1. Absorb the sound with a few fantastic décor hacks

Sound loves empty spaces and flat, hard surfaces, so if your apartment is extremely minimalist, there are a few quick fixes that will provide you with instant relief. With the simple addition of furniture, throw rugs or pillows, or carpets to your floors, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the decibel level drops, even if the sound that bothers you is coming from outside your home.

2. Invest in earplugs and/or white noise devices

While this tip isn’t a foolproof solution, it can help take the edge off, especially as you begin your quest for a more serene space. Today’s noise cancelling headphones are remarkably effective even at lower price points, and phone apps or white noise machines designed to help you sleep peacefully can help you get the rest you need (which will help you be more productive once morning comes.)

3. You’ve heard of blackout curtains? They work for sound, too.

Heavy drapes aren’t just for minimizing light anymore. Check out curtains designed specifically to limit sound for rooms such as your home office and bedroom. While they’ll certainly help shut out noise, you’ll find they’ll also reduce light and conserve your heat/air conditioning, depending on the season. Another option is to use a door draft stopper at the base of your office door or front door.

4. Bring in the experts—contact your rental management team

If the noise that you’re dealing with on a regular basis isn’t due to forces outside your apartment community’s control—traffic noise or construction work, for example—but instead is the result of particularly noisy neighbors, do *not* attempt to solve this problem on your own. Chances are, if you’re distracted or annoyed by your louder-than-reasonable neighbors, other renters in your building are as well.

What to do? Contact your apartment management team and ask them to step in on your behalf, for the good of the entire community. In many cases, your rental manager will be able to speak with the noisy neighbor about toning things down, especially during work hours or late at night, and you won’t be drawn into a one-on-one confrontation over noise (which we never recommend). You chose your apartment home because you were looking for a fantastic place to live that allows you to work and relax in a supportive environment. If you’ve tried all the tips above and still are finding yourself losing sleep or work hours due to your neighbor’s noise levels, let your apartment management team know that you’re losing sleep (or productive work time)—they can take matters from there.

The post Shhh!!! How to dampen outside noise in your apartment appeared first on BRG Apartments Blog.

1. Batwing Peanut Butter Cups

For these fun and festive treats, assemble chocolate sandwich cookies, frosting, edible candy eyes and miniature peanut butter cups. First, remove any existing frosting from the backs of the sandwich cookies, then break each cookie side into two pieces, to create half-circle “bat wings.” Add a tiny bit of frosting to the cookies and affix the cookies to the unwrapped miniature peanut butter cups, rounded side up. Then just add two edible candy eyes and you’ve got a miniature bat party!

2. Monster Face Fruit Cups

Nothing could be easier than this! First, assemble a bowl full of grapes, several clear plastic juice cups, large marshmallows, and clear plastic wrap—and a black permanent marker. Then fill the bottom of each cup with a layer of grapes. Follow with two large marshmallows, placed on their side—these will be your monster’s “eyes”—and top with a final layer of grapes. Cover each plastic cup with plastic wrap, ideally the self-adhesive kind! Then it’s time to get creative. Draw funny faces on the side of the cup, making the marshmallows into googly-eyes and adding a goofy smile beneath.

3. Eye Popping Pudding Cups

Don’t put those plastic cups and markers away quite yet! Instead whip up several packets of colored pudding—ghostly white, ghoulish green, boo-tiful blue and pumpkin orange. Fill the clear plastic cups with the pudding, then use the markers to make spooky or funny faces on the sides of the plastic cups. For added interest, top the pudding cups in interesting ways—like using candy corn for ears or crushed chocolate cookies for a thick mop of hair. Have fun with it!

4. Wicked Witch’s Hats

At Halloween, you can never have too much chocolate. So gather the following for this indulgent treat: miniature unwrapped chocolate kisses, chocolate sandwich cookies (THIN Oreos® work best!), colored frosting (say, orange or green) and candy sprinkles. Assembly couldn’t easier: pipe a thin layer of frosting onto the cookie, press a chocolate kiss into the frosting, and dust with a layer of candy sprinkles! Hats off to you!

5. Spicy Sweet (c)Hex Mix

Okay, this one is for those of you who are truly looking for a last-minute save for your Halloween party—(c)Hex Mix for the win! Just purchase a bag of pre-made party mix (like Chex Mix®) and then add some Halloween delight: candy corn, unwrapped chocolate miniature candies or M&Ms, popcorn, nuts, whatever says Halloween to you! Bring this mix in a Halloween-themed bowl and some small plastic cups for serving and you’ll have your Halloween treat challenge solved.

This Halloween, don’t let a lack of time or cooking skills keep you from the neighborhood party—or better yet, throw a party yourself to meet the neighbors! Here’s wishing you a spooky good time.

The post Last-Minute Halloween Party? Scare up some quick and easy treats! appeared first on BRG Apartments Blog.