Laura Schocker
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Articles by Laura Schocker
50 Surprisingly Thoughtful Gift Card Ideas for Holidays, Birthdays, and Special Occasions
Amy Gordon Amy GordonContributor From the garden to the kitchen to the bedroom, Amy can't stop herself from constantly switching up the style in her living space. When she's not working as a writer and editor, you can (try to) find her traveling the world, hibernating with a great book, and swimming with sea…read more Laura Schocker Laura SchockerChief Content Officer Laura Schocker is an editor, writer, and homebody with more than a decade of experience in lifestyle and digital journalism.
I Tried 3 DIY Grout Cleaners — And This One Simple Trick Blew Me Away
Apartment Therapy and AOL may earn commission from links in this article. • What Should You Not Clean Grout With? • How Often Should You Clean Grout? The grout on my bathroom floor tile haunts me. It’s one of those projects I never really have the time or the initiative to tackle, but I hate how dirty it’s become. It’s beyond the maintenance stage and in desperate need of a really good cleaning.
Disney World Has So Many New Attractions This Summer (Hello, Bluey!)
Cubby and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Credit: Laura Schocker Credit: Laura Schocker Last year, we took my daughter (and her baby brother) to Disney World for her 4th birthday present — and she spent every single one of the next 365 days trying to manifest a repeat visit for her 5th birthday. My husband and I ultimately decided to take a shorter visit over her spring break.
Disney World Has So Many New Attractions This Summer (Hello, Bluey!). Here’s What My Kids Thought.
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Last year, we took my daughter (and her baby brother) to Disney World for her 4th birthday present — and she spent every single one of the next 365 days trying to manifest a repeat visit for her 5th birthday. My husband and I ultimately decided to take a shorter visit over her spring break.
My Toddler Sat at the Table for 30 Minutes Thanks to This $5 Racetrack Plate
This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Cubby and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Credit: Laura Schocker Credit: Laura Schocker My almost 2-year-old son is deep in a “beep-beep” stage. Buses, cars, trucks — they’re all “beep beeps,” and he’s living for them. So when I saw Target’s new Hot Wheels and Pillowfort collaboration drop last week, I urgently needed the $5 racetrack plates. The only problem?
My Toddler Sat at the Table for 30 Minutes Thanks to This $5 Racetrack Plate (It Keeps Selling Out!)
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. My almost 2-year-old son is deep in a “beep-beep” stage. Buses, cars, trucks — they’re all “beep beeps,” and he’s living for them. So when I saw Target’s new Hot Wheels and Pillowfort collaboration drop last week, I urgently needed the $5 racetrack plates. The only problem? They keep selling out.
Floral Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper Makes This 5-Year-Old’s Bedroom Feel Like a Colorful Garden Wonderland
Cubby and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. When we brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital in 2021, her designated space was a bassinet at the foot of our bed. Our new family of three was living in the 700ish-square-foot apartment that I had lived in for the past 10 or so years, first alone and then with my husband. I honestly loved having her in our familiar, cozy space, watching it stretch to welcome another member of our family.
Floral Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper Makes This 5-Year-Old’s Bedroom Feel Like a Colorful Garden Wonderland
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. When we brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital in 2021, her designated space was a bassinet at the foot of our bed. Our new family of three was living in the 700ish-square-foot apartment that I had lived in for the past 10 or so years, first alone and then with my husband.
How Cubby’s Chief Content Officer Transformed a “Closet Office” into a “Closet Nursery” (It’s Only 60 Square Feet!)
Cubby and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Credit: Laura Schocker The first time I walked into our apartment, I was pregnant with my first child and working from home full-time in the deep earlier Covid days. Everyone’s homes were working harder than ever, and we were bursting out of our one-bedroom a few blocks away. The thing that sold me? A 60ish-square-foot nook off the primary bedroom.
