Easy Dorm DIY’s with Valspar

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Devine Color for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don’t know about you, but I am not particularly thrilled with dorm furniture. I also don’t have a massive amount of money to drop each year on new furniture and decorations. That’s why I’m always excited to share some easy dorm DIY projects that fit a college budget and don’t take an exuberant amount of technical skill. All of these DIY dorm projects are possible with Devine Color + Target. This collection has a lot of super fun supplies like spray paint, sparkle dust (where has this been all my life?!), paint, and peel and stick wallpaper, and it’s available exclusively at Target! Here are three DIY dorm projects inspired by this easy to use collection from Target!

Where to Find Supplies

When I first lived in a dorm (so, so many years ago!), it was hard to know where to look for dorm decorating supplies. The school store always tried to sell me weird sticky gum stuff for the wall that 100% does not work. Finding a home supply store near campus that is affordable is also pretty much impossible, so I wasn’t left with many options. Target always has the best stuff for my budget, and there is always one near campus. As someone who has a tiny budget, it’s important for me to always buy inexpensive things that are dorm/apartment friendly. I love Target’s Room Essentials furniture and decor. It’s affordable and easy to assemble on my own without any fancy equipment. With a little bit of creativity, these simple pieces can be personalized to suit your personal style! They make for super easy DIY dorm or apartment projects!

DIY Photo Frames

I love using photo frames as decoration in my room. They’re super easy to pack up and move at the end of each year, and you don’t have to just put personal photos in them. I personally like to use postcards, maps, and cool prints in my photo frames. I picked up a few inexpensive white frames from Target and went to work giving them a little style! With the blue spray paint and some tape, I added these geometric lines to the corners of the frame. For the other frame, I used a sample size jar of the Devine Color by Valspar paint in “Devine Twig” (a pretty yellow color), and I mixed in the super fun gold sparkle dust! Mixing the paint with the sparkle dust was honestly so much fun, and I might have spent more time than necessary playing with that! I used a regular paintbrush to brush the paint on the frame. The sparkle really shines when it dries, and it looks awesome on my shelf!

DIY Patterned Bookshelf

I decided to purchase another bookshelf since I officially was running out of space on my other ones. I also picked up a cool pattern of the Devine Color Peel and Stick Wallpaper that matches my apartment’s retro style. Because I get tired of the plain looking bookshelves that are just solid colors in my already plain rental, I wanted to use the wallpaper to add a pop of pattern and color to my bedroom. First, I assembled the bookshelf which was super simple. You only need a screwdriver and a hammer with the Room Essentials collection, which is great because those two tools are the only ones I know how to use without hurting myself (most of the time!). The bookshelf comes with a cardboard back which is what I used to attach the wallpaper. If your bookshelf doesn’t have a removable back, or if you want to have several different patterns, you can always cut pieces of cardboard to fit the back of your bookshelf. This part is a little tricky because you have to measure the wallpaper to the exact size of the board. If the back of your bookshelf is too wide for one row of wallpaper, you just have to measure a second piece to fill the remaining space. Once I had all the pieces I needed cut out and ready to go, I took my time sticking them to the board one by one. I was worried this part would be complicated, but it was actually really simple. The wallpaper stuck really well, but it was also easy to unpeel if I needed to readjust. I used a credit card to get out all the air bubbles, and it looked really great. When I was laying the second strip down, I had to pay close attention to make sure the pattern matched up with the first one, but this ended up being easy (and highly satisfying)! The Devine Color Peel and Stick Wallpaper ended up looking amazing on the back of my bookshelf, and I’ve already gotten a lot of compliments about it from friends! I’m already starting to think of new projects for the leftover wallpaper! This collection made it really easy to spruce up my space, and it’s perfect for rentals and dorms where you have to be careful with DIY dorm decorations.

Design with Devine Color

The Devine Color by Valspar line at Target has seriously helped spark my love for DIY projects! Being able to buy cute decor and supplies all in one place makes things way simpler, and I don’t have to worry about wrecking my college student budget! I’m moving to another apartment in May, and I can’t wait to use this collection in my next apartment! For more color inspiration, follow Devine Color on Instagram!

What’s your favorite way to spruce up your dorm or apartment in college?