Spring is finally here and that means change and new beginnings, not only with the weather, but in your own apartment, too. Part of making room for the new is getting rid of the old, and one of the best ways to do that is to take inventory of your possessions and evaluate what you want to keep and what your don’t really use anymore that you can pass on to others in need. After you’ve gone through your drawers and closets and sorted your discarded items in a donation section, decide where and how to give them away. Use these places below for ideas.
Shelters – Community shelters in your area are a great option to donate your clothes and household items. Shelters can always use donations and there will always be people who are in need of clothing and other items.
Online – We live in a digital era where most things are done online. Freecycle, Craigslist and EBay are free and easy online tools to use to give away your old clothes or appliances. You can manage the entire process by listing the items you want to give away for free or sell, and coordinate your own shipping or delivery.
Clothing Swaps – Another great way to pass on your unwanted items to someone who might be happy to take them, plus discover some new treasure of your own, is to participate a clothing swap. A clothing swap is a gathering of people who all contribute clothing that doesn’t fit or that they don’t need anymore, and anyone can take someone else’s clothing if they choose. If you don’t know of anyone having one, host your own and invite family and friends!
Salvation Army – The Salvation Army is always a great option that accepts all types of donations to sell for a discounted price to underprivileged people, or anyone looking for a bargain. Check your area for Salvation Army drop-off locations.
Looking for a great New Orleans area apartment? Check out what’s available at our Metairie, Kenner and River Ridge locations!
Louisiana’s Northshore is full of unique and beautiful communities nestled away from the fast-paced lifestyle of the city.
Mandeville is located in St. Tammany Parish right on Lake Ponchartrain. Explore its beautiful homes, views, parks and restaurants with our handy guide!
Among all of the Northshore communities, Mandeville is the place for nature lovers. Mandeville is famous for its community involvement and abundance of outdoor activities. If you love the outdoors, Mandeville is the place for you!
This 2,800 acre park follows the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain. A perfect spot for a family outing, Fontainebleau offers a small beach for swimming and sunbathing, bike and nature trails, campgrounds and more! Have a family barbecue or set up camp and stay the weekend. Fontainbleau is one of Mandeville’s most impressive attractions.
Once a railroad track, Tammany Trace is now a 31-mile paved nature trail unifying the Northshore. Tammany Trace is frequented by bikers, bladers and hikers alike. Both a tourist attraction and a local favorite, Tammany Trace has transformed the Mandeville experience and is definitely worth experiencing.
In the heart of the city lies the Mandeville Trailhead. This thriving spot is where you’ll find the weekly community market, amphitheater, and the Tammany Trace historical, environmental, and cultural interpretive center. The Trailhead is also host to a variety of special community events including a live concert series on Fridays. It’s a great place to pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and gather your family and friends!
This 400 acre center provides an unparalleled nature experience. As a visitor, you can explore a pond-swamp, a pine-hardwood forest and a hardwood forest. The cypress swamp area is home to several beavers and you can see their dams from the boardwalks!
Nuvolari’s is a local favorite. Known for an Italian menu with a Southern Louisiana flare, it’s a great place to celebrate a life event or just grab drinks with some friends.
Rusty Pelican is a no-frills eating establishment. Dine on anything from salads and burgers to a crab cake basket! One thing’s for sure, you won’t be disappointed.
LaLou has a little something for everybody. Whether you’re an eggs Benedict lover or a pasta connoisseur, LoLou is your brunch spot. Everything on the menu is rich and flavorful, and you’ll love the atmosphere of this Old Mandeville gem!
Owned by a born-and-raised New Orleanian, Liz’s Where Ya’t Diner has a New Orleans feel in a tranquil environment. This is quite possibly the best breakfast in town!
More and more, individuals are being drawn to the Mandeville area, but may feel there aren’t homes available at a reasonable cost. While this may be true for some private homes and small communities, there are options in Mandeville area that you can be comfortable with without breaking the bank.
Consider a community like Grand Palms. Grand Palms is just minutes from the Mandeville Trailhead and offers two swimming pools, a covered picnic area and a playground for the best price on the Northshore. In keeping with the Mandeville appeal, this community has been newly renovated and features 1 and 2 bedroom rentals in a variety of unique and spacious floor plans.
Grand Palms is located near interstate 12 and the Causeway Toll Plaza, making this incredible community just minutes from Metairie and only 30 minutes from Downtown New Orleans, where you’ll find a variety of additional shopping, dining and nightlife!
Move in today for as little as $125, and lock in our low prices with a 15 month lease! Call today for more information 888-822-9332.
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Everyone loves a little pampering now and then, but weekly trips to the spa can rack up hefty bills very quickly. Luckily, the 21st century abounds with affordable and accessible tricks and recipes that can turn any home bathroom into a Zen oasis.
If you enjoy the gentle scent of roses with your beauty treatments, you needn’t purchase expensive, pre-bottled rose water to even your skin tone. For a less expensive, but equally fragrant, substitute, add packed rose petals to boiled water in a ratio of 1:2. Allow the mixture to steep until cool, then simply strain the petals from the water, store the liquid in a clean, airtight container, and use as needed. You’ll have fresher, younger looking skin in no time!
