Back To School | Unique Disney Notebooks/Journals

I have to admit I am a sucker for school supplies. I love to restock my own studio with new school supplies  when we go shopping for the kids. (And that time is now, here in the midwest. Our first day of school for the district is July 30th. I know some of you on the east coast just finished school and can't imagine going back now!)Oh how I wish I could have had access to THESE notebooks for school when I was a kid! Classes would have been even better.

Now that RedBubble is selling notebooks, all these designs (and more!) are available for you back to school shopping! And you don't even have to leave your house to do it!

You can find my RedBubble profile here, with all my designs. Simply click on the design you like and scroll down the page to find the product you are looking for! And don't forget there are tote bags and drawstring bags and studio pouched too! Enjoy your back to school shopping; until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

The GREATEST Good Design Now On RedBubble

There are a few Disney movie lines that our family comes back to over and over again. This line from the Incredibles is one of them. I absolutely love it every time! If you are unfamiliar with it, I have provided a clip at the end of this post for your viewing pleasure. My husband and I love the domestic struggles of these superhero families! The folks at Pixar absolutely nail it. You know this is the stuff that goes down in their houses all the time. It certainly is the stuff that goes down around the cottage!

This design is featured here on a brand new RedBubble product, the drawstring bag! This is a perfect pack for you park days, or, if like us you are already gearing up for going back to school, this would be ideal for that too! Think sports clubs, after school activities and the like. Of course, this fabulous tribute to Mrs. Frozone, Honey, is also available on t-shirts, tote bags, tech cases and now spiral notebooks too. Another great back to school item!

Have fun with this new design and don't forget the browse the other ones in the RedBubble shop too. Here's that clip I promised you:

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Scrapping Disney | Ratatouille Birthday Party

Sometimes there is the perfect scrapbooking kit for you pages, and sometimes what you want is so obscure you just have to figure it out for yourself! This was one such moment when I found myself in need of some Ratatouille themed Project Life cards. Well. Good luck! I knew it was going to be a hard sell. So instead, I purchased some PNG files from Pinky Katie over on Etsy and made my own! You can click on each layout to enlarge it for further detail.

The key to creating you own filler cards, is to stick with a color palette and not over embellish. These rules, simple as they are, can be tricky for me! I did my best. I played around a lot with my styles and patterns and I really love the way it looks! And I'm not so big on journaling right now. I'm just too tired by the time I get around to actually scrapping the photos. The pictures tell most of the story. However, if you want to read all about it, you can check out this blog post to get all the details on the "how to."

I mentioned it before, but if you have never made your own marshmallows, it is SO worth it. They are entirely different than what you will get in the store!

It was so much fun to relive this party through scrapping it. I think that's part of the reason we scrapbookers do it, to be reminded of all the good stuff. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Merryweather's Top 5 Father's Day Disney Movies

Disney movies have traditionally been about mean step-mothers or absent fathers. There is no doubt that these themes are relatively easy to find in the classics. But there ARE some Disney movies that highlight some really great Disney Dads. We thought we'd share our list of favorites with you here before Father's Day. There's still time to order a digital copy or plan a family viewing if you need a last minute gift!

5. 101 Dalmatians: Here we have a movie about a father who goes to extraordinary lengths to save his children from a murderous villain! It's charming and the music is great. Particularly good if you have a dog lover for a dad.

4. Hercules: This movie is all about finding your place next to your dad, be it a peasant or a god. The Greek chorus is what keeps me watching. Especially great if you (or your dad) love that Danny DeVito dry/sarcastic humor.

3. Finding Nemo: Leave it to Pixar to make a dark and scary story into a heartwarming one! This dad will meet almost every hazard in the ocean, dealing with his friend Dory along the way. If your unassuming dad loves adventure and maybe hovers a little too much, you should pop your corn and snuggle up together to watch this classic tale.

2. The Lion King: Ok, I bet you thought this would be #1. I love this movie. It's the best thing to come out of the Michael Eisner Disney era. It has is all, a coming of age story, a beautiful family, comic relief. It's perfect. This is always a winner. Watch it with your dad.

1. A Goofy Movie: I think this is the ultimate Father's Day Disney flick. I mean, Goofy as a dad has to be a trial, but he is such a great dad to Max. And Max finally sees the light. If you've never watched this one, you need to have it in your repertoire. Watch it with your classic-Disney-loving dad. It's a keeper.

No matter how you spend your Father's day, I hope you enjoy it. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Summer Reading From Belle's Library | Creativity by Ed Catmull

This summer I thought I'd rerun some of my favorite Disney related book titles for summer reading recommendations. I know I am always looking for another good book for summer travel! This book remains, for me, one of the best Disney reads ever.

