Things I Wish I Had Known When I was Starting College

I graduated college over five years ago now. I had a great college experience and even though my mother told me to enjoy it because it would be over quickly, I didn't believe her. But, of course, she was right. Knowing what I know now, here's what I wish I had known a decade ago when I started college.

Most People Don't Know Their Major or Will Change it
When I started college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Everyone else seemed like they knew exactly what they wanted, but they were bluffing too I liked art, writing and architecture, so I took extra classes in those areas. I ended up hating journalism, found out it took decades to become a real architect, and I really, really, really love art. I did get an associates degree in interior design and drafting because I thought I would enjoy that, but I realized that the part I enjoyed was designing, not working with customers. It wasn't until I was in my second to last semester of community college that I decided to major in art. I know very few people who knew exactly what they wanted when they were 18 and stuck to it.

Community College is Great
When high school graduation was coming up, everyone was talking about where they were going to go to college and a girl I knew started bashing community college saying that she rather not go to college at all than have to go to the local community college. She made me feel ashamed for going there. In retrospect, she was a huge b**** because she said that loudly in front of several of us who she knew were going to community college after high school. Years later, I found out that she had failed out of the university that she just had to go to and ended up at community college anyways.
In fact, a lot of kids I graduated with didn't make it when they went away to college in their freshman year. They got caught up partying and literally failed their classes or they realized that being away from friends and family was too hard while they were trying to learn to be adults. Or they just hated the college they chose and decided to go somewhere else.
By the time I was finishing my two years at community college, I knew exactly what I wanted to major in, I had learned how college works and how to manage my own life, and I knew where I wanted to go because I had feedback from all my friends who were at various universities. When I transferred, I knew exactly what to do and I didn't waste a ton of money getting my general ed done.

Working Hard = Good Grades
I thought college would be really hard. In some ways, it was hard, but I always finished every project to the best of my abilities and I got good grades. Actually, I had a 4.0 gpa until my last semester of college. I didn't have a 4.0 in high school. I didn't consider myself to be particularly smart, I just did all my work. I studied for tests. I researched for papers. I did the best I could and that was good enough to always get an A in the class. So, if you just do your best, you can do really well. Because once you graduate, a 3.5 gpa is not impressive in a job interview, but a 4.0 is something potential employers will bring up.

Counselors Can Help, but You Should Be Informed 
I got a lot of help from college counselors, but they don't always know everything and they don't always get it right every time. Understanding what you want and how to get there is important to getting the most out of college or getting done quickly if that's your goal. Learn what you need to do to transfer to the college you want or get your degree quickly. Sometimes taking two or three extra classes can get you a minor that you might enjoy and help you get a job after graduation.

Take Fun Classes While You Can
When you first start going to college, you can be too focused on just taking classes that will help you get the major you think you want, but at this point, you might have the flexibility to take classes that you will enjoy and you may end up wanting to change your major because you enjoy it so much.

Schedule Your Classes Well
Start with a few classes that you know you have to take and fill in the rest of your schedule with classes that will work with the time slots you have left and need to take to fulfill requirements. If you're not a morning person avoid 8a.m. classes. If you like having evenings free, avoid night classes. If you don't mind two really full days, you could have two days of classes a week and use the other days to work on homework.

Do What You Love
You will spend what feels like most of the rest of your life working. Do what you love and your life will be awesome. Many people pick majors that they think will make them a lot of money, but if you don't enjoy it, what's the point? Money won't bring you happiness, but if you love what you do, you will work harder just because you enjoy it. And working harder will usually bring you more money. I majored in art knowing that I wouldn't make much money, but I love what I do and I wouldn't trade it for any amount of money.

You Should Take the Max Units Every Semester
If you want to graduate in four years, or anywhere close, you should take the max number of units allowed, usually 18. Unless you are also working, this should be a doable workload. It's about 5 or six classes per semester. It will take more effort and organization, but it's worth it. Make sure they're not all hard classes at once. Even it out with an equal mix of academic and easier classes.

