The post Here’s a Great Gift Idea: Homemade Sugar Body Scrub appeared first on Woodlands Village Apartments Blog.
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The holidays are right around the corner, and you need a few small thoughtful gifts to give. Get your DIY hat on and create homemade sugar body scrub with good-for-you ingredients found right in your Flagstaff apartment pantry. Add a special "how to use" tag, tie with a bow, and you've created a gift that keeps giving.
What You'll Need to Create Your Homemade Sugar Scrub
You'll need a microwave-safe glass bowl, spatula, coconut oil, raw cane sugar or brown sugar, dried rosemary, and dried lavender. You'll also need small canning jars with lids or decorative glass jars with lids.
First, heat one and a half cups of coconut oil in the microwave for 30 seconds or until oil is completely melted. Add 2 pounds of raw cane sugar or brown sugar to the oil and combine by folding together with your hands or a spatula. Add 3 tablespoons of dried rosemary and 1/4 cup of dried lavender, and gently fold into sugar mixture. Divide and spoon into 5 jars.
Designing the Tag
Now, design a decorative "how to use" tag so the gift recipient will know what is in the mixture and how to properly use it. Find a large to-and-from tag or make one yourself using colorful card stock. Personalize the gift by handwriting these directions: "Apply a small spoonful of sugar body scrub to your skin with warm water. Rub gently into skin in a circular motion. Rinse with warm water to reveal smooth, exfoliated skin. Apply your favorite hand cream. Enjoy. Good-for-you ingredients: coconut oil, sugar, rosemary, lavender, and water. Made with love."
Wrap a ribbon around the jar and tie with a festive bow. This is the perfect gift for someone special, hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, or a gift to give yourself.
Contact us today to learn more about Flagstaff, AZ, apartment living in Woodlands Village.
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]]>The post Happy Valentine’s Day! appeared first on Woodlands Village Apartments Blog.
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1. A Hunk, A Hunk of Burnin' Love
We're with Elvis on this one … you've got our temperature risin'.
2. Call Us Corny …
… But we can't wait for you to "pop" by!
3. This Is No Mirage …
Life without you is like a desert with no water!
4. "Just Relax …"
We're like a warm blanket … We've got you covered.
5. "Whenever You Need Me …"
" … I'll be there." Jackson 5. Awesome.
6. A Recipe for Love
A cup of you. A dash of us. Mix for 2-12 months. Serve hot.
7. Lights On!
Sing it with us: "You light up my days / And fill my nights / With song …"
8. Hot and Spicy
You're the butter to our popcorn … you give our lives the flavor we savor!
9. Get Cozy …
Relax. Stay awhile. We love having you here.
10. Never Change …
We love you just the way you are … aka, living here. Making Woodlands Village awesome.
11. Treat Yourself
… 'Nuff said.
Thanks for making Woodlands Village your home, and spending Valentine's Day with us! You complete us. 
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As we enter into the last week of December, it’s time to bid a fond farewell to 2015 … and get ready to welcome all the new promise of 2016! As you think about all the things you’ll resolve to do in the New Year, we encourage you to think about your New Year’s Resolution a little differently this year. And we’re here to help with that, by providing you a list of our ten resolutions that we know we can all live with … resolutions that are not only good to keep, but also great to live by! We invite you to join us in our commitment to make 2016 the best year ever, and a year where we embrace our best selves through more than the traditional dietary and monetary promises!
1. I Will Step Out On Limbs
Remember that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when Indy has to take a leap of faith? It’s not easy—in fact, it can be downright terrifying—to take risks when you can’t see the path ahead, but it is usually worthwhile. It sounds contradictory, but don’t be afraid to try something that terrifies you this year, whether it’s a new food, a new hair color, or a new job opportunity!
2. I Will Forgive Myself
We all make mistakes. But as Shakespeare said, to err is human; to forgive—even yourself—is divine. Even when you fumble at the ten yard line, you can still recover; maybe not that play, but the next one. And you’ll be wiser for it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and smarter. So stop ticking off mistakes as points lost and start tallying them as lessons learned and experiences gained.
