Fun Find: Disney+ Day

Happy Friday friends!  Today is a very special day... it's Disney+ Day!  I can't believe it's already been two years since Disney+ made it's streaming service debut!

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I have to admit, I didn't watch it that much the first year.  However, this past year, I've come to really enjoy watching the original content on there.  I've watched Monsters at Work, Dug Days, Pixar Popcorn Shorts, the Imagineering specials, and more.  It's also really convenient to pop it on if I want to have a Disney movie on in the background.

To celebrate today, Disney is releasing a ton of new releases from their franchises such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more.  They also have a deal where you can get the streaming service for $1.99 for the first month.

All of that sounds wonderful, but there's really only one thing that I've been looking forward to about Disney+ Day... and that's Olaf.  I absolutely loved Olaf's recap of "Frozen" during "Frozen 2".  Like many other Disney fans, all I wanted was for Josh Gad to reenact all of the other Disney movies, as Olaf, with the exact same flair.  Well friends, I'm happy to report that our prayers were answered... 

Ever since I saw this preview, I've been at the edge of my seat waiting for today to watch this.  Is it the first thing I will do today?  Yes, yes it is.  Will I probably choke my breakfast down laughing at what is sure to be a hilarious series of shorts?  Also yes.

If you love Olaf, and have Disney+, do yourself a favor and carve out some time to watch our adorable snowman friend retell our favorite Disney tales.  If you need me, you know where I'll be.  Happy Disney+ Day everyone!!!  °o°

Frozen 2 Limited Edition Dolls

Before I dive into this post, I have a confession.  The past two weeks, I've been holding my breath.  I wanted to post this recap the following week, but at the same time this was right when things were starting to get really serious.  As the days went on, I was terrified that we'd done something stupid and put ourselves at risk.  Thankfully, none of us have gotten sick (so far) and I feel like it's finally time for me to post this recap.

Just over two weeks ago, Eliot and I embarked on another journey down to the Disney Store in Burlington, MA.  As I mentioned before, we had decided to go down and meet up with my brother Jeremy to purchase the Frozen 2 Limited Edition dolls in person rather than try to get lucky purchasing them online.  With all of the news regarding the coronavirus changing by the minute, it was not a decision any of us took lightly.  We all knew what we could be potentially exposing ourselves to, but getting both of the dolls was really important to me.  Plus, the guys were both on board and wanted to go.  

On March 14th, the Disney Store was releasing Limited Edition "Queen Anna" and "Elsa The Snow Queen" dolls both online and in stores.  Worldwide, there were 8,500 Elsa dolls and 8,000 Anna dolls available.  We'd seen both of the dolls on display in the Burlington store when we went down for the Leap Year Tigger key and the Cinderella key.  They were beautiful with absolutely stunning outfits and details.  (I took pictures of some of the details so you can see- they're so pretty!)  Plus, not only were there the dolls, but if you purchased both of them you also got a free Disney Store Olaf key.  A lot of people are Disney Store key collectors and wanted the Olaf key, but I'm also a doll collector so this was a win-win merchandise release for me.

I don't think I've ever talked about it on here, but dolls have always held a special place in my heart.  My Dad's Mom, my Grammie, collected dolls and gave us a few through the years.  I have a few dolls from Grammie, but I also started to collect pop culture dolls when I was in high school.  I have an impressive collection of both Harry Potter and Twilight Tonner dolls that are worth a lot of money.  They mean a lot and are and priceless to me.  I've tried to collect some of the Disney Store limited edition dolls, but it's always so hard to get them.  We've never gone to the store to try before.  The few times I've tried online, they're sold out before I can even get them into my cart.  So this time, I was prepared to change that by going to the store in person.

Late that Friday night, Eliot and I packed up and took off for Massachusetts.  We'd decided to drive down the night before and to stay in a hotel across the street from the mall.  It was closer, and we realized that we'd get more sleep that way.  (We ended up getting just under 5 hours of sleep rather than only 1-2 hours if we stayed at home.)

Early on Saturday morning (at 5:00 am), our phone alarms went off and we bounced out of bed.  Eliot and I got dressed and packed everything up.  Thankfully, we had brought minimal stuff with us so it was quick.  We were in the elevator at 5:20, out of the hotel at 5:25 and in the mall parking lot at 5:30 where Jeremy was parked waiting for us.  I parked next to him and we talked for a few minutes.

The mall was supposed to open at 6:00 am, but more cars started to pull in.  We saw three women get out of their cars and rush towards the doors.  When the main doors didn't open, they headed to another one.  The three of us decided to gather our stuff and head over to the doors so we'd be ready.  Unfortunately, none of us saw where the women went and they disappeared to.  We assumed that they were also going to the Disney Store because no one walks that quickly into work or to go into the mall to walk.

