DIY Disney's Haunted Mansion Halloween Decor | Madame Leota Candle

As I have mentioned many a time, we like to use the Haunted Mansion as our inspiration for Halloween decor. And since we leave for Disney in just a couple weeks (yes, again!), it certainly puts us in the mood! I created a candle for my favorite spider candle holder (which it appears, PartyLite no longer makes.) This candle has Madame Leota's incantation printed on it. For those of you who may not be as steeped in Disney tradition as we are in the cottage, Madame Leota is the talking head in the crystal ball in the seance room of the Haunted Mansion, just before the ballroom in the attraction. What you may not also realize, is that Madame Leota was modeled after a long-time Disney Imagineer, Leota Toombs Thomas. You can read a little more about her over at Magical School House, in a wonderful interview with her sister-in-law.

Making this candle was easier that I expected. In fact, this decorative candle tutorial from Heidi Swapp was incredibly easy to follow! I love the endless possibilities it offers! So first, here's the tutorial:



Secondly, here's the print for my candle. You can download my Madame Leota's Candle jpg for free if you'd like to use it. It's made for a 4.5" tall candle with a 9" diameter. This is what it looks like flat:


I could go a little crazy with this! So many great things could be done. I love the idea of three different sized candles, each with a hitchhiking ghost! I'll let you know if I try any more. And please let us know if you try this too! We'd love to see what you come up with. Remember to tag us on Instagram, or leave us a comment below. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Small Zippered Mickey Mouse Pouch

As you know, I'm a fan of little bags and pouches for travel. I saw this little beauty and thought it could be Disney-fied with a little alteration. And while I would work a bit on the shapes of the ears, this came together very easily and I would certainly do it again!

I found the original pattern from Dog Under My Desk on Pinterest. I had all the necessary supplies already in my stash, so this project was definitely budget friendly! If you don't already have what you need, I would say this can easily come in under $5.00 a pouch. Still well within my Tinkerbell Treasure limit. And wouldn't it be so cute for all your pressed pennies? Of course the author of the pattern, Erin, suggests using it as a housing for your earbuds. I also love this idea. Keeping those things from tangling with everything else in my bag is forever my mission! And a great solution for the kids! Especially since this isn't too girly - Doc would even use it.

I tried using different circle shapes for the ears, and in the end, went with this: 

As I mentioned before, I would probably choose to go with bigger circles next time. It's always a bit tricky sewing around circles, but over all, I was still pleased with the way this pouch turned out. It will definitely get used! And I can imagine an endless stream of variations for the fabrics and for making it fit different Disney characters.

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

Upcycled Disney T-shirt Trinket Bag

I have shared this tutorial on the blog before, but it is amazing to me how many of these little bags we use and how handy they are in my travel gear. So I hop you enjoy this rerun from March of 2014!

We are gearing up for another road trip, this time to Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort! In preparation for that, I am getting out all our road trip goodies. I realized that my previous case for all my electronics was woefully lacking in space for my new gadgetry. I needed something with a little more room that I could slip in my knitting basket or my purse without a lot of fuss. And I like having it all in one place, but not a tangled mess in my purse! As I was scavenging through my bin of t-shirts and clothing to recycle, I noticed a t-shirt that Little Chef was not too fond of because the printing on the front was uncomfortable. I didn't even put it in the rotation for Minnie. It was an 18-month Mickey T-shirt and perfectly suited for the job!

This was the easiest project I've done in some time. I simply cut the sleeves and bottom off the shirt, centering the Mickey image, and leaving the neck in tact as a ready-made casing for the drawstring. I used an overlock stitch and sewed up the three sides of the shirt. I then angled the corners in and cut them off, because I like a flat-bottomed bag. This is certainly a step you don't need to take, it just adds a nice touch. If it intimidates you, leave it out.

I then opened up a hole in the collar seam using my seam ripper, and slipped a ribbon through the casing the same way you would in a pair of pants. Because this is jersey, you really don't need to worry about the fabric unraveling, so I simply left the hole in the collar! I tied the two ends of the ribbon together with a knot, turned the bag right-side out and there you have it! Easy as can be!