College is Really Fun
I graduated over five years ago now and I miss college. It was fun. I enjoyed learning. Being an art major, I loved having dedicated hours to paint. I didn't appreciate having Fridays and Summers off, but I should have. Once you start a full-time job, that all goes away. Enjoy getting to learn new things and study whatever you want while you can. Enjoy days hanging out with friends because you all have a day without classes.

I'd love to hear what you think about going to college! Share in the comments below. What do you wish you had known?

No Soliciting Sign Dollar Store DIY

Tired of strangers coming to my door while I'm home alone, I decided to make a no soliciting sign to hang near my front door. I started with an actual chalkboard sign, but it started to wear off and became difficult to read, so I decided to make a printable version that can be mod podged to a surface and hung next to the door. I designed this one to go on these $1 trays that they sell at Dollar Tree. Here are the instructions on how to make one yourself.

Materials
Tray
No Soliciting Image
Mod Podge
Cheap Brush
Scissors or Paper Slicer/Round Corner Punch
Ruler
Drill Chain or Wire

Step 1

Print the No Soliciting file (Available for purchase on Etsy or ShameronStudios.com).

I find that having it printed professional keeps it from fading as quickly as a home printer would fade.

Step 2

Cut the photo to fit your surfaces. This Dollar Tree tray was about 6" by 9" in the center. I trimmed the corners to fit the curves of the tray with a rounded corner punch, but you can also use scissors.

 Step 3

Cover the center area of the tray with Mod Podge.

Step 4

Cover the back of the photo with Mod Podge.

Step 5

Place the photo on the tray while the Mod Podge is wet on both surfaces and make sure it's centered. 

Cover the front of the photo with Mod Podge. Be sure to cover the edges, but try to keep a neat edge line.

Let Dry! Beautiful!

Step 6 

Drill holes in the top edges of the tray. Double check that you are drilling on the top. I made the mistake of not checking and drilling on the bottom edge. Make sure you are working on a surface that won't damage your drill or matter if you drill into it. I used some scrap wood in the yard.

Step 7

Once you drill the hole open a link of chain with pliers and hook it to the holes. You can use wire or even string, but the chain keeps it from blowing around in the wind so much.

Hang and enjoy the sound of unwelcome people not coming to your door!

You can buy my file on Etsy or ShameronStudios.com

I'd love to see how your sign turned out! Post a photo on my Facebook page!

Comment below with your thoughts and ideas for more signs!

How to Move: the organized way.

You may have noticed the large gap of posts between October of last year and January of this year. That's because my husband and I bought our first house and moved into it last November! It was very exciting, but I was really busy packing and signing endless papers everyday throughout escrow. But overall, our move was relatively quick and organized.
For some background, my husband and I got married and moved into our first apartment in April of last year. It took a while to get our apartment setup and figure out what should go where. But after a few months, it looked great and we loved it. And then we found a house we loved more and we made an offer on it. It was a short sale, so we figured we'd make an offer and maybe hear back from the bank in 4-9 months and maybe we'd get it, maybe we wouldn't, but we'd be okay either way. The bank accepted out offer within a month and while we thought we would have a 60 day escrow, the bank wanted 30 days. So our plan of moving in 6-12 months became less than 60 days from the date we made the offer. There was no lack of stress during the escrow process with extra mortgage out on the house and liens on the property that were unknown until the middle of escrow. The only thing we could do was keep packing and hope it worked out. And pray.

Our Apartment

Because we had just finished setting up our apartment, I decided that if we had to move it had to be quick, easy and organized. I searched the internet for tips on how to move, but there wan't much out there. I read the blog of one woman who had to move across the country. She had suggested making list of the contents of your boxes and numbering them so you can find stuff easily while you're moving. I took this idea and built off that.


I started by making spreadsheets and labels for my lists and labeling the boxes. You can download them here: spreadsheets and labels for kitchen, living room, and garage and labels for bedrooms.
I printed one list for each room in our new house plus a few extra and several sheets of labels for each room. Because we have so many books, games, dvds, and records, we used the living room labels the most.
Since we were hiring movers to move us, I added our names and phone numbers to the labels in case a box got misplaced along the way.
 As I started packing, I mentally planned what I wanted to go in each room of our new house. I packed items that would go together in the same box so that when I unpacked, the items quickly went from box to shelf/drawer/closet/etc.
We start packing about a month before our move since we could only pack in the evenings and weekends. I started by packing the things we used most infrequently (grandma's china, wall art, vases, nik naks, books)  and donated or threw away the stuff we were never using again. Good Will received an entire trash bag full of purses I never used anymore.

