Happy Hour is over at midnight and your place is the suggested location for your group to continue the evening of fun and to “straighten up” before hitting the road all the way home.

This could be a sticky situation if you aren’t prepared. So, here are 7 easy tips to successfully hosting an impromptu after party.

1. Put A Pot On- Serve coffee. Keep it simple, you don’t have to compete with Starbucks. Just brew up some java and it at the very least leaves your apartment with a wonderful aroma. It’ll help the sleepies wake up a little too.

2. Play Music At A Volume Grandmother Would Appreciate- And not the deaf one either. Be respectful of your neighbors to keep the party going. You could pop on the Ipod, stereo, or use your favorite music channel provided by your dish or cable company, but keep low. Suddenly you’re an Instant DJ. Plus, those music channels offer some really neat trivia about the artist that it’s currently playing.

3. Serve water to everyone- Maybe they don’t go for the coffee, but after a night out everyone could use some water. Even try to rouse the guy who didn’t quite make it through the night. If you don’t have bottled water, make a picture of ice cold water, add lemons, limes, oranges or even cucumbers (although not necessarily together) to give it some pizzazz. You must keep hydrated.

4. Appetizer’s are in high demand- Order appetizers before you leave your happy hour spot. Or, hop over to Ihop for breakfast food. Don’t want to stop? Scramble some eggs with a little toast, have chips and salsa, or cut up a medley of fresh fruit, cheese, and crackers. The true entertainer should always have mixed nuts or pretzels on hand.

5. Go Light On the Sauce- When preparing late night cocktails, go heavy on the mixers. Remember: your apartment isn’t a fully stocked bar and everyone’s been drinking since 6 p.m.

6. Play thinking games- Have games already on hand? Perfect. If not, make up some trivia games like name 5 movies with Julia Roberts or who holds the NFL record for the most Touchdowns. The point is to make sure your guest are mentally in top form before they say they’re going to head home—driving.

7. Don’t invite extra people- Only VIP’s make it to the after-party. Don’t allow others who call your after-hour buddies to drop in. Too many people can ruin a late night get together and things can get out of hand. VIP’s only!

The key to the perfect after-party is supplying your guests with a safe, fun place to relax or pull it together before heading home to drunk dial—which you can’t really help them with.

Every now and then I pick up some great tips and ideas to help give my place that clean, gleaming feel with as little stress as possible. Cleaning and keeping your apartment in tip-top guest shape can be an overwhelming thought when you are limited for time. Then, sometimes, no matter how hard you clean and try to keep your place in shape, it just gets out of shape again…

Here are a couple of tips to help you keep your place suited for visitors and keep them from going “Ewww.”

Sparkling Mirrors - I used to get so frustrated that every time I cleaned my mirror, it always ended up spotty. Turns out I was doing a major thing wrong. I was spraying the mirror directly with Windex rather than on a clean lint-free cloth. To get sparkling results in your mirror cleaning spray commercial window cleaner on a lintless cloth like an old T-shirt and wipe down the mirror. Dry immediately with another clean lintless cloth to prevent streaking. Do this once every couple of weeks and you’ll be sure to impress when your guests are glancing back at themselves.

Handle the Wobblemeister- Have a wobbly chair or table? Don’t pull the restaurant fix and shove a folded napkin or sugar packets underneath. A much better solution is to re-use old corks. Just take an old wine cork, cut a horizontal slice, and place it underneath the leg of the chair or table that is doing the wobble-wobble.

Fresh Flowers- Don’t receive flowers as often as you’d like? Let your man know he needs to pick up his game and then try extending the life of the ones you do get. A common solution for this is to make sure and cut the stem of the flower at an angle rather than straight across , but for even better results and a longer lasting flower, add a little bit of sugar and a small amount of an acidic ingredient like Sprite, which allows for better water absorption. But…you should still get on your man about stepping up his game…

I hope you take these tips and are able to use them in ways you’ve never used tips before. You better not start calling me “Martha!”

For more tips on apartment living, check out ApartmentHomeLiving.com.

1. Cup of Sugar- The age old “Cup o’ Sugar” routine is a great one and always works. Even if you don’t need the sugar, just pop next door with an empty measuring cup at a reasonable time and politely introduce yourself and ask if you could borrow a “cup of sugar.” This works best at dinner time. Do it any earlier and you’ll just look silly. And don’t stand around talking for too long either, get the sugar, exchange names and greetings, and get back to your apartment. This opens up the conversation route for the next time you pass each other and you no longer have to put your head down and act like you are making sure your laces are tired.

