Disney Savings Jar D.I.Y.

Hello all! Long time, no post! Sorry about that...I work at a university and April and May are months we tell ourselves to "just keep swimming!"

My husband and I already did a bit of traveling this year, so there will be no summer trip to Disney World for us, as we've done for the past two Augusts. My next Disney goal is to visit WDW during the various holidays that Disney does up so famously. So I am shooting for a trip this December for the Christmas season.

In order to do that, I've got to start saving up. I've received a bit of cash as gifts over the last few months which I'd stuck in an envelope, considering it as the start of a savings plan for this trip. Since I'm a big visual learner, I wanted to have a special piggy bank I could display to encourage me to save. 

I first checked Etsy and found some adorable options for less than $10... which are completely worth it if you're not a crafty person...but I was discouraged by the idea of spending money in the effort to save up money, so I decided to try my hand at making something with [mostly] stuff I had around the house. 

I started with an empty plastic jar (this one had jelly beans in it). I chose this particular one because it's plastic, it has a flat side (for ease of writing on it), and it has a black cap which I thought went with the color scheme. 

I used this great trick for stenciling on a jar. Type out on the computer (in Word or similar) whatever you want to write on the jar and/or any images you want to use. I used the Disney font "Waltograph" (here for free at dafont.com) and some Mickey heads (found here on family.disney.com). I found all sorts of cute ideas for wording on Pinterest: "Mickey Money," "Disney Stache" (adding a little mustache to a Mickey silhouette!), or simply "Our Disney Trip," but I went with "Disney Dollars." 

Play around with the font size and print. Then, cut out your design and tape it steady on the inside of the jar, facing out. Now all you have to do is trace! I used a plain old black fine-point Sharpee marker that I had, but a paint pen would have worked very well, too. (Actually, if you're using a glass jar, you'll want to go with the paint pen. You could use a paint brush but I found a pen to be much easier to control.)

I was very happy with the finished product and it would have been cute as-is but I wanted to add a little color. The cap of my jar was a 1/2" thick, so I used a combo of 3/8" ribbon (red) and 1/8" ribbon (yellow) to glue around the cap using tacky glue. Now I didn't have the size ribbon in the colors I wanted around the house, so I went to my local craft store and bought just a yard of each for under $1 total. I measured how much I would need to wrap the cap, I lined the cap with tacky glue and affixed the red ribbon, and then beaded a bit of glue over the red to attach the yellow. Voila! 

You can search around Pinterest for some magical additions... gluing a tiny Mickey figurine on the top of the lid, tying a red polka-dot bow around the neck of the jar, or using vinyl lettering instead of a marker...but for me, these would have cost extra money, and personally, I'd rather throw it in the jar than use it to decorate the jar. (The $100 dollar bills, by the way, were gifts I received for various occasions....I found that if I received a gift in twenties, I'd spend it immediately but the three $100 bills stuck around on my desk waiting for deposit for a while.... so I think when I save up another hundred dollars, I'll go to the bank and ask for a single bill so I won't waste it on Starbucks!)

Whatever you come up with and whatever trick you use, it's a fun way to stash away some Disney cash for you and your family. I know there are lots of great sites out there with advice, like mousesavers.com... What are some of your ways to save for Disney?

Catholic Commentary on Cinderella

Since I'm still inflicted with Cinderella fever, I wanted to share this vlog from one of my favorites: Fr. Robert Barron comments on the Christian symbolism he finds in the movie. Naturally, I loved it because finding a way to combine my love of Disney with my love of my Catholic faith pretty much makes my head explode with joy. So if you're interested, check out the 8 minute video below. Enjoy! And happy Holy Week!

10 Things that Cinderella 2015 Teaches Us about Cinderella 1950

I just saw Cinderella in the theater this weekend and I loved it! Afterwards, my husband remarked about me to my brothers-in-law (who were invited along) "Look how happy this little girl is!" - and it's true. I was beaming. All I needed was a tiara and some glitter and I would have been in heaven!

Since the 1950 Cinderella is my favorite Disney movie, I was thrilled with the direction this 2015 version took. I saw it as more of an embellishment than a whole new story, meaning today's version fleshes out some of the plots and backstories of the original. I adored the results! So here is my list of 10 new things we learn about the original from the new film:

Warning: The following contains spoilers!


