Stay Cool This Summer

(Image courtesy of Chris Vaughan)

Summer is here and we can’t wait to pull out the bathing suits and hit the water. Whether you’re running through the sand or slipping into our gorgeous pool, safety and courtesy are always key to having a good time. These eight tips, courtesy of apartmentguide.com, will have you making a splash with the neighbors in no time! Keep reading to learn more:

• Come prepared. Life vests, towels, sunscreen, flip flops, sunglasses and a fully charged phone are a must. But bring some fun stuff, too. Foam noodles, inflatable floats and beach balls will all enhance your fun in the sun.
• The pool is a common place for neighbors to chill out over the summer. So grab your beach towel and get your mingle on! Take a walk around the pool and finally introduce yourself to your neighbors. You never know who you might meet!
• Find out whether or not there is a lifeguard on duty. Some communities will schedule a dedicated person on-site while others will not. Whether or not there is someone on duty, you’ll need to keep an extra close eye on what’s going on around you. If you or or children don’t know how to swim, look into getting lessons this summer. And while you’re at it, see if you can find a free CPR training course in your area.
• Play water games! Tag, Marco Polo, volleyball and racing each other are all fun ways to enjoy yourself during pool time. Play fairly, and no cheating!
• Make note of where the pool drains, pipes and openings are located. Children should stay away from any parts of the pool that have suction features.
• Clean up after yourself. Some pools are strict about no eating and drinking on the premises. If you happen to break this rule (which we do not encourage), at least pick up your trash and don’t leave anything behind. The pool area is a reflection of the residents and you don’t want to be the reason it looks unsightly. You know better.
• Remember the old saying, “use it or lose it.” Unfortunately, pool season doesn’t last forever. In many communities, Labor Day weekend will be your last chance to take a dip until next May. If you ever find yourself bored, broke and looking for something to do, grab a towel and head down to the pool!

Happy swimming!

The Moving Juggle

(Image courtesy of Gabriel Rojas Hruska)

It’s almost time to start moving in! Though we’re excited to welcome to your beautiful new home at Ariva, we know that it will be a slightly stressful time for you as well. Between the struggles of moving in, day-to-day obligations and the desire to get out enjoy the beautiful summer sunshine time can get a little tight!

Writer Kim Lucian from apartmenttherapy.com shares in your dismay. Thankfully she’s created the perfect step-by-step guide to getting through hectic times without wanting to rip your hair out. Keep reading to learn more:

1. Get up, get dressed, get to the task at hand. One way to end up walking around with perma-bedhead is to grab the laptop and dig in right away. Pull yourself together before you get started or it probably won't happen.

2. Take a time out to create a clean, organized workspace for yourself. You'll actually save yourself time later when you are looking for a particular top for that job and it's not still shoved in a suitcase. Just don't go overboard — if you're a procrastinator it can be tempting to throw yourself into a deep cleaning session.

3. Make a list, divide it up, and then prioritize. Start out by writing down absolutely everything that comes to mind, then create categories or a timeline and organize your list. Once that is complete, rank your tasks from priority level 1-3: needs to happen, should happen, you would like it to happen.

4. Take a deep breath and start working your way through that list.

Road Trip!

(Image courtesy of Santahn Naidoo)

We know living in one of our beautiful luxury apartments is like a stay-cation all it's own, but what do you do when you need to get away? The warm months of summer bring out the wanderlust in all of us, and sometimes a road trip is all we need to scratch the itch. 

If you're planning a weekend getaway, we have just the thing to help you out. Whether you're looking for places to eat and explore in a new city, or just need to find a place to park, there's an app for that. Writer, Elizabeth Giorgi from apartmenttherapy.com, walks us through the best phone apps to make your weekend trip as seamless as possible. Keep reading to learn more!

Field Trip: I love exploring new cities. Getting lost for hours and wandering into random buildings never phased me. I realize that this is not for everyone. However, if you wish to embrace the sentiment, Field Trip is your new best friend. A travel discovery app, it features museums, historical sites, restaurants and hidden treasures.

All Trails: Find yourself in a new city and want to go on a hike? Well, this app will help you find something scenic and wonderful. The best part is the user reviews, which help with details like determining a trail's suitability for children or more tactical priorities like where to park.

TripIt: This app is for planners. People who like to know exactly what they're doing when on every minute of their vacation. This is not me. However, I do my best and apps like this keep me motivated. From flight departures to dinner reservations, you can see a trip at a glance without missing a single detail - even get mileage between locations.

RoadNinja: Road trips are seeing a resurgence and with good reason. Seeing the country by car is one of those once in a lifetime things that everyone should experience. However, everyone I know has a horror story about getting stuck between bathroom breaks. Don't let this be you. Make RoadNinja a priority if you're planning this kind of adventure this summer.

What apps make your summer vacations better?

Home Sweet Home

(Image courtesy of Johnson Design)

It's almost time.

In just a few shorts weeks our first residents will be moving into our brand new apartments. If we can share a secret - we're almost as excited as you are!

