Refresh Your Home by Refreshing Your Senses

Excite Your Taste Buds

This is the perfect season for citrus- try placing a bowl of citrus fruits on your kitchen table for a summer feel. Other ways to excite the sense of taste is to hang summer herbs such as lavender and rosemary in your kitchen or get a basil plant to put on your countertop.

Create Displays of Nature

There are many ways to include nature in an apartment home, aside from live greenery and colorful flowers. You may choose to swap out your monotone drapes, pillows or tablecloth for a floral pattern. Make sure you're allowing plenty of sunlight through the windows and consider framing and displaying summer fun pictures of your family on vacation.

Include Soothing Sounds

You will be amazed at the difference you will feel when you substitute your normal music selections with the sounds of nature – the ocean waves, the patter of raindrops, or a crackling fire are easily generated with a Sounds of Nature app. Also, consider playing background music of the soft jazz or classical variety to create a soothing summer oasis.

Diffuse Natural Smells 

Diffusing essential oils is a great way to avoid the chemicals associated with commercial spray room deodorizers. Or, you can simmer a pot of water with cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg, lavender flowers, or ginger and almond extract, to get the same effect.

These are the perfect ways to up the enjoyment factor in your Arizona apartment home at Woodlands Village. Our apartments feature spacious, open floor plans in a pet-friendly community.

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Fall Decorating Tips 

Start With Scents

Your nose deserves to enjoy autumn just as much as your eyes do. Pumpkin spice candles and apple-smelling soaps instantly bring an autumn vibe into any space. 

Add Some Accents

Throw pillows, plush blankets and perfectly colored pillowcases can help you ring in the fall season without spending a ton of money. Opt for colors that are deep and rich, such as golds, dark reds and chocolates.

Do a Little DIY Decor

It's easy to create fall-inspired centerpieces that bring your room together if you look for simple-to-do tasks online. Fill clear cookie jars with baby squash and mini-pumpkins, or use large pumpkins as the main focal point, integrating fall flowers and lovely leaves around them. This is your time to shine, so get creative and use a few of Mother Nature's fall gifts for inspiration.

Bake a Pumpkin Pie

Who cares if you're not one to turn your oven on? Great inspiration has to start somewhere! Try your hand at making a homemade pie. Even if you don't do it perfectly, the smell will fill your space and create a welcoming feeling. Plus, even ugly pies usually taste amazing. What have you got to lose?

Get a Little Shabby Chic

This is the time of year when shabby chic really makes a name for itself. Use distressed wooden crates and beat-up metal containers to create beauty by way of fall-friendly veggies and vegetation. The new-meets-old aspect complements itself well!

Before you can decorate your place, you need to find an apartment that truly feels like your own space. Woodlands Village Apartments offers an assortment of floor plans, built to suit your unique style. Browse our available apartments online today!

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Different Ways to Use Pumpkins to Decorate Your Home for Fall

To Decorate Your Fireplace

Whether you are looking to decorate the mantle or the hearth, pumpkins are a good choice. Consider placing real pumpkins near your fireplace to give this area a fall-like look. To further enhance the look, consider painting the pumpkins or tying a ribbon around the top for a decorative touch. Avoid placing plastic pumpkins around the fireplace as they can melt if you decide to use your fireplace. 

As a Vase

Another way to incorporate pumpkins in your fall home decor is to use pumpkins as a vase or planter. Use a plastic or foam pumpkin, and place either real flowers or fake flowers inside of the pumpkin. This creates a beautiful centerpiece for a table or a statement piece for your counter. 

On Wreaths

Placing a wreath on your front door is a great way to dress up the entryway of your home. Many craft stores sell floral picks that have small pumpkins on the end of them. These picks can easily be inserted into a foam, burlap, straw or wire wreath, helping to decorate the wreath for the fall season. 

