hit the wall. Do not skip this step!!)

4. Turn your cork tile over, which will now be covered in fabric and pretty. Yay!

5. If you want to add ribbon, cut your ribbon in the size of the cork tile sides and super glue them around the edges of our tiles. This will add some extra craftiness!

6. Using the adhesive sticky backings that come with your cork tiles, stick the tile piece to the wall.
Tip: if you’re hanging lots of jewelry, use some extra adhesive backings. You can buy these at office supply stores, Target, etc., for really cheap!

See? You can hang all your favorite stuff AND it looks cool on the wall!

7. Now add the pushpins to your cork tile by lining them horizontally.

For an earring jewelry hanger: Place 4 pushpins about 2 inches apart from each other in a line at the top of the fabric tile. 3-4 inches underneath that first line, make a second row of pins. This time, though, use 5 pins and stagger them so they are between the row above (instead of directly under). Continue this process until you have 4 or 5 lines of pushpins. You will hang your dangles/hoops from the pins. If you have stud earrings, use a pushpin to poke holes in the fabric covered cork board and then push your stud earrings into the holes.

For a necklace/bracelet hanger: Place 4 pushpins about 2 inches apart from each other in a row at the top of the fabric tile. 5 inches underneath that first line, make a row of 5 pushpins (again, staggering them so they aren’t directly beneath the pins above).

8. Untangle that mess of jewelry and hang that ish up! Then enjoy the ease of finding your favorite necklaces.

Click here for another DIY project with cork tiles!

Hair flair can transform an entire outfit and conceal your unwashed hair on days when you just don’t have time to shower (i.e. after a particularly long Tiki Tuesday). More importantly, unlike those expensive skinny jeans you picked up at the Nordstrom half-yearly sale, hair flair will always fit regardless of those holiday pounds, the freshmen fifteen, or the beer belly you’ve been sporting since football season (curse you keg stands and beer pong).

Well, if you want the same accessories as the Upper East Siders but don’t have the same cash monay, don’t worry.  Here is a thrifty way to get the fabulous look without paying the big bucks. And if this particular style isn’t for you, something is wrong with you we’ve got another awesome DIY hair flair project you can do instead.

What You’ll Need:

Stretchy headbands/headwraps: You probably have one of these lying around, but if not, these are super cheap and you can pick them up at drug stores like CVS, Long’s, Duane Read or at any beauty store. My favorite brand to use is Scunci No Slip-Hair Grips because they come in packs of 4, are comfortable, and easy to decorate. Use a black headwrap to keep it classy or a bolder color to add some extra pop.

Fabric: A foot or two of any type of cloth fabric in any color/design you want! Most craft stores sell fabric squares meant for quilting, which are perfect for creating your hair flair, as your fabric needs to be cut in a square shape before you begin. Bonus: Many craft stores (Michael’s or JoAnn’s) have tons of leftover fabric scraps that you can get for super cheap. Just ask one of those ladies with the scissors!

The fabric color/design you choose can make your headwrap traditional and classy (think colors like Ivory, Champagne, Black, Grey, Red, etc), or have a little more funk (think designs like zebra, polka dots, stripes, or neon!).

Beads, Rhinestones, Buttons, MORE FLAIR!: These are optional materials, but will add that extra spunk to your homemade headband.

Hot Glue Gun/Glue: Every crafter’s best friend and sometimes lover. You’ll need this for a few steps throughout the DIY process.

What You’ll Do:

1. Cut fabric into a 6×6 inch square piece. Cut another 4×4 inch square piece. (Really, you can cut these two pieces in any size square you want [depending how big and bold you want your headwrap to be]. Just make sure one piece is bigger than the other.)

2. Lay the fabric face-down (so the design/color side of your fabric isn’t showing) and grab it in the middle. Using your other hand, twist the fabric around the finger holding the center. The twisting will swirl the fabric to create a ruche-like effect. Hold finger in place, then fold and hot glue the four corners of the fabric to the center. Repeat with the smaller piece of fabric. You should now have two bubbly looking pieces of fabric!

3. Add a small button, rhinestone, or bead in the center of the fabric if you want to add some extra glitz.

4. Now, hot glue the two ruched fabric bubbles to the headwrap, side by side. Let dry. Once the pieces are glued to the headband, take some leftover fabric, cut out a small strip and glue it behind the fabric pieces (inside the headband). This will make your headwrap look more polished and be more comfortable for you to wear!

5. Wear your new hair flair! Wear like a traditional headband or pull it low across your forehead for a more bohemian look.

6. Take all compliments modestly, direct all admirers to CollegeCandy, and tell them, yes, you are a fashion visionary and trendsetter.

