Apartment Blog

Are you experiencing some difficulty decorating your apartment? As I’m sure you already know, decorating a small space so that it looks good and works well can be a challenge. There are several factors to take into consideration when you’re trying to figure out the style, space limitations, paint restrictions, budget, etc. So I’ve compiled some quick apartment decorating tips that should help get your creative juices flowing.

While you’re focusing on the aesthetics of your room make sure you remember it needs to be functional as well. You’ll need places to store your mail, groceries and paperwork. Whatever requires your daily attention must be readily available! You can have organization without sacrificing your style just by having colorful/patterned/textured containers to store those items in. Various shelving units also help with organization. Multi-functional pieces, such as storage ottomans which provide seating and storage, are a bonus as they make your smaller space work better for you.

If you’re in an apartment like mine, you aren’t allowed to paint the walls. This makes it tough to express your true design. However, there are plenty of alternatives to paint for putting color on your walls. For example, you can do a temporary mural, a large framed poster/artwork, fabric, etc. One thing I’ve tried at my apartment is cling stickers. I found them at the Dollar Store! In my guest bathroom there are little shells and fishes swimming on my walls! It’s completely different than any other decorative element I’ve tried, but it works and best of all: they don’t hurt the walls! So don’t be afraid to think outside the box when you are decorating your space.

Given that you may or may not be able to paint, accent pieces play an important role in getting the maximum impact. In any room you’ll notice the items that carry the most weight, meaning the items that have more vibrancy or add an interesting element to the space. They can include lamps, vases, curtains, pillows, etc. Whatever your motif, add an accent color, shape or pattern with these items; it’ll provide the extra glam that you’re looking for. For example, a paper lantern floor lamp or a unique arch lamp will create visual interest while being functional and cohesive to your design.

I hope these tips help you on your way to creating your stylish apartment. Do you have any more useful ideas to share? I know we’re all in the same boat trying to find unusual decorating ideas with our restrictions, so let your ideas flow!

Green doesn’t just have to be the color for your party, make it the theme!! Green living can extend to how you entertain! Making it green is easy on the environment and easy for you to do! Mimicking the tips we’ve already given you for St. Patrick’s Day Party Ideas, we’ve matched some eco-friendly ones. Check out these tips:

Tip 1: Invitations
As I always suggest, send out electronic invitations. Besides giving your party a more casual tone, you also save on paper that is just going to be thrown out later.  Or if you’re party is going to be formal and dictates having an invite, try to use recycled paper invitations.

Tip 2: Decorations
Just for the sheer expense, I always try to recommend fun crafty ideas for holiday decorations. Take a look at our St. Patrick’s Day Party ideas. But it turns out, not only will these save you money; they are also more environmentally friendly! Making your decorations would be a creative and a fun thing for you and your friends or kids to do.  And as much as it hurts, my favorite party staple that I always recommend–balloons–is actually pretty bad for the environment! They often end up in the ocean where they are consumed by sea life, which eventually die from balloons blocking their digestive system. So looks like all my ballooning days are over! 

Tip 3: Food & Drinks
A cute and easy idea to avoid waste is serving finger food. By serving finger food, you alleviate the need to have utensils or plates.  Your guest can just have their little sandwiches, cheese & crackers, cookies, chips on napkins.  And if you want to save on purchasing cups, offer your guests canned or bottled beverages. You can recycle them when they are done!  Wow, this tip allows you to save on a little bit of money as well! Cha-ching!

Tip 4: Entertainment
If you’ve read our blog about St. Patrick’s Day  Party ideas then you know we suggest doing contests, having music or a movie playing in the background.  These ideas don’t require too many materials. But another idea I’d like to add is doing Karaoke! You don’t necessarily have to have a machine (although it helps), but just grab a bunch of your already ‘tipsy’ friends for some movin and groovin and perhaps a little singing!  This should make for a lot of entertainment!! 

While we are making suggestions about how to make your St. Patrick’s Day party more eco-friendly, please remember these tips can certainly be used for your other parties.  If you’re having a Birthday celebration soon, think about using some of these ideas. Not only are you helping the environment but you also may be saving some money in the process!! Bonus!!

Source: Progressivekid.com

ForRent.com would like to bestow a wish on all our friends with the following Irish Blessing this Saint Patrick’s Day!

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

May your neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Source: corsinet.com & ireland-information.com

Okay, so I was searching on the web and I found this cool article on MSN.com. (I copy and pasted the text for you below.) As you all know, my boyfriend and mine’s favorite Christmas movie is the Grinch. Read what the article says about Grinch lovers like us and figure out what your favorite Christmas movie says about you!!