How Cubby’s Chief Content Officer Transformed a “Closet Office” into a “Closet Nursery” (It’s Only 60 Square Feet!)
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. The first time I walked into our apartment, I was pregnant with my first child and working from home full-time in the deep earlier Covid days. Everyone’s homes were working harder than ever, and we were bursting out of our one-bedroom a few blocks away. The thing that sold me? A 60ish-square-foot nook off the primary bedroom.
I Tried 3 DIY Grout Cleaners - And One of Them Blew Me Away
The grout on my bathroom floor tile haunts me. It’s one of those projects I never really have the time or the initiative to tackle, but I hate how dirty it’s become. It’s beyond the maintenance stage and in need of a really good cleaning. Luckily, I discovered a DIY grout cleaner using common household products that worked wonders in my bathroom. Because I find myself at home now a lot more than before, I decided it was time to tackle some long-procrastinated cleaning projects.
I Tried 3 DIY Grout Cleaners — And This One Simple Trick Blew Me Away
Laura Schocker Laura SchockerChief Content Officer Laura Schocker is an editor, writer, and homebody with more than a decade of experience in lifestyle and digital journalism. Before Apartment Therapy Media, she worked as the digital director at Real Simple and the executive healthy living editor at The Huffington Post.
I Finally Found a Comfortable Sleeper Sofa and It Comes with Hidden Storage
My first big, “adult” home purchase was a sofa. After more than a decade living with a much-loved hodgepodge of hand-me-downs and bargain finds, I decided it was time to really invest in a piece of furniture. And what better than a couch, which you use every single day (and sometimes night when I doze off during a Real Housewives binge). I bought an Interior Define Sloan sectional in a shade of royal blue, and it lived up to every expectation.
The 3 Disney World Tips I Wish All Parents Knew
Credit: Melvyn Longhurst/Getty Images My daughter has been absolutely begging to go to Disney World ever since she found out about this magical land with roller coasters, real-life princesses, and Doc McStuffins. So my husband and I decided to plan a trip for her fourth birthday present.
The 3 Disney World Tips I Wish All Parents Knew
Life Travel Save Your Favorites Whenever you see the heart icon, just tap it to save it to your account! We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Create your own custom collections and keep all your inspiration in one place.
The 3 Disney World Tips I Wish All Parents Knew
Avengers: Secret Wars Theory Claims Josh Brolin's Thanos Might Return In A Big Way (But I Don't Buy It) Could Thanos return for the end of the MCU's Phase 6? We’re still over a year away from Avengers: Doomsday, but we’re likely only a few months away …
The $25 Space-Saving Solution Every New Parent Needs (It’s So Helpful!)
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. I always knew in theory that babies can come with a lot of stuff (a crib! a high chair!), but I didn’t really get it until I had my own baby this year. Suddenly I have a playmat where my coffee table used to live, and piles of baby laundry to trip over in every corner.
The 3 Disney World Tips I Wish All Parents Knew
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. My daughter has been absolutely begging to go to Disney World ever since she found out about this magical land with roller coasters, real-life princesses, and Doc McStuffins. So my husband and I decided to plan a trip for her fourth birthday present.
51 Surprisingly Thoughtful Gift Card Ideas to Give This Year
Life Gift Ideas Gift Edit Save Your Favorites Whenever you see the heart icon, just tap it to save it to your account! comments7 We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. See More Images Credit: Ruth Black/Stocksy This feature is part of Apartment Therapy's Gift Edit, our editor-curated collection of gift ideas. Need more inspiration? Check out all our guides here.
I Finally Found a Comfortable Sleeper Sofa and It Comes with Hidden Storage Original
Life Shopping love letter Save Your Favorites Whenever you see the heart icon, just tap it to save it to your account! We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. See More Images Credit: Interior Define My first big, “adult” home purchase was a sofa.