As a Candle Holder

Lastly, consider using pumpkins as candle holders. Hollow out a few small pumpkins and insert candles inside. Then place the pumpkins on your dining room table, mantle or other areas to create a beautiful fall decoration. 

Decorating your apartment can help to transform the look and feel of the space. If you are ready for an entirely new ambiance in your home, you may be looking for a new apartment altogether. When you are looking for apartments in Flagstaff, Arizona, be sure to check out Woodlands Village. Call us today to inquire about availability. 

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Messes are a natural part of life. However, with very little effort you can make your apartment seem cleaner than it actually is. Now you won't have to worry about your friends or anyone else dropping by unexpectedly. Here are a few tips to keep your place looking much cleaner than it really is:

Decoration Tips to Make Your Apartment Look Cleaner

• Simplify the color scheme: Try to avoid a lot of different colors. When you keep to several shades of the same color, your place will seem more put-together and spacious.
• Keep heights of furniture uniform: When you have mismatched chairs of different heights, it creates a visual distraction, making your place seem a little more chaotic. Keep the majority of your furniture around the same height to create a continuous visual line that is pleasing to the eye.
• Don't mix and match styles: It's okay to have a couple different styles that complement each other in a natural way, especially if they share a common element, such as color or time period. Too many styles, however, can be very distracting and busy, making your place seem messier than it really is.
• Large pieces of art: It can be hard to get the look right with multiple pieces of art or photography hung in different frames. As much fun as it is to have a gallery on your wall, one large piece of artwork draws the eye in and leaves room for contemplation.
• Aim for symmetry: Symmetry is an easy way to create a sense of order, purpose, and calm in your apartment. Face chairs against couches, separated by a coffee table. Have a mirror on one wall facing a work of art on an opposite wall. Just don't overdo it, or it will seem unnatural.

A great floor plan can really help your place look tidier and more spacious. If you are searching for apartments in Flagstaff, give us a call to see how our floor plans can really make a difference.

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When autumn brings its cooler air and gentle beauty to Woodlands Village, our beautiful Flagstaff apartments, the whole community gets in the rearranging and decorating mood. 

Here are a handful of ideas to inspire your seasonal whimsy!

1. Add Glitter for a Dreamy Dining Table

That metallic spray paint you used once and put on a shelf? Find it! Spray apples and pine cones, bottles and yard-sale candlesticks, and you've got a delightfully festive centerpiece.

2. Adorn the Side Tables With Beautiful Edibles

Decorate a side table with an eclectic assortment of gourds and squashes, and fill bowls with nuts and a nutcracker. This can double as an edible arrangement if you've selected a variety of nuts, gourds and pumpkins for Thanksgiving pies or traditional roasted chestnuts. 

3. Make a Cheery Holiday Waste Basket

Save a large box and simply cover it with gift wrap. It'll look wintry and fun, and will work like a charm when you need a container for ready gifts.

Bonus: It'll be there after the parties to toss more gift wrap into!

4. Bring a Little Evergreen into Your Space

Pieces of evergreen set a traditional tone. Sprigs and vines and pine cones can dress up shelves. They can turn bottles and bowls into decorative vessels, too! Plus, evergreen arrangements make your space smell sweetly woody and fresh.  

5. Try Tinted Light Bulbs for a Warm and Cozy Mood

Lighting is important when we're missing our long, bright Arizona days! A mix of lighting, in a variety of hues, can make your space feel exotic. Try shedding a different light on your interior this season.

Celebrate the Season at Woodlands Village Apartment Homes in Flagstaff

We hope your autumn brings gentleness, joy, and celebrations. Don't hesitate to invite your guests to contact us if they are looking for a new home in the company of friends!

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Fall brings with it crisper air, pumpkin spice lattes and a new school year. Flagstaff’s cooling climes mean September is the perfect time to nest into your apartment and get ready for the change of seasons. If you’re up on the hygge trend, you might be all over it … but if you’re not, here are several ideas.