We parked ourselves outside the main doors with our bags full of things to do and out camp chairs.  It was cold and we stood out like a sore thumb.  Thankfully, a nice older lady came over and asked what we were doing.  After explaining about the dolls and how we'd stayed in a hotel, she walked us over to the "back" mall entrance near security.  Before we knew it, we were inside the still technically closed mall, up the escalator and joining the already formed line outside the Disney Store.

We weren't sure what we were going to be up against with fears of the Coronavirus spreading, but it seemed like we weren't the only ones concerned with getting the dolls.  The three women we'd seen outside were there, along with another group of two women with children.  And the most welcome sight, the mall security guard who was talking to the others in line.  (I was so relieved that he wasn't upset with any of us being there early!)  Eliot, Jeremy and I set up our folding camp chairs and prepared to begin our four hour wait to store opening.  Thankfully, it flew right by...

I noticed that the woman directly ahead of us in line looked familiar.  I'd seen her at a few other key releases and told Eliot that I thought she was one of our mouse ear customers who I also follow on Instagram.  Long story short, after we saw her and her daughter last release, I was positive it was her.  I asked if she was who I thought and she said yes!  Eliot and I then introduced ourselves and said we ran Happily Ever Hatter.  (It really is a small world.)  I spent the next few hours talking to her and the other women ahead of us in line and making friends.  We talked about Disney closing, the Disney Store keys, collecting the dolls, Disney small shops and so much more.  

Time kept flying by.  At 8 am, Eliot and Jeremy left for a few minutes to go downstairs to get us Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.  When the Disney Store cast members arrived around 9:00 am, we talked to one of them (I think she was the store manager) before she opened the store up to go prepare with her staff.  She showed us a photo on her phone of a store in CA that had people lining up at 2:00 am for the dolls and we joked around with her about how dedicated we all were before she went inside.

Eliot and Jeremy packed the chairs up around 9:40 am and before I knew it, it was time to get our numbers.  The cast members gave us the rules and rundown of how it was going to work.  Due to the virus, they had changed their procedures and they were only taking 10 of us inside the store at a time.  They then handed out numbers for both the Anna and Elsa doll separately.  If you wanted both, they stapled the papers together to signify that we'd also get the Olaf key.  We ended up with doll numbers 4, 5, and 6.

Eliot, Jeremy and I were in the first group allowed inside, while waiting in line, I spotted the Jaq and Gus Cinderella mice plushes that I'd spotted the week prior.  I was having a few regrets about not purchasing them, so they somehow ended up in my hands before I was next in line to purchase my dolls.

Eliot and I went to the register together so I could look both sets of dolls over.  He was getting a set in case his mother wanted some.  (She's in California where you would have had to wait in line overnight outside to get them.)  I checked over all of the dolls and was satisfied.  We also purchased my Cinderella mice and a really nice Steamboat Willie tote bag that was a deal with a purchase.

After purchasing the dolls, another cast member was right outside the checkout area to offer us hand wipes.  We all cleaned our hands off.  Then, we grabbed everything and headed out to our cars to drop the dolls off.

Eliot, Jeremy and I went back inside to check out a few more things.  Jeremy headed towards Newbury Comics while Eliot and I went to the Lego Store.  We'd been waffling back and forth about getting the Lego Cinderella Castle set.  Ultimately, I left the choice up to Eliot and he decided we better get it.  It's been out since 2016 so we've been afraid that it would be retiring.  We've been talking about getting it with some of our tax refund money for years.  Luckily, we also got a few freebies because we purchased it when we did.  We also got a little Lego 40th Anniversary Train and a picture frame kit!

Jeremy met back up with us when we were checking out.  He actually had to put our castle in his car because we didn't have room with all of the dolls in my backseat.  (I'm not too worried about it... he'll bring it the next time we see him!)  We air hugged Jeremy goodbye.  He was afraid to give me a hug because I was going to see our parents and Nana the next day.  (Apparently, the girl behind him in line at the Disney Store was coughing her head off the entire time and he was afraid she was sick.)  

Eliot and I drove back over to our hotel to check-out.  We'd asked for a late check-out at noon in case we wanted a quick power nap after getting the dolls.  I was fully awake so we decided to just check-out and get on the road.  After leaving the hotel, Eliot realized he still had Jeremy's Nintendo Switch in his backpack so we called and told him to turn around.  We ended up meeting up at the mall long enough to drop it off.

