Blog Posts

Spring Apartment Decorating Tips

Is your apartment ready for spring? Nantucket Gate Blog has a few decorating tips to help you bring the colors and feeling of spring into your Tacoma, WA apartment. Use these tips when decorating your home for a brighter and more inviting atmosphere. Paint the Walls If painting is allowed in your apartment, you can have some fun by painting the walls of your home. Make sure to double check your contract and the terms of your lease first before you start painting. You can easily add a bright and cheery spring look with muted yellows, pinks, oranges, and reds. Use Colorful Furniture and Pillows If painting your apartment is not an option, try adding some fun colored furniture, throw pillows, vases, or picture frames. Don’t go overboard, though — too many colors can be overwhelming and can make you feel stressed. Add little splashes of subtle color to draw the eye, but keep it minimal so your efforts don’t clash. Add Colorful or Patterned Rugs A rug can do a lot to bring a room together and open up a space. Add a fun pop of color to a room with a colorful or patterned rug . A colored rug can brighten up an otherwise plain room and bring it to life. Spring is the perfect time to experiment with bright colors and fun patterns in your apartment. Decorate with Houseplants and Flowers Bring life and color into your apartment with plants and flowers. If you are worried about forgetting to care for your plants, you can opt for a low maintenance houseplant or artificial plants and flowers. Bright and pastel colors will help summon springtime in your apartment. Hang Curtains Curtains can create a comfortable and put-together look for the living room. Generally, a neutral color will look best, but curtains can also work well to be an accent or bright color based on your color scheme. Curtains frame the window, making it look beautiful. What tips have you found useful when it comes to decorating your apartment for spring? Share them with us in the comments. Have fun decorating your apartment this month!

Eight Relaxation Tips

Life can get stressful; take a chance to breathe and relax this month at your Nantucket Gate apartment. In today’s blog post we’ll be sharing some relaxation tips so you can give yourself the break you deserve. We hope you have a peaceful week here in Tacoma, WA! 1. Exercise. Get your heart pumping. This can help you let go of worries, giving you a better sense of control over your life. It doesn’t matter what form of exercise you choose, there will be benefits. 2. Squeeze a stress ball. A stress ball can be a great way to take you out of stress-mode and into the present moment. Try out this DIY stress ball project from WikiHow to make your own. 3. Do some yoga. Yoga has been shown to have many benefits , one of which includes relieving stress. Let your mind and body become one through this practice. 4. Practice meditation. Meditation is a great way to let go of stress and worries. Spend a few minutes breathing and noticing your thoughts but choosing to keep your attention on your breath. Use Headspace if you’ve never practiced meditation before. 5. Take a hot bath. A bath can relax your body, therefore relaxing your mind. Use some bath salts or a bath bomb for an extra relaxing experience. 6. Drink tea. Tea can be calming to the body and mind. Try sipping chamomile tea before bed or drink some green tea during the day. 7. Get outside. Going outside to get some fresh air may be just what you need to feel better. Spend time outside each day for long-term benefits. 8. Take a break. When you’re starting to feel overwhelmed by something, take a break. Get up, stretch, breathe, or do something you enjoy for a few minutes. For more tips and ideas check out this list from Greatist. Do you have any other tips or ideas that you would add to our list? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Films for Women's History Month

Were you aware that every March is National Women’s History month? Here at Nantucket Gate Blog we invite you to reflect on the important contributions women throughout history have made to our society. We think that one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to do this is through film! This month, take an evening to watch one of the following films in your Tacoma, WA apartment: On the Basis of Sex In this film, join young Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she fights for equal rights between men and women. Before Ginsburg became one of the most well-known supreme court justices, she started off as an attorney with little success. When she and her husband agree to undertake a case together, it not only changes the course of her entire career, but it also shaped the way courts would handle gender discrimination forever. Mary Queen of Scots Rather than getting remarried after becoming a widow at 18, Queen of France Mary Stuart attempts to claim the throne in her native Scotland. At this time, however, Elizabeth I rules both England and Scotland, and she isn’t about to give up some of her power. In this compelling historical drama, witness two strong female leaders fight for power in a masculine world. Hidden Figures During the Space Race of the 20th century, sending someone into orbit was nearly the most sought after achievement possible. This film adds further insight into the story of the first American to orbit the earth, and specifically the genius behind this feat, which came in the form of three gifted Black women. Before Hidden Figures, their efforts were largely unrecognized. This month, enjoy one of the most empowering films of the decade! How do you plan to observe National Women’s History Month? Share your thoughts with our apartment community here in Tacoma, WA by leaving a comment below!

