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!

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!