Friday, May 29, 2020

Fun Find: Magical Quarantine Memes (Part 10)

Hi friends!  I'm sorry for my lack of posts this week.  I've been busy doing things around the house and trying to keep my mind busy.  (It's been a bit of a rough week.)  I could use a bit of Disney magic so today I'm back with a special round of Magical Quarantine Memes!  I still have a bunch of memes saved, but today I thought I'd share something a little different.  These are photos taken from someone's window during quarantine.


I've seen these shared from tons of people on Facebook so I did a little research.  It appears that the original artist is Kelly Osterman LaFrance.  She's posted photos of a new Disney window almost everyday since March 25th and she's appropriately dubbed her art "Disney Quaran-Themed Windows".  I love them!  They're so much fun!!!

If you haven't been following along, you can find my other Magical Quarantine Meme posts: Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6 , Part 7, Part 8, and Part 9.  This week and next, I'll be posting these fun window art photos instead of my usual memes!


These days, the couch does seem to be How Far I'll Go...  


Don't Be Our Guest, Don't Be Our Guest, Our Service Team, Will Take A Rest!!!


The ins and outs of emotions during quarantine... 


I've never cooked so much in my entire life... and washing all the dishes... ugh.


For us, it's Walmart but you get the picture.


Aventure is out there!  But none of us are.


This is definitely appropriate... after more than 2 months... we're there.


I'm starting to understand how Genie felt.... itty bitty living space.


I've got friends on the other side... of these doors.


This week's motto brought to you by Dory: Just keep cleaning, Just keep cleaning...


Grim Grinning Ghosts stay home and sanitize... 


A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the queen.  Also, I love Olaf... "Samantha?"


Finally, I've saved another one of my favorites for last... I think this was the first one that started all of the windows.  Of course, it's also a play off of a Disney song!


I hope you enjoyed this batch of magical memes!  Part 11 of my Magical Quarantine Memes series will be coming next Friday!  Take care and enjoy your weekend!!!  °o°

Please Note: I did not make any of these memes and I don't claim ownership of the photos or the jokes.  Most of them I've seen uncredited on Facebook from other people who have shared them.  I just wanted to put them all in one spot so we might try to find some humor in a dark time when we could use a smile.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Fun Find: Magical Quarantine Memes (Part 9)

It's hard to believe, but we're already at Memorial Day Weekend.  Back in March when we first started social distancing, I wasn't sure how we'd ever get to this point... but we did it!  It's Friday so that means it's time for more Magical Quarantine Memes!  Here's the quick backstory about this series: I've seen a lot of funny memes on Facebook while scrolling through my newsfeed.  These past few months have been rough on all of us, so I started to save the memes that made me laugh.  Then, I decided to share them on here to bring a bit of joy to everyone.  Wow, we're at round 8... Here we go!!!  

Here's Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6, Part 7 and Part 8.



Let's be real... did any of us really think things would look like this?


Dash has a very valid point... we survived March and April.  Barely.


*Sigh*  I really do miss the most beautiful bathrooms in all the kingdom.


I haven't checked my temperature lately... but this is probably what it would say.


Can I post this on every comment thread of every Disney page over on Facebook?


Going into Memorial Day weekend, this is how we Mainers currently feel.  #StayHome


Speaking of current events, this is how my Facebook newsfeed felt this week.


I'm not sure 2020 can get much weirder... No wait... Katy Perry in a Dumbo suit.  It did.


I'm pretty sure that I've reached that point this week... 


I'm ashamed to admit that I laughed way too hard at this.


Ooh more food choices... let's see.  I'm choosing House #1 or House #6.


We all were so quick to judge Anna... regretting that decision right about now.


I haven't had a drinky drink in a few days... might have to remedy that this weekend!


We don't have a cat, but from what I hear this is accurate when working at home.


OMG... too funny.  I kind of want to do this.  (I really have lost my marbles...)


Forky is my hero.  Now every time someone asks what day it is I'll answer like this...


I've saved another favorite for last.  I love this song and it's perfect for right now!!!