We want you to feel as comfortable as possible in your new home. So while you're packing and preparing your move, take a look at a few of these tips, courtesy of renters.apartments.com, to design your dream home! 

Design for Use

The difference between a home and just another room is how much you really dwell in it. If you're ready to think of your apartment as a living space and not just where you crash at night, start designing your environments around their utility. Approach kitchen improvement projects around making it easier and more fun to cook and host company, tackle your bedroom as a pursuit of true coziness and relaxation, and think of your living room as a great leisure space just waiting to emerge from the blank canvas of the floor plan.

Color and Light

The cheapest, most functional way to establish a real decorative aesthetic is with careful color and lighting concepts. Look into whether your lease allows you to paint the walls. A fresh coat of the right color can really personalize a room. Even if you're not allowed to paint, you can start thinking of other kinds of decor along a color scheme that makes your home feel more intentional and personal. It's also a good idea to have plenty of lighting to open up each room and make the space feel more inviting.

Think Beyond the Now

Even if a given apartment is just a temporary arrangement, that doesn't mean everything in it has to be temporary as well. When you furnish and decorate your space, invest in items you'll want to see in your next home as well. By putting the effort and money into your belongings now, you'll feel literally and emotionally more invested in the space, plus you'll be less likely to have to start from the beginning the next time you move. Every chair, poster and candlestick can be the start of a continuous story, rather than just a lost chapter.

Add Some Life

Tending to your space or something within it is a great way to make your rental feel like home. When you're ready, bring a pet or some plants into the apartment so you'll have something you can help thrive in your environment. If you opt for something practical like a small garden of fresh herbs like mint and basil, you'll also have another reason to step into the kitchen and make your home a source of physical and spiritual nourishment. Apartment gardens are often as easy as a few potted plants on a windowsill, or even a small DIY project to install a floating shelf near a source of light.

Match the Mismatched

Especially when you're just starting out, it's pretty common to have a mishmash of furniture acquired more out of convenience than an eye for catalog perfection. Making a matching set just takes a little extra work, though. If you have wood, plastic or metal furniture, a fresh coat of paint can make them into companion pieces. Leather and fabric seating are good options for slip covers an upholstery, which will also increase the longevity of furniture that's either at risk of wear or is worn already. Taking on these small-scale DIY projects is not only a fulfilling and productive use of leisure time, it's also a great way to develop new skills that will serve you well when you're ready to take on larger home improvement projects in the future.

No matter how small your apartment or how short your stay, there are plenty of things you can do to improve and customize your space. A little effort and TLC will definitely make your rental feel like a home you're happy to call your own.

Don't Buy It!

(Image courtesy of Sarah Depper)

Now that your spring purge is finally complete and your home feels open and organized again, what do you do? After all that work we're sure that you want to keep your space organized for as long as possible, but with all the seasonal sales coming up, what's a shopper to do?

We all need to scratch the shopping itch from time to time (and with awesome shops at Seaport Village we’re sure you need to). If you’re thinking of heading out to the store but are wary of filling up your newly cleared space with unnecessary items, we can help. This list of tips from apartmenttherapy.com will get you your shopping fix hopefully without a swipe of your credit card. Keep reading to learn more:

1. Set a shopping budget, even a tiny one, for a shopping excursion. If you really have the hankering to shop even though you know you reallyshouldn't - set a budget and stick to it. Tell yourself you can spend $100, $50, $10, whatever you can afford. If you don't trust yourself - just bring cash, no cards.

2. Shop somewhere where everything is cheap. Instead of the mall or a department story, head to a thrift store or a low-budget store like a Dollar Store. Be careful not to buy, excuse me, crap just because you feel like buying something, but you can still go through the motions of shopping (looking, choosing) in a place where everything is just a few bucks.

3. Shop your closet. Instead of buying a new outfit, challenge yourself to create a new outfit from what you already have. Revive old favorite pieces by combining them with pieces you haven't tried before. Think you're not a scarf person? - who knows, give it another try. Even if you don't work up the courage to wear a new outfit outside of the house, you use some of the same skills as when you're actually shopping and, who knows, you might find a new favorite ensemble.

4. Buy a gift. If you know you have a gift to buy in the nearish future - strike while the shopping iron is hot! Don't spend any more money than you would have, but take care of this shopping errand when you're in a shopping mood and then rest on your gift-buying laurels.

5. Get your shopping fix virtually. Get your shopping fix without buying a thing by joining Polyvore and putting together fun virtual outfits. Pin things you fantasize you could buy. Or join The Hunt, a community of people who help others find and identify items in online shops that they've seen in the real world, on Tumblr and Pinterest.

6. Do shopping "research" by people watching. On the face of it, people watching may seem like a poor substitute for shopping, but you can actually learn a lot by seeing what others are wearing. This is especially helpful if you have a wardrobe problem you're trying to address (I'm often flummoxed about weather-appropriate shoes in those in-between weeks between seasons, for example.).

7. Go to a museum, see a movie or take your camera out for a walk. Sometimes the most pleasurable thing about shopping is the visual eye candy. Go somewhere visually stimulating that's not a store and treat your eyes without raiding your pocketbook.