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How to Decorate Your Apartment Using Wallpaper

April 8, 2016 by

Have you ever considered using wallpaper to decorate your home at Marquis at Barton Trails? Wallpaper scraps and temporary wallpaper can be used for DIY projects in pretty much every room in your apartment. Follow these unique tips to add some style and color to your space!

  • Add some brightness to your lamp shade by sizing a piece of wallpaper around the lamp and using hot glue or tape to place it on the shade.
  • Spruce up your dresser, bedside table, bookcase, or any other old piece of furniture by using modern wallpaper to accent its drawers or shelves.
  • Using removable, damage-free wallpaper, cover the wall behind your bed. Voila! Instant focal point that demands attention.
  • Create a focal piece of artwork for your apartment by framing a large piece of wallpaper to hang on your wall.
  • Make coasters to place on your tables out of small scraps of leftover wallpaper.
  • Use wallpaper to line the bottom of any serving tray and polish it for a creative way to showcase your food.
  • Line the drawers in your bathroom with wallpaper to add a splash of color that is quick and easy to clean.
  • Get creative in your kitchen by dressing up your refrigerator with a retro style temporary wallpaper.

7 Wallpaper Craft Projects (That Don’t Involve Walls) [Reader’s Digest]
10 Uses for Wallpaper Scraps [This Old House]
9 Unexpected Ways to Decorate With Wallpaper [Good Housekeeping]

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How to Simplify Your Spring Cleaning Routine

April 5, 2016 by

Spring has sprung! It’s time to open the windows wide, scrub the floors, and replace your heavy, winter down comforter with something light and fresh. These three tips will help you plan your spring cleaning attack.

  1. Stock your cleaning supply kit. There’s nothing more frustrating than going to polish your furniture and realizing that you’re out of wood oil. Before you begin your spring cleaning, make sure that you have new bottles of window cleaner, bathroom scrub, oven cleaner, white vinegar, baking soda, and all of the brushes, towels, and sponges that go along with them.
  2. Begin by de-cluttering. Throw away or donate anything that you no longer use, and pack away heavy winter coats or large blankets that you won’t need for the next few months. This will give you more elbow room for deep cleaning.
  3. Get the whole family on board. Spring cleaning is a task that’s much too large for one person, so plan a day when the whole family can help. Plan it in advance to ensure that everyone can take part in the action, and assign tasks to stay on track with your plan.

Top 10 Spring Cleaning Tips [HowStuffWorks]
Ultimate Spring Cleaning Guide [BHG]

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Hosting Guests on a Budget at Marquis at Barton Trails? Serve Everything from Appetizers to Entrees With These Household Items

April 1, 2016 by

If you’re hosting your first dinner party or holiday gathering at Marquis at Barton Trails, you may find it difficult to round up enough serving trays and platters to serve everyone. Luckily, with a bit of creativity, you can find unique and affordable ways to serve your guests with household items that you already own. Here are a few smart ideas for serving a group.

  1. Present utensils in baskets. Even if you have to use disposable utensils to accommodate everyone, make them look festive by displaying them in decorative baskets.
  2. Display appetizers right on the cutting board. Once you’re done cutting cheeses and other appetizers, leave them right on the cutting board! Attractive cutting boards create a rustic look that’s still really chic.
  3. Make your own cake stand. Create a makeshift cake stand by simply turning a glass bowl upside down and placing a matching glass plate on top. If you want to add more stability, glue the two together.
  4. Reuse martini glasses. If your party doesn’t involve martinis, use the decorative martini glasses to serve mixed nuts, candies, and other finger foods.
  5. Use disposable cookware. If worse comes to worse and you just don’t have enough serving dishes, skip over to a dollar store and purchase some disposable aluminum cooking trays. Once the food is done, you can serve it right from the tray.

Big List of Inexpensive Ways to Serve Holiday Meals [The Frugal Girls]
Creative and Fun Ways to Serve Food [Pinterest]
Fall Party Food: Cute Serving Ideas [Better Homes and Gardens]

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Working From Home? Add These Essentials to Your Home Office

March 25, 2016 by

In an era when working from home is becomingly increasingly common, there's a great chance that at least one member of your household occasionally works remotely. That means there's probably a home office (or, at least, a desk and chair) tucked away somewhere in your apartment. If you want to make your work-from-home space a more pleasant workplace, here are four components you should add.

