Spring Cleaning

Image From Pixabay

Cleaning is something that no one wants to do. It is time consuming, and we would rather be out having fun. We all get a little lazy with our apartment cleaning. That’s alright, though. The spring weather is sticking around for a while so you still have tons of time to spruce up the place. Spring cleaning doesn’t have to begin before the official start of spring. Here’s how you can get your Glendon apartment back in tip top shape.

Split the work up for yourself. If you try and do it all in one or two days, you’ll stress yourself out about having to get it all done. Spreading it out over the span of a week or so will let you work at a slower pace and give more attention to the details. You won’t miss any spots if you spread all the work out. Create yourself a schedule and you’ll know exactly what needs to be done on what days.

 Living Room

Get into those couch cushions and vacuum in between them to get all the built up clutter and dirt out. You might even find some money in there! Take everything off of coffee, side tables and book shelves. Make sure to dust not just under the objects but the objects themselves too. Dust all light fixtures and lamp shades. You’d be surprised at how much brighter it will get in the room once you remove that layer of dust. If you have any rugs lying about make sure to take them outside and shake them out to get the dust and debris off of them.

 Kitchen

You wash dishes all the time but you probably don’t think of the place where your dishes live. Get everything out of your cabinets and wipe down the inside of the cabinets as well as the outside of the cabinets and handles. Think of how many hands have been on those handles! Next, empty out the refrigerator and wipe down all the shelves and drawers. Toss anything from the fridge that you know you won’t eat or is out of date. Wipe down your stove and oven. Messes are attracted to the stove so scrub it down extra well. Clean the microwave out by first putting a glass of water in for 30 seconds. This will loosen up all of the gunk caked onto the inside walls. Don’t forget to sweep and mop to clean up all those spills from the last few months.

 Bathroom

Wipe down that mirror so you can see your beautiful face in it again! There’s no point in having it if you can’t see yourself in it. Your showerhead has probably built up a lot of residue over the time you’ve used it. Take a plastic zip bag, fill it with distilled white vinegar and tie it up around the shower head using a hair tie or rubber band. Let it sit for and hour and then wipe the head clean with a wash cloth. Take stock of your beauty products and hair care products. Over the next month keep track of what you’ve used or haven’t used and at the end of the month toss everything you haven’t used. You’ll cut down on your clutter and also streamline your routine.

It doesn’t take a lot of work to keep a home clean but it does take a lot of work to get it clean in the first place. So get a head start and get your stylish, luxury apartment back in shape and from here on out you’ll only have to do small things here and there.

What’s your best spring cleaning tip? Share it with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Life At Palazzo Westwood

Image From Palazzo Westwood

Living in Palazzo Westwood has many benefits. You are close to some of the best hot spots in Los Angeles. You have great food and entertainment just a short walk away, and we have some of the best amenities in the Los Angeles area. We hope that you will love living in Palazzo Westwood as much as we do. 

Say Goodbye To Checks

We live in an age of plastic, and that is what we embrace at Palazzo Westwood. You do not need to worry about writing checks and using postage to send in your rent. You can pay your rent online right on our website. 

Community Amenities

Exploring Los Angeles is fun, but if you want to stay at home you will never be bored at Palazzo. Take some time to enjoy our infinity pool and sundeck in the hot summer nights of Los Angeles. You can also warm up on a breezy day in our dry sauna, jacuzzi, and steam rooms. 

If you want to get a work out in, do not worry about joining a gym. We offer a state-of-the-art gym with strength machines, precor elliptical trainers, life fitness treadmills, exercise bikes, bench presses, pilates machines, free weights and exercise bars and balls. You can also catch up on your favorite TV shows, as all of our cardio equipment has personal television screens with cable access. 

Finally, after your long day, you do not want to run errands. This is why we offer pick-up dry cleaning and laundry services, housekeeping and daycare, FedEx and UPS Postal services and more. You can get all of your evening activities done without ever leaving your home at Palazzo. 

Apartment Amenities

You know what our community has to offer, but what about your apartment. We have one, two and three bedroom townhomes available with the luxury amenities that you deserve. You can have gourmet kitchens with top of the line granite countertops for your kitchen and bath. You do not need to use the laundromat, as all apartments have in unit washers and dryers. Our full size walk in closets will give you plenty of space for all of the great shopping we have around Palazzo Westwood. Finally, do not worry about drilling, all of our apartments have pre-wiring for cable and HD DirectTV access.

