Tag Archives: entertaining in your apartment

Throw a Festive Fête for Mardi Gras

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mardi gras party

Mardi Gras is almost here, and just because you may not live in the Big Easy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate in style. “Mardi Gras” is French for “Fat Tuesday” and will fall on February 12th, this year. While the day was originally a faith-based holiday, it has now evolved into a celebration of cultural uniqueness and different cultures “uniting under the common theme of being people who like to have fun and enjoy each other and have a great time.”

Brazil, Venice, and New Orleans are known for throwing the most famous Mardi Gras celebrations around the world. While we can’t give you a plane ticket to one of those cities to enjoy the festivities, we can share ideas on how to bring the party atmosphere straight to your TriBridge apartment.

Invitations

First impressions are the most important, and the first impression of a party is the invitation. Make sure your invitations signal the right mood. If you are planning a small get-together of just your closest friends and family, a phone call or email will suffice. If you’re setting your sights a little higher and planning to host a larger gathering or a more formal affair, festive invitations are a great way to set the tone. Pinterest is a great place to go for a little invitation inspiration.

Neighbor relations are very important in an apartment. If you know and enjoy your neighbors, send them an invitation as well. That way they can enjoy the festivities instead of just hearing them. If you don’t want to invite neighbors, consider letting them know you’ll be having guests over and when you plan to end the party. A little consideration can go a long way!

Food

The invitations will bring guests to your Mardi Gras party, but the food will make them stay. The most quintessential Mardi Gras cuisine is the King Cake. If you’re feeling ambitious and want to bake your own cake, you might find this video tutorial from All Recipes helpful. You can also order king cakes online if you prefer to stay out of the kitchen.

Décor

Now that you have festive invitations and a proper king cake, it’s time to bring the atmosphere to life. There are two routes you can take here; the traditional route or the eclectic route. The first option focuses on Mardi Gras traditions: lots of gold and purple and green, beaded necklaces, and feathered masks. This Mardi Gras wreath from Etsy makes a fun and beautiful welcome. For a whimsical twist, try these sparkly gold mustache cupcake toppers

The eclectic route lets you think a little outside the box. While you should still incorporate the traditional elements of Mardi Gras, your party can also strive to celebrate New Orleans’ style. Use the iconic New Orleans jazz music as your backdrop for the evening. We love these jazz instrument cut outs as décor options as well. The fleur de lis is an official symbol of Louisiana and is particularly associated with New Orleans, so it also makes a great decorative flourish. You can even wear them in this festive headband!

We hope these tips help you plan the party of the year. If you have other ideas for throwing the perfect Mardi Gras party, share them with our other residents on our Facebook page.

Image via Morguefile

Tips for Saving Money While Entertaining During the Holidays

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The holidays are a great time for getting together with family and friends! Holiday parties put us in the festive spirit and give us a wonderful excuse to see those people that we may not get to see very often. However, if you are hosting any type of holiday event, it can be pretty easy to get caught up in the excitement of planning the party and let your spending get a tad out of control.

Since you’re already spending more than normal during the holidays, it is important to stretch your money and get the most bang for your buck as you buy your holiday party supplies. Today, we want to share some tips with you that will help you throw a festive holiday party you and your guests will enjoy without breaking the bank.

  • Have a potluck-style party. Redbook magazine reader Val W. shared that a great way to share the added costs of being the host is by having a family potluck. Each year during the holidays, the members of her family take turns being the host and everyone else contributes by bringing their own dish.
  • Finger Foods and Cocktails. Also, consider providing munchies like finger sandwiches and fruit and veggie trays, as well as a signature drink. CMN.com notes that there are a variety of affordable holiday-themed food and drink options available these days.
  • Send an Evite. The Seattle Times suggests forgoing formal invitations. Instead, send invitations through email, or create an event on Facebook and invite your friends to attend. You can use what you would spend on postage elsewhere.
  • Stream your Music. Rather than purchasing a lot of music from iTunes, use websites like Pandora to set the mood with festive holiday tunes.
  • Choose a focal point. Keep your decorations simple. Bankrate.com advises that you avoid covering every inch of every room with holiday décor. Instead, concentrate on the entrance of your apartment, food tables, and the restroom your guests will use. You don’t have to purchase expensive decorations, either. Get creative! The Seattle Times, for example, suggests purchasing sparkling “dollar store” ornaments and placing them in a glass hurricane for a high-end look for less.

holiday decorations

What tips do you use to stay on budget when entertaining others at your TriBridge apartment during the holidays? Leave a comment below to share your money saving tips with us!

