DIY It's A Small World Framed Art

This was a super simple project, with a big impact. It was budget friendly in the scope of framed art, but still the most expensive part of the room makeover; go figure. But when you break it down, these were just over $12 each. Not at all bad for framed artwork. And these really tied the room together for me, so I was willing to spend the money.

I was able to purchase everything through Amazon. I shopping with Amazon because they deliver everything to the cottage. With two in carseats, shopping isn't full of magic for me! I found an adorable It's A Small World mini calendar here, and the frames here. I chose to use these shadow box frames because they were the cheapest black 8x8 frames I could find. As chance would have it, I really like how they look. And since the calendar pages were not quite 8x8, I simply matted them on 8x8 cardstock in various colors to match the art. I already had the cardstock, so that was a little money saved right there. I also used the cardboard inserts from the frames to figure out the placement on the wall, as in this tutorial on eHow. Brilliant! These pictures really did do a lot to complete the room, and I couldn't have asked for more perfect art work!

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

It's A Small World Kids Room: Subway Art

As a lover of graphic art, and a dabbler myself, this trend in Subway Art rocks my world. I just had to make some for our new Small World Room. In fact, with all those international farewell's already laid out for me, it was downright impossible to ignore. It's like this project was calling out my name. So, I skimmed over several of our vacation photos and found the words I wanted to use. I also referenced them for the fonts I chose. I mean really, how much easier does it get?

If you've never been through It's A Small World (which I find extremely hard to imagine, unless you are preparing for your first trip, in which case, I salute you for your admirable choice in vacation spots and blog reading), here is what you see at the end of the ride:

So how did I do it? It was simple. Measure the wall area on which you are going to hang the print. You can easily prints made at standard sizes, 11x14, 16x20, 20x30, so choose the size that works best for you. Don't forget to factor in the frame when deciding which size you want to use. I chose to use Shutterfly as my vendor. I had used them before to print posters for Doc's room, and I had a coupon to use. If money is an issue, shop around. You can find a good deal at many print shops. And don't forget to check out Staples and Office Depot. They usually have print centers.

To make your own subway art, open a document in Photoshop the size of the print you wish to make. Type each word in a separate text box. This gives you the ability to move them around and change fonts easily. Size them all to the margins you require. I used about an inch of white space all around so I would have room to mat and frame it. Then start playing around with fonts. As I said before, I had photos to reference, so that was helpful. And as a font enthusiast (and avid scrapbooker), I have a vast library of fonts to choose from (most of which I downloaded for free). If you need to find fonts, just search fonts on pinterest. You'll be swimming in them.

Fonts I used for this project (from top to bottom):
Eccentric Standard
Heavy Heap
Pepper
Wren
Rosewood Standard
Water Street
Ornatique
Mary Jane Tankard
Bimini

I hope your attempts at making subway art are as fun as this was for me! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

It's A Small World Kids Room: Bunting

After our last trip through It's A Small World, I noticed that in every room of the attraction, there is something hanging from the ceiling. I wanted to try and evoke that feeling in the kids' room and this bunting was the perfect way to do that. And it was a fun way to use up some fat quarters I had lying around.

I used this very simple tutorial from Yvestown. It was easy to follow and only required two nap times to complete. And it was very budget friendly too, as I already had all the supplies on hand that I would need. The stack of fat quarters was purchased from Hobby Lobby for $7.00. In order to figure out how I wanted it spaced on the ceiling, I taped it to the wall with painters tape. That way I could adjust it until it was just how I wanted it. I originally used the clear Command Hooks to hang the bunting from the ceiling. I just tied a loop of thread around the binding where I wanted to hang it. But it eventually fell down. I'm sure the fabric was just too heavy for it. I put up plant hooks that screw into the ceiling and that has been a much more secure solution.

This would be a great project for a birthday or tea party too. I hope you have fun with it! Be sure to share your projects with us if you Disney-fy some bunting too. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

It's A Small World Kids Room: Wall Mural

When I decided on the Small World theme for the kids room, I knew I wanted a wall mural. So I did a quick Google image search for Mary Blair, and there were loads of pictures to choose from. I settled on this image. This was her concept art for It's A Small World and it was just what I was looking for, a reference without looking like the ride itself, exactly.