10. Parental back story: the original animated feature starts with the narration:

Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom; peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. Here in a stately chateau, there lived a widowed gentleman, and his little daughter, Cinderella. Although he was a kind and devoted father, and gave his beloved child every luxury and comfort, still he felt she needed a mother's care. And so he married again, choosing for his second wife, a woman of good family, with two daughters just Cinderella's age, by name, Anastasia and Drizella. It was upon the untimely death of this good man, however, that the stepmother's true nature was revealed: cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Cinderella's charm and beauty, she was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward daughters. Thus, as time went by, the chateau fell into disrepair, for the family fortunes were squandered upon the vain and selfish stepsisters while Cinderella was abused, humiliated, and finally forced to become a servant in her own house. And yet, through it all, Cinderella remained ever gentle and kind, for with each dawn she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true.

The live action film shows us firsthand her two loving parents and the life she lived before her stepfamily moved in. Now we know where Cinderelly gets her good nature and kindness from.

9. Why she stayed as long as she did: Meeting her parents also explains why she stayed at the chateau for so many years: keeping it and staying there was how she kept her parents with her since it was special to the three of them and where all of Cinderella's happy memories took place. Everything she loved most in the world was gone, except for the home that reminded her so much of her parents. (Other than the fact that centuries ago, a girl couldn't exactly just move out and get an apartment in the city.)

8. Her name: though the introduction of the animated movie identifies her as Cinderella, it would make sense that this is not her birth name. Ella, as she is introduced in the 2015 version, is not nobility by birth but a princess in the eyes of her parents.

7. Timing of events: everything seems to happen in the same day in the 1950 classic but the live action film makes it clear that months pass in between the events. (For example, the search for the owner of the glass slipper doesn't happen until after a mourning period takes place following the death of the King.)

6. The King's illness: though His majesty lives to see the wedding between Cindy and P.C. in the animated version (recall the scene at the very end when our girl once again loses her shoe, and the blissfully bashful monarch places it back on her foot before the married couple boards the carriage), he passes away in the new film. This helps us understand why he was so pushy about his son getting married... It was as much about securing their kingdom's future as much as it was about wanting to see him settled down and happy.

5. How long the night of the ball lasted: We know the whole stroke of midnight thing, obviously, but how long did that fateful dance last? Well, we know that Ella leaves for the ball after her stepmother and stepsisters (cue Fairy Godmother to work her magic). I estimate that Ella had a good hour alone with Charming. Although the animated film makes it seem like all they had was one lousy dance before falling in love - in actuality, in think their singing of "So This is Love" to one another in the animated version was representative of a conversation that took place between 11pm and midnight in which they got to know each other... And I guess that when you know, you know. How did I arrive at this timeline? Simple - it took a while for Lady Tremaine and Anastasia and Drizella to be introduced at court and we know they arrive at the castle at 10pm, since in the live action film, Wishes is just starting as they pull up. While this is happening, Ella is back at the chateau getting a makeover. Accounting for travel and traffic, this would put her at the castle around 11 o'clock.

4. The Prince and Cinderella met before the night of the ball: Though not shown in the animated classic, the two meet before the famous waltz takes place. This is what prompts the invitation for the ball to go out to "every eligible maiden" at the prince's insisting. Otherwise, why wouldn't the King just have arranged a marriage?  It makes more sense that all of this backstory happened - which could have easily been the case in the 1950 version because all we are told is that the invitation goes out "by royal command."

3. The Prince is actually present when the whole glass slipper moment goes down: all we see in the animated movie is the Grand Duke slipping the shoe on her foot and then wedding bells are ringing. I like to believe that "Kit" was waiting outside on his horse for her, and Cindy got her moment to walk out with her beloved hand-in-hand, leaving the cruel Tremaines all alone.

2. Lady Tremaine has her own complex story: I'd like to believe that she was once a happy person who (maybe not as much as Ella's family) was content in life. She's made the way she is after Lord Tremaine's death. We get a glimpse of this in today's version.

1. Cinderella freed herself: Since Cinderella is my favorite Disney movie, I always hate to hear so much hullabaloo over her being a bad role model because she teaches girls that you need to marry someone you just met to be happy. This isn't the message we get from Cinderella, and the Lily James version makes that so much clearer. Cinderella, in either movie, is strong and courageous and kind. It wasn't her unmarried status that was holding her back. No, by agreeing to marry Prince Charming, Cinderella was making her own decision - a choice for love and someone who cared for her tremendously - who, by the way, falls for her not for her beauty but for her kindness and courage and unique view on life. (And once again, the time period should be explained to children... It's not like Cindy could have enrolled at the local community college...) As Cinderella is walking out the door of her parents' chateau, she knows that her final act of courage toward her wicked stepmother is more for her own benefit than for Tremaine's. In the end, Ella isn't made free by Kit's proposal, she's set free by speaking three simple words to Lady Tremaine: "I forgive you." Ella knows that there are prisons far worse than a dusty attic. There's the prisons we put ourselves in, made of thick bars of greed, jealousy, meanness, and cruelty. Cinderella remained at the chateau for as long as she did because she knew that as long as she had courage and treated others with kindness, she had a freedom that money couldn't buy - freedom that people like Tremaine will never know because her's is a prison of the heart. Cinderella's act of forgiveness set her own heart free from anger and resentment. And that's the message that both Cinderellas leave us with: "a great secret that will see you through all the trials life has to offer: have courage and be kind." This is what makes Cinderella a princess worthy of the title - a princess all little girls can be proud to emulate.

