Snow, Sickness and Songs

Since February started, I haven't been on here as much as I would have liked.  Eliot and I have been busy around here, as usual.  Not to mention that in the past two weeks, we've gone from 55 degree days, to the frigid teens, to below zero... from having no snow to gaining another 8 or so inches.  Thankfully, some of it melted down before the frigid temperatures arrived.

Unfortunately, in addition to the cold temperatures and snow, I've also been fighting off a cold for the past week and a half.  I can't seem to shake it.  I'm not completely miserable, but I don't feel 100% and the headaches are annoying.  I also keep waking up in the wee hours of the morning.  What I wouldn't give for a solid night of sleep!

I've kept myself busy though.  Staying busy seems to take my mind off it anyways!  I've been working on some more ear orders for Happily Ever Hatter, including a special pair of ears for one of my Key to the World travel friends.  I also really enjoyed making last weekend's tsum tsum Valentine's Day wreath for the Disney Pixar blog hop.

I've puttered around the house cleaning and organizing things here and there.  We're making a lot more progress on our master bedroom and that's really encouraging.  I'm hoping to move a few more things around in my office this weekend!  

I've had one miserable night at work when I was burning up with a fever, but other than that it's been good.  In fact, we got so much snow this past Monday that we ended up canceling all of our appointments and rescheduling our patients.  It's probably a good thing because the roads were treacherous on my ride home!

I have tried to make time to rest and relax.  I've spent more time on the couch than I care to admit.  Luckily, I've had some work I could do from home.  Eliot and I had a relaxing movie night last Saturday.  We watched Tangled.  Then, I didn't feel inclined to do anything else (other than sit on the couch) so I watched our new copy of Aladdin.  I caught the Disney Channel airing of Mulan early in the week and then I watched Teen Beach 2 on Thursday.  Finally, I watched Descendants last night when I got home.

Lately, I've been enjoying getting back into my Disney Music.  I hadn't had much of it on my newer computer.  Now that I do, it's basically all I've been listening to.  The Disneyland 60th show songs are my newest favorites!  In addition to that, I've also been listening to Eliot's "We Love Disney" cd in the car.  When I'm working on blog entries, I've been listening to Kyle Landry's Disney piano music in the background.  It's beautiful and he has a Disney playlist already made on his Youtube channel.

Hopefully, in the next few days I'll finally be rid of this cold.  It's so chilly outside that I've already planned to stay inside all weekend.  This morning, I helped Eliot package a soap order for an Etsy customer.  Now, I'm going to rest up, work on some things around the house, enjoy my time on the couch watching more Disney movies, add more Disney music to my computer and sketch out more of my hat designs!  Yay!!!  °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°

Make A Wish

Hi friends!  I wanted to follow up with a story I shared with you.  Last week, I told you about a package that Eliot and I sent to a very special little girl named Scarlet.

Last Saturday, Scarlet found out she is going to Walt Disney World through Make A Wish.  Her Wish Granter ordered an Elsa ear hat from my Happily Ever Hatter store.  As I mentioned, Eliot and I wanted to spread some extra Disney magic.  We also included snowflake hair clips, bubblegum scented Mickey Mouse soaps and an Olaf soap.

A few days ago, I got a letter in the mail from Make A Wish thanking us for helping to make Scarlet's wish come true.  It was a beautiful letter and it brought tears to my eyes while reading it.  Scarlet's Wish Granter also enclosed was a Make A Wish magnet, which now proudly hangs on our refrigerator.

Last week, Scarlet's Wish Granter emailed me pictures of Scarlet at her party.  She gave me permission to share them.  Here's Scarlet opening the box with the Elsa hat. 

Her Wish Granter told me Scarlet didn't want to take her hat off after she opened it.  It's made me feel really good to know I made her something that she will cherish so much.  I absolutely love her Elsa outfit!

She also enjoyed the soaps Eliot made her from Snowblade Creations!

I'm so happy we could help make this little girl's wish come true.  I hope Scarlet has an incredible trip and that her family makes many magical memories together.  °o°

Anniversaries and Ear Hats and Soaps, Oh My!