Read Up on Hygge

Hygge—pronounced hoogah—is a concept with which we’re all familiar, even if you’ve never heard the term before. Essentially, it means using coziness to create a feeling of contentment and closeness. Think thick socks, warm blankets and cocoa; all are classic hygge elements. Make this your new fall word, and start instituting it into your life, and your Flagstaff apartment, today.

Pull Your Blankets Out of Storage

You probably haven’t used them much all summer, but it’s time to pull out your blankets. Drape them over couches and chairs or stack them in the corner where they’re easily accessible.

Arrange Your Mugs on the Counter

Nothing says cozy like a mug of something hot. Arranging your mugs on the counter will remind you to grab a hot cuppa before you sit down to work at your desk or table. For extra cuteness, arrange your coffee canister, tea tins and cocoa jars nearby.

Fall Scents Galore

Cinnamon apple, warm vanilla and smoky campfire scents all bring fall within easy reach. Grab that fall feeling with some fun scents at home. Beware of burning candles, though, as those can pose a fire hazard. Instead, try soy melts or incense, which make the air smell heavenly without disastrous potential.

If you’re ready to find cozy Flagstaff apartments in time for fall, get in touch with us here at Woodlands Village. We would love to show you around, tell you a bit about our community, and get you settled into your perfect floor plan, so come visit today!

The post Get Your Apartment Hygge-Style Cozy for Fall appeared first on Woodlands Village Apartments Blog.

Transfer Photos to Pieces of Wood

All you need is a few pieces of wood, some images copied on copy paper, and a bit of mod podge. Cover the image with mod podge, and place the image face down on the piece of wood. Take your time using a wet cloth to remove the paper slowly. Allow the mod podge to dry and you have an image transferred to wood.

Wire and Clothespins

Use a simple wire and two eye hooks to create a line for your images to hang on. Use wooden clothespins to hang your pictures in any arrangement.

Try a Long Branch and String

If you're looking for a more vertical display, try a branch about 2 feet long and some white string tied every three inches. Attach images to the string at intervals until you like the display.

Map Out Your Idea First

Using some craft paper and painter's tape, take the time to map out a display, tracing the current frames you want to use on the craft paper. This will save you time and energy when it comes to creating your display.

Use Different Size Images

Try out images of different sizes and consider overlapping some of the pictures. You'll have an eclectic display of images to enjoy.

When you are searching for apartments in Flagstaff, it's time to give Woodlands Village a call at 844-790-7263 to see what we have to offer.

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Christmas Tree Wire Ornament Holder

For this project, you’ll need crafts wire, an old frame, plenty of ornaments, and a handful of other accessories and craft tools. We love that this untraditional “tree” gives you the chance to take something old and make it new! It also makes a wonderful tree alternative if you don’t have a lot of space in your apartment for a full-sized tree. Hang your tree in a central spot in your home, or lay it wherever you’ll be doing your holiday gift exchange! For a full tutorial, pack up your crafty sleigh and head on over to Better Homes and Gardens!

DIY Pallet Christmas Tree

Looking for an easy decorative piece for your patio or balcony? Check out this easy guide to making a Christmas pallet tree. This is a project that you can size to meet your needs; if you want a bigger tree, just get bigger pallets, or go small for a corner tree for your living room. You’ll need several pallet slats, paint, tools, and maybe some holiday lights and ornaments to make your tree extra festive! Get all the supplies and instructions you’ll need to bring this project to life at Hometalk.

Paper Christmas Tree

We’ve seen this project done a few different ways, but one thing they all have in common is that they are super easy! For a homemade paper tree, all you’ll need is tape, several pages from old books or sheet music, twine, and something decorative to serve as your tree’s star. We’ve seen folks use empty frames, wooden cutout stars, favorite family photos, and more. Simply hang your pages in the general shape of a tree, securing them with tape (or adhesive putty) to the wall and each other. Decorate your “tree” with twine, lights, or any other décor you’d like (just keep in mind … your tree is made of paper, so avoid fire hazards). Hang your “star” at the top, and lay your gifts at the base. You can find a ton of tutorials for making a paper Christmas tree, but we used this one from My Sweet Savannah!

