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 Disney's Haunted Mansion Halloween Decor | Madame Leota Candle (repeat post)

As I mentioned before, we like to use the Haunted Mansion as our inspiration for Halloween decor. And since we leave for Disney in just a couple weeks, 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!

Sitting with Grandmother Willow | Samantha from Walter and Rosie

As part of our on-going series, Sitting with Grandmother Willow, I am happy to introduce Sam of Walter and Rosie, a unique Etsy shop bringing the scent of Disney into your home. I can personally vouch for the Soarin' and Yacht & Beach Club candles. You'll love experiencing these aromas in your home. I know our cottage is in love with them!

This series of blog posts highlights artists and bloggers of all stripes with one thing in common: a passion for Disney! I hope you will enjoy getting to know Sam as much as I have. Her one-of-a-kind take on bringing a little Disney magic into your home is brilliant! A big thanks to her for taking the time to interview with us! She's got a fantastic blog. And be sure to visit her shop for a great selection of Disney inspired candles and scents for your home!

Disney By The Numbers (apologies to Harper's)

# of trips you have made: 5 total, 3 as an adult (moving there is a month!)
Date of first trip: 1991 I believe
Date of next trip: Moving to Orlando March 23rd!
# of Resorts stayed in: only 2 :(
Usual # in your travel party: Currently 2
Pairs of mouse ears in your cottage: 2

WDW or Disneyland (or other)? WDW
How do you usually travel to Disney? Plane and soon to be a 5 minute drive!
Do you have any tips for trips? Too many! Travel during non peak seasons, eat as much Disney food as you can, get a dole whip float, watch parades and fireworks, Mickey premium ice cream bars are scary good and slow down!
Do you have a favorite place to eat while in Disney? Not really, I have tons of favorite food items!
What is your absolute DON'T MISS attraction? Tower of Terror, Rock n Roller Coaster, Test Track, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion
Stage shows, yes or no? Yes
Parades, yes or no? YES!!
Best Fast Pass to get: Soarin, Toy Story, Rock N Roller Coaster
Favorite park: Probably Magic Kingdom
One piece of advice you'd give a novice about WDW: Slow down and take in the details, every inch of the parks have meaning
How do you create extra magic for your family? By making Disney inspired candles of course
How can we connect with you? 

facebook.com/WalterandRosie,

WalterandRosie.com, 

etsy.com/shop/walterandrosie

Disney Park Map Project Round Up for Earth Day

Since it's Earth Day, I thought it would be nice to do a round up of all the Disney Park Map posts I've done in the last year or so. As we all know, Jimminy Cricket wants us all to be responsible with our resources and think about our environment! These projects are a fun Disney way to incorporate the three Rs into your Disney trips: reduce, reuse and recycle!

First up, make a Disney park map gift bag!

Or you could make some fun coasters from ceramic tiles and your Disney park maps.

You could use them as an insert for an insulated travel mug, so you always have a little Disney with you.

You could also insert a Disney park map into a three-ring binder for an instant Disney boost at work or at school!

You could decoupage an ornament for the holidays, or create this orb ornament.

You could decoupage a candle for your home (or a gift!) with Disney park maps too.

And finally, you could use your Disney park maps to make a block puzzle suitable for your coffee table or your next road trip box.

What ever you decide to do, we hope you remember to reduce, reuse and recycle those maps. Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

DIY Disney's Cinderella Castle Night lights

This is one of the easiest DIY's I have found. All you need is a flameless candle, a printed picture of Cinderella Castle, a piece of clear tape, and a pair of scissors. SIMPLE! And it looks surprisingly pretty. I could see this in a princess room (or let's face it, MY room) as a lovely little night light. What sweet dreams your princess would dream watching the castle glowing as she drifted off to sleep! In fact, that's my favorite part about having a Magic Kingdom view at the Contemporary!

If you don't have a photo of Cinderella Castle that you like, simple search Google and you will find just what you need. Trust me. Once you have your image, you may need to resize it a bit. Measure the circumference of your candle base and be sure that your image is no more than a 1/4 inch larger than that measurement. You don't want a lot of overlap in the back. Alternatively, you can trim it down a bit once your print it out. Just be sure the main part of the image will be seen easily.

I like the contrast of the black and white image. Theoretically, this would work with a high contrast color image, but I haven't tried that. I recommend printing your image in black and white. And don't use an image that has print on the back (from a book, pamphlet, etc.) The print on the back side will show through when you turn the light on.

Once you have your castle printed, take your scissors and cut out the castle. It might be a little tricky, but be patient. It's worth it. Then simply wrap it around the candle, and tape the back side closed. That's it! Turn on your night light and dream sweet Disney dreams! Until next time, may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

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

As I mentioned last 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, 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!