Happiness is a Polka Dot Wall

I love polka dots. The fact that I have yet to dedicate a post to them is baffling to me. Polka dots just make me happier than a pig in poop kid in a candy shop (that's more lady-like). Stripes too, but for now, let's just stick with polka dots...specifically, polka dot walls. I mentioned that I was inspired to do a polka dot wall by Lauren Conrad a couple of weeks ago and I finally did it last week.

{original on instagram}

Decorating a rented apartment can be tricky because you don't have the flexibility to paint the walls, no matter how massive and white and blah they may look. I already did a gallery wall above my couch, and I was stuck with this big blank wall across from it and nothing to fill it. 

Well, thank you Lauren Conrad because now that wall is anything but bland.

I ordered my dots on Etsy from Polka Dot Wall Stickers. The price was great ($20 including shipping for 2 sets) and they came in no time at all. I highly recommend this shop if anyone else is inspired to polka dot their walls after reading this. Are you inspired? Well, here are the easy steps to putting up the dots:

1) pick your polka dot size

so many polka dots in one picture...

I went with the 4" polka dots. I didn't want them to be too big and I didn't want to have to space out a bagillion tiny ones either, so I found this to be the perfect size. Measure and cut out a template circle to figure out what size dots you would like.

2) decide on a pattern

Do you want them to be laid out in a grid? or random? This is something to decide on ahead of time and it will honestly probably affect number 3 quite a bit. If you are a mega perfectionist, the organized chaos pattern might be your friend unless you want to spend hours with a ruler.

3) pick a number and order them!

Honestly, I Pinterest searched for polka dot walls to figure out how spaced out they should be. Cut out a template or two and stick them up on the wall to see how much space they take up to guess-timate this number. Also, pick a color. The shop I used had a bunch of colors, but I knew I was going for gold from the beginning (accidental Olympics pun?).

4) start to "lay them out"

When the dots come in and you start to apply them, make sure you are only lightly sticking them to your wall. Get an idea for the spacing of them before you stick them down totally. They're vinyl stickers so they will stick without being fully pressed down. This took me probably about an hour or so to do...but I am a perfectionist so I had to move them several times before I was happy with them.

5) press them down and enjoy

Yay! You have a polka dot wall. Get ready for a daily dose of happiness every time you see it! And, as you can see in the pics above, I still have a couple of things on my wall. You can still lightly decorate, but don't over-do it!

How did you decorate your apartment?

xoxo,

SSP

The Little Things

Fall has finally come to Charlottesville.

(photo credit)

I got to break out a wool skirt and riding boots today and it is making my Wednesday a heck of a lot better. (For those of you who don't already know, my Wednesdays are basically non-stop from 9am-10pm so little things become really awesome). My excitement over this skirt got me thinking about what truly makes me happy. I think I skip over how amazing so many aspects of my life are on a day to day basis. I didn't really appreciate my free time yesterday, or the fact that reading a card from my Momma made me laugh. Sometimes it takes a lot of stress and exhaustion (aka Wednesday) to make you really appreciate the little things. Now, I am not going to pretend that I suddenly will appreciate everything thrown my way, but I am going to try to tune in more to the little things that make me happy, even on a good day.

http://instagram.com/p/fP8d6dSATT/

Today it is that I got a Pumpkin Spice Latte (not iced!), wore a wool skirt, and I get to have coffee with a friend. Friday it will be the fact that I will be Blacksburg bound to visit so many people I love and care about and the time I have to myself in the car on my way to down...but seriously, I am a pretty amazing car singer if I do say so myself ;)

In the grand scheme of things, these things aren't important, but at the time, they'll put a smile on my face and I certainly can't complain about that. 

Oh! So as I was writing this I forgot to include the most important part about this wool skirt. Happy Woman Crush Wednesday because Jess from New Girl is awesome and Zooey Deschanel wore this skirt to a New Girl premiere. Hypothetical High Five! (yes, I know I am mixing my TV shows here...whatever)

admittedly hers was probably from when this was an expensive skirt in J. Crew Collection not factory, but whatever

Well time for me to get back to my Wednesday and classes, hope you are enjoying the little things in your day!

xoxo,
SSP

College Commitments

"The secret of happiness is: Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it."

-Daniel Dennett

Have you ever heard that it is better to stretch 6 inches wide and 2 feet deep than it is to stretch 2 feet wide and 6 inches deep? Well, that is the jist of what my high school counselors and other mentors have always told me. It makes sense, why be barely involved in a dozen things when you can really delve into 3-4? 

I believe that college is both one of the best opportunities to explore what interests you, and the final chance to do so before the responsibility of the real world comes crashing down post-graduation...okay, that might have been a bit dramatic but you get the idea. 

Do what you love and love what you do. Don't do something because it will bolster your resume...if you hate it that will show and it will affect you in other ways. Yesterday I had 4 classes and 3 discussions and all I could think about was how excited I was for my Relay for Life meeting that night. And guess what? After my meeting I went to the Chi Omega house and spent another hour brainstorming with one of my sisters about Relay. I love Relay and I love working on things for the organization no matter how exhausted I am.

lovely Chi Omegas take Relay (indoors because of dumb rain...)

It isn't too late to get involved. Write down a list of things you love and look at flyers around campus/grounds. Ask friends what they do and stop and talk to people who are tabling. Just find something and get involved now. You will find that as you pursue a passion, it motivates you to achieve. I believe in hard work, but I also believe that without passion, hard work is just an empty shell with little reward to show. 

This should translate into other aspects of your life. Pick a major that inspires you, that is why I study Foreign Affairs! Find a summer position that exposes you to an interest. I am so lucky to be a fellow of The Perfect Game Foundation. I got to work on an amazing internship this summer and while working 2 jobs plus an internship sounds crazy to some, it wasn't for me because I reveled in the time I got to spend working for a sports-related company.

Pick a passion and pursue it. It sounds so simple, yet it took me 20+ years to really understand it.

xoxo,
SSP

P.S. for all my Hokies out there, Ut Prosim might be the phrase with the single biggest impact on me throughout my life. I guess you really do bleed maroon and orange once you touch that Hokie Stone...