IKEA Holiday Decoration Ideas

If you’re expecting guests this holiday season, you might be thinking of getting your awesome apartment in tip-top shape. We like to think one of the best parts of living here at the Resort at Sandia Village is the affordable rent and included amenities, so naturally, we’re always looking out for cheap ways to spruce up your apartments.

For cheap basic furniture, IKEA is always a given, but did you know that you can use IKEA items to create a classy, holiday theme for your apartment? It’s true! Apartment Therapy published anice guide including 10 ways to utilize IKEA products for some professional-quality holiday decor:

Pair Contrasting Surfaces: Gold and matte black are total opposites, but when combined make for a nice balance of shiny and grounded.

Make It Messy: The holidays are all about making merry — not perfection. It’s okay if things fall out of line or don’t match entirely.

Group Decorations in Clusters for More Impact: This collection of otherwise basic gift-wrapped presents is made more dramatic and note-worthy when grouped and stacked all together.

Click here to see the full guide to IKEA-inspired holidaydecorating ideas!

Downtown Growers Market’s Extended Season

Buying your food from local farmers is a great way to support the Albuquerque community and maintain a healthy diet. Sure, peak season for most fruits and vegetables is the summer, but fortunately, we have a temperate climate down here, so fresh produce is possible, even at the beginning of winter.

If you’re looking to get your farmers market fix, even in the cooler weather, you’re in luck—the Albuquerque Downtown Growers’ Market is open until December 21, 2013, offering city residents a wide variety of produce and prepared foods considering the time of year.

The Winter Market moves from its usual location on Route 66 to the parking lot behind Java Joe’s and Firenze Pizzeria, at 906 Park Ave. SW in Albuquerque. Just like during the regular growing season, there will be lots to enjoy besides the food.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Downtown Growers Market:

The Downtown Growers’ Market is run by the Downtown Action Team. The Market began in 1996, and continues to grow exponentially thanks to our vibrant community. The market is home to over 45 New Mexican growers offering the highest quality produce available in Albuquerque, along with a wide array of talented local artists and a delicious mix of prepared food artisans.

Every week we feature a live band, community nonprofits, a bike valet service, and lots of community spirit! All are welcome! We accept EBT/SNAP funds, which can be processed at our Information Booth, as well as WIC and Senior checks. Also, if you forgot cash- we got you covered! Visit the Info Booth to learn how you can use your debit card to acquire market tokens.

Click here for more information on the Winter Market!

Pueblo of Isleta Elder Center Arts & Craft Fair

What happens when you combine Albuquerque’s local ethnic culture and its love of art?

At the Isleta Resort and Casino this Sunday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, you can find out for yourself! The Pueblo of Isleta Elder Center’s annual Arts & Craft fair is sure to be a great time for aficionados of Native American culture and art buffs alike.

Drop by the Grand Ballroom and support over 100 local artists selling their original arts and crafts, completely free of state and local tax, with free admission. You really have nothing to lose! This is a fantastic opportunity if you’re looking to get a great deal on some unique holiday gifts.

If you’re not familiar with the Pueblo of Isleta Elder Center:

The Pueblo of Isleta is nestled in the scenic Rio Grande Valley, 15 miles south of Albuquerque on Interstate 25 Exit 215.  It is one of the larger 19 Pueblos within New Mexico and was established in the 1300s.  Isleta Pueblo covers an area of more than 329 square miles, surrounded by the Manzano Mountains to the east and to the desert mesa lands of the Rio Puerco on the west. The name Isleta comes from the Spanish language which means "Little Island."  Visit Isleta Pueblo to learn more about the history and culture. 

Click here for more information on the event over at NewMexico.org. 

How to Arrange Inexpensive Flowers for Your Apartment

So you’re walking through the aisles of a grocery store and you see some flowers that actually look halfway decent. Sure, you could find better quality flowers at a florist or perhaps elsewhere, but there’s an art to making grocery store flowers look presentable.

At ApartmentTherapy.com, we found a fantastic guide written by Tess Wilson, on how to arrange cheap grocery store flowers into an arrangement that can really make your apartment pop. The first thing you’ll need to do is grab all the flowers of the same color that you can get your hands on:

1. Strip all of the leaves off the stems, including the long leaves.

2. Arrange the stems in your hand. Try to get the flowers to look natural, yet random. At this point, the stems should still be long.

3. Decide on a vase to use, and then chop the stems down to an appropriate length for the vase - if in doubt, leave the stems longer than shorter, so there’s room to cut if they’re still too long. Secure the arrangement with a rubber band, and make some final trimmings.

Got your own tip for turning inexpensive flowers into a presentable arrangement? Remember to share it with fellow residents on our Facebook page!

Five Quick, Space-Saving Tips for Your Albuquerque Apartmen

If you’re new to apartment living, first of all, congratulations on making a practical intelligent decision. Now, we know it can be a tough adjustment especially if you’ve lived in larger houses your whole life - but one of the great joys of apartment living is being able to make the best use of the space that you have.

