Category Archives: Disney at Home

Oh Disney Tree, Oh Disney Tree

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IMG_2292If you’ve been by here for a visit lateley, you’ll have noticed that I’ve been sharing all my tutorials on how to make Disney Christmas decorations. If you missed one, you can find Mickey Ornament how-to’s here and here.  A Mickey door wreath here.  Finally, you can find a Disney painted ornament tutorial here.  The ornaments are all hanging on my Christmas tree, so I thought I’d share a few tips on how I put the whole Disney theme together.

I started with a pre-lit 9-foot tree purchased several years ago – say it with me now- for 50% off at my favorite craft store! Before the ornaments go on, I want the tree to feel Disney-ish, so I start with what I consider foundation or background for the ornaments. I don’t have an official Disney tree-topper (gasp!) so I tried to make the top of the tree represent the “Wishes” fireworks from the Magic Kingdom since Wishes is one of my most favorite things in the world. I used IMG_2236several large Christmas floral sprays in sparkly red and green, adding a couple to the center that had circles that would (hopefully) form Hidden Mickeys when viewed from Copy-of-General-Dis-Pics-11.13-061.jpgdifferent angles. Then, starting at the top, I added yellow/gold deco-mesh – I dislike (hate/loathe-take your pick) deco-mesh and it seems the feeling is mutual. I put it on the entire tree three different times this year and I still think the final look leaves a bit to be desired. Suggestions are welcome. Then on went green and red poinsettias, holly, green and red sparkly floral sprays, and black sparkly dangly-ropey-things (what would you call them?).

Foundation in place, I was ready for the ornaments. Even before the official (and unofficial) Copy-of-General-Dis-Pics-11.13-061.jpgIMG_2298Disney ornaments went on, I first added large, plain ornaments in Disney colors, tucked back into the tree – so they would fill up the background while keeping the outer branches available for the best ornaments. Then, finally ready for the Disney ornaments, I used the smallest ones at the top and worked my way down – largest mostly on the bottom. Okay – I’ll admit it – I talked Raymond into putting the little ornaments at the top for me. He’s way taller and it kept me from repeating the terrible ladder accident I had last spring. That’s it.  Tah-Dahhhhh.

I’ve surfed the net looking for other Disney trees out there. I know some of you have them, so please PLEASE share your tree pics with me and any DIY Disney decorations you’ve made. I would love to see them and get some new ideas for next year.IMG_2293

Disney Vintage Vinyl – Christmas Style

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General Dis Pics 11.13 088From our very own Disney Collection (well, Joseph’s anyway), I found a seasonal treat!  This Disney Christmas album from 1980.  (I hate calling it vintage – in 1980 I was in highschool.)  Not only is the album cover adorable, the songs are just great!  I mean who wouldn’t adore an album from 1980 that features Molly Ringwald singing The First Noel?!?  

Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Chip, Dale, Goofy, and Pluto are joined by Larry Groce and the Disneyland Children’s Sing-Along Chorus.  Even Clarabelle Cow herself also makes a brief vocal cameo appearance!

 

Track Listing:
1. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – Chip ‘n’ Dale & DonaldGeneral Dis Pics 11.13 089
2. I Wist It Could Be Christmas All Year Long – Willio and Phillio
3. Sliegh Ride – Mickey, Donald, Goofy & Larry Groce
4. Away In A Manger – Larry Groce
5. Here We Come A-Caroling – Larry Groce
6. The First Noel – Molly Ringwald
7. Here Comes Santa Claus – Mickey, Donald, Goofy & Larry Groce
8. Joy To The World – Larry Groce
9. Silver Bells – Larry Groce
10. The Twelve Days Of Christmas – Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Clarabelle Cow and Larry Groce
11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Larry Groce

If you find yourself in the mood for some Disney Christmas songs of yesteryear, you can still find places online to purchase one of these timeless gems for yourself.  Try etsy, ebay, Svoundtrack.com, or gemm.com – expect to pay $7 to $22 depending on album condition.

DIY Disney Christmas Ornament #3

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IMG_2245Here’s another DIY Disney Christmas Ornament idea for you.  Confession time:  Sometimes my creativity and my actual artistic ability are at odds.  In the case of this ornament, I had a good creative plan (says me) – the execution of which was negatively impacted by my lack of artistic ability…in other words, I…well….I pretty much suck at painting – even with pointy-ended bottles of sparkly paint. 

