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New Years Eve Party Favors

New Year’s Eve is a great time to celebrate and spend time with family and friends. If you’re throwing a party at your Virginia Square Towers apartment, we have some fun party favor ideas for you to make for your guest! Enjoy these ideas and enjoy your celebrations here in Arlington, VA. New Year’s Confetti Party Favors These confetti party favors are a great way to let your guests celebrate the holiday season. This idea comes from A Pumpkin and a Princess . To make these confetti party favors you’ll need plastic or glass test tubes, metallic gold strands, and a gift tag. Glitter Dipped Fortune Cookie Party Favors These glittery fortune cookies are a perfect item to help you celebrate the new year and your guests will love them! This idea comes from Happiness is Homemade . To make these you’ll need plain fortune cookies, bright white Wilton Candy Melts, edible gold glitter, rainbow sprinkles, crystal sugar sprinkles, and confetti sprinkles. Sparkling New Year Tag This is a simple and fun way to give a party favors to your guests. This idea comes from The Crafting Chicks . You’ll simply tie on a tag with the phrase, “Have a Sparkling New Year 2018”. Tie the tag to a bottle of your choice of sparkling drink (whether it’s champagne or sparkling grape juice). It’s a great way to let everyone celebrate and enjoy the celebrations. Sparkler Party Favors Sparklers are a classic and fun way to celebrate the new year. This fun idea comes from Tomfo . To put these together, you’ll print out the sparkler tag with these words on it, “Never stop making wishes. Happy New Year.” Stick in a couple sparklers into the tag and let your guests enjoy the fun new year festivities. How do you celebrate New Year’s Eve? Share your ideas with us in the comments below!

Celebrate National Brownie Day on December 9th

Brownies are the perfect dessert to warm you up on a cold December night. In today’s Virginia Square Towers Blog, we’ve listed a local place to get a tasty brownie as well as some brownie recipes you can make from the comfort of your own apartment. We hope you enjoy a warm brownie and your holiday season here in Arlington, VA! Place To Get Brownies Buzz Bakeshop “Buzz bakeshop is a beloved neighborhood bakery with locations in alexandria and arlington featuring a myriad of sweets, pastries, cakes and so much more. From freshly baked cupcakes and rich fudgy brownies to decadent cream cheese-filled pumpkin muffins, to craft coffee and red apron sandwiches, our dedicated team of pastry professionals is committed to bringing you only the freshest handmade products day in, day out.” Buzz Bakeshop is a 4 minute drive from Virginia Square Towers Apartments. Brownie Recipes Ultimate Thin Mint Brownies These brownies come from a recipe by Delightful-E-Made . Here’s what they have to say about this recipe: “Let me introduce you to your new favorite brownie recipe! A perfect combination of chocolate and mint, these fudgy mint brownies are topped with Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies, Andes mints, chocolate chips, and an amazing layer of mint buttercream frosting. Most definitely a brownie lover’s dream come true!” Brownie Bottom Oreo Cheesecake Bars For another rich and delicious brownie, these Brownie Bottomed Oreo Cheesecake Bars come from The Salty Marshmallow . To make these you’ll need the following ingredients: a fudge brownie box mix, the needed ingredients for the brownies on the box, softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, whipped topping, and crushed Oreos. Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies This recipe mix of brownies and cookies is so tasty and the addition of peppermint makes them perfect for the holiday season. This recipe comes from Chelsea’s Messy Apron . Gather these ingredients to make them: cream cheese, unsalted butter, an egg, vanilla extract, chocolate fudge pudding mix (unprepared), white flour, a fudge brownie mix, Ghirardelli peppermint bark bars, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips (optional), and peppermint crunch sprinkles (optional). Do you have any favorite brownie recipes? Where do you purchase brownies around Arlington? Let us know in the comments below!

The Best Thanksgiving Pie Recipes

Thanksgiving is this week! Celebrate by making one of these delicious Thanksgiving pies brought to you from the Virginia Square Towers Blog. Invite friends and family over to your apartment and enjoy time together making pies and celebrating the holidays here in Arlington, VA. Chocolate Cream Pie For a silky and creamy chocolate pie, we definitely recommend this recipe from Blahnik Baker . To make this pie, you’ll need the following ingredients: a 9-inch pie crust (either store bought or homemade), sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, whole milk, fine-quality chocolate, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and powdered sugar. Perfect Pumpkin Pie For that perfectly nostalgic pumpkin pie, try out this recipe from Lil’ Luna . This recipe requires 4 large eggs, canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, salt, ground cloves, and a pie crust. After beating the eggs, add in the other ingredients and mix well. Pour the mixture into the pie crust, bake for 1 hour at 350F, and voila — a perfectly delicious pumpkin pie. Momma’s Egg Custard Pie For a classic and sweet egg custard pie, try out this recipe from Jessica N Wood . To make this tasty dessert, you’ll need the following ingredients: sugar, butter, salt, eggs, half & half, vanilla extract, deep dish pie crust, cinnamon, and sugar. Click on the link above for instructions on making this unbelievably tasty pie. Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Pie For you peanut butter lovers out there, you’ll have to try out this pie from Bake or Break . It’s a creamy and rich pie that you won’t be able to put down. To make this, you’ll need cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and miniature chocolate chips. Dutch Apple Pie Craving a warm and crumbly apple pie? Make this pie from Cincy Shopper . You’ll need vegetable shortening, flour, eggs, cold water, white vinegar, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, Granny Smith apples, apple cider vinegar, and butter. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving pie recipe? Let us know in the comments so we can try it out. Thanks for reading the Virginia Square Towers Blog!