Hey Friends!  It's been another eventful week!

As most of you know, our second wedding anniversary was this past Saturday.  We didn't do too much for it since we both had a lot of Etsy orders we've been trying to get done.  However, we did make the time to go out to one of our favorite restaurants: Longhorn Steakhouse.  It was definitely yummy.  Eliot stuck with his usual beer and a burger but I had a wonderful watermelon margarita, steak and mac & cheese... soooo good!  We also grabbed cake from the grocery store.  (I love any excuse to eat cake!)

I was busy last week with Happily Ever Hatter orders.  I've made a new record for myself: I finished six hats in one week!  I made 3 Anna ear hats and 3 Elsa ear hats!  I also designed an Elsa stretchy headband for an infant.  It was a busy week but I'm so glad to get all of these orders out!  I've felt so behind ever since I got sick a few weeks ago.  Eeyore even helped me package one of the boxes which was on it's way to Walt Disney World.  (Although, he tried to tape himself to the box in an effort to stow away.)

Eliot has been busy making soaps with his Etsy shop, Snowblade Creations.  He's had an order for a favors for a birthday party, fish extender gifts for a Disney cruise, and a huge wedding order of about 80 soaps!

We also mailed out a special package yesterday.  It's on it's way to a very special little girl named Scarlet.  She's going to find out this Saturday that she's going to Walt Disney World through Make A Wish.  Her Wish Granter ordered an Elsa ear hat from me, but Eliot and I wanted to spread some more Disney magic and pixie dust.  We also included four snowflake hair clips, four bubblegum scented Mickey Mouse soaps and one Olaf soap.  I can't wait to hear how her party goes this weekend!

My job has been going well.  We've been working on getting ourselves back up and running.  We've found a new office space.  I actually got to go with my boss to help with our interior finish selections yesterday.  We've picked the paint colors for the walls and door trim, the baseboard color and the carpet color.  We also decided which finishes she's going to order her new adjusting tables in.  It was really fun to help with finish selections!  It's been a while since I've done that!

Finally, I'm trying to make a list of the Happily Ever Hatter items I need to make myself over the next few weeks.  I'm planning on bringing a few different headbands to Walt Disney World for KeyCon!  I just started one pair today, but I have a lot to do!  I really need to get cracking on that!  I leave in 15 Days!  Woo-hoo!  °o°

Fun Find: Frozen Frenzy

It's time for another Fun Find Friday!  As you know, I loved Frozen.  (A lot of people did!) We're all aware of the Frozen Frenzy that's going on at the moment with merchandise.  It sells out within minutes.  (The re-sale frenzy on eBay is even more insane.  $1500 for a kids' size Elsa dress?  Wait, what?!?)

I admit, I'm definitely a part of the craze.  The movie was great.  I loved the music, storyline, characters, designs and details, the ice castle, rose-mailing, etc.  In fact, I loved it so much that I completely geeked out when we were at Walt Disney World this past January.  I even wrote a post about all of our Frozen Experiences while there.

And it didn't end there; I've been getting sucked deeper into the Frozen phenomenon. Once Upon a Time including Frozen characters this season? Can't wait.  Soundtrack? My go to shower playlist.  Merchandise... ummm... is it too late to plead the 5th?

Here are my confessions of a few ways that I've contributed to the Frozen Frenzy:

Scrapbook Supplies-  Ok, so it started out fairly innocent.  As you may remember, I got my photo taken with Anna and Elsa when Eliot and I visited Epcot in January.  Naturally, I wanted some supplies to scrapbook the occasion.  I found supplies on Scrap Your Trip.  I got the Anna and Elsa paper/die cut sets, a Frozen die cut, as well as this awesome ice castle paper.  (The ice castle paper was obviously a must!)

Stickers-  I found these stickers at Wal-Mart.  Ok, so maybe I've seen them a few times and bought one (or two) packs each time.  I can stop myself any time I want to.  (FYI: The glittery set was in the greeting card section.  The square stickers were with the party supplies.  Finally, the big pack of stickers were next to the posters.)