My first thought was to transfer the design using a projector and a pencil. Unfortunately, the projector couldn't get the image as large as I wanted it to be. So, instead, I went old school and put a grid on the wall (in pencil) and then transferred the design block by block.

If you're like me, the math involved seems overwhelming. Here's how I simplified it: draw a grid on the paper first - make sure the squares are small enough so that the image in each square can easily be transferred. I used 1/2" squares.

Count the number of squares across the top of your design (we'll call that measurement A). I have 21 squares across. Then measure your wall space, horizontally (we'll call that measurement B). Divide measurement B by measurement A (For me that's B divided by 21). Your result is the number of inches in each wall square needs to be. For me, I needed my squares to be 5.75". At that point I used my 18" ruler and the laser leveler and drew my lines on the wall. (If you look closely, you can see that I cut off the last bit of the design on the left side of the picture. I was willing to lose that to make the measurements easier to deal with.)

I used basic craft acrylic paints. The total cost in paint was $41.00. It's hard to go wrong at that price! I am mostly pleased with this decision, but I will say the coverage on the lighter colors was not so great; I had to put on 2 and sometimes 3 coats. The Folk Art brand was thicker and in general covered better than the Craft Smart. I'd say it's worth the minimal extra cost for the thicker paint. Once everything was painted on, I sealed it with a clear coat of Golden's Soft Gel Gloss Medium mixed one part water to two parts gel. The gloss is important here. The matte and semi-gloss will cloud the colors of your mural. After all that work, I really wanted the colors to pop! I carefully followed the "skyline" so that only the buildings would shine. Hopefully the sealant will make it last a bit longer; time will tell. Kids can be awfully hard on paint!

The finished product

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

Linking up today at:
{too} cute Tuesday
Tell Me Tuesday
Handmade Tuesday
Get Your Craft On Tuesday

Tinkerbell Treasure Hunt

For those of you who enjoy finding little goodies to keep your kids occupied during your Disney travels (or to bring a little extra magic to your vacation days), JoAnn's currently has a large selection of Monsters, Inc./University goodies in the $1.00 bins. I was able to find all of these items yesterday at our local store.

1. Fat quarter with Elephants (Animal Kingdom or Dumbo)

2. Monsters Inc. activity book

3. Bruce (from Finding Nemo) snack bin

4. Monsters Inc. puffy stickers

5. Monsters Inc. 3-D drawing pad

6. Small bow & arrow punch (Brave)

7. Monsters Inc. coloring roll & crayons

8. Monsters Inc. double pointed crayons

9. Monsters Inc. pack of 400 stickers

Some of these things will have to be made into other things, or used to create other Disney themed goodies, but all of the Monsters Inc. items can be given as is. GREAT for a long road trip or a daily gift while at the resorts! 

I hope you enjoy your own Tinkerbell Treasure hunts! Let us know if you find any steals in your neck of the woods. And until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

It's A Small World Kids Room Disney DIY

Next week marks the 44th anniversary of the premier of It's A Small World at the 1964 World's Fair. I thought it fitting that I share with your the recent conversion of our guest room to our kids' Small World room.

With a recent new addition to our cottage family, we had to do some shuffling of space. This meant I had the opportunity to redecorate our guest room and make it a kids room. And since we now have a boy and a girl sharing the space, I wanted something playful, yet gender neutral. My inspiration was Mary Blair, the concept artist for many Disney movies, and the signature style behind It's A Small World. I'll spend several posts showing you what I did to create this happy space. But here are some photos of the finished projects.

Completed Mural

Our It's A Small World Book Collection

Subway Art

Bunting & Calendar Art

Room with Furniture

This was certainly a budget friendly redo! Here's the cost breakdown:

• Paint: $30
• Subway Art: $9 (with coupon to shutterfly)
• Subway Art Frame: $26
• Bird Mobile: $10 (Zulily)
• Together Art: gift
• Fabric for Bunting: $7
• Small World Books: $36
• Small World Calendar: $12
• Frames for Calendar Art: $150

Grand Total for the room: $280. Not bad for such a cheerful and comprehensive update. I almost wish it was my room! Next post I'll share with you how the mural came together. Until then, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Small World Passporter Envelope

As one of my dear Disney Buddies likes to say, it feels like you need a Bachelors Degree in Disney Planning to take your first trip to Walt Disney World, and an Associates in Disney Dining. We know it can be overwhelming for the first time planner. If you are unfamiliar with our friends over at PassPorter, please head over and take a look. They are THE planning tool for our friends and family. Even after 36 trips, we find the PassPorter a useful tool before and during our stay in Walt Disney World. I always get one for any new family traveling with us.

