Celebrating National Crochet Month Disney Style

If you don't crochet, you may not know that March is National Crochet Month. As such, I thought it would be fun to do a round up of all the Disney crochet projects I've done on the blog over the last two years! To get the story on how I made them and a link to the patterns, click on the caption. It will take you to the original post.

I hope you enjoy them, and may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

Tangled Passie Clip

Disney Dress Up Crowns

Amigurumi Squirt

Adult Sized Mickey Beanie

Princess Wrap

DIY Disney Inspired Hand-Knit Lumiére Socks

I will confess, I use a lot of road tripping time for knitting. The littles are strapped into seats and cannot abuse my knitting basket and what else is there to do on such a long ride? And socks are the perfect summer knitting project: light weight and small (meaning easy to travel with).

I finished these Lumiére inspired socks on our latest trip to northern Michigan. They were a very quick knit - I finished them up in just two weeks! That's fast for me! And the pattern, Candlepower, was charted and very easy to follow along. If you can knit and purl, you can do this. There is no cabling involved. The flame pattern definitely put me in mind of Lumiére and I intentionally knit these up in a color that reminded me of him and of Belle.

I like that these could be knit for a man as well. The pattern is not at all lacy or feminine, but still very interesting. If you want the details, you can check them out on my Ravelry page. You can find the pattern, yarn and a link to other knitters' projects.

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

DIY Crocheted Disney Princess Wrap

This curtsy wrap pattern instantly reminded me of princess Belle when I saw it. I was actually researching another inspiration when I stumbled upon this pattern. And I had a wild sort of novelty yarn in my stash that I thought might be just what I was looking for. I have to say, it worked! I snatched up a bunch of this crazy fuzzy yarn from Yarn Bee at Hobby Lobby when it was on super sale. I had a plan, and then I had two babies, and I tossed that plan right out the window! So I'm not sure you can even find this yarn anymore. But I am sure you could crochet this wrap in one or two sittings. I worked it up during what I'm certain was our 479th viewing of Frozen. It required very little concentration.

I read in the pattern notes of several other crocheters on Ravelry that this patten runs big. Although I did work it in a yarn larger than that suggested by the pattern, and I went down a hook size to compensate it was still big on me; and I have very broad shoulders (so much so that I often have trouble finding a tailored shirt that works for me). So choose your gauge accordingly. I might even suggest crocheting in the round so you can try it on before the whole thing is completed and it falls off your shoulders.

I think this wrap it just the sort of thing you might need on a chilly night at the Magic Kingdom. Not too much, but just enough to warm you up. And it could be themed for several of the Disney princesses, depending on the one you like best. In fact, you should check out this beautiful wrap that TicTacTo whipped up. It reminds me of Tangled!

If you crochet this wrap I'd love to see it! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Princess Sliding Gift Box | TInkerbell Treasures

This adorable box would be the perfect thing to house an invitation to Be Our Guest, or even a sweet Belle themed jewelry item. It was so easy to do and would be fairly simple to take with you to the Disney Resorts for a Tinkerbell Treasure.

The box itself measures 6 x 2.25", and perhaps for the first time ever I simply cut it out on the silhouette portrait without doing a thing to alter it! I used yellow and red card stock to resemble Belle's dress and the red rose in Beast's castle.

If you would like to make it, you can find the design for this sliding 3-d rose box in the Silhouette online store. And best of all, if you find making these 3-d projects a little intimidating, Jamie Lane Designs has a full tutorial on how to put it together on her blog!

I would love to know how you use this if you decide to. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney | The Grey Stuff from Be Our Guest

We are always up for a little bit of sweetness in the cottage! Little Chef is a big fan of chocolate pudding and Oreos, so I thought trying The Grey Stuff from Disney's Be Our Guest Restaurant would be right up his alley. (For those of you who don't know, it's essentially a cookies and cream mousse.) It was indeed! Although truth be told, he almost always likes the making of things much more than the eating. Go figure! I can't say I fit that bill. I'm much more about the eating!

Making this was really easy, and if you follow the recipe at The Disney Diner, it would be even easier! As our regular readers will know, we are all about using homemade ingredients as we have food allergies to contend with (nuts, peanuts and synthetic food dyes). Here is the original ingredient list:

• 1 (3.4 ounce) pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
• 1 1/2 cups Whole (or 2%) Milk
• 15 Oreos (regular, not double-stuffed)
• 1 (8 ounce) tub Whipped Topping
• 3 tablespoons Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
• Edible Pearl Sprinkles

Instead of the instant pudding (which often has synthetic dyes), I made mine from scratch (with the expertise of Mr. Photos From The Parks) using the Joy of Cooking recipe for cornstarch pudding. Oreos are safe for us, but we don't like Whipped Topping (too many chemicals), so we just whipped up some heavy whipping cream until if formed stiff peaks. I think next time we'll add a touch of rum or Grand Marnier! We omitted the instant chocolate pudding altogether and I was able to find some edible pearls from HomeGoods that were safe for us too! (By the way, I love shopping the food aisles at HomeGoods. I can almost always find some organic goodies to bring home!)

