Blog Posts

Holiday Home Scents

During the autumn in Puyallup, it’s getting a little cooler outside and we’re spending more time inside! At Canyon Park we are all about making our homes as cozy as possible. We’ve found a few tricks and tips for personalizing your home’s scent! Scent has been mentioned as one of the strongest memory triggers. Each time you walk in your front door, you’ll love taking a deep breath of something fresh and cozy scented. There are a few different scent options depending on your preferences and lifestyle. First are candles. This is a little more tricky and requires a little bit of extra attention. However, candles can really fill a room with scent. You can find them at all different price ranges and scents. Each season you can certainly find the perfect candle option for your home. With pretty labels and candle holders these can double as a decoration! Another option are oil diffusers. This is a way to disperse scent into the air and some even have health benefits. Potpourri can also be a beautiful decoration and can be catered to suit your home and decor. Making a simmer pot with water, essential oils and herbs or spices can also fill your home with a seasonal scent. These are all great options for the holiday season to make your home more inviting. If you want the ambience of candles but without the fire hazard, battery powered candles give off a flickering light and come in all different sizes and styles. From Sortra.com , we found this post with tons of ideas on how to decorate with candles this season. The post mentions that the “season has changed, what about your home decoration? Have you started making little changes inside and outside of your home? Hanging a winter themed wreath on your door is the first step to welcome the new season. You can then change the mood of your place step by step. Embellishing your candles or creating a decorative item with candles to use as a dinner table centerpiece is a smart idea to make your family feel the cozy spirit of winter. It is not that hard as you may think. Take some twigs, cinnamon sticks and Christmas ornaments then have a look at this inspirational gallery of ideas.” Good luck incorporating these ideas into your space and choosing your own signature home scent. Thanks for reading!

Hosting Holiday Guests

When you get to host guests for the Holidays, you’ll definitely be experiencing the holidays in a different way! Here at Canyon Park, we want to help you have the most enjoyable time possible even with a few extras under your roof. Taking a few extra moments to prepare a space for your loved ones is a great touch and goes a long way. You can definitely learn from trial and error here. Take into account what has worked — and what hasn’t — in the past when hosting guests. Every experience helps you to be able to make each visit better and better. Also think about which of your visits have been special in the past and what details made them so. Contacting your guests beforehand is a great way to get a feel for what they are expecting upon arrival and through the duration of their stay. Take into account how far they are traveling and how long they plan to stay. There are tactful ways to communicate with your guests so no feelings get hurt. Decide where guests will be sleeping and which restroom they will be utilizing. We compiled a list of things you might want to have prepared when guests arrive: Stock up on snacks! Traveling can certainly be expensive. You shouldn’t feel obligated to cook a five-course meal three times a day, but a basket with easy snacks like jerky, popcorn, fresh fruit, and granola bars can be a great on-the-go snack when your guests are headed to nearby tourist attractions. Prep the bedroom — an extra blanket is the perfect touch when setting up sleeping arrangements for your guest. Make sure sheets are clean and comfortable. A fan or heater might be necessary depending on the room or space. A night light is an inexpensive perk which is helpful when navigating the path to the restroom at night. Towels and toiletries- other than essentials like soap, toilet paper and towels, it can be fun to provide a “hotel feel” for your guests. Head to a nearby Sephora or Ulta and check if they have any trial sized samples (some places will just give these for free!). These can be displayed on a counter or in a clear glass jar for a thoughtful and useful decoration. Home is where the wi-fi is! If you don’t know your wi-fi password, find out before guests come so they can check emails, look up local restaurants, and instagram their hearts out! Also, picking up spare phone or device chargers is a relief for travelers who may have forgotten their chargers at the last minute. What are your favorite hosting hacks? Please share in the comments so we can all benefit.

Life at Canyon Park Apartments

These newly renovated homes are just where you want to be! Cozy touches like fireplaces and wood accents make these homes the perfect place to live, explore, and thrive. With one-, two-, and three-bedroom floorplans, we have all the space you need to fit your lifestyle. Our sauna and spa are the ideal getaway for a little rest and relaxation. Garages and covered parking allow an escape from that northwest weather and keep your car safe and protected in any season! An in-apartment washer and dryer setup as well as updated appliances make household chores a little less dreadful. Our resident business center allows you to get some work done in the comfort of your own home. Not only are the homes ideal, the neighborhood is even better. Around the Puyallup area there are a ton of activities and entertainment opportunities available. When the weekend rolls around, spend your evenings taking in all the area has to offer. Catch a flick at the AMC Lakewood Mall 12 or the Regal Cinemas Lakewood 15 . Check out the exhibits nearby at the Fort Lewis McChord Air Base Museum to see artifacts and replicas of airplanes and flight simulators. For a little retail therapy, the Tacoma Mall or South Hill Mall have several different stores to meet all your needs. Head to the Fairgrounds for events all year long! A full-size indoor basketball court offers a place to play, while the tanning beds are our favorite place to relax! The breathtaking views of the Pacific Northwest are just the icing on the cake for this stunning property and stellar location. On-site management is available to meet your needs and address any concerns you may have. Amenities may vary depending on floor or building, so come take a tour today and see just how Canyon Park apartments can fit you! Find our Facebook page here for more information!