These are just some of the great amenities you can look forward to at your home in Palazzo Westwood. Our website can give you even more information to help you choose your home.

Celebrate National Donut Day

Whether you spell it "doughnut" or "donut," the important takeaway from this post is that today is National Donut Day! Sure, any day of the year has the potential to become a donut day, but on this day, and this day alone, you could eat donuts for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it would be socially acceptable. If you plan to indulge in these sweet, doughy pastries today, here is where you should go:

Donut Snob
As their motto states, being snobby about donuts is what Donut Snob "lives for," and for that, we are grateful! Donut Snob was featured in USA Today as one of the "tastiest donut shops in the USA" with good reason. Their donuts are from pure Madagascar bourbon vanilla and Belgian chocolate, along with other natural ingredients. Their menu is comprised of standard, seasonal and fruit donuts, including Cherry Hibiscus, Salted Caramel and The Berry Best. The closest Donut Snob location to Palazzo Westwood Village is at 7253 Santa Monica Blvd.

Dunkin Donuts
While supplies last, Dunkin Donuts is giving patrons a free donut with the purchase of a beverage. Unfortunately, the closest Dunkin Donuts location is in Santa Monica, but if you happen to be out that way, swing by and snag your free donut!

Plan Check Kitchen & Bar
You apartment home at Palazzo Westwood Village is only 8 minutes away from the Sawtelle Blvd. location of Plan Check. For today's holiday, the eatery is offering $2 donuts. At the Sawtelle location, the featured donut is Root Beer Float, which is served with vanilla bean ice cream, root beer sprinkles, root beer froth and a cookie straw, according to Los Angeles Times.

STK
Maybe you prefer your donut towards the end of the day, and with alcohol included. For your dessert donut, served with a free glass of prosecco between 6 and 8 PM, try one of STK's boozy donuts! On the menu are the Cocoa Bomb (vanilla lemon custard and hazelnut liquor), Fruity Rebel (cereal custard and raspberry liquor) and Not Your Daddy's Donut (cherry bourbon custard and orange liquor). 

You might even prefer to undertake the task of making your own donuts! If that's the case, try these recipes from The Kitchn!

Where are some of your favorite bakeries in Westwood? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook or Twitter!

National Running Day

Today, June 3, is National Running Day! Whether you regularly get in a run in the mornings before work or if you run on the treadmill at the gym, today is the perfect excuse to get running and get healthy! National Running Day, as the name implies, is a nationwide celebration of running and its benefits. It takes place annually on the first Wednesday in June, and many cities throughout the United States get in on the holiday by organizing runs.

If you would like to celebrate National Running Day today, or any other day, there are many area locations where you can go to get in a run. Palazzo Westwood Village offers residents access to our state-of-the-art fitness center, which includes treadmills, ellipticals and much more, for our residents who live a busy lifestyle and need to go for a run close to home. If you would prefer to get out of the building and run outdoors, nearby locations for a good run include UCLA's campus or around the perimeter of Los Angeles National Cemetery. 

If you prefer to run as part of a larger group, consider joining a local organization like the Los Angeles Running Club or LA Road Runners. Organizations like these typically have different pace groups, depending on your experience and skill level. Also, if you are training for a long-distance race, these groups are a great resource for new training tips, and can also serve as an indicator of where you are in your personal training.

If you're still not feeling very motivated to go running, this should do the trick - 92 year-old runner Harriette Thompson of North Carolina completed her 16th marathon when she finished San Diego's Rock n Roll Marathon last weekend! Pretty inspirational, right?

If you consider yourself an expert runner, what advice do you have to offer those who are just beginning? What are your favorite locations in our area to go for a good run? Share you thoughts with us on Palazzo Westwood Village's Facebook and Twitter pages! Now lace up your shoes and hit the pavement! Who's with us?

Get Melt: Celebrate Grilled Cheese Month in LA

Did you know that April is National Grilled Cheese Month? As if you needed yet another excuse to indulge in one of America's favorite nostalgia foods, you're certainly in the right city to celebrate the occasion. 

