Inspire Your Heart With Art 🎨

Today is Inspire Your Heart With Art Day! 🎨 🖌 🖼

One of my biggest goals this year is to paint more often.  I've felt this overwhelming urge to paint lately.  I'm not sure if it's all of the emotions that I've been navigating, but I just feel this nagging desire to put paint on a canvas and to explore what happens.

In the past, I've done some paint night classes and I've had a blast at those.  I'm so bummed out that the studio closest to us closed shortly after Eliot and I started going.  (There's still one in Portland though, so I'm still planning to go visit at some point!)  

And those of you who have been here from the beginning know I've painted plenty of craft projects.  I've made signs, various home decor, tons of holiday decor, and of course the painted flower pots that are still my most viewed blog post of all time!

But more recently, I feel as if this urge is to break free from things that I've done before.

I've actually signed up for a few online abstract art classes.  And there's another one coming up that I'll be signing up for as well... if I haven't already done so by the time this post goes live!  These classes have really excited me.  I just need to sit down and go through the supply lists so I can get supplies and dive in!

Another medium that's really intrigued me for awhile is textured art.  I've also bought an online guide to doing that... and I'm planning to purchase supplies for that soon as well.

I would also like to get back into paint pouring.  You probably remember that I took some adult education classes for that a few years ago.  Unfortunately, our instructor stopped teaching the class, and my plans to get into that more got derailed with the pandemic.  But I've already purchased pouring paints, and I just got a special mat to use for Christmas.  I also recently dug out a few blank DIY Vinylmation Mickey figures (that I've had since before Eliot's and my wedding) to experiment with.  And I just noticed that Michael's has paint pour kits for vinyl figures when I saw them in store for the first time just a few days ago.  So I'm very excited that this particular painting technique is probably one that will come together for me to do sooner than later!

One thing is for sure, and that's the fact that my overwhelming urge to create things is going to win out.  I'm dying to get my hands on craft supplies... almost to the point of being ravenous about it.  This is an itch that needs to be scratched.  And who knows... maybe I'll discover a whole new world and inspire my heart by creating art... °o°

Creating Magic For the Magic Maker

It's now been four years since I embraced my destiny as a Magic Maker.  Since then, I've cherished the fact that I know creating things, making magic and giving joy to others is not only my purpose, but what truly what lights me up inside. ✨

And I'm glad I have that to fall into when the going gets tough... because after the past few years, there have been some pretty dark days when I've needed that knowledge.

During some of my hardest days, spending some time scrolling through Pinterest and getting ideas for projects has lifted me.  I've always had lists of creative ideas and even lists of my lists.  There's no way that I'll ever be able to make all of the things I've thought of... but it's the ideas, imagination and creativity that are most important to me.

This year, I'm hoping to expand upon products for Happily Ever Hatter and Snowblade Creations.  I've had a lot of ideas that Eliot and I haven't been able to dive into for one reason or another.  And I've got pretty solid ideas for a few more businesses... it's just a matter of making time, setting aside money for supplies and making the products.  So I'm sure that I'll find a way to keep myself busy making more magic! 💖

But what excites me most, is the promise to myself that I'll take more time for myself to create things for me.  After gifting myself a magical vacation for my 40th birthday, it's apparent to me that I need to make sure I'm also making magic for myself.  Even the Magic Maker needs some pixie dust sprinkled their way every once in a while. ✨

So cheers to many more years of bringing my magic into the world!!!  °o°

A Fond Farewell... ✨🌎🔑✨

I've got some sad news to share today.  

For starters, it's the two year anniversary of the day we lost my Nana, so it's a sad day to begin with.  And since today is also the 4th of the month, I figure it's appropriate to post this news today.  After much deliberation back and forth (at least 100 times), I've decided to resign from being a travel agent with Key to the World Travel.

It certainly wasn't an easy decision.  I've been with the company for over a decade... ever since they first hired me back on October 4th of 2013.  That was just over a year after Eliot and I got married.  We had moved up to Maine for his new job and I was still trying to figure out what my next steps were.  I'd started blogging that May, but I still wasn't working at a "real job" quite yet.  So becoming a travel agent who could plan Disney vacations for people just seemed like the next logical step at the time!

And I've absolutely loved it. ✨💙💛🌎🔑🌍💛💙✨ 

It has been really hard to let go... especially when this job has meant so much to me for such a long time.  I've been pretty involved over the years too.  

Through the years there have been so many highlights and magical memories... many of which I've written about on here.  (Search "Key to the World" and you'll see all of them.)  And there's probably a few things that I haven't written about.  Like how a few times, I was a "guest professor" and I wrote a few blog posts when we were using "Theme Park Professor" for our agency.  

Eliot and I have also made tons of mouse ears for my co-workers.  One of the highlights was definitely designing special mouse ears with our company logo.  It was also a huge honor when Jeff asked me to make some for KeyCon at Disneyland.

