When I was a college student, I lived the experience to its fullest. The only thing I would definitely do differently is my college dorm situation. My roommate wouldn’t let us bunk the beds. I still don’t understand why. But, with that dream over, I basically just gave up on having a fun personalized space. I basically only used the room as a place to sleep, anyway, so I wasn’t around enough to notice its lack of personal touches.

Still, I really think some dorm rooms are really cute. It’s a good excuse to live thrifty and eclectically — two things we do very well over here. So, I’m living vicariously through Pinterest again and sharing some of my fave dorm designs.

This design featured at Serenity in Design is beautiful! It’s also professionally designed by  Alabama-based designers Katherine Bailey and Melissa Manifold of Moxii Design Studio, and I think it shows. Of course, a great rug, some quasi-matching headboards and linens, and your room will look awesome!

This room submitted to HGTV Rate My Space is adorable. It’s also a good example of why I shouldn’t have given up even though my roommate wanted to basically draw a line down the center of our already-too-narrow room and each have our own sides. The little details are what really make this dorm work!

I’m not sure this raised platform bed is actually from a dorm room, but it definitely would work for one. StyleRoom has a great photo tutorial on how to build a platform bed yourself, using cheapy store-bought dressers for the base.

Jess’s Picks

• It’s starting to cool down a little here, but popsicles are still perfectly refreshing. I’m going to have to give these Grown-Up Ice Pops For The Young At Heart from NPR a try!

• Whoa! I love these Colorful-to-the-point-of-trippy housewares from French Bull featured at Offbeat Home. They’re briiiiiiight! But they’re bright without really being neon which is a kind of nice change after all the neon madness lately.

• Poppytalk’s DIY: Belt + Board really shows what a little accessory can do to a project. Cork boards are so good for organizing, but I have never thought one looked good in a room by itself. Turns out, this little bit of function can benefit from good form just like anything else.

The only kind of physical art I’ve ever been remotely good at is screen printing. I am decent at digital art when I’m motivated to try it, but I really like turning digital elements into a tactile piece. Maybe that’s why stamped decor appeals to me so much? I discovered the little arrow-printed stash bag a few weeks ago, and I’ve been on a stamps kick ever since.

1. Arrow Stash Bag Hand Printed with Leather Feather by GypsyIntent; 2. Moorish Inspired Metallic Coasters by PolishedMoon; 3. I’ll be the rainbow handmade rainbow song lyrics by foreignspell; 4. Cork Coasters with Postage Stamp Print by MadeByManitas; 5. Fabric Covered Buttons Stamp Printed Puppy by charmingzakka.

I like stamps because they feel so unique as no two prints turn out the same. The prints on the arrow bag and the buttons are so sweet.

It may also be a sign that I have tired of my current coasters that I’ve found two sets. I love the teal in the postage stamp print coasters, but the print in the coasters with the spanish tile is more my style.

My favorite item is the I’ll Be The Rainbow wood panel print. I’ve been on a natural wood kick for a while now and I’m always a fan of bright, multi-colored things. Adorable!

I know Mary lives in Austin so we get a healthy dose of Austin odds and ends, but exploring it as an outsider is pretty fun, too. Plus, I went with Kyle and he definitely explores a city differently than Mary.

Here are some of our highlights!

We stopped at In-N-Out Burger when we spent the night in Fort Worth. A very good decision! The three of us in the picture (my brother Devon, his girlfriend Abby, and I) had never eaten at In-N-Out before.

The last time I visited Austin, I didn’t get a chance to go to the bat bridge so I was really excited to get to see them this time!

We also did some classical tourism. This was part of an installation at Women & Their Work. These CDs were recycled into a playable theremin. You could make music by waving your hand near an antenna at the opposite end of this tunnel.

The Blanton Museum of Art on UT’s campus has this beautiful atrium right off the lobby. I love the glassy blue stripes and the tall white walls!

I kind of felt like on the whole trip we mostly just ate tacos. I think at least 50% of my meals while in Austin involved a taco — evidence that I was doing it right!

We stopped in Take Heart a shop that Mary thought we’d really like. She was right! It was made even better by little Willa who interrupted her nap to greet all the new shoppers as they came through the door.

Jess’s Picks

• I don’t read Freshome that often, but when I saw the article about this Chenequa Residence featured while I was logging in to Feedly, I had to click through and share it: Hypnotizing Curving Lines and Intensive Use of Organic Materials: Chenequa Residence at Freshome.

• Scissors+Thread has had two really cute summer sheet upgrades. The first is a  Summer Sheets diy dip-dye from Design Love Fest. The second is a Scalloped Edge Pillowcase tutorial from House Of Earnest.

• I guess I’m all about comfort right now because my other favorite find is from Man Made DIY. This how to gives you an easy way to make a new t-shirt feel vintage soft. I was recently given a new tee as a thank you for participating in a camp and that seems like the perfect shirt to try to soften up for my own comfort.

Mary’s Picks

• We’ve decided to start eating a bit better and I’m really trying to do my best to incorporate raw foods as much as possible into my diet. But, hello, Pinterest is the worst thing to look on while doing a diet change up. Chocolate Cobbler? Um, I might just have to make you this weekend. (by Karen Gentry)

• This is a great post by Gardening Clan on 20 plants for garden pathways. I love brick and moss. I wish I could afford to brick all the pathways in my backyard, but for now I think I can at least afford the moss.

• Make your own concrete planters! These are awesome and this tute really makes me want to fill my backyard with stylish planters. Maybe that’s a great DIY for the fall when I don’t feel like a lobster just for stepping outside for 5 minutes.

During Kyle and my trip to Austin, we did a bit of exploring — mostly of places on a list provided by Mary. One of the shops on the list was Take Heart, a modern, handmade, and vintage boutique in East Austin. While there, I fell in love with some sweet ceramics from Villarreal Ceramics in Tuscon, AZ.

I really loved these little cups. I love the way the ceramic is so thin and folded. I have been pretty seriously regretting not leaving Take Heart with a set of my own.

Vanessa Villerreal is on Etsy. Here are some of my favorite items from her shop:

coral heart tumblers

small salt and or pepper bowl a pair no 9

llama cup a second

An Olympics treasury seems like a pretty straightforward idea this Thursday, but it’s actually a little harder than I’d hoped. Everyone with anything for sale that is USA, red-white-and-blue, rings, Olympic ring colored, related to an Olympic sport, or slightly British has added the word “Olympic” to their listing. Good marketing on their part, but it makes searching for good little finds a lot more difficult.

Here are some of my favorite!

1. Art Print Limited Edition Olympic Swimmer by pinetreeart; 2. Olympic Colored Rings iPhone 4S CaseUncommon by HomeDecorPhotos; 3. 20 Mini Vintage 1980′s Plastic Toys Mixed Olympic Sport by nuchyk; 4. Olympic Rings Silver Necklace London 2012 handmade by melissawuest; 5. Summer Olympics Dog Bandanas featuring Dog Tugging by doggydesign; 6. 1950s Vintage Olympic Sport Athletic Shorts L Yellow Red by hilwa.