Wednesday, July 31, 2019

40 Days of Dreaming...

Time is flying by.  Suddenly, it's the last day of July and we're heading into August!  

The school supplies are on display at all of our local stores.  Kids here in Maine will be going back in just a few weeks.  Labor Day will be here before we know it!  It feels like summer is passing by so quickly!  Thankfully, we still have a lot of fun in store.  Eliot and I have a few more summer plans for August.  But even when the calendar flips to September, my fun in the sun won't quite be over.

It literally dawned on me a few days ago how close I am to my four night Disney Cruise in September.  (I'm not sure that I've even mentioned it on here yet!)  I'm headed to my 5th KeyCon travel agent conference with Key to the World Travel.  I missed the 2018 conference, but I couldn't say no when I found out this year's conference was taking place on the Disney Dream!  I had so much fun when we did this back in 2016!


Even though it's creeping up on me, I'm definitely looking forward to the cruise.  I'm also planning to go to Walt Disney World a few days before and after the trip.  My friend Stephanie, who I'm rooming with on the ship, is also going to stay with me to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party the night we get back from the cruise!

I'm sure it'll be a blast and it gives me another thing to look forward to.  Right now, it's been pretty hot and miserable the past few days.  I haven't been doing well with the heat and humidity this summer.  (This morning, it was 70 degrees and 94% humidity by 7:00 am.)  I've gotta say... thinking about that cool, light and airy ocean breeze while relaxing in the crystal clear ocean at Disney's private island Castaway Cay with all of my travel agent friends is the best kind of daydream.

The countdown is on- only 40 days until I set sail on my next adventure!  °o°

Friday, July 26, 2019

Very Merry Announcements

Yesterday, I told you about our exciting Disney Magic filled holiday season coming later on this year!  I'm so excited for all of the Christmas fun we'll be having... and if that wasn't enough to get me singing carols in the middle of summer, yesterday Disney had a few more surprises in store for us as a Christmas in July treat!

The fun started when the Disney Parks Blog announced that there will be holiday themed overlays at the Magic Kingdom for the first time!  The Tomorrowland Speedway will have "lights and stylized decor".  The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor will have a special show during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and both Space Mountain and Mad Tea Party will have holiday music and lights.  The Magic Kingdom will also debut Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks show!  It sounds like Santa's got all sorts of magical Disney Christmas treats in his sleigh for the holidays!!!


Then, things only got better after that announcement.  Yesterday, Disney also held their Christmas in July event where they show a preview of the holiday stuff coming to Disney Parks.  They had cast members there to talk about the new experiences, foods, events and more coming this holiday season.  

Naturally, this also included a display of their new holiday merchandise.  As many of my long-time readers already know, Disney's holiday merchandise is definitely my kryptonite- the biggest weakness in my life.  Disney + holidays + merchandise = Melissa's wallet hiding and shaking in absolute fear.  Admitting my holiday "merch" weakness was even one of my first posts back when I stared my blog in 2013.

Yesterday, a lot of the Disney pages I follow on Facebook were posting live videos from the Christmas in July preview event.  I was originally going to post about this along with my announcement, but I decided to wait hoping that someone would post their findings on Youtube so I could link over to it so you could see it all too!


Thankfully, I was able to find a few videos for you to see!  They both show the same merchandise but you need to see both to fully see the display.  The best part- this is only a small sample of the stuff that will be available!

There's so much good stuff this year!  I've never been more impressed with Disney's merchandise selection than I have been over the past few months.  Seriously.  All of this holiday stuff is the icing on the cake.  (But not for my wallet... he went into hiding the moment he heard my girlish squeal while watching the video.)  I'm starting a piggy bank today because I'm pretty sure all of the following are coming to live with me.  

There are Peppermint Mickey and Gingerbread Mickey plush pillows!  I've been waiting what seems like for-ev-er for Disney to bring Gingerbread Mickey to the US!  (Japan has had him, Minnie and friends for years.)  I literally had to beg Eliot to make me a gingerbread ear design just so I could get a small fill of him.  He's so cute!  (Also, shameless plug for our Gingerbread ears that will match this new merch perfectly!)


There are plenty of new accessories that I will most definitely be getting.  There are two new Loungefly mini backpacks- a Santa Mickey and an overall Disney Christmas Treat print.  There's also a Festival of the Holidays ornament purse with Chip and Dale on it!  There are two new Alex and Ani bracelets.  There are three new mouse ears... which are all adorable and will probably be coming home with me.  (That's saying a lot considering I make ears and rarely purchase park designs!)  There's also a snowman baseball hat wearing a Mickey ear hat!  It's possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.

