Blog Posts

Make Your Own Kite!

April is National Kite Month and the perfect time to get outdoors and fly a kite. In this Courtland Towers Blog post, we are sharing with residents of our Arlington, VA apartment community how to make your own kite! Two Step Homemade Kite This fairly straight-forward tutorial from Good Housekeeping provides directions to make a simple diamond-shaped kite. To create it, you will need clear contact paper, a ball of string, straws, tissue paper, scissors and ribbon. Simple Sled Kite Looking for a simple kite to make? Try making this sled kite with the help of this Instructables tutorial. You will need a large plastic bag, six straws, clear tape, duct tape, string or fishing line, scissors, a hole punch, and a marker or pen. How to Build and Fly a Box Kite Box kites are a bit more complex to make but they fly higher than other kites and look awesome! Follow the step-by-step instructions from Boys’ Life Magazine to make this kite. You will need a pocket knife, pencil, scissors, fine-toothed saw, wooden dowels, straws, household string, carpenter’s glue, duct or masking tape, lightweight construction paper, and kite string. Tetrahedral Kite Build a tetrahedral kite with the help of this Instructables tutorial. You will need tissue paper, string, glue, a ruler, scissors, a pencil, and 60 straws. Follow the 13 steps that include pictures to get your kite ready to soar! Delta Kite This step-by-step tutorial from My Best Kite shows you how to make a delta kit. A delta kite looks a lot like a flat bomber-style airplane. To make this kite, you will need the following supplies: 12” bamboo skewers, electrical tape, clear sticky tape, colored plastic bags, dark garbage bags, fling line, wood glue, a ruler, a black pen or sharpie, scissors, and a calculator. You will also need a smooth surface to work on. What is your favorite type of kite to make or fly? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Ideas for Spring Floral Arrangements

Spring has arrived here in Arlington, Virginia! In celebration of spring, the Courtland Towers Blog is sharing a few ideas for beautiful spring flower arrangements to bring some life and color into your apartment. Get creative and embrace spring with one of these inspiring displays! Pitcher Floral Arrangement Don’t have a vase? Use a pitcher instead to display your lovely spring flower bouquet. Add some flair by using a patterned or brightly colored pitcher. Teacup Garden Display We love this adorable idea from Cottage at the Crossroads ! This fun craft idea will help bring the beauty of Spring into your apartment. It also makes a great centerpiece! Rainbow Centerpiece This idea from Papery and Cakery uses several small, clear vases filled with water that has been colored with food coloring and holding fresh cut white daisies. As the flowers absorbs the water, they will begin to turn the color of the water! Brown Paper Bag Bouquet Going for a rustic look? Try out this idea from Pretty Prudent for a simplistic but pretty display. Try one of the four arrangements, or use them as inspiration to come up with your own! Bloom-Filled Crates Another rustic idea is to fill a wooden crate with flowers. Display them on your front porch, by your front door, or on your kitchen table for all your guests to see! Ribbon Vase Wrap an ordinary vase with patterned and brightly colored ribbon for a fun Spring look. Take it one step further by matching your ribbon colors with the colors of the flowers you put in the vase.This arrangement definitely screams spring! Flower-Filled Birdcage Fill up a rustic, vintage birdcage with flowers for a wild and untamed look that creates the idea that nature is taking over. You will love the lovely and exotic vibes that this arrangement brings to your apartment! What is your favorite way to arrange and display flowers at your apartment? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Tips for National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month, so we are sharing a few health and nutrition tips here on the Courtland Towers Blog. Stay healthy and aware of what you are putting into your body by putting these tips into practice this month. Remember these tips when you are out and about around Arlington, VA. Avoid Processed Foods Junk food and processed food are filled with chemicals and preservatives that your body doesn’t know what to do with. Because of all these chemicals and preservatives, it is more difficult for your body to digest these types of food, and they are often not broken down properly. These type of foods trick our brains into eating more than we need, leading to increased weight and fat deposits in our bodies. Eat Nuts Yes, nuts have fats in them, but they are good type of natural fats that your body knows how to process. Nuts are also loaded with nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin E, fiber, and more. Studies have shown that eating nuts can actually help you lose weight, and they may even help fight off heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Stop Drinking Sugar Calories Your body doesn’t recognize liquid sugar calories in the same way as calories from solid food. Sugary drinks are some of the most fattening things you can put into your body. Soda is bad, but fruit juices are almost just as bad. Choose water or flavored water instead. Avoid Bright Lights Before Sleep Staring at your cell phone or computer screen can make it a lot more difficult to get to sleep. Being exposed to bright lights in the evening can disrupt the production of the sleep hormone known as melatonin, which calms your brain and helps you fall asleep. Help your body function the way it’s supposed to by getting on a regular sleep cycle. What other tips would you add to this list? Share with us in the comments of this post. Thanks for reading! Take care of yourself this month and always.