Now I have a place for all my iPhone, Kindle and iPad cords, earbuds, etc., and they won't be a tangled mess when I want them! These would also be terrific bags for Tinkerbell Treasures, either to give filled with goodies or to give as a goody! And if you don't have an ample supply of 12-18M shirts in your cottage, the Goodwill is an excellent place to get exactly this sort of thing for a bargain price. In fact, I have found some wonderful park merchandise there that we wear in the parks! (No one has to know!) I do love a good bargain. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Road Trip Plastic Bag Dispenser

Disney Themed Plastic Bag Dispenser from Lysol Wipes Canister

This may be the first thing I ever pinned on Pinterest. I thought it was BRILLIANT! Seriously. We are always looking for a trash bag, a puke bag, a doggie pick-up-the-mess bag, a toss the diaper bag,  you name it. Traveling with the family can be messy! And now that I have an empty Lysol wipes can it's time to get to work!

If you have young ones in the house and are as Disney-crazed as we are, chances are you know all about the Handy Helpers. If not, let me fill you in. Disney Jr. made a genius decision when it started running The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Finally a way to connect a younger audience with the classic characters. It's fun, educational (as much as these things can be), and pleasant to listen to (unlike certain other Nick Jr. explorers). In the clubhouse, Mickey's Handy Helpers do everything from answering the door, to getting the mail, to finding Goofy's stinky shoes. A sort of butler system. So naturally, I thought of the Handy Helpers when I was creating this Road Trip Bag Dispenser.

To get the how to on rolling the bags to fit the canister, check out this tutorial from Tatertots and Jello. It's really easy. Don't worry if you have air bubbles as you roll the bags. It didn't have an adverse effect on ours in any way.

And of course I used my Silhouette SD to cut out the vinyl for the canister. I created a png of the hand from some clip art I found on line. And I used the font Minnie to create the lettering. Once I cut it out and removed the excess vinyl, I used the transfer tape to adhere it to the canister. Realizing this canister is going to be rolling around on the floor of our van for the rest of it's life, I decided to keep the transfer tape on it to help keep the vinyl on and legible! And that's all there is to it! Quick, easy and very handy.

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

DIY Disney Incredible Superhero Cuffs

With Halloween on the horizon (I like to plan ahead!), I thought this would be a great rerun for today. Enjoy!

Both of our littles have been very into playing dress up lately; especially pretending they have super powers! It's something the big one never really liked. So we were a little sparse in the costume/superhero department. When I started scouring the inter-webs for some quick and dirty costumes and accessories, I found these incredibly easy (pardon the pun!) superhero cuffs from Kate's Creative Space. How could I say no?

When I say easy, I mean it. This fits well into the department of nap-time friendly crafts. Kate has the tutorial and the printables all on her blog. All you need is a couple of empty toilet paper tubes and some glue, and you're all set. She shows you how to embellish them a bit too, if you're so inclined. I just love how these turned out. And talk about budget friendly too! I don't care what Happy decides to do with them. I didn't invest much time and they didn't cost me a dime. It's hard to beat that kind of Disney magic. It might even make you feel a little Super.

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

DIY Ice Cube Painting | Colors Of The Wind Paints

Ice cube painting is another idea that comes from Pinterest. It's summer and not always easy to find something fun to do with out allergy-prone toddler when an Indiana heat wave hits. This idea was fun and easy and something we could do in the shade or in the house, depending on the air quality! It was also free, and I love a free activity that inspires creativity.

We followed the directions for Ice Cube Painting found here, with the exception of using clothespins for handles. I just broke some popsicle sticks in half and propped them up in the trays instead. I might try the clothespins idea next time. It would provide a much bigger, more stable handle. I also had non-chemical food dyes (with the exception of the red) so our colors were perhaps a bit more muted than they might have been. We did have some red chemical dye from a science project that was left over. It was perfect for this activity! Despite having to prepare it ahead of time (which took all of 10 minutes!) it was very simple to do.