3. I Will Eat Something AMAZING
No, seriously. Get out there and try a new dish. If life is all about the living, then a good meal should be about more than just filling your stomach. Maybe, just maybe, it should be about pampering your taste buds. And yes, that means you, too, weight-loss-resolvers: just because you’re dieting or on a new healthy eating plan does not mean you should completely cut off your sweet tooth.
4. I Will COOK Something Amazing
Yes, you. Whip out the skillet and go at it. Raid your pantry for unexpected dishes. See what happens when you just toss some things in the same pot, even things you think might not usually go together. Check out sites like Yummly for quick and easy recipes. And once you’ve mastered a few dishes, take one night—just ONE, out of 365, is not asking too much—and cook yourself a three course (minimum) meal, including dessert.
5. I Will Dance
Hello, Pandora mix! Hello, speakers! Hello, open floor space! Hello, closed blinds! Do a little dance, make a little noise, and get down tonight. Dance alone, or dance with friends. Learn a line dance from YouTube (we recommend The Wobble, but that’s just us!). Take a night and learn the Thriller dance in its entirety. Buy a copy of Just Dance for your gaming system (or find some tutorials on YouTube). Just do it. Get up and move. You’ll feel better.
6. I Will See Something I’ve Never Seen Before
Go on a road trip. Watch a documentary. Sit and observe a crowd of people. Get yourself out there to see something beautiful and new, even if it’s just your first time actually watching the sunrise.
7. I Will Let Myself Get the Feels
It’s okay to cry. Your laugh is amazing. Verbal road rage is (relatively) okay … as long as the windows are up and your passenger seats are empty. Stop bottling up your feels. Just let ‘er rip. Allow yourself to feel whatever it is you’re feeling, even if you have to put a cap on it. A good five minute cry works wonders. A nice, long laugh after a lousy day is bliss.
8. I Will Face a Fear
Real talk. The person who wrote this is deathly afraid of clowns, and yet has resolved to either go to a circus or watch a movie with a (non-homicidal) clown before June. Why? Because fear can be crippling, and it really bugs us that some THING can hobble our ability to live. It’s not easy, but facing a fear is a big deal. Even if it’s just allowing yourself to really take a look at that spider in the corner before you scream. Even if it’s just peeking out the window from a great height before you scream. Even if it’s just sitting through one clown juggle before you scream. The scream is okay; it’s a release of pent up fear energy. It’s keeping it in that’s keeping you back.
9. I Will Remember How Awesome It Was To Be a Kid
What was your favorite thing to do as a kid? Maybe it was swinging as high as you can on the swing set, or playing with your food, or splashing in mud puddles, or playing in the rain. Guess what? Growing up doesn’t automatically mean you have to stop doing those things. Pick a favorite childhood thing—finger painting, video games, adventures in the land of make believe—and relive it as an adult. Grab your cardboard sword and slay an imaginary dragon. Invest in a Play-Do set and reinvent the universe. Watch an episode of Sesame Street. Be a kid again, if only for a day.
10. I Will Let It Be
When you find yourself in times of trouble … let it be. When the world is crashing in, let it be. When you feel like an outsider, let yourself be. Be yourself, and let your life be lived. Embrace your world for what it is, changing what you can and accepting that while some things can’t be changed it doesn’t mean they have to ruin the wonderful world you live in. Let 365 days of living, of loving life, of being you, of making change, of being change, of feats and failures, trials and triumphs … be. Go boldly, not gentle, into that bright day, that good night, that wild world. And when the broken hearted people living in that world agree, there will be an answer: Let it be.
Welcome, 2016 … We can’t wait to see what you’ll bring to our doors!
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While Christmas is a traditional holiday, not everything about it has to be traditional. This year, it’s time to unwrap the gift of your imagination a little early and make your holiday décor your own. For our last post before Christmas, we’re here to help you out with five fun DIY projects to replace the traditional Christmas tree with something a little more unusual and utterly unique!
