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Ways to Decorate a Holiday Tree

If you enjoy decorating your Liv Avenida apartment for the seasons or the holidays, you’re never too late to get started. Whether you have your decorations up already, you’re looking for new ideas for festive finishing touches, or you want to add some cheer to another room you’re visiting, continue reading for holiday tree decoration ideas. Chandler, Arizona just got a little more cheerful and bright! Gingerbread Tree Martha Stewart features this beautiful tree that showcases a village within its branches. This is a fun way to add a bit of rustic charm to your tree. Bake some gingerbread cookies (Martha Stewart suggests creating different hues with honey and molasses) and hang them up for a look at a new world. Arts and Crafts Tree from House Beautiful This idea takes craftiness to an elegant level by using “artfully hung” Chinese silk pincushions and silk flowers for decoration. But if your idea of arts-and-craft ornaments is more along the lines of an ornament made of popsicle sticks and your elementary school picture, go for that! Make your holiday tree crafty by embracing the nostalgia and making use of your old ornaments or making your own with your friends and loved ones. Chalkboard Tree from HGTV If you don’t have much space for the evergreen of your dreams, never fear! You can create the look in your home (or even make it a portable one) by simply purchasing a frameless chalkboard and using your skills to draw your own. Get inspired by the photo in this article and make your own pom pom garland, or use different colored chalk to decorate as you wish. Teepee Foliage Tree from Homeology Make your tree easily storable and unique by trying this clever idea. We love how visually interesting the homemade teepee structure and wrapped foliage captures the essence of a green thumb in the home. Try it out and let us know how it works! What are your favorite ways to decorate or make your own holiday tree? Let us know in the comments! Thanks for reading. We hope you enjoy these ideas!

How to Give a Great Gift

It’s officially the biggest season of giving, so today the Liv Avenida Blog is here to give you ideas on how to make the most of this great tradition. However you spend your season, if you’re giving a gift to someone in or around Chandler, AZ, remember these tips and ideas for making your gift one your recipient will love and appreciate. Make it personal. Gift giving is fun because it prompts the giver to consider the wishes and needs of the recipient — this could be something fun, practical, and enjoyable. Every gift that is either store-bought or homemade, expensive or completely free, can be a hit if it shows the recipient that you care about them and their needs. Have someone in mind? Think back to your experiences with this person. Make the gift you choose to be one that is nostalgic and preserves a memory. Or, rack your brains for any passing mention they may have made relating to what they want. They’ll appreciate that you noticed and remembered. Keep it simple. Of course, as you’re seeking to personalize gifts, remember that your gift doesn’t have to be the best or most creative gift in the world. A great guideline is to give someone “something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” This covers about everything, so just get the logistics sorted out and make sure it suits their tastes and you’ll be set! Be upfront. If you’re still stuck in finding just the right gift, remember that many people may even prefer that you ask them straight up what they want. If you’re going to be spending time, money, or other resources to give someone something, they should actually want it! Ask them what is on their wish list, and don’t be afraid to ask who else they may have given this information to so you can collaborate and avoid giving repeat gifts. If you’re concerned about the lack of a surprise, don’t fret! The surprise can still be there if you don’t tell them what you’re getting. And even if you are totally transparent, they’ll still appreciate you for considering their wishes and going through the effort to fulfill them. What are your best tips for giving a memorable, personal, thoughtful gift? Share your ideas with us in the comments. Good luck choosing the perfect gift and enjoy the holidays in the comfort of your apartment.

Movies Coming Out this December

Get your winter entertainment on by watching your favorite holiday movie in your apartment here at Liv Avenida. If you need to get out of the apartment, though, head to your favorite theater in Chandler, AZ and catch one of these great new films that are hitting the big screen. December 15th Star Wars: The Last Jedi — Action, Adventure, Fantasy “Having taken her first steps into the larger Jedi world, Rey joins Luke Skywalker on an adventure with Leia, Finn and Poe that unlocks mysteries of the Force and secrets of the past.” Ferdinand — Animation, Adventure, Comedy “After Ferdinand, a bull with a big heart, is mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure.” December 20th Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle — Action, Adventure, Comedy “Four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game’s jungle setting becoming the adult avatars they chose.” December 22nd Pitch Perfect 3 — Comedy, Music “Following their win at the world championship, the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices.” Downsizing — Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi “A social satire in which a guy realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself.” December 25th Phantom Thread — Drama “Set in 1950’s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.” What movies (on or off this list) are you looking forward to seeing this month? Let us know in the comments! We hope you enjoy these and any other movies you watch this December.

