Tag Archives: Disney at Home

DIY Disney Halloween Wreath

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Mickey Ornament for Halloween WreathI haven’t done a Disney DIY project since last Christmas and even though I find myself busier this fall than I ever thought possible (where’s the free time my empty-nest status is supposed to afford?), I had an idea.  I love Halloween!  I like to dress up and I love cute and creepy decorations.  So, I mad a new wreath over the weekend.

Maybe I should have called this post, “DIY Disney Halloween Wreath for the Lazy” or “Disney-inspired Halloween Door Décor for the Non-crafter” – basically, I made this wreath out of some things I had on hand and a couple of items I picked up at the local craft store (on sale, 40% off).  If you like it and want to reproduce it, Halloween Wreath Original Formhere’s what you’ll need:

  • Pre-made Halloween wreath from the discount store of your choice OR a plain orange, black, white, or purple wreath and 3-4 coordinating wide ribbons in a variety of prints/fabrics.  My wreath came with sparkly candy corn, white ribbon with black polka dots, some orange and black plaid burlap-ish ribbon, and some sprays in orange, black, and white.  It also had these very cool giant pipe-cleaners sticking out here and there in metallic Halloween colors.
  • Halloween/seasonal sprays of your choice if your wreath is plain
  • Christmas ornaments in two different, complimentary colors (to go with your wreath).
  • Any banner or accessory you’d like to add – I added the orange, sparkly “Halloween” because it was also 40% off and ended up being about $3.
  • Hot glue gun & glue

Halloween Ribbon Ready to UseI wanted to add purple to my wreath so I bought some wire-edged ribbon in black with orange and purple spots.  Instead of bows, I just made some simple loops and wired the ribbon onto the wreath in a few random places.  I made Mickey ornaments out of purple and black Christmas ornaments in two different sizes – just like I do for Christmas (see that project here) EXCEPT – I made sure the hanger was in the back so I could wire them onto the wreath and the hangers wouldn’t show.

I’m not overly thrilled with the purple Mickeys because the ornament sizes weren’t as suitable as the black ones were (the head is too small or the ears are too big – however you look at it), but overall, for slapping together a few inexpensive items, I’m pretty happy with my new Halloween-themed front door decoration.Halloween Wreath on the Door

A Disney Souvenir of a More Permanent Nature

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Mediterranean LandscapeOr maybe I should call this post, “A Disney Souvenir More Naturally Permanent.”  You be the judge.  We live in the country, The Fam and I (well, mostly just Raymond, Junior and I do now).  When I say “the country” I mean we live on a farm – the kind with crops instead of animals, but it is totally normal for me to take the dog out in the morning and hear both roosters crowing and cattle lowing or mooing or complaining – whatever you want to call that boisterous bovine nonsense at 5:00 am.  Our neighbors do raise livestock.

What does living in the country have to do with Disney souvenirs?  Thanks for asking!  I’ll Hillside in the Mediterraneantell you about it.  In August, 2013 – after dreaming about it for many years – we took a Disney cruise in the Mediterranean.  As you might expect, we did and saw some wonderfully amazing things.  Oh, the places we went!!!  While we were in there, we noticed some very beautiful pine trees.  They were almost everywhere and looked a bit like cartoon trees – shaped like umbrellas, their lovely arched branches atop tall, tall trunks, provided shade in a way we found charming and so different from anything we’d seen before.  We asked our guide in Florence, Italy about them and were told they were simply “Mediterranean Pines”.  Back home, a little Google research revealed they may also be “Umbrella Pines” or “Stone Pines”.  Whatever their name, I thought they were lovely.

Pine Tree Groot!

I AM GROOT

Raymond, being the agricultural expert in the family, took it upon himself to surprise me with some actual Mediterranean Pines to grow in our very own backyard, side yard, adjacent field, and so on.  He ordered both seeds and saplings from a couple of different suppliers in far away places like California.  He carefully nurtured the tiny trees and carefully tended the seeds when they sprouted.  The net result is that now, after a year, we have some half-a-dozen baby Mediterranean Pines well on their way to providing some beautiful umbrellas of shade from the hot Louisiana sun.

So, the point of all this is to say – sometimes a tee shirt is a great souvenir.  Sometimes something that will last for years and years while reminding you everyday of one of the most wonderful experiences of your life – all while keeping you cool in the summer (eventually, anyway) – is the very best souvenir of all.

What’s your favorite Disney vacation souvenir?

If you want to read all about our adventures on the high seas in the Mediterranean, start here.

Disney at Home on the Weekend!

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Louisiana Crepe MyrtlesI don’t know about at your house, but at ours the weekend goes by WAY too quickly!  Seems like the hours between Friday afternoon and Monday morning are shorter than those during the rest of the week.  Whoosh!  Weekend’s over!  This weekend was especially packed with fun and Disney!