Upcycled Sparkly Christmas Tree

This tree DIY calls for the use of cemetery vases, but you can easily replace them with paper mache cones or doll cones, which can be picked up at almost any craft store. The project has you wrap the cemetery vase in craft paper, but with our craft cone alternative, you can easily skip this step! The main craft supplies you’ll need are hot glue and strands of gold beads! You can find the beads you’ll need at a craft store or a Dollar Store (just head to the party section). This is an easy tree to place on your table or bookshelf. Just set it down as it is, or place it on top of a pretty matching candlestick! For easy to follow instructions, visit Vintage News Junkie … and scroll all the way down for a ton of other fun DIY tree ideas!

“From Trash to Trees” Book Spine Tree

Unless you’re a diehard book junky who thinks dismantling a book is sacrilege, we think you’ll love this project as much as we do! All you’ll need is a pallet wood or other sturdy craft background and pretty spines from some vintage books (head to a second hand or consignment shop to find some if you don’t have any of your own), plus some craft glue. (If the idea of taking an old book apart is giving you heat palpitations just scroll down on the tutorial page for a tutorial for another tree project; it calls for vintage book pages, but you can easily replace them with craft paper or old newspaper!) Check out the full tutorial from Vintage with Laces.

In these final days until Christmas, we wish you happy crafting, and much joy!

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Our theme for October is Fall Into Autumn! We’ll be bringing you everything from tasty treats for the season to décor ideas that will “leaf” you inspired to deck out your home in the colors of the season! We’re lucky to be in a four-season town, so we’re excited to “fall” in love with Autumn with you!

Harvest Vases

All you need for this beautiful table topper are a few cylinder vases (we like these from Michael’s), a few handfuls of shelled nuts (think pecans), wheat bunches, and a sheet of autumn-colored scrapbook paper (brown, deep red, rust, gold, etc.). First, roll a strip of scrapbook paper and tuck it into the top of your vase as a decorative cuff. Stick a wheat bunch or two (you can also pick this up from Michael’s!) into the vase, and surround it with a big scoop of nuts! These make beautiful coffee table centerpieces, or you could hang them in wall sconces!

Twine Pumpkins

Have any extra toilet paper lying around? Turn it into a beautiful DIY pumpkin! You’ll need a roll of toilet paper, a skein of twine, scissors, a hot glue gun, and a stick. Secure one end of your twine to the inside of the toilet paper tube with a dab of hot glue. Wrap the twine around the toilet paper until the full roll is covered. Once the full roll is covered, glue the other end of your twine into the center of the roll to secure it, and stick your stick through the center to make the stem! Voila … an easy, beautiful autumn decorative piece!

Burlap Leaf Wreath

A wreath is a beautiful and simple statement piece to make your home’s exterior a little more welcoming. For this project, grab a straw plain wreath (you can snag one for under three bucks at Jo-Ann’s), a half- to full-yard of burlap, and either various colors of crafting felt, craft leaves, or head out to the Flagstaff forests to pick up some real fall foliage. If you go with craft felt (think greens, reds, yellows, and oranges), cut out some leaf templates on the felt—you’ll want at least twenty! You’ll also need some scissors and a glue gun. Cut strips of burlap; use hot glue to secure one end to the wreath frame, then wrap the full wreath with your burlap, gluing down the other end when needed. Once the full wreath is covered, begin placing your leaves on the wreath, securing them with hot glue. Make sure you leave some of the burlap exposed; it’s a beautiful fall textile, so let people see it! Once you’re happy with the look, hang your wreath on the door to welcome friends and fall to your home!

