Blog Posts

Unique Mother's Day Cards to Make or Buy

May is here, and that means that Mother’s Day is coming up soon. The Liv Northgate Blog has ideas for making or buying a unique card for your mother (or another favorite mother) in your life. Shop online, in a brick and mortar store here in Gilbert, AZ, or scope out your apartment for supplies to make a clever card. Whatever kind of card you decide on, be sure to include a handwritten personal message expressing your love and admiration. Take a look at the cards we found to get your imagination flowing: Cards to Make Mother’s Day Card This DIY Mother’s Day card from Love Grows Wild incorporates a page of sheet music into its design. Liz, the author of the blog says, “I love using sheet music or book pages on my cards...it adds a vintage touch and lots of fun detail to the card.” We think this is a perfect card for a mother who loves music. Mother’s Day Cut Out Card Use a photo of your mom and you in this card, and get creative with cutouts to get a peek. You’ll need card stock, pencil, craft knife, eraser, photo, calligraphy pen (or marker), envelope. The blogger says, “As a mother now myself I can say handmade is thoughtful and appreciated” — we agree! Better Homes & Gardens has a wonderful selection of mother’s day cards to give you inspiration — many with easy-to-follow directions. We especially love the Butterfly Mother’s Day card . Give it a try! Cards to Buy Origami Foxes Mother’s Day Card Origami meets sensation in these classy, handmade cards featuring origami foxes attached to linen card. The inside is blank so you can add a personal message, and the card comes with an envelope. These are custom made to order and are ready to ship within 1-2 business days. Bird’s Nest 3D Pop-Up Box Card Surprise! Your mother will love this “bright and vibrant” 3D box card which is “delicately embossed to give the box card special texture and dimension.” This and similar creations are available on Etsy. Papyrus has a large selection of Mother’s Day cards ranging from cute to elegant to cards intended for your grandmother, daughter, or wife. Papyrus accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. Your card won’t be charged until the order ships. We hope you enjoy creating memories via Mother’s Day cards this month. Share your favorite ideas with us in the comments. Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers in our apartment community and remember, Father’s Day is coming up next month!

Antiques Shops and Venues in the Gilbert Area

As promised, this time the Liv Northgate Blog is highlighting several places in the Gilbert, AZ area where you can find an antique, vintage item, or collectible to add to your apartment decor, to give to a friend, or to resell. We have both online and physical options to share. We’ll start with an online venue. If you’re on Facebook, there is a group that may be of interest. While it does include yard sale and garage sale items, there are also many collectibles and antique items posted for sale. Do your homework on any item you are considering, and of course abide by the posted guidelines for the group: Garage Yard Sales And Collectables and Antiques Arizona . C&J’s Antiques and Garden Hours: 10am – 5pm, Tues – Sat Located in a quaint old-fashioned Gilbert home, this shop is another place to visit when you are looking to get an antique piece of furniture for your apartment or an idea for a gift. One reviewer said, “Such a cute little house filled to the brim with wonderful antiques! Thank you for letting my family stop by yesterday. Such a sweetheart lady behind the counter. We will definitely be back!” — Victoria S. Facebook Review Merchant Square Antiques Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri and Sat: 10am – 6pm, Wed: 10am – 8pm, and Sun: 10am – 5pm With over 58,000 square feet and more than 200 merchants featuring antiques, vintage items, and collectibles in a combined 234 booths and glass cases, you’ll be sure to find something that tickles your fancy! This venue also features an outdoor garden area. This is what one California visitor had to say: “Visited this place January 2018. It is huge!! Lots of booths, count on spending more than an hour at this store. They even have maps with stall numbers so you can mark on your map what booth you want to come back to. . . . This is their only location and I would drive back 7 hours to come back to this store again.” GRG — Yelp reviewer . Where is your favorite place to shop for antiques and vintage items in the Gilbert, Arizona area? Let us know in the comments! Thanks for reading today’s post.

Vintage, Antique, or Collectible? Learning the Difference

There are many different ways to decorate your Liv Northgate apartment here in Gilbert, AZ, including going with a vintage theme in one room or the whole apartment. But just what is vintage, or antique, or retro, for that matter? What about collectibles? Today our blog post is focused on learning some basics about these terms. Next time we’ll share some places you can shop to find the perfect piece to add to your apartment decor or give as a gift. Some Definitions Antiques are items that are at least 100 years old. (For cars it’s 25 years old.) Vintage refers to items that are at least 20 years old. Collectibles are popular items that people like to collect. They may or may not be vintage or antique, but they often are. Retro is something (particularly clothes) that looks out of style for the current time period. Provenance is the written history or proof of a piece’s authenticity, and it is most often found with more expensive items. It is a paper trail for an antique and may include purchase receipts, marketing materials, documents from auctions houses, and even photographs of the piece that establish or prove its history. On Value A general concept in the antique community regarding value is summed up with this adage: A piece is worth as much as you’re willing to pay for it. This concept encompasses the idea that following your heart when it comes to shopping for antiques is okay — just be sure to balance the desires of your heart with your budget. Receipts When it comes to antiques, always get a receipt, even for a cash purchase. The receipt should include the age of the item, the material it’s made from, any damage or restoration, its value, and the price you paid. Be sure to find out the return policy of the shop or vendor in case you need to return an item, and if the item is a gift, find out if a gift receipt is available. Next time, we’ll share some places you can find antiques, vintage and retro items, and collectibles in the Gilbert, AZ area. Thanks for reading today’s post! We hope you found it informative.