  1. An office chair that's both chic and comfy. Any chair that you'll be sitting in all day long should be equal parts aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. So when you search for your home office chair, don't prize form over function, or vice versa—they're both important. Test drive as many chairs as it takes to find the one that keeps you comfy and jives with your office style.
  2. A lamp emitting warm light. When you work in a standard office, you're forced to make do with whatever the lighting situation is there. But when you work from home, you have the final say over the atmosphere in which you spend your day. So instead of accepting harsh overhead lights as an unavoidable reality, find a cute lamp that cloaks the room in a warm, glowing light to make working more enjoyable.
  3. A set of floating shelves. If you're running out of room in your desk drawers to stow those stacks of post-it notes, improvise more storage space by adding floating shelves. They're not only functional pieces, but also a design statement—plus, the display will force you to keep the office supplies organized.
  4. A coffee maker. Okay, so a coffee maker isn't a design element first and foremost, but it can be if you choose the right one. Find a coffee maker with a four-cup pot in a hue that suits your space, and fire it up as soon as you start working in the morning. It might help you dive into the day a little bit easier. You can also opt for a an espresso machine or electric tea kettle, depending on your caffeinated beverage of choice.

Essentials for a Home Office [The Every Girl]
17 Surprising Home Office Ideas [Real Simple]
5 Mistakes Everybody Makes Decorating Their Home Office [Apartment Therapy]

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Refinish a Well-Loved Wooden Cutting Board With These 4 Tips

March 18, 2016 by

Is your wooden cutting board looking a bit worse for the wear? With all of the slicing and dicing that goes on on your cutting boards, it’s no surprise that they need a bit of refurbishment every now and then. Use these simple tips for breathing new life into an old cutting board.

  1. First, disinfect your cutting board (especially ones that you use to cut meat) by diluting one teaspoon of bleach in two quarts of water. Dip a scrub brush in the solution and scrub the cutting board in small circles, and then wipe the surface with a damp paper towel and buff dry with a cotton cloth.
  2. Next, buff out any deep cuts using a very fine grade sandpaper. You may even want to choose two types of sandpaper so that you can buff out the cuts with one, and then smooth the surface with the other. Don’t leave behind any scratches, as these can collect bacteria.
  3. Condition your cutting board with mineral oil on a soft cloth. Don’t use vegetable or olive oils, as these can turn rancid with exposure. Buff the oil into the board using a thin rag, and make a note to retreat the board at least 3 or 4 times a year as needed.
  4. Once your cutting board is clean, keep it fresh after each use by cutting a lemon in half and rubbing it all over.

How to Clean a Cutting Board: 7 Effective Treatments [Reader’s Digest]
How to Restore and Maintain a Wood Cutting Board or Butcher Block [HGTV]
How To Clean, Deodorize and Condition Wood Cutting Boards Naturally [Apartment Therapy]

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What Are Your Favorite Spring Recipes? Here Are a Few to Try This Season!

March 11, 2016 by

As the days get longer and springtime (finally!) rolls around, you likely start to crave lighter meals made with bright, fresh ingredients. Retire your usual favorite spring recipes in favor of something new and exciting with these delicious dishes from around the web.

Grilled Artichokes [oprah.com]
Create a tasty side dish for chicken, steak, or fish with Oprah’s recipe for flavorful grilled artichokes. Grilling these layered veggies on a stovetop grill gives them a bit of a blackened taste, and the homemade dipping sauce that goes with them adds even more flavor.

Sautéed Fiddlehead Ferns [localfoods.about.com]
Fiddlehead ferns come into season during the spring, which makes this dish very fresh and delicious. This recipe also takes just 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook, so it makes quite a quick last-minute side dish on busy weeknights.

Risotto With Prosciutto and Peas [realsimple.com]
If you’re looking for something heartier and more filling, this rich, creamy risotto recipe is the perfect choice come spring. Thin prosciutto adds a salty taste, while the sweet spring peas make it perfect for warmer weather. Cook the risotto in white wine and chicken broth to add a deep, complex flavor throughout, then serve it with your favorite grilled meats or as an entree with a fresh salad.

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Safety First! Essentials for Your Home First Aid Kit

March 4, 2016 by

Safety is a major concern in just about every household across the country, but you might not know exactly what to keep on hand to prevent against illness and injury. From minor cuts to major bumps and bruises, these first aid kit essentials will keep you (and your family) safe against all kinds of ailments.

  • Assorted bandages. Be sure to choose a box with a variety of shapes and sizes for all kinds of cuts.
  • Gauze bandages. To wrap arms and legs in case of a larger cut or burn.
  • Adhesive cloth tape. To securely fasten gauze bandages and wraps.
  • Instant cold pack. For soothing bruises and reducing swelling.
  • Aspirin. To reduce headaches and ease pain from minor injuries.
  • Oral thermometer. All households should have an adult thermometer, but families should also keep a children’s model on hand.
  • Non-latex gloves. For safely cleaning and dressing wounds.
  • Antihistamine. Brands like Benadryl help to reduce allergic reactions, such as bee stings.
  • Antibacterial creams. For disinfecting cuts, burns, and scrapes.
  • Antiseptic wipe packets. To quickly clean cuts and burns as soon as they happen.
  • Tweezers. To remove splinters and other small debris.
  • Rubbing alcohol. To sterilize your tools.
  • Sharp scissors. For cutting bandages, gauze, and other supplies.