How to Take Great Photos of Your Home's Interior: Room Pic Tips
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Apartment Therapy’s annual Small/Cool Contest is back again! We want your help as we search for the smallest, coolest real-life homes around the world. Learn more about entering your space and voting for your favorites here. House tours and house calls — where we get to see inside real homes — are the heart of Apartment Therapy.
My Mom’s Magic Routine Saved Me From My Biggest Laundry Catastrophe
Marie Kondo Showed Us How Her New Organizing Boxes Work Drawers are my organizational kryptonite (OK, fine, that and the “clothes chair,” if I’m really confessing weaknesses). I can get everything folded up and fairly neat looking, but the first time I need to grab a T-shirt on my way out the door to the gym in a rush? It all goes down one big jumbled slippery slope of messiness. No amount of purging—or even, dare I say, Kon-Mari-ing—has helped.
And the Grand-Prize Winner of the Small/Cool Contest 2022 Is…
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. Over the past few months, Apartment Therapy has been hosting our annual Small/Cool Contest — the search for the smallest, coolest home in the world. This year we found it in Charleston, South Carolina. That’s right, the grand prize winner of the 2022 Small/Cool Contest is Emily Sermons for her 610-square-foot sophisticated, secondhand space.
Dawn Dish Soap Just Got a Major Makeover - And I’m Strangely Excited
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Confession: I really don’t like doing the dishes. For years, I’ve worked out a good system with my husband. When I cook, he cleans up. When he cooks, he cleans up. Listen, call it unfair, but I pull my weight lots of other ways at home and it worked out for us. But unfortunately for me, having a baby last year has really changed the math on this one.
Join AT’s Live Shopping Series, Shop Talk, for Exclusive Discounts on Some of Our Favorite Last-Minute Gifts
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. I’ve written before about how gift giving is my love language. It’s not about the stuff itself, of course, but the feeling of being able to anticipate just the thing that someone needs or didn’t realize they wanted. Or finding the gift that makes them feel seen, understood, and listened to. That means last-minute gifts are my nightmare.
This September Is “Transformation Month” on Apartment Therapy
by Laura Schocker published about 2 hours ago My apartment has gone through many transformations, big and small, during my 11-plus years here. When I moved in, I was living alone. I splashed bold paint colors on the walls to try to make it feel like mine, even amidst the hand-me-down furniture from the previous tenant. Then, a few years later, my husband moved in here too.
This August Is “Throwback Month” Here at Apartment Therapy
by Laura Schocker published about 7 hours ago I sometimes struggle to find the line between what items are sentimental… and what items are sentimental clutter. I have trouble getting rid of things that no longer suit my life or style because I remember the happy day I acquired them, or the people I was with, or the life stage I was in at the time.
This Month Is All About Colorful Spaces on Apartment Therapy
by Laura Schocker published about 1 hour ago A few years ago, I read a tip that said if you’re feeling stuck on your decor style, you should look in your closet. When it comes to clothes, it’s always been easy for me to decide what I like (and what I don’t). But when it comes to interior design, I used to choke.
The Power of Community: A June Letter From the Editor
One defining part of this past year has been separation. I left the office last March, and haven’t seen my coworkers in person since. I went through an entire pregnancy without seeing my mom or college best friends. I saw my dad one time, masked on the sidewalk, six feet away. My husband and I still haven’t paid our respects to his grandmother who died last spring. And I’m one of the lucky ones — I’ve had the privilege to maintain this safe distance, and a job I can do from a computer screen.
The $25 Space-Saving Solution New Parents Need
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Credit: Catherine Delahaye/Getty Images I always knew in theory that babies can come with a lot of stuff (a crib! a high chair!), but I didn’t really get it until I had my own baby this year. Suddenly I have a playmat where my coffee table used to live, and piles of baby laundry to trip over in every corner.
On Loving-and Leaving-My Apartment: A February Letter from the Editor
by Laura Schocker published about 7 hours ago For the last two years, I’ve written my February editor letter about how much I love my home — it only felt natural in a month with a big romantic holiday right in the middle. “The 10-plus year relationship I have with my one-bedroom apartment has been one of the most rewarding in my life,” I wrote last year.