Ideas for Your Liv Northgate Balcony or Patio

When it comes to apartment living at Liv Northgate, your balcony or patio is an integral part of your space, and one of our most popular amenities . Today we are sharing some ideas for decorating and using this typically underutilized area to bring a piece of the outdoors in. What better time than to do it in April, before our Arizona weather gets too hot? Gardening Grow a mini garden on your balcony or patio. Living in an apartment means you don’t have your own plot of earth for gardening, but you can create a container-based herb garden on your balcony. We like these 8 ideas for growing an herb garden from Balcony Gardening. Wall Decor Use the wall of your balcony to display items you wouldn’t necessarily hang inside; how about a kite collection to add a splash of color, or your favorite fishing rod and net? Colorful tapestries create a focal point on a balcony wall, and strings of lights create an ambiance for relaxing evening enjoyment. Furniture Your patio or balcony is there for you to enjoy, so as you’re decorating it, make seating a priority. You don’t want to overfill the space, but you will want to have some sort of comfortable seating — a chair or two, or perhaps a bench — so you can enjoy the beauty of Arizona without feeling crowded with furniture or other decorations. Color Use color to create a relaxing oasis with muted tones of blues, greys, and the like, or create a vibrant space with bright, contrasting colors. Pillows, throws, and cushions are all places to add some color. Paint your furniture, be creative and express your personality with varying colors and textures. Check out these ideas for 14 Ways to Make Your Patio Pop With Color . Try out one of these ideas for your Gilbert apartment this month! Feel free to share your best ideas for decorating balconies or patios in the comments. Thanks for reading today’s post.

The Importance of Being Earnest Comes to Gilbert

Hello and welcome back to the Liv Northgate Blog! This month we are highlighting the Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert. We posted about theatre etiquette last year, so take a minute to review before you head off to see a new play this month. Enjoy an evening out. Then head back to your apartment for a post show recap. Hale Centre Theatre One of five theatres in three different states, Gilbert’s Hale Center Theatre has been bringing professional theater to Arizona audiences since 2003. Owner Dave Hale, a grandson of the original owners of the Glendale, CA theater, enjoys bringing professional theater to Gilbert audiences. Now Playing: The Importance of Being Earnest April 5, 2018 - May 12, 2018. From the website: “It’s the story of two bachelors, John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, who create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. They attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become tangled in a tale of deception, disguise and misadventure. With a few new twists, this funny, and at times absolutely hilarious comedy, will delight one and all!” Purchase tickets at the box office in person, by phone, or online. Season tickets are also available. Season ticket holders are eligible to receive a discount card that provides a discount at Hale’s restaurant partners. Flancer’s Gourmet Grub is the latest eatery to partner with the theatre. Simply show your season ticket membership card to receive 10% off your purchase. If you have thespian leanings (and the time), open auditions for upcoming productions are posted regularly, so go ahead and break a leg! Do you attend Hale Centre Theater often? What was your favorite show? We hope you enjoy an evening out soon! Thanks for reading today’s post.

Convenient Car Apps to Try

For our last March blog, Liv Northgate brings you four car-related apps that can help you find the least expensive gas in Gilbert (and on the road throughout Arizona), navigate through traffic, figure out how much a repair should cost, and where to find charging stations — of course we have those available here in our apartment community, but the app could come in handy should you need to recharge while you’re out and about. Read on for more info! Plugshare If you’re the owner of a plug-in hybrid or full-on EV, you know the importance of being aware of where charging stations are located. The Plugshare app gives you up-to-date info on where you can find a charge station when you are out and about. It indicates home, public, and in-use to save you time and frustration. The app also offers driving directions, contact information, and direct messaging with charger owners. Available for iOS and Android. GasBuddy Taking the guesswork out of where to find the best price for gas is what this app delivers. GasBuddy posts local gas prices so you can see at a glance the best place to fill up. It shows what grades are available including diesel. Available for iOS, Android, and Blackberry. RepairPal It happens to all of us, that weird sound our car starts to make, or the intermittent service engine soon light popping on then off, or an unfortunate accident and we’re in the market for a mechanic. But how do you budget for the repair? How do you know what you should expect to pay? RepairPal to the rescue! Instead of calling around for repair quotes, let RepairPal do the legwork for you and give you a localized estimate of what you can expect to pay. Available for iOS and Android. Waze Check out this community driven navigation map that is more than just navigation. Members provide real-time updates to the maps to indicate traffic jams, road construction, and even gas prices. It’s not just for major freeways, highways, and arterial streets; even side streets can be included. In the case of heavy traffic and long delays, Waze will reroute you in the most efficient manner. Available for iOS and Android. Check out Gearheads for some additional car maintenance apps we didn’t cover here. Also, last October we wrote a blog, Car Care 101 , that has some great tips for taking care of your car, too. Stop by our on-site Car Care Station soon to give your car the once-over. Thanks for reading our post today.