Disney DIY Tangled Pacifier Clip

We use a lot of passies around the cottage. I know there are lots of opinions about them, but we are liberal in our usage and the two littles still need them for bed. While we were in Walt Disney World this fall we needed pacifier clips to wrangle them. Nothing like your kid losing his passie on the walkway in Disney, picking it back up and popping it in his mouth! Gack! I'm usually not too worried about that sort of thing, but in a place that gets as much foot traffic as Disney, and with a kid who seems to be allergic to everything, it's just not worth it!

As it's national crochet month, I thought I'd share this quick little crochet clip that worked very well on our trip and reminded me of Rapunzel's hair. It seemed the perfect accessory to our Minnie's Tangled outfit. Of course, there was a blueberry incident, so we didn't get a picture of the whole get up. Such is life with babies! But I assure you it was adorable, and if you have a small Disney fan toddling about your cottage, you just might want to create this sweet floral accessory too. If so, here is the pattern from A Bit Of Sunshine I followed to make this. I doubled the flower, but that is the only alteration I made.

This clip came together in well under an hour, which gave me time to create an additional flower which I attached to an alligator clip and used as an accessory for Minnie's sun hat! You could just as easily use a safety pin for that, but I wanted to try and use it as a hair clip later on - you know, when she has some hair to clip back! This is also a great way to use up those yarn scraps in your stash. I know I have a hard time pitching anything that might come in handy in the future. And if you have a button box with loads of random buttons, well all the better! These Tangled flowers are the perfect way to use and admire those odd ones.

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

Crocheted DIY Disney Prince and Princess Crowns

Did you know that March is National Crochet Month? In honor of this, I thought I'd share this quick and easy crocheted crown pattern. It's the perfect accessory for your Disney Prince or Princess! I was able to whip this up in under an hour and it's another great project for using up your yarn stash.

I used this wonderful pattern from Corina at Stitch 11. There is no notation about gauge in the pattern itself, and I don't crochet enough to know if I'm usually a tight or loose crocheter. This pattern is perfect except for the fact that I had to remove 8 more stitches in the infant size to get it to fit Minnie's head. Little Chef is easily wearing the child size in this picture, but his head is large -- the same crown fits MY head as well!

Both of these little Disney kids love to dress up, and these crowns were so easy to make that I think I'll make more in several other colors to add to the dress up trunk. You never know when you might need just the right crown to complete your look! I hope you have fun making this adorable accessory for your little Disney fan. And 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!

DIY Little Chef Aprons for a Ratatouille Themed Party

I found this wonderful child-sized apron pattern on line and decided I really needed one for my Little Chef. In fact, he had a fabulous cooking party earlier this month and we made one of these for each of the guests.

A few things about this pattern make me very happy:

1. It attaches with velcro, so little hands can do it themselves.
2. It has an elastic neckband so it fits easily over all size heads
3. It takes very little fabric and requires only straight stitch sewing

I am all about repurposing, up cycling and the like (Jiminy Cricket would be so proud). I found two pillowcases that were in sore need of a new life. I was able to get TWO aprons from one king-size pillowcase! And since I had some elastic and velcro on hand, these were absolutely free to me! Now that's a project anyone can get behind! And not just that, but the pattern was so easy I was able to make three of these in one afternoon. That is time very well spent.

I decided to leave these white, with on embellishment on them at all, since they were part of a larger party theme. But these would be so easy to personalize with your Silhouette or even just different fabric and trims! I'd love to know if you decide to make these. And stay tuned for scenes from our big Ratatouille party coming up on Thursday! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

From Belle's Library | Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

I grew up watching Walt Disney's version of Mary Poppins. In fact, it was the first drive-in movie I ever went to. We dressed in our pjs and popped our popcorn and I sat on a Charles Chips can so I could see from the back seat. And I fell in love. My best friend and I would re-enact scenes from it in the back yard for months, singing the bits of songs that we remembered until my mom and dad bought us the LP soundtrack that we would memorize word for word. It was magic, that story.

When I stumbled upon the book, Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers, while browsing Audible lately, I thought I should give it a try. And while I never saw "Saving Mr. Banks" in the theater (due to our inordinately snowy winter) I knew the basic story of P.L. Travers and her infamously touchy relationship with Mr. Disney. I was curious as to the original Mary Poppins stories and how they captured Walt Disney's heart enough to put up with so much grief from their author. And without a doubt, these stories did NOT disappoint.

I instantly recognized Mary Poppins from the movie. She was not terribly different in the the books. I thought she might have been sweetened up a bit from the reviews I read on line, but not at all to my way of thinking. And her magic was just as captivating as it was when I was 8-years-old! That, and the fact that there are other stories, not told in the movie version makes this even more fascinating for me. In fact, I may try this as a family read-aloud in a few more years, when Little Chef and Minnie are able to stay tuned in for more than 10 minutes. I think it would be ideal for a Disney road trip!

If you are at all captivated by Disney's version of Mary Poppins, I highly recommend this book. And what's more, there are several other books in this series, so if it catches fire in your household, there are many more stories to discover! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Princess Tutu

I think by now we all know I love a good bargain! I do my fair share of hunting. I love checking out Tuesday Mornings for all things Disney. They are usually a good spot for Tinkerbell Treasures at a good price. The toy aisle is always promising. But I was surprised last time I was in to find this Disney Princess Tutu Kit from Simplicity in the crafting aisle! For $3.00 I was sold!