Poster-  Which leads me to another Frozen purchase, this new poster.  In my defense, I've been looking for artwork for my office.  I figured that a poster from one of my favorite movies would be appropriate.  I love how it has all of the characters.  I eventually chose this particular poster because it also included the ice castle and Arendelle.

Photo Source: Hot Topic

Coloring Book-  We love to color and Eliot and I have a huge collection of coloring books and crayons.  (In fact, we each have our own set.)  I saw this jumbo coloring book in Wal-Mart and it was begging to come home with me.  Bonus: more stickers!

Back to School Supplies- No, neither Eliot nor I are going "back to school" this fall.  But that doesn't mean we don't use folders, pencil cases or notebooks!  We found the Frozen items at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart and Target and brought a few things home from each store.  (Ok, maybe "a few" is a stretch...)  

My favorite thing from this adventure?  The adorable Olaf thumb drive. We got the last one from our Target.  Thankfully my family found a few at the Target near my brother. Otherwise, Eliot and I would have had to fight it out over who got to use it.  I'm glad we both have one now.  (Although, I was winning- he's already got three thumb drives!)

Lithograph from Comic Con-  My Dad and brother Jeremy went to Comic Con in San Diego a few weeks ago.  This is the third time they've gone, and they always come home with awesome presents for me.  In the past, I've gotten Harry Potter limited edition Tonner Dolls, and a Hogwarts Castle Lego set!  This year, Dad and Jeremy got me this awesome limited edition Frozen print by Amy Mebberson!  It's so cute!  I love it and I can't wait to get a frame for it so I can hang it above my desk!

Photo Source: Dark Ink Art

Hot Topic Order- This is arguably my biggest contribution to the Frozen hype.  I've been eyeing the Frozen items on Hot Topic most of this summer.  About a month ago, they had a really good deal to cash in on Hot Cash, and Elissa had a ton she wasn't going to use. (Eliot and I made sure her coupons didn't go to waste!)

Photo Source: Hot Topic

I caved and got the three tanks I'd been watching all summer.  (Why did I get three?  I simply could not pick between Elsa, Olaf and the adorable stained glass design.)  Eliot had to have the Olaf belt, which he's worn basically every single workday since it arrived. (So much for me attempting to "borrow" it.)  I also got the Frozen socks since I was just shy of the amount needed to use the coupon.  No regrets, they're super cute!

Photo Source: Hot Topic

My favorite thing from Hot Topic was the Frozen Fair Isle Skater Dress.  This dress is amazing.  It fits well, is stretchy and comfortable.  The pattern is stunning.  The details make it a great piece.  Not only does it have silhouettes of both Anna and Elsa, but it includes beautiful rose-mailing designs and Elsa's tiara.  I can't wait to wear it!

Photo Source Top Left: Hot Topic

Olaf Charms- I found these cute Olaf charms online and I had to order some.  I'm planning to use them for some craft fair projects.  But I'm probably going to make myself a necklace or bracelet with them too.  (There are some adorable Olaf earrings at Wal-Mart these would go nicely with...)

Eliot's Soaps-  Eliot recently got some molds to make Frozen soaps for his Etsy shop Snowblade Creations.  So far, he's only released Olaf, but there's definitely more to come.  I've helped him with photographs and came up with the slogan "I don't know why, but I've always loved the idea of bubbles, and soap, and all things sudsy..."  Pretty creative use of Olaf's quote about summer, huh?  ;-)

Happily Ever Hatter-  Finally, you guys know all about my Frozen inspired accessories from Happily Ever Hatter!  I've made Anna and Elsa hats, snowflake hair clips, and an Anna ear headband.  I'm currently working on an Elsa headband design, as well as a few other top secret designs!  (Stay tuned for those!)