But I bet YOU can paint well and that’s why I’m still sharing this project with you (though I was a little underwhelmed by my own results).  You can do better and the supplies are minimum.  Plus the idea is pretty neat since you can change the colors (and ornament sizes) to match your theme.  For example, if you have a Disney Princess tree you could use pink, purple, gold, pastels, etc.  That’s the fun thing about DIY projects – the flexibility!IMG_0755

I saw the inspiration for this ornament the last time I was at Disney World (May, 2012) and decided that it looked EASY and I’d give it a go.  HA!  Anyway, these ornaments were both fragile and not really in my budget at the time I spied them, so I took a quick picture and vowed to just crank out some gorgeous (fancy and sparkly) duplicates in the near future – that time came coincidentally as I shopped (c’mon, say it with me now) the 50% off Christmas decorations at my favorite craft store.

General Dis Pics 11.13 014So I bought my supplies – a box of four white ornaments (two are shiny and two are matte/pearl), two sizes of bulk rhinestones, red and green glitter paint, and some silver glitter glue (for attaching the rhinestones).

IMG_2155Once situated at home with all the necessities, I started painting swirly-things.  YIKES.  Harder than I thought.  I really wanted to make my ornaments look exactly like the originals, but it was just not going to happen for me.  So I stuck with VERY basic swirls and had to be satisfied with that.  Luckily, when they finally dried (oh, I was impatient and it seemed to take forever) – they looked less gloppy and uneven to me (maybe.  a little.). 

Once the swirls dried, I used the silver glitter glue (oh, has a more fun substance ever been invented?!) to attach the rhinestones in the classic Mickey head shape.  Buying multi-colored stones in a pack was not very smart – the reds and greens weren’t as plentiful as I’d hoped.  So, I got only one group per ornament.  Just as well since the whole painting thing was dicey.  In the end,IMG_2157 I was happy enough to actually put them on the tree. The Fam (as usual) cheered me on and made me feel better about my expectations exceeding reality.  Really, they could be so cute when done by someone with actual artistic talent – that’s where you come it.  PLEASE – if you try this and end up with pretty ornaments, share a picture with me!  I’ll try not to be too jealous and I’ll post the picture right here on my Disney blog.

Good luck.  I have faith in you.  You can do it!

Confessions of a RunDisney Wannabe

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IMG_4163Calling RunDisney fans – I need your help!

I dream Disney dreams all the time, but seems like I’ve been dreaming about participating in a RunDisney event forever.  

I’m a big fan of planning and goal setting (aka: dreaming and scheming).  The everyday me loves to procrastinate – I’m positive I work better under pressure *cough*.  The Disney me, possesses mad planning skills and can tell you at any given time what Disney trips are in the works for at least the next two years.  That me also has no problem whatsoever with making dining reservations 180 days in advance, creating spreadsheets to compare dining plan options, or creating and distributing a new, customized packing list/daily itinerary to each member of The Fam months ahead of departure.  How is it that I haven’t found a way to join two of my most favorite things in the world?

IMG_2117
Dug these out of a cabinet in the laundry room

 I’ve been running for more than 15 years.  I like running.  That and riding my bicycle are my preferred methods of staying in reasonably good shape (pretty important at my age!).  I’m proud to say I’ve completed 2 marathons, 4 half-marathons, countless 5k’s and over 30 sprint and olympic distance triathlons.  All of that would never have been possible without the support of The Fam who, with few exceptions, has always been with me, cheering me on.  I’t’s bothering me that as many times as I’ve been to Disney World, I’ve yet to participate in one of Disney’s popular running events.

So, RunDisney people, I need your help!  How do you blend a Disney vacation with your family and a lengthy sporting event?  I need some pointers, some tips and strategies for making sure I don’t inadvertently waste time or money on our Disney vacation doing something that feels like it’s mostly all about me.   General Dis Pics 11.13 070

Here are a few questions:

  • I’ve always trained and raced in the morning – are evening events more difficult because of this?  Have any tips?
  • What does your family do while you’re racing (when not actively cheering you on)?
  • How early do you generally arrive at Disney World (the day before? or earlier?)
  • How hard is it to hit the parks the next day and not slow everyone down?
  • I’ve narrowed down my best (most likely) future race options to:  The Princess Half-Marathon, The Wine and Dine Half, or the Tower of Terror Ten-Miler – any suggestions?

I’d be so very grateful for any tips you could give me!