2. The Community Areas- Hit the fitness center, the clubhouse, or the laundry room at your community. Areas that are commonly visited by the other residents. Strike up a conversation with someone who looks friendly and receptive. Who knows, you may make an awesome friend. If you have a dog, take them out walking often. People love making friends with dogs and their owners. Just don’t hang out by the dumpster…that’s just weird…and stinky.

3. Hang Out On The Patio - Get some lawn chairs and chill out on your patio or balcony whenever you have a nice day. Chit chat with the passer-by’s. Just don’t hoot and whistle like a construction worker. Nothing is more offensive and is a very easy way to NOT make friends.

Hopefully, you will have a few new friends in no time and you’ll find that most neighbors aren’t Apartmental like the ones in the video. Who knows, maybe you are my neighbor? Come and meet me!

For more info on apartment living, check out ApartmentHomeLiving.com

In most (if not all) apartment communities, burning candles is actually against the rules. Naturally so, because if you are burning candles, you may be putting an entire building and not to mention several people’s lives at stake. Sound severe? It’s not. Fires caused by candles happen more often then you’d think.

All it takes is a small gust of wind, a cat, or your uncoordinated-clumsy boyfriend to knock over that pretty smelling yankee candle and make the whole building go up in flames. That reminds me….did you sign up for renters insurance yet?

If candles aren’t an option you are definitely still in luck. There are several great alternatives to having yourself a little burning wick with melting wax. Check it out:

If it’s a fine scent that you’re after, try Glade® PlugIns®. They come in a ton of different smells that keep your place smelling way better than a measly apple cinnamon candle. Lamp oils or incense are also great options for spreading a little scented love around your apartment. The best part of all of these: none of them use an open flame!

I truly hope that you aren’t trying to go George Washington on me and read by candlelight, but if you are indeed needing the candles for light…please work your way into the present century with an invention called the “light bulb” You could go with electric candles, lamps, or a night light if you are needing to get around in the middle of the night. Needing it for mood lighting? Try opening the blinds a little and letting the moonlight spill in or use the calming iridescent glow coming from your computer monitor. Okay, I’m kidding about the monitor, but you may even want to try using small track lighting with dimmers. They can set the mood really well too.

And if you are using candles for heat…please…PLEASE…use something that can actually provide you with real warmth like your central heating unit.

When you actually think about it…candles really aren’t that practical…so I figure…who needs ‘em? Those archaic-old lighting utensils belong in a wax museum.

For more info on apartment living, check out: ApartmentHomeLiving.com

Getting good sleep may be one of the most important factors on happiness, health, and hanging on to those youthful good looks that you have.

Living in an apartment gives you an opportunity to get better sleep than any other living situation. It’s warmer than a cardboard box. It’s your own place, so Mom doesn’t come screaming about breakfast when you are trying to sleep. Most importantly, you don’t have to lose sleep about the money that you are spending on repairs and maintenance to a home you own…all you have to do is call the office.

It’s little known, but I am actually an expert on sleep. There are a few things out there that can help you sleep more soundly at night in your apartment.

Turn down the fan and sleep on your side- Sometimes trouble sleeping can be applied to the actual way you are sleeping. Many times, if you sleep on your back, your mouth has a tendency to hang open when you are asleep. This in-turn causes wake ups with a dry sore throat and sadly…loud snoring that can wake you or your significant other as you breath from your mouth. Try intentionally laying on your side or stomach as you fall asleep. You could even scotch tape your mouth shut if you wanted. Ha! Really though, try switching it up and see if it makes a difference or turn down your fan when you are down for the count. A fan on blast will certainly circulate the air, but it can also stir up dry air and late night cedar fever…..and more SNORING…..

Rest Your Mind- Ever been laying in bed and can’t stop thinking about something that has you tossing and turning for hours? Of course you have. You should practice what is called “thought stopping.” As the thought creeps into your head, tell yourself to “STOP.” If it creeps back, do it again. The word Stop! forces an immediate shifting of our attention, which will lead us away from preoccupying thoughts. Worrying about having to be asleep will only cause anxiety and keep you awake. Try and relax your mind…sleep will soon follow.

Sleep Items- From aromatherapy aides like a Lavender Pillow Mist to relaxing sounds or music cd’s to a warming blanket, there are a number of items available that can help you get a few more zzzz’s. The important thing is to try a few and see what works.

My friend’s Granny used to always have a hot toddy before sleep. His Grandpa had a shot of whiskey. Neither one of them ever had sleeping problems. I would hate to know the long lasting effect it had on their livers though, so if you use that therapy, make sure it’s a last resort.

Get some rest!

For more info on having fun in your apartment check out: ApartmentHomeLiving.Com