Whether grilled cheese sandwiches bring you back to your childhood or you need an excuse to check out that restaurant you've been pining to try, we thought we'd share some of the top grilled cheese spots with our residents. In fact, CBS - Los Angeles compiled a great list of some of the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the area, which we thought we'd pass along:

Food+Lab
7253 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 851-7120
www.foodlab-la.com

Known for their three-cheese blend, Food+Lab in West Hollywood features a grilled cheese sandwich with raclette, tallegio and case gruyere.

The Melt
Various Locations
themelt.com

With two locations in LA, The Melt is perhaps the best known grilled cheese chain in the area. You can even use their website to order online. Their expansive menu features breakfast options, kids' selections, and its signature sandwich: Pepper jack and jalapeño cheeses on sourdough bread. 

Grilled Cheese Truck
(323) 522-3418
www.thegrilledcheesetruck.com

If you're looking for a down and dirty grilled cheese experience, follow mobile food truck, the Grilled Cheese Truck. However, you'll have to keep tabs on their whereabouts on social media if you want to find them! Their menu features simple grilled cheeses or more adventures combinations like the Buffalo Chicken Melt and the Cheesy Mac and Rib. And of course, don't forget your side of tater tots!

Of course, you don't necessarily need to leave your great apartment in Westwood in order to celebrate grilled cheese month. Here's a recipe for a bleu cheese and pear sandwich that our staff found -- it sounded so good, we couldn't help but share it.

From the LA Times: 

Grilled Blue Cheese and Pear Sandwich:

Love blue cheese? For a slight twist on the comforting classic, put crumbled blue cheese between slices of raisin brioche, along with thinly sliced pear. Cook until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is soft and oozing, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. If you have enough self-restraint to keep from eating the sandwich over the stove (I totally understand if you don't), plate your creation, drizzled with a little chestnut honey. Grilled cheese never looked so good.

Could you think of a better way to put your gourmet kitchen to good use?

Repairing Apartment Damages

"IMG_3432" by Jesus Rodriguez is licensed under CC BY 2.0

If you’re moving into a new apartment soon or have had a few minor accidents in your current apartment, there are many common types of damage that you can repair yourself without having to bring your landlord into the picture. From stains to scratches, accidents happen to the best of us. Learn how you can fix these problems with a little help from Apartment Guide.

Small Holes

After taking down the photos from your gallery wall, you probably noticed the many small holes left by nails that were used to hang the frames. Patching small holes left by nails, tacks and screws is simple and will leave the walls looking great again.

You’ll need some spackling paste, a putty knife and some sandpaper. Squeeze a small glob of the spackle into each hole, then use the putty knife to spread and blend it over the hole and wall. Once the spackle is dry, use the sandpaper to lightly sand the area, especially around the edges, to leave a smooth, flat wall.

Scuff Marks

Though scuff marks likely aren’t going to cost you any of your security deposit, they make the apartment appear dirtier than it is.

Since I seem to make an inordinate amount of scuffs on the walls of my apartments, I typically don’t try to tackle them all– just really noticeable and large ones. A magic eraser works wonders to get rid of them, so pick up a couple and your walls will be white again in no time.

Large Holes

Now it’s time to tackle that large hole you hid under your favorite painting. Mending large holes in drywall isn’t as easy as some of the other fixes, but it will most likely cost you less than if you were to let your landlord handle it and deduct it from your deposit.

Pick up a mesh repair patch at the hardware store to use with your spackle. Then, cut the patch so that it fits over the hole and the surrounding wall. Cover the patch with spackle, and after it dries, sand down the edges so they blend into the wall completely.

Broken Blinds

Another common damage issue I’m guilty of is bending or even breaking some of my window blinds. Before moving out, dust your windows and blinds, and make sure none are bent or cracked. If bent, do your best to straighten them out as much as possible.

If you can’t straighten them, or if one of the blinds is broken, look for blinds of the same size and color at your hardware store. Replace the broken slat with the new one, and your landlord won’t ever know the difference!

Carpet Stains

If you’re a red-wine drinker living in a carpeted apartment, you probably know a thing or two about removing carpet stains. Tackling stains before they get a chance to set will help your carpet look better overall, but before moving out, peruse the carpet for any stains you might have missed.