Fall has arrived and with our next trip to Walt Disney World just two weeks away, I realized how much still needs to be done!  So I kicked it into high gear over the weekend and got a few things accomplished.

Saturday, Junior got his Halloween costume finalized.  I’m 100% sure he doesn’t care about dressing up for this holiday or any other, but I care, so he indulges me.  I went with Star Wars and am really happy with the cuteness level!  What do you think?  Doesn’t Junior make a cute Tauntaun?

Sunday, I ran 7 miles as my longest training run of the week.  It seems I’ve got to run a half Junior as a TaunTaunmarathon to run a half marathon.  Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?  In order to NOT start at the very back of the pack for the Disney Princess Half in February, I’ve got to prove I can go the distance in less than 3.5 hours.  I’ve run several half marathons in the past, but not in a couple of years, so I need a recent qualifying time.  I’ve decided on the East Texas Half in Nacogdoches, Texas on November 16th.  Who doesn’t want to run 13.1 miles for their 50th birthday?  Should be fun, right?

I was really hungry after all that running and decided I could cook up something fattening and delicious while crossing another item off my Disney New Year’s Resolution List.  After our Tutto Italia dining experience in May was such a disappointment (very poor service, very mediocre food), I wanted to use a recipe from the Tutto Italia of the past – when they had both awesome service and delicious dishes!  I’m not giving up on them forever at Walt Disney World (Epcot’s World Showcase, Italy Pavilion), but I’m giving them some time to work out their current kinks before we go back.  In TaunTaun Canine!the mean time, I’ll keep whipping up some happy memories at home!  I decided on the Gnocchi with Spinach and Gorgonzola Cream Sauce.  I took a picture of the finished product to show you, but, well, it’s kind of ugly so I changed my mind.  Let’s just say that my first attempt at gnocchi from scratch was a little rough – they were not pretty, uniform little pieces of pasta.  Thankfully, they tasted absolutely divine (in spite of the dish’s humble appearance).  I used this recipe from Allears.net.

Finally, after waiting for what felt like forever, Season 4 of Once Upon a Time started Sunday night.  It was worth the wait!  I won’t go into detail since you either watch Once and you’re with me in my excitement OR you don’t watch it and don’t care.  I will say that I was not expecting Kristoff to be so perfect.  I thought Anna was spot on (Elsa not so much) and having Marshmallow make an appearance was a great (and fun) surprise.  I wasn’t expecting to like the Frozen takeover, but so far so good!

Did you add any Disney to your weekend? 

Disney Collectibles – No Dwarf Left Behind

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1950's Vinyl Doc from Snow WhiteDon’t ask me how we ended up with such a wide array and volume of items in our (mostly Joseph’s) Disneyana collection.  I adore the lunch boxes, comic books, and record albums.  The books, watches, and mugs – yes, I totally get why we have all of those.  I understand the attraction of every single lovingly curated item…except one.

Several years ago, it seems, a well-worn, somewhat faded and tired lone figure made its way into the collection.  Still bearing his antique store price tag, this bespectacled gentleman seems to have joined our menagerie for a solid $4.  He seems a bit lost, a tad lonely, and a lot dirty but was once a part of something really special.  As it turns out, our little vinyl Doc figurine was actually manufactured in the late 1950’s and, predictably, was part of a complete set of 8 characters.  (See the original set here.)  I feel certain Doc took up residence in our home after Joseph spotted him in one of his favorite stores and, a lone Dwarf, without his friends, could not be left behind.Doc from Snow White 1950's Vinyl Figurine

Touting the features of purchasing this set of toys, the original box read, “Walt Disney’s Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs. Entire Doll and Dwarfs Made of Miracle Vinyl. Washable Rooted Hair. Finest Details of Face, Hands, and Body Ever Achieved. Completely Unbreakable from Head to Toe.”

I pass by Doc on the curio shelf where he resides many times a day – usually without notice.  This weekend, though, I had Snow White on the brain and Doc caught my eye.  I decided he could use a little attention and at the same time, I could satisfy my curiosity about the little guy.

Eighty years ago in 1934, Walt Disney began his serious pursuit of bringing Snow White and the Snow White's Doc Figurine 1950'sSeven Dwarfs to animated life.  He was meticulous in his plans – scrutinizing every detail until he could achieve perfection.  For the first feature length animated film in movie history, Walt Disney was serious about making his dream a success – critics referred to the endeavor as “Disney’s Folly”.  They would be surprised by Mr. Disney’s achievement.  The movie premiered to wildly receptive audiences and is today regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made.

Back to our little guy.  In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Doc’s animated character, voiced by veteran actor Ray Atwell (1878-1962), was scripted to be the leader of the Dwarfs – self-important, yet somewhat bumbling.  He turned out to be an adorable, much loved persona who, thanks to a little research, now holds a special status among his curio cabinet companions in our home.

Do you collect any Disney toys or collectibles?  What’s your favorite item?  1950's Doc Doll