Not only will your apartment feel bigger to you, your family, or roommates -  you’ll also get that great sense of satisfaction from making the most of your resources.

Over at ApartmentTherapy.com, Judy Ross shared five simple tricks she uses to make small spaces feel larger:

1. White Walls: It's basic, but it's still true. White walls tend to make small spaces feel larger. 

2. Built-ins: Building in storage options to your furniture reduces the appearance of clutter (and gives you the gift of clean surfaces to come home to!). 

3. Deep Shelves: Deep bookshelves allow you to store things behind the front row of books. Things like wine. Or money. Or... more books. 

4. Accentuate Height Where Possible: Building bookshelves and closets all the way to the ceiling gives your home a feeling of being bigger than it is (you can also try hanging curtains from floor to ceiling to get some extra length). 

5. Lighting: Lots of lamps tend to create clutter, which make already small spaces feel crowded. Consider looking into lighting elements which cast light upward and which don't make your space busier than it already is!

Do you have your own tricks when it comes to making tiny spaces feel bigger. Head on over to our Facebook page and share your ideas with your fellow residents!

Find the Creature in You for a Trick-or-Treat Alternative

Looking for an alternative to trick-or-treating in Albuquerque this year? You’re in luck! This Halloween, consider checking out the ABQ BioPark Zoo’s 25th annual “Zoo Boo” event.

Celebrate animals and Halloween by dressing your family up and heading over to the zoo for a full day of fun and games. Don’t want to dress up but still want to help? The event is also seeking volunteers ages 18 and older - call (505) 848-7172 for more information.

Public transportation to the event is available:

●       Free park-and-ride is available from the Aquarium & Botanic Garden, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

●       Take the bus:

1.     The Rapid Ride stop at the Main Library is about 14 blocks from the Zoo.

2.     The Route 66 bus stop at Central and 10th is an 8 block walk.

3.     The Rt. 53 bus stops just 1 block from the Zoo entrance

And here’s the official event description, from the City of Albuquerque’s website:

It's time for Zoo Boo! We're celebrating 25 years of safe Halloween fun this year with games, Haunted Habitats, costumes and, of course, candy! Trick-or-treat from dozens of sponsoring businesses and civic organizations at tables throughout the Zoo.

Use #ZooBoo25 to show us your costumes, share photos of the event and tell us what you enjoy best about the event on Twitter.

Supporting Native American Businesses Isn’t History

The Albuquerque area is steeped in Native American History. In fact, just last week, the

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center was named the “Tribal Destination of the Year” at this year’s American Indian Tourism Conference.

Our region has historically been home to several groups of Native Americans, including the “Sandia Man” and later, the ancient Anasazi Indians, who were known for their huge apartment-style buildings, constructed out of stone and adobe. In fact, most of New Mexico’s 19 pueblos are still within an hour’s drive of the city.

But Albuquerque’s connection to Native Americans isn’t just history - The Regional Development Corporation, in partnership with the Los Alamos Laboratory, Los Alamos National Security, and the New Mexico Indian Affair Department are offering venture capital to local businesses owned by Native Americans.

Request for Proposals for the 

NATIVE AMERICAN VENTURE ACCELERATION FUNDBACKGROUND 

The Regional Development Corporation in partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Security, LLC and the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department seeks to further the development of tribally held businesses in Northern New Mexico as a way of creating jobs and diversifying the economy.  

OPPORTUNITY 

Purpose:  The Native American Venture Acceleration Fund will make awards to tribally owned companies for critical technical services that lead to increased revenues and employment for the company.  Awards will be made on a competitive basis and are intended to provide services to tribal business entities that will allow the company to diversify revenue, leverage other investments, create new jobs and have systems in place that lead to growth.  

Award Size:  Up to $30,000. 

Eligible Applicants: 

Native American owned business enterprises in which a tribe or tribal member has at least a 51% share or stake.  

A tribal member or corporation of the Pueblos from Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Santa Clara, Pojoaque, Taos, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Cochiti or Jemez.
Company must be located in the counties of Sandoval, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, San Miguel, Mora, Rio Arriba or Taos.  

Entities which have been awarded in the past are eligible to apply again as long as the company successfully completed prior awards. 

Award Uses:
Awards may be used to procure specialized services for the company which will lead to increased revenues and employees.  For example, a company may need to develop a website to increase sales or may need a consultant to help select, install and train their staff on specialized accounting software required for federal government contracting.  The RDC will work with the providers agreed upon by the grantees such as accountants, business consultants, marketing experts or others to provide the services a tribal company needs.  Cash awards will not be made directly to awardees.   

Deadline: Proposals must be received no later than 5pm, October 25, 2013. 

To read the full request for proposals and get more information about the program, click here.