Free advice for decorating dorm rooms on the cheap

My niece – and millions of other students, will soon be heading back to college. My niece is really excited about decorating her dorm room, but of course, she has a tiny budget. I told her about Great Décor in a Flash – Without a Lot of Cash, three free, home decorating booklets and videos from Dow that show how to decorate a room for less than $100, and oftentimes, less than $50. From DIY T-shirt wall art to tabletop accessories, this is dorm room decorating that’s cheap and easy.

Vintage Bistro Wall Art

My dorm rooms never looked this good, but with scrapbook paper and sheets of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam, this wall art is easy – and inexpensive, to make. Depending on the papers you choose, you can make six, 12” x 12” wall art panels for under $50.

Vibrant Bistro Wall Art

In this version, I used the full-size 1” x 12” x 36” size foam sheets and did not cut them apart. You could use scrapbook papers in school colors, or if you’re involved in Greek life, how about scrapbook papers from your sorority?

Garden Bedroom Wall Art

If you’re coordinating your curtains and bed linens with your roomie, pick up an extra set of sheets. You can whip together fabric & foam wall art that matches and really pulls it all together. As a bonus, when the year ends and you move on, it’s easy enough to re-cover the sheets of STYROFOAM Brand Foam with new fabric.

T-Shirt Wall Art

College students may not have a lot of cash, but they do have t-shirts. T-shirt wall art repurposes shirts you already have, and lets you display them on the wall instead of jamming them into a drawer. Display shirts from your favorite college team, fraternity or sorority, club, event – you name it.

If your dorm has rules about no holes in the wall, not to worry. This DIY wall art is lightweight enough that you can hang your foam panels with poster putty or adhesive hooks.

how to make beautiful wall art using scrapbook papers and STYROFOAM

Scrapbook paper wall art is inexpensive to make, but it looks right at home in this beautiful, upscale waterfront home.

Of course, these decorating ideas aren’t just for dorms. I have a friend living in a beautiful, lakefront home and she DIY-ed scrapbook paper wall art, too.