There are also new Magicbands, figures, plush, leggings and there are Spirit Jerseys.

  

Guys... there are (wait for it...) four new Christmas Spirit Jerseys.  Four.  And they're all absolutely adorable.  There's holiday treats, peppermint Mickey, Chip and Dale for Festival of the Holidays and even a special one that's exclusive to MVMCP.  I want them all so I can live in them every single day this holiday season.  And since they're all $69.99... I will most definitely be using that piggy bank that I mentioned earlier.

Between our magically merry holiday plans and this news from Disney, I am definitely excited for this holiday season!!!  Now, if anyone needs me, I'll be singing Christmas carols while I go check the couch for spare change to feed my piggy bank... °o°

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Very Merry News

Merry Christmas in July everyone!!!  It is indeed a very merry day here as I share some exciting news!!!  Eliot and I are going to have a fun-filled, Disney magic infused, pixie dust sprinkled holiday season this year and things are finally all coming together!!!


This year, we will be able to celebrate multiple times in many ways as Eliot and I are heading to our favorite place not once, but twice during the holiday season!!!  Between taking a family vacation with his family and other trip with my family, we will be at Walt Disney World twice during the holiday season.  We will also be on not one, but two back-to-back Very Merrytime Disney Cruises!!!  And, if that wasn't enough magical holiday fun, we will also be going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!!!


The fun kicks off with a trip to Walt Disney World the week of Thanksgiving.  Eliot's parents decided to upgrade their tickets to annual passes while we were at Princess Half Marathon weekend.  They needed to go on another trip in order to make them worth the cost.  A few weeks ago, we got an email to let us know they got a timeshare for the week of Thanksgiving and that we were all invited.  Flash forward to now, and all 4 of us kids (Eliot, me, Sara and Elissa) are all going.  We have our flights booked and we're even bringing Heather (Elissa's best friend from college) along for the fun!


After that, Eliot and I will return to Maine (for a whopping four whole days) before we take off for Florida once again!  We will be going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (aka MVMCP) before we take off on our first Very Merrytime Disney Cruise.  And, if that wasn't exciting enough- we're going to pack more fun in before the cruise... 


Santa knows that I've been a very good girl, and the hockey gods were smiling down upon us.  The San Jose Sharks away games in Florida are both the weekend before Eliot's and my cruise.  I can't make this stuff up.  They're in Tampa on Saturday and Florida on Sunday.  Our cruise leaves Monday.  We're flying down to Florida on Friday, so we'll be able to attend the MVMCP and both hockey games before we go on our cruise.  It worked out perfectly.  Faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust happening here.


Then, we'll be on our back-to-back Very Merrytime Disney Cruises.  Eliot and I are going on a 4 night cruise just the two of us.  Then, my parents, brother Jeremy and (god-willing) my Nana will be joining us for the three night cruise that follows our first one.  We all really enjoyed the Halloween on the High Seas Disney Cruise we took back in 2016 and since then I've insisted that we try to take a family Christmas cruise together.  We're all really excited for it and I can't wait to see the holiday decorations!!!


After the cruise, we'll return to Walt Disney World.  The plan is that Eliot will be staying with us until his flight leaves that Monday night.  (He and I have a lot of other things planned so he didn't want to use extra vacation days.)  I'll be staying with my family for a few extra days so they can attend their first MVMCP on Tuesday night.  Then, Mom, Dad and Nana will start the drive north Wednesday morning and Jeremy and I will fly back to New England (to Maine and New Hampshire) sometime Wednesday night!


Then, about a week later, it will actually be Christmas Day!  I'm sure it'll be a complete whirlwind from Thanksgiving to Christmas but I am so excited!  The holiday season at Disney is my most favorite time to visit the parks.  I love the decorations and it always feels so much more magical!  I can't wait to be able to celebrate the holidays with both Eliot's and my families at our favorite magical place!!!  °o°

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

The Heatwave Sensation Sweeping the Nation

Hello!  I hope you're having a wonderful week!  I'm having a much more enjoyable time today as it's finally cooled back down to a comfortable temperature.  Unfortunately, we were part of the incredibly uncomfortable heat wave that swept across one third of the country the past few days.  As many of you probably experienced, temperatures were almost unbearable at times.  Even here in Maine we weren't immune.  It hasn't been all bad though!  Eliot and I have still been able to get a few things done the past week.


