Blog Posts

Paper Snowflake Crafts

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the to-do that is caused by the December holidays, so today the Arrive Watertower Blog is taking our readers back to something simple — snowflakes! Decorate your apartment with an array of snowflakes, just the thing to introduce some wintertime fun to your sun-filled life. Today we’ve got tips and directions for making a variety of styles of snowflakes, so pull out the scissors and paper and you’ll be set to celebrate Make a Paper Snowflake Day on December 27th (or well before) here in Eden Prairie, MN. How to Make 6-Pointed Paper Snowflakes from Instructables If you’re a little rusty when it comes to making paper snowflakes, this clear, concise tutorial with photos will help you create beautiful snowflakes in 11 illustrated steps. It all begins with a square of paper and a pair of scissors. Nine Snowflake Patterns from Fun and Facts with Kids This post offers nine different patterns for you to create. Try your hand at the Flying M, Stars and Diamonds, Acorns and Hearts, and more! 3D Paper Snowflakes from Wikihow These snowflakes take the fold, cut, and unfold concept a step further. With a little more work, you can have a 3D masterpiece. Make some of various sizes to hang in your windows or from the ceiling. Clothespin Snowflakes from Stephanie Lynn These snowflakes bring an old-fashioned feel to holiday decorating. They can be made as a plain and simple ornament, or you can add glitter, feathers, or other bits and pieces to jazz them up. Use them as gift toppers, tree ornaments, or even wall hangers. Lace Snowflakes from Aunt Peaches Lace is lovely to look at, but we don’t often get out grandma’s lace tablecloth for everyday use, so perhaps it’s time to use it as the basis for a family heirloom. This blog teaches you how to make beautiful snowflakes from lace (get yours from a thrift shop if you can’t bear to cut up a tablecloth!). How long has it been since you made snowflakes? Which type did you opt to make? Let us know in the comments. Happy holidays to everyone in our apartment community!

Fall Home Scents to Set the Mood this Season

Getting your home ready for a celebration, especially one like Thanksgiving, is a big task that requires considering multiple elements, all at once! Today at the Arrive Watertower Blog we want to remind you not to overlook one important element: smell! Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner in your apartment or you simply want your Eden Prairie, MN apartment to welcome you to fall right, try these home scents for the right atmosphere. Fall Potpourri with Dried Fruit + Nuts from Hello Glow With a few ingredients you can put something together that not only deodorizes unpleasant smells but that also adds fresh, calming ones and adds something beautiful to your bathroom shelf or living room table. A potpourri is amazingly easy to put together, too! Just throw the ingredients in a jar, sprinkle with essential oils, and gently toss. Then you can move it to its new home or easily gift it to a friend. DIY Rosemary Wreath from Garden Answer All sorts of fall decorations can double as a source of refreshing smells. Find a rosemary plant and cut it up to display on your door, over a doorway, or on a wall. Garden Answer shows us just how easily you can make one with just some sprigs of rosemary, a wreath form, paddle wire, and ribbon. New Fall Fragrances from Yankee Candle® With a whole line of new fall fragrances at the ready, we couldn’t choose just one! A candle is an easy way to light up your favorite scents while setting the tone for an intimate, relaxed space. Choose a candle from this line or your another loved candle making shop. We’re particularly intrigued by Luscious Pumpkin Trifle and Poached Pear Flambé! What are your favorite fall scents, either DIY or store-bought? Let us know by leaving a comment! We hope you enjoy your favorite fall scents and the rest of your decorating and celebrating this month.

Tips for Throwing a Halloween Party at Your Apartment

It’s time to start planning a Halloween party at your Arrive Watertower apartment. Enjoy time with friends by playing games, eating Halloween treats, and having fun! Enjoy your month here in Eden Prairie, MN. Halloween Games Costume Contest This is an easy and a classic way to get everyone involved. Choose a few categories beforehand to help you judge the costumes. You can either have a board of judges that will choose the winning looks or you can have the guests choose their favorites. Either way, choose a variety of categories such as the scariest, funniest, most clever, and best overall costume. Each winner of the categories will go home with a prize. Halloween Movie Trivia Test your horror movie knowledge with some movie trivia perfect for the occasion. This is a fun game that all your guests will enjoy. Come up with some questions and play a game of your choosing. Or click on the link above to choose a game that will work for your group. Make it more fun by offering a cool prize to the winner. Halloween Treats Red Hot Candy Apples These apples coated in red hot candies have quite the kick of spicy cinnamon. The recipe comes from Mom Start . Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make these fiery apples: your favorite variety of apples, skewers or popsicle sticks, sugar, light corn syrup, red hot candies, red food coloring, and water. Pumpkin Spiced Shortbread with Apple Cider Buttercream If you like shortbread cookies, you will definitely like this Pumpkin Shortbread from The Cafe Sucre Farine. It’s topped with a decadent apple cider buttercream that everyone is sure to love. For the shortbread cookies, you’ll need these ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, flour, cornstarch, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla extract. For the buttercream frosting find apple cider, dark brown sugar, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and half and half. What’s your favorite Halloween party game? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading! Visit the Arrive Watertower Blog again next month for more apartment living tips and seasonal fun posts!