All in all, Happy seemed to really like it. He's not one for messy games and activities, but this one was a winner. I think it would be a great idea for a Pocahontas themed party: painting with the colors of the wind! Let us know if you give it a try. Here's a sample of our work:

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

DIY Disney Dinner | Catfish and Grits from the Coral Reef

I think one of the best kept secrets for Disney Dining is the Coral Reef at Epcot's Living Seas. If you have never taken the opportunity to dine there and you even remotely like seafood, you are missing out! Book an ADR for your next trip. You'll be glad you did. Not only is the menu outstanding, the atmosphere is complete unique from any other restaurant on property. Where else can you dine inside a living coral reef? And they even give you souvenir guides so you know what fishes you are looking at. (Don't forget to spot that hidden Mickey on the ocean floor!)

This recipe is from Magical Recipes, a truly great resource for Disney recipes from around the "World." If you are looking for something specific, I would search there first. Although I'd stay away from the Crystal Palace Lemon Bars. Just saying.

Mr. Photos from the Parks is an amazing chef and his spin on this recipe was simply delicious. Although I'm not sure I would recommend this wine for this meal, as we both felt it was more like a Pinot Grigio than a Chardonnay; we would go with Francis Coppola's Diamond Collection Chardonnay instead. It's one of my standbys. (And if you even get the chance to visit that winery I HIGHLY recommend it!)

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

DIY Savings Bank for Disney

Here in the cottage, we have always followed the same rule my parents set up for me regarding buying souvenirs in the parks. They gave us a set amount (and later we earned our own money). That was all we had to spend. If they purchased something for us it was their prerogative, but we knew even before asking that the answer was probably going to be no. (This didn't prevent my sister from asking - ever.)

For Doc, out of sight is out of mind; and before you know it we are leaving and he is complaining that he didn't know it was so close to Disney and why didn't we remind him? (Of course, we did; he just doesn't remember; ever.) When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew I would be using it for Doc. At least this way, there's a tangible reminder that Disney is coming!

I started with an 8"x8" shadow box, a dremel tool with a rotary cutting bit, and this gorgeous Disney subway art available for download from Eighteen25.

Cutting through the frame was weird. It wasn't wood, and it smelled like it was plastic; but given enough time I was able to get it cut. I had to cut an opening much larger than I expected in order to get the change to fall in easily, but once it was cut and sanded it was easy to get the money to drop right in. I used a dentist pick tool to help line up the cut lines and to scrape away some stubborn shaving bits.

I printed out the subway art and cut it to fit the 8x8 frame. I decided to cut off "Disneyland" since we would be going to Walt Disney World - and Doc is a stickler for details. As an added bonus, the more change we put in it, the sturdier the frame bank became. I assume there will be a tipping point for this. We may have to encourage paper money instead of coins!

All in all, the bank was a fairly easy project (once the littles were well away)! I highly recommend trying it. Imagine the possibilities! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Alice In Wonderland Disney Tea Cup

I found a wonderful glass mug at the Dollar Store recently, just big enough to do a glass etching on it. And it seemed to say Alice In Wonderland to me. And so this project was born! I used my Silhouette SD to create a stencil that says "Drink Me" using the font Started By A Mouse. It reminds me of Fantasyland - where you can find some fabulous spinning tea cups!

This mug was big enough that I didn't have to finagle the stencil too much around the curves. Once the stencil was on I applied the Armor Etch with a popsicle stick and 10 minutes later, the mug was done! I really love how quickly the etching cream works. This definitely qualifies as a nap-friendly project. And it's budget friendly too! The mug cost a dollar and I already had everything else I needed. You can't beat that!

As an added bonus, I thought I'd share my favorite sleepy time tea recipe, developed right here in the cottage!