Mid-last week was quite pleasant.  Disneyland's 64th birthday was last Wednesday and it was also World Emoji Day!  I celebrated both occasions by finally re-starting my Disney Emoji Blitz game.  I haven't played since before we went to Walt Disney World in back in January of this year.  I stopped playing during our trip and I've been so busy that I didn't bother playing it for the past six months.


I thought it was appropriate to start playing it again on World Emoji Day.  There was also a free emoji power up available that I wanted to get.  Then, I also got a bunch of Collection Prizes for new groups that were added since I'd last played.  I got a ton of prizes.  Then, I decided to play for a little bit.  I was a bit rusty, but it was nice to play again!  I enjoy taking breaks to play a few rounds throughout the day.


I continued my regular work week working on mouse ears, cleaning the house and watching a movie here and there.  The heatwave started to creep in on Friday with comfortable temperatures but high humidity.  I could feel the moisture in the air even while inside the house.  I didn't do too much but by Friday night I didn't feel right.  I ended up laying on the couch resting all evening while Eliot was at a friend from work's house for a pool party.  Freeform had been showing all five of the Twilight movies last week so I'd DVR-ed them and I spent Friday night watching the final two movies.


Then, Saturday and Sunday were both almost unbearable for me.  Eliot and I left our air conditioners running (even through the night) all weekend but they still couldn't beat the humidity.  The air conditioners made the living/dining room, kitchen and bedroom bearable though.  I spent the entire weekend in one of the rooms that were "cool".  The rest of the house was like walking through an oven.  We both drank a ton of water.  We tried to power ourselves through it; we still didn't get too much done though.  I tried to give myself a boost by having a "cook-in" and making myself burgers and potato salad but I think trying to cook only made it worse.  By Saturday night, I wasn't feeling well again and I spent the entire night on the couch until it was time for bed.


After feeling like we got nothing accomplished on Saturday, I wanted to do something Sunday.  Eliot and I decided to spend the middle part of the day in the basement where it was naturally cool.  Half of our basement is finished but we've been using it to store a lot of our containers that we haven't unpacked since moving.  Over the past few years, they've been stacked haphazardly throughout the room so we went through and organized them.  By the time we called it quits, I felt like we'd made a pretty good dent in the basement.  I'd even cleared off one of the shelves on our built-in bookcase so I could organize the children's books that I found in one container.


Sunday night the weather finally broke and we were happy to usher in the cool night air.  Eliot and I opened windows in a few of the rooms upstairs.  It was nice to get the hot air out of the house.  Thankfully the heatwave is over now!

Yesterday was in the mid-70's here, and it rained on and off all day.  I spent most of the afternoon upstairs in our master bedroom organizing.  We're really trying to focus on getting the master bedroom organized and finished so I spent about three hours poking through stuff and making a list of where I plan to move everything.  (We have a few more storage units that we're planning to purchase in the next few weeks so I wanted to have a plan of attack.)


I also finally tackled our 3D mouse ear collection.  Since we make them, not only do we have ears that we've personally made for ourselves, but we have more than usual because we also have samples.  (Ok, so maybe the "samples" are just a fancy excuse to have a ka-jillion mouse ears... don't judge me.)  Regardless, we have a lot and I finally organized them into two storage chests.  One of them is completely full and the other one will be once I put the Halloween ears back into them.  (During my stacking frenzy, I set those ones aside so I can take some more seasonal photos for our social media accounts.)  I'm thrilled to have them organized!  No more reusable bags filled with mouse ears!  I've also got about 40 more that are in various stages of production- I think we're going to need to buy another one of those storage chests...

Eliot and I haven't had the most productive week, but I do feel like I accomplished something.  I have a plan for the master bedroom.  The containers in our basement are a lot more organized than they were before.  The mouse ears are organized.  I even started playing my favorite game on my phone again!  Hopefully the weather stays at a temperature where it's manageable with our air conditioners.  I'd really love to get a few more things done around the house!  °o°

Friday, July 19, 2019

Fun Find: The 2019 Rainbow Collection

Today, we're exploring some of the recent merchandise at Disney Parks.  I was so excited when I saw sneak peeks of the 2019 Rainbow Collection back in mid-April.  I was completely ecstatic when everything was officially released at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and on the Shop Disney website!  There were so many items this year!!!


