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!

Learning More About Walt Disney World Water Parks

As a Certified Disney Travel Planner, I have been learning quite a bit about the WDW waterparks this summer. I thought I would use an entry here to share a little of what I learned with all of you.

My family has never really been much into swimming until the two little ones came along. This summer we have spent well over 50% of our days at the pool. That has definitely changed my thoughts about whether or not to visit a water park durning our next Walt Disney World trip! I have always been on the opinion that the pool at our resort was plenty enough fun for us. Now I am starting to see how we could really enjoy a full day at one of the two waterparks on property.

First, lets talk about the new Water Parks and More ticket add on. With this upgrade you get the same number of visits to 6 resort destinations (Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course, and Oak Trail Golf Course) as you do park days.

So if you have a 3-day Water Parks and More ticket, you get to visit 3 Disney Theme Parks, AND  you get 3 visits to any of the Water Parks and More Options You can visit these other options on ANY of the days your are at Disney. It DOES NOT have to be on the same day you visit a theme park. So for instance, if you are going to be at the Walt Disney World Resort for 7 days, you could purchase a 3-day Water Parks and More ticket, spend days 1-3 at various theme parks, days 4-5 at the water parks, and days 6-7 playing golf. It's a great way to enjoy all that the WDW Resort has to offer!

Secondly, there are some ways to guarantee that you get some seats in the shade! I grew up in the days of River Country, watching my dad race to the shelter at rope drop to be sure our group had a place to recover from the sun! Those days are long gone. If you want a cabana-style accommodation at either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach there are there for the renting! For as little as $60 you can rent an Umbrella area that will accommodate up to 4 guest. You have great seating, loungers and shade. But if you are looking for something a little more like what you might find at Castaway Cay, there are cabana-type areas at both waterparks in the $350 range. These can accommodate up to 6 guests and have a larger set of amenities that come included. For my high maintenance family, this sounds like a dream come true!

If you are a frequent visitor to either of the Disney Water Parks, I would love to hear your feedback! I am sure my family will be trying out one or both on our next Walt Disney World vacation. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party Review

First off, let me start by saying, Disney got this right. They got this SO right. We were absolutely impressed with the Spectacular! I felt like the Incredible's neighbor when it was all over:

If you haven't seen it yet, you are missing out! For real. And if you are a Star Wars fan at all, this is something you have to put on your "Must Do" list for your next trip. I loved it! All of it.

And if you want to make the most of your Galactic Spectacular, consider adding the dessert party to your day at Hollywood Studios. It's an extra ticketed event, so on top of your park admission, you will need to purchase tickets. Currently, the price per adult is $58.63 and $33.20 per kid (3-9). Here's what you get for that price:

1. Desserts. So many desserts! But not just desserts, there are also savory items as well as fresh fruits, AND a very nice assortment of drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. You can go back as many times as you like and take your food all around the Launch Bay. For a full menu, head over to AJ's blog and see what all is on offer. (The write up is old, but the menu is just about the same.) Even with my restricted diet, I was able to find desserts to enjoy!
2. The Launch Bay is open for you to enjoy. With all the Star Wars artifacts, the movie and the Chewbacca and Kylo Ren meet and greets, you could easily spend most of your time seeing all there is to see.
3. Wait times for Chewie and Kylo Ren were only 10 minutes or less. I definitely recommend using this time for meeting them.
4. Storm Troopers are patrolling the area. Our Storm Troopers were not in a photographic mood claiming they were not allowed to be photographed while on duty; although I have heard that at other parties they have been willing to pose with guests and be photographed.
5. Jawas are also roaming the party and willing to trade if you have something of value. Our 15 year old tried to complain that the droid he traded for had a bad motivator, but this Jawa wouldn't hear of it. 
   
6. Storm Troopers will escort you to the reserved viewing area for the Galactic Spectacular. It is PRIME viewing.
7. A souvenir Chewbacca stein and a bottle of water are waiting for you when you arrive for the Galactic Spectacular. We only had to wait 8 minutes once we arrived before the show began. And I can't say it enough: it was SPECTACULAR!

What you don't get:

The one downside we found (which Disney is clear about on their dining page) is that there are NO seats. And by 8 pm, our feet were tired and begging for a seat. Given the space, I am not sure how Disney would manage that; and if you use your time at the Launch Bay well, going to all the attractions, you don't really have a long time to stand around before you're headed out to see the show.