As I packed each box, I wrote down what was in it. I didn't list every single item, unless it was important, frequently used, or valuable. That way, if a box did get lost, I knew exactly how much to charge the moving company and because the boxes were numbered in order, it would be easy to see if one was missing. For the most part, I just listed the main idea of what was in the boxes: Computer Desk Drawer Contents, Jewelry, Large Purses, Paperback Books, etc.
After I packed each box and wrote down what was inside, I put the number on three labels and put one label on the top and two on opposite sides of the box so that I could see the labels even with stuff is piled on top of it. One moving company suggested we put all our boxes in one place near our front door so that the movers could easily access them. This sped up our moving day and kept us from having boxes stacked in every single room. Although, we had quite a mountain of boxes by the time we moved. I left our clothes and kitchen until the last week. Our clothes went into our suitcases, which kept the clothes from getting dirty and gave our suitcases a purpose so they weren't just bulky items to move.
On moving day (which was of course pouring rain), the movers came and loaded all the boxes and furniture into the truck. While they loaded everything up, I clean out our fridge and freezer and packed it all in our coolers. My parents came and took some of our my fragile and lightweight items. I left our vacuum and some cleaning supplies at our apartment to be used and picked up the next day.
When the movers left, I went to our house and unloaded to extra stuff that I had taken over in our car and then I started directing the moving guys on where all our furniture went. Once they started bringing boxes in, they just followed the labels on where each box belonged.
We started unpacking right away. The movers brought wardrobe boxes for us to use, which was great because all our hanging clothes went straight from closets to boxes to closets without needing to be put on hangers again. Our clothes went right from suitcases, which I packed in order so that all my shirts were in one suitcase, pants in another, his shirts in one and pants in another, etc, into shelves in our closet or drawers in the dresser. Because it was on my list, I knew exactly which boxes had our clean sheets and comforter for our bed and all the contents of our night stands. We unpacked our bedroom in less than an hour.
Our friends came over and helped unpack our books, records, and games in our living room. They all went straight onto shelves, so that was easy enough. My biggest mistake there was loosing the little pegs that held the shelves in the bookcase. After we found them, most of our living room could be unpacked.

I took pictures of our new kitchen with all the doors open during the home inspection. Later, I faded the pictures in on the computer and wrote on top of the pictures where I wanted to put everything. This helped me plan ahead so I wasn't left guessing what I should do with everything once we got there. I had laid shelf paper down before we moved so everything could go straight into the cabinets.

I packed up everything in our bathroom the night before we moved. It was all in two boxes and was pretty easy to put straight into the cabinet or the shower. Unfortunately, the bathrooms in our house are much smaller than the ones in our apartment, so we had to use the hallway closets to store extra bottles of shampoo, sun block, toilet paper, etc, but I bought some storage boxes and organized it all, so it's much easier to find everything now.



Once the bedroom, living room, and kitchen were done, we could relax a little more. The rest of our stuff was put away over the next few weeks and we had unpacked every last box in less than a month.
For wall art, I started by laying out paintings and photos on the ground, leaning them against the wall where I wanted them. Once I was settled on where I wanted everything to go, I went on a hanging frenzy. I made my  hanging kit and just want around measuring, marking, nailing, and hanging until everything was were I wanted it. I'll write another post about my hanging techniques sometime in the future, since I've had a lot of people ask me how I do it.
We moved in on November 17th and on December 15th, we had an awesome Christmas/housewarming party with our friends and family. We also got the largest Christmas tree possible :-)

How to Throw an Awesome Bridal Shower (without spending a fortune)

I've thrown and attended my fair share of bridal showers. I also run a business making bridal and baby shower party supplies on Etsy. Over the years, I've come across many themes, styles and weird scenarios. I'd like to help you learn from  mine (and other people's) mistakes and throw the best shower possible.

