Blog Posts

Upgrade Your Doorstep

The first thing people see when they arrive at your Artistry apartment is your doorstep. Today, we’re sharing ways you can express your creativity through doormats! Read below to find suggestions for making your own doormat as well as a few stellar options you can buy online. Ready to express yourself in a new way in Indianapolis, IN? Find out how you can upgrade your doorstep starting today! Making Your Own Express yourself by creating your own design. Head to Buzzfeed for a simple tutorial on making your own. You’ll need a doormat and a few craft supplies, including paint, duct tape, and a paintbrush. There are also instructions if you want to print out text and design a cute message for your mat. Doormats for Purchase Pineapples from West Elm Cat Face from Houzz Watermelon from Anthropologie A little more about doormats. You can find lots of different designs and styles of doormats. These are not only cute to look at, but they are functional, as well. This is where you can wipe off your feet after being outdoors. You can express your personal style with your doormat, too! Consider purchasing a few different ones and switching them out each season. These are a fun way to make a first impression on your guests. Add something extra to your doorstep with a fun wreath or monogram on your door! You can even bring your doormat inside your door for a place to leave shoes and outdoor items like umbrellas. We hope you love these doormat ideas and that you can find something that works for your style! Thanks for reading the Artistry Blog. If you have a favorite DIY doormat activity, or what you think is the best doormat for purchase, leave a comment below. See you next time!

How to Care for Your Vehicle

Hey readers! Welcome back to the Artistry Blog. Today, we’re sharing some tips for keeping your car in prime condition. One spot we like for car tips is CarCare.org . There you can find links for answers to the most common questions regarding car care. If you have any kind of commute in Indianapolis, or if you spend a lot of time in your car, it can sometimes feel like a second home. And just like any home or living space, your car needs to be kept tidy. This isn’t just an aesthetics thing; it can be a safety issue as well. Empty water bottles rolling underneath the pedals is dangerous and keeping a lot of things in your car can attract burglars. Incorporate your car into your typical apartment-cleaning routine and you’ll have it in shape in no time. Here is a quick checklist for cleaning your car: — Clean the outside. Getting your car washed is important to protect the paint and keep your car looking nice. This also keeps windows and windshields clear — there are some spots that even the wipers won’t reach! — Speaking of windows, grab some glass cleaning wipes or a spray bottle and a towel. Clean the inside windows, as well as your mirrors. Dust and other debris can build up on windows, which can hinder your sight when driving. — Tote out the trash. Get a grocery bag and fill it with all the trash in your car, and dispose of things that you don’t need anymore. Take stray clothes inside. Leave an empty bag in your car to collect other trash. — Cut the grime. Use items like toothbrushes and cotton swabs, along with some warm soapy water, to clean out cup holders and other areas where dirt can accumulate. Don’t forget to wipe down the steering wheel! Be sure to use products that are safe for all surfaces in your car. If you’re unsure, a local auto accessory store or grocery store will have the items you need. Keeping your car clean will make it look and feel newer. Adding air fresheners is also a great touch to keep it smelling clean and fresh. What are your best car care tips? Share with the rest of the apartment community by leaving a comment below. We hope you enjoy your month in Indianapolis, IN!

Delicious Frozen Treat Recipes

Welcome back to the Artistry Blog! This month, we’re celebrating the ongoing summer season with a few delicious frozen treats that you can make in your apartment. Make Indianapolis, IN a little cooler with no-churn cookies and cream ice cream, blueberry butter cookie gelato, and more. No Churn Cookies and Cream Ice Cream This recipe is perfect for a hot July day and is so simple to make. It comes from Kirbie Cravings. You’ll need heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and Oreo cookies. Whip the heavy cream then add the condensed milk and crushed Oreos. Pour into a pan and freeze overnight. This recipe is sure to please everyone. Blueberry Butter Cookie Gelato There’s nothing quite like covering your tongue with homemade gelato, and this recipe is sure to satisfy those taste buds! If you love blueberries, we strongly suggest trying out this recipe. Watermelon-Lemonade Slushy Two summer flavors — watermelon and lemonade — collide in this sophisticated slushy! It can be made as an adult version, too, and that’s sophisticated, right? It requires a few simple ingredients: watermelon, ice cubes, frozen lemonade concentrate, and cold water. Mmmm, refreshing. Churro Ice Cream Bowls If this doesn’t look absolutely scrumptious, then we don’t know what does. It’s the perfect combination of temperatures with a warm churro and frozen ice cream. This recipe also comes from Kirbie Cravings. You’ll need unsalted butter, salt, all-purpose flour, eggs, sugar, and ground cinnamon. After mixing the dough, you’ll pipe it out onto an upside-down muffin tin, then bake. We think you’ll love the this warm, sweet churro with your favorite vanilla ice cream. Butterfinger Ice Cream Pie Satisfy your candy cravings with this Butterfinger ice cream pie. All of the recipes on our list are pretty simple, and this one just requires that you take the time to chop up a few Butterfinger bars, combine a few easy ingredients, freeze, and enjoy.