It should come as no surprise, that I have my PassPorter with me at every planning session. I like to have sticky notes, or post-it flags, and my favorite pen with me too. (I have a bit of a pen obsession!) So this fabric envelope from Bolt was the perfect solution for my PassPorter. Follow the link for the excellent tutorial. I made just a couple adjustments of my own.

I chose to do a button and loop closure on my envelope, and adjusted the length of the fold over elastic to measure 14.5" in order to fit over my PassPorter cover. This will accommodate the deluxe cover, or the entire book of the regular PassPorter. If you've never used fold over elastic, it's really great stuff! It comes in all sorts of colors and patterns. And Amazon has a nice selection of it too.

The fabric is November Books Kokka Children of the World. It reminds me of the It's A Small World attraction (one of my favorites!). I have only been able to find it on Etsy, and it can be expensive, but I love it so much I don't mind spending a little extra. The contrasting fabric (seen on the envelope flap) was purchased at JoAnn's. It's their store label.

Because this project requires very little fabric, it would be a great stash-busting project. And it's quite budget friendly too. I had everything I needed except the fold over elastic, and that was in the $6.00 range. Not bad at all for such a cute and useful item. If you make one of these for your Disney trip, please leave us a link to it in the comments. We love to see what our followers are doing! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust.

Space Mountain T-shirt Orders Until Friday!

Don't forget that there are only 4 more days to order these one of a kind Space Mountain T-shirts!

I created this shirt from my own photo of the iconic Disney attraction. Every time my son wears it, people ask him where they can get it. It can be yours too, but just for a limited time. After Friday they will be gone.

These shirts are 100% organic cotton and come in navy only. Both adult & youth sizes are available. Adult shirts are $20 and youth shirts are $17. There is a $6 shipping fee for the first shirt, the rest ship for free! Head on over to my Etsy shop and order a couple. They'd make terrific Christmas gifts for those Disney enthusiasts in your life!

DIY Mickey Oreo Pops

These are a labor of love, and definitely not a nap-time friendly project. But if you are a fan of Oreo cookies, or know someone who is, then it's totally worth it. These pops tend to be a bit fragile, so traveling with them can be tricky. They may be best left to party favors and at home magic. Still, the impact is great, so I still say give them a try.

I was inspired to try this when I ran across this pin on Pinterest. I tried a couple of different ways of doing this. The first and foremost recommendation is that if you are putting them on sticks, definitely get the double stuffed Oreos. They are easy to get the stick into and unlikely to break. (Wilton brand sticks can be found at your local craft store, or here.)

Getting the mini Oreos to stick onto the big ones was a bit of a challenge. I melted Wilton's light cocoa candies and used that as the glue. In retrospect, I would use the dark cocoa next time as it matches the Oreo color better. I found that melting the chocolate so that it wasn't runny was the best bet, as it provided a nice paste-like texture: enough to stick the cookies together, but not so thin it was running all over the mat and not staying on the pops. I also found the ideal tool for applying the chocolate was a small spreader.

Although these look fun and taste great, I was not pleased with the fragility factor, as I wanted to take these with us to Disney. Even surviving airport security, let alone the flight, seemed a bit perilous. I tried covering them in chocolate, but the Wilton's didn't spread evenly and they looked lumpy. (Although Doc said they tasted great!) I also tried using magic shell, but that didn't set up properly. I might try melting chocolate chips next time.

If you give this idea a try, I'd love to hear how it worked for you! And if you have any tips on how to make these a bit more resilient, please, please, share. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Linking up with:

Disney Living

Skip To My Lou
Craft-O-Maniac
Monday Funday @ Uncommon Designs

Tinkerbell Treasures: Coin Rolls

I saw this idea on pinterest, via Martha Stewart, as a stocking stuffer and thought it would be great for a Tinkerbell Treasure! I love the pressed penny machines in Disney. I think they are a great way to spend your waiting time -- waiting for a dinner reservation, waiting for the taller kiddos to finish their thrill rides, waiting for mom to check out at the shops. I'll buy that kind of patience for 50¢ any day of the week! Plus, there are all sorts of games you can play with the pressed pennies once you've collected a few (more on that in a later post).