After that, Eliot and I made our way back up to Maine.  We stopped at the McDonalds in Danvers (across the street from where I got my Alfred Angelo Disney Ariel wedding gown) and got fries and soda as a snack.  Then, we stopped at Michael's in Biddeford to grab a few things in case they closed due to the virus.  Ironically, Eliot's sister Elissa was coming into the store with a friend while we were checking out.  We talked with the girls for a few minutes before hopping back in our car and heading home.  We arrived at our house about 30 minutes later- totally exhausted but happy with our successful Disney Store Frozen doll mission!  

Eliot and I have had fun going down to the Disney Store over the past few weekends to get the dolls and the keys.  It's been really nice to see Jeremy so much.  But, we're glad that we won't have to drive all the way down to Massachusetts again anytime soon- especially with everything going on right now!  I'm relieved that we're all ok and that I can look back at this trip with fond memories.  Now, I just have to find a place in my office to display my new Frozen 2 Anna and Elsa dolls!  °o°

Disney Pixar Blog Hop December 2016

Welcome to the Disney Pixar Blog Hop!

Disney and crafting are a magical combination, and we are so happy you joined us to day for this blog hop.  Some of the crafters participating in this event have been doing this together since 2011!  Over the years the hop has grown but one thing has always stayed the same . . . amazing crafting projects that feature your favorite characters from Disney and Pixar movies.

For 2016 we are going to have a hop every other month for the entire year!  If you missed one of the hops we already had this year, you can still go back and see the projects.  For February click HERE, for April click HERE, for June click HERE, for August click HERE and for October click HERE.  If you are on Facebook you can like the group page so that you can be the first to learn about each upcoming event.  Just click HERE to go the the Facebook page.

To make sure you don't miss any of the fun, be sure to start at Shawn's blog to see all of the projects.  Just click HERE to head over to Shawn's blog and then follow the hop line up at the bottom of the post to see everyone's projects.

Olaf's Winter Snow Sign

For my project, I wanted to make something I could use to decorate our house.  Eliot and I are still getting settled, so we've decided to leave a lot of our decorations in storage this year.  Instead of making something just for Christmas, I decided to make it winter themed!  Now, we can enjoy it from now through February/March!!!

Of course, when I think of winter, I think of my favorite snowman Olaf!  I've had the idea to make a sign with a fishbowl as the "O" for a while now, and this was the perfect opportunity to finally bring it to life!  I love how it came out!

Want to make your own Olaf's Winter Snow Sign decoration?  Here's how I made it:

Materials:

Wooden Sign Base (I used one that was about 23" long)
"S", "N", and "W" Wood Letters
Wooden Circle Base
Fish Bowl (make sure it's about the same size as your wooden letters)
Acrylic Paints (shades of blue and turquoise, white)
Fake Textured Snow Paint
White Glitter
Olaf and Snowflake Buttons (I used the Disney Mickey snowflakes)

Newspaper (to cover your work area)

Black Craft Foam (I used thicker 1/4" foam that I found at Michael's)

Paint Brushes

Scissors

Hot Glue Gun

1.) Select Your Materials

This project requires selecting the correct proportion of materials.  First, you need a wooden base that will fit all of your wooden letters and the fish bowl.  Then, you also need to find a wooden circle base that covers the top of your fishbowl without falling into it.  Here's an example of how I checked my materials in my local craft store.

2.) Paint Your Bases and Letters

Paint your wooden base and the letters in your chosen color.  I decided to paint mine turquoise since it matches so much of the decor in our house.  For the base, I stuck with a dark blue color that would pop a little more against the snow.  I painted two coats on the top and one coat on the back.  Let the pieces dry completely.

3.) Glue Your Letters and Fish Bowl to Base

Once your paint is completely dry, use your hot glue gun to attach the letters to the base.  I laid them on the base where I wanted them positioned before putting glue on the letters and firmly pressing them into the base.  Once the letters are in their position, put some glue on your fish bowl and attach that.

Note: If your letters aren't flat, like mine, you might need something else to "prop" them up.  My "S" wasn't going to sit flat so I took a small piece of black craft foam and used it to hold the rest of the "S" up.  I cut out a random peanut shaped piece, painted it white, then glued it to the S before gluing both pieces to my wooden base.

4.) Add Extra Glue
After attaching the letters, I was worried that they might fall over.  I wanted to give the illusion of snow at the base, so I decided to cover the bottom front of the letters with a little more hot glue.  I used about 2 small sticks just making "snow" piles.  This also helped cover the foam I had to add to my "S" making the snow pile look more natural.