Try using baking soda or carpet cleaner first. If that’s not strong enough to remove the stains, consider renting a carpet cleaner from your hardware or grocery store. They’re easy to use, and your carpets will be unrecognizably clean when you’re done.

Scratches on Hardwood

Renters love apartments with hardwood floors because they’re much easier to clean than carpet, but they do have one common problem with them: Hardwood is easy to scratch. There are a couple of quick fixes for the shallower scrapes, though.

Many people swear by the walnut method, which involves rubbing a raw walnut along the scrape until the scratch blends into the rest of the floor. This method works well, just not on deep scratches and darker woods.

For deeper scratches, look for a wood-colored marker or pencil at the hardware store. These products are specifically made for filling in and disguising the scrapes.

General Dirtiness

Deep cleaning your apartment is generally recommended to ensure you get your full deposit back, and to give your landlord less of a headache when he or she is trying to ready the unit for the next renter.

Give everything a good wiping, sweeping and dusting, but spend extra time in the kitchen and bathroom. The refrigerator, microwave, oven and stove should all be thoroughly cleaned, along with the toilet, shower, tub and sink.

Avoid Apartment Fever

"DSC08785-Yoga Time" by Gary is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Whether or not we have winter weather, spending too much time in your apartment around your roommate or significant other can make you go a little crazy. So while you may not literally be snowed into your apartment, you can still get “apartment fever.” How can you create little spaces for yourself or times for yourself to take at least a mental break? Apartment Therapy offers these tips for when you need some alone time.

Stagger when you're home

Even crazy-in-love couples may need a few minutes (or hours) apart every day and it's okay to talk about it. Try staggering your schedules to carve out some time when each of you gets to be alone in your apartment. Maybe your mate goes to the gym before work but he could switch to after work to give you a free hour at night. Maybe you can start going into the office early instead of getting a head start at home. There are always little tweaks that can give you some alone time.

Create a physical barrier

Just because you're both home doesn't mean you have to be interacting. It's totally acceptable to close a door, close a curtain or unfurl a screen to give yourself the illusion that you're alone while you think, meditate or just chill.

Create a mental barrier

If you really are squished in and need a minute to reflect, something as simple as putting on headphones with your favorite music may be enough to give you a little mental break. Or simply say to your partner that you need some quiet time sans interruptions and go sit in your favorite chair with your nose buried in a book. Works every time.

What tips do you have for keeping your sanity in a tiny apartment?

Budget-Friendly Art

"DIY Animal Silhouette Art" by Emily May is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Artwork is a great way to put a finishing touch on a room’s decor, but filling your apartment with art can quickly get expensive and not all of us have an inner Picasso. However, there are plenty of options for affordable artwork, besides flea markets and thrift stores. Style at Home has these suggestions:

1 Get 'em while they're young

The most affordable artwork comes from emerging artists, often for three figures or less. If you want your collection to include "name”"artists, expect to pay more -- a lot more -- due to supply and demand, and because costs must recoup expenses like a dealer’s cut, studio maintenance, assistant salaries etc.

If you're keen to buy art you love, which is the approach you should take because your chances of making a future killing on "investment" pieces aren’t great, truth be told, browse the local gallery circuit to see what’s on display at the independent galleries.

Check the websites of galleries in your city and subscribe to their e-newsletters so you’ll know whenever a group show is coming up. Bring your cash or checkbook and strike if you see something you love: it may go fast.

2 Buy art books

Art books are another option. If you love browsing, keep your books in an accessible spot on the coffee table. Or if you're not averse to a bit of slicing, cut out a page and frame it so you can enjoy it all the time. Carte Blanche, V.2: Painting came out in 2008 and features a juried selection of work from Canada’s top emerging, mid-career and established painters. (Volume 1 focuses on photographers.)

3 Turn your vacation shots into wall art

Print your digital vacation snapshots onto photo transfer paper and transfer them onto a canvas. Mount the canvases onto the wall, unframed.

4 Enlist the kids

Frame your kids' paintings. Or give them a canvas or board and glue gun (if they're old enough), and let them go nuts on a mixed media project. Who knows, maybe Jr.'s the next Marla Olmstead, a child prodigy artist featured in the doc My Kid Could Paint That. Olmstead's abstract canvases, compared by The New York Times and BBC to Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky, have sold for thousands of dollars!