I hope you liked this batch of magical memes.  I'm not sure how this is even possible, but I still have more so Part 10 of my Magical Quarantine Memes series will be coming next Friday!  In the meantime, take care of yourselves and enjoy your weekend!!!  °o°

Please Note: I did not make any of these memes and I don't claim ownership of the photos or the jokes.  Most of them I've seen uncredited on Facebook from other people who have shared them.  I just wanted to put them all in one spot so we might try to find some humor in a dark time when we could use a smile.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Handmade Happiness

It's no secret that I love to create things.  For me, creating and designing is automatic- just like breathing.  I can't stop myself even if I wanted to.  What the average person might not know about me, is that I also love to purchase things from other makers and small handmade shops.  I've shown a few of the handmade items that I've bought over the years here on my blog but I'd like to start showcasing more of them.


As I mentioned the other day, I've had a burst of creative energy and ideas the past few weeks.  I've been expanding the notes on my laptop.  I've been making lists of anything and everything: business ideas, artwork and decor for the house, projects to make, and more.  I've spent a lot of time on Pinterest searching for tutorials.  I've also spent time on Etsy looking for handmade items to personalize our house.  Then, I used some of Eliot's and my tax refund money to purchase a few items for the house, some fun accessories for me and some new supplies for our businesses.

The main thing I've been focused on lately is my Up themed wall.  I've seen a few pieces that would be a perfect addition.  A few weeks ago, I reached out to Soar Craft about ordering a custom Disney key design.  She usually paints keys the size of the Disney Store keys in different character designs.  I'd seen an Up anniversary design on her Instagram and I fell in love with it.  I asked her if it was possible to order a larger version so it would be more visible.  After a little bit of conversing back and forth, I'd ordered a large 9" custom order Up themed Wedding Anniversary Disney Key.


It arrived a few weeks ago and I absolutely love how it came out!  The details are so cute and the text is so good!  It looks like just the text on the Adventure Book in Up!  I could never paint it that good.  I really love how it's personalized with Eliot's and my wedding date too!  I'm so glad I ordered this from her!

Another item that I bought for our Up themed wall was this Up inspired 'Home is Where the Heart Is' sign from Pirates of Wonderland.  My Mom and Dad have a sign that says this in their dining room that I always admired when growing up.  This version was a fun, magical and modern way to incorporate the phrase into our home.  I love it so much!  The little Mickey balloons and house are so cute!!!


The final artwork that I bought was from Kodis Creations.  I've wanted to order from this shop forever and I finally did it!  Amber makes the most beautiful paper art.  She's known for her character letters, but she also makes other designs.  I ordered two pieces for my first order- Carl and Ellie's Chairs and the Candy Apples.  The chairs are so cute with the little Mickey balloons over them.  I had to have the adorable Mickey and Minnie Candy Apples.  They're going to live in our kitchen on a gallery wall there.


I've also always loved ordering accessories on Etsy.  There are so many creative things to add to your wardrobe there.  Every once in a while, I buy a few items to personalize my wardrobe and add a little bit of magic.

Recently, I've been really into those knotted bow headbands.  My hair is pretty unruly so I love to have something to hold it out of my face.  I don't wear it down often, but when I do, I pretty much always wear a headband.  Thus, I have quite the collection in my Etsy cart.  The other day, I finally ordered two from Thingamabows.  These ones are made from actual Disney Dress Shop dresses so they'll match my Mickey Sketch and Ink & Paint dresses perfectly!  I couldn't pass that up!  They really are perfect!


Another accessory item that I love are bracelets.  I don't wear them every day, but they're fun to wear when going out or at the parks.  I've started a small collection of character, holiday and event inspired bracelets.  I recently purchased some for from Ladybug Bowtique and added four more to my collection: Sorcerer Mickey, Elliott, Festival of the Arts and Forky.  I first purchased the Elliott and Festival of the Arts bracelets, but a few minutes later, I discovered Forky.  He automatically fell into my cart, and I added the Sorcerer Mickey for good measure.  I love all of the bright colors, the beautiful charms and the attention to details!!!  I'll definitely be back for more!