5.) Add Snow and Glitter
When the hot glue was finally dry, I used the textured snow paint to create the illusion of snow piles.  It has a consistency similar to a frosting so I carefully spread it over the little mounds using my paint brush.  This was the perfect way to cover the hot glue from attaching the letters.  I also added some to my circle base using a circular swirl motion to create a fun texture for the top of the fish bowl.  Once I was finished with the snow, I sprinkled a tiny bit of white glitter over all of the snow.  (Pay attention to the drying instructions: my snow takes about 24 hours to fully harden!)

6.) Attach Buttons
I used my Olaf buttons to decorate the letters a little.  I had a few places on my sign where it conveniently looked like Olaf was standing in the snow so I went with it.  Then, I added a few Mickey Mouse snowflake buttons for some extra Disney magic!

7.) Decorate Your Fish Bowl
Finally, the last part is to decorate your fish bowl.  I originally wanted to put an Olaf figure inside mine, but I couldn't find him.  You could put a figure, tsum tsum, candle, small plush, miniature scene, basically anything inside of the fish bowl.  The sky's the limit!  And, since it has a top, you could place something on top of it!  I played around with a snowflake ornament inside and then my Olaf plush on top!  But, I might change it around every few weeks.  Or, as a variation, you could replace the "O" fish bowl with a snow globe.  (You can usually find plastic ones at the craft store this time of year.)

Once you're settled on how to decorate it, you're done!  Find a place to show off your creation and enjoy Olaf's Winter Snow Sign!!!  °o°

Before you go, make sure to enter to win our prize for this hop . . .

We have a prize from KatScrappiness.com!  This prize pack includes a die set and 5 packages of sequins of the winners choice!  Choices must be from the current inventory.  Winners must be in the continental United States.

- - - 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Good luck, and enjoy the rest of the hop!

The full blog hop line up is below.  

Shawn

Ellen

Tammy

Melissa

Miranda

Cathie

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Isaac's Olaf Birthday Party

Hi friends!  It's been another busy week.  When I haven't been at work, I've been home trying to complete tasks on my growing to do list while listening to the Olympics in the background!  (I've made some progress today, but I think it's going to be another busy weekend.)  Thankfully, it hasn't been all work and no play!

Last weekend, Eliot and I went up to my parents' house for a weekend getaway.  My cousin's little boy, Isaac, was celebrating his third birthday!  You might recall that we also went to Isaac's Mickey themed party for his first birthday.  I helped Kaitlin plan some of that party.  This time around, he had an Olaf themed party.

A few months ago, I sent Kaitlin a bunch of ideas I'd found on Pinterest.  I threw Eliot a surprise Olaf themed party for his 27th birthday last year.  I still had a ton of ideas that I wasn't able to use.  Plus, this was more of a summer Olaf themed event.  Fun!

Eliot, Nana and I arrived a little early so we could help with some last minute prep work.  Kaitlin had me draw Olaf's face and buttons on the floating snowman in blue Jello, or "Happy Snowman."  I think it came out really cute!  Pinterest win!

We had a blast and I'm pretty sure all the kids had a ton of fun.  Kaitlin and David have the perfect backyard for hosting parties.  There's plenty of room to play.  There was themed food, an Olaf piñata, and even a water balloon "snowball" fight at the end.  But I didn't take photos of the water balloon fight.  I was afraid my phone would get hit!

I think my favorite detail was Isaac's birthday cake!  It was another idea off of Pinterest and it's so simple to make a cute beach scene using brown sugar!  The cupcakes were also really cute with their little sunglasses and umbrellas!

Happy Birthday Isaac!!!  I hope you enjoyed your Olaf birthday party!!! °o°

Hanukkah 2015

Ok, here's the last of my 2015 holiday posts!  (I'm finally caught up... yay!)  As I had mentioned in my Chicago post, Eliot's family spoiled us with Hanukkah gifts.  We got wonderful gifts and I wanted to make sure everything arrived home safely.  Eliot and I took two extra suitcases with us to make sure everything was packed safely and securely so things wouldn't get broken in transit.  Thank goodness for Southwest allowing two checked bags per person!  All of our gifts arrived home in one piece!

It was nice to spend time with Eliot's family on a few nights of Hanukkah.  It's the first time I've ever celebrated it with them.  During our gift exchange at the hotel, we lit a menorah.  The girls sang a bit of the Hanukkah prayers.  Then, we exchanged gifts.

Sara wanted everyone to open her gifts first.  She pampered me with Disney princess presents.  First, I got a Cinderella winter scarf, adorable gloves and a small wall art print.  They're all so cute!  Next, I opened some Disney princess bubble bath!  I can't wait to use it!  I also got a pack of Disney princess bowls.  The little containers are charming!  Finally, she got me a large princess coloring sheet pack!  I love to color!

