Blog Posts

Make Your Own Coffee Syrups in Your Tacoma Apartment

How many of you begin your day with a large cup of coffee? Most of us can use a pick-me-up in the morning, especially when we need to be up early for work or school. And while there are plenty of places to get coffee in Tacoma, their prices can add up quickly. Its a lot less expensive to make your own coffee at home. Although, its not just the coffee at those shops, is it? Its the great variety of flavors and add-ins that they have available. There are nearly as many ways to prepare coffee as there are people drinking it! But theres no reason why you cant prepare whatever variety of coffee that you want at homeyou can buy your own creamers and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg at nearly any grocery store. And as for all of those flavored syrups that your favorite coffee cafÃ© has, well . . . you can make your own. Its actually extremely easy. All you need to do is boil equal parts of water and sugar (honey is also a viable option in place of sugar). Once the sugar is dissolved, you can add whatever flavoring you want. Some of our favorites are mint extract or peppermint essential oil, caramel sauce, and vanilla extract. Or you can mix and match to create more creative flavorings! Orange extract and vanilla extract combine for a great orange cream syrup, for instance, while lavender oil and brown sugar make a tasty, aromatic mix. For storage, you can usually find oil drizzling bottles at many stores for low prices or online at DollarTree.com . Many come with their own convenient labelsyou can make a whole shelf of brightly colored, beautiful syrups. Most homemade syrups will keep for several months on a shelf at room temperature. The shelf life will depend on the ingredients you useoils and extracts will make a longer-lasting syrup than fresh ingredients, so keep an eye on what you put in each one. Have any other great ideas for making your own fancy coffee mixes at home? Let us know in the comments!

Tips for Organizing Your Tacoma Bathroom

Keeping a bathroom organized can be an exercise in futility for all but the most obsessive individuals. Between cleaning supplies, toiletries and various other bathroom products, the average bathroom can quickly turn into a cluttered mess. Share the bathroom with anyone else, and the problem gets exponentially worse. The solution to this, Ive found, is a creative approach to storage. If you can keep everything organized and in its place, you will have a much easier time keeping the clutter under control. One of my favorite DIY DÃ©cor blogs, removeandreplace.com recently put together this list of bathroom organization and storage ideas you can use to get some inspiration. Like with all DIY sites, a lot of the projects included here require you to permanently modify your walls in one form or another. While you cant undertake those kinds of projects in your apartment, there are still plenty of minimal impact modifications you can make to get that clutter under control. You can start by making the most out of every surface, including the top of the toilette, with various kinds of containers. Anything from a tin bucket, to a wooden box, to an old watering can will help keep things organized, while displaying them in a creative way. You can store anything from soaps and loofas to extra towels in one of these containers; get bonus style points by color coordinating everything with the rest of the bathroom dÃ©cor! Baskets are great for creating or otherwise optimizing storage space. You can easily compartmentalize an under-sink cabinet with a couple of baskets or small crates. The removeandreplace article even has a couple of examples where baskets have been suspended in order to create some unique shelving for lightweight items. Whether strung together and hung from a hook in the ceiling or secured to towel rods, baskets can be an excellent way to increase storage space while adding a touch of style to your bathroom. Youll notice that shelving is a very common method of increasing storage space. If you dont have shelving available, you can work around this in a variety of ways. First of all, make use of the shower caddy! Store all of those wet and soapy shower supplies together in one of these space saving staples. It doesnt need to be one of those cheap, plastic things that ends up looking disgusting after a few weeks, either. There are plenty of options for a stylish shower caddy out there, for those with more discerning tastes. In addition to the traditional caddies that hang from the showerhead, you can get tension mounted shower shelf systems. These can be used in the shower, or simply tucked against a corner, to create shelving without the need for power tools. You can simulate shelving in a narrow space by leaning a small ladder against the wall. Choose a wooden ladder with deep, flat planks for rungs to maximize the surface area of the shelf. Just make sure it isnt too tall to fit in the room. You can sand and stain the ladder, or try some antiquing depending on the look you want. When its dry you can further compartmentalize with baskets/containers of some kind, or just place items directly on the rungs. Alternatively, a ladder with thin, round rungs can be used as a stylish substitute for a traditional towel rack. While the suggestions here may work very well for my personal type of style, they are, by no means, the only options. Find some decorating blogs that match your style and youll be sure to find a wealth of ideas from people with similar tastes. All you need is a little inspiration and determination, and you can have the bathroom of your Tacoma apartment looking like something out of a designers showroom in no time!