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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Print a Present
The ultimate last minute gift is one that’s worth more than a thousand words (so save your excuse on why you didn’t bring anything!). Think of a moment of significance for you and the recipient, and share a photo from that moment! Whether it’s a real picture you took during the event—like a birthday party, wedding, vacation trip, etc.—or a snapshot you can take that captures the moment, the photo memento will mean a lot! You can print the picture at home (save your color ink … black and white is SO in!), and snag a nice frame and gift bag on your way to the party!
Subscribe and Save (the Day!)
There are so many subscription services out there these days, it would be hard to NOT find one your special someone will enjoy! Monthly boxes make great gifting options: try Blue Apron for meal deliveries, Birchbox for a health and beauty bounty, or even KitNip Box for your fellow cat lover! Then there are the subscriptions everybody loves: Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Pandora are all monthly subscriptions that won’t set you back too much! You can also shop great bargains on magazine subscriptions from Amazon or Blue Dolphin!
Ye Basket of Gifting
Ah, the old tried and true gift basket … Rather than going out and ordering or buying a premade gift basket, head to the store and get creative! Think about your host or pal’s favorite colors, and find household items and other fun trinkets that go along with a color theme. Or, pick a theme you know the recipient will love. For a foodie, snag some tea towels, a nice cutting board, wooden utensils, fancy spices, a few tried and true recipes (or a cookbook), etc. For a pampered pal, try chocolates, scented candles, pleasant smelling bath and shower products, and a fluffy robe. For a techie, grab some tools, a fancy USB drive, a wireless speaker, computer cleaning supplies, etc. Remember: a gift package is just as much about the presentation as the present, so be sure to get creative and pick out the perfect packaging to make your gift really shine!
The Gift of Learning
Sign your friend—and yourself!—up for a fun class! Check out Groupon for great deals on local classes from yoga to cooking, or see what some local shops might have to offer! Check out Creative Live for a ton of great classes you can sign up for online and find your friend’s interest to get them started. Check out Brit + Co for classes on coding, calligraphy, crowdfunding, and more! It’s a gift that keeps on giving!
Give Some “Me” Time
Does your host love hosting but hate cleaning? Chip in for a housekeeping service for a day! Maybe you’ve been listening to your friend complain about some much needed car service. Set up the appointment and prepay for the labor … you can even volunteer to take their car in for them so they can just relax and wait for it to be done! If finding a service isn’t something that’s easy for your friend, maybe you can try a day or night out: buy them some movie tickets, concession stand vouchers, and for friends with kids find a babysitter (or offer to do it yourself). You could do the same with a spa day, a dinner out, a sporting event, or whatever tickles your friend’s fancy.
Remember: Just because it’s a last minute gift doesn’t mean you didn’t put a lot of thought (and love!) into it! Find something simple and unique to give this holiday season, and take joy in the simplest gift of all: the gift of giving!
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]]>The post 5 Fun (And Utterly Merry) DIY Advent Calendars appeared first on Woodlands Village Apartments Blog.
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December is here, and that means the holidays are almost upon us! The countdown to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and our other favorite holidays is officially on like Donkey Kong, and what better way to do the countdown in style than with a sweet new calendar?! We’re all about saving during the holidays, so if that store-bought chocolate-filled advent calendar isn’t quite your thing, here are some of our favorite DIY calendars to brighten up your ho-ho-holiday! And the best part is, all of these can be adapted to the holiday you're looking forward to. Have fun!
1. The Mini Tree Advent Calendar
Make a list … and don’t forget to check it twice! Your list might be made up of fun holiday-related activities, favorite memories from Christmases past, a to-do list of tasks to get your home ready for the holidays, or anything else that will make each day leading up to Christmas merry and bright. This DIY calendar has you then put each item from your list in a small box with a cute ornament on top. You’ll need small brown boxes (enough for each day leading up to Christmas or New Year’s), mini pine trees, glue, scissors, and this tutorial from Oh Happy Day!
2. Toilet Paper Roll Christmas Calendar
If you’re like us, you always wonder what you could use those empty toilet paper or paper towel rolls for rather than just throwing them away. Or maybe that’s just us … But if it’s not, this craft project is the answer for you! We love that this idea is both a neat way to recycle and a beautifully crafty way to countdown to one of our favorite holidays! Check out the tutorial from Morning Creativity here!