I'm sure this isn't the last of the Frozen stuff.  I'll get (or make) more merchandise to show my love of all things Frozen!  My birthday and Christmas are right around the corner... ;-)

All in all, I guess we're not too bad.  It could be worse right?  I haven't run anyone over in my attempt to get Frozen merchandise faster than someone else.  And I'm not buying it in bulk to re-sell on eBay for profit.  I'm an adult who loves the movie, characters, songs and storyline- and that's ok.  If you don't like it, go thaw your Frozen heart!  (He he.)  °o°

Party Preparations

Hi Friends!  My past two posts have been pretty heavy so I thought that I'd lighten things up a bit today.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'm helping my cousin Kaitlin plan her son's first birthday party!  The party is this weekend and I've been keeping myself busy this week with projects for it!

Isaac's birthday party theme is Mickey Mouse!  We added a little bit from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse since that's how all of the kids will know the characters.  I was so excited when Kaitlin approached me last spring and asked me to help plan the party.  (I'm known as the resident Disney expert and fanatic.)  When Kaitlin visited us a few weeks ago, we started making the piñata and Isaac's birthday outfit.  Here's how the party preparations have progressed:

Party Invitation
Before I got too involved with other projects, I designed a quick digital invitation for Isaac's party.  We decided it would be easier to invite everyone online.  The Facebook event has the same details as the invitation, but I still volunteered to make one.  I love using Illustrator and InDesign to design things!  And I already had the Mickey parts designed from my calendars and our Disney Side BBQ Party invitations.  It didn't take me any time at all to make this invitation photo for the event page!

Mickey Piñata
I've never made a piñata before.  However, after reading a few posts on Pinterest about it, I figured it was something I could do.  It's not quite finished yet but this piñata has turned out way better than I could have hoped for!  I'm really very proud of it!  (I'll probably end up writing a tutorial for you so you can make your own!)

Isaac's Birthday Outfit
Kaitlin approached me with this idea of a onesie with suspenders and a tie.  She sent me the top center photo and I found the top right as another example.  After examining the photos, I thought we could make something similar.  She took care of the shorts. Meanwhile, I bought ribbon for the suspenders, made the "1" and Mickey Mouse shapes, and cut the tie out.  I gave her the pieces last weekend and she sent me the bottom right picture in a text message of the completed outfit!  It turned out really cute!

Top Center: ChicCoutureBoutique Top Right: ShopAntsyPants

Signage- Food, Party Hats and Favors
Kaitlin wanted signs for the food and favors and I volunteered to make those too.  I knew making signs for Isaac's party would be really easy for me.  It didn't take any time at all since I used the same Mickey parts designs as the invitation.  Kaitlin and I used Pinterest to get ideas for the names of the food.  I love the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse inspiration!

Birthday Sign
I decided to make a birthday sign as a surprise for Isaac's party!  (Kaitlin doesn't even know about it yet!  Shh!!!)  I designed the letters in InDesign and added a few Mickeys. It's so cute! Originally, I wanted to cut it out on my Cricut machine.  Instead, I opted for the scissor option since we're running out of time.  (Eliot knows how to work our Cricut but he's been busy making the party favors.  I figured I could handle using scissors; they haven't failed me yet!)

Soap Favors
When Kaitlin first approached me with the party theme, I suggested Eliot and I make soaps for party favors.  We've sold a lot of soaps as birthday and wedding favors and they're really practical.  (Kaitlin wanted something the kids could go home and use- not a bunch of candy and cheap toys that might end up breaking.)  Eliot's been working on these this week and our house smells amazing.  I'm sure the kids will love these bubblegum Mickey parts soaps from Snowblade Creations!

Birthday Party Hat
Of course, no party is complete without a Happily Ever Hatter designed Birthday Party Ear Hat!  Kaitlin's made Mickey Mouse ear party hats for the rest of the kids, but Isaac is getting his very own party hat custom made by yours truly!  (I still have to make Isacc's hat but this is one I made for another little boy celebrating his first birthday last weekend!)

We've still got a few more loose ends to tie up, but we're almost done with all of the projects!  I don't know about you, but I think it's going to be a great party!  °o°

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Hi Friends!  Wow.  Has it really been 10 days since my last post?!?!?  Yikes!  