Mickey Cookie Cutter and Silicone Pancake Mold

Cheap souvenir alert! I picked up these babies on our last trip to the World and they have gotten so much use since! If you are looking to pick up a little memento on a few bucks, these are it. In the last few months, I have used these to make pancakes, cookies, Rice Krispies Treats, and eggs, just to name a few. And my favorite part is that I use them to create treats that bring me right back to Disney... they're the mementos that keeps on making magic!

The pancake silicone mold takes a little practice...and in retrospect, I would have picked up more than one since you need to leave the mold on for quite some time to allow the pancake to set up. Even though it's just my husband and I right now, a rate of one pancake at a time is a little slow! Even still, it works like a charm and at only $6.95 it was worth the price!

Now the small metal mold with handle is the most versatile out of the two.... I've made pancakes in this one as well and they turn out just great. For making sugar cookies, I use the Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix in the bag - there's a version of the directions on the back for making cutout cookies. The applications for this cutter are endless... Mickey grilled cheeses! Mickey fruit cutouts! Mickey shortcakes! Mickey brownies! Mickey ice cream sandwiches! (Ok, you get the idea.) And this one is only $3.95!

I bought mine in the Emporium in the Magic Kingdom, but I know they're also available at Mouse Gears in EPCOT. While you can get them though eBay and other retailers online, they're twice the retail price or even more...you might want to wait until your next trip to get your paws on these cuties.

What are your favorite inexpensive souvenirs?

Real Bokeh: Get Mickey Shapes on Your Photos!

Finding this app started with a Google search for "How do you put sparkles on your Instagram photos?" Many of my favorite Instagramers regularly use these effects on their Disney photos to make them even more magical. From here I learned that these added shapes of sparkles, hearts and dots, etc. are called "bokeh."

Now, the term bokeh actually refers to the blurry look of spots of light that is produced in a photograph when the camera lens captures out-of-focus light. This dreamy effect is very much "on trend" right now and Pinterest is full of tutorials on how to produce a photo with bokeh (the Christmas tree is a popular subject.) There are even tutorials on how to manipulate the shape of the bokeh by carving a tiny shape of your choice into a card and placing it over there lens as a mask.

"Now, shapes, you say? How about Mickey bokeh?" I've seen these translucent Mickey heads popping up on pics every now and then, and I am sure that some have produced this effect with a professional camera lens, and more enterprising IGers have used Photoshop to get this lovey effect - an effort and a dedication that I admire and applaud! However, I've been seeing these Mickeys more frequently in recent days and speculated that some app out there somewhere accomplishes this faux effect for us iPhone-only shutterbugs. Enter Real Bokeh.

Available for $1.99 in the Apple App Store (also available for Android), this fairly easy to use app delivers what you're searching for - the elusive Mickey bokeh and many more shapes to choose from.

Here's a photo I've already doctored with my favorite photo editing app VSCOcam (free!) that I uploaded to Real Bokeh. As you can see, the editing choices are few and fairly simple. The bokeh shapes menu is located at the bottom left of the screen (where you see the Mickey, since that's the last one I used.) Clicking there opens a number of options - 30 shapes and the ability to change the size of the shape that you'll apply to your photo. I went with "mixed" which includes a smattering of all the sizes at random.

Back on the main menu, the next icon over is an artist's palette that allows you to choose the colors of the bokeh. I chose shades of blue, green, and yellow. Your can choose as many or few as you'd like and the sliding bar with a sun icon above the color choices adjust the brightness of the colors themselves.

The other menu choices represented by the sun and magic wand icons can apply various filters over the photo - since my photo was already edited to my liking, I did not utilize these options this time.

Then you're ready to decorate! You can either run your finger along your photo to leave a neat trail of the Mickey bokeh or dot them in by tapping the photo in various places. In the finished photo below, I ran my finger up the left side and across the top, and dotted the Mickeys by tapping along the right side and bottom. Both leave the desired effect.

