Heart-Shaped Everything

Image courtesy of M01229

Valentines Day is just around the corner and we know you're busy making plans for that special someone in your life. Though the pressure can be on, why not lighten the mood by surprising your partner with a myriad of quirky, heart-shaped items?

The ideas in this post from writer Tess Wilson at Apartment Therapy are just the right amount of cheesy to make your date laugh this Valentine's Day.

Toilet paper can be heart-shaped: Nothing, nothing leads to romance like toilet paper folded into the shape of a heart. Just think how enflamed your lover will become, imagining you sweaty and frustrated on the bathroom floor as you attempt to achieve origami using intentionally soft and squishy paper. The Cheese Thief can walk you through this seduction technique.

Kitchen sponges can be heart-shaped: The copy for these sponges from Blend Boutique is pure poetry: "washing the dishes will feel like love and the results will show in the sparkle of the plates and cutlery." The dishes get clean while you get dirty.

Soap can be heart-shaped: Have a Martha-approved bath together with homemade conversation heart-inspired soaps. Make Tess-approved soaps by stamping them with the word "Foxy."

Towels can be heart-shaped...and made of swans: Don't even bother taking a sexy handmade conversation heart soap bath if you're not going to dry off with towels folded into the shape of mated-for-life swans. WikiHow has step-by-step instructions.

Ice cubes can be heart-shaped: Pour water into a mold like this one from Amazon, wait a few hours, and then cool things down- by the fire. Same rule applies to jello- by the fire.

Money can be heart-shaped: Pick your beloved's pocket or purse, steal all their cash, fold each bill into a heart as demonstrated in this 7 1/2 minute video from Just Origami, return all the bills to the wallet, and voila— the best Valentine money can be.

Books can be heart-shaped: As shown in this pretty photo by MarianneLoMonaco, every single one of your Valentine's volumes can be opened and folded into a heart. Bonus points for opening the books to the sexiest scenes.

Napkins can be heart-shaped: The Girls' Guide To Guns And Butter demonstrates how to gussy up your Valentine's dinner table, breakfast nook, and lunch box. Refold their napkin every time they get up from the table! Relentless folding is the hottest.

Too Chilly Outside? Watch A Movie Instead!

Image courtesy of Ginny

The short days of winter can leave anyone feeling sluggish. With less sunlight and colder weather it can be difficult to get the drive to venture outside somedays - but are you to do with all that downtime?

A movie night is the perfect way to beat the winter chill and enjoy time with friends, or even alone if you need a break from your social schedule. So snuggle up with a blanket, grab a bowl of popcorn and cue up one of these great winter-themed flicks listed by writer, Tess Wilson on Apartment Therapy - they're sure to please.

1. Mystery, Alaska: a hilarious Little Richard, a hilariously leonine Burt Reynolds, and oh so many sweaters. I think of Mary McCormack saying, "This is not an easy place to be a woman, John" every time it's -20ºF/-29ºC here in Illinois.

2. Save The Last Dance: This is one of the few (only?) movies that captures what winter in Chicago feels like to me. I have a soft spot for it because I was once an aspiring teen ballerina living on the South Side, but it doesn't hurt that this film features the most gorgeous smile/laugh combination in the entire world, thanks to one Mr. Sean Patrick Thomas.

3. Blades of Glory: I watch this movie purely to hear Will Ferrell singing "Lady Humps" and exclaiming, "No one knows what it means!"- but the rest of the movie is pretty solid, too.

4. The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew: Have you ever seen anything more majestic than that poster? Nobody has. Be sure you have enough beers and donuts to last 90 minutes- and the rest of the winter.

5. Groundhog Day: The epic battle of Bill Murray vs. The Icy Puddle fortunately distracts me from the less glorious but more annoying struggle, Tess vs. Andie MacDowell's Acting.

6. Touching The Void*: I watched this fascinating "docudrama" in a total panic, despite the fact that it was narrated by the two mountaineers in question. Watch 30 Rock's "Into The Crevasse" afterwards to help yourself calm down, and resolve to stay in the house where there aren't any freaking ice cliffs.

7. Grand Budapest Hotel: My very favorite movie of last year, included here for the snowy sugar-dusted wonderlands in which much of the film takes place.

8. The Gruffalo's Child*: This film is achingly beautiful, and so full of love. The winter forest is rendered in painstaking, magical detail.

9. Help!: Most of this movie does not take place in a wintry clime, but since the skiing/curling scenes are my favorite and since this is my list, here it is.

10. Cool Runnings*: Is this movie still any good? I haven't seen it since I was 13 and all I remember is that I adored Doug E. Doug fiercely.

*= streaming on Netflix

What are your favorite wintery movies?

