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Certain scents can instantly bring back memories and transport you to a different place. For many people, scents they smelled around the holiday season when they were growing up can make them think of loved ones they spent the holidays with and may make them feel joyful or festive. There are many ways to make your home smell like the holidays, including lighting candles, using essential oils or burning incense. Here are a few of the more overlooked ways to make your home smell festive.
Make a Simmer Pot
One of the easiest ways to make your home smell like the holidays is to make a simmer pot. During the holiday season, you can add items like oranges, cinnamon sticks and cloves to a pot of water on the stove. Bring the water to a boil and then turn it down so it simmers. The smell created by the simmer pot then carries throughout your home. You can add more or less items to the simmer pot to create the perfect scent strength for your space.
Infuse Your Shower
Another way to make your home smell merry and bright this holiday season is to infuse scent in your shower. Hang a bundle of dried herbs in the shower. The steam from the shower carries the scent from the dried herbs throughout your room. Some of the herbs people equate with holiday scents include rosemary, bayberry, cinnamon and ginger.
Bake Holiday Goodies
The final way you can make your home smell like the holidays is to start baking holiday goodies. The goodies you're making, such as a warm apple pie or holiday cookies, fill your home with a sweet scent. Anyone who walks through your door can smell this scent, and it can linger in your home for hours, making your home feel more festive. In addition to making your home smell good, you also have delicious treats to eat or share with your family and friends.
Scents can help your space to feel more like your home. If you're searching for Phoenix, Arizona, apartments, Element Deer Valley has the perfect place for you to call home. Contact us today to learn more about pricing and availability.
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You know you should eat your vegetables, but don't you get tired of the same ones? And are they a hassle to prepare along with whatever main course you’re fixing? With ratatouille, you can change things a bit every time you make it, using whatever vegetables you have on hand or the ones that look good in the store. And it’s great cold. Once you’ve cooked a batch, stick it in the fridge and have a ladleful or two with your next several dinners.
Ratatouille Ingredients
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Vegetables! There’s no fixed list, but try 1-inch pieces of these: 2 yellow onions, 1 medium eggplant (with skin), 2 zucchini, a summer squash, a couple of different color peppers, and half a dozen tomatoes. Also 5 smashed garlic cloves.
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Fresh spices: ¼ cup parsley, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tbsp rosemary, ¼ cup basil.
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¼ cup of white wine.
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A big pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes.
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2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar.
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Olive oil to film a skillet.
Ratatouille Directions
Use a large, deep skillet, and saute the onions and garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggplant and both kinds of squash and soften 2-3 minutes. Then stir in all peppers, tomatoes, wine, parsley, thyme, rosemary and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Lower heat, cover, and cook until very soft, about 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it looks dry, dump in some more wine. When everything is tender, stir in the vinegar and basil and add salt and pepper to taste. Let the ratatouille cool to room temperature before serving.
Eat as much as you like and refrigerate the rest. Bring it to room temp or serve it right out of the fridge. Either is great, and it gets better as the flavors meld.
If you’re looking for a new home where you can be in your own element and try out great recipes, check out Element at Deer Valley. These Phoenix, AZ apartments offer all the convenience of the north metro plus easy access to Phoenix, Scottsdale and the airport. See the web site for layouts from studio to 4-bedroom or call at (866) 367-3402.
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During the warm summer months, people may leave their windows open more frequently or have people coming in and out of their homes more often. This means that your home may be more dusty and dirty than it normally is. Now that fall is here; you may be ready to get your home clean again. Here are a few fall cleaning tips that you should follow.
Change the Air Filters in Your Vents
One of the best ways to get your home clean is to change the air filters in your vents. If your air filters are dirty, more dust is blowing into your home. This not only affects the air quality in your living space, but it can make dust accumulate even faster within your home.