I've been really busy as you can imagine...

Eliot's away this week on vacation and visiting his family in California and then going to his sister's college graduation this weekend in Colorado.  Last week, I checked in on my cousin's cats a few times while he was away.  I've been trying to get a lot of organizing done while Eliot's not here!  I finally had a few minutes tonight to sit down and blog! Hopefully once Eliot returns, I can get back to my normal routine.  Here's what I've been up to since you last heard from me:

My parents came down this past weekend for Mother's Day and to help me clean out our garage.  It was a super productive Saturday.  Our garage looks amazing.  It was nice to have a few extra sets of hands to help move everything around!  Our grill and the patio furniture are back on our deck.  I also put my flower pots on the front porch!  Now that it's warmer, they just need some flowers!  Plus, it hasn't been getting dark until 8:00 pm!  It's finally feeling like spring is here!  Yippee!!!

On Sunday, I got to visit with my brother, parents, grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin for Mother's Day!  We went over to Old Orchard Beach to meet up.  Nana loves her pier french fries so we thought we'd treat her for Mother's Day.  It was a great time filled with a lot of love and tons of laughter.  I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day too!

Photo Source: I'm a thief and I stole these from my Aunt Sherrie's Facebook!

Sunday night was the season finale of Once Upon a Time.  Jeremy was the unfortunate soul stuck in the car with me while we drove around.  He was subjected to all of my theories, desires and ideas about the 2 hour season finale.  Thankfully, he's an amazing brother and he had some of his own speculations that he shared with me.  Yay!  I'm not completely alone in my dork fest!  Although, he did laugh at me quite a bit when I took a picture of the yellow bug we saw on the way to Old Orchard.  (I may or may not have proclaimed it as Emma Swan's car and told him to follow it to Storybrooke.  I mean, we do live in Maine after all!)

Once everyone left, I sat down to finish my Once Upon a Time project.  I made a Snow White wedding dress ear hat inspired by the mother of the savior!  I thought it was totally appropriate for both the season finale AND Mother's Day.  I still need to finish taming the feathers, but I'm pretty happy with the result!

As for the show itself, WOW!!!  I am not afraid to admit that it brought me to tears; I laughed out loud numerous times ("behold, the Rolly Joger!"), and it was a-maz-ing.  I actually watched it twice Sunday night... and then I watched it again on Monday. (Remember- I already fully admitted to my dorkiness.)

Photo Source: Once Upon a Time Facebook

And then there was that ending... What?!?!?  Elsa?  In Storybrooke?  Frozen is coming!!! Is it next fall yet?  Please....?  Between Mother's Day and Once Upon a Time, Sunday was easily the highlight of the whole week so far.

Photo Source: Once Upon a Time Facebook

Eliot had a huge soap order the night before he left.  I've been organizing things around the house in between making batches of soap!  I finally mailed them out yesterday and I'm really proud of how they came out!  I've made soaps for Eliot before, but this was a big undertaking for me to do by myself!  20 sets of soap made, packaged and mailed out!

The rest of this week, I've been keeping busy organizing the house.  Today I went through the containers of breakable stuff in our guest bedroom.  I unboxed a ka-gillion picture frames.  We collect them from places that we've been.  Tomorrow, I'll distribute them all around the house!  (This isn't even all of the Disney ones that we have!)

  
Finally, my hubby might be away for the week, but he hasn't completely deserted me. I've been receiving lots of pictures and text messages from him throughout the week.  It looks like Eeyore and Duffy have had quite an adventure.  They had their own seat on the plane, went to Sea World, have had tons of snacks, and have made a new friend!

Photo Source: Various Text Messages from Eliot

Hopefully, you will hear from me again in the next few days!  I've got a girls' weekend planned with my interior design friends from college, but after that, things should return to normal with my blogging schedule... I hope!

Oh and don't worry!  I didn't forget about my blogiversary!  Once Eliot is home, I have a few surprises in store for you guys!  °o°