6 Things 3 Years at Apartment Therapy Have Taught Me About Home
by Laura Schocker published Yesterday This past Friday, Dec. 4, was my three-year anniversary as the editor at Apartment Therapy. For the past two years, I’ve marked this occasion by compiling a list of things I learned during the year here at AT. This year has been uniquely challenging in so many ways, but one thing I definitely know about 2020 is that home has become even more important than I ever could have imagined.
At-Home Massage Apps Are the Latest Wellness Craze
You don’t even have to leave your house. By Laura Schocker Updated April 27, 2016 You can have pretty much anything delivered to your home within an hour nowadays. Dinner? That’s easy. Groceries? No problem. You can even get a puppy! And now you can add a massage to the list.
This October Is “Money Month” at Apartment Therapy
by Laura Schocker published about 6 hours ago Last January, when I didn’t know that 2020 was going to look… like this, I made a New Year’s resolution to become a “budget person”. I’ve always been careful with my spending and had a budget, but to me, there’s a difference between proactive and passive about it. It’s a mindset and habit shift, and one I was committed to making so I could feel more in control of what’s going where and why.
How My Apartment Slowly, Sneakily Transformed In 2020: A September Letter From the Editor
by Laura Schocker published Sep 8, 2020 Those of you who read Apartment Therapy regularly might know we like to give each month a “theme” that we apply to a lot of what we write and publish on the site, whether that’s “color” or “community.” For the second year in a row, September’s theme is “transformation”, an idea that feels especially powerful in the month summer transforms into fall, with so much transition happening, from shifting leaf colors here in the Northeast, to (finally!) a dip...
A September Letter from the Editor: Transitioning into Fall
(Image Credit: Aimée Mazzenga) Recently, I had the rare luxury of a Friday night all alone. I bought myself flowers on the way home, ordered dinner in, lit some candles, and binged stored-up episodes of “Love It or List It Too.” Here’s the premise if you haven’t watched: a couple is torn about whether they should renovate their current home (and love it) or if they should move to a new place (and list it).
Cute Giant Planters Are Stupidly Expensive-But I Found One for Under $50
(Image Credit: Laura Schocker) I used to be a serial plant killer. One time, my former boss went on vacation and asked me to water her office plants—I somehow killed every single one of them (sorry, Lori). But a few months into working at Apartment Therapy, I had edited and read enough pieces from the experts here to start gaining confidence in myself as a plant parent. I started with two low maintenance, medium-sized plants: a ZZ plant and a snake plant.
Behr’s 2020 Color of the Year Is Such a Natural Choice (Literally)
(Image Credit: Studio Light and Shade/Getty Images) We’re just over halfway through 2019, and Behr paint is ready to forecast their color projections for 2020. The company announced their official color of the year (COTY) on Thursday. The winner: Back to Nature, a soft yellow-green. Behr and their retail partner, The Home Depot, gathered a group of design editors and journalists, including Apartment Therapy, to Napa Valley to make the big reveal.
One Trick to Slowing Down Time: An August Letter From the Apartment Therapy Editor
One of my early August highlights: this rainbow headboard idea featured in this Melbourne house tour (part of our "World at Home" series running all month.) (Image Credit: Natalie Jeffcott) The other day, I finished up some fairly normal office small talk by saying, “I can’t believe it’s almost August.” As soon as the cliche left my mouth, I felt a little silly.
6 Things Dorm Life Taught Me About My Design Sense
For the record, this was not my dorm room. (Image Credit: Alyssa Strohmann/Unsplash) The summer before my senior year of high school, I had a revelation: When I lived in a dorm, all of my clothes would be in one place for pretty much the first time in my life. This might sound strange, but I had been switching houses between my mom and my dad every Friday evening since I was three.