Five Steps to Becoming More Thankful

Thanksgiving was last week, but it’s still November, the month of giving thanks. If you were too preoccupied with preparing for Thanksgiving to make an effort toward having an attitude of gratitude (or if you simply want to be grateful all year long), try these tips. They’ll make a difference in your Liv Avenida apartment community, out in Chandler, AZ, or anywhere else in the world! Write down what you’re grateful for every day. Get in the habit of expressing gratitude for your blessings. It will make you more mindful of your blessings throughout the day, which will help you look for and notice positive things always. Change the way you speak. If there are areas you think your speech could improve, make those changes. Changing how you react verbally to something helps you control your temper and be more of a happy, calm person. That attitude will help you see other people and life challenges as not things that threaten you but as things you can learn from and appreciate. Stop comparing yourself to others. You are a good person because of who you are, and the same goes for others. However competitive life seems, remember that we’re all going through life together, so we should make it enjoyable. Help friends and coworkers succeed. Celebrate victories and encourage others. Be happy for others and for yourself. You deserve it, and they do, too. Live in the moment. Life is here for you to enjoy, so don’t let it pass you by. Find something to be passionate about at work, school, or home. Gain confidence in yourself by trying a new hobby or practicing an old skill. Spend more time with the people you love, and be all there when you are. Own up to your mistakes, forgive others, and try to improve interpersonal relationships. This seems like a lot, and it is. But we have a whole lifetime to practice it all. Serve others. Looking outward and serving others can help you see new ways to love and appreciate them. Service humanizes those you interact with and makes you more affectionate toward them. It makes you think of what they need and how you can fill those needs. Even if others don’t seem grateful for you, you can be grateful for the chance to help them, improve yourself, and add some good to the world. How do you train yourself to be more thankful? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading! Good luck!

Recipes for a Delightful Thanksgiving Dinner

Welcome back to the Liv Avenida Blog! We hope you’re having fun going on our fall journey this month as you prepare your apartment and your schedule for Thanksgiving here in Chandler, AZ. This Thursday is the big day, so if you don’t have your menu ready for the big dinner, try one of these suggestions. We have great ideas for sides anyone will love. The Most Amazing Oven Roasted Corn Skip the canned or boiled corn and go for simple, flavorful corn on the cob. Do as the author of this recipe does and cut the corn niblets off any leftovers to use in salads or homemade chicken pot pie recipes. This will give your plate and your palate a distinct fresh, flavorful break from all the thick gravy. Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes Everyone has their favorite way of making mashed potatoes. If you haven’t found yours yet (or if you simply want to try something new), try this recipe! As the author says, the “whipping cream and butter provide a rich creaminess that will make your potatoes stand out.” You’ll be proud to bring this dish to the table. Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler Pumpkin, pecans, and cobbler are each by themselves a stellar fall classic. Combine them all together in this well-thought-out recipe for the “ultimate fall dessert.” Top the cake with ice cream and dig in to discover the hot caramel sauce on the bottom — and the pecans on your way there! My Favorite Sausage Bread Stuffing Get the perfect blend of flavor, moistness, and crispiness in a stuffing by trying out this blogger’s favorite — the one she always ends up going back to. With just the right amounts of bread, poultry seasoning, Italian sausage, yellow onions, celery, butter, eggs, sage, chicken stock, and salt, this may become a new favorite for you. What are your favorite Thanksgiving dinner sides or recipes? Share with the rest of the apartment community by leaving a comment. We hope you have a fantastic holiday! Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Crafts to Grace Your Apartment With

Last week on the Liv Avenida Blog we talked about keeping your apartment in order for the holidays. We mentioned that decorating your apartment should be an art so you avoid cluttering up what you’ve just cleaned. Try some of these ideas from bloggers all over the internet if you want to create a fall vision for your apartment here in Chandler, AZ. Fall prints and graphics This idea isn’t necessarily a craft, but you can craft a beautiful art aesthetic for your home by incorporating one or more of these prints, pillows, mugs, and blankets in your apartment. Oftentimes simply switching out a summery looking throw blanket with a warm-toned one can be all you need for a transition to a new season. Check out these products for inspiration! “Give Thanks” mantel Add rustic charm to a shelf or bookcase in your apartment by mimicking this look and color scheme. The author of this blog post used burlap to make the “GIVE” banner and mini white pumpkins for the “THANKS” focal point. She used empty brown frames, cream pitchers, wheat bundles, ribbon, cardstock, and extra pieces of burlap to pull it all together. This is a great way to create something that nicely blends in with the rest of your apartment decor and gives your home a nice touch of fall. Thanksgiving table setting Make Thanksgiving dinner the star of your home decorating by copying the ideas in this getup. Use butcher paper and paint for the table runner. Make it extra long so you can paint “give thanks” on the bit hanging over the end of the table’s short side. Then put together a short flower arrangement and bust out your best dishes, warm-toned napkins, and mini white pumpkins for the place settings. It will make your guests feel like they’re dining like fall harvest royalty! What are your favorite color schemes or fall decoration ideas? Let us know by leaving a comment so we can get inspired in our own decorating! Thanks for reading. Have fun!