Frankenstein Stories to Give You Chills

Did you know that October has not one, but two Frankenstein holidays? October 29th is National Frankenstein Day, and the last Friday of the month is Frankenstein Friday. That means that this year, we’ll have most of a weekend devoted to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and her famously dark creations: Victor Frankenstein and his monster. So we here at Canyon Park apartments in Puyallup, WA have gathered together a few of our favorite Frankenstein adaptations for you to enjoy this month! Frankenstein What better place to start than the original novel? If you’ve never read the classic story of Victor Frankenstein, his disturbing creation, and the monstrosity and humanity in each of us, then you should try picking it up now! Frankenstein (1931) The first film adaptation of the novel is still one of the greatest. Starring Boris Karloff as the iconic green-skinned, square-headed, bolt-in-the-neck version of the creature, everyone should see this classic at least once. Frankenstein: Prodigal Son Loosely connected to the original story, this novel by Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson follows tough police detective Carson O’Connor as she searches the streets of New Orleans for an elusive serial killer who selects his victims for the humanity that is missing in himself. Young Frankenstein A classic Mel Brooks comedy, Young Frankenstein stars Gene Wilder as the descendent of the original Victor Frankenstein (“It’s pronounced Frahnkensteen ”) who succumbs to his hereditary weaknesses and builds a monster of his own. Ex Machina Drawing heavily from the themes of the original Frankenstein , this cerebral sci-fi thriller stars Domhnall Gleeson as a programmer brought in by a brilliant CEO (Oscar Isaac) to assess the intelligence of advanced android Ava (Alicia Vikander). Do you have a favorite version of Frankenstein that we missed? Let us know about it in the comments so that everyone can enjoy it!

DIY Halloween Decorations

Looking for a good way to liven up your apartment for Halloween? Decorations aren't hard to come by in Puyallup, but why spend the extra cash when frugality can lead to some unique, hand-made decorations that outstrip anything you could see in the store? These budget-friendly alternatives can help you save some extra cash for the upcoming winter season. Have a Happy Halloween with these spooky, easy-to-make decorations for your Canyon Park home. Ghostly Outdoor Draperies These lovely draperies only require little more than cheesecloth, a tape measure, and tea. Quick to construct and hard to do wrong, the drapes are an easy addition to windows, doors, and walls, and add an immediate ambiance of a decrepit haunted house. The result is surprisingly beautiful for such a simple design. Halloween Tin Can Luminaries Completely customizable, these luminary instructions can be used for more than just the Halloween season. Depending on the color and the theme word, these tin cans can be painted and poked to reflect any holiday. All you need is a can, a marker, hammer and nail, and some paint to create these lovely lamps. Hanging Ghosts Simple Styrofoam is used to craft these tiny spirits. More cute than terrifying, these decorations are the perfect way to share the holiday feel without going the macabre route. Use your leftover cheese cloth from the draperies to put together these hanging ghosts. Add some marker-drawn eyes and a bit of string, and these quick creations can be put anywhere in the house. Peekaboo Pumpkins Jack O' Lanterns aren't the only way to utilize pumpkins for Halloween. Don't mess with the muck of a pumpkin's innards this year and instead put together one of these adorable ghouls. The fastest craft on the list, all you need for these peekaboos is some glue and googly eyes. Stick them just about anywhere to peak away and you have a fantastic little craft for your Halloween display. Have any other suggestions or go-to creations you rely on for your homemade Halloween display? Feel free to comment and share those below.

Recipes for National Vegetarian Month

Last week, we celebrated National Vegetarian Month with a list of some restaurants in the area that serve some tasty vegetarian dishes. But we know you can’t eat out all the time, so we’ve gathered together some delicious vegetarian recipes that you can make at home in your Canyon Park apartment in Puyallup, WA. These recipes and their descriptions are from Allrecipes.com. Chef John’s Meatless Meatballs "I made this recipe to celebrate Earth Day. Thanks to a thorough browning, mushrooms provide more than enough savoriness. The garlic, cheese, and parsley do the rest. What really blew me away was how close the texture was to actual meatballs. They are officially approved for use on spaghetti!" Butternut Squash Bake "This savory side dish or vegetarian main dish is made with butternut squash and accented with fresh thyme and blue cheese." Vegetarian Bibimbap "I created this recipe from looking at a few different ones online and choosing my favorite aspects of each. This is vegetarian but there are many bibimbap recipes with beef or chicken marinades, if you want to add beef or chicken to this dish." Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas "These vegetarian black bean and rice enchiladas are just as satisfying as those served in restaurants." French Veggie Loaf "I found this savory loaf recipe in the Alsace region of France. It is wonderfully moist, and because of the density of the veggie mixture, it doesn't rise too much. So be sure to pour all of the batter into the pan. You can add or substitute other veggies of your choice. And enjoy!" Double Tomato Bruschetta "A delicious and easy appetizer. The balsamic vinegar gives it a little bite. Dried basil can be substituted but it is best with fresh." Do you have any favorite vegetarian dishes of your own? Share them with us in the comments so that we can enjoy them too!