Holidays to Celebrate in September

September may not be the month you think of when it comes to holiday celebrations, but it can be full of opportunities for fun. This month you can find all kinds of quirky holidays to celebrate. Today our Arrive Watertower Blog has a list of some of these holidays for you to celebrate here in Eden Prairie, MN. Celebrate a holiday or two and enjoy! Read a Book Day (September 6) Celebrate this holiday by going to a public library or a bookstore near your apartment and looking for a new read. We suggest Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh and Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward if you’re looking for something newer. You could also pick up a classic book such as The Book Thief . Chocolate Milkshake Day (September 12) This is a holiday that deserves to be celebrated! Who doesn’t love a creamy chocolate milkshake? Visit an ice cream shop near you to pick one up, or make a shake at home with a few ingredients and a blender. Try this homemade chocolate milkshake recipe if you want an idea for where to start. National Apple Dumpling Day (September 17) National Apple Dumpling Day will get you in the mood for autumn in no time! Try out this recipe for old-fashioned apple dumplings to make your own. It’s sure to please your friends and family. Visit the a local farmer’s market to pick up fresh-picked apples and support local businesses while you do. Enjoy! Confucius Day (September 28) Confucius was a man who was estimated to have been born in 551 B.C. in China. He felt an obligation to bring good principles back to existence during a turbulent time in China. He believed in self-discipline as well as in loving others and having compassion. Celebrate Confucius Day, his birthday, on the 28th by living by one of his principles conveyed through his many quotes. Here are a few of his quotes : “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” “It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.” What holidays are you planning to celebrate this month? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading. Happy September!

Morning Routines

Having a morning routine can be the perfect thing to get you going in the morning at your apartment. Today, the Arrive Watertower Blog brings you some ideas on how to create the perfect morning routine. Read on for tips to keep you happy and energized throughout the day. Move Shake off that sleepy feeling by moving first thing in the morning. You can make it a slow and gradual process or a tough workout. Find what feels good for you and stick with it. Stretch out any tight spots in your back or neck from sleep, get your heart pumping, or go outside and breath in the fresh air — morning air can do wonders. Plan Out Your Day Maybe you like to plan out your day at night, in the morning, or on the weekends. Whatever you do, it’s always good to find a time to plan out what you need to do. Don’t get overwhelmed or put too much on your to-do list. Be realistic and set simple goals you can accomplish. Notice anything you may be worried about in your day and visualize that experience going exactly how you want it to go. Be confident that you can make your day great. Eat Breakfast Eating a healthy and filling breakfast is always important. Try adding extra protein to your breakfast to help you have the energy you need throughout the day. Think of all the good things you want to do that day and fuel your body accordingly. Set an Intention Set a goal for your day. Maybe you want to be productive, kind, happy, or healthy. Remember that intention throughout the day and act accordingly in order to achieve that goal. Take some time to ponder and meditate. Use the quiet morning hours to breathe and relax in order to have a focused day. Find a routine that is right for you, whether you use these tips or not. Do what you need to for a great day. Maybe that means giving yourself a little time to sleep in every once in awhile, listening to an energetic playlist, or eating your favorite cereal. What is your morning routine? What does or doesn’t work for you? Let us know in the comments. We hope you have a great month here in Eden Prairie, MN!

Books for Your Summer Reading List

Summer is the perfect time to make time for your goals and hobbies, especially ones that help you explore the world around you! This season is the prime time for traveling, but if you’ve got a book, you don’t even have to leave your Arrive Watertower apartment in Eden Prairie, MN to discover new worlds. Today we have books to put on your summer reading list to help you. Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart “From the author of the unforgettable New York Times bestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel--the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.” The Weight of Him by Ethel Rohan (2017) “In The Weight of Him Billy Brennan undergoes an unforgettable journey in a startling attempt to resurrect his family and reignite hearts, his own most of all....Told against the picturesque yet haunting backdrop of rural, contemporary Ireland, The Weight of Him is a big-hearted novel about loss and reliance that moves from tragedy to recrimination to what can be achieved when we take the stand of our lives.” The White Album by Joan Didion Joan Didion examines the wreck of the sixties with poignant and perceptive essays like “The White Album,” “James Pike, American,” “Holy Water,” “Georgia O’Keefe.” and “On the Morning After the Sixties.” Didion’s work, though no longer contemporary, still holds the bite and sting it held when first published. New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson “It is 2140. The waters rose, submerging New York City. But the residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been. Though changed forever. Every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island. Through the eyes of the varied inhabitants of one building, Kim Stanley Robinson shows us how one of our great cities will change with the rising tides.” What books are you currently reading? What are you looking forward to reading? Share your recommendations with the rest of us by leaving a comment! We hope you have a great time reading this summer!