Creativity by Ed Catmull is one of the best reads of the year for me. I adored this book. If you are
creative in any way, or work with creative people, this should be required reading. I think Ed Catmull has a unique experience finding a way to manage creative people without stifling their creativity. That has to be one of the toughest jobs around! I'm glad he took the time to put pen to paper on this one. We need more managers (of work, and of life) reading this book and thinking about their own management style/work ethic with this scaffolding. Heck, I'm thinking about it in the way I manage my own family.

I think Creativity, Inc. is a little like The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron. There is a lot to chew on when it comes to fostering creative forces. Catmull's perspective on creating an atmosphere of candor and enrichment, not fearing the inevitability of failure, and knowing when a change in leadership is needed, all still have me pondering. It's a refreshing take on meshing management and creativity so that it is not only successful, but enjoyable too.

And then there's the chapter on Steve Jobs and how, at least in Catmull's opinion, there has not been enough written about the other sides of the Pixar executive. In all honesty, I love my Apple products and now I would jump at the chance to work at Pixar, so I know I come to this biased; but Catmull paints a touching portrait of Steve Jobs and does share a different side to him than that which has been prevalent in the mainstream media. It was nice to read; I even found myself tearing up.

This book resonated with me and I can't recommend it highly enough. It would be an excellent Christmas gift to anyone you know who has an affinity for Disney or Pixar, a creative streak, or is now or soon to become a creative professional. You can't go wrong.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Monsters Inc. Code 2319 Play Tent

On a rainy day this summer, the littles and I needed a new project. We were all feeling a little stir-crazy! So off to the Dollar Store we went for some supplies. Among (many) other things, we picked up a couple of hula hoops. I had in mind a special play tent for them.

I could not be happier with the result! This is perhaps one of the easiest, fastest and cheapest projects on the blog! It's not often they all come together in one! I scoured Pinterest for ideas on how to make a hula hoop tent and loads of tutorials popped up. But really, all you need is an old sheet (I used a flat twin here), a hula hoop, and some string or bungee cords to hang it. Simple.

I used my sewing machine and without even pinning (reckless!) I sewed the long side of the sheet over the hula hoop. I overlapped the ends about three inches, which allows it to be completely closed. If that's not important to you, simply don't overlap the edges. My kids love "surprising" one another and jumping out of it screaming "I've got a 2319!" We are Disney Geeks to the core!

To hang it, I strung a clothesline of sorts in the house, between two decorative pillars and then attached the bungee cords to that. It seemed a better plan than the hook in the ceiling I had originally planned. Our kids play with reckless abandon. We are not the people who can have nice things! This seemed like a less destructive way to hang it up, incase they decided to pull on it (which they immediately did!). And this way I think we can use it outside over a tree limb. But we have yet to try that.

The whole project from sewing to hanging took less than 30 minutes. It was ready for them as soon as nap time was over! And they love it. Until next time, dear readers, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Shark Bait Finding Nemo Inspired T-shirt in RedBubble Shop

And because you just can't have enough Shark Bait designs, I give you my latest t-shirt design: Shark Bait Hoo Ha Ha!

I know, I know, Nemo, Nemo, Nemo. But I couldn't resist this one. How adorable would this be for your Disney friend's little one?? I think It's awesome. But this design just didn't translate as well to the other products, so this one is exclusively for t-shirts.

Check it out in the shop, and until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Ring of Fire Design Now in RedBubble Shop

The littles and I have been on a Finding Nemo kick lately. They tend to watch movies like that: over and over until they are memorized! So when that happens, it seems best for me to just roll with it and take inspiration! And that's where this idea erupted from (see what I did there?), that continual Finding Nemo loop and Nemo's initiation into the Tank Gang.

If it's been a while since you've seen Finding Nemo, suffice it to say that Nemo has to conquer the Ring Of Fire (swimming through the bubbles from the volcano in the dentist's fish tank). Here's a clip of the original scene:

As usual, you can get this design in my RedBubble shop on T-shirts, bags, mugs, leggings and cases for your electronics. Go crazy! Initiate your friends in the bonds of tankhood. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

WALL-E Design Now Available In My RedBubble Shop!

I'm on a roll with new RedBubble designs this month! WALL-E is such a lovable little robot. If you've never seen this movie (which I would find highly suspect!) you must add it to your watch list immediately. The message is wonderful, and timely,  and I love it every time my kids choose this one. (And there's the added bonus of not making me weep!)

I've been fascinated by the eyes of my favorite Disney characters lately and this seems to be influencing my designs lately. WALL-E's eyes are the most expressive part about him and I cannot get enough. He's so curious and generous. And he makes others open their eyes to what is around them as well.