Irish Dishes to Enjoy this St. Patrick's Day

This St. Patrick’s Day, why not celebrate in a traditional Irish way? Instead of getting dressed up like a leprechaun, try making an authentic Irish meal at your apartment instead. The Courtland Towers Blog is highlighting a few traditional Irish meals that will leave you feeling full and satisfied. Irish Beef and Guinness Stew from Recipe Tin Eats The thick, gravy-like sauce in this stew is incredibly flavorful thanks to the addition of the Guinness. To make this hearty stew, you will need beef chuck or brisket, salt, black pepper, minced garlic cloves, onions, bacon or pancetta, flour, Guinness beer, tomato paste, chicken or beef stock, carrots, celery stalks, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Corned Beef with Cabbage and Potatoes from Good Housekeeping You can’t go wrong with corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day! For this recipe you will need corned-beef brisket, whole black peppercorns, whole allspice, garlic cloves, bay leaves, all-purpose potatoes, carrots, parsnips, head of green cabbage, grainy Dijon mustard, pure maple syrup, white horseradish, and chopped parsley. Real Irish Soda Bread from Serious Eats You don’t much more traditional Irish than soda bread! Ingredients needed to make this dish include the following: all-purpose flour, kosher salt, baking soda, and low fat cultured buttermilk. Adjust the recipe based on whether you want the bread to turn out more fluffy or more chewy. Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy from The Spruce Bangers and Mash is a well-loved Irish and British meal. This dish is comprises thick pork or beef sausages, mashed potatoes, and plenty of gravy. Here are all the ingredients needed to make this dish: vegetable oil, thick beef or pork sausages, potatoes, milk, butter, salt, ground black pepper, onions, balsamic vinegar, beef stock, cornstarch or corn flour, and water. Irish Fish and Chips from The Food Channel Ireland is known for their signature fish and chips. Being an island, the fish is always fresh, and cooks there have pretty much mastered the frying process. Here is everything you will need: russet potatoes, vegetable oil, salt, black pepper, malt vinegar, flour, baking powder, cod fillets, Guinness or ale beer, and a lightly beaten egg. Serve with this lemon & caper tartar sauce made from mayonnaise, dill pickle relish, red onion, lemon juice, and fresh chopped parsley. What is your favorite Irish dish to enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day, or any time of the year? Let us know in the comments. Have a happy St. Patrick’s Day here in Arlington, VA!

Valentine's Day Reading Suggestions

This month, the Courtland Towers Blog is bringing residents of our Arlington, VA apartments books to read, such as The Thirteenth Tale, Sleeping Beauties: A Novel , Little Fires Everywhere , and Murder on the Orient Express . Read on to learn more about these in today's blog post. The Thirteenth Tale Getting lost in a book is good a good way to relax and reduce stress. “ The Thirteenth Tale [by Diane Setterfield] is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter and, in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life.” Little Fires Everywhere Author Kathleen Norris once said, “The knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier.” We agree, and we think Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng is an excellent choice. “Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.” Murder on the Orient Ex press This book is the perfect choice for mystery lovers. Embark on an adventure filled with twists, turns, and suspense with this novel. “Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer… Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.” Sleeping Beauties: A Novel Read Sleeping Beauties: A Novel by Stephen King & Owen King this month! "In a future so real and near it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep; they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If they are awakened, if the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed or violated, the women become feral and spectacularly violent; and while they sleep they go to another place. The men of our world are abandoned, left to their increasingly primal devices. One woman, however, the mysterious Evie, is immune to the blessing or curse of the sleeping disease. Is Evie a medical anomaly to be studied, or is she a demon who mu st be slain?” Reading for pleasure stimulates endorphins which make us feel better all around, so get started today. These are just a few of our suggestions, but you can also find Valentine’s Day reading suggestions from Cosmopolitan , GoodReads , and HelloGiggles . Enjoy staying warm and cozy in your apartment this month with a great book!

DIY Valentine's Day Cards

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Have you gotten a gift for your Valentine yet? The Courtland Towers Blog is here to share a few homemade valentine card ideas with the residents of our apartment community. Give your Valentine a heartfelt card that you made just for them. Fortune Cookie Valentine’s Day Cards Think outside the box with these fortune cookie-style Valentine’s Day cards. All you need to make them is the free printable, scissors, glue dots or hot glue, and a marker. Follow the instructions from Mom Dot in the above link. Watercolor Hearts Card Minimal supplies are needed to make this creative card. You will need watercolor paint, a small paint brush, watercolor paper, and a black pen. Click on the link to get an idea of what the final product should look like from Kristina Werner’s blog. Cookie Cutter Cards Use heart-shaped cookie cutters, paper, and some paint for a magical card that will win your Valentine’s heart. These homemade cards are fairly simple to make and they look even better than a store-bought card. Sprinkled with Love Card Give your loved one an outpouring of love with this creative and adorable card. You will need white cardstock, pink cardstock, cut out paper hearts, a glue stick, colored markers, and a black pen. Scratch-off Hearts Card Make your Valentine play the lottery of love with this adorable scratch-off card that reveals date night options! A fun and creative way to surprise your Valentine and keep them on their toes! Heart-Shaped Crayon Valentines This awesome idea from The Nerd’s Wife bakes crayons in heart shaped molds for cool and colorful Valentine’s Day cards perfect for anyone and everyone. You will need the printable cards , unwrapped wax crayons, a sharp knife, and heart-shaped silicone molds. DIY Pop Up Valentine Card Give your Valentine a 3D pop up card to express your love. Download the template from the above link to get started making the card from Lia Griffith. Have you ever received a homemade Valentine’s Day card? Let us know in the comments and feel free to share any of your own DIY Valentine’s Day ideas as well. Thanks for reading our post. Have a fantastic Valentine’s Day here in Arlington, VA!