Merryweather's Night Time Tea

makes one tea bag (two infusions)

2 lemon verbena leaves, crushed

1/2 tsp. lavender

1/2 tsp. lemon balm

1/2 tsp. peppermint

1/2 tsp. ceylon tea (optional)

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

DIY Infinity Scarf from Upcycled Disney T-shirts Tutorial

I have to admit right up front, I'm not much of a scarf wearer outside of winter. They just seem in the way to me. But a scarf from jersey? That I can get into. And one that has more than one way to wear it? Even better. And one that showcases my old Disney Ts? Now we're talking! I'm even playing around with the idea of wearing this to the parks in the evening in October. It could happen!

This project was conceived mainly because I wanted to see the logos of the shirts I was using. Most tutorials I came across online were made with the bottom half of the T-shirt. That wasn't going to work for me. So I whipped up a practice scarf using some shirts destined for the rag bag and found that my idea worked! Here's the tutorial on how to make a Disney T-shirt Circle Scarf:




You will need:

• 3 adult sized T-shirts (this would work with any T size 5 and up; the smaller they are, the more you need)
• Good pair of scissors
• coordinating thread
• pins

Begin by turning your T-shirts inside out and measuring a 12" swath down the middle. Be sure any logos or designs you want to keep are inside that 12" area.

I then marked with white pencil (or a fabric marker on the white shirt) a line all the way down both sides. This is my stitch line. Once you have all your shirts marked, take them to the sewing machine and stitch down each line creating a tube. You don't have to be too precise with this; remember it's going to drape so no one has to know that your side seams are a little wavy.

Once all your shirts have been sewn up the sides, cut off the excess fabric on the sides leaving a 1/4" to 1/2" seam allowance.

I then cut off the collar of T-shirt and the bottom hem so that I had a nice tube. **I also took the tag off the Pirates shirt so I could reuse it on the outside, a little bit later.**

Begin sewing you first two shirts together. Turn one tube right side out and keep the other one inside out. Sandwich them together, right sides together. This is a good time to check that your logos are lined up the way you want them to be.

Pin the side seams together and pin the middle of each side together. Sew this seam using a 1/2" or 5/8" seam allowance. If the two pieces of fabric don't line up perfectly, you can stretch the fabric as you sew it so it lines up a bit better.

If you wish to insert the tag from the T-shirt so it shows on the outside, sandwich it into one of these seams, aligning all the raw edges. When you turn it right side out it should look something like this:

Continue sewing this way until you have sewn the last piece on. You should have one giant tube. 

To connect it, turn the scarf in on itself so that you can line up the last pice with the first piece just as you did all the others: right sides together, aligning the raw edges, and pin. When you sew this up, remember to leave about at 3" gap so you can turn the scarf right side out.

Once you have turned your scarf right side out, you can either sew the gap closed by hand (which looks best) or use the machine. I chose to use the machine. I invoke my grandmother once again: if you can't see it from the back of a running horse, it'll be just fine.

And that's it! I'd say this took me about 3 hours from start to finish on this project. Not bad for a rainy afternoon. If you want some tips on how to wear your circle scarf, check out this wonderful graphic. While this one isn't the sort you can wear as a dress, you could certainly work it in many of the other ways.

Enjoy experimenting with your circle scarf! And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Walt Disney's Favorite Chocolate Soda Recipe

I'm a fan of Ghirardelli chocolate. A HUGE fan. And I don't feel my trip to Walt Disney World is complete without stopping at the Ghirardelli store in Downtown Disney. (Incase you are unaware, they give out free samples! Worth the trip to Downtown Disney just for that, if you ask me.) I especially love their chocolate soda. It's not on the menu; you have to ask for it. Without a doubt, it's my favorite thing there. Except for the Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Squares; those are to die for. So I felt a kindred bond when I found out that Walt himself was a fan of the chocolate soda. So much so, that the Plaza Restaurant recreated his favorite Chocolate Soda.

Here's the recipe, perfect for bringing a little magic home:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup chocolate syrup
• 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 6 oz. soda or seltzer water
• Maraschino cherry

Directions:

• Pour chocolate syrup in the bottom of an 8-ounce milk shake glass.
• Smoosh in 1 scoop of ice cream.
• Slowly pour in soda water almost to top of glass.
• Perch another scoop of ice cream on top.
• Add a cherry and a colorful straw or two.