This design can be seen in my RedBubble shop on T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, bags and all sorts of other great products. Hop on over and take a look. There is something for everyone over there! And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Elastigirl Design Now in RedBubble Shop!

We are all about the Incredibles around here. We like to think we can relate to their family. You know, family squabbles that involve disappearing kids, running like mad around the house and reaching as far as you can to grab that last wiggly kid. If I could have one superpower, I might just choose being as flexible as Elastigirl! I've always had a soft spot for her, and I especially love her quote in the opening sequence of the Incredibles. They are filming a documentary and Elastigirl says, "Leave saving the world to the men? I don't think so." Preach it sister!

In honor of all the Helen Parr's out there (Elastigirl's secret identity), I have designed an Elastigirl T-shirt for you to wear on those days you need a little reminder of just how super you are. Wouldn't this be an awesome Mother's Day gift? (Hint, hint, Mr. Photos From The Parks.) And as always, if you'd rather find this design on mugs, tech cases, leggins or home decor, those products are there for you as well!

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Code 2319! DIY Monsters Inc. George Sanderson Hat

I love Pixar. No one tells a story the way Pixar does. And the running gag in Monsters Inc. when George Sanderson is constantly getting detoxed (at the panicked cry of his partner no less!) cracks us up every time. We are constantly hopeful that one day we will be in a Walt Disney World Resort room 2319. I'll keep you posted.

And the fact that my dad and granddad both worked in environments where radiation was a real risk means we've heard stories from them about the detox process. Seems to me that Pixar got it right. If you haven't seen the movie, here's a clip of the first time George is the subject of a 2319:




Poor George. In his honor, and to celebrate National Crochet Month, I whipped up this Code 2319 hat using a free pattern for a Unicorn Hat from Cre8tion Crochet. I followed the directions for the beanie using this Yarn Bee yarn I purchased ages ago from Hobby Lobby. I lost the label (I'm sure the littles had a hand in that!) so I can't tell you the exact name. But any faux fur would do the trick!

I think I've mentioned this before, but when using faux fur to crochet, I like to hold a sock yarn along with it so I can see the stitches more clearly. For this, I used some yellow scrap I had left over from making those Tangled Socks. It practically disappears as long as you use a color similar to what's in your faux fur.

I also modified the horn pattern to make it a little thicker that the unicorn one in the pattern. I simply repeated the increase row each time until it was long enough, and followed the directions for attaching to horn to the hat. If I were a runner, I would consider this for a RunDisney event costume!

Toy Story DIY Birthday Party Report

We had a rootin' tootin' good time at our party! I had a blast creating this party for Little Chef! There were so many amazing ideas on Pinterest (my party idea pinboard can be seen here)! Little Chef and I took some time looking at all the ideas and he told me what he wanted to do and I filled in the rest with my ideas. Here's what we did:

The Photo Booth

I love the fun photo booths I see at special events! I'm a big time picture taker and its a way to dress up and have fun without everyone looking at you like your crazy! This one was super easy to construct. I found an empty wall, covered it with light blue wrapping paper and taped it down with painters tape. I then cut out the toy story cloud with my Silhouette. I cut 5 of the small and 5 of the large clouds and adhered them with scotch tape. I then used a couple of hats I found through Amazon, and these adorable (and free!) cut-outs from Merriment Design for the props. Easy and lots of fun!

Snacks

Little ones don't need a lot of snacks during the party if you schedule it before lunch. We went with cheese crunches (ala Al in Toy Story 2) and "snakes in a boot" - my own idea. I used plastic boot shot glasses and organic gummy worms. Two worms fit exactly in one boot! And they were the hit of the party! I loved hearing kids and adults alike say they needed another snake in their boot!

Decor

This was so easy. I used the barrel of monkeys design from the Silhouette shop and cut dozens of them from primary colored card stock scraps. And since I used to be a paper scrapbooker, I had a whole bunch of Memory Makers snaps to use up. I just attached the hand of one monkey to the other with the snaps and it was done. You could easily use brads, but the backs might show.

Little Chef also fell in love with some directional arrows to all the fictional places in the Toy Story movies that we had seen on Pinterest. I just downloaded some images I found on the internet and cut arrows from them. The arrow shape was already in my Silhouette library! I used painters tape to adhere them to the wall for the party.

And you've already seen the Luxo Ball Boxes that held all the goodies! To this I added loads of balloons. I bought a helium tank at the party store and in 30 minutes I had 40 balloons blown up and tied down all over the house. They made everything just a little more festive. And of course, we set up our Toy Story toys around the house as well, ready for a play date with destiny!

