Blog Posts

Halloween Costuming 101

This month on the Wildwood Park Blog we’ve talked about throwing a fall party, and we’ve shared some delicious pumpkin-based recipes, and today we’ve rounded up some DIY costume ideas for Halloween. Many of the items you need to complete some of these costumes may be found in your apartment. Whether you make one of these, or simply use it for inspiration, we hope these examples will help. Costumes Instagram Filter Make your Halloween getup Instagram-ready by dressing up as your favorite filter! With cardboard, construction paper, and a bit of artwork, you can make this and have fun posing for your social media post at the same time. Hot Air Balloon Rider Cut the bottom out of a cardboard box to make it into the basket, attach some helium balloons to your basket, and add a few decorative touches. Or get inspired by Creatively Christy to turn yourself into the flying house from Disney Pixar’s movie UP ! Kids Costumes Last Minute Spider Costume from Mad in Crafts Transform your child into a giant spider with just a few items that you can find at your local thrift store or dollar store. You will need: a black hoodie, black gloves, googly eyes, adhesive dots, two pairs of black knee-high socks, monofilament, and a large sewing needle. Flower Pot Costume from Clumsy Crafter This adorable costume turns your child into a potted flower plant. What you will need: a large bucket or cheap plastic planter, scissors or a knife, a jump rope, three-four bunches of fake flowers, and a headband. Couples Costumes Bob Ross and His Painting If you’re a fan of Bob Ross and his happy little trees, this is a must Halloween costume to try! Just don a brown curly-haired wig, a beard, and mustache. Wear a white button down, some jeans, and push up the sleeves and you’ll be his spitting image. You can even showcase your artistic skills by cutting a face-sized hole in the middle of a canvas and painting some trees surrounding the hole. Use some makeup to have a friend complete the look. Flapper and Gangster A timeless combination, and it’s easy to nail the look with a few well chosen pieces, hats, hairstyles, and accessories. We love the whole 1920s look, hello Charleston. Group Costumes The Mystery Machine This is a cute group costume you can put together easily, especially if you happen to have clothes that might fit the other Scooby Doo characters. (And if you don’t, you can buy them online or at a nearby thrift shop with little hassle.) Make the Mystery Machine out of cardboard, paint, printouts of the logo and designs, glue, and construction paper. Characters from popular or classic movies are a good choice when it comes to doing a group costume. For example, everyone could dress up as a character from The Wizard of Oz or The Addams Family, or even as characters from a Disney movie like Toy Story. For more ideas, browse through the groups and theme pages at Halloween Express . Still not decided? For even more ideas, check out 31 more DIY Halloween costume ideas from Good Housekeeping. What clever DIY ideas do you have for costumes? Share in the comments so we can all add to our list, and thanks for reading today’s post. Have a Happy Halloween here in Arlington, VA.

Delicious Pumpkin Recipes

October is in full swing and it’s time to make some delicious pumpkin recipes. We have a few ideas of pumpkin desserts for you to make this month here in Arlington, VA. Invite some friends and family over to celebrate this time of the year and enjoy these desserts together in your apartment. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls This recipe is very simple, yet so delicious. It comes from The Novice Chef . You’ll need 1 package of Grand Crescent Rolls, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, brown sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and milk. These treats are perfect for a fall morning or a dinner party with friends. Pumpkin Pull-Apart Loaf For a very tasty dessert that’s sure to please everyone, try this pull-apart loaf. This recipe comes from Crazy For Crust . You’ll need pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, an egg, Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (homestyle or buttermilk), cinnamon, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and heavy whipping cream or milk. Pumpkin Doughnuts These cinnamon and pumpkin doughnuts are perfect for a Halloween party or get together with friends, but we won’t judge you if you keep them all to yourself. The recipe comes from Food Curation . You’ll need flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, sugar, brown sugar, canola oil, eggs, canned pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Pumpkin Dump Cake This recipe is our favorite because of its moist and delicious flavor — not to mention you can top it with whipped cream. The recipe comes from Lil Luna . Use the following ingredients to make this dessert: canned pumpkin, evaporated milk, ginger, ground cloves, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, yellow cake mix, chopped pecans, and butter. Dump in the ingredients in the specified order and enjoy a delicious and warm pumpkin cake. What’s your favorite pumpkin dessert recipe? Let us know in the comments so we can try it out. Thanks for reading!

Throw a Fall Party at Your Wildwood Park Apartment

Here on the Wildwood Park Blog, we want to help you celebrate this change in the seasons by giving you ideas for throwing a party or get-together with friends. Make food, play games, and enjoy each other’s company in your apartment. Read on for some suggestions to help you celebrate here in Arlington, FL! Caramel Apple Bar A caramel apple bar is the perfect autumn dessert to enjoy. Put out a variety of toppings and supplies for caramel apples, such as apple s’more, toffee caramel peanut, coconut chocolate, apple pie, and more for your guests to mix and match according to their preferences. Table Decor Idea No autumn party is complete without some fall decor. Decorate your table at your apartment using these simple and beautiful table decor tips. This idea comes from Julie Blanner . For this table, lay out a cheesecloth in the center of the table. Then put eucalyptus plants on each end of the table leading to a centerpiece of your choice. That centerpiece can simply be a large candle or something more elaborate like a bouquet of seasonal flowers. Add in smaller white candles throughout the eucalyptus branches along with red apples throughout. Voila, that’s it! You now have a beautifully decorated table that can be set up with delicious snacks. Autumn Spice Pear Cobbler Another delicious recipe to set out on your decorated table and to go with the caramel apple bar is this autumn spice pear cobbler from Bake or Break. You’ll need the following ingredients: butter, pears, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. For the topping, you’ll make a mix of delicious spices along with flour, brown sugar, baking powder, butter, and milk. Autumn Movies to Watch An autumn movie is a great way to celebrate the Autumn Equinox as well. We suggest one of the following options: Dead Poets Society , You’ve Got Mail , Stepmom , Dan in Real Life , Remember the Titans , October Sky , Days of Heaven , or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . Are you planning to celebrate autumn? Let us know in the comments how your celebrations turn out. Thanks for reading!