Now we don't do Maraschino cherries here (Doc has a sensitivity to artificial dyes), but we are happy to report that the cottage approves even without the cherry on top. Personally, I can't get enough! We used our Soda Stream to make as much soda water as we needed. (A seriously great product!) And, while we didn't have any Ghirardelli syrup in the cottage at the moment, we highly recommend Trader Joe's Midnight Moo. It's delicious!

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

DIY Disney Travel Game

When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to recreate it using the Disney ephemera I had collected over the years. I tend to be a pack rat - every now and again, this winds up being a good thing. It's nice when that happens! If you are a pack rat too, then this project is free to create. I know I love a budget friendly DIY.
I had an old sturdy tube from some Silhouette stencil vinyl that was just right for this project, perfect for outlining the shapes of some old Disney stickers I had lying around. (I believe these are from the 90s - when I was still paper scrapbooking. Disney had a terrific scrapbooking store back then; I'm not sure if it's still around today.) If you don't have any stickers, they are very easily obtained from the Dollar Store, or a craft store. And they are usually fairly inexpensive, especially if you have a coupon.

The idea here is simple. I removed the outer edge of the sticker paper, leaving the actual stickers on the page. Then I used the "blanks" as a stencil to trace the shapes of the stickers onto the paper tube. I used a fat Sharpie to trace them and then a fine point Sharpie to label the shapes. (I have a bit of a pen addiction as well. I love my Sharpies!) Happy isn't quite able to read yet, and I wanted Poppins or Doc to be able to help him if I wasn't available.  So now there are several Disney shapes and characters to match to the shapes on the tube. I figure this could last him a good 20 minutes if he takes to it! Stickers are generally a favorite for him. For our family, the trick is finding new and different things to keep the little ones occupied on our drive. It's a LONG way to Orlando from our cottage in the midwest! I'll let you know if this works for us. And if you try it, let us know how it worked for you!

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

DIY Disney's Frozen Arendelle Notebooks

Here is another great use for the Frozen Travel Posters available at the Disney Movie Rewards site. (I swear, I'm not getting paid to promote them; I just love that they have all this stuff available for free!)

While we do have a younger set of kids traveling with us to Disney this fall, we also have an older set. This means that the coloring pages and activity sheets just aren't going to cut it for them. They needed something a little more grown up. And I really like how these are not gender specific. I think these could easily go to a boy or a girl.

I decided to make notepads for them from some of the old paper we have lying about. (Do you have all sorts of unused school supplies that come home too?!) I put in regular lined paper, but I also included some graph paper and some 3-D drawing paper too. I made sure to cut it down to about 1/4" smaller than the covers. I printed the covers out on card stock as a booklet in Adobe Reader. If you are looking for a source for the heavy book boards for the covers, check with a local photographer. Sometimes they have it for free! You can also search for "book board" on Etsy or Ebay for suppliers. And of course, you could recycle some from existing composition books and notebooks around the house!

I loved to doodle and journal as a kid (well, as an adult too!), so I'm hoping these will be just the thing for the older kids in our travel party. And of course, they could be used as autograph books too should the need arise!

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

DIY Disney Mickey Mouse Sippy Cup Leash

Mickey Mouse Sippy Cup Leash

This is one of those things that makes a huge difference with little effort. The last time we were in Walt Disney World, our 2-year-old loved throwing his sippy cup down when he was done with it. Chasing those rolling cups in the parks was not fun, and not a thought I relished doing again. But never fear, Make It & Love It has a tutorial that will save the day! I love that this little sippy cup leash is extremely lightweight and won't take up any extra room in the storage compartment when you are done with it. So, so smart.