And KeyCons... those are extra special to me.  I've written a bunch about those through the years, so I won't get into it too much.  But I will say that they were my favorite part of being an agent with Key to the World Travel.  Having the opportunity to gather together to meet each other in person, learn and network was an invaluable experience. 

Finally... the friends are what I'll miss the most.  Honestly, the people are the reason that I held on for as long as I did.  And that is what made it so hard to finalize this decision.

On the last day of 2024, I made it official with the owners of the company as I sent them my official resignation.  It wasn't easy to write, but I was very happy with the final letter.  Eliot and I have a lot going on right at the moment, and at the end of the day, I just don't have the time and energy to put into it that I used to.

Jeff and Heather have been wonderful to work for.  I've been so amazed watching the incredible growth of the company over the past 10+ years.  We went from only a few of us when I first joined, to hundreds.  We have a bunch of agents who are mentors, some who help with training, as well as some in charge of niches like inclusion, groups or destination weddings.  It's really impressive and I'm so proud that our company cares enough to make sure we're all getting the education we need to succeed in the industry.

In my letter, I made sure to tell them that if things change and I ever decide to get back into travel, I know who my first call will be.

Thank you again to Heather, Jeff and my entire KTTW family for making the past 11+ years with the company so wonderful.  It really did become a family to me.  °o°

✨💙💛🌎🔑🌍💛💙✨ 

2025 Disney Goals

It's 2025... what a great time to feel alive!!!  

Today I'm back with one of my favorite annual traditions... setting goals.  I'm not super into resolutions, but goals I can get behind.  Each year, I write a bunch down and set out to accomplish as many of them as I can.  It's usually a pretty tall order, but I enjoy having some direction when the new year begins.

This year, I've decided to switch things up a little since I last posted my goals on here back in 2022.  Back then, I was still putting most of my goals on one list... and since then, I've expanded my lists.  I now have a Disney goal list, as well as a personal list and a blog list.  I'm not going to share the personal list because it's personal, and the blog list is pretty boring.  But I've made my Disney list more concise with goals to make everyday a little more magical.  So let's dive in to the fun stuff!

Melissa's Disney Goals for 2025

1.) Design a Miniature Scene

2.) Hang Disney Artwork and Pictures in Upstairs Hallway

3.) Beverage Station/Bar Set Up
4.) Decorate the House for the Holidays
5.) Paint Disney Nails

6.) Make Disney Home Decor for the House

7.) Use My Disney Planner
8.) Make Decor for the Holidays
9.) Make Disney Accessories
10.) Watch All of the Classic Disney Animated Movies
11.) Have Disney Board Game Nights
12.) Wear More Disneybound/Themed Outfits

13.) Watch All of the Marvel Movies
14.) Put Together a Disney Puzzle
15.) Design an Imagineering Project
16.) Watch All of the Live Action Disney Movies (Classic Re-Makes)
17.) Paint Disney Art
18.) Decorate House with Disney Touches
19.) Launch New Business Ideas
20.) Make Donkey Costumes and/or Outfits

21.) Read Disney Books

22.) Watch All of the Pixar Animated Movies

23.) Customize Clothing with Embellishments

24.) Finish Bathrooms

25.) Watch All of the Star Wars Movies

I'm pretty excited about this list!  Most of them are creative goals, and I really need to get some personal creativity time back into my life.  Eliot and I love our businesses, but sometimes I feel more like a production line than a designer.  So I want to make time to make things for me... simply because I love making and creating things.

As you all know, I'm into home decor and interior design, so those are obviously some pretty big ones for me.  I'm also hoping to work on more costumes and fashion designs this year.  It's been a while since I've watched most of the animated Disney and Pixar movies.  I haven't seen Star Wars in a very long time... and I've never seen most of the Marvel movies.  (One of my personal goals was to get more steps in... so I figure I can crush that while watching some of these movies!)

I've decided that my 2025 Word of the Year is ABUNDANCE.  It suddenly came to me a few weeks ago, and I just felt very connected to it.  It feels like the past few years have been filled with an abundance of sadness, change and uncertainty.  So this year, I'm manifesting an abundance of wonderful things like joy, peace, productivity, money, creativity, happiness, and magic.

I'm really hoping that I can cross a good portion of these off this year... 

It's time to thrive... let's do this 2025. °o°

Photos taken from the Disney Store's website from items in their 2025 collection.

Happy New Year!!! ✨🥂🐭✨

Hello friends!  I wanted to wish you all a very happy new year.

I know that 2025 is only a few hours old... but I feel full of hope for this new beginning.  I've been feeling the winds of change lately... and I'm hoping and wishing that means wonderful things are heading my way.  May this next chapter be a beautiful one.

Cheers, Ears, & Happy New Year!!! ✨🥂🐭✨ °o°