Image from Pinterest.com

Baking Holiday Treats in Your Apartment

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The holiday season is a wonderful excuse to bake and enjoy lots of fabulous treats (in moderation, of course!). Homemade goodies like festive cakes, pies, and cookies are the perfect way to complete a holiday meal and make for a thoughtful gift for family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors, too.

cookiesWhile baking in an apartment – where kitchen space is rather limited – can be a bit tricky, you shouldn’t let the smaller space stop you from baking up a storm! Below are a few helpful tips for making the most of your apartment kitchen space this holiday season.

  • Be careful not to collect a surplus of measuring cups and spoons, as they’ll only take up space. One small cup is usually all you need, and you can use a regular teaspoons and tablespoons from your silverware.
  • Don’t start baking or cooking if your sink or drying rack is full. Take a few minutes to put dirty dishes in the dishwasher and clean dishes away so that you can start with a clean slate.
  • Try to avoid storing items on your countertops – you need that surface as your workspace, especially if you’re planning to make a lot of holiday goodies or are hosting a cookie decorating party.
  • Take the time to learn how to cook efficiently and neatly. This includes learning the best methods for setting up your workstation and making sure all needed items are within an arm’s reach away. With a few of these best practices up your sleeve, you’ll be able to cook anywhere, no matter how much room you may or may not have.

Do you have additional tips for baking and cooking in your TriBridge apartment? If so, please leave us a comment and tell us how you go about working in your kitchen, as well as what you like to create!

Sources: SmittenKitchen.com and TracysNewYorkLife.com.

Image from morguefile.com.

3 Ways to Add Southern Charm to Your Apartment’s Living Room

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There are few things we love more than working with communities that are scattered all over the sweet tea drinking, slow talking southern states where old fashioned values are still a pillar of the community and people reach out to help each other. We also love it because friends and neighbors are always welcomed in our homes! This makes it important to get the living room just right and we started to wonder what the most important aspects of decorating for this shared space might be. Luckily, Southern Living was there to provide more than enough tips (90 to be exact) on how to get the right look in your living room.

 

Wow! 90 seems a little ambitious, so we combed through and here are three of the most impressive tips, in our opinion, that you can incorporate into your living room for a beautiful look that will be welcoming to your guests and household alike.

  • You don’t have to have a fireplace in your apartment (it doesn’t get cold enough to need one), but you can still make a fake fireplace to put up! The look makes a room seem cozy without having to generate a lot of unnecessary heat.
  • A lot of people make a television the focal point of their living room. We know this is for practical reasons, but you should also consider incorporating a conversation corner into your living room. Place two chairs in a way that they will be facing one another so that you can enjoy some easy, face-to-face time with your oldest and newest friends.
  • Just because a piece of furniture thinks it is meant for a different room doesn’t mean you have to agree! Choose pieces that you wouldn’t normally expect to see in a living room.

Use Flexible Furniture in a Great Room

What other southern touches do you indulge in when it comes time to decorate your apartment’s living room? Let us know about it in the comments section or on our Facebook page! We always love to hear from our residents and we especially enjoy pictures.

Source & Photo Credit: 90 Inviting Living Room Ideas

Why Fall Cleaning is Just as Important as Spring Cleaning

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cleaning spray bottle

It's time for fall cleaning!

Cleaning up your TriBridge apartment in the fall is just as important as spring cleaning. Here are a few reasons that fall cleaning is just as important as spring cleaning.

Most of us have enjoyed months of having the doors and windows open all summer. Now that the fall and winter months are coming, we are going to have to close the house up and turn on the heater. While the house is closed up, all of the dust and debris will be cooped up with us. Starting with a clean slate by doing a deep cleaning in the fall will help cut down on all of this.

With as busy as we all are, there isn’t much time for deep cleaning regularly. Doing a good cleaning in the fall at least gets out the clutter and muck twice a year instead of just once. This is also a good chance to put up all those unwanted items on Craigslist and make some holiday money.

For more reasons why giving your  TriBridge apartment a good fall cleaning, check out 5 Reasons Fall Cleaning Is As Important As Spring Cleaning.

Photo via morgueFile