Article:

By Margot Carmichael Lester

Your new guy says he can’t get through the holidays without watching A Christmas Story at least three times (he even has the leg lamp). Or it’s your new lady friend who sings all the tunes from Santa Claus Is Coming to Town in the shower. We asked pop culture mavens Alexis Bondoc, columnist for IntrepidMedia.com, and Ian Williams, an author/director/filmmaker, how a person’s all-time fave Christmas show reveals his or her dating M.O. Read on for some intriguing insights!

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Alexis: The fella who never misses this show is probably a classic guy who already knows how to dress and laugh. Slip him a CD by Vince Guaraldi (who did the jazzy numbers on the show) as a gift.
Ian: If your girl loves this show, deep down, she may want to don a black turtleneck and get existential—this show has a message. But she always has time to dance (who can resist that music!) and maybe she can make clouds of dirt like Pigpen.

A Christmas Story
Alexis: Aww… He’s got a wistful, nostalgic sense of humor and can probably remember every Christmas morning growing up. But, more importantly, there’s more than a slight chance that he didn’t get that one certain gift that every other kid on his block got — the Radio Flyer wagon or the super-cool robot set — and can still remember that deprivation NOW. Will you be the one to indulge him now?
Ian: Your romantic partner is something of a happy medium: corny, yet cool. Not cool in a desperately hip way, but subversive enough to keep things interesting. She hasn’t forgotten what the wonders of childhood were like—and doesn’t want to.

Bad Santa
Alexis: If this is your guy’s favorite seasonal show, then hold your horses. This guy is the Anti-Santa who would probably be happy to make a bunch of gift deliveries with a bottle of Jack Daniels. His ideal vision of Christmas probably involves telling little kids they don’t need Barbies or that Mickey isn’t a real Mouse and that he lives next to a 7-Eleven instead of the North Pole. Run, run, run. Unless you’re happy spending your time with the embodiment of Life’s Little Destruction Book…
Ian: Most likely, your lady was waiting for a movie like this long before it came out. Finally, someone told a Christmas story without much of a moral… and with lots of cringing along the way. Not one for nostalgia, your girl probably wants to order Chinese food rather than prepare a feast. If you are equally dark in your outlook, well, merry, merry!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Alexis: You don’t have to worry about this guy at all. He’s offbeat, sure, but he’s got a good heart. He probably loves celebrating Christmas with a delightfully creative and witty sense of humor instead of tradition. He’ll probably surprise you with completely novel ways of marking the holiday season.
Ian: The girl who loves this one is a sucker for ritual, and why not? We all know what happens to the Grinch, but the magic is in the retelling. The Whoville song is treacly and boring, but the Grinch’s theme, with jazz glissandos and rich baritone, make it a yearly must-see. But you must ask this woman: Does she identify with the Grinch… or the Grinch’s poor dog? That will give you some important clues!

It’s A Wonderful Life
Alexis: If your guy likes Frank Capra’s all-time classic, you can put good money on the fact that he’s as classically appealing as Jimmy Stewart—and probably as thoughtful, too. Thoughts count a lot with this kind of guy; make sure yours are up to snuff.
Ian: Like Crowded House sang, “Wherever there is comfort, there is pain,” and don’t your baby know it! She gets It’s a Wonderful Life as it was meant to be: not a sing-songy holiday card, but a deeply sad reflection on dreams deferred. She’s a deep-thinker… and probably a keeper.

Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Alexis: Any guy who picks this stop-animation classic is probably as unique as little Rudolph is. He probably celebrates Christmas — and lives his life — with a playful and creative streak. I mean, this is a guy who lives for the island of misfit toys and the Bumble! He’s probably quite a character.
Ian: Yikes. Easily the most anesthetized and goofy of the Xmas specials, Rudolph has the subtlety of a “Hang in There!” cat poster. Repetitious and cloying, it goes down like a bowl of red frosting. Your girl might be cute, but she’ll put antlers on your dog and giggle like she was the first to think of it. Consider yourself warned!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Alexis: The guy who loves this one is manly enough to really get down with Christmas and the classics, especially if he’s a Fred Astaire fan. This guy truly loves the holiday. You will celebrate every possible tree-lighting, sidewalk chorus group, eggnog-pouring moment, and you will do it with a smile on your face.
Ian: If your baby’s favorite is this one, she’s probably a Goth chick. No other Santa origin myth is quite so dark. Sure, Fred Astaire narrates, but St. Nick as an unwanted orphan? Hunted like a criminal? We knew Santa’s psyche was complicated, but we didn’t know he needed therapy.