I've slowly been adding a few supplies to my ever-growing collection for Happily Ever Hatter.  I've got a new product in mind, so hopefully that will work out and I can show you those soon!  I also have a lot of designs that I've had in the back of my mind for a while now.  I was able to order a bunch of supplies for them with some of our refund!

I've currently got a few more things on order for the house- and that doesn't even begin to cover all of the things that I've put on my to order list.  I'm hoping to order a piece here and there when we're financially able to.  Plus, there's no point fully diving in and buying everything now since we're still painting and getting the house prepared.  But, I think that we're off to a great start so far!


I also have a long list of artwork and decor projects for Eliot and me to make when we can.  I've started to order a few of the supplies for some of them.  I'm also starting to work on a few of the easier projects.  Keep your eyes peeled; I'm planning to post tutorials for some of the projects that I'm working on here on my blog!

I really love the personalization and special touch that handmade items bring to an outfit or a home.  I want to fill our house with bright colors, handmade treasures, home decor and artwork created with love, magic, faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust!  °o°

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Melissa's Half Birthday

Today is my half birthday!  I'm officially 35 and 1/2!!!  Normally, I acknowledge this milestone without much fanfare.  But, if you hadn't noticed after yesterday, I'm basically looking for any reason to have a celebration nowadays.  It gives me something to look forward to in a sea of never-ending cancellations.

Since I already took yesterday to give myself a little bit of self-care Rapunzel style, I decided that I'd keep today a bit more low-key.  Instead, I decided to focus on doing something for myself... something that's been ignored for a long time now... my office.


When we first moved in, my office was the first room that we painted.  I was so excited about having my own space to create in.  It was going to be my perfect little creative sanctuary.  When we moved in to our house, I put a lot of our breakable stuff in there for safe-keeping.  Eliot barely goes in there, so it was a good location.  Fast forward four years, and it's practically filled to the brim with random breakable stuff, as well as things that are actually supposed to be in there.  It's time it get a bit more organized!

It became apparent after a few minutes that I wasn't going to make huge strides.  It would be a lot easier to have another set of hands taking the things I was gathering and putting them in the living room.  Nevertheless, I started to grab 'like things' to put away in storage for the time being.  I got a few things organized, but I'll definitely have to grab Eliot this weekend for some reinforcement.

The best part of my cleaning spree was going through a bunch of my Disney artwork postcards.  I've tried to purchase a few on all of our most recent trips.  They're a great way to get some art for the walls without spending too much on one piece.  Each art post card is $5 and I've probably already spent at least $200 on them.  Thankfully, you can use your annual passholder discount on them!


Today, I organized a bunch of them.  I pulled a few that I plan to put in certain areas of our house.  I have a few for an UP wall.  I also have some for a special Disneyland wall and our Nemo bathroom.  Finally, I have a few I plan to put on, or next to, my vanity.

When I had enough of going through my office, I went back out to the living room and went through boxes in it and our dining room.  I've got a few things that I'm organizing there as well.  It seems never-ending but it will be worth it when it's finally done!!!

Other than my little office cleaning spree, I had a pretty normal day.  I listened to some Disney soundtracks while I worked on desk sets and mouse ear orders.  Eliot and I are trying to finish a lot of orders so we can make another trip to the post office later this week.  I'm sure we'll have a lot to mail after working hard over the long weekend too!

Overall, it wasn't much of a half birthday celebration, but it was fun!  I'm glad that I took a few hours to do something for myself that I'd been putting off.  I also found a few other ways to acknowledge the half way mark.

Ironically, Disney Parks released another video of the Disneyland Dapper Dans singing from home yesterday.  They have been doing a "Voices From Home" series every few weeks during the shut down.  I thought it was great timing for my Unbirthday today! 


Side Note... Yay!!!  My computer will finally let me attach videos to my posts again!!!

Also, speaking of music and irony... I had to laugh when I was singing "When Will My Life Begin" around the house yesterday.  At the end of the song, Rapunzel sings about the lanterns glowing (the lights will appear) on her birthday the next day.  It's kind of funny that I had my Rapunzel Tangled celebration and my half birthday was the following day!  It was totally unintentional, but perfect timing I guess!