A June Letter from the Apartment Therapy Editor
by Laura Schocker One of the highlights of my entire spring happened last month, when we hosted the Apartment Therapy and Kitchn editorial teams here at our SoHo headquarters for a retreat to plan the rest of our 2019 features. Instead of going out for separate team dinners every night, we spent one night in our test kitchens and video studios, having a meal as a group.
A May Letter from the Editor: Making Your City Your Home
by Laura Schocker A sneak peek from the house tour of our lifestyle editor Taryn Williford — coming up tomorrow! (Image Credit: Tanya Lacourse) One thing that makes Apartment Therapy special is that about half of our editorial team works from their homes across the country (the other half is based in our NYC headquarters). I love popping into our Tuesday video call and seeing Tara’s Boston place (and her cats), or Adrienne’s NOLA home (and her dogs).
Marie Kondo Says Her Parents Once Banned Her From Tidying
Marie Kondo's name has become synonymous with tidying up. And at a talk at NYC's 92nd Street Y last week, moderator Katie Rosman asked Kondo just how far back that reputation goes: Did Kondo grow up in a clean home? The answer, Kondo said, was that her childhood home looked clean, but when you opened the doors it was messy.
Marie Kondo Viral Tweet Declutter Books Controversy
In Twitter controversies this week, we saw the blasphemous (exaggerated) idea that Marie Kondo is suggesting people throw out all of their books. Kondo's new Netflix show, "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo," has thrust her KonMari decluttering method into the national spotlight again (her book, "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up," is even back on the New York Times best sellers list this week).
50 Surprisingly Thoughtful Gift Card Ideas to Give This Year
Life Gift Ideas Save Your Favorites Whenever you see the heart icon, just tap it to save it to your account! We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Cozy Gifts For People Who Are Always Freezing Cold
We all know someone who seems to run a little colder than everyone else. You can find them wearing a few extra layers, even in the warmer months. It can be a seemingly normal temperature, and you can spot them shivering under an office blanket (hey, this one might not be their fault). If they had a nickel for every time they heard the "cold hands, warm heart," cliche, well... they could fund a cure for cold hands. We don't have a solution for being freezing all the damn time.
What 1 Year at Apartment Therapy Taught Me About My Home
When you tell people you work at Apartment Therapy, they often ask if your own place looks like the tours we feature—full of plants, ingenious DIYs, and other one-of-a-kind finds. But the truth is that I face the same struggles our readers often do: limited space, time, energy, creativity, and money to devote to my own home.
6 Grammar Mistakes Even Smart People Make
Incorrect version: “She went to the store with Sally and I.” Correct version: “She went to the store with Sally and me.” Incorrect version: “Between you and I…” Correct version: “Between you and me…” “I tell people to imagine the sentence with only one person because that usually makes the pronoun choice clear,” says Mignon Fogarty, creator and host of the Grammar Girl podcast on the Quick and Dirty Tips network. So think of it this way: You wouldn’t say, “She went to the store with I,” right?
Watch Marie Kondo Organize a Messy Kids' Toy Area
Marie Kondo is known for her ability to take even the trickiest of messes and transform them into folded, controlled spaces that, in her words, "spark joy." When the bestselling author of the "Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" came into our studios recently to demo how her new organizational boxes work, we challenged her to pack a carry-on suitcase—no problem. But then we asked the mom of two and inventor of the viral KonMari method to tackle an even trickier problem: the toy area.
You're a True Millennial If You Win This Bingo Game
We forecast—and set—decor trends all the time here at Apartment Therapy. But what does a "trend" even mean and where do they come from in the first place? "Trends are heavily influenced by pop culture, fashion, food, music, the streets, and sometimes what is going on in the world politically," Lori Weitzner, author of Ode to Color, previously told the site. Sometimes when you hear about one it can start to feel like it's popping up all over the place. Velvet is in?
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