Here is your outlined to-do list:

1. Decide on a budget
2. Get the Guest List
3. Find a Date and Time
4. Pick a Location
5. Choose a Theme or Style
6. Pick and Mail Invitations
7. Provide Food and Drinks
8. Decide on Party Decor
9. Choose Games and Prizes
10. Choose Music (and how to play it)
11. Hire a Photographer, find a Photo Uploader or make a Hashtag!
12. Plan the Gift Opening
13. Pick Party Favors (optional)
14. Get a Guestbook (optional)
15. Make Sure Everyone is Ready
16. Make a TIMELINE!
17. Setup and Throw a Great Shower

Here are the details of that list.

1. Decide on a Budget

Really, before you know anything else, figure out what you can spend on the shower. A shower can cost $100 or $10,000. It's up to you. On average, I think a few hundred is fair amount to spend and a nice shower for 30-50 people. This amount is usually split between the bridesmaids and possible the mother of the bride and/or groom, so it's not all on one person. Here's what your budget should include with a few sample figures.

Sample Budget
Invitations	40
Location	0
Food	100
Drinks	40
Flowers	20
Other Decor	50
Plates and utensils	25
Favors/Gifts	50
Music	40
Photography	80
Table and Chair Rentals	150
Total	595

If this is split between 6 people, it's only about $100 per person. If you're the lone bridesmaid planning it all by yourself, I offer my deepest sympathy. Below, I'll include ideas for saving money on all these items.

2. Get the Guest List

The guest list is crucial for figuring out how far that budget can go. If the bride hasn't finalized the wedding guest list yet, you should at least be about to estimate a number by taking half the number of the wedding guest list (she usually has a limited amount she can invite). More often than not, not everyone will show up to the shower, so even if there are a few more than you planned, it's not going to throw you off entirely.

3. Find a Date and Time

This time needs to work for all the bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom and, of course, the bride. You should be planning this months in advance, so hopefully this isn't too difficult. If it's a surprise shower, make sure a decoy event is planned with the bride. The shower should be at least a month before the wedding, two to three months earlier is ideal. For example, a wedding June would have a shower in April, May at the latest. This gives the bride enough time to enjoy to relax and enjoy the shower before the crunch time of wedding planning. It also gives guests a break in their calendars and bridesmaids time to help the bride with the wedding when the shower is done. 

When picking the time of day, keep your budget in mind. Most showers are thrown around two or three in the afternoon so you can serve light hors d'oeuvres and drinks. If the shower starts or overlaps a mealtime, expect to serve a full meal. Even though mid afternoon is the most common time for a shower, mid morning brunches and evening drink are great options that leaves guests free to enjoy the rest of the day.

4. Pick a Location

You have many options when it comes to a location, but the easiest and least expensive will be at someone's house. You will have the added benefit of an infinite amount of time to setup and cleanup, a kitchen to store and prep food it, and you don't need to worry about kicking guests out when your time limit is up. If a house is not an option, you can use a restaurant, park, rec center, country club or anywhere that allow guests to sit and enjoy each others company. Locations that provide tables, chairs, and other necessary items are ideal and restrooms are a must for any location. 

5. Choose Theme or Style

Not all showers need themes, but you at least a style and color scheme you want to use to make it cohesive. If you want to use a theme, there are a myriad of them to choose from. 

A few themes:

• Travel
• Breakfast at Tiffany's (great for a morning shower when serving breakfast)
• Parisian (fun for a wine and cheese night)
• Alice in Wonderland (tea parties are great for this theme)
• Donut Brunch
• Kitchen Shower (everyone brings kitchen gifts)
• Garden Party
• BBQ
• Fall in Love (a play on words for an Autumn shower)

6. Pick and Mail the Invitations

Invitations set the tone for the shower, so pick something that matches the theme and formality. There are many options to choose, but please don't use fill-in-the-blank invitations from the party supply store. If you're looking for an easy DIY option, consider using one of the many invitation options on Etsy. You can buy a customize-able design and print them at home or at a printer like Office Depot. You can find my digital invitations in my Etsy Shop!