This tutorial is so easy that I was able to bang it out in less than 20 minutes. THAT'S a project I can love! I scored this ribbon at Walmart, prepackaged in 3 yard increments. Unfortunately, I don't remember the cost, but I'd be surprised if it was more than $5.00. I've since seen it at JoAnn's too. I've also had luck with Etsy and Ebay for deals on Disney ribbon, some really rare, some not so much. Shop around; I assure you, you'll find more than you bargained for!

I already had my elastic on hand, so this project was well under $5.00. I consider that a great deal! You could use this in the car on a road trip as well as on the stroller or backpack in the parks. We've tried it on a number of different sippy cups, and all of them seem to work well. These Nuby ones are Happy's favorites, so I made sure it would hold these easily. We'll be taking several with us again this October! If you see our decked out stroller, stop and say hi! We love to hear from our readers.

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

DIY Disney Stroller Cup Holder

Who doesn't need another water bottle holder at Disney? I know we never seem to have enough places to store everything when we are in the parks, and I love the idea of having the stroller do most of the work for us. This is one solution I just had to try.

I used this tutorial from Sew Can Do to create my cup holder. I love that it's large enough to hold my aluminum water bottle and this combo snack/sipper cup I found through Zulily!

I did tweak this pattern a bit. Instead of using oil cloth, I used quilting cotton. To give it a little more heft, I inserted a piece of scrap canvas (you could use a bit of denim from an old pair of jeans as well) between the two sides, and one in the bottom; and I used pellon interfacing on all the cotton pieces. Pellon is an iron-on interfacing and I use it for a LOT of sewing projects. If you can't find it in your local fabric shop, ask at the cutting desk. They will know exactly what you are looking for. I loved the stiffness and absorbency of the fabric when it was all done. I hate sweaty drinking glasses and bottles.

I also made an extension piece for our stroller handlebar. I thought about making the entire piece bigger, but I like the idea of having the size option. The only caveat to that is with the extension, the holder swung around a bit, and Mr. Photos From The Parks says it hits him in the navel whenever he uses the stroller. I'm a bit shorter and it doesn't seem to do that for me. You may want to make some adjustments according to your own stature.

A note about water in Disney:
I think the water in Disney (well, in Orlando) is a bit skunky. I am usually a fan of filling my own water bottle at the drinking fountain wherever we are - or at least out of the tap. But in Disney, that just won't cut it for me. I need the filtered water to get the odd smell out. If you are opposed to paying "Disney prices" for water, there is another solution. Almost every Disney Resort room has a mini fridge. Stop and get a case of water before you arrive on property. This is obviously easy if you drive, but even if you fly (as we often do), it's not as complicated as it might seem. Tiffany Towncar - a company we HIGHLY recommend - will make a 30 min. grocery stop as part of their ground transportation service. If you would rather take the Magical Express, you can always have Garden Grocer deliver groceries right to your room. In either case, you have water at your disposal and much cheaper than if you would buy it in the parks.

DIY Disney Beer Flight Set | The Snuggly Duckling - Tangled

This is one of my favorite Father's Day ideas from 2013. I hope you enjoy it!

I've been wanting to do some of these for a long time now. When I saw these beer flight sets in the Target dollar bins, I knew I had a project! I've mentioned before that it can be tough to find creative gifts for men. This is something many of the men in my life could use and I see several Disney variations coming. We are very into our beer in these parts! This one, however, is from the movie Tangled.

I am a big fan of Tangled. It appeals to me in so many ways: a creative princess who doesn't act like a princess (is in fact, rather clueless), a fabulous pub scene, a hero realizing he needs to be himself, a romp through the kingdom and a villain who gets what she deserves. What's not to love? And that pub scene - hilarious! I absolutely adore it. Haven't seen it? You must. Here it is:



Am I right? It's just so funny. And the perfect inspiration for these beer sampler glasses. While you don't see the pub sign in this clip, they are at The Snuggly Duckling. I decided to take that "logo" and make what would be a beer sampler from their pub. The actual glass etching was very quick. I'd never etched glass before, so if it seems intimidating to you, don't let it be! It was as easy as following the directions, and there are several YouTube videos out there if you need to see how it's done before you attempt it yourself. For this project, I used Armor Etching Cream.