Sorting Through Your Photo Stash

(Image courtesy of Kamilla Oliveira)

It's natural to take photos of the times spent with friends and loved ones. We want to capture those memories to savor them later. However, with the ease with which most of us can take photos, there's often an abundance of unorganized images cluttering up drawers and memory drives.

If you're struggling to find a way to display and savor your recent photos - especially from the holidays - an answer may be easier than you anticipated. Take a look at these suggestions from writer, Christine Lu, at Apartment Therapy for a few simple ideas to get your photos organized in no time.

Make a photo book.

I know the concept of putting together a photo book may seem overwhelming, but creating a photo book for a specific vacation or event (like the holidays) is much more do-able than trying to capture an entire year. Put those memories into a photo book and if you make one after each holidays, flipping through them together with your family during the next holidays could be a sweet tradition. Shutterfly, Pinhole Press, Blurb and MixBook are all great resources that allow you to easily book together a photo book, but my favorite are the books from Artifact Uprising. If you're an Instagram junkie, sites like Blurb and Artifact Uprising make it convenient to turn your Instagram photos directly into a book. Who knows, maybe this project will you get you into making photo books for other events through this year!

Start scrapbooking.

I've decided that I want to get into scrapbooking this year and I've been doing some research into what would be most fitting in regards to style and resources. If you haven't been paying attention to what's been going on with the scrapbooking world lately, take note. There are tons of ways to make it fit your style in regards to documenting your life with photos and words. The ladies over at A Beautiful Mess have shared several tips and resources about how they go about making their scrapbooks, and the Project Life scrapbooking that Ronnie from Pink Ronnie does is simple, beautiful and totally inspiring.

Organize a slideshow.

Making a slideshow with photos and turning it into a movie is a great way of preserving the digital photos without investing in all the money. This is a great way to share these photos with friends and family, too. You can email them a link to the video and they can experience the photos all in one place. Check out websites like Animoto or Slidely to get started, or start with iMovie if you are an Apple user.

Put them on an object.

There are an endless amount of options in regards to what you can turn your photos into: coasters, calendars, pillows, phone cases, mugs, playing cards — you name it, they probably will do it. However, my favorite things to make when I have several photos to work with are magnets and polaroid square photos from Instagram photos. Sticky9 and Printsagram are my favorite places for these and I have found many uses for them. Magnets are great for covering your entire refrigerator, and square photos look great on the walls. You can make a heart collage, wallpaper a designated section of a wall, or line them up in a large frame. Another great option for square photos is to turn them into cards; you could use these to write thank you notes for holiday gifts!

Delete!

Take some time to go through your photos. Save the ones you really love and delete the rest! This will not only make you feel better about the massive amounts of digital photos you are accumulating, but it will make you a better photographer. Cultivating an eye for deleting and editing will help you learn what makes up a good photo. As you go through the photos, make note of your favorites, so that you have a quick reference for these when you want to go back to print your best photos. For the new year, resolve to get in the habit of taking time to sort, delete and organize your digital photos.

Stash Your Bike

With an amazing walkability score, all of San Francisco is at your feet from the front door of The Wilson. Though a walker's and a biker's paradise, what do you do with your bike when you're at home.

If storage woes are slowing you down (literally,) take a look at these tips from writer, Courtney Craig, at Apartment Guide. 

1. On Your Balcony

A balcony is a perfect spot for a bike — putting it outside gets it out of your living space. However, this is only a good idea if your balcony is covered. Rust is the enemy of the cyclist, so keep your two-wheeled steed out of the rain.

2. On the Wall

If you’ve got a blank wall, you’re in luck. It’s easy to find special mounts that get your bike off the floor and out of the way. Shop online — Googling “bike storage” will get you all the info you need — or look in any sporting goods store.

Just be sure to follow the instructions and drill the mount into a stud so it’s strong enough to hold the weight of your bike. You’ll also want to check with your landlord before you drill anything major into a wall – or be prepared to do some big-time spackling when you move out.

3. Up High

If you don’t have much in the way of horizontal space, think vertical. Some apartment dwellers rig up pulley systems that hoist the bike up to the ceiling. Like the wall mounts, this will involve drilling the mounts into something that can withstand the weight, so check with your landlord and be sure you know what you’re doing before you start.

A pulley system is one of the more complicated storage methods, but its advantage is that it gets the bike completely out of your way – you just walk right under it.

4. Behind the Couch

Do you have room to pull your couch out from the wall a bit? Simply wheel your bike behind the furniture for easy storage. This could also work behind a bed, end table or any other piece of furniture that abuts a wall.
Read more: Storage Tips for Small Apartments

5. In the Bathroom

Hear us out – how much time do you spend the shower? Just a few minutes per day, right? The rest of the time, that’s an unused storage spot that could be used for your bike. Just remember to wheel it outside when you want to take a shower.