5 Skip the canvas and button up

Toronto's Gallery TPW offers a set of 10 buttons featuring the photo-, text- or found-art based designs of 10 up-and-coming artists in Button Glutton 2006. Mount them inside a shadow box, or take a more creative approach by pinning them onto cushions or upholstery. The cost? A mere $50 plus $5 shipping.

6 Make like Andy Warhol

The Pop Art provocateur was right: commercial packaging design can be beautiful. The next time you find yourself admiring some packaging, mount it. Or take a cool can (Chinese water chestnuts, Italian pasta sauce, artisanal coffee) and use it as a cool, recycled flower pot.

7 Buy student work

Many art and design colleges and universities have end-of-the-year studio sales. They're a great way to pick up paintings, prints, mixed-media and textile pieces from the next generation of emerging artists at cut-rate prices. Search your local institution’s website for details.

8 Frame your old LPs

CDs and digital music files are convenient. But the golden age of album-cover art definitely was during vinyl’s heyday. (This may be one of the reasons why vinyl's currently undergoing a resurgence among music fans these days.) Got some great album covers kicking around? Display them in custom frames.

9 Rent before you buy

Ultimately, the best way to support living artists is to buy their work. But if you're not sure you can live with an expenditure in the up-to thousands of dollars, consider "testing" the goods by renting them first. The Art Gallery of Ontario, for instance, rents pieces for as little as $20/month. A portion of rent can usually be applied towards the purchase of a piece if you realize you can't live without it. And if you're commitment-phobic, renting lets you enjoy art while supporting your local gallery.

10 Give some, get some

And now for something a bit different: If you're thinking now's the time to bust some taboos or confront your body-image issues, consider signing up to be a nude figure model. (Journalist Emily Yoffe of Slate.com did it to humourous effect here). For safety's sake, only work in a studio setting at an established art college or school. See a sketch of yourself that you like? Speak up: chances are you can either buy it cheap or get it for free from the student artist. Bonus: getting paid to hold those poses!

Tiny Decor Updates

"MINT GREEN COLORBLOCK CHEVRON Throw Pillow by nataliesales | Society6" by Wicker Paradise
is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

After the holidays can be a very “blah” time of the year. Chances are you’re itching to be outdoors more, you’re working full work weeks again and, overall, you’re bored. Take this time to make some decor updates to your apartment! No matter what your expendable income is, you can update each room in your apartment for less than $50. Apartment Guide offers these suggestions for each room:

The Living Room

Dress up your windows: Bright curtains can liven up a space in no time, and they don’t have to cost a lot of money either. Look online or at discount department stores for some pretty patterned curtains that will jazz up the windows and add some color to the white walls.

Switch out your throw pillows: A couple of throw pillows won’t break the bank, and your plain couch will look super spiffy. Make the room look even more put together by matching the colors in your pillows to those in your curtains.

Prettify your coffee table: Use a pretty tray to keep your coffee table organized and stylish. Place some magazines or a coffee table book on the tray next to a small vase or scented candle.

The Bedroom

Change your lamp shades: New lamp shades can completely alter the look of a room in an instant. Not only will they add a new style to your bedside tables, but they can also change the quality of light in the room – use them to make the bright light in your bedroom a little softer.

Stack some baskets: Tackle clutter and add some decor at the same time by picking up a couple of stackable baskets to keep in one corner of the room. Throw in some blankets or clothes you don’t wear often, or anything cluttering up your shelves.

Make your own headboard: A quick search on Pinterest will show you just how many DIY headboard ideas there are out there, and some of them can be created pretty cheaply. Even simply hanging a curtain on the wall at the head of your bed can pull the room together.

The Kitchen

Change the hardware: As long as your landlord gives the OK, a great way to change the look of a small apartment kitchen is to switch out the cabinet hardware. For apartments that don’t have very many cabinets and drawers, this can be a super cheap and easy project.

Add a rug: Replace your old rug by the sink with something new, colorful and fun. Over time kitchen rugs can become dirty and discolored. You can feel free to clean it thoroughly, but splurging on a new one shouldn’t break the bank either.

