Blog Posts

Space-Saving DIY Furniture For Your Pet

If youre fortunate enough to have a pet, we know how hard it is to find a place for their furniture without overtaking even the biggest apartments, homes, or mansions. But we also know how important it is that they have a place they belongboth inside and out. Fear not! Because weve heard your cry for help, weve brought together a few of our favorite space-saving DIY apartment solutions for your favorite pet. You can explore them all below. 1. Apartment Cat Shelves If youre a proud cat owner, youre probably all too familiar with shreds of cardboard from the all mighty scratch towers. These carpeted shelves are a great way to cut down on unnecessary shreds. By making use of unused wall space, youll also free up more storage in your living room. All youll need for this one is a trip to IKEA and squares of Flor carpet. Head on over to The Hip Soiree for the simple step-by-step. 2. Gumball Machine Fish Tank Having had fish before, tanks and supplies can take up a lot of space. If your underwater friend happens to be a freshwater fish, this DIY gumball fish tank idea is a creative way to incorporate a fun sense of design with a streamlined home. Though this one may take a little more work, the finished product is worth its weight in gold. Instructables has the how-to on their site. 3. Modern Pet Crate Coffee Table Finally, weve saved the best for last. This modular idea is fit for both cats and dogs alike. This DIY coffee table features three walls of enclosure and a spacious opening for your furry friend to comfortably get in and out whenever they want. With airy breathing holes on all sides, theyll still feel connected and a part of the room. If youre as interested in this idea as we are, HGTV has the walkthrough over on their site. As youre trying out any of these ideas, be sure to post photos of your process and finished product. Whether you made modifications of your own, or have an idea youd like to share, wed love to hear about it in the comments below!

Top 3 Morning Coffee Recipes

The alarm goes off again. The start of another day and you need to kickstart your morning routine. You rub your eyes and maybe wonder aloud if you should make a cup of coffee. But maybe you wont need to wonder anymore. Recent research shows that drinking a healthy cup of coffee everyday can be good for your health. And thats good news for the 54% of Americans over age eighteen that drink coffee every day. So rejoice! If youre looking for different recipes to celebrate the news, here are a few of our favorite go-to healthy recipes for your daily cup of Joe. 1. Frozen Mochaccino If youre looking to recreate your favorite frothy frozen coffee drink, youll be happy about this recipe. Normally, drinks like this might be packed with calories at your local coffee shop. But low-fat milk, cocoa powder, and coffee with just a little maple syrup all work together to make a guilt-free drink. To get the recipe, head over to this site for the simple step-by-step. 2. Coffee Creamsicle If blending drinks with other flavors is more your scene, youll love this dessert-derived recipe. All youll need for this is some homemade cold-brew concentrate, vanilla almond milk, a cup of ice, and either store-bought or freshly squeezed orange juice. Womens Health Mag has the delicious walkthrough for this nostalgic mall court treat. 3. Organic Coffee with Coconut Oil If youre looking for a more classic spin on an old stand-by, we recommend this java recipe. For those that have tried to blend coconut oil and coffee before, you might be familiar with how difficult it is to blend. But this recipe uses organic unsalted butter, a drop of vanilla, and stevia to make it settle in just right. Wellness Mama has the how-to on their site. Still not satisfied? If youre looking for a more comprehensive list of ways to integrate more coffee into your day, Greatist has a few in mind. What are some of your favorites? Share some of your coffee secrets with us in the comments below!

Healthy Snacks to Try With Your Kids

If youre looking for healthier recipes to try with your kids this year, youre not alone. According to the CDC , childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past three decades alone. And in 2012, nearly twenty-percent of children between the ages of six and eleven were overweight or obese. Because avoiding childhood or adolescent obesity can reduce the risk of future health issues, eating healthier snacks can be a great way to help them set the right habits at an earlier age. So where to begin? Heres a list of our three favorite nutritious snacks. 1. Jicama Fries If youre looking for a suitable french fry substitution, this ones definitely worth a try. Jicama is a root vegetable thats got plenty of Vitamin C, fiber, and low in calories. Because of its crunchy texture, its the perfect understudy for the common diced potato. And because of its mild flavor, it does an excellent job at absorbing other flavors. To get the recipe, head over to Super Healthy Kids for the step-by-step. 2. Homemade Fruit Leather Homemade fruit leather is a great way to trick your kids into eating more fruit. And because youre making it yourself, youll be able to control the amount of preservatives and sugar intake. If youve ever made your own applesauce before, this recipe picks up from where you left off. Heavenly Homemakers has the recipe on their website. 3. Homemade Granola Bars While granola is nothing new, were always on the look out for more minimalist and portable ways to make this classic nutritious treat. If youre looking for something thats easy to make, this is your go-to snack. The kind folks over at Minimalist Baker cooked up a way to make some with just five ingredients. Head over to their site to check it out!