Have Your Carpets Steam Cleaned
After the summer months, your carpets may be dirty. Perhaps you've hosted summer get-togethers, and your carpet has experienced more foot traffic than normal. Maybe your kids, pets, or even you walked across the floor with wet feet after going to the pool or a lake, or you may have had dirty feet from camping or hiking. Get your carpets steam-cleaned to get them looking their best and to ensure they are sanitary.
Clean Your Blinds and Windows
As the temperatures begin to decline, it's common for people to start leaving their windows open in late summer or early fall. Take the time to remove any dirt and dust from your blinds and around your windows that may have accumulated as your windows were left open. Also, clean your windows, allowing the sun to shine in without any streaks or fingerprints.
Vacuum Your Furniture
Lastly, take the time to vacuum your furniture. Vacuum your mattresses, your couch, and your recliner or loveseat. This removes crumbs, dirt, sand, and other debris that may have been left behind. Be sure to vacuum your furniture every few months. Doing so when the seasons change helps you remember to clean it on this cycle.
Fall cleaning can help your home to feel cleaner and cozier as you prepare to spend more time in your place during the cooler months ahead. If you're on the hunt for a new home, our apartments in Phoenix, Arizona, may be perfect for you. Swing by our apartment homes at Element Deer Valley to see what amenities and conveniences we can offer you.
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When you think of texture, you might envision cut-pile carpets or quilted wall hangings, and you would be correct. These are elements that add texture to a space, and they're vital because they provide interest and depth. A room without texture of any kind, or a room with too little texture, tends to feel flat or boring. It's the texture that livens up a space, both visually and by touch. Learn about the important design element of texture to help make apartments in Phoenix feel more cohesive.
Visual Versus Actual Texture
While it's true that you can feel many textures, there are just as many that are only visual. Picture a piece of artwork that's a macro image of a fall leaf. You can see the veins in the leaf. You can see the drops of dew sitting on the leaf, and you can see the edge of the leaf where it's bent forward and the back of the leaf shows. This is art that's adding texture to your space, even though you can't physically feel it.
Actual texture is the texture that you can physically feel with your hands — a braided rug, a bamboo placemat or a pillow made from faux fur are all elements that bring actual texture to a room.
Importance of Texture
Adding texture to your space is important because it provides both interest and depth. Both a dominant and contrasting texture should be present to keep boredom at bay and to keep your space from feeling flat or incomplete. Texture can be comforting and cozy, or it can be sleek and modern, depending upon the intent of the designer.
How to Add Texture
Adding texture to your space is as easy as bringing in items you love and pairing them with plain or solid decor elements such as white space, lines, and forms. Play around with your design until you find an arrangement that feels right for you to get the most from textures.
When you're ready to view Phoenix, AZ apartments, come see us at Element at Deer Valley. You're going to love our nine-foot ceilings, new appliances, and our full range of amenities to fit every lifestyle.
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average commute for American workers is rapidly closing in on a half-hour each way. The increasing commute time is a worrisome trend, as multiple studies have shown that long commutes can have negative health consequences. However, you can make use of your apartment amenities to offset these effects and establish a pleasant start and end to your day.
Peaceful Environment
Turn your Phoenix apartment into a private sanctuary. Keep things tidy, decorate with soothing colors, incorporate houseplants and use mood lighting. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll start relaxing the second you step through the door. Your vehicle practically becomes a second home when you have a long commute. Applying these same principles to your car interior can help you feel more at ease while driving.
Exercise
If your apartment community includes a gym, complete a short exercise routine before heading out and after coming back from work. Physical activity is a great way to relieve stress and combat the physical and mental fatigue that comes from sitting still in a car for long periods.
Socializing
Humans are social creatures by nature, and simply being in the presence of friends and family can help lift our mood after a hard day at work. Socializing doesn’t have to require anything elaborate. It can be as simple as chatting with neighbors while lounging next to your apartment's pool or inviting friends to play in the communal game room. If you live in a pet-friendly apartment community, take your dog for a nice walk or indulge in some serious cuddle time with your feline friend.