3. Easy Envelope Advent Calendar
Want to keep it simple? All you need for this calendar are envelopes, decorative paper, and a poster board! Cut out envelope liners from the pretty paper you pick out (try simple red and green craft paper, or some of the many holiday prints you can find at a craft store!). Fill the envelopes with tiny, quirky holiday treats, number each envelope’s lip with your countdown, and mount each envelope to a poster board! (Hint, hint: try a “reverse” advent by adding money to each envelope each day leading up to Christmas or New Year’s … it’s a great way to get a head start on your New Year’s Resolution to save!)
4. (Slightly More Complicated) Geometric Advent Calendar
Maybe “simple” isn’t a word in your vocabulary. If not, give this slightly more complicated calendar a try! The creator describes it as “simple, minimal, [and] with just enough festive sparkle,” so maybe it’s not as hard as we think, but we see the word “geometric” and get a little nervous. Unfortunately, the designer didn’t share how to make the geometric boxes, but fear not; we found you this video tutorial! Or try this awesome template maker that will automatically design the template for a box to your specific measurements. The rest of the tutorial on making this calendar can be found here.
5. DIY Punch Box Advent Calendar
So, we all know the holidays can be stressful … Here’s a calendar that will help you get a little frustration out, and you even get to enjoy a sweet treat as you do it! You can adapt the design to however many days you’re counting down, and the decorations of your box to whichever holiday you’re celebrating. The key, though, stays the same no matter what: Have fun makin’ it, and have fun breakin’ it! Get the tutorial from Studio DIY!
Enjoy your crafting! Enjoy your calendars! And enjoy your holidays! Ho-ho-ho!
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Happy 239th Anniversary to you, United States Independence! As we join with family and friends in celebrating Independence Day, here are five classic films we’re watching this holiday weekend!
1776
We’re not sure if you should count yourself as lucky or deprived if you weren’t forced to watch this musical every year in elementary and high school. Boy Meets World Feeny-fans will flip over William Daniels as John Adams in this musical that tells the story of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. It might not be the best musical ever—it didn’t garner the kindest reviews at the time of its release—but it’s still a film we can’t wait to pop into our DVD players (or, if you’re keeping it old school, VHS player) every 4th of July!
The Patriot
Oh, hello there, Revolutionary War action! Hello to you, too, Mel Gibson as the father of the year who takes on the entire British army to defend his family. Overlooking the film’s controversial nature—yes, there are historical inaccuracies, and yes, it may be a bit over-the-top in many ways—it’s still among the favorite film depictions of the American Revolution, and considered one of the most engrossing representations of the Revolutionary War ever brought to the silver screen.
Glory
Because Denzel Washington. This Civil War film tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in epic fashion, filled with so much patriotism and heroism it makes our hearts swell just thinking about it. Matthew Broderick plays the leader of the first all African-American unit in the U.S. Army, with Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Andre Braugher each delivering riveting performances from different perspectives of this complex fight for freedom. The score is amazing, the story compelling, and the film as a whole an amazing depiction of a noble fight for freedom. (And also, when Denzel cries, we cry. We dare you not to shed at least one tear.)
Jaws
That’s one bad hat, Harry! Set over the Fourth of July holiday and featuring one of the best delayed-arrivals of an antagonist in film history (you do realize we’re like two-thirds of the way through the movie before we actually see a shark, right?!), JAWS will always be a classic. And when it comes to edge of your seat action, you’re “going to need a bigger boat” to hold all the thrills this film has to offer!
Independence Day
“We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today … we celebrate … our Independence Day!” As if we'd leave this film off our list! Jeff Goldblum + Will Smith + telepathic aliens bent on the destruction of mankind = a film that totally set the standard for the summer blockbuster. It’s so classic, AMC is showing it all day on the 4th. So you should, you know … probably watch it at least, like, twice.
BONUS: We couldn’t finish this list without including National Treasure. Not only do they steal the Declaration of Independence in a race against evil, but Nicholas Cage’s performance as what might be the most patriotic dude ever? Fuhgeddaboudit … we love it.
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