Making Happy Spaces

There are many perks to living in on-campus housing while in college; shorter commute to classes, easy access to the dining hall and living among your friends and peers. One of the things that can be a downside is the interior of the dorm. The walls are all the same color, the floors are a weird laminate and there is usually only one window so there is very little natural lighting. I was at home one weekend and decided to print off pictures of my friends, family, and my time abroad in England. When I returned to my dorm I arranged the photos into a long collage on the wall by my bed and desk.  They were more than just things that hung on my wall they are memories and stories that I got to share with people.
my wall from sophomore year ( yeah that's Law and Order SVU in the corner) 

Last year I was fortunate enough to live in an apartment with my own room. I  had a large blank wall.  I was so excited!! It was a blank canvas waiting for me to add some color! I pulled out my pictures and started to decorate. On a trip to the craft store with some friends, I came across some plain wooden picture frames. I bought them along with some paint and canvases. After that, I spent the summer painting frames and canvases to put up on my big blank canvas of a wall.



Some of the frames I painted 

The next part is my favorite. Assembling the wall! I love this part because it is like a large puzzle that you create as you go along. It is something that does not take a lot of brain power to do and is actually pretty relaxing! I use command strips to hang everything because they go on easy and don't typically leave any damage to the wall. When I lived in a dorm people always complained about the constant bang on their walls when everyone is hanging things up, with command strips all you have to do is peel and stick. The other nice thing about command strips is they peel right off the wall and the frame so nothing is damaged if you have to move items around. I like to try and mix up the prints and colors of the frames and canvases that I put next to each other. For example, I have a diagonally striped frame next to a chevron canvas above a polka dot frame. Ok, you caught me the happy wall is actually a gallery wall, but a happy wall sounds more fun and sums up the way I feel when I look at it.

                                                             My current happy wall

 Honestly, the happy wall doesn't have to be a perfectly hung masterpiece where everything matches and is straight; goodness knows mine is not. Much like true happiness, it is different for everyone.

What would you put on your happy wall? Let me know in the comments below!
~Anne with an e

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