Making DIY Disney Magic

I grew up going to Walt Disney World. It was the only place my family traveled to that didn't involve staying at grandma's house. I have fond memories of our drives in the motorhome listening to Kenny Rogers 8-Tracks, tallying license plates from all 50 states, talking with my dad in the wee hours of the morning while the fog was still thick on I-75. It was all like a dream - and then we arrived at the most magical place on earth: Walt Disney World.

I was about 9 years old when I realized that my Dad was doing little extra things to enhance the magic of our trips. My favorite was when he made us all golf cart licenses. We always stayed at Fort Wilderness, and getting around that resort can be difficult. That year, each camp site in our party had a golf cart and naturally, all the kids wanted to take a turn driving. He went to the Trading Post, grabbed some Disney stationary, and a couple hours later we were all earning our driver's license, Disney style. I was hooked.

Since then, there have been a string of DIY projects prior to our trips; everything from a Monorail Cocktail party for planning, to making ornaments to hang on a tree at our campsite one Christmas (the housekeeping staff was not too keen on that one), to designing my own backpack. Disney holds a special place in my heart and I absolutely love making each trip as special as can be. You can never have too much pixie dust in Disney.

I now have three kids of my own, and love to keep surprising them with magical moments in Disney. Doc is our eldest; at 11 he already knows Walt Disney World like the back of his hand. He's been to every park, eaten lunch with an imagineer and found just about every hidden Mickey the parks can offer. Happy is our two-year-old. He's so easy going we never have to worry about him while in Disney. And Minnie is our littlest wonder. She's only been to the parks in utero, so our next vacation will be her first big trip!

We'll be hosting all sorts of projects on the blog. Disney fans young and old are sure to find treasures here. If you have an idea you'd like to see come to life, or if you'd like to share some magic of your own, don't hesitate to ask! We encourage a free flow of ideas here in the cottage. Nothing is too big or too small to consider. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!