The Best Quotes from Mister Rogers

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a timeless television series that ran from 1968 until 2001. Fred Rogers, a musician, puppeteer, writer, and minister touched the lives of countless individuals all over the world. His life has truly left a positive impression on many people. This month marks the release of the documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor , an exploration of Fred Rogers’ life and legacy. To celebrate this movie, we’re sharing some of our favorite Fred Rogers quotes. Whether you’re out and about in Indianapolis, IN or enjoying your afternoon in your Artistry apartment, these quotes are sure to inspire. Enjoy! Favorite Quotes from Fred Rogers: “When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.” “In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” “Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.” “Mutual caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain.” “The thing I remember best about successful people I've met all through the years is their obvious delight in what they're doing and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success. They just love what they're doing, and they love it in front of others.” “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”

Enjoy Movie Night in May

Have you ever wished you lived in a different century or place? Life is notorious for filling our minds with fantasies that seem greater than our realities. Whether you’re working a dead-end job or have the career of your dreams, we all need an escape from our day-to-day routines. That escape might be a vacation or perhaps the opening of a book — we know that feeling. This month, we’re sharing a few movies that will whisk you away and place you in the shoes of different characters. Over these next few weeks, we invite you to share in the excitement of movie night in your apartment at our Artistry apartment community. Gather with a few friends from Indianapolis, IN so that they too can escape from their regular lives and experience an adventure — perhaps one serious or not. Find the below titles and descriptions by visiting IMDB.com . Avatar “When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge’s intentions of driving off the native humanoid ‘Na’vi’ in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na’vi people with the use of an ‘avatar’ identity.” The Lost City of Z “Based on the best-selling book and starring Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson, The Lost City of Z takes place in 1925 and tells the story of two explorers, Percival Fawcett, played by Hunnam, and Henry Corbin, played by Pattinson. The two British explorers and their families set out on a quest to re-discover the City of Z, a lost city buried deep in the Amazon rain forest.” Kong: Skull Island “A mysterious island has been discovered in the Pacific Ocean. Former SAS Captain James Conrad and government official Bill Randa are tasked to lead an expedition to perform a survey of the island. But when they are choppered in by a group of U.S. pilots and soldiers, they are attacked by a gigantic ape. Stranded, Conrad, Randa, and the survivors must fight off strange monsters and hostile natives, as well as avoid the wrath of the king of the island . . . Kong!” Have you watched these movies? Share your favorite movie-watching experiences with us by leaving a comment below. Thanks for reading!

Laundry Day Tips

Artistry is pleased to provide in-apartment washers and dryers for members of our apartment community along with the other amenities . It’s so convenient — no more driving around Indianapolis, IN on a Saturday night looking for an open, clean, and reasonably priced laundromat, because our residents can do laundry at home. Today, we have some tips for laundry day. Laundry Day Tips — Print out a basic stain removal guide and hang it by your washer. For a more in-depth stain removal information refer to this Stain Solutions Guide , put out by the University of Illinois’ Extension Office. — Go white — use all white towels for the bathroom. They can be washed as one load, and when necessary they can be bleached. — To combat odors keep a box of baking soda by the hamper; sprinkle on clothes as you add them to the hamper. Wash as usual. — To brighten yellowed linen or cotton garments, use salt and baking soda. Mix ¼ cup salt, ¼ cup baking soda, and 1-gallon water in a large cooking pot. Add yellowed items and boil for 1 hour. Then wash as usual. — Keep a whiteboard by your washer and as you load the laundry make a note of anything that can’t go in the dryer which makes it easy to pull the items out when you switch loads. — Keep socks together — use a mesh laundry bag for each member of the family; they fill the bag with their socks; wash, dry, return the bag to each person. No more lost socks! Check out these great tips to stop losing your socks in the laundry . Congratulations on conquering Mount Washmore once again! Now sit back, relax and enjoy having all the laundry finished for at least ten minutes. Thanks for reading today’s post.