New Year’s Eve is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the country. Many of the New Year’s traditions are centuries old, but most of us aren’t aware of their origins. If you’ve ever wondered why we pop champagne and steal a kiss at midnight, we share the details on several classic traditions below.
Ring in the Holiday Season With These DIY Wreaths
The holiday season is just around the corner! If you’d like to brighten up your home in preparation for the festivities, start by crafting a DIY wreath to add some charm to the front door. Whether you’re looking for a fall-inspired door decoration or something that’s reminiscent of the holidays, the options below will satisfy a variety of styles:
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Make Your Home Smell Festive With Fall Simmer Pot Recipes
Photo courtesy of Pixabay under Creative Commons 0 license
If your home is already decked out to the nines with seasonal décor, you may be searching for the perfect way to complete the fun festivities. Whether you’re preparing for a party or you’re just a fan of aromatherapy, you can achieve awesome results by making a homemade simmer pot concoction. Similar to potpourri, simmer pots contain a mixture of complementary ingredients to create enticing perfumes to freshen up your home. When your scented candles aren’t quite enough to make your home feel like fall, try a few of these easy simmer pot recipes.
Citrusy Simmer Pot
The scents of oranges and lemons combine beautifully for a clean, citrus aroma. If you can’t get enough of zingy citrus fruits, you’ll love this citrus juniper option. You’ll just need a few simple ingredients, such as oranges, lemon peel, and juniper berries. Besides their wonderful smell, the best thing about simmer pots is how customizable they are. You can tweak any recipe to make it just right for your preferences—if you’re not a fan of lemon, leave it out and let the juniper and oranges take over.
Lavender Nutmeg Recipe
Citrus scents are fantastic for making the entire apartment home smell fresh, but if you’d rather have a calming scent, try this lavender and nutmeg simmer pot recipe. When you need to relax and unwind after a long day at work, the comforting essence of lavender, nutmeg, and cinnamon won’t let you down. In addition to the main ingredients, this simmer pot recipe calls for anise and whole cloves to set the tone for a stress-free environment.
Energizing Coffee Simmer Pot
Nothing compares to the scent of a piping hot mug of coffee—it’s instantly recognizable and a welcomed pick-me-up. If you love the smell of coffee but don’t want to drink too much of it, fill your home with the delicious fragrance of spiced coffee, instead. For this recipe, you’ll need a quarter cup of your favorite whole coffee beans, three cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon of cardamom pods, and approximately four leaves of star anise. When simmered in a pot of water, this blend of ingredients is bold and spicy. While it’s boiling on the stovetop, you may find yourself feeling motivated to bake some holiday goodies like coffee cake or cookies from scratch. The combination of roasted coffee beans and freshly baked confections is heavenly, and will be an excellent choice if you’re about to have guests over.
If you’re looking for natural ways to make your home smell great, cooking up a simmer pot is a fun and easy option. There are many recipes to try, or get creative and come up with your own unique version. If you’re searching for an apartment in Boulder to call home, give us a call and stop by for a tour. We’d love to show you around the community so you can take a look at our floor plans and amenities.