Now, this is not really a sewing project; it's more of a wrapping tulle around an elastic band project. If you wanted to sew the elastic band together, I'm sure you could; but in all honesty, I just tied it in a knot. I'm fairly certain it will be staying in the dress-up box, and the littles don't care about a bit of elastic showing. And even more exciting, this project was simple enough that I was able to polish it off during nap time! I also think it's a great addition to your dress-up box. It's not going to win any contests, but it is a boat-load of fun. I chose not to use the appliqué that came with it, but there is a cute little rose for a future project!

If you can't find this kit anywhere, I think it would be simple enough to make this yourself. There were roughly 45 tulle strips about 4"x 24", a piece of elastic big enough to go around your daughter's (or your!) waist, and 4 strips of coordinating ribbon of the same length. That's it. And I've often seen spools of tulle in the dollar bins at JoAnn's. You could do a green and yellow one for Tinkerbell, a blue one for Cinderella, a purple and pink one for Rapunzel, the sky's the limit! I don't know how comfortable it would be to wear, but it also strikes me as a cute RunDisney accessory. Let me know if you attempt to make one of these for your cottage, and until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

From Mrs. Potts' Cupboard | Belle's Frosted Rose Tea

This seemed like the perfect time to introduce Belle's Frosted Rose Tea. It's still chilly, Valentine's day has just passed, and a little tea time pick me up seems in order. When I created this tea I was thinking of the classic scene in Beauty and the Beast where Belle and the Beast are enjoying the snow and the castle staff begin to realize that they just might be falling in love despite themselves. And I do love this "tale as old as time." Perfect for a little post-valentine treat.

Silver Needle is a very mild white tea. It is best prepared with water that is just below boiling. I love theses flavors together. You get all the fullness of the roses, with a hint of spiciness from the cinnamon. I usually don't like a sweetened tea, but the small amount of honey used here is a real enhancement. Don't skip it even if you are tempted to. It really brings out the flavors in this cup.

I hope you enjoy a steaming cup of tea today. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney's Love Bug T-shirt Belated Valentine & Silhouette Tutorial

I grew up with Disney, watching all the live-action movies on our VCR and laughing along with the very old fashioned humor. I have very fond memories of that. And this T-shirt is a reference to just that. My sister and I must have spent hours in front of that TV giggling at Herbie the Love Bug. I don't know why it was such great fun; it was probably my sister that made it so funny. We had a knack for that.  Well, that and Buddy Hackett. Who wouldn't love that guy? Whatever the case, that lovable VW comes back with this cute T-shirt.

I made this using my Silhouette machine, some adhesive/stencil vinyl, and some fabric paint. It was simple to do and I love an original design! I altered the car shape a little for this shirt and I wanted to share with you how I did that, so for those of you following along at home, here's a tutorial for altering a shape using the Shilhouette software.

First, I used Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold for the font - it was close to the original movie font and already installed on my machine. I then used the echo park car shape for Herbie. I enlarged it to 7.075 inches. To enlarge it while preventing distortion, hold the shift key and then drag your shape to enlarge it.

Now I had to do a little editing to get it just right. First, I altered the lines on the hood to make them bigger so they would stand out on the t-shirt. To do this I first selected the shape and ungrouped the layer. This allows you to select just parts of a design and alter them. It looks like this on your screen:

I then selected the lines on the hood and used the same process to ungroup them. They should now be two separate lines. Move them apart just a little bit - one or two clicks of the arrow keys (on your keyboard) to the right or left. Once I had them separated, I selected both of them by clicking on one, holding the shift key down, and selecting the other. You should now have both of them in the bounding box. I then used the offset tool to enlarge them to .07 inches. Like this:

Once that was completed, I selected the original line and deleted it, so just the fat line was left. Like this:

I then used the circle tool to draw a circle 1.32" big. To get a perfect circle, hold down the shift key while you drag out the circle shape. I positioned it on top of the lines the I just altered, and then selected both lines and the circle; I went to the Modify menu and selected "subtract all." This is important if you want to use this as a stencil. This way you are not cutting lines through your circle.

Once I had that done, I added the number 53 to the circle in the same font and sized it to where it looked good. Lastly, I used a heart from another design I had (elephants) and placed it in the window. That's it! I sent it to my Silhouette and cut it out.

If you try this let me know! I'd love to know how it works for you. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Valentine's Day Onesie

It's almost Valentine's Day and I thought I would re-post this adorable onesie. We have a lot of new readers who may not have seen this post and honestly, I just love it so much I wanted to share it again! Have a very happy Valentine's Day.

We have a new little addition around the cottage these days, and I just couldn't resist whipping up a Bambi inspired Valentine onesie for her. It was so simple with the Silhouette SD and some fabric paint.

I used the baby deer shape (Design ID #5505 ), the hearts from the sheep card (Design ID #25095), and the font Coolvetica. The text is lifted from the main musical theme from Bambi, "Love Is A Song." I made sure that my design would fit a 4"x4" box, which was just right for a 0-3 month onesie. 

Once I had everything placed as I liked it, I cut out the shapes on stencil vinyl. This tutorial from the Silhouette blog was extremely helpful in getting it transferred to the fabric. From there, I painted the shirt with two coats of fabric paint and let it dry. Voila! A cute Disney themed valentine for our sweet new bundle of magic! I'm tempted to make one in an adult size for me. Happy Valentine's Day to you and your family. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!