I tried piping the mousse onto plates, but as Doc said, it looked like poop! So instead, we decided to serve it in these martini glasses. It was a MUCH more appetizing choice! I think an Oreo propped up in it would have been just perfect for a dinner party! And it tasted out of this world! It was a really fun treat to put in lunch boxes this week. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend doing so. You should try it, it's delicious! And such an easy way to bring a touch of Disney magic to your home.

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

Disney DIY Belle Inspired T-shirt Upcycle

I've been noticing some adorable princess t-shirts on Pinterest of late and I LOVE the idea of my daughter dressing in character without being in one of those hot synthetic numbers all day. And then I realized that this would be the perfect way for ME to dress as a princess in the parks too! And viola! This lovely upcycled Belle t-shirt was born.

I started with two basic white t-shirts that had lived good long lives, but were in need of recycling, and one blue long-sleeved t-shirt that had some armpit stains. I first used this tutorial on how to remove deodorant stains. I was very impressed by how it worked! No bleaching on the blue and most of the staining was gone! Perfect for a refashion.

I then used this tutorial from Whitney Sews to make a puff sleeve. So much easier than I thought it would be! And Whitney's video is really easy to follow. Finally, used chalk to mark where I wanted the neckline to be and used this tutorial from Vintage Pollyanna to make the neck ruffle. I'm not in love with the way it lays on the shirt, but it's cute and for a shirt that is most likely going to have chocolate from a Mickey Premium Bar on it, it's just fine! If you were concerned that the sleeves would be too much (as Florida can be hot no matter what time of year you travel!), you could always make a cap sleeve instead or just put a ruffle on the edge and make it a tank. I love the simplicity of it and it'll look great with a pair of white shorts for the parks! Now if I can just get a picture with Belle while wearing this....

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 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments | Rose Pomanders for Belle & Alice

These rose ornaments struck me the moment I saw them on Pinterest! I immediately thought of Belle and knew I wanted to make yellow roses, reminiscent of her fancy ball gown. And when our Poppins suggested a "Painting the Roses Red" pomander, I was sold! The whole time I was putting that one together, I was humming along in my head! And truthfully, you won't believe how easy these are to do.

To make these I simply followed the tutorial over at Under The Table and Dreaming. She recommends using hot glue, but I found that tacky glue worked well for me. And instead of gluing the roses together as I made them, I formed the spiral tissue, spread glue all over the ball, and then formed the rosettes on the ball. I found it easier that way. I also used an egg carton to hold the ornaments steady as I was working on them, the same way I did with the Monster's Inc. Pomanders. Lastly, instead of gluing on embellishments, I used the same pearlized straight pins from the Monster's Inc. ornaments, in the centers of these roses. I liked how it looked and felt that it gave it that extra bit of security.

These were so quick to do, I made both of these from start to finish in an hour. And the cost was minimal. I had everything I needed at home with the exception of the styrofoam balls. And they look so elegant. No one will believe that they are just tissue paper and straight pins! Until next time, may all your holidays be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney Princess Candies

I've been wanting to try my hand at making hard candy for a while now. Last Easter we were living in our nut-free, dye-free world and I decided to make all our Easter candy from scratch. I was really floored by how easy some candy making can be. And I remember long ago in my childhood making hard candies - it was either a women's circle project at church, or a 4-H project. I can't exactly remember; except I do remember feeling like the process was magical. There were only a few ingredients and at the end of the day, they transformed into something truly beautiful. The same thing happened this time too.

Our local JoAnn's recently started carrying LorAnn candy making supplies and I decided it was time to give it a try. We don't do artificial colors and try to steer clear of artificial flavors so I went with the Lemon Oil. The recipe on the back of the box makes a lot more candy than I was prepared for! I had one lollipop tray and one hard candy tray ready to go. As it turned out, I could have used twice that. So I quickly pulled out some additional candy making molds (stars and lego men) to use up what I could. Next time I'll be prepared with more candy trays than I think I'll need. I was also pleased to learn that my Wilton candy making trays worked just as well as the LorAnn trays even though they look like they are made from different material. I lightly oiled the Wilton trays and poured in the candy syrup with the same great results as the LorAnn trays.

If you try this I highly recommend a good candy thermometer. Ours has been used so much that the numbers have scrubbed off and is no longer good for showing temperatures. The old school way of dropping syrup in cold water worked for me, but I couldn't get a good hard crack in the syrup, hence my candy is a bit stickier than I would have liked.  I dusted them in confectioners sugar to keep them from growing too sticky. Nevertheless the candy is very tasty and looks very appropriate for a Disney princess, like glass. The roses reminded me of Belle and the hard candy are shaped like gems. Wouldn't these be adorable at a princess tea party? I'm delighted with how well the first batch came out!

If you are looking for a unique Tinkerbell Treasure, these would certainly fit the bill - and your friends will think you are simply amazing to create something so difficult as candy! No one else has to know how easy it really is. I won't tell them if you don't! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!