Now, we’re not saying you should take any of these interpretations as the gospel truth. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. But you should learn a little about yourself. What’s more, adding these insights to other information could help you figure out if you and your sweetie have a future full of holly-jolly Christmases together—or if your holiday honey will leave you feeling like your heart got run over by a reindeer. Ho ho ho!

Margot Carmichael Lester’s work also appears in Go magazine.

You want to add a festive touch to your apartment, but what colors do you choose? It’ll depend on several factors as to what fits your apartment home the best. Here’s a list of some ideas for how to choose your holiday décor color scheme:

You can focus on the color schemes that your home already has. If your apartment has warm colors, go with gold or reds. If your apartment has cool colors, go with icy white and silver. And another idea is to take the colors that you already have in your home and use complementary holiday colors (i.e. red-green, purple-gold, etc.).

A piece of fabric is also a great way to bring in the holiday season/colors. If you’ve found a stunning table cloth, make it the focal point of your room, using colors that coordinate with that table cloth to bring out its beauty. Have those colors also follow throughout your home (like accent pillows and candles).

And an idea that I think is really cool is using holiday gift wrap as your inspiration. Use color schemes and motifs that you see in gift wrap and use it around the house. Like a candy cane red, green and white striped gift wrap being mimicked in your centerpiece of the dinning room table or the wreath on the door. Another nifty idea is to wrap picture frames that are all your walls like presents! You can create a masterpiece using left over gift wrap and ribbons. The possibilities are endless (and fun to create)!

Below are also some sample color schemes. These combinations are great for creating your personal holiday décor.

• red and green
• red and white
• all white
• any color and gold
• any color and white
• any color and silver
• white, blue, and silver
• ivory and brushed gold
• sage green, ivory, and pewter
• bright purple, blue, and green
• icy blue, lilac, and silver
• autumn tones of beige, brown, golden yellows, and rust
• forest green, burgundy, gold
• primary colors such as red, yellow and blue

Also remember that cooler colors tend to encourage people to eat less and won’t be mingling as much. So you may want to avoid using cooler colors in the dining room or eating area, and to opt for warmer colors like burgundy, purple, or red with gold accents in those spaces. In sitting areas, cooler colors are still okay, but again, adding a punch of color will help warm up the effect so it’ll have a unified look through your apartment.

I just love decorating for the holiday season. But if you’re like me, you don’t have a lot to spend on Christmas décor-given that most of your budget is dedicated to gift purchases and food. So here are a few quick and easy (plus cheap) tips to get your apartment festive for the holidays without spending lot of money.

1. Decorate your apartment with bows. You can put them on chairs at your dining room table, door knobs for the bathroom/bedrooms, wreaths, baskets, etc.

2. Create your own wreath. Last year I made my front door wreath and it only cost me $20. Most of the ones that I saw were at least $25 to $50!! I bought a medium sized artificial wreath, a pack of bows, red berries and holiday ribbon. I arranged them in a way that I liked and bam, I’ve got a wreath that’ll last me a few years!

3. Let there be light. Candles are a perfect way to add warmth to the chilly weather; you should definitely get some that smell like the holiday season! Remember to never leave a burning candle unattended and be sure to extinguish candles when you leave a room. If you have pets and small children and do not wish to have real candles then consider using battery-operated flameless candles.

4. Table décor is a must! Whether you have plates, bowls, cups with a festive motif or use a table cloth, be sure to decorate your table as it is the center of your feasts this month! For inexpensive centerpieces you can use candles, a bowl of fruit (preferably with the holiday colors, i.e. apples), nature (twigs, pinecones, leaves, etc.), fake snow and many other creative ideas.

5. Use ornaments in other places than your tree. Another idea I did last year for a Christmas party was use left over ornaments. I used them everywhere. I strung up various shapes and sizes of ornaments on ribbon and dangled them on my staircase. Another great idea is to place colorful ornaments in a hurricane lamp, ceramic bowl, and festive basket or on a large serving platter (This makes a great centerpiece).

6. Make edible centerpieces. Fill glass jars or hurricane lamps full of Christmas candy (like the green and red mints). Tie a ribbon around the top and place them anywhere in the apartment. Another candy idea that works well around the apartment is candy canes. You can put them on your tree, dinning room table centerpiece, in cocktails and more! Letting each guest pick a candy cane out of the centerpiece is a great way to say thank you at the end of a holiday party!