7. Provide Food and Drinks

Again, the food and drinks you provide are dependent on the time of the shower. If the shower starts between 12pm and 1:30pm or between 4pm and 6:30pm, you should serve lunch or dinner. If the shower is in the morning, light breakfast foods are easy and fun. You can include quiche, parfaits, pastries, bagels, donuts, and fresh fruit. An afternoon shower can include any assortment of light foods. Your food can match your theme, such as French foods for a Parisian theme shower or Tea, cookies and finger sandwiches for an Alice in Wonderland party. Another option is a dessert only party. Usually hosted in the late evening, you can serve an array of fun desserts. One way to keep the food cost low is to have each bridesmaid bring a dish they made.

8. Decide on Party Decor

Flowers and tablecloths are the easiest way to make a simple party look more elegant. There are so many options for decorations and a quick pinterest search will give you a thousand examples. Here are a few tips. Unless they fit your theme, i.e. Up, don't use balloons. Make sure whatever you plan to do can be setup in the time allowed. If you're having the shower at a restaurant or location with a time limit, go for very simple and quick decor, such as flowers in vases and maybe a nice cake/dessert display. Outdoor locations are great because you're already surrounded by flowers and the beauty of nature. 

9. Choose Games and Prizes
Games are expected at a shower, but they don't need to be boring or embarrassing and please don't melt chocolate in diapers! Fun games are ones that can include all the guests with an equal chance of winning (I'm referring to the Who Knows the Bride Best games. No one but the best friend, sister or mother of the bride/honoree ever win that (that can be a good game for the bachelorette party)). Everyone dreads those games that force everyone to be wrapped in toilet paper or make them look silly. Instead, try picking a few passive games that let people socialize while they play. Don't Say Baby/Wedding can be a lot of fun. A Purse Scavenger Hunt is great for getting people talking when you play it on teams. What's on Your Cell Phone is a very popular and fun game right now. A Gift Bingo game can liven up the often boring gift opening. You can find some of my favorite games in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShameronStudios?section_id=16696485
Your prizes can be small or large and can be tied to your theme or just a fun item that many people would enjoy. Nail polish, simple jewelry, themed trinkets, or gift cards make great prizes. Be sure to have enough prizes for each winner, especially if you play with teams. Include one or two spare prizes for ties or make a tie breaker question/game in advance.

10. Choose Music (and plan how you'll play it)
The feel of the music should match your event mood. It never hurts to throw in some of the bride or mother-to-be's favorite songs.You can use music you own or sign up for a streaming service like Spotify or Google Play Music to use huge music libraries. These services often offer trial periods so you can make your list the week before and then cancel your membership after the shower.  Once you have that perfect playlist, make sure you know how you're going to play it. Bring portable speakers or make sure a sound system will be available.

11. Hire a Photographer, find a Photo Uploader or make a Hashtag!
Showers are special event that you're putting a lot of work into, so you and the honoree are going to want photos. Planning to take the photos yourself is probably going to be too abitious. I've been to many showers (my own bridal shower included) where the people throwing the party planned on taking pictures, but were so busy getting and restocking food, greeting guests, arranging the gift opening, etc and they completely forgot or just didn't get time to take photos. Hiring a photographer guarantees that the whole event gets covered and you get some amazing photos. Some photographers will do event photography for just a couple hundred dollars an hour. You can hire them to arrive shortly before the guests and leave once the gift opening is over. You can also try to hire a friend or a student to it for $20-$60 if you're not too concerned with the quality of the photos. At least you  know you're going to get some pictures. If you can't or just don't want a photographer, you can make a hashtag or use a photo upload service that will let all the guests gather their pictures in one place. There are several online services that let groups upload photos, just find the one that's right for you. If you know of a good one, leave a comment letting others know!

