Tips for Decorating your Dorm Room

Going away to school is a huge step in your life. You are finally leaving your parents, your house and your ever so annoying siblings. You are finally reaching the freedom of adulthood. Except for the fact that you are often shoved into a tiny little room that you cannot change too much.
Many times when you get to your dorm room, the 4 blank brick walls can be extremely intimidating. Definitely not my idea of cozy and home-y. When you are in your dorm room majority of time, you want it to be as comfortable as possible.
So here are some of our ideas to make your dorm room feel like a real home and personalized to you!

Bring some pieces of home:
Yes, it is extremely exciting to start fresh and get all new stuff for your room. However, this can sometimes lead to a dorm room that doesn't truly feel like yours. It is important to bring some items from home, whether that be your table lamp or your favourite stuffed animals. During the tough transition of being at home to being by yourself, these items can give you that home comfort. Not to mention saving you some cash from having to repurchase everything.

Never underestimate the power of a dollar:
The dollar store will be your best friend. You can buy everything there whether you need shampoo, pasta, or a dust pan. Why go to the shopping mall and spend tons of money on dorm room decor when you can spend only a couple of bucks at the dollar store! You would be surprised with what you can get at a dollar store. Especially during any holiday. You need Christmas decorations? Bam, dollar store. Easter? Dollar store! Always the dollar store. We have found lots of nice decorations such as garlands and glitter tape. Even cute door decorations! No matter what you need, the dollar store will have it.

Wall covering are key:
Sadly, you cannot paint the walls of your dorm room or really alter them in anyway. Unless you are looking for a very large fine at the end of the year. But we suggest trying to stay away from destroying the walls at all. The best alternative? Cover them. You can use flags, print pictures off the internet, or our personal favourite, printing off lots of pictures from home or your camera. You can create some killer collages. If you want a large wall covering, tapestries also work great. Urban Outfitters sells lots of cool tapestries that can easily spice up your dorm room. If you want to really personalize your walls, you can also try the removable wall stickers. There are tons of different varieties on the market such as quotes and images. And since they are removable, there is no worry of being charged for ruining the walls.

Plan out your room ahead of time:
As fun as it might be to buy a bunch of items in the spur of the moment, it is important to think about how you would like the final outcome of your room to look. Try to choose a colour scheme before you go out and start to purchase items. This will not only narrow down your search, but also make your room more cohesive. Instead of just choosing a colour scheme, you can also go for a theme. Some theme ideas span from beach to bohemian to space. Also try and do some online research. Looking up other peoples dorm rooms on google can give you lots of inspiration.

These are just a few of our tips and ideas. Happy decorating!
-Katelyn and Kiara

a couple little room-y photos for ya 

How to Survive High School

Having our fair share of high school experiences, we have compiled a group of what to do and what not to do in high school. These are based on our previous experiences and we hope that they are useful for the youngster entering high school. Of course, do not take these all too literally, they are just suggestions and guidelines. :)

First, let's start off with what NOT to do: 

1. Throwing a party at your own house is not a smart move- unless of course you enjoy a destroyed house. It does not matter who you invite, if you are inviting enough people the word will spread and you are going to get some diehard partygoers. These partygoers are there for one reason and one reason only... to get drunk. Drunk people often like destroying stuff. So save yourself and your moms plate collection, don't throw a party at your own house. 
2. Hallways are meant for walking- Not standing around and chatting with your friends. Now this is okay if you are against the lockers and have left room for people to walk. But if you are standing in the middle of the hallway, you will be pushed out of the way and most likely yelled at. This is a really easy way to have a lot of people not like you. So please just keep the hallways open. 
3. Do not spray axe or body spray at your lockers- to you it may not smell too strong, but trust me when I say that everyone else is being suffocated. Just leave the spray at home and to the confinement of your own room. If you are in desperate need of a refresh, just grab the bottle and head off to the washroom. You will save a lot of people from headaches. 
4. Lunch tables are unofficially assigned- so do not all of a sudden decide to sit at a different table with your group of friends. You don't realize the frenzy this will cause. It creates a wave of chaos. Everyone will have to shift tables and take other peoples tables. And this all comes back to the fact that you decided to switch seats. So save the commotion and stick to the unofficial seating arrangement. 
5. Don't ditch your friends without a valid excuse- your significant other is not a valid excuse. Unless they are on their death bed. If you have plans, stick to them. Whether it is going our for lunch or working on a project, do not ditch last minute for something else better that may have come up. It is extremely annoying and you are not going to make a lot of friends by basically telling them that they are not important to you. 