Finally, what's a birthday celebration without cake?  We're still low on groceries, but I did have some of these cake in a mug packs that I bought at the grocery store the last time we went.  They seemed like a good idea and they were pretty much the only cake mix I could find at the store.  Why I wanted cake so desperately in the middle of a pandemic I have no idea.  Clearly, I have my priorities in order.  Oie...


I haven't tried any of them yet, but I'm planning to dig into them tonight.  There are only 4 packets inside the box, so you know... rations.  I have a bad feeling that once I try one, I'll want them all the time.  I guess we'll see!  Haha!  Regardless, I'm sure it will be the perfect way to end my little Half Birthday Celebration! 

The first half of 35 has been weird with all of our traveling in November, December and January and now not traveling anywhere at all.  (This is what I get for saying I was ready to spend some time at home... ugh.)  Hopefully the second half of 35 is a little more eventful than the past two months... but if it's not, that's ok.  I'm just hoping that things are more normal by the time I'm celebrating 36!  I guess time will tell...  °o°

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

I've Got A Dream, In Quarantine

Happy Tangled Tuesday!!!  It's official... I think I've snapped.  Eliot was starting to think this a few weeks ago when I started laughing hysterically about something silly that he asked me.  (It shouldn't have been that funny.)  After today, I concur with his analysis.

Ever since quarantine started, I haven't been able to stop thinking of the similarities to our current situation with my favorite Disney Princess.  She's locked away far from everyone in a tower and she finds tons of activities to do to keep herself busy.  This has Rapunzel written all over it.  Add that to the fact that Rapunzel is the Princess of the Kingdom of Corona, and you've got a pretty weird coincidence.



I've always felt a kinship to Rapunzel and I think that's why she's my favorite Disney Princess.  Of all the Disney Princesses, Rapunzel is the creative one.  I've always admired Belle for her love of books.  After many years with no princess that looked like me, Merida was revealed and she has the same hair as me- in both color and the wild unruly curls.  There's something about each Disney Princess that resonates with me, but Rapunzel is the one who perfectly captures my creative side.  I've also always identified with Rapunzel's sense of wonder and how she always has a dream.

Thus, I tend to keep my eye out for Rapunzel merchandise.  In the past, it hasn't been easy to find many Rapunzel things for adults.  I've usually been able to find items on eBay from Japan, but it's taken a while for brands to realize her popularity here in the US.  Recently, there have been more Rapunzel items available, and they tend to sell out quickly.  With the movie Tangled's 10th anniversary milestone coming later this year, I'm expecting more items to be available between now and November.



A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a shirt on Hot Topic.  At the time, it didn't jump right out at me so I kind of tucked it in the back of my mind.  Once it was apparent that we were going to be staying at home for a while, I knew this shirt had to be mine.  It's perfect for our current situation.  I love the postcard design and how it says "Greetings from Corona" and "find your dream".  It really spoke to me.  

In fact, I loved the shirt so much that I decided to make it my inspiration for another fake holiday by having a Rapunzel inspired day filled with some of the same activities she does including: chores, laundry, reading, painting, cooking, stretching, baking and sketching!  I figured it was the perfect way to spend the day other than sitting here wondering, and wandering, and wondering, when will my life begin?


Throughout the day, I sprinkled in the usual chores like emptying the dishwasher and loading it, tidying up a bit and doing some laundry.  It seems like these are never ending.  I wish I was more like Rapunzel and could do all of my chores first to get them done and over with, but that never seems to work out!  I feel like I've never washed so many dishes in my life... must be all that quarantine cooking!

Speaking of cooking, that's another one of Rapunzel's tasks.  Unfortunately, we're running out of groceries so instead of cooking a yummy meal, I had to make due with whatever I could find.  Eliot and I are going grocery shopping in the next few days, so I decided it was best to use up what I had.  Thus, lunch was a ham and cheese omelette made with my last three eggs, shredded cheese and the last few pieces of deli ham.



In the afternoon and early evening, I did some of the fun and creative things.  I didn't sew a dress, but I did try on three of my new dresses- appropriately my Her Universe Rapunzel Tangled dress was first!  Next, I tried on my Pixar Lamp & Ball and Ink & Paint Disney Dress Shop dresses.  I love these dresses and I am hoping to get some dress patterns to make my own dresses like them!  Then, I tried on a few other items.

