Hi fashionistas!
I know what you’re all thinking…two blog posts in one week?! I know, crazy stuff. But on a serious note, I’m def trying to post more often so you can get your weekly does of Madison Ave. So, this post is for all you crafty gals (and guys!). A few months ago I was getting ready to celebrate one of my best friend’s birthdays and wanted to do something extra special for her since she was going away to college for the first time. Now, your college girl is balling on a budget here, so I wanted it to be super personal but still look high quality. After doing some pretty extensive research on etsy, I decided to create some wall decor for my fave female (Deja-bae <3).
Moving into your first dorm can be pretty overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time being away from home for an extended period of time. Way back when I was a freshman, (well, it seems like years ago) I wanted my dorm to be as homey as possible and really reflect who I was. Honestly, decorating your dorm room is one of the best parts of moving into college (although that’s my personal opinion). It can also be pretty pricey once you start looking at bed spreads, sheets, laundry supplies, a mattress protector, shower caddy’s, etc., etc., etc.! This wall decor was super simple to make and cost me less than $20 to put together for all three (just to put that in perspective, on Etsy people charge about $15-$20/each). PLUS it’s super adorable and will seriously have people asking where you got it!
So first things first, I picked out three different expressions I wanted to use: “Hello Gorgeous”, “Stay Humble”, and “Goal Digger”. You can really use any expressions you want, and you definitely don’t have to do three, I just wanted mine to be a set!
The next thing I did was search free fonts on the internet to find the perfect one. I personally don’t care for most of the standard fonts Microsoft has to offer, but if you don’t feel comfortable downloading a font off the internet you can use one of the standard’s that Microsoft offers. I like to use sites like dafont.com, fontsquirrel.com, and 1001fonts.com. I had this particular one in mind, so I searched calligraphy inspired fonts free download, and found this one (Dandeleon Vintage Demo).
Next, I opened up a new Word document and inserted two additional pages (3 total). I created text boxes on each page and typed out my phrases and sized the font appropriately so that it would be seen from across a room (for this particular example I used 130 font).
Now for background images, you could very easily search any image of your choice on google and size it in the background to your desired size. I happened to come across a super cute site that had free downloadable images, which I’ll link here: (https://angiemakes.com/free-girly-graphics/). Trust me, I’m the most indecisive person, and it took me forever to decide which images to use since all her stuff is SO CUTE. (Here’s the flower package I downloaded).
After I downloaded the images, I added them in the background and sized them how I wanted to. I also turned the transparency down 1 on each flower because I really wanted the text to pop. Once I finished placing the text and images where I wanted, I saved the document as a PDF. **THIS STEP IS SUPER IMPORTANT, IF YOU USED A DOWNLOADED FONT** I’m putting this in all caps because I went all the way to Staples to print it and I couldn’t because I didn’t save it correctly (yeah, I wasn’t too happy). But anywaysssss, please save your file as a PDF and you won’t have to go through the same pain I did 🙂
Now before you go and print you do want to buy the frames you want to hang them in. I went to Target and picked up three 11″ X 14″ black front closure frames. They were only $4.99 each ( I know, a STEAL).
Now you can head over to your local Staples and get these bad boys printed. I asked for a higher quality paper, you know NOT computer paper, but also not glossy since the glass frame is already going to give it a glossy effect. So essentially like card stock. I had them print it to 11″ X 17″ and cut it down myself at home to fit the frame (if you ask them to do it there it costs extra). I think it cost me $.42 a page, so it was like $2 max.
When I got home I sized them down and followed the instructions on how to put them in the frame. The frames I picked out were super easy to assemble. And VOILA, you have yourself some home made, SUPER cute, fun wall decor for your room/house/dorm room! I was low-key upset I gave these away as a present (just cause they turned out so CUTE), but I’ll definitely be making some for myself for my future apartment!
I hope you all enjoyed this post! I’ll def be posting more “how to’s” in the near future, so keep your eye out! If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear from you! You can always dm me on Instagram (@madison_ave323) or connect with me through the Contact page on my site!
Until next time fashionistas ❤
Mads, xx
Madison Ave. 