The past few years, Disney has been coming out with a Rainbow Collection in early summer, specifically for Pride.  (I'm not sure if they have officially marketed it for Pride, but it's pretty well known that this is the purpose.)  In the past, merchandise was limited and has sold out almost immediately after appearing online and in the theme parks.  I swear the Rainbow Collection Mickey Ear Hat released last year sold out in record time.  Thankfully, they restocked it and it's now available at both parks and online throughout the year.  This year, Disney released so many new items!  And even though Pride Month just ended, I'm still super excited about everything Disney and rainbow.  

Anyone who knows me is aware of my love of color.  I think that's part of the reason I wanted to be a designer.  I love color and the emotions each can create and I learned a lot about it in my freshman color theory class back in college.  I love to wear bright colors!  I love to paint with different colors!  I love to design with color!  I really love to incorporate color into anything and everything.


I'm also obsessed with rainbows.  I love seeing a rainbow in the sky.  I love things with rainbows on them.  I love how fun and bright they are!  The fact that rainbows also represent love in all of it's forms makes it even better.  I prefer to not dive into my own personal beliefs here, but, this is my corner of the internet so I can say what I wish.  To put it simply, I believe that the world needs more love and less hate.  Love is love.

Thus, I was so excited when I could get some new Disney merchandise with bright, colorful and fun rainbows all over it!  I love it so much that I had to share my top ten favorite items from this year's collection!  Here they are in no particular order:

Mickey Plush- As soon as I saw him, I knew that he was going to come live with us.

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Minnie Mouse Ears- I don't have these yet, but I love the bright colored puffy bow!

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Light Up Rainbow Necklace- Bright. Light Up. Colorful. Fun. Obsessed.

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DisneylandWDW Rainbow Shirts- These are so much fun!  I love them!!!

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MagicBand- I love MagicBands and this one is so bright and colorful!

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Rainbow Mickey Ear Hat- Eliot surprised me with this a few months ago when it was still sold out in the parks.  (He'd found one and bought it off of eBay.)  I love it!

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Tumbler- So cute and they have one for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

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Mickey Mouse Heart Alex and Ani Bracelet- Rose gold and rainbows... love it.

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Mickey Mouse Alex and Ani Bracelet- This is beautiful and fun... also a must get!

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Mickey Mouse Rainbow Tote by Loungefly- I'd actually already bought this bag from BoxLunch (when I had BoxLunch Money coupons!) about a month or so before the Disney Rainbow Collection was even released!  I absolutely love it and it goes perfectly with everything else in the collection.  I can't wait to use it with a colorful outfit!

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Thankfully, Eliot's mom Nori was at Disneyland last month and while there, she picked up some of the rainbow merchandise for us.  We returned from Tennessee to a bright, colorful box of rainbow fun!  Here's some of the stuff she bought us- not pictured are the light up rainbow necklaces (and all the snacks stuff... more on that later).


I still have a few more items that I'd like to purchase from the website.  I'm thinking about getting a few more of the light up necklaces... just in case.  I'd also like to get the Disneyland and Walt Disney World shirts.  Of course, Eliot and I are also obsessed with MagicBands so I'll probably add that to my cart.  I'll probably behave and skip the tumbler... we have so many of those.  Plus, if I'm going to get one, I'd prefer to get a personalized glitter one from Etsy!  Glitter + Rainbow = Happy Melissa!

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I hope you enjoyed this quick little pop of color and seeing some of the merchandise available from the 2019 Disney Rainbow Collection.  I also hope Disney continues to step up their game and has a great selection of merchandise available next year too!

Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Collection... the lovers, the dreamers and me.  °o°

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Saturday Shopping Trip

Hi friends!  I wanted to write a follow up to my post about the Disney Store keys.  As I said last Friday, Eliot and I had planned to drive down to Massachusetts to meet up with my brother Jeremy to get the Toy Story keys.  So, early this past Saturday we left Maine and started the 2 hour journey down to meet Jeremy at the Disney Store in the Burlington Mall to get our Toy Story Keys.


We arrived at the mall around 9:10 which was about the time that we'd planned to.  By the time parked and walked up to the Disney Store's location, it was about 9:15 and there were about 30 or so people in line.  Jeremy had arrived a little before us so we joined him in line.  (There were only about 7 people behind him so I didn't feel bad about joining the line and cutting them.  We were all going to get our keys.)

Eliot, Jeremy and I all chatted while we waited.  At about 9:45, the Disney Store employees came out and went through the line to ask if we wanted keys or the Toy Story Shufflerz toys you could get for free with your $10 purchase.  The employees had samples of the toys for people in line to look at.  (Of course, we still all picked the keys anyways, but it was nice for people interested in those.)  We were handed papers for 23, 24, and 25 in the key line.  Clearly, most people were there for the keys!