Elissa gave Eliot and me our gifts next.  She had a shared theme with both of our presents.  She gave me an Olaf infinity scarf that I absolutely love!  It's perfection!

Elissa got Eliot a plush Olaf holding a San Jose Sharks blanket.  The Sharks and Olaf are definitely two of his most favorite things.  He loved it!

Eliot wanted to give me one of his gifts for Hanukkah and he insisted he bring it with him to Chicago.  I was thrilled when I opened a Hawaiian Minnie Mouse tsum tsum!

Rick and Nori got us each eight gifts, one for each night of Hanukkah.  I wasn't able to take pictures of everything, but I tried to get most of the gifts!  (Some of them, like my nutcracker Mickey, are breakable so I kept them packaged for Christmas storage.)  All four of us kids each got a fleece blanket.  I got Ariel and Eliot got Olaf!  Eliot and I got lots of holiday goodies including Mickey and Minnie Santa hats and plush.

Eliot got a Mickey snow globe and I got the matching Minnie globe.  We also got a few Christmas ornaments for our tree.  We definitely need a separate Disney tree now.  In fact, we might even need two to hold all of our Disney ornaments!

I got an awesome (not officially licensed) San Jose Sharks shirt that says "Sharks Fan By Day, Disney Princess By Night."  I love it and I'm sure Eliot does too!

Speaking of Eliot, he also got some Disney apparel in the form of two new Vans hats.

He also got an Olaf night light.  It'll go perfectly in our basement bathroom!

Can you tell we really love Olaf?  Haha.  Rick and Nori also got me these awesome Olaf earrings!  I've actually been admiring them online for a while now but I never ended up getting them!  They'll go perfectly with my new Olaf scarf from Elissa!

They also got me a Disneyland 60th anniversary photo album and a Winnie the Pooh Christmas Frame.  I love them!  We took so many photos at Disneyland!  And I love the picture frame.  I'll have to find a special Christmas photo of Eliot and me for it.

Eliot and I loved the Main Street Electrical Parade Mickey and Minnie shirts!

Finally, each of us kids received a Mickey Mouse blanket from the Disney Store while we were in Chicago.  It was on a special sale that weekend and it's so soft.  We definitely won't get cold during the long Maine winter with all of our new blankets!

Lastly, it wasn't a Hanukkah gift, but Nori was able to purchase the Disneyland Paint the Night parade ornaments that Eliot and I had really wanted.  I've always loved the ear hat ornaments and I wanted to put this set in a display case in my new office.  I figured it was a long shot since they were so popular, but she found them!  Yay!!!

Eliot and I are so thankful for all of our new gifts.  However, just like with Christmas, we're glad we had the chance to spend time with his family during the holidays.  We don't usually see them this time of year, so it was nice to have a few days together!  °o°

Splendid Scents of Snowblade Creations

The other day, our house smelled like Christmas and it was fabulous!  Eliot has been super busy with soaps orders lately.  I think he's actually gotten about five or six new orders in the past 2 weeks!  It's been crazy, but a good crazy!

I shared Eliot's Snowblade Creations Etsy shop when I first started my fun find features.  Back then, his shop was Disney pin jewelry, Mickey silhouette soaps and Vinylmation soaps.  A quick look at his shop today will yield the same results, but there's something that's taken over the majority of his orders: the Mickey Soap Set.

Recently, the Mickey Soap Set has been the most popular product he sells.  It's perfect for birthday party favors, for wedding favors and as Disney Cruise Line fish extender gifts.  In fact, Eliot's gotten orders for the soap set for all of those purposes!

The most popular purpose is for customer's orders for DCL fish extender gifts.  Eliot's made so many he's probably lost track at this point.  It's not hard to see why they're so popular: they're nice gifts you can use, they're small and they're fun Mickey parts!

Eliot has a wide variety of fragrances available.  He's got anything from Jamaica Me Crazy, Citrus Splash and Cucumber Melon to Lavender, Calming Water and Purely Peppermint.  Popular fragrances with the kids are Bubble Gum, Cotton Candy and Watermelon Mania.  My personal favorites are Cinnamon and Balsam and Bubble Gum.  The Cinnamon Balsam is Christmas perfection in a scent.  The Bubble Gum scent makes our house smell delicious!

Eliot's also made a few other designs.  The Haunted Mansion bats and Olaf soaps are newer to his shop.  And we've got a lot of new ideas coming!  For more information, check out Eliot's Snowblade Creations Facebook page!  If you're ever in need of a small gift, now you'll know somewhere you can find a great one!  °o°