This season, the fashion world is all about neon and bright colors. Yes, even during the winter. Bright tights under dark skirts, bright purses to add a splash of color to any outfit… I like to think designers like Michael Kors, Diane Von Furstenberg and Christian Siriano are doing their part to put an end to seasonal depression. And I applaud that.

Especially when it’s happening with fun and cheery bracelets that will brighten any dark and dreary winter day.  Like Ettika’s braided neon bracelets that celebrities love. They are so simple, adorable and fun. And I want a million of them.

Problem is, they’re expensive for being a simple (yet fabulous!) piece of jewelry. $24 for one bracelet? I don’t think so!

Good thing they’re incredibly easy to DIY on the C-H-E-A-P. Add a little neon-cheer to your winter and make these bracelet on your own.

What You’ll Need:

1. Neon Satin Cord: You can pick this up at most fabric/trimming/art stores. You can even get it at the Container Store. You’ll need about 1.5-2 feet each of 3 different neon colors of satin/silk thread. This will be enough for one bracelet (with a little extra depending on wrist size). If you want to save some money and get the most for your buck, buy a yard of each color so you can make way more bracelets!

P.S. If you live in NYC, you’re in luck because the Fashion District has about a million fabric/trimming stores. Try M&J Trimming (they are the bestest).

2. Superglue: Since the satin or silk thread is very slick, the superglue will help keep the ends of the thread in the clasps. Use the type with a brush – it makes the application easier (and prevents it from getting on your hands/getting your fingers stuck together). Also, whenever using superglue on your bracelet, only use a little!

3. Tape: This will hold your bracelet to a table, desk, or any hard surface while you braid the thread.

4. Charms: You can find super cute charms at any craft or bead store. Pick the ones that suit you best to add some fun and charm (tee hee) to your bracelet.

What You’ll Do:

1. Take the ends of the 3 different color cords and tie them in a secure knot, leaving a few centimeters of extra cord. But before securing the knot, brush on superglue between the knot and around the extra cord. Tie securely by pulling on the extra bit of cord. Once the super glue dries, you can cut off the extra.

2. Tape the cord knot to a solid surface, so you can start braiding your cords.

3, While braiding, slip your charm(s) onto one of the cords and braid it into the bracelet at your desired location. Continue braiding, leaving an inch or so of un-braided cord at the end.

4.  Hold the end of the braided cord with your fingers (or use tweezers) and dab a little bit of superglue where the braid ends and the un-braided portion begins to secure it.

5. With the extra, unbraided 3 cords, make a loop big enough to fit the other knotted end of the bracelet through. Use superglue to keep the loop in place.

6. With a small extra piece of cord, tie a knot around the end of the loop. Secure the loop with superglue. You don’t have to do this step, but it looks better, adds color, and will make your bracelet more secure!

7. Finally, loop the knotted end of the bracelet through the loop to secure that sucker onto your wrist and bring on the fabulous. See ya later, gloomy winter.

Some extra tips: Make a bunch of bracelets and layer them! Choose other colors, neon or not, to wear all year long! If you want to make an even fancier bracelet, try braiding in a strand of small pearls or rhinestones. To really add some bohemian charm to your outfit, make a long wrap bracelet by using a 2-3 feet of cord.

[Ever see something you want but don’t have the money to buy? Ever get sick of studying/watching TV and have the urge to get crafty and make things on your own? We know! Us too! We just don’t know where to start, which is why we got some of CollegeCandy’s craftiest writers to share their favorite DIY projects with everyone. These things are easy, fun and a great way to save some serious cashola.]

For all you organized chicas like me out there, you understand the importance of a bulletin board. You can put up papers and important notes before they get lost in the shuffle on your desk. You can hang your keys on them. Heck, you can plaster them with pictures and have a make-shift frame!

The problem is, bulletin boards are either ugly or look like something out of a 3rd grade classroom. You don’t want that stuff hanging in your perfectly decorated dorm room!

Solution: the wine cork bulletin board. It’s chic, it’s cute, and it’s easy to make with all those wine corks you college girls most definitely have lying around. If not, pop a few bottles and get crafty! Whoever said being a wino wasn’t productive?

Ingredients:
A backed frame/a piece of wood cut to the desired size and shape
Enough corks (lying on their side) to fit in this frame
Carpenter’s glue
Push pins
Perhaps another glass of wine to keep with the theme…..

Directions:
1. Set your corks out in a pattern of two tall and two wide across your backing of choice. If you are using a frame, you will line these on the glass where the picture would normally be showing.  You may have to cut a couple corks and get fancy to make everything fit.

2. Glue corks in place with the carpenter’s glue. Set to dry.

3. Once the corks are secured in place, hang your new masterpiece up on the wall! Stick cool push pins in it, hang a picture and – voila – personalized! Or, if you like the way it looks as it is, feature it on your wall as a piece of homemade art.