National Day of Unplugging

Every March on the first Friday of the month, we get to celebrate a National Day of Unplugging . Even though this day has already passed this year, we here at Nantucket Gate Blog thought it would be a good idea to share a few simple suggestions so that those in our apartment community could take a day to unplug from electronics. It may not be the easiest task in the world, but we know it will feel good to do it! As you opt to unplug, try out one of these tips to help you: Start Off the Right Way How often do you start scrolling through your phone directly after waking up? This month, we suggest that you make an effort to make your first action of the day something intentional that will benefit you personally. Rather than immediately checking your inbox, put your phone down after you turn your alarm off to meditate or go on a quick walk around the block. Whether you have enough time to complete an entire workout routine or you only have a few simple minutes to breathe or wash your face, start your day off with something beneficial to you. Take Along a Book If you’re anything like us, we suspect that any time you take public transport or wait in line somewhere, you pass time by mindlessly scrolling through your social media feeds. Instead of doing something like this that is actively destroying your ability to focus, we recommend you bring a book along wherever you go to pull out and read in moments like these! These moments may seem short and insignificant, but you’ll be surprised how much reading you can accomplish one page at a time. Get Outside It’s no surprise that in the age of endless streaming options and constant digital distractions, it takes more deliberateness to spend time outside. Sometime this month, make a conscious decision to spend a moment outside of your apartment rather than being in front of a screen. Go on a specific outdoor adventure you have always wanted to go on — like a certain hike or camping trip — or just take a walk around your neighborhood. Either way, be deliberate about getting outside your apartment and into the fresh air. Unplug With Friends Create an experience or two where both you and the friends you are with spend time together collectively unplugged. Without distractions in the form of notifications, memes, and Instagram stories, you’ll be able to connect with the people you care about in a deeper and more meaningful way. This doesn’t mean you always have to put your screens away around others, but it will likely be a good experiment that will help you reevaluate how you use electronics around others. Thanks for reading our post today! We hope you have some beautiful moments away from your phone this month here in Tacoma, WA.

Fitness Center Tips

If you don’t already have a consistent exercise routine, we imagine that from time to time you think about how to make room for one in your busy schedule. Fortunately, living in our Nantucket Gate apartment community means that you have access to a complimentary fitness center. We think the best way to implement more working out into your daily lives is to start with the resources in front of you! Today, our blog has a few simple tips to using the fitness center: Bring a Friend The familiar location and the scaled-down size of our fitness center will likely make your experience exercising a little less intimidating, but it’s never a bad idea to bring a friend along with you to the fitness center. Having a designated person to interact with eases the tension and pressure of doing things the “right way” at the gym. Chances are, there are plenty of people right here within our community who are looking for a fitness buddy, as well! Don’t Skip the Weights For someone new to the fitness center, it can seem appealing to stick with the familiar and intuitive stuff like the treadmill, the stationary bike, and the elliptical machine. While cardio is an important component of fitness, it’s a mistake to replace strength training with more cardio. You may not intend to get ripped or to gain a significant amount of muscle, but a moderate amount of weight training using both free weights and weight machines will help keep your body in working order. When combined with cardio, it’s also the optimal way to burn calories! Turn Off Notifications While phones can be a helpful tool at the fitness center, they can also get in the way of you having a successful workout. Apps like timers and music might enhance your workout, while messages and social media will slow it down. We recommend putting your phone on airplane mode while at the fitness center! Include Something Fun Last but not least, we think that in order to sustain a lifestyle of fitness and exercise, it’s crucial to include something you love doing in your mix. For those who enjoy basketball, we’re lucky enough to have a full-sized indoor court, right here in our community! If shooting hoops isn’t your style, find a way to make your time in the fitness center more fun. You could watch a movie while you run, lay down a mat and follow along to an upbeat workout routine, or create an energetic playlist. Even more, you could incorporate another sport or physical activity you love to do somewhere in Tacoma, WA outside of the fitness center into your weekly schedule! We hope these simple suggestions will help you know how to take better advantage of our fitness center. Thanks for reading!

DIY Body Scrubs

It can be tempting to spend a lot of money on a nice body scrub, but did you know you can make high-quality scrubs from the comfort of your own apartment for much less? This week, Nantucket Gate Blog is here to share with you some of our favorite skin scrub recipes. Keep your skin happy and healthy this time of year by making one of these! Green Tea Scrub Are you looking for something to help your skin to feel more rejuvenated? This green tea body scrub might be just what you need. Not only will this scrub leave your skin feeling soft and moisturized, but it will also help to tighten it up and reduce any scarring that you may have. You’ll need coconut oil, green tea bags, and white sugar. Coconut Oatmeal Scrub Perfect for scrubbing your hands or for any other other part of your body, this coconut oatmeal scrub will exfoliate your skin and leave it feeling as smooth as ever. It also has brown sugar in it, so if you are hoping to remove facial blackheads, this might be a great option! Just make sure to keep the scrub away from your eyes. Honey and Blueberry Face Scrub This face scrub is filled with ingredients that can do wonders for your skin! Since blueberries are filled with both Vitamin C and antioxidants, this scrub is a great way to treat your skin to all these nutrients that you usually save for the inside of your body. On top of that, honey is a natural anti-inflammatory, and so it is a great way to keep your skin calm and blemish free. Coffee Foot Scrub Don’t let the color of this scrub scare you away, because it will do wonders for your feet! The two main ingredients are coffee ground and bananas, and when combined, they will both tone your feet and get them smooth at the same time. This scrub is perfect as you prepare to start showing off your feet in sandals again, or for any time you want to make your feet feel like a million bucks. Do you have a favorite sugar or salt scrub recipe? Let the rest of our Tacoma, WA apartment community know in the comments below!