Was it worth it? For my money, this experience is totally worth it, at least once. We are bona fide Star Wars fans, we are crazy for Disney and we value our time in the parks; we would rather pay for the party than spend hours saving a place for the Galactic Spectacular. And bonus, it was on our eldest kid's 15th birthday. What could be better than that? 

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

DIY Disney Trip Command Center for WDW

Today we are reviewing one of our favorite posts on how to create a command center for your next WDW trip! Enjoy this entry from fall 2014.

When we decided to go to Hilton Head for our Spring Break trip back in April, we created a command center for the trip. A place for the entire family to see our vacation plans and get excited for the trip. You can read about that trip here. (It was one of our top 10 for sure!) The command center worked so well for the last trip, I decided to do the same thing for this fall's excursion to Walt Disney World!

Here's the breakdown of what I included:

Map of Resort
We are staying at Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge this trip. I was able to find a print this map of the resort area simply by doing a google image search for Animal Kingdom Lodge Map. I also added a few animal masks to the lamp to try and make it more festive. You can see the gorilla mask, warthog mask, and leopard mask in the Silhouette online store.

Height Chart
I used the Silhouette to cut out the height chart using the shape growth chart. I cut out the numbers and then backed them with a patterned paper. I tried to tie in the papers to the Animal Kingdom, but I also wanted to use what I had on hand. I then used the height chart from PreschoolEars to mark the heights that the kids needed to reach to be able to ride certain attractions.

Countdown 
I printed out this FREE countdown sheet from one of my favorite bloggers and IG friends: Designs by Nicolina. It's perfect for watching the days get closer to Disney!

ADRs and Fastpass+ 
I wanted to remind the kids (the older ones) of all the fun things we had planned, including the ADRs and Fastpass+ reservations. So I printed out this FREE fastpass+ planning sheet from Lovely Commotion. If you are into the planning thing, you really need to check her out. She has LOTS of Disney planning resources available on her blog!

And who could resist this adorable serving tray with Mickey announcing our Advanced Dining Reservations! I am really excited to take our own Little Chef to Chefs de France, Epcot in hopes of meeting Remy. It is Food & Wine Festival time, so I am hopeful we will see him. I will definitely report back if we do!

Since we have a quick service dining plan, this is our only table service reservation. We have never had a bad meal at Chefs de France and I (the unabashed francophile!) am certainly looking forward to it! Stay tuned for a later post on how I made this really fun Mickey tray for less than $10!

Disney World Subway Art
I love eighteen25 for the subway art alone. I downloaded this from their website and stuck it in a frame. Instant Disney magic!

Passporter
My go to planner for any Disney trip is the PassPorter. My friends call it my Franklin Planner for Disney. If you don't have one and you have never been to Disney, this is the guidebook for you! I left it out on our command center for quick and easy reference.

We are clearly getting excited for our next big family trip this fall! Do you have a command center? If so, I'd love to know what you put in yours! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Happy Birthday Surprise!

Hello dear Disney fans! Surprise! We are currently in Walt Disney World treating our eldest to a trip all his own for his birthday this year! He had no idea it was coming, but trust me, he loves that sort of surprise.

 It can get old for a teenager, having to traipse around Walt Disney World with a couple of toddlers all the time. In fact, he is often on his own in the single rider line at Space Mountain while Mr. Photos From The Parks and I are riding the Voyage of the Little Mermaid for the third time in a row! So this is the teen's special trip! If you are at the World, give us a shout on Instagram! And if you aren't you can follow our adventures there.

We will be back next week with posts for all you Disney DIY fans. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Walt Disney World 101 | 10 Of Our Favorite Touring Tips

It's been 100% crazy here in the cottage this week with school starting, family visits and the planning of a super secret surprise trip to WDW! Even so,  I still wanted to get a post out for today, so I thought I would share 10 WDW Touring Tips with you.

These are tried and true and used on every Walt Disney World vacation we take. Some are obvious, some are not. Some have taken us a while to realize, some have been with us from the very beginning (and I do mean from the VERY beginning!). I can still hear my dad shouting, "Left side, Amy!" I hope you enjoy them and they come in useful for you and your touring party too.