Huaraches are traditional Mexican sandals or flip-flops made with woven leather straps and rubber soles. They became extremely popular due to their reputation as being long-lasting, comfortable, and inexpensive to make. Oh, and someone in the fashion world decided they’d be cool again. Either way, you don’t have to spend money on a shoe that everyone else will inevitably have – you can make a pair of the originals yourself!

Materials:
Rubber sole material, about 5mm thick
Very long strips of leather (as thick or thin as you want them).
Scissors
A hole puncher

Get Crafty!

1)    Cut out the rubber soles in the shape of your feet by tracing your feet on the rubber and cutting an inch beyond the lines so the soles are a little bigger than your feet.

2)    Make 3 holes with the hole punch in a triangle shape for the straps, one in between your big toe and two on either sides of the middle of your foot (see regular flip-flops for an example).

3)    Start stringing the first of your leather straps through the shoe. Usually one strap goes from the left big-toe hole to the right hole, then from the right hole behind the ankle to the left hole. But you don’t have to do it this way. Play around a bit and figure out which way works best for you/is most like the style you want. (Note: there will be a lot of extra strap. Do not cut this!)

4)    Tie a knot on the bottom of the big-toe hole to keep the strap in place and lace them up by wrapping the long leftover strap around your ankles and tying it  up.

5)    Personalize your huaraches by decorating them with ribbons or sequins, or just leave them as they are: ready to wear with your favorite summer dresses!

[Photos courtesy of barefootted.com]

So, what are vision boards?
Vision Boards put your thoughts on paper, and force you to sit down and really evaluate what you want for yourself in the future – be it tomorrow or 2 years from now. And they stop you from going down a path you don’t really want. Not to mention looking at those images every day is a constant reminder of your dreams and goals and makes you that much more motivated to work towards making them a reality.

You can make them big or small. Mini vision boards are great for smaller goals. I have a mini vision board in my kitchen, which reminds me of my goal to stay healthy whenever I’m reaching for the pizza takeout menus. And I have one over my desk, filled with images and words that remind me of my long term academic goals so I don’t stray when I should be studying.

And then there are the biggies – a vision board for your life, filled with what you want to achieve in many aspects of your future: school, career, love, dreams….anything.

How do you make a vision board?
The best part of Vision Boards is the fun you have putting it together. (Oh, and down the road when you fulfill all your life’s goals and dreams…) It’s like art class, only you don’t have that weird Miss Lippy teacher breathing down your neck. Just start saving up some magazines and wait for that perfect rainy Sunday afternoon to put your vision down on poster board. Here are some tips:

1. Start pulling out images, words and quotes from magazines as you’re looking through them and save them in a file for when you make your board. Could be your dream house, your favorite inspiring quote or a picture of someone you want to meet whose inspired you (hello, Jason Segel; you’ve inspired me to want to – um – date you).

2. Make a list of what you REALLY want. I mean sure, we’d all like 12 pairs of Chanel flats but is that really vision-board-worthy? Sit down and write out what you really want for yourself, your career, where you live, who you’re surrounded by, etc.

3. Buy some Coarkboard, a thick poster board, or a pretty frame to put it in. This will make it more apartment decor and less 7th grader collage. And it really would look awesome over your couch, bed, or desk.

4. Don’t be afraid to throw on dates that you want things to happen by! Sounds crazy but as the saying goes, “what you think about, you bring about”

5. I like the idea of a few “themed” vision board -  one for physical/mental health, one for career, one for love, one for random stuff you want (Chanel flats totally approps here!). Breaking the visions down will allow you to really focus in on one area that is particularly important to you.

6. Don’t let others who laugh at you for doing this bring you down. Because they will. But they are just judgemental or dumb or people who suck at life. People who will look at you in awe when your life is falling into place and they are still lost souls looking for some direction.

Every college girl has moments of extreme stress/anxiety/feeling a little crazy. Rather than take it out on a poor, defenseless friend (or door), I have the perfect project to ease your mind:The Dammit Doll.

These little dolls make great targets for taking out your frustration when you’re stressed about school, when you have guy troubles, and just in general when you need something to throw, jab, squeeze, or stomp on (not that I promote violence).

They also make great gifts for your angst-filled friends as well, and are much cuter than your average bland stress ball, not to mention cheaper than anger management classes.

Materials:

- Felt

- Stuffing (cotton balls, beans, pine straw, rice, etc.)

- Needle & thread or sewing machine

- Decorations (cut-out felt pieces for clothing, sequins for eyes, pins for jewelry, etc.)

Steps:

1) Cut out 2 identical pieces of felt based on whatever size and shape you want your doll’s body to be: human, animal, ex boyfriend?

2) Sew around the edges, leaving a hole open at the top of the head large enough that you can stuff your organs in. (Note: in order to make the doll look good, after sewing you will turn the doll inside-out, so keep that in mind when sewing.)