First-Aid Kit Essentials [Parents]
First Aid Essentials [Healthy Essentials]
Anatomy of a First Aid Kit [American Red Cross]
First Aid Essentials [Real Simple]

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These Online Retailers Sell Hip Kids’ Furniture That’s More Stylish Than Most

March 1, 2016 by

If the idea of a kids’ bedroom that’s cluttered with toys isn’t exactly what you have in mind, you may be wishing for kid-friendly furniture that’s a bit more functional. These stylish online stores specialize in children’s furniture and decor that’s more minimal than most, but it’s still cute enough to appeal to your favorite little ones.

The Land of Nod
With mid-century modern designs and soft, neutral colors, all of the furniture at The Land of Nod is just as appealing to caregivers as it is to the kids. Here you’ll find well-made wooden cribs and bedframes, bedding in whimsical patterns, and smart storage solutions with an eclectic edge.

IKEA
Everyone’s favorite Swedish home goods store is an equally great resource for fun, quirky children’s furniture. If you’re looking to furnish your little ones’ rooms on a budget, this is the place to go for complete furniture sets and even colorful rugs that double as board games.

Hip Kids
With a name like Hip Kids, it’s apparent that this online retailer sells children’s furnishings that are truly stylish. Shop wooden play kitchens, kid-sized teepees, and smart storage solutions that they’ll actually want to put their toys inside.

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Ready to Say Goodbye to the Gallery Wall? These New Wall Decor Ideas Will Spruce Up Your Space

February 26, 2016 by

While the mix-and-matched gallery wall was the biggest wall art trend of the past few years, you may be a bit tired of this eclectic style. If you’re looking for a new (but equally easy) way to spruce up your walls at Marquis at Barton Trails, get some inspiration from these exciting ideas.

  1. Hang a tree trunk slice. Visit your local craft store or even a lumberyard and purchase a few large tree trunk slices. Sand them down and stain them, or hang them as-is for a truly rustic look.
  2. Create cool frames using Washi tape. If you’re tired of the hefty price tags (and the holes) that come with traditional frames, try creating one-dimensional frames out of colorful Washi tape. Create designs that are sleek, ornate, traditional or even a little wacky in all of the shapes and sizes that you desire.
  3. Hang a vintage map. If you have a large wall space that you just don’t know how to cover, try using a large vintage map. These are fairly easy to come by online or at your local thrift store or on sites like Etsy.
  4. Display antique ceramics. Collect an assortment of antique plates and baskets from antique stores or family members and display them using hanging plate racks.
  5. Frame your records. If you’re a music fan, frame your favorite records using square frames designed especially for that purpose.

10 Impressive DIY Wall Art Projects from Our House Tours [Apartment Therapy]
Washi Tape Wall Art Ideas [Apartment Therapy]
50 Beautiful DIY Wall Art Ideas For Your Home [Decoist]

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Easy and Effective Ways to Combat Stress

February 19, 2016 by

Everyone gets stressed out from time to time, but if it starts to interfere with your day-to-day life, you could be dealing with something a bit more serious. The next time you start to feel those overwhelming feelings creeping on you, try these simple tips for combating stress naturally.

  • Don’t let it go too far. It’s much easier to manage stress when it first begins than when it starts to spiral out of control, so watch out for the warning signs early. If you can tell that it’s going to be a stressful week, prepare in advance so that you can manage your tasks without becoming overwhelmed.
  • Address the physical side effects. While stress itself is mental, its side effects are often physical. When you start to get jittery or your feel your heart racing, do some relaxing stretches, practice breathing exercises, or simply close your eyes and count to 10 to counteract those feelings.
  • Watch your diet. Before you start stress eating or grabbing unhealthy fast food while rushing to work, stop and plan your meals. What you eat can have a big impact on your mental state, so be sure to try to eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins to stay energized. Try to steer clear of caffeine!
  • Do something silly. Take a break from life (even if it’s just for five minutes) to laugh at a silly video or dance it out. Sometimes that’s all you need!

Top 10 Instant Stress Busters [Lifehacker]
7 Best Ways to Bust Stress [SheKnows]
15 Easy Ways to Bust Work Stress [Men’s Health]

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