1. Stay To The Left. This may be the single most important tip we have. Our American tendency is to stay to the right. And most tourists will choose the line or the attraction that is to their right. As we've continued to travel to WDW this rule has morphed somewhat into, take the path farthest from the door (or humanity). You'd be surprised how much faster you can get your burger and fries if you just move to the farthest line.
2. Wait To Leave The Parks. It sounds a little nutty, but if you don't have toddlers having historic melt downs, then stay a bit after the fireworks and linger in the shops or buy one last sweet treat. Let the transportation crush happen without you. Waiting to leave the park (especially the Magic Kingdom) can make everyone's night much better.
3. Arrive Early. If you can't manage the late nights, consider arriving for rope drop. The MK has a fun celebration prior to opening and all parks are clean and sparkling early in the morning; often you can get some nice photos with just your family in them.
4. Make A Dining Reservation For The Hour Before Park Opening. Some character meals allow for early entry to the parks. You must have a reservation and all the members of your party before you can go in, but you can eat in the park before it is officially open. This has two advantages; obviously you can maximize your time in that first line or two and you can get some really great photos without the crush of humanity.
5. Get A Haircut At The Harmony Barber Shop. This is strictly a Magic Kingdom experience, but I love doing this! Our first kid had the privilege of having his first haircut there. I HIGHLY recommend this! There was all sorts of kitsch and celebration and they are excellent with a wiggly kid.
6. Watch The Parade From Frontierland. Again, this is specific to the Magic Kingdom, but we have had excellent luck finding a good spot for viewing the parade and it's usually much less hectic. This is not the best plan if you want to see the fireworks after the parade. And as an added bonus, we can hit the Pirates of the Caribbean on the way out!
7. Hit Your Favorite Rides During the Evening Entertainment. If you are not watching the parade, the fireworks, or Illuminations, this is an excellent time to ride your favorite (usually crowded) rides. E-ticket rides were the most expensive and usually most desired rides when Disneyland and Walt Disney World opened. We still have a tendency to refer to them as such around the cottage.
8. Use The Single Rider Lines. If you are not opposed to riding next to someone you don't know, the single rider line can be a great time saver. Usually Mr. Photos From The Parks and Doc can ride the same coaster, or consecutive coasters and come out beaming. 
9. Grab A Button At Guest Relations. Especially if you are celebrating a birthday, first visit, or anniversary, get a button! The cast members are wonderful at making a little extra magic happen. You can even request a birthday phone call at your resort when checking in! 
10. Talk To Cast Members. They are incredibly willing to help, share Disney trivia, tell jokes, trade pins, hand out stickers and trading cards, and just in general make your trip enjoyable. One of my favorite interactions was with a street sweeper in Animal Kingdom who kept my kids entertained with jokes as we were all headed to the exit together. 

Remember to try and stay positive while you're touring and enjoy the time you have, even in the small moments. It's the happiest place on Earth, and you deserve a great vacation! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Frozen Fever Inspired Transition Knits

These last couple weeks we've been taking a look back at all my Frozen inspired knitting projects over the last year or so. I wanted to wrap it all up with this amazing hand knit set inspired by the Frozen Fever short. I shared with you all my Frozen Fever inspired poncho earlier this summer. It's a lighter weight poncho than I usually wear, but I am always looking for a little something as the seasons change that isn't overbearing. I really loved the way the poncho turned out, and I had SO MUCH yarn left over that I was able to make some fingerless mitts and a hat to complete the look! I am thrilled with the result! I used a bunch of odd balls of knit picks Palette fingering yarn that I had collected over the years. This was an incredibly economical project and the yarn looks great with this color work. And for me it was a great way to use up some of the stash yarn I've been collecting! If you are interested in the pattern collection or more detail on the project you can head over to my ravelry page and check them all out!

Now if there's a freak snow storm in the middle of summer I will be TOTALLY prepared. And if not, I really can't wait for fall! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Hand Knit Disney Princess Anna Mittens

These darling mittens are my very own creation! Millie asked me to knit her some and I just couldn't say no! Who could resist such a request? Of course it's finally getting warm enough here that she won't need them now; but won't they be adorable next winter?

I couldn't find a pattern on Revelry that suited me; after all, the rosemaling in Frozen is so beautiful and rather specific to the region. So instead of endless searching I decided to make a pattern myself. I've knit enough mittens and socks to understand the structure and they don't have to fit just so, the way a sweater should. They can be forgiving. Especially for a child!

I designed the charts from those found in Mastering Color Knitting. And I used a basic toddler sized mitten pattern and adjusted the size ever so slightly to accommodate the patterns I chose. If you are into making your own charts you should check out the Tricksy Knitter. There you can create your chart and edit the colors quickly and easily until you have the combination you like.

In the end, I love the way they look! They definitely remind me of Anna, who inspired them. I used Palette yarn, a wool blend, from Knit Picks, a very affordable online yarn supplier. You can find all the details, and a rough idea of the pattern, on my Ravelry pages.

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