Then check in later in the month for a story about St. Patrick’s Day that you can share at your party this year, and in years to come.

Get Crafty
No need to wait until the official day to set-up the decorations. Below you will find a list of easy and entertaining ways to craft your way into the special day and enjoy the décor for days to come.
Here are some quick links to get you started:
AOL/PureWow – 20 Fun and Easy St. Patricks Day Crafts for Kids
Felt Magnet – 39 Outstanding St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
Country Living – 34 St. Patrick’s Day Crafts to Make with Your Family
Good Housekeeping – 41Easy St. Patrick’s Day Crafts to Make with You Wee One
And here’s one more option that can bring revenue into our apartment in El Paso:
The Mommyhood Club – 20 St. Patrick’s Day Crafts to Make … and sell!

Start the Party!
At Cantera Apartments in El Paso, we always encourage our community to gather together to celebrate all that is good in life.  If you have always wanted to get to know your neighbors better, maybe now is the time to throw a “Dine Around!”  

Connect with your friends and decide which group wants to host what course of the meal.  And then share this list of recipe ideas with the appropriate group. 

Perfect St. Patrick’s Day Appetizers
Guinness Beer Cheese Dip
Reuben Topped Irish Nachos
Green Eggs and Ham Deviled Eggs
Colcannon Puffs 
Shamrock Vege Skewers
Green Popcorn
Irish Soda Bread Crostini
Irish Cheddar Jalapeno Bacon Potato Skins

And then on to dinner … courtesy of my favorite spot for recipes: The Spruce Eats
Smashed Brussel Sprouts
Roasted Radishes
Easy Traditional Irish Champ
Smoked Corn Beef
Instant Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage
Slow Cooker Irish Lamb Stew
Beef and Guinness Pie
Delicious Dublin Coddle
Corned Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Don’t Forget Dessert!
Guinness Stout Chocolate Brownies
Irish Bread and Butter Pudding
And finally, our favorite
Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey’s Cream Frosting!

The post How to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day – All Month Long appeared first on Cantera Apartments Blog.

by: Terri Williams 

Choosing to live in a rental property offers a lot of freedom from repairs and maintenance. Typically, tenants are not responsible for tasks like cutting the grass and fixing plumbing problems. Perhaps that’s why more than 111 million Americans have chosen renting over home ownership, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.

Renting provides convenience and independence, but there are limits to what you can do in a rental property. While specifics may vary from landlord to landlord, these are some of the general do’s and don’ts of renting a property.

Don’t go paint crazy

“Tenants like to say, ‘I’m leaving the place better than I got it,’ and some tenants might think that blood-red accent wall they painted is much better,” says Diana Valin, CPM, owner/broker at The Rental Xperts in San Diego, CA.

However, Valin tells Freshome that this is rarely the case – at least, not from the owner’s perspective – unless the parties collaborated in advance. “The best rule of thumb for tenants wanting to change things up during their time in residence is to ask for permission – and get it in writing.”

Kristie Aylett, of Ocean Springs, MS, shared a “Tenants Gone Wild” anecdote with Freshome regarding one of her friends who is a landlord. The friend’s renter asked for permission to paint the rental unit and was told “no” . . . which the average person would interpret to mean that this is not permissible. “However, the renter then spray painted the kitchen wood cabinets and the countertops.” Yikes!

However, you can paint your furniture and personal items. In fact, you’d be surprised what you can do with a can of spray paint.

Don’t let your green thumb go wild

“Sometimes, a tenant thinks the conversion of your thoughtfully-laid-out landscape design into a vegetable garden is a much better use of space,” Valin says. In fact, Aylett says her landlord friend actually had a situation along these lines. “The renter wanted to be reimbursed – or at least thanked – for building a tree fort in the backyard but didn’t realize the increased liability and insurance costs it presented to the homeowners.”

However, you can grow a few plants (of the legal kind) in your unit.

Valin adds: “We want [renters] to feel they can make the property their home, but if they want to customize anything during their tenancy, communicating what they want to do and getting written authorization to do it ahead of time is the key to staying out of trouble in the end.”

Don’t make major renovations

Valin says your rental agreement should also stipulate how improvements will be handled at move-out. “The owner that didn’t know you added ceiling fans in all of the bedrooms may be thrilled to find out that you improved his/her property but won’t necessarily want to reimburse you for the installation costs and purchase costs of the fans at move-out,” she warns. If you decide to take your fans with you at move-out, you’ll be responsible for patching/texturizing and re-painting the ceilings.

Changing out your cabinet hardware is one way to customize and improve your kitchen and bathroom. However, be sure to check with your landlord first.

Don’t use a hammer for all of your projects

Most landlords will let you hang a few pictures, and you can hang curtains on decorative rods. Aside from that, it’s important to carefully consider any decorating idea that involves the use of a hammer. In other words, scratch those thoughts about mounting cabinets in the bathroom, or adding architectural detail with wainscoting.

That’s not to say you can’t decorate in other ways. For example, if you have black or white appliances, you can easily update them. Consider applying stainless steel appliance covers to the dishwasher and refrigerator. These covers come in peel-and-stick or magnetic varieties and can instantly update and transform the space.

Do help to maintain the property

Your landlord is responsible for repairs, but you, as the tenant, are responsible for informing management when there’s something amiss in your unit. Whether it’s a leaky faucet or a broken stove knob, you need to report these problems as soon as possible. If a small problem becomes a large problem and it’s deemed a result of your negligence – for example, if your unit has hardwood floors in the kitchen, you let a leaking dishwasher ruin them – you may be responsible for the repairs.

As far as household pests go, your landlord is responsible for pest control; nevertheless, you are accountable for keeping your unit clean so you won’t attract pests.

Do purchase renters insurance

In the event of theft, fire, flood, etc., the landlord is responsible for the unit itself. However, you are responsible for your personal items, such as your furniture, clothes and electronic equipment. Also, if someone is injured in your apartment, you might be liable for medical and legal bills. Renters insurance is a wise investment because it protects you against these unforeseen circumstances – which is why it’s often required by your landlord.

What other do’s and don’ts of renting have you discovered? Please let us know in the comments.

The post What You Should and Should Not Do When Renting appeared first on Cantera Apartments Blog.