I used my Silhouette machine to create the Snuggly Duckling logo. I used Echo Park Duck Icon (design #40686) and then created my own cattail. I used font LD Pirate from scrapNfonts.com. There are other free fonts out there, I just happened to have this one in my library. If you are interested in downloading my silhouette design, you can access it here. (It is a .studio file which is only compatible with the Silhouette machine.) Once I had the design, I simply cut it out and adhered it to the glass. You have to do a little massaging of the decal over the curvy glass, but it worked with a little patience. I only had one tiny mistake out of all four glasses.

Overall, I am very pleased with the design! The Silhouette did a great job of getting clean lines even with such a small and detailed stencil. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Flag Day DIY inspired by Disney's Animal Kingdom

DIY Tibetan Prayer Flags Inspired by Disney's Animal Kingdom

Flag Day is intended as a celebration of the adoption of the American Flag - it is always celebrated on June 14th. As it happens, the US Army's "birthday" is also on this day. If you are interested in more history on Flag Day, you can check out this Wikipedia article. But for Flag Day this year, I decided to take a more non-traditional track.

I have always loved the themeing in the Animal Kingdom of Walt Disney World. Even as a new park (when it was not very fun for our family - and SUPER hot) the themed areas seemed superior to much of the rest of the Disney Resort. I have especially become a fan of the Tibetan prayer flags near Expedition Everest. I've always been a spiritual person, and drawn to these flags and their purpose wherever I see them. They are meant to be torn and impermanent items. If you want a little more information about them, you should check out The Peace Flag Project. I think they are just beautiful. So when I found this tutorial for making miniature prayer flags from Small World Land, I knew I had found a project for me.

For this project, I used the printable document supplied in the tutorial. I sized it to 150% and printed it directly only my fabric. If you've never printed on fabric, it's a very simple process. I used these instructions from Instructables. I didn't have any freezer paper, so I used Silhouette's Sewable Heat Transfer Fabric Interfacing. I'm glad I did. I was able to print on it with no problems. I was even able to iron two small strips of flags together to make them double sided. I then just cut them apart and strung them on button-hole thread. (It's thicker thread than what you usually sew with.) And I love the result! I have my own little string of prayers hanging in my studio. They are a lovely reminder of the prayers I wish to offer up to the universe.

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

DIY Mickey's Kitchen Pot Holders

Some of us are a little more "out" with our Disney obsession than others. We have great friends with a Mickey themed kitchen. There are all sorts of gadgets and cookware that can give your kitchen a Disney feel. In fact, Disney has an entire store in Downtown Disney devoted to such things. And for those of us who can't get to said brick and mortar store, Disney has conveniently provided a virtual store for our every shopping need. Check it out here.

Today we feature a project that would be perfect for the Mickey's Kitchen devotees: pot holders. I love the size of these. They are perfect for holding a hot mug of soup or a bowl that's been zapped in the microwave. It's also the ideally sized for the tea kettle handle. And it's easy enough that older kids can help with this project.

You could customize this project for any Disney character's color scheme (red, white, blue & yellow for Donald; green, blue, orange & black for Goofy; etc.) - but since most of the Disney kitchen accessories are in a Mickey color scheme, we chose to stick with red, black, yellow & white.

If you don't already have a potholder loom, they are fairly inexpensive and easy to come by. I found mine at the local JoAnn's, but they are available online as well. Check out Amazon for a wide selection, or just google potholder loom & use the shopping link. I have had good luck finding the loops in the kid's crafting area of any major craft or education store. But if you are finding it difficult to locate some (or get out of the house!), you can purchase them here.

Experiment with color and pattern. Doc helped me weave these two patterns and we loved the way they turned out. After completing these two, we had a few helpful hints to pass along:

1. The last couple rows of weaving are tricky, as the loops will want to pop off the loom. Go slowly.
2. To finish edges we used an H crochet hook started in the top right hand corner. Pull first loop off and leave on your hook; pull the second loop off and single crochet. Continue around the entire loom, pulling the last loop all the way through so it sticks out.
3. The last edge of the potholder wanted to pull off the loom; try to prevent that by using your left hand to hold it down while you finish the edge (assuming you are right handed).