12. Plan the Gift Opening
This is often overlooked, but SOOOO important. When the gift opening is hastily thrown together, it can get drawn out, gifts get lost, and gift givers can get overlooked. Make sure you setup a spot for the honoree to sit where everyone can see her and that will look nice in photos. You can setup a nice chair, a cute bench, or a vintage sofa with a few decorations around it to make a nice backdrop. Have a trash bag (that you keep out of the way of the photos) or gift wrap a large open box in which to stuff the opened gift paper. Be sure to delegate someone to writing down who gave her what gift and have a pad of paper and pens ready for that person. Nominate another person or two to hand the gifts to the honoree and take them away and organize them in bags or boxes ready to be taken home. Depending on how many guests will be attending, prep the gift opener on how quickly she should open the gifts. One minute per gift works with 20 people or less, but anymore than that and you're going to need to speed it up. Open cards quickly, if there's a long message written inside, let the guest know you'll spend more time reading it later when you're alone. Open the gift, show it to everyone, thank the gift giver and hand the gift to the person designated to organizing them and move to the next gift. Bridal Shower Bingo is a great way to make guests feel like they're part of the gift opening and it entertains.

If you have over 40 or 50 people, you may want to consider a Gifts on Display shower where guests don't wrap the gifts, but just decorate them a bit so that you don't need to open them. This option can be a bit controversial, but anyone who dislikes wrapping or gift openings will appreciate it. It's starting to increase in popularity now. And you can make it more acceptable by appealing to the guest's environmentally friendly and social side. Alternatively, you can let guests know that you'll be opening them after the shower or do it last and let the guests know they aren't expected to stay for it.

13. Pick Party Favors (optional)
Party favors are something that are almost expected, but guests rarely care about. People often don't want another nik-nak to store somewhere that will eventually get tossed... Good favors are small treats (homemade cookies, caramel apples, unusual candy to people will want to try) or something usable (a compact mirror, nail polish, a deck of cards, bookmarks, etc). If it's meant to just sit on a shelf forever, consider something else or just put more effort into your game gifts and forget about favors entirely. You just served a free meal and drinks, guests won't expect to get more back. At most shower and weddings I've attended, most guests forget or deliberately don't take the favors and they get wasted anyways. The only reason I mention favors at all is because I didn't want you to think I forgot ;-)

14. Get a Guestbook (optional)
Guestbook don't need to be books. They can be anything! There are so many options to choose from. You can buy a guestbook painting: like these, or buy an object that fits your theme to have guests sign, like a globe, a wooden wall hanging or letter for the new last name of the bride or first name of the baby. You can send the guests recipe cards with the invitation to fill out in advance with a favorite recipe and assemble them into a recipe/guestbook!

15. Make Sure Everyone is Ready
This seems obvious, but before the shower, make sure all bridesmaids or co-hosts have their assigned task ready. There's always that flaky person on the team that waits until the last minute to do something or forgets what time they should arrive. Make sure everyone helping knows what time they should arrive to help decorate or prep food. Check-in with them the day before too. If you're host alone, ask a friend to help you setup and get food ready.

16. Make a TIMELINE!
I can not count how many showers, and even weddings, I've been to where the host just wing it. This is okay for casual parties, but if you want time to play games, eat, open gifts, get photos together, and visit and you only have 2 hours, you better make a timeline that allows for all of that. Start with the arrival time. Some guests will arrive early and some will come late. Allow 20 minutes for everyone to arrive. You may want to let people eat first or jump into playing games to break the ice. You can let people eat while you're doing the gift opening. Make sure you have a timeline for the order of events and allow time for mingling. Here's a sample timeline:
10am: Arrive to decorate
12pm: Prep food
2pm: Guests arrive
2:30: Start Purse Scavenger Hunt Game (Teams of 3 or 4)
2:45: Serve Food
2:55: Start gift opening
3:25: Play What's in your Cell Phone game (one winner)
3:35: Serve Dessert
3:45: Thank Guests (give favors if using)
Guests can mingle
4:30 Clean up

Make sure all the hosts have this timeline in advance.

17. Setup and Throw a Great Shower!
With all this prep work, you should be totally prepared! Allow enough time to setup all your decorations. If you're making the food, prep as much as you can the day before and allow time for cooking or assembling before the shower starts.

Let me know how your shower goes and give ideas to others in the comments!