All in all I am very happy with Real Bokeh! Right now this is the only app on the market that I know of that allows you to add these colorful Mickeys to your photos. For the bit of enjoyment I get from smattering my WDW pics with a little more magic, I think the $1.99 is well worth it. There's not a lot of frills in this app, but it gets the job done.

Have you tried Real Bokeh yet? What other photo editing or "bokeh" apps do you use? Tell me in the comments!

How Obsessed With Disney Are You?

I found this fantastic checklist quiz on Buzzfeed: How Obsessed With Disney Are You? [clickity click!] 

I got 75/120: "You are a true Disney head. If there is a Disney thing, you know about it."

This is one step down from "You are full-on Disney obsessed..." which I suppose is true enough since I've never "gotten a Disney tattoo" or "participated in the Disney college program." However, this list made me realize that there are a few places that I can really up my Disney game! There are 18 movies on this list I have never seen! 18! I can't even blame the Vault on this one. (For SHAME!)

Additionally, I know that someday I will absolutely throw a Disney-themed party, see The Lion King on Broadway, and I hope in my lifetime to visit Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. 

For the record, though, I contest that "started a Disney blog or website" should be more heavily weighted than "Figured out the difference between Disney World and Disneyland" thankyouverymuch! :) 

Happy checking, Disnerds!  

Review: Disney Sketch Crossbody Satchel by Dooney & Bourke

For Christmas, my husband gave me my first Disney Dooney. I'd seen this bag and pattern while shopping at the Marketplace Co-op in Downtown Disney and I fell in love. Luckily, it's available online so I added it to my wish list:

http://www.disneystore.com/bags-totes-accessories-disney-sketch-crossbody-satchel-by-dooney-bourke/mp/1326970/1000291/

When I opened it up, I was not disappointed!

Now one of the gambles that you take by purchasing it online is that you can't pick the exact pattern you'll be receiving. In fact, the product page states "Each piece is unique. Pattern elements may vary." Now as far I was concerned, I loved the Disney Sketch pattern and as long as all of the different elements were somehow featured, especially Mickey and Minnie, then I was a happy girl. As you can see, the front displays an ear hat, Mickey balloons, Tinkerbell, and other cute characters. The back has Mickey and Minnie, one of Mad Hatter's teacups, a Mickey Ice Cream Bar, Cinderella's glass slipper and a couple of Minnie bows. And the bottom has a bonus Mickey and Minnie.

Disney Sketch is my favorite pattern out of all the Disney Dooneys. First of all, I love that it was "created especially for Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort," and is a unique design - it's not just a repeating pattern. I also love that there's so much going on and it's not like any other purse I own. It doesn't look costume-y either...only when you examine the print do you see it's individual Disney details. It's bright and cheerful and lets me take a little piece of Disney wherever I go!

As for the size: the reviews on disneystore.com are right on. The general consensus is "adorable but small." The actual measurements are 7.5 inches tall (from base to zipper), by 10 inches at it's widest part at the base and 8 inches wide at the zipper. The depth (more like thickness, as seen in the photo directly above) is about 3.5 inches. 

The interior is lined in a deep and vibrant red with tan leather details rimmed in blue. The back wall has a large zipped pocket and a large open pocket. The opposite size has a smaller open pocket beside a wider pocket with button closure. I'd imagine that the smaller open pocket is supposed to be for a cell phone but I find it too small. Instead, my iPhone usually goes in the buttoned pocket and I keep a pen and a lipgloss in the other pocket. There is an attached "key hook" on a lanyard. All of the metal, including the zipper, on this bag is gold colored. Also included is a 26 inch strap that can attach to little rings on either side of the top of the bag. I haven't used it yet but I carry it around with me in the bag's large pocket. 

Even though I have a bag obsession, I usually don't carry all that much with me. In fact, when I use my larger handbags, I always end up carrying other people's stuff! In this bag, I could fit a few more things but not much. In it I have: sunglasses in a case, the attachable crossbody strap, my keys, a pen, my wallet - which is a Vera Bradly Smartphone Wristlet (so my phone is inside), a small lotion and a lip balm. As you can see, they all fit easily inside this satchel. 

I love this purse for everyday use. (Some of the online reviews suggest that some people will use this to visit the parks...I would never bring a bag this small or this expensive, but what I use for and pack in my Disney park bag is another post for another day!) Originally, I thought I wanted something larger, like the Champsac, in this print but I have so many bags that size. This is unique in pattern, in color and in size. Though it is a bit small, I am glad this is the one I received.

I can't wait to get my LeSportsac Classic Hobo in Minnie Floral Park in the mail next week!

Ok, I *might* have a bag problem. But hey, I don't have any Disney Vera Bradleys yet!

Yet.