Activities

I cut out these rocket shapes from card stock using my Silhouette. I gathered up some craft supplies in the dollar bins from the local craft store, put out the glue and crayons and let the kids go for it! It was really fun. And then they played in the photo booth and with the toys we already had out and the ones we unwrapped. It was just enough for these 4 year olds.

I can't say enough how much fun this was to put together and how much fun the kids had! I'd love to see what you do for your Toy Story party! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Pixar's Toy Story Inspired Gift Tags with Silhouette

We are about to have the Rootin-ist, Tootin-ist party this 4-year-old has ever seen! Pixar's Toy Story has become an obsession in the cottage. There are days when we frequently view the Toy Story trilogy in a day. We are, in fact, still watching the Toy Story That Time Forgot (thank heaven for DVRs!) and calling it "the new Toy Story". That said, there will be some Toy Story toys joining our toy box soon. Wrapping them has been fun, knowing Little Chef is going to be so excited to see them.

I've been having some fun with gift tags too, using my Silhouette machine. I rounded up some of the shapes from the silhouette store that reminded me of Toy Story. Here's a list (with links!) of the designs I used for the gift tags:



Cowboy Hats (ID 30733)
Sheriff Badge (ID 29056)
*Dinosaur (ID 6784)
*3D Army Envelope (ID 58554)
Rocket Ship (ID 16622)

Some of them needed an offset (background), so I used the little offset operation at the bottom of the screen to quickly create the background shape. (It's the one that looks like a bullseye.) I put an asterisk next to the design shapes for which I needed that function. In all it was a quick and easy way to add a little Toy Story magic to our gifts. I'll be posting more great Toy Story ideas this month that we used for our party. So stay tuned! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Googly Bear Design Now On RedBubble!

I was inspired to create this design when my littles started calling one another Googly Bear. It was so cute and I immediately knew I needed to design something for my RedBubble store!

I love the simplicity of this one. It's just so much fun! And RedBubble just keeps adding more and more wonderful products to display our designs. While I am still partial to the t-shirts and baby clothes, check out these great products:

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

From Belle's Library | Creativity, Inc.

Creativity by Ed Catmull is one of the best reads of the year for me. I adored this book. If you are creative in any way, or work with creative people, this should be required reading. I think Ed Catmull has a unique experience finding a way to manage creative people without stifling their creativity. That has to be one of the toughest jobs around! I'm glad he took the time to put pen to paper on this one. We need more managers (of work, and of life) reading this book and thinking about their own management style/work ethic with this scaffolding. Heck, I'm thinking about it in the way I manage my own family.

I think Creativity, Inc. is a little like The Artists Way, by Julia Cameron. There is a lot to chew on when it comes to fostering creative forces. Catmull's perspective on creating an atmosphere of candor and enrichment, not fearing the inevitability of failure, and knowing when a change in leadership is needed, all still have me pondering. It's a refreshing take on meshing management and creativity so that it is not only successful, but enjoyable too.

And then there's the chapter on Steve Jobs and how, at least in Catmull's opinion, there has not been enough written about the other sides of the Pixar executive. In all honesty, I love my Apple products and now I would jump at the chance to work at Pixar, so I know I come to this biased; but Catmull paints a touching portrait of Steve Jobs and does share a different side to him than that which has been prevalent in the mainstream media. It was nice to read; I even found myself tearing up.

This book resonated with me and I can't recommend it highly enough. It would be an excellent Christmas gift to anyone you know who has an affinity for Disney or Pixar, a creative streak, or is now or soon to become a creative professional. You can't go wrong.

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

From Belle's Library | The Pixar Touch

Growing up Disney has had it's advantages for sure. I had the opportunity to watch the Disney company (& family of companies) grow. To that end however, it feels like I have an idea of how things went down, but no real information. For instance, I remember the coup that put Micheal Eisner on the board at Disney and then the campaign to remove him, but the details are fuzzy at best.

If you have any interest in the story of Pixar, how it cam to be, how Steve Jobs came to own it, and how it eventually came to a happy partnership with Disney, I would highly recommend reading The Pixar Touch, by David A. Price. It's a thorough history of the startup from the very beginnings in a garage through the production and release of Ratatouille.

It was a great way to learn about John Lassiter and his rocky start with Disney, his passion for story telling and his commitment to the best of what computer animation had to offer. It was also interesting to read the perspective on Steve Jobs and how his investment in the company was the only thing that got them through some very lean years. And of course I loved hearing about the creative process that brought about Toy Story, Bugs Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars and Ratatouille. Lastly, I really loved reading about the political intrigue with Michael Eisner (for whom I still have a bad taste in my mouth), Roy Disney and the board of the Disney company.