Nine Surprising Things You Can Recycle

Here at Liv Northgate, we are committed to helping the environment however we can. Thats why we offer amenities like electric car charging stations, chlorine-free saltwater swimming pools, valet recycling services, and our community garden, while making use of recycled materials throughout our community, such as in our plank flooring! But if youre looking for a little more that you can recycle to help the environment, here are a few items that most people dont know that they can recycle: Holiday lights it 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. Mattresses because 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. CDs because 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! Shoes There 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. Crayons do 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 Materials you might not be worried about roofing materials here at Liv Northgate, 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 at AZ Native Roofing. Fishing line fishing 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 corks companies 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. Pantyhose most 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 our 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.

Best Apartment Dog Breeds

Many of our residents chose to reside here at Liv Northgate because of, among other great reasons, our pet-friendly policy. With our Bark Park and dog grooming services, were committed to making sure that your pooch is as happy with Liv Northgate as you are! But 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 living. 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.) English Bulldog: Now, there are a few dog breeds that we cant allow here at Liv Northgate (usually because they have trouble playing well with others), one of which is the pit bull. But dont confuse pit bulls with English Bulldogs! There are several physical differences, but the important difference is temperament. The English Bulldog gets along with other dogs and loves to relax on the couch more than he loves to run around the park, which makes him a great apartment resident. 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. Great Dane: Yeah, theyre huge (25 to 29 inches tall and 100 to 200 pounds in weight), but thats not as much of a problem in an apartment as you might think. Why? Because these big guys are calm, quiet, and downright lazy. Theyre much less concerned with having lots of space to run around than they are with having a cozy spot to relax and enjoy your company. Boston Terrier: While several terrier breeds are prohibited by our pet policy, the friendly Boston Terrier is not one of them. These little guys tend to be clever and inquisitive, but theyre fairly quiet and usually happy with only moderate amounts of exercise. Yorkshire Terrier: Another great terrier breed, the Yorkie is cute, cuddly, compact, and reasonably quiet. Yorkies are usually great with now 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 Liv Northgate, and how well do they adapt to apartment living? Let us know in the comments!

Dog Parks in Gilbert

We know how important your dogs are to youtheyre part of your family, someone that you love, care for, and for whom you want only the best. That is why Liv Northgate is proud to be pet friendly! We hope youre taking advantage of our Bark Park, dog-washing station and pet social events like Yappy Hour, where residents and their pets are invited to come get to know one another! Looking to take your pup on a field trip? Fortunately, Gilbert has two more dog parks within just a few miles of Liv Northgate, ready for you to visit and enjoy. Crossroads Park has an excellent two-acre fenced dog park. The dog park features separate use areas for active and timid dogs, partial lighting for night use (south end), owner and pet drinking fountains, tables and benches, "Mutt-Mitt" waste disposal stations, and a shaded structure. You can check out a map of the park here . Does your dog want to take a swim? On the other side of Santan Freeway, youll find the Cosmo Dog Park . Though the Cosmo Park is currently undergoing improvements and renovations, it is expected to re-open this month. The new, expanded park will cover seventeen acres and will include separate use areas for active, timid, and small dogs; dirt and grass play areas; lighting for night use; pet drinking fountains; dog-washing stations; Mutt-Mitt waste disposal stations; and many features for owners to enjoy themselves as well. But perhaps their most popular feature is the enormous lake, which is open for your pets to swim around to their hearts content. For directions and a map, you can look here . If youre looking for even more variety, you can drive a little bit further into Tempe and Chandler and visit these dog parks: Quail Run Park Countryside Park Paseo Vista Recreation Area Bark Park Snedigar Sportsplex Shawnee Park Nozomi Park (formerly known as West Chandler Park) You can find more information and directions to these parks here .