The employees actually let us into the store a few minutes early at 9:54.  Eliot, Jeremy and I split up to look for what we wanted to get.  Thankfully, since the store handed out numbers, we were guaranteed a key so we didn't have to grab the first thing we saw and run to the register.  After taking a few minutes to explore, the boys ended up coming back over to me... I didn't make it very far since I got sucked into the front left corner of the store where all of the newly released merchandise was located.

We all eventually figured out what made sense for each of us to buy.  Then, we wandered around the rest of the store.  I always enjoy looking at the dolls, princess dresses and the play sets.  I wish they made this stuff when I was a kid!  Finally, we made our way to the registers which surprisingly weren't that busy.

Jeremy bought the Forky mug and spoon set that I liked.  Forky has arms so he can hold on to the side of the mug!  I can't wait to make hot chocolate with him this winter.


Eliot purchased the Pixar Luxo Ball plush pillows that we both fell in love with.  While in the store, I checked to see if they were available online and they weren't so we got the two we wanted just in case.  I hope they make them available to purchase online because the store sold out except for one!  They were really popular that morning!


I bought two new tank tops for myself since they were buy one get one half off.  I don't have that many Disney tank tops so it seemed like a good purchase.  Plus, Jeremy and I loved watching Rescue Rangers as kids and I hardly ever find merchandise for it!


After we checked out, Eliot took our stuff to the car and Jeremy went to Game Stop.  I wandered around the Disney Store for a few more minutes looking at all of the new Descendants merchandise that I'd somehow missed before.  A few minutes later, we all met back up at the Lego Store.


I should probably preface this by saying that I love Legos.  Jeremy and I used to get them when we were younger and I loved putting them together.  Unfortunately, when I was a kid they were very limited on the number of sets they made for girls.  Today, there are so many more options and sets that I love: Disney, Disney Princess, Star Wars, Harry Potter and the architecture sets.


The three of us were there for quite awhile drooling over the sets.  I took pictures of so much of it.  Eliot and I used to go to the store often when we lived outside of Boston before we moved up to Maine.  He always loved the larger sets too.  I figured it was a good idea to keep in mind for our Christmas wish lists.  Legos never go out of style.


At some point, the boys got sucked into looking at the new Disney Lego Series 2 Minifigure blind bags.  Jeremy is a master at figuring out what's in those stupid blind bags.  He collects the Disney figure key chains and he's a whiz at finding the ones he needs.  Eliot and Jeremy must have stood there for 20 minutes feeling the bags and figuring out what figures they thought were inside.  I wanted another Steamboat Mickey and Minnie even though we got some with the Steamboat Willie set we already had at home.  (One set will live on the boat while the new ones will live on my vanity.)  Eliot eventually took 10 of the packages they found to the register to purchase.


Next, we went over to the Build-A-Bear.  I wanted to see the new Lion King plush in person and while they were cute, I wasn't planning to buy anything there.  I also wanted to look at what they had for outfits.  Before I knew it, Eliot found the Pokemon plush he needed... and there were two Bowsers in the clearance box.  The next thing I know, the guys are both in line to get their Bowsers and Eliot's Pokemon filled with stuffing.  I browsed while they stood in line.  We left the store with the three plush and a piranha plant plush for Jeremy to add to his Super Mario bears.


Our last stop at the mall was to Newbury Comics.  Eliot and I always go check out the Funko Pop Vinyls but we don't usually get any unless they're on sale.  The store runs good sales on them pretty frequently.  We didn't purchase anything there, but it was fun to browse.  Plus, our local store has more Disney Pops anyways!


Our next mission was to go to the Cheesecake Factory.  The one at the Burlington Mall is the closest one to us - which really stinks.  I love the Cheesecake Factory and used to go every few months when I was in college.  We decided that we'd move our cars over to that side of the mall.  Once we got parked, Eliot and I decided to open the Lego figures.  The boys did a pretty good job; we got most of the ones they expected.  The only down side was that we ended up with duplicates of Dale and Elsa, but there was a Steamboat Minnie Mouse in there just like they expected!!!  Yay!!!


Next, we enjoyed our lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  It had opened about thirty minutes before we got there so it wasn't busy.  Eliot and I both got appetizers since we weren't too hungry and Jeremy got a burger.  I was so excited for my Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  I always get them and I haven't had them in so long!!!