And that's it! We were able to make 2 of these in an hour. If it's your first attempt at using the loom, give yourself a bit more time. And most importantly have fun! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Map Coasters

 Perhaps you've seen this lovely tutorial on Pinterest. I've been eyeing it for a while and finally tackled it. I love the way these coasters turned out and the best part is they cost under $1.00 each to make! These would be a great gift to make for your fellow Disney geeks.

Of course, Jimminy Cricket would also be pleased that we are upcycling more of those park maps we all bring home as souvenirs.

I followed this tutorial with a few minor adjustments. I like to use Golden's Gel Medium instead of Mod Podge. It's more expensive, but I like the way it dries better. And I've been using it for years, so my comfort level is there. This also meant I had it on hand and didn't have the mod podge. One additional benefit to using the Gel Medium, it can handle hot liquids within a couple of days. No need to wait a month!

I applied one coat of Gel Medium to the top of the naked tile and adhered the cut out map piece to it. Try to smooth it out really well. The slick nature of the map makes it want to bubble up. You could use a credit card or bone folder - gently! - to get all the bubbles out. I let that dry. Then I came back and applied two more thin coats of Gel Medium, letting each tile dry thoroughly between coats. I made sure to brush the Gel all around the edges of the paper, making sure it was not going to peel up.

And instead of using rubber cement for adhering the felt, I used a spray adhesive. (If you are ever in doubt as to which glue to use, This To That is a fantastic resource!) I used an old box as my "spray zone" so as not to make my whole work space tacky. And that's it! My total cost for this project was $3.00 for the tile. Now THAT'S a bargain! If you try this project be sure to send us a photo; until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Closet Divider Tags

DIY Disney Closet Tags

When I saw these shapes in the Silhouette store, I knew I would need them. I am an organizer, a planner and I prepare. And this is never more true than when we are going to Walt Disney World. When I pack, I pack in outfits. I like to know that I'll have everything I need to look put together all in one place. It all gets laid out by day, and then put together in the suitcase as one. Ziplock baggies are especially helpful in this department and come in handy if you have wet bathing suits to bring home. And I love not having to think about things like what to wear when we are at the parks.

As an aside, I highly recommend unpacking your suitcase when you arrive at your resort. There is nothing worse than trying to decipher which clothes are dirty and which are clean when you are running late to your ADR. (And we are always running late. I assure you.) Also, I always designate an empty bag or drawer for dirty clothes. That way we are not tripping over one another's ish in a tiny space.

With these tags, I can easily mark which outfits are to be worn on what days; no more arguing with the kids. Even better, I can see at a glance if I have packed enough clothing, or not. Once it's all together, it goes in a big ziplock bag, tag included. When we arrive at the resort I simply hang the entire outfit together on a hanger and pop the tag over it. Done! Everyone knows which outfit is for which day. I can even plan an outfit for a special character meal that I know will look good in the photos later on. So no matter who is helping Happy get dressed, they know what he should wear and I don't have to interrupt what I'm doing to pull out clothes. Let's foster independence where we can, shall we?

I used my basic scrapbooking supplies to create these tags; mostly using paper and ribbon. I themed them to the Classic Disney Characters, but you could do these for any set of characters that mean something to your family. I may try and do a set based on Phineas and Ferb for Doc; his clothes will be in a separate room from ours. These tags represent, Sunday - Minnie, Monday - Mickey, Tuesday - Donald, Wednesday - Goofy, Thursday - Pluto, and Friday - Daisy. I know, I don't have Saturday; won't be needing that one on this trip. Too bad. We'll just have to remedy that another time!

And for those who may need to know, the design ID numbers for these Hanger Tags are: 32018, 32017, 32016, 32015, 32014, 32012, 32011. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!