National Good Neighbor Day

Did you know that September 28th is National Good Neighbor Day? It’s a great day for us to celebrate here on the Wildwood Park Blog. We want to share some tips with you on how you can become a good neighbor to all here in our apartment community. Enjoy your month here in Arlington, VA! Introduce Yourself When you move-in, or when a new neighbor moves in, it’s nice to get to know your neighbors. Simply introducing yourself will open up a line of communication that can allow for conversations and possible friendships. Not everyone is up for becoming friends with their neighbors, but a simple introduction won’t hurt and allows for a positive relationship. Be Aware of Shared Walls Being aware of your shared walls with neighbors and keeping the noise down can prevent any uncomfortable conversations. It’s also a simple and kind gesture to be aware of what time it is when doing activities such as vacuuming, watching TV on high volumes, or hosting parties. Be considerate of them and you won’t have any problems. Chances are they’ll return the favor. Have Open Communication During your introduction to your neighbor it can be good to exchange contact information. This will allow for that line of communication to stay open. If you’re being noisy and it’s bothering them (or vice versa), having contact information lets you both communicate in a simple and non-obtrusive way. It’s also a great way to keep in touch with a neighbor if you’re out of town, especially if you’re helping each other out with picking up mail or packages, watering plants, or any other needs you might have while away. Help Neighbors Move A great way to be a good neighbor is to help them with moving in or moving out. Everyone can use a little extra help when moving, and offering a hand can be a kind gesture. Some people may not feel comfortable with this or may not need the help (if they already have enough help), but it’s always kind to be willing to carry a few boxes up or down the stairs. How are you a good neighbor? Do you have any tips? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Indoor Gardening at Your Wildwood Park Apartment

Even though you don’t have a backyard to plant a large garden, you can always start an indoor garden of herbs and indoor-loving plants. Here on the Wildwood Park Blog we have some tips and suggestions of how you can start your own indoor garden, as well as information on what types of plants to buy here in Arlington, VA. We hope you get some useful ideas and start building your garden today! Find the Right Plants Choosing the right plants for your space is an important factor to take into consideration. Take into account the style of plants you want, whether you want herbs or not, and the conditions of your apartment. Some of those conditions would be the amount of natural light in your space, humidity levels, and so forth. Some plants that would be great for Arlington, VA would be peace lilies, English ivy, succulents, and moth orchids. Herbs are also great plants to opt for. They not only will be beautiful in your kitchen, but they make mealtime easier, less expensive, and tastier. Find the Right Spot Different plants have different needs. Make sure that your plants have the right amount of light, humidity, and type of soil. Some plants, such as an aloe plant, love humidity and are great to have in a bathroom. Other plants like lots of light or only need a little bit of light. Research what plants you have and determine where they should be in your home and how to care for them. Herbs are great to have in the kitchen. Try making an herb garden using Mason jars, used and cleaned-out cans, or painted terracotta pots. You could also make a vertical pallet herb garden to save space — they’re beautiful and simple to make. Where to Buy Plants There are a few places near Arlington that would be great to pick up some of these plants. Try out the Garden Center in Annandale, VA . It’s about a 15-minute drive from our apartment community. You can also also try out Greenstreet Gardens of Virginia at their Alexandria, VA location. It’s about a 15-minute drive from Wildwood Park. We hope you get a chance to start your own indoor garden this month. Enjoy!

Remembering 9 11

In Arlington, VA it’s hard to forget the attack on our country on September 11, 2001. Here on the Wildwood Park Blog we want to share with you some ways for you to commemorate 9/11, including events going on in the area and places to visit. We hope you have a chance to stop and remember. Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K On September 11th participate in the 16th Annual Arlington Police, Fire & Sheriff 9/11 Memorial 5K. It takes place at 6 pm. The site points out that “All proceeds will be donated to official charities that focus on the healing of military personnel and civilians directly affected by the war on terrorism and the attacks against America on September 11, 2001.” If you can’t participate, you can even just show up and cheer on the runners. Pentagon Memorial The Pentagon Memorial is a great place to visit to remember that day of the attacks. Each year, a special service is also held for this commemoration. If you haven’t had a chance to visit the memorial, take some time to stop by and read the names of those who passed away. 9/11 Unity Walk The Unity Walk, which takes place on September 10th of this year, celebrates diversity in the community. Anyone and everyone is invited to join this walk that takes place down “Embassy Row” in upper northwest DC. You can also donate in order to help this cause of unity. The events of 9/11 hurt our country, but also brought us together. This unity walk celebrates and continues to encourage that unity. 9/11 Documentaries If you prefer to stay in your apartment, watch a documentary to remember the events of that day. This can create a renewed sense of unity despite the horror of those events. It’s a way to learn and understand how 9/11 has affected our country. Three recommended documentaries to watch are Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero , The Man Who Knew , and Inside the White House on 9/11 . Google has the info on all kinds of other great 9/11 documentaries , as well. How are you planning to commemorate 9/11? If so, what are your plans? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading the blog. Visit again soon.