Mason Pumpkin Jars

For this craft, raid your cabinets for mason jars; you’ll also need brown and orange acrylic paint, wood pegs, scissors, glue, and fall-colors card stock. First, paint your mason jars orange (you can get a variety of shades for not a lot of cash at any craft store). Paint the lids brown. You can also paint the wood pegs, or leave them their natural shade of brown. While the jars and lids dry, cut leaf shapes from the card stock. Cut thinner strips of your card stock to curl as vines. (All you need to curl your strips is either the edge of a scissor blade—to curl like curling ribbon—or a pencil to wrap the strip around.) Secure a leaf and a few paper “vines” to each wood peg with glue, and then secure the peg “stem” to the jar lid with more glue. Simply screw the lids on to finish your project. These are great as centerpieces, or as candy jars! You can also use them as beautiful fall gift containers if you don’t mind giving up your beautiful craft!

Pine Cone Place Cards

Make beautiful pine cone place cards or card holders with pine cones you can find right here in Flagstaff! First, hunt for some pine cones with relatively flat bases. Secure them to a drink coaster with hot glue. To create a holder for your place card or stand for your greeting card, use sturdy craft leaves or dried real leaves; secure the leaf to the pine cone by tucking the stem into the pine cone and securing with hot glue. Secure the place card or greeting card to the leaf with either hot glue, foam tape, or double sided tape. Place these beautiful pine cone card holders on your table, bookshelf, or window sill!

Happy Crafting!
 

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Get in the (Study) Zone

We all know your favorite part of your apartment is your bed (ours, too), but that doesn’t mean it’s where you should be studying! It’s time to invest in a desk. You can go pretty basic, like this sweet little Mainstay Parsons Desk with convenient drawers for organization. But we’re in love with South Shore’s “Smart Basics” desk with an above-desk shelf for photos (or framed reminders to start studying!), drawer space, and a sliding keyboard shelf. Don’t forget to invest in a basic task chair, like this basic rolling wonder from Target. (Hint: We prefer armless chairs so we don’t get in the habit of dumping clothes and other stuff we should put away on it!) Don’t forget a basic desk organizer—something to hold pens, desk supplies, and even store that paper print out so you don’t lose it before class—and calendar, and of course a nice desk lamp!

The Five Ps

One of our favorite NAU professors always reminded students to “Remember the Five Ps: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.” Well, here are our Five Ps for proper planning:

1. Planner: Check out these Day Designer planners from Target, stylish and perfect for organizing your day to day activities during the school year.
2. Portfolio: Buy yourself at least one three ring binder or portfolio to keep track of all your course materials for the semester.
3. Pens and Pencils: Here’s a “Duh” moment … you’re not going to get very far this year without a good supply of writing instruments. (Pro Tip: We know you’d love to just take your iPad to class, but keep in mind you always run the risk of having that ONE prof who hates tech and bans it from their classroom.)
4. Plenty of Paper: Use your desk organizer to store a reserve of printer and loose leaf paper, and plan to have at least one notebook for each class. (Remember that three ring binder we told you to buy?)
5. PDA: Don’t worry, we’re not recommending you go old school. We personally love the myHomework app (free) to track assigments, iHomework ($0.99) to track your coursework to-do list, and iStudiez Pro ($2.99) to keep color-coded track of class schedules and assignments.

No Bore Décor

We love Walmart’s special section of Inspirational Wall Art! Target has a huge selection of College Décor that will help you deck your apartment out in impeccable style, including floor lamps, pillows, posters, and must-haves like this sweet bulletin-chalkboard combo!

Sundries

Don’t forget to add your personality to your apartment! As much as you should be focusing on your studies, home is where your heart is, so put your heart into your home. Check out these unique and sometimes-classy-sometimes hilarious mugs from Urban Outfitters. Keep an eye out for inspiration, like Pier One’s Boho look selections and room inspiration guides. And for all your Lumberjacks: Don’t miss NAU’s Apartment Décor deals!

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