Museum of Flight near Tacoma

Humankinds first powered flight took place on December 17th, 1903a short, straight glide of 120 feet. Since then, we have learned to fly across continents, oceans, around the globe, and even into space. If youve ever been interested in learning more about the amazing achievements in flight that humans have pursued and achieved, then youre in luck: Nantucket Gate Apartments in Tacoma is located less than an hours drive away from the famous Museum of Flight in Seattle. The Museum of Flight features an impressive variety of exhibits, ranging from The Birth of Aviation to Space: Exploring the New Frontier. Visitors are invited to explore fighters from World War I and World War II, sit in the cockpit of a replica Hornet fighter or a genuine SR-71A Blackbird, and even explore SAM 970, the original Air Force One. Other hands-on exhibits include a visit to an air control tower and a tour of the genuine Space Shuttle Trainer Crew Compartment. Special exhibits and education programs are also available for youth from ages five to seventeen, including the Challenger Learning Center, where students can learn about astronauts and the NASA space program. If youre interested in the amazing exhibits of the Museum of Flight, you can attend seven days a week between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Admission prices are $19 dollars for adults and $11 for youths. Check out their site here for more information.

Best Dog Breeds For Your Tacoma Apartment

Have you had a chance to review our pet policy here at Nantucket Gate? We welcome cats and dogs that weigh less than twenty pounds. If you didnt have a pet when you moved in, why not take advantage of the opportunity to find an animal companion now? To help you out, we went to PetGuide.com for their advice on the best dog breeds for apartment livingall of these little pooches are small enough to qualify for our pet policy. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: These fellas are friendly and easy going, and tend to get along great with other tenants and their pets. Plus, they dont take up much space. Pug: Lets face itpugs are adorable. Theyre also compact and even-tempered, though youll want to make sure to give them regular walks to help them keep from getting too roly-poly. Bichon Frise: These adorable little dogs have lots of energy, so youll want to give them plenty of time in the Bark Park. But theyre much quieter than most people would expect, and theyre lots of fun to play with. Chinese Crested: Many people might not love the look of the Chinese Crested, but they are loving companions and well-suited to apartment living. Shih Tzu: Small, happy, and moderate in energy, Shih Tzus tend to be great apartment companions, as long as you dont mind grooming all of that hair! (But thats why we offer dog-grooming services, remember.) Chihuahua: First, lets clear up one thingmost Chihuahuas arent hairless. Most have short coats of fur, while a few have quite long, flowing hair, and all of them are adorable. They tend to enjoy barking, but that can be trained down to minimal levels; and once thats done, youll have an affectionate, intelligent, fast-learning companion that will just love every bit of attention you give them. Yorkshire Terrier: Another great terrier breed, the Yorkie is cute, cuddly, compact, and reasonably quiet. Yorkies are usually great with new people and situations, to boot, so you dont have to worry about them causing trouble if you have people over. What other dogs do we have here at Nantucket Gate, and how well do they adapt to Tacoma apartment living? Let us know in the comments!