Now lets move onto what you CAN do to make your high school experience the best it can be: 

1. Get involved- this sounds so cliche but it is very true. By joining sports teams and clubs you get to meet lots of other people with the same interests as you. It also looks great on a resume or university application to say that you are a well-rounded person. It just makes school that little bit more fun! 
2. Actually do your schoolwork- trust us when we say that it will catch up with you really fast. You can get away with it at the beginning of the year but very quickly you will become lost in the work. There is a reason that teachers assign you to do the homework and you just got to trust sometimes that it is worth the effort. If you do not create good habits right off the bat, it is extremely hard to turn it all around when marks are being submitted to university/college. 
3. Be open to meeting all different types of people- you never know where you will find your best friends. Being closed off and narrow minded will often leave you alone with no friends. You have to be open to meeting all different personalities. For all you know, the people you may think that you are completely incompatible with, may wind up being the greatest people you know.

We hope that you take these little tips with you to high school and we wish you the best of luck!

Our high school hallway, look how clear it is 

-Katelyn and Kiara

50 Questions Tag

The 50 questions tag! Who we tag will be at the end of this post. :) 
*sorry about the funky spacing, this post is not cooperating

1. Where were you 3 hours ago? Kiara: Biology Class • Katelyn: My Bed

2. Who are you in love with? Kiara: Ummmm uhhhhhh I guess you could probably say uhhhhhhh William Nylander • Katelyn: My dogs

3. Have you ever eaten a crayon? Kiara: I don’t think so… • Katelyn: What child would eat a crayon?

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? Kiara: Yes there is • Katelyn: Yes a little mini teddy bear

5. When is the last time you went to the mall? Kiara: Saturday! • Katelyn: Like 3 weeks ago? I think it’s been a new record

6. Are you wearing socks right now? Kiara: Yes • Katelyn: Yes, just put them on!

7. Does your family have a car worth over $2,000? Kiara: Yes • Katelyn: Yes

8. When was the last time you drove out of town? Kiara: March 26? I think that was the last time • Katelyn: Spring Break, which for us happened around the 19th of March

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days? Kiara: Sadly not • Katelyn: Nope

10. Are you hot? Kiara: I’d say I’m a warm/comfortable mix • Katelyn: I’d like a little more AC but I’ll take it over the cold!

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Kiara: Water • Katelyn: Orange juice

12. What are you wearing right now? Kiara: Shorts and a tee-shirt • Katelyn: Lululemon yoga pants and a hollister light shirt

13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it? Kiara: Car Wash • Katelyn: Sadly I have to wash the car :(

14. Last food that you ate? Kiara: Fruit Explosion Muffin from Tims • Katelyn: A muffin… I don’t know what type it was....

15. Where were you last week at this time? Kiara: At home • Katelyn: In this exact spot!

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week? Kiara: I almost bought a nice dress but no I haven’t… yet • Katelyn: Sadly I gotta say nada

17. When is the last time you ran? Kiara: Thursday • Katelyn: LOL RUNNING

18. What's the last sporting event you watched? Kiara: Toronto VS New Jersey hockey • Katelyn: A local hockey game

19. What is your favorite animal? Kiara: Dolphin! • Katelyn: Bunnies :))

20. Your dream vacation? Kiara: Hawaii or Costa Rica • Katelyn: I’d say anywhere warm but specifically I would love to go to Hawaii or Greece

21. Last person's house you were in? Kiara: My own house • Katelyn: Also, my own house

22. Worst injury you've ever had? Kiara: Breaking both my arms at the same time, that was a fun time • Katelyn: stubbing my toe, man that’s painful