For these coin rolls I decided to just wrap them in scrapbook paper scraps, but you could certainly decide to use a solid paper and ribbons that match your child's favorite Disney character, or specifically Disney paper. And I was tempted to skip the cellophane, but it really makes a big difference in keeping the ends of the rolls together and adding a sweet touch. A roll of quarters ($10) and a roll of pennies (50¢) should keep two kids busy for at least a couple of days (that's 10 pressed pennies each), that is, if they don't develop an obsession for collecting pressed pennies!

If you want to make these for the pressed penny lover in your life, I have a downloadable page of tags for you to use. Just click here, or click on the thumbnail below to download. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Disney DIY: Road Trip Pillowcase

As a kid, we made many a road trip to Walt Disney World. From our place in the Midwest, it was about 18 hours. That's a LONG time to be on the road for any kid. We were lucky to be traveling in a motorhome most of that time; my heart goes out to those who must travel in a car.

These pillowcases, looked like they would be perfect for a Disney road trip. Anything to make the magic last a little longer! I think they would also be a perfect surprise for your kiddos at the start of the trip. Of course I used my fairy wand to make them Disney-ready. I could EASILY get carried away with themeing these! As always, think about the color palettes of your kid's favorite Disney characters, licensed fabrics, iconic images. The list seems endless!  And of course, you could use a Mickey or Minnie silhouette in place of the monogram. Anyhoo, on to the tutorial.

Materials Needed for Standard Pillowcase:

24" x 43" rectangle of main fabric (Toy Story)
2.5" x 43" strip of fabric for trim (wagons)
12" x 43" rectangle of contrast fabric (orange)
2  15"x12" rectangles for pocket (yellow polka dot)
1 fat quarter for monogram (wagons)
3" piece of velcro
22" piece of cotton webbing
matching thread

I combined two tutorials to get just the look I wanted: for the case, I used this 15-minute Pillowcase Tutorial from The Cottage Home, and for the pocket and handle I mostly used this tutorial from Amazing Mae. I recommend printing them to reference as you follow these directions.

Specifically, I followed steps 1- 7 of the 15-Minute Pillowcase. Trust the directions, they are amazing!

Because I wanted this case to be completely washable I chose to use quilting cotton for the monogram. I also wanted to hide as many rough edges, hems and seams as I could, so I chose to do the monogram at this point in the process. I ironed-on sewable interfacing from Silhouette to the fabric for the monogram. I sent it through the Silhouette to cut out a "J" in Franklin Gothic Medium Font, ironed it onto the right side of one pocket piece (12" x 16"), and zig zag stitched all around it. (If you don't have a Silhouette machine, just print out a letter in a font you like, trace it onto the wrong side of your fabric and cut it out.) Now it can go through any number of washings without that the monogram falling off.

At this point, I picked up Amazing Mae's tutorial at step 5 to make the pocket.

At step 7, I pinned one side of the velcro in the middle of the top edge of the pocket, so that the middle of the strip was 1" from the top edge and directly over the monogram. I then topstitched 1" from the top edge of the pocket with a decorative stitch sewing right over the strip of velcro. This way, the stitching for the velcro doesn't show.

From here on, I referenced Mae's tutorial, but followed these steps instead:
Fold your pillowcase, right sides together, aligning the opening edges (in my case, the orange fabric). Iron the crease (or the bottom of the pillowcase). Open the fabric and place your pocket (but don't pin) on the pillowcase where you want it. Remember, you will have a 3/4" seam allowance around all raw edges. Pin the other piece of velcro on the pillow case, aligning it with the piece already on the pocket. Remove the pocket and sew around all sides of the velcro so it is firmly on the pillowcase. Now pin your pocket back on the pillowcase, aligning the velcro pieces and topstitch around all three sides.

Take your cotton webbing (handle) and pin it along the top of the pillowcase so that is it aligned with both sides of the pocket. Pin it in place. Fold your pillowcase in half (along the pressed crease), right sides together, making sure that the webbing is tucked into the right sides and not twisted (so when you turn it right side out it will indeed be a handle). Sew around the two unfinished edges (side and bottom) of pillowcase.