7. Recycle your Christmas Cards. Use Christmas cards that people have sent you (this year and in years past). Place them on bookshelves or on the T.V. stand. I have also strung them up (by binding them to ribbon) on a spare wall (I did it over my breakfast nook). You could also string them along the staircase banister. In addition to that, you can use recycled cards to make name placement holders and coasters.

Many of these ideas I did last year and plan to do again this year. Do you have anymore cheap and easy ideas to decorate your home this holiday season?

For most people the holidays are a stressful time. Grueling traffic, long lines and overspending on gifts just doesn’t put many in the holiday spirit! So to help you avoid (or manage) the stress better, here are five tips:

1. Be organized and know your spending limit. Create a check list to help you avoid any oversights or impulse buys. And remember what it felt like paying off last years bills, so don’t go overboard again this year! Expensive gifts won’t guarantee a happy holiday. Most people would be just as grateful for a moderately priced gift chosen with care (or even a handmade one made with love).

2. Eat healthy and Exercise! Even though it’s the holidays, don’t keep the mindset of ‘it’s okay to eat this, it’s the holidays!’ Gaining an extra 10 lbs isn’t going to make anyone feel better. You can still hold onto your healthy eating habits throughout the holiday season and remember to put exercise into your holiday traditions! Get out with a family member and go for a walk. Keep in mind that exercise is always a great stress reliever!

3. Keep your sanity with family! The holidays are a great opportunity to spend time with your relatives, but sometimes they can cause you additional stress. Not only are you entertaining a group of people, but if tension builds with your family it’ll make for an even more eventful holiday! So if you feel the atmosphere heating up, remove yourself from the situation until it clears. Also, be sure to include everyone in the plans so no one is left out and feelings aren’t hurt.

4. Give yourself plenty of time when traveling. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest traveling days of the year, both on the road and in the air. So realize that everyone else is trying to be with their family on the holiday, and be courteous of others. Tis the season to be Jolly!

5. Be flexible. Try to keep an open mind this holiday season. No one’s Christmas has ever gone perfectly. Spills and squabbles are a part of the season, so don’t hold an unrealistic standard. Ask other people what they want to do and be willing to accommodate them. Take it all in and relax….have fun, it’s the holidays!

I hope these tips for dealing with holiday stress are helpful. I know I’m going to take them into account. Good Luck!

When you live with another person, it’s never easy. Whether it’s a new roommate you met off ForRent.com or your significant other, there is always difficulty. But being prepared for some problems before they happen can help to eliminate any unnecessary arguments.

Some of the top problems roommates seem to argue the most about are rent, chores, and personal space (or property).

On time payment of the rent and any other bills associated with your apartment living (i.e., utilities, cable, etc.) is a MUST. Whether you know the person or not, talking about these situations is tough and may be tougher if you and your roommate have a relationship already established. Regardless, a proactive solution for this discussion is having a roommate agreement. This agreement could simply be a written document that you and your roommate sign and have a copy of for the future reference.* Regardless of whether you have an agreement or not, remember whomever’s name is on the lease is legally responsible (even if the other roommate(s) can’t or won’t pay)!

Another dispute between roommates, or in general all people living together-including families, is how to handle the chores. I myself do the dishes almost immediately after dinner. However, my boyfriend isn’t like that at all. He’d prefer to do them a couple hours later, if not the next morning! Whether you do your chores immediately, or prefer to wait awhile, having both combinations in one house is bound to create tension. Be sure to talk to your roommate if his/her constant dishes in the sink aggravates you. And remember you need to respect that he/she does things differently, just as long as it doesn’t interfere with how you are living.

Sharing your personal items can cause problems, whether it is your curling iron or your computer; nothing feels more uncomfortable than knowing that your roommate is using your things without permission. Establish boundaries early on as far as what items of yours can and can’t be used. It’s fair to assume that your roommate can use a utensil or appliance in the kitchen, as most roommates buy items when they move in together with the intention of sharing. But if you have a problem with other items, such as your computer or clothes, boundaries need to be specified.

In all of these instances the best way to avoid a problem is to talk to each other openly about it before it happens or before it festers up. If you are searching for a roommate, check out ForRent.com’s Find a Roommate section.

Do you have any good roommate stories to share?

* THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS BLOG IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE, AND THE AUTHOR AND FOR RENT MEDIA SOLUTIONS STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU CONSULT WITH YOUR OWN COUNSEL AS TO ANY QUSTIONS YOU MAY HAVE REAGARDING ROOMATE AGREEMENTS.