The Bathroom

Add a coat rack: If you have some extra wall space, hang up a decorative coat rack for your robes and extra towels. The colorful array of towels will add some brightness to your walls.

Frame some photos: Almost anything looks great in a beautiful frame, so you don’t have to be a professional photographer to make some hangable artwork. Spend an afternoon walking around a park or neighborhood and take some colorful pictures. Print them out at a drugstore, frame them, and hang them on your bathroom wall.

Choose a fun shower curtain: The most obvious big change you can make in a bathroom for $50 or less is replacing the shower curtain. Something new and colorful will update the room’s overall style immediately.

Create Happy at-Home Habits

"Wine" by Emiliano DeLaurentiis is licensed under CC BY 2.0

The new year is a great time for a fresh start and creating new habits. While many people are focused on losing weight or working out more, think about focusing your energy on creating daily, positive moments at home in your apartment! Yes, there’s almost always some chore that needs to be done, but balance it out with doing something enjoyable for YOU! Apartment Therapy offers these tips for creating those happy moments:

1. Have one daily ritual that is just for you. For me, a mom to two young kids, I like to drink my coffee in peace in the morning. Even if it means getting up earlier, that quiet time before the family routine kicks in helps me ease into the day and do something for myself before I start doing things for everyone else. Your ritual could be anything that brings you pleasure or peace, even if just for a few minutes. My mom, for instance, took a hot bath almost every night of my childhood.

2. Set aside time in the week to listen to music. For some people, music is always playing at home. I envy these people. I live in a small apartment with three others and more often than not, the sounds filtering through our home come from the tv, iPad games and noisy toys. On Sunday mornings I like to very intentionally put on music that we can all enjoy and keep other sounds to a minimum. Set aside time in your home when music is all that you can hear. If you live with others, perhaps rotate playlists.

3. Use what you have. Go ahead - use the "nice" soap, light those spendy candles, break out the fabric napkins. Treat yourself well at home. Too often we squirrel away little luxuries at home and only bring them out for company. Let your home provide you with small pleasures; you deserve them.

4. Cook or prepare something, for pleasure, for yourself once a week.Cooking, even for people who love to do it, can be a grind when it's a daily obligation and particularly when it's on you to feed your family. If you can, make something for yourself as often as you can that is not completely utilitarian, even something simple like salted avocado spread on toast. It may help you reconnect with the parts of cooking you do like and, of course, the eating of it will bring you enjoyment in the short term.

5. Choose one weekend day when you don't do any housework.Wouldn't it be great if you did a little bit of housework each weekday so you could just relax and enjoy your home on the weekends? Yeah, that doesn't really happen. Try to condense your household chores to one part of the weekend and have one day, Saturday or Sunday, that is reserved for being home, not cleaning home.

Illuminate Your Space

"test" by jinkazamah is licensed under CC BY 2.0

A new year signals a new, fresh perspective on things - like your apartment style! If you’re not in the mood to complete big projects like moving around furniture or painting, there’s something simple you can do that will make all the difference in your apartment’s atmosphere - let the light in! Your apartment will feel bigger and happier by brightening it up with these tips from Apartment Guide:

Keep Shades Light

Since you probably want to avoid drilling into the ceiling of your rental, much of your lighting is bound to be in the form of floor lamps or end table lamps. The good news is that lamp shades offer an opportunity to really show off your style, so you can handle the whole daylight savings time issue with grandeur.

To keep your apartment as bright as possible, stick to light-colored lamps shades. Think white, cream, light gray, or similar hues when selecting a lamp shade. Darker lamp shades will filter out a considerable amount of light and may leave you sitting in the dark.

String Additional Lighting

If you still need more light once you have lamps set up, consider buying string lights, also known as fairy lights. While you may associate this type of lighting with the twinkle lights around a Christmas tree, there are other options available.

Designers now offer string lights with large bulbs, black or silver string, and a sleek modern look. Buy a decorative wooden ladder and string lights around it; set up your pyramid shelves in the corner and adorn the piece with string lights; or simply string them around a window.

Accessorize with Wireless Lights

Some rentals have a limited number of electrical outlets, and rewiring your home is not an option as a renter. Turn to wireless lighting that operates on battery power and is extremely mobile. Wireless LED candles, for instance, offer ambiance and go on with the flip of a switch.