And that's it! You have a pillowcase that is road-ready! Fill it up and enjoy the ride. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust.

DIY Upcycled Disney T-shirt Pool Bag

I know I've mentioned this about a bazillion times, but I'll say it again, I hate those plastic-y graphics on T-shirts. Like, a lot. But sometimes you can't help but end up with one from a trip with friends. What to do? I say make a cute pool bag for your next trip! Doc needs a small bag (that's hard to miss!) to keep his sunscreen, hat, phone and arcade card in while he's at the pool. This would be perfect!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and immediately knew it was the project for this T-shirt. The shirt has sentimental value, but I can't bear to wear it. Perfect solution. I followed Jill's tutorial from One Good Thing. I particularly liked how she braided the handles of her bag. Great detail.

Modifications I made to her tutorial: I sewed two diagonal seams at the corner of the bag to give it the shape I was looking for; I also took a strip of fabric from the sleeve and sewed it over the braided seam. It just hid all my imperfect sewing! You can see a close up of it in the photo to the right.

All in all this was a terrifically easy project and certainly nap-time friendly! And for you budget conscious Disney travelers, this project is FREE if you already own the T-shirt. It doesn't get better than that! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Disney Space Mountain T-shirts Available for Two Weeks Only!

My Etsy shop has just gone live and here is the first item for sale! I created this shirt from my own photo of Space Mountain. Every time my son wears it people ask him where he got it. And they are always disappointed that they can't get one. Well, now you can! And for just a limited time too.

I'll be taking orders for these shirts until April 19th. That's only two weeks to order and then they are gone!

These shirts are 100% organic cotton and come in navy only. Adult and Youth sizes are available. Adult shirts are $20 and youth shirts are $17. There is a $6 shipping fee for the first shirt, the rest ship for free! Head on over to Etsy and order a couple. Remember, you only have 2 weeks before they go back in the vault!

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

Tinkerbell Treasures: Disney Door Hanger DIY

As I have mentioned, I LOVE giving Tinkerbell Treasures while in Disney. There is something so magical about the idea of Tink delivering a little something while you sleep. I can't resist it.

These door hangers would be so fantastic for those little giftees that need a special presentation. I like to use them on the bedroom doors in our villa. It's a sure-fire way to get the kids' day started off right. This would be an especially good way to tell the kiddos what's on the agenda for the day. You could fill them with a map of the park you are headed to (these are free and always available at the front desk), a new pair of shades, a snack, a new trading pin, a few Disney Dollars, a gift card to the arcade, the possibilities are endless. We always try to schedule a non-park day while in Walt Disney World, and this is a great way to add a little excitement to those less intense days. (I can also see them used as sleepover party favors, or birthday morning goodie bags.)

I used my Silhouette SD to make these. It was SO simple. I used design shapes 3d Door Hanger (id #21330) and House of 3: Dream Scallop Seal (id# 6821). I resized the door hanger so the box portion was as large as I could make it:

I had to then move the hanger shape to another page. After that I just cut and put it together. Easy peasy! I would recommend using the heaviest card stock you have if you plan on filling this with anything heavier than a map and some Disney Dollars. It wants to come off the handle fairly easily. You could also solve this problem by taping it together once it's on the door.

I hope you find lots of ways to use these versatile door hangers. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney iPhone Case

So here is a really quick and easy way to personalize your iPhone. Shutterfly has a variety of iPhone cases (for all models) which can be customized with your Disney photos. If you are anything like the residents of the cottage, you will have LOADS of images to choose from. If you're not really the type to take lots of photos while at the parks, consider purchasing the PhotoPass images. You will not only get the images of your family, but you can purchase the entire package of photos from your trip and, bonus, you will get some stock images too. Our images included some seasonal shots, so we could remember how the parks looked during our October stay. Easy-peasey.

I made this case in less than 15 minutes. Mr. Photos From The Parks snapped this image during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party several years ago. I love it! I added my own text, and poof! My very own iPhone case. The cost was about $55.00, so this isn't necessarily a project I would do for all the members of our travel party (we usually knock around Walt Disney World with upwards of 17 people), but it is perfect for that Disney fan who has everything.

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