While enjoying our meal, we talked about upcoming Disney movies and the live action films.  I was glad we got to spend some time with Jeremy since we didn't see him for very long over the 4th of July weekend.  Jeremy and I both got some cheesecake to go before heading back to our cars.  Jeremy decided he wasn't going to follow us to the other Disney Store so we said our goodbyes in the parking lot of the mall.

Then, Eliot and I started the drive back up to Maine through Nashua so we could make a few stops.  First, we went to the ACMoore to grab a few supplies that we needed for Happily Ever Hatter.  Then, we headed over to Hobby Lobby because I wanted to take a quick peek at their decorative Disney signs.  There was actually a Pure Hockey store next door so Eliot went there before meeting me in Hobby Lobby.  We got a few ideas for some home decor before we got back on the road.


Our final planned stop on our shopping trip was the Disney Store at the Merrimack Outlets.  At this point, we didn't have anything we were looking for, we just figured we'd swing by to check it out.  I ended up finding the rest of the cupcakes that I needed to complete my collection of the ones I bought in Nashville.  After purchasing those, I drove us back to Maine.  We made a quick stop at Eliot's work and the grocery store before heading home.  I was so tired that Eliot had to drive the rest of the way home.

By the time Eliot and I finally got home, we'd been gone for exactly 12 hours.  (We left at 7:18 am and we pulled back into our driveway at 7:18 pm... how weird is that?!?)  I was exhausted and could barely get myself into the house before I crashed.  However, we'd had a great day!  We also found some fun things and we were glad we got to spend some time with Jeremy!  I'd call our Saturday Shopping Trip a success!!!  °o°

Friday, July 12, 2019

Fun Find: The Keys to the Magic (Disney Store Collectible Keys)

Hey guys!  It's been a really long time since I did a Fun Find Friday so I thought it was well overdue!  Today, I'm sharing information about something you can get all over the country... something that I'm referring to as the Keys to the Magic!

As I've mentioned back in one of my Nashville posts, the Disney Store has been giving out collectible movie or character inspired keys the past few months.  For those of you who don't know the history, the Disney Store has given out keys for quite a while, but up until recently it's been harder to get your hands on one.


Each Disney Store has an opening ceremony every morning when the store opens, and the person selected to open the doors by "unlocking the magic" gets to keep a little key as a memento.  You usually have to be the first one in line, and I've heard that even then, you might get passed over for a cute child somewhere else in the line.

Thus, the keys are hard to come by, and the ones that have ended up on eBay are usually $50 or more.  I've held out hope that I would someday be at a Disney Store in the right place at the right time, but I wasn't too optimistic about getting one.


Fortunately, the Disney Store started to make special character inspired keys that have been much easier for people to get!  I have been collecting all of the ones they've released so far over the past few months.  (Big thanks to my brother Jeremy who has gone to his local store to get all of these for me!)  My key collection currently includes:

Mickey Mouse
Aladdin
Donald Duck


The key release dates have usually coincided with a character's birthday or with a new movie release.  (I expect that trend to continue.)  For example, Mickey was released on November 18, 2018 which was his 90th birthday.  Aladdin was released on May 19th right before the new live action Aladdin movie started showing in theaters.  Then, the Donald key was just released back on June 9th which was his 85th birthday.

Tomorrow, Saturday July 13th, they are releasing their new Toy Story Pixar keys!


The best part of these keys is that they themselves are FREE.  The catch is that you have to be one of the first 100 people at a Disney Store to make a purchase on the day the keys are being released.  Down side, you have to get there early in the morning if you want one.  Plus side, you have an excuse to purchase something at the Disney Store!  And it doesn't matter what you buy... something small and/or inexpensive or something huge.  Jeremy has purchased an ornament for me one time and a new Steamboat Mickey plush for himself another time in order to get the keys.

Note as of the Toy Story release, they are requiring a minimum purchase of $10.


For the Donald key release back in June, they also released some of the keys to customers who purchased online at a certain time "while supplies last" on the Shop Disney website.  The problem with that is you have no idea how many keys they have.

I personally think these keys are a fun way to bring more magic home.  I actually have a few projects already planned for them, which is why I've made sure to get multiples of the Donald keys (thank you Jeremy and Elissa!), and why Eliot and I are driving to Massachusetts early tomorrow to meet up with Jeremy for the Toy Story keys.  I haven't quite gotten to work on my projects yet, but once I do, I'll be sure to show you what I've made!  I might even do a tutorial on my Keys to the Magic!  °o°