23. Have you been in love? Kiara: I don’t know man • Katelyn: Like I said before, my dogs are my loves

24. Do you miss anyone right now? Kiara: No • Katelyn: ...my dogs

25. Last play you saw? Kiara: A school play that sucked • Katelyn: I was supposed to see one on Thursday but I couldn’t :( Other than that I have no clue

26. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex? Kiara: I don’t have a secret weapon • Katelyn: My dog bones… they drool for me

27. What are your plans for tonight? Kiara: Maybe watching a movie or something? • Katelyn: Probably watching Pretty Little Liars

28. Who is the last person you sent a MySpace message or comment? Kiara: I never had MySpace, I had club penguin and webkinz • Katelyn: No one, MySpace died in like 2006

29. Next trip you are going to take? Kiara: East coast road trip with my dad (PARTY CENTRAL) • Katelyn: Most likely Cuba

30. Ever go to camp? Kiara: I was never into camp • Katelyn: I was the day camp QUEEN

31. Were you an honor roll student in school? Kiara: Woooo yay yes • Katelyn: Somehow yes… don’t ask me how

32. What do you want to know about the future? Kiara: What kind of career will I have? Where will I be living? When can I get my dog? • Katelyn: Is my husband cute? Does he like dogs? That’s essential

33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne? Kiara: That will have to be a no from me • Katelyn: B&B Secret Wonderland

34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor's visit? Kiara: Again, no • Katelyn: Sooner than you’d expect

35. Where is your best friend? Kiara: Hmmm I’m not sure… maybe right beside me?? • Katelyn: I think she’s in my bed

36. How is your best friend? Kiara: How are you Katelyn? • Katelyn: I’m good thanks, you? • Kiara: Great, doing swell

37. Do you have a tan? Kiara: not anything dramatic • Katelyn: Just what I have left from Cuba

38. What are you listening to right now? Kiara: Katelyn speaking as she types • Katelyn: Myself speaking

39. Do you collect anything? Kiara: I guess you could probably say hockey stuff • Katelyn: I used to collect bouncey balls.... and webkinz

40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know? Kiara: Someone from school but I won’t say who just in case they find this • Katelyn: xoxo gossip girl

41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over? Kiara: Maybe yesterday? Haha, they were a friend though • Katelyn: I ain't no rule breaka

42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw? Kiara: Has anyone had a fountain drink before? McDonalds anyone? • Katelyn: How else would you drink a soda from a restaurant? I would spill it all over myself without a straw!

43. What does your last text message say? Kiara: A friend is asking me to do his homework • Katelyn: Probs my bff Bell

44. Do you like hot sauce? Kiara: No I like sour better • Katelyn: Lol if I want to die

45. Last time you took a shower? Kiara: Last night • Katelyn: Literally 3 hours ago exactly I was in the shower

46. Do you need to do laundry? Kiara: No mine was done yesterday • Katelyn: Probably considering I wear the same clothes pretty much everyday

47. What is your heritage? Kiara: Canadian • Katelyn: Canadian

48. Are you someone's best friend? Kiara: I hope so • Katelyn: Well I hope the person in my bed is my best friend… if not then that’s creepy

49. Are you rich? Kiara: No I wish • Katelyn: I mean I’m not poor but I don’t have my own helicopter

50. What were you doing at 12AM last night? Kiara: Sleeping • Katelyn: Sleeping, no turning up on a Sunday night for me

And that is all the questions! I hope that you learned a little more about us from this tag. And WE TAG YOU to do this questionnaire!
-Katelyn and Kiara

A sweet lil throwback of our grade 9 selves for y'all 

Get to Know Us

Hello!
Welcome to Katara Kreations, A blog about everything you need to know.
First let's start off with introducing ourselves. Our names are Katelyn and Kiara. We are students living in Toronto, Canada. We have created this blog to share our thoughts and interests with others and to hopefully inspire you in some way.
We hope that you stick around and enjoy reading our posts!


*a picture from a couple years ago, obviously not taken in Toronto

-Katelyn and Kiara