3) Turn the doll right-side-out and push out any limbs that need to be formed into a complete 3-D shape (unless deformed is the look you’re going for).

4) Stuff the doll with your choice of filling. Personally, cotton balls are my #1 choice because no matter how hard I throw it, it doesn’t spill out… or put dents in the wall. (Tip: Don’t use rocks. Just trust me.)

5) When you reach the head, use a couple stiches to close it up and prevent leakage. Sew that sucker up tight! Spilled rice could be used to feed hungry children, but is also a major pain to clean up.

6) Add detail! Use markers to draw facial features, cut out more felt pieces for a cute wardrobe selection, paste some beads or sequins on, add some colored string for hair, whatever you want!

7) Voila! Dunzo. You can hug it and designate it as your new best friend when you are upset, or stick little pins in it and throw it against the wall when you are angry. Pass it off to a friend going through a bad breakup, or make a whole slew of them to keep in case of “so stressed and I need to strangle something” emergencies.  The possibilities are endless.

For all of you out there who have ever wanted to do all of that crap that other people know how to do, your prayers have just been answered:

Instructables is here to save your life.

This site is one of the coolest sites ever (second only to CollegeCandy…) and I can hardly begin to explain all of the reasons why. Ok, so I will try. Here goes: they walk you through the instructions of how to do just about everything.

Literally, everything! No more asking guys to help with “guy” things or calling up your sister to teach you how to get your hair doing that perfect balance between chic and messy.

The Instructables people break their projects down for you by category. Once you decide between Art, Craft, Food, Games, Green, Home, Kids, Life, Music, Offbeat, Outdoors, Pets, Ride, Science, Sports, and Tech, they send you on your way to DIY heaven.

Step by step. Project by project. It doesn’t get any better than that.

The next time you have a project in mind, but just don’t know how the eff to do it, I can guarantee you Instructables will. And they’ll show you, too.

“I did my first beer bong in that one,” you tell yourself. “I can’t throw away the memories!” Well, you don’t have to. Here are a few ways to reuse your old shirts.

Throw pillows — Pick the t-shirts with logos you love, but never wear. Follow these easy instructions, and you have new room decor. The main cost is pillow forms, or cotton batting, but it’s a lot cheaper than going out and buying them from a decor store. Variation: make an actual t-shirt pillow.

T-shirt shopping bag — Go green when lugging your groceries home with a snazzy new shopping bag. You can save the planet by not using plastic bags, and have extra change for happy hour by not spending a cent on the reusable ones from the grocery store. Plus, you can turn that pre-party t-shirt into something actually useful!

T-shirt quilt — If you’re feeling ambitious, and have a ton of t-shirts, make a t-shirt quilt. You’ll have a unique new blanket, and still be able to look at your favorite tees. If you’re not feeling up to the challenge alone, and have a quilter in the family (such as a grandma or an aunt) why not ask them to help you out? You will get a less amateur looking product, and they will get some quality time with their favorite student.

Pillow cube — Makes a soft projectile to wake a roommate sleeping through her alarm if you share a bedroom.

Recon your t-shirt — If you really like the design on the shirt, but don’t like how it fits, why not reconstruct it so you’ll actually wear it. The book, Generation T: 101 Ways to Transform a T-shirt is a good step-by-step guide to help you out.

Have any more suggestions, let us know!

Have no fear my decorating minions, get your hot glue guns ready and lets get crafty!

Let’s Make… Picture frames! Posters are so…mainstream. Everyone has them. Why not hang your own pictures in personalized frames?

 This is an easy craft. You can find ready-made frames for cheap at any dollar store, walmart, or craft store. All you need to do is decorate with fabric, sequins, or little plastic accents…things you can again find at walmart or a craft store. Just apply them with your hot glue gun…and there you have it!

Let’s Make… Beaded curtains!  This project will take a little more time to finish, but it allows your mind to go to a zen-like place while you do it.

You will need: Beads! Fishing line and a tension curtain rod.

First measure your door frame and decide how thick you want your curtain to be. Thicker curtains call for more beads. Cut your fishing line to fit, and then start stringing your beads (this part takes awhile).

Once you’re done stringing all your beads,  apply them to the rod and hang. Put a dab of hot glue over the part where the beads are tied over the rod to keep the steady. There you have it!

Let’s Make… A bulletin board! Tired of all that random paper that you acquire but are to pack-raty to throw out? Make a bulletin board! You can do one of two things for this: buy a pre-made board and just paint the frame, attach some beads, or glue fabric to the edge with your hot glue gun — or, you can cover a piece of plywood with fabric (hot glue the fabric down) then crisscross ribbon over the fabric to stick notes and pictures inside.

The most important thing is to have fun doing these projects!  College can be stressful, crafting shouldn’t be.

[Crafty photo from craftzine.com]