After, I went back downstairs and decided to work on an art project.  I've been wanting to start painting a large 3D printed Bruni that Eliot made me a few weeks ago.  I've got two of them in this size, so I definitely wanted to paint one of them.  Once I see how he turns out, I might paint the other.  I'm planning to put one of them on my vanity in our bedroom and the other in my office.  It would have been more appropriate if it was a Pascal, but I like to think that Pascal and Bruni are both friends!



I also wanted to work on some new designs for Snowblade Creations.  We're working on finishing a few more collections to release soon.  I decided to sketch out a product concept ideas for Eliot so he's able to work on designing them when he has a chance!

If Rapunzel was locked away in her tower now, I'm sure she'd add online shopping to her to do list.  Today, I bought a few things in her honor as I purchased Rapunzel inspired face masks from Attractioneering Trading Company.  I saw these the other day and I fell in love with the Tangled sun and leaf motif on both.  I'm a fan of the artist Hollie Ballard (aka jammyjimjams on Instagram) and I'm really excited that she partnered with Attractioneering Trading Company to make these cute masks.  The Bruni and Frozen ones were just released the other day, so I'm glad that I waited and was able to pre-order them all at once!  I also caved and bought the matching mug!


Photo Source
I hopped on Disney+ to watch Tangled and then YouTube to watch the Tangled Ever After short sequel.  I've also wanted to watch all of the Rapunze's Tangled Adventures tv shows.  I've seen the first season, but I missed the second and third.  I'd love to watch them all in order at some point, but those will have to wait for another day!

For our Happily Ever Hatter Instagram post, I took inspiration from my fake holiday and I posted a photo of me at the Tangled restrooms in Fantasyland.  It's my favorite little section of the Magic Kingdom, other than Cinderella Castle.  I love Rapunzel's Tower, the waterfall, the painting in the women's restroom and the details in this section.  I only wish it was bigger!  Eliot and I also love the lantern photo op at nighttime!


This evening, I grabbed a book off of my shelf.  Most of my books are still packed up from when we moved into our house 4 years ago.  However, I had a few of them out on my book shelf- mostly my boxed sets.  I watched the Hunger Games movies a few weeks ago and I really wanted to reread the books since it's been a few years.  Plus, today was the perfect day to start since the 4th book, "The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes" was released today!  I haven't bought it yet, but I'm might try to see if it's at Walmart or Target the next time I go!  I'm hoping to read a few chapters each day.

Photo Source
Before heading to bed, I baked cookies as a bedtime snack.  It wasn't anything fancy; I had some pre-made cookie dough in the fridge that I needed to use before it expired.  I miss baking from scratch, but baking supplies are hard to find right now.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get my hands on stuff soon... I'd love to make some yummy treats!

After enjoying a few cookies, Eliot and I headed upstairs and I stretched my legs, arms, and back before getting into bed.  I don't stretch as often as I should so I made sure to take a leaf from Rapunzel's book.  I've been trying to be more aware of my shoulder and neck muscles since realizing my migraine headaches were from tension/stress.



Finally, I'm ending my Tangled Tuesday celebration with the inspiration that started it all.  All of my self-made holidays seem to have a quarantine theme song attached to them.  Quarantine-O-Ween had my quarantine rendition of "This is Halloween".  My Very Merry Quarantime day had a social distanced variation of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas".  Today, I'm adding to my Quarantine Jams with my new quarantine themed version of "I've Got a Dream" from Tangled... feel free to sing-along!

I've got a dream, In Quarantine,

I just want to go outside and to be seen!
And with every passing minute,
I wonder how long we'll be in it,
Like all you lovely folks, in quarantine...
Yes, way down deep inside, I've got a dream!!!

I enjoyed my Rapunzel and Tangled celebration!  I might do it again in a few weeks... with less chores and more creativity!  I hope you enjoyed following along.  Sending love from my tower to yours!!!  I hope you have a wonderful week!  °o°