To exfoliate your way to brighter skin, try mixing equal parts oatmeal, brown sugar, and olive oil to make a gentle body scrub. Simply rub the mixture on your skin to remove dead cells, then rinse. You can also mix white sugar and vitamin oil into a paste and use it the same way.
A favorite trick from our grandmothers’ day: soften and lighten skin on your elbows and knees by rubbing the areas with freshly cut lemon. (This nifty trick is also seen in the ultra-famous movie 16 Candles.)
Massages and facials are the bees’ knees as far as treats for the self, but some of the best aspects of a spa treatment are the little things – warm towels, fresh scents, and other amenities are integral to the experience and easily replicated at home.
For example, to achieve the warm, viscous consistency of spa lotion, set your bottle of lotion on a heater or radiator while you’re in the shower. When you emerge you’ll have warm lotion to sate your thirsty skin – just make sure to keep an eye on plastic lotion bottles so they don’t melt!
To create the sauna atmosphere popular amongst salons the world over, run the hottest water possible through your shower for 10 minutes. Spritz a wash cloth with a relaxing chamomile or lavender scent to put over your face in the shower. Breathing in a fresh, relaxing scent will add to your sauna experience and can be an ultra-relaxing way to get ready for bed. If you’re coordinated enough you can even turn off the fluorescents and light candles instead!
Many studies have been conducted on the influence of semiochemicals (fragrances, pheromones, even body odor) on mood and behavior. Essentially, how, and why, do smells make us feel?
There is even an entire lab at Rutgers University dedicated to the study of such matters. One such study, conducted by Professor Jeannettte Haviland-Jones’ Human Emotions Lab, concluded that flowers and flower scents promote happiness. Other scents, according to Vanderbilt University’s Health Psychology department, can promote calm, relaxation, or even rejuvenation.
Any modern department store will have a selection of diffusers, essential oils, and scents, as will many bath and body, candle, and home décor stores. Choosing a signature scent for your apartment will individualize your space, infuse a sense of home, and just might spruce up your attitude, too.
To promote a relaxing environment, choose a musky scent such as sandalwood or citrusy bergamot. If you’d like your signature home scent to invigorate your space, choose a piney rosemary or cool, spicy peppermint aroma. The scent of lemon promotes high energy and positive mood as well.
To encourage alertness, diffuse the scent of eucalyptus. If you need to ease feelings of tension and anxiety, opt instead for a savory sage scent.
Flowers and gardening are certainly “good things” according to media empress Martha Stewart, who enjoys the intoxicating fragrances of freesia, rose, and gardenia.
If you enjoy perfumes or cut flowers, the sky is the limit in terms of scents for your home. If you wish to keep live plants, an apartment renter should choose a sturdy bulb plant such as freesia or tuberose rather than a voluminous, prickly rose bush. Lilies are hearty, fragrant bulb flowers too and they will grow well in a home or on a balcony garden.
The lily family is extensive, including a total of roughly 1,300 species. The selection of bulbs at your local home and garden store won’t be that extensive, but you should be able to find a bevy of ubiquitous varieties including white Easter Lilies, magenta speckled Stargazer Lilies, and orange Tiger Lilies.
If you choose to showcase cut lilies instead, snip and discard the anthers (the pollen-coated bits) from the centers of the lilies to avoid messy pollen dispersion. Garden gurus claim this little trick will extend the shelf life of your flowers, too.
River Ridge is a family-friendly three-mile stretch of southern Louisiana lying between Kenner and Metairie along the Mississippi River, bounded approximately by Generes Drive, Little Farms Avenue, Caladium Street, and Folse Street.
As River Ridge is adjacent to Elmwood and Harahan as well as Metairie, shopping in the area abounds. Lakeside Mall and Elmwood Village Shopping center are both within just a few miles of River Ridge and the boutiques in downtown New Orleans, such as The Shops At Canal Place, are just 15 minutes away.
Also just next door to the River Ridge community is the Nims Center Studios, a premiere filming and editing space used for commercials, music videos, television shows, and major motion pictures. Currently, Louisiana’s own Imagination Movers film episodes of their hit Disney Channel series on location at the studios. In the past, the Nims Center Studios have aided in the production of blockbusters including The Runaway Jury, All The King’s Men, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
In terms of buildings and zoning in the area, River Ridge is largely residential. At the time of the 2000 census, nearly 75 percent of all River Ridge housing units were detached single-family units. According to figures compiled by Trulia.com, the median sales price for a single-family home in River Ridge was up 23 percent (from 2009) in December 2010, though sales data still reflects an overall depreciation in value of roughly eight percent since 2006.
At present, rental units in apartment complexes such as The Creeks of River Ridge Apartments are trending in the area. Apartment communities including Cypress, Hickory, and Sawmill Creek are gaining popularity by renting units at below average rates while still offering amenities such as swimming pools and gym facilities.
River Ridge is located within Jefferson Parish and is represented by Republican Kirk Talbot in the Louisiana State House of Representatives and by Republican Daniel Martiny in the Louisiana State Senate. For more information on River Ridge and other communities within Jefferson Parish, visit the Jefferson Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau web site.
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