Element at Deer Valley is the pinnacle of apartment living in Phoenix. This pet-friendly community is strategically placed in the North Phoenix area, perfect for anyone looking for a short commute to Scottsdale or Phoenix or needing streamlined access to the airport. Residents enjoy luxurious amenities including an on-site gym, four pools with spas, billiards rooms, BBQ patios and more — making it easy to relax after a long commute. Contact our office today to see which floor plans are still available!
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Whether you're out and about or at home, accidents can occur when you least expect it. Having a stocked first aid kit may not be the miracle you're looking for, but it can go a long way to reducing the effects of a sudden injury or illness.
The Basics of First-Aid Kits
A well-stocked first-aid kit consists of safety supplies, medications, and emergency materials. And while each one may look a little different, experts recommend going overboard rather than the other way around. Items like gauze, adhesive tape, and cold packs will seem pretty obvious, as will things like pain relievers, allergy medications, and calamine lotion.
These are all common remedies that can make it easier to instantly treat a wound or ache. When it comes to injuries at the apartments in Phoenix, falling objects, cuts, sprains and burns all make the top 10 lists, so plan ahead accordingly. (Choking is also up there, so you may want to learn how to give yourself the Heimlich against a table or countertop just in case.)
One Step Further
You should have a variety of bandages (for different types of wounds), as well as antiseptics and antibiotic ointments. Some first aid kits will even have activated charcoal to counteract a poison or accidental overdose (although you should only use this if you're told to do so by poison control).
Before you close your kit, double-check for the following extra items:
- Cotton balls
- Gloves
- Syringe
- Thermometer
- Tweezers/scissors
- Plastic bags (for disposal of contaminated items)
- Emergency supplies (e.g., flashlights, candles, etc.)
Having these things on hand makes it easier and safer to administer treatment to yourself or to others. You don't have to touch the wound directly when you have gloves on and you may just be able to coax that splinter out on your own with tweezers.
Stocking a first aid kit isn't the most glamorous thing you can do with your weekend, but it may be the smartest move you ever make. If you're looking for an apartment complex that takes safety as seriously as you do, Element at Deer Valley may be exactly what you need to rest easy at night. Give us a call today to learn more about our facilities!
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Being a part of a community means more than simply living in a particular ZIP code. People love knowing that they are a part of something larger — a way to connect to their fellow humans through fellowship, service, and fun. Community events don't have to be intensive or overly time-consuming, so don't be worried! People have been joining community service organizations and helping others since the dawn of time, and it fulfills a fundamental missing piece in our lives to help others. Sure, you could leave it up to the professionals and elected representatives — but where's the fun in that? Here are all the reasons you'll ever need to get involved in community events in the Phoenix, Arizona, area.
Expand your network
It's true; you never know who you will meet during a community event. All kinds of people, from past presidents to celebrities, look for ways to improve the world around them, and community events fulfill that need. Who knows? You might meet your next employer — or future spouse!
Enhance your skill set
Are you looking for a way to get some on-the-job training for a new career without making a complete change? Getting involved with community events allows you to push yourself with new skills or tool kits, providing you with valuable knowledge that you can leverage in the future.
Make your voice heard
Depending on the organization, getting involved in the community may provide you with a way to share your thoughts and voice with a broader audience. You bring special expertise that is unique to you — and the world needs to hear from you!
Create a sense of ownership
Whether you are helping clean up a children's playground or helping build a ramp to a community center for the elderly, you will appreciate the sense of accomplishment and ownership each time you think of your community project. The positive vibes coming your way can encourage others to get involved, too.
Community is an incredibly important part of our life at Element Deer Valley in Phoenix, Arizona. While we are still close enough to allow you to commute to Phoenix, our friendly and refined style of living promotes harmony with the elements and our community. Learn more about the stunning locale of Element Deer Valley and our pet-friendly modern apartments online, or visit us today.
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