This is definitely a book for the Disney-phile. I enjoyed reading about this wing of Disney history. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Wilderness Explorer Tribe 54 Products Now On RedBubble!

During our last round of road trips this summer, Pixar's Up became one of the favored videos. It's funny what you pick up when you are just listening to the videos in the car (in the front seats). Mr. Photos From The Parks and I began to recite Russell's introduction to Carl each time it came on. And this idea for a T-shirt materialized right there on I-70!

I seriously love how simple this is and how only the true Disney geeks will get it. It would be PERFECT for wearing in the parks!

Head on over to my RedBubble store and check out all the awesome products you can find there. And they are selling duvet covers now too! How fun is that? Have fun checking out all the Disney related items, and until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Back To School Lunch Ideas

It's hard to believe it's that time again! We are all headed back to school this week here in our neck of the woods. And because, apparently, I need a certain level of chaos in my life to be fulfilled, we are also heavily into potty training right now. In lieu of all this, I thought I'd run a few of our back to school posts from last year. Enjoy them!

Lunch Box Notes

 It's back to school time and those first few weeks can be rough getting back into the routine! If you have a student (or frankly, a teacher) in your life you know how hard it can be. These sweet lunch box notes are a perfect mid-day pick-me-up. There are lots of these out there but these are my favorites. Add a little magic to your loved one's lunch.

Disney Family has a cute selection, both boy and girl themed. These are the boy selection.

Disney Stationery has lots of great notes including these wonderful Wall-E notes. Check out the link for more from Mickey and the gang, your favorite princesses, a pirate and a few dwarfs.

And finally, if your kids are a bit older and enjoy trivia from the parks (*cough*, Doc, *cough*), then here are 6 from the cottage. We hope you enjoy them. Simply click here to download them for yourself. Special thanks to Disney Trivia for the questions and answers!

Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Ratatouille Birthday Party for Little Chef

As you regular readers will know, Little Chef is all about the cooking. Any time one of us is in the kitchen he demands a chair so he can be at the counter with us, no matter how small the task. So it was really a no brainer to have a Ratatouille themed birthday party for him this year! I'd be lying if I told you it wasn't a lot of work, but it was so much fun and Little Chef could not have been happier! It was worth every bit of time and effort putting this party together.

I had plans to use this adorable rolling pin invitation, but as it turns out, this busy mom just couldn't get it done. So instead I went with my old stand-by, Red Stamp. If you've never used this amazing app, I highly recommend it. It makes keeping up with birthdays and holidays a snap! We sent electronic invitations to keep it simple.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much Ratatouille themed party decor was available on Amazon. After all, it's been seven years since Ratatouille was released. (Can you believe it's been that long?) But we were able to find party hats (toques), balloons (which you can see in the photo above) and a backdrop with Linguini and Remy for our party. Perfect for those photo ops!

And remember these Gusteau's take out sacks from our back to school posts? Of course I printed them up and used them for goody bags!

The cooking part was a lot more like decorating, but the toddlers didn't seem to mind! I decided to have two different stations. Our table is pretty big, and we have a rule of thumb that we only invite as many kids as the age you are turning (in this case 3). So I set up each end of the table with "cooking stations."

The first thing we did was make chocolate fondue fruit kabobs. We had lots of fruit cut up (whatever looked fresh at the market) and I whipped up a chocolate sauce. This is so easy and a real hit with the kids!

The second station was a decorating station. I decided to make homemade marshmallows so we could decorate them, along with brownies. I had never made marshmallows from scratch, but I had heard they were to die for. I was shocked at how easy they were to make! Of course Little Chef helped me make them and the sensory experience and transformation was enough to make both of us giddy! I used Alton Brown's recipe to make them. If you try it, make sure you watch the video first. I was so glad I knew what to expect as I was working in the kitchen. I love the way these turned out. They were delicious and decorating them was new and different! I was concerned that the marshmallows would melt in the chocolate and frosting, but they held up beautifully! I used cake pop sticks to make them easy to handle.

I wanted everyone to have individual decorating supplies. I know the sorts of arguments that can break out over shared equipment! These mini muffin tins were the perfect solution. I filled each section with all natural colored sugars from India Tree. I would never have dreamed how much fun the kids had with these!

And see those aprons? I made one for each guest to take home as party favors. They were so easy I was able to whip up all three of them in one quick afternoon. I figured the mom's would appreciate it too! I made them from old pillowcases that needed repurposing. You can read all about them in Tuesday's post.

And then we sat around playing with all the great toys that Little Chef received for his birthday! It was a great party and so fun catching up with good friends! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!