Movies Coming to Theaters This Month

In this Virginia Square Towers Blog post, we have a list of new movies coming to theaters this month here in Arlington, VA. Bring along some friends from our apartment community and enjoy a movie this weekend! Murder on the Orient Express (November 10) “A lavish train ride unfolds into a stylish & suspenseful mystery. From the novel by Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express tells of thirteen stranded strangers & one man's race to solve the puzzle before the murderer strikes again.” Justice League (November 17) “Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes-Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash-it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.” The Star (November 17) “In Sony Pictures Animation's THE STAR, a small but brave donkey named Bo yearns for a life beyond his daily grind at the village mill. One day he finds the courage to break free, and finally goes on the adventure of his dreams. On his journey, he teams up with Ruth, a lovable sheep who has lost her flock and Dave, a dove with lofty aspirations. Along with three wisecracking camels and some eccentric stable animals, Bo and his new friends follow the Star and become accidental heroes in the greatest story ever told - the first Christmas.” Molly’s Game (November 22) “Molly Bloom a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe.” What movies are you most looking forward to seeing? Comment below so we can check them out. Thanks for reading our blog post!

The Easiest Halloween Costumes

For those wanting a simple Halloween costume that doesn’t cost much and is clever, then you’ve come to the right place. Here on the Virginia Square Towers Blog, we want to share some of our ideas with you. Get together with friends at your apartment this Halloween and celebrate! We hope you enjoy your month here in Arlington, VA. Gumball Machine This idea is simple to put together. You might even already have everything you need to turn yourself into a gumball machine. Wear a white shirt that you don’t care about ruining and wear red pants or any other solid colored pants. On the white shirt, glue colorful craft pom poms about ¾ of the way up the shirt. These pom poms can be found at any craft store. Glue them on using a hot glue gun and that’s it! It’s Raining Men This is a fun costume that shouldn’t take more than an hour to put together. First you’ll print out or cut out pictures of any men (it doesn’t matter who), then you’ll cut out those images around their heads. You’ll then punch a hole in the top of the image and thread a piece of string through the hole. Tie the string onto the image and tape the other end to an umbrella. Wear rain clothes such as a rain jacket and rain boots and voila — it’s raining men! Fork in the Road For this costume, you’re going to wear a black shirt. Using white tape or white t-shirt paint, make lines on your shirt like the lines you see on roads. Then simply tape a plastic fork onto your shirt crossing the lines. A play on words, this costume is clever and simple. Medusa This costume requires plastic toy snakes. Grab some from a local store and wear them in your hair. Either tie them to the ends of your hair or slide them through hair that is pulled back. You can wear some kind of fancy dress or something that resembles a Greek style of clothing. Tourist Pick up a Hawaiian t-shirt from a local thrift store for an easy costume. Add a camera/video recorder over your neck, a wide brimmed hat, khaki shorts, tennis shoes, sunglasses, and you’re set. Scarecrow This costume requires items that you may already have at home. Use makeup to create stitches on your face and round red cheeks. Wear your hair in braids or wear it messy, stick some hay in your clothes, wear a plaid button up shirt and jeans, and you’re set! What’s your favorite simple and easy Halloween costume? Comment below so we can try it out. Thanks for reading our Virginia Square Towers Blog post.

Decorating With Greenery

Adding plants to your home can bring a calm and soothing mood into your space. Virginia Square Towers Blog brings you some tips on adding plants into your home decor at your apartment here in Arlington, VA. Hanging Planters This idea is a perfect way to creatively add greenery to your place. You can easily hang these pots from your window sill, while not using up counter or table space. Not to mention they’re beautiful! For this project, you’ll need chalked paint, a paint brush, string, and a terracotta pot (or 2 or 3!). After painting the pot, you can use the tutorial guide to see how to twist and tie the string onto the pots. That’s it! You now have a beautiful hanging pot. House Plants Buy plants that are good for living indoors . Some plants that work well would be spider plants, aloe vera, snake plants, dracaenas, palms, philodendrons, and succulents. Many plants are also great for purifying your home . Some of these include peace lilies, rubber plants, bamboo palms, snake plants, and dumb canes. Choose the right plant for you and your home. For example, if your apartment doesn’t get a lot of sunlight, choose a plant that’s okay with that. If you aren’t home a lot, find one that’s okay with little watering. Caring For Plants Some plants can be easier to take care of than others. It’s important to learn about the plants you have and determine what they need to stay alive and healthy. Determine how much water and sunlight they need and what type of soil to use when potting them. Having that information can save your plants. You can also find some general indicators about what your plant needs based on its appearance. For example, an indicator of overwatering is that the leaves are wilted, droopy, and pliable. A sign of dehydration would be that the tips are brown and the edges are crunchy. What are your favorite houseplants? How do you creatively incorporate greenery into your home decor? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading!