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Spring Secondhand Shopping: Guide to Thrift Stores, Flea Markets & Yard Sales

For some people, spring means Easter, gardening, and baseball. For me it’s all about the start of yard sales, flea markets and thrift shopping. The weather is nice, and families everywhere are doing their big, annual purges. They haul everything to Goodwill, or out to the garage to sell….and into my eager, waiting hands. In the spirit of the season (and my obvious excitement), here are some of our favorite posts of the subject.

If you are headed out for the first time, or need a refresher, read these tips and get ready:

WHERE TO GO

1. Best Kept Secrets: Hidden Thrift to Treasure Stores

2. Readers' Favorite Vintage, Thrift, & Secondhand Shops

3. Flea Market Guide: Coast to Coast

4. Best Thrift Stores and Flea Markets

5. 10 US Flea Markets Worth a Trip

AWESOME APARTMENT SPECIALS FOR THE SPRING - DALLAS & WACO! This is the best time to move!

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The Riviera Apartments in China Spring, Texas

Ashwood Park Apartments - North Dallas

DIY HOME DECOR: Lego Piece Family Portrait

Cute Lego Family Portrait: DIY for your Apartment Home!

If photo shoots make you cringe, then Lisa's Lego-themed family portrait might be more up your alley. It's cute, but not TOO cute. See how she did it....

What You Need

Materials

• Lego Minifigures
• IKEA Ribba Frame
• Heavy Cardboard
• Command Strips

Tools

• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Hot Glue Gun

Instructions

1. To make the mini figurine family, choose the right hair, heads, bodies and legs (and dogs!) from your Lego stash.

Tip: If you don't have quite the right pieces, hit up the Lego Replacement Parts department for anything else you need. It takes about a week in the mail to get them from Denmark.

2. Using the basic Ikea Ribba frame as a jumping-off point, first create a shadow box. Cut 1/2" "spacers" from heavy cardboard and wrapped them in plain white paper (using a glue stick). Hot glue the spacers to the inside edges of the frame, directly behind the glass.

3. To get the Lego people to sit flush in the frame, use stacked Command Strips on the back of each figure and attach them to a sheet of paper. Once everything is in place, insert the new artwork in the frame, and attach the back of the frame with more hot glue.

ESSENTIAL Cleaning Tools for Every Apartment Home

10 Cleaning Tools Every Home Should Have

 

 

1. Sponge: There are a huge variety of sponges out there. It's nice to have a mix of regular sponges, some with an abrasive side, and then some with a microfiber side to tackle just about any dirty surface. If you plan on reusing a sponge, don't forget to clean it!

2. White Towels: I always keep a ton of white towels on hand. I picked up a couple of sets of organic cotton towels from Crate&Barrel, but you can find packs of these just about anywhere, even at the hardware store. They'll always match, you'll know when they're dirty, and they can be easily bleached and disinfected without getting ruined. An eco-friendly alternative is cut up old t-shirts.

3. Squeegee: These little tools are a must-have for keeping showers mold-free. They also work great on windows if that's a part of your cleaning regimen.

4. Microfiber Cloths: Just like the white towels, getting a ton of these to keep on hand is super helpful. Microfiber can often get surfaces clean on its own or with just a little water, and shouldn't scratch or leave streaks behind.

5. Spray Bottle: Keep spray bottles on hand if you ever need to rinse something off with water, or like to make your own cleaners.

6. Broom, Dustpan and Mop: This is obvious. If you have any hard surfaces like wood, tile, cork, and linoleum, you will need a broom and mop to get them clean. Dustpans help with the process, and of course are crucial for quickly cleaning up any spills.

7. Vacuum: Whether it's a Roomba or a Dyson vacuum, these machines help keep floors clean and allergies at bay.

8. Bucket: A nice sized bucket can not only stow your cleaning supplies, but also be used for mopping, or any other of a multitude of household tasks.

9. Scrub Brush: A sponge or cloth isn't always going to work, so keep a bristle scrub brush on hand to use on tough stains.

10. Toothbrush: When you need something a little more detailed than a scrub brush, a toothbrush is a great option. Disinfect some old toothbrushes and put them to work on grout, sink rims and all the other nooks and crannies in your house.

The Riviera Apartment Homes in China Spring/Waco, Texas --- AMAZING BLOWOUT SALES! Reduced rent + Unheard of Move in Specials!