Best of all, faux candles don’t pose the same fire hazard as an actual candle. Tap lights are also wireless and a good way to illuminate shelves or other small spaces. These lights are typically small and round, activated when you apply a small amount of pressure to the top of the light.

Use Mirrors to Maximize Lighting

Add a few mirrors to your rental space if you don’t have a lot of room or money for new lighting. Mirrors propped up against your walls won’t damage the drywall, and can reflect light from your lamps and other home lighting.

Mirrors create the illusion of more lighting sources, and doubles the amount of light that bounces around your apartment. Place larger mirrors next to a floor lamp and small wall mirrors adjacent to end tables with a lighting fixture.

Space Out Your Lighting

Now that your space is outfitted with several floor lamps, a few strands of string lights, and a handful of large mirrors–take a moment to consider the placement of each piece. Don’t put all the lighting in your living room, for instance, while neglecting to consider your dining nook.

Instead, space out your lighting fixtures. Put at least one light source near each corner of larger rooms. Place your mirrors within a few feet of a lighting fixture; this allows them to better reflect the light out into the rest of your space.

Lighting your new apartment should be at the top of your daylight savings to-do list. If you neglect to properly light your apartment, you will soon realize that it’s not possible to enjoy all of your lovely decor in the dark.

Be an Ideal Party Guest

"Happy 2009!" by Ginny is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

From Christmas to New Year’s Eve, you’ll surely be making the rounds at parties throughout the next couple of weeks. Whether it’s a boss or colleague you’re trying to impress or your friends and family, keep these tips (courtesy of Apartment Therapy) in mind and you will be at the top of the invite list next year!

DON'T:

1. Show up right on time.

For most people it's second nature to show up at least 15 minutes late to a big gathering, but the perpetually punctual may have trouble with this. If you find yourself arriving at party within 15 minutes of the stated start time, nip around the corner for a coffee, or hang out at a bookstore for a bit, or just sit in your car. This will give your host a little breathing room and ensure that you don't walk in on them doing frantic last minute preparations.

A few exceptions to the rule: dinner parties, where it's rude to show up more than 15 minutes late. And any party where you know the hostess very well and feel comfortable offering to help out — in that case your punctuality (or even earliness) will probably be welcomed.

2. Bring something that requires a lot of prep.

If you're bringing something to the party, good on you. But don't bring something that will require a ton of prep space or kitchen time on the party end. Chances are your host has been cooking all day and counter space in the kitchen is at a premium. If you're in there chopping things and looking for bowls and knives and whatnot, things can get chaotic.

3. ''Ghost' without saying goodbye to your host.

You don't have to make a big deal of announcing your exit to every guest at the party, but you should at least find your host and let them know that you had a lovely time but unfortunately you have to leave. This will keep them from fielding questions about what happened to so-and-so all night long.

DO:

1. RSVP.

The art of the RSVP is dead, y'all. The number one gripe I hear from friends who host parties is that people don't RSVP, or they do and then don't show up, so it's almost impossible to tell who is coming to your party and how much food you need. So if you get an invite to a party, and you think you'd like to go, click 'yes'. Really, it's not that hard.

2. Offer to bring something.

Chances are good that your host will say you don't need to bring anything at all, just yourself, but offering anyway is standard party etiquette. It's also a way to help your hostess defray the cost of the party, which sometimes can run pretty high. And if you are asked to bring something, for gosh sakes, don't take it home with you at the end of the night (unless your host specifically asks you to).

3. Talk to people you don't know.

Sure, all your friends are at the party. But these are all people you'll see again — how are you gonna meet new people if you just stick with your group all the time? Go by yourself to get food or drink — this is a pretty natural time to chat up people you don't know. Talking to new people is also a HUGE favor to your hostess, who will have to worry less about guests who don't know a lot of people at the party.

4. Say thanks.

Throwing parties is lots of fun, but it's also hard work. And when you work hard at something, it's nice to have somebody else say: hey, thanks. Good job. Traditional etiquette dictates that you send a mailed thank-you note to your host: in modern times, this might seem a little over the top, but thanking your hostess when you leave (and maybe even in an email or text message the next day) will always be appreciated.