New Year s Eve Events in Tacoma

The New Year: parties, resolutions, beginnings. Out with the old, and in with the new! It might all sound like a clichÃ©, but thats no reason that we cant all enjoy it. New Years resolutions might be notoriously difficult to stick with, but when you do, it is worth it. There is always something we want to improve about ourselves; and usually, the only thing standing in our way is us. All we need is some firm resolve, and we can change. So take advantage of the new year, and make a resolution or two! But before we can bring in the New Year, we need to ring out the old! Everyone has a different way of celebrating New Years Evesome people like to get together with friends, while others prefer a quiet evening at home. Still others just sleep through the whole thing! But for many of us, parties and entertainment are the way to go. And fortunately, the Tacoma area is full of great New Years Eve events. One of the largest is Tacomas First Night : First Night Tacoma-Pierce County is a family-friendly, arts-centered, alcohol free celebration of New Year's Eve that takes place throughout the downtown Tacoma theater district. A First Night button costing approximately $10 ($14 Day of Event) is all it takes to gain admission to a number of different activities during the daylight hours. Children under the age of 10 are admitted free of charge. The main event kicks off at 6pm by a participatory parade that includes marching bands, costumes, masks and giant puppets. As the parade ends music, dance, laughter fire and magic light up 20 different stages and spaces until midnight. The outdoor events are free to all festival goers. The theme for this coming year is built around the Year of the Ram. We'll feature activities that will play with various aspects of the theme, utilizing artists from the community. And of course, everyone gathers at the outdoor main stage at midnight to join in music, dance, fire and wonder as we wish well the New Year. If that doesnt sound like your style, then check out these lists of events going on in Tacoma , Seattle , and the Kitsap Peninsula . Youre sure to find something youll enjoy. Happy New Year to all of our residents here at Nantucket Gate!

Surprising Things You Can Recycle From Your Tacoma Apartment

Its always a great idea to save and recycle anything you can. Most of us know about basic recyclablesthings like paper, metal, and plastic. But if youre looking for a little more that you can do to help the environment, here are a few items that most people dont know that they can recycle: Holiday lightsit doesnt matter what holiday theyre from; if youve got a strand of burnt-out old lights, the folks at HolidayLEDs are eager to have them. You can simply mail them in, and they will shred them up and sort out the recyclable PVC, glass, and copper to be used for something new. Mattressesbecause of their size, mattresses can often be difficult to dispose of. Fortunately, services such as 1-800-GOT-JUNK are happy to take old mattresses off of your hands. Recycling factories can separate the wood, metal, foam, and cloth to be used in various recycled products. CDsbecause theyre made of polycarbonate, CDs wont decompose in a landfill. But you can send them to The CD Recycling Center, where theyll be shredded and then malted down to be used in automotive and building materials, or could even become part of the pavement in the roads you drive on! ShoesThere are plenty of charities that take gently-used shoes to be given to those in need. But what about your shoes that have almost fallen apart from wear? Send them to Nike Grind, where theyll be ripped apart for re-use. The rubber is melted down for running track surfaces, the foam is converted into tennis court cushioning, and the fabric is used to pad basketball court floorboards. So far, theyve shredded over twenty-eight million pairs of shoes. Crayonsdo you have a box full of broken, worn-down nubs of crayons? Send them to the National Crayon Recycle center, where theyll be melted down, remade, and resold. The program has saved over forty-seven thousand pounds of crayons. Roofing Materialsyou might not be worried about roofing materials here at Nantucket Gate, but if the day comes where you find yourself with a pile of old roofing materials, make sure you recycle them! Most roofing materialsincluding tile, shingles, asphalt, wood, clay, aluminum, and steelcan be recycled. Fishing linefishing line is specifically designed not to biodegrade, so that it will endure years of use in harsh conditions. However, that also means that it cant be recycled in normal recycling bins. Instead, you can send it in to Berkley Fishing, where they will recycle the material (along with other recyclables) into fish-friendly habitats. Wine corkscompanies like Terracycle and Yemm and Hart can turn your old wine corks into tile for flooring, walls, and veneer. Another company, Recork, passes them along to Canadian sandal maker SOLE. Pantyhosemost pantyhose are made of nylon, which can take over forty years to decompose. But if you send them in to No Nonsense, they will grind them up into all sorts of new productpark benches, playground equipment, carpet, and even toys. Were sure theres lots of other surprising things in your Tacoma apartments that can be recycled. If you know of any, let us know in the comments. If we get enough, we can do another article to let everyone know.