Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating those you love!

Eliot and I don't have any big plans this year.  Last year, we went all out celebrating Valentine's Day by going to two Disney on Ice shows in less than 24 hours.  It was definitely awesome, but it was also a little bit crazy for one weekend.

As I mentioned yesterday, Eliot and I are spending a quiet weekend at our house.  The temperature is below zero and with the wind chill it feels even colder.  We're planning to spend most of the day working on some more projects around the house.  Maybe we'll take a break later in the day to watch a movie and relax!

Valentine's Day may be low key this year, but it's still been good to us.  My parents got us a card, a big box of Hershey's miniatures, and a gift card to Chili's!  Eliot and I love Chili's so we'll definitely have to go out to dinner sometime!  Eliot's parents got us a box of chocolates and some conversation hearts... yum!!!

This year, Eliot and I didn't plan on getting anything for each other.  However, that flew out the window because I found the perfect gift.  We'd spotted Olaf-Snowgie pajama pants at JCPenney before Christmas.  At the time, our local store and the JCP website were both out of our sizes.  The other day, I happened to spot them online when I was ordering something else!  They were in stock in our sizes and on sale!  (Yay!!!)  The couple that wears matching Disney pjs together, stays together.

I also got some Disney Princess shoe chocolates.  We'd found them in Target a few weeks ago, and we bought them figuring they'd sell out quickly.  They're really cute!

Eliot also got me a Disney Valentine's Day card!  I love it!  He's the best!!!

It's going to be a great Valentine's Day!  I hope you have a fantastic day as well!  °o°

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°

Fun Find: Disney Medley

Hello friends!  Today, I wanted to share a Fun Find Friday that I stumbled across the other day while browsing Facebook.  You might have seen it already, but if you haven't- stop what you're doing and take five minutes to watch this video!  You won't regret it!

I love Disney medleys; I also love a cappella.  This video is extra special because it features the a cappella group, Voctave.  You might recognize some of the singers as performers from "Voices of Liberty" in Epcot!  It also features Kristin Maldonado from Pentatonix and Jeremy Michael Lewis from AcoUskiKats.  

The medley is absolutely beautiful.  I love the combination of "See the Light" (Tangled), "You'll Be in my Heart" (Tarzan) and "Go the Distance" (Hercules).  These are three of my favorite Disney songs and it seems like Hercules is always overlooked.  I'm so glad they included it in this medley!  The entire song is also available to download in iTunes!  (I've already added it to my Disney music collection.)  I hope you enjoy it!!!  °o°

There is Magic

"Have courage, and be kind."

While I never heard that exact quote until last year's live action Cinderella movie was released, I'd like to think that I've always strived to live up to it.  My parents taught me the value in being a good person, a loyal friend and showing everyone kindness.

Photo Source: Terrell Family Fun

Growing up, sometimes it seemed like the good guys always finished last.  I know I'm usually rainbows, unicorns and sunshine around here, but it hasn't always been that way.  Sometimes, it seems like life is taking me along for a wild rollercoaster ride.  And you all know how much I love those... not.  Fortunately, I've finally found my groove.

We all go through rough times, but in doing so, it makes the good times so much sweeter.  I've been reflecting about the past few years and I'm just so thankful for everything we have now.  A few short years ago, Eliot and I were living outside of Boston paying outlandish prices for our apartment.  I was miserable at my job.  I had great co-workers, but I felt taken advantage of and lost in the corporate structure.

Today, Eliot and I both love our jobs.  We have a beautiful new house that we are so blessed and grateful to have.  We have a loving family and great friends.  (We only wish we saw some of them more often!)  Both of us have been blessed with what seems like endless creativity.  (Something I thank my lucky stars for daily.)  Because of that, we both have wonderful side businesses that we've created and truly enjoy.

Photo Source: Daps Magic (edited by me)

And then today happened.  While I can't fully disclose what happened quite yet, I'm incredibly grateful and humbled by the acknowledgement I received.  I'm so thankful for my parents and for everything that they do for me.  I know that I've always made them proud.  They spoil me rotten, and I know it.  I'm forever indebted to them for all that they do for us.  But today, something clicked.  It felt like a personal triumphant victory.  An acknowledgement of all my hard work.  The prize for the fruits of my labor.

So tonight, I smile and look forward to the celebration to come.  When Cinderella "gets to go to the ball" if you will.  After all, "where there is kindness, there is goodness.  And where there is goodness, there is magic."  °o°

Happy Birthday California Adventure

Today is California Adventure’s 15th Birthday!  California Adventure was a much needed addition to the Disneyland Resort.  Disneyland wasn’t the right home for some of the Walt Disney World attractions Disney planned to bring to the west coast.  Plus, with large crowds at Disneyland, it was clear that an expansion was necessary.

I personally love California Adventure.  It’s seen a lot of changes in it’s first 15 years, but I think it’s a great theme park.  There are a lot of unique shows and attractions there too!  Here are some of my California Adventure favorites:

While it’s no longer there, the Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular was a personal favorite of mine.  Frozen takes it’s place this spring, and while I’ll miss the Aladdin show, I’m looking forward to seeing what Frozen brings to the park!

One of my favorite rides at California Adventure is Grizzly River Run at Grizzly Peak.  I love water rides and this one is sure to get you wet!

Eliot had to make sure I included his favorite: California Screamin’.  I have not, and will not, go on it, but it does look like a fun ride for those who like roller coasters!

Mickey’s Fun Wheel is not only a great park icon, but it’s absolutely stunning at night time when it’s all lit up in a rainbow of colors.  Absolutely stunning.

Another fun ride that’s often overlooked is Monsters Inc.  It’s another dark ride, but it’s really cute.  I love the Monsters Inc storyline and it’s cute to go on.

The place I could sit for hours and be content is the Animation Building.  I love watching all of the screens with Disney movies showing while music from the movies plays.  This is also the only place I can go take an animation class now that Hollywood Studios closed.  I love this place!!!

The best themed section of the park has to be Cars Land.  You literally feel like you’re walking through the movie at night when all of the neon signs are lit up.  We didn’t spent much time there last trip and I’m looking forward to exploring Cars Land a little more next time!  I'll be sure to take more photos too!

Last, but certainly not least, my favorite part of California Adventure is definitely World of Color.  I finally saw it for the first time this past trip to Disneyland in September and it was incredible.  The rainbow of fountains, projected images and music created an amazing show.  I'm not going to lie; it's so wonderful that I cried.

Happy 15th Birthday California Adventure!  To many more adventures!  °o°

Disney Pixar Blog Hop- February 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 attempt to have a hop every other month for the entire year . . . February, April, June, August, October and December.  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 her blog and then follow the hop line up at the bottom of the post to see everyone's projects.

Melissa's DIY Project: Gimme Tsum Lovin Wreath

For my project, I wanted to make a decoration for Valentine's Day.  My husband and I recently moved into our new house and all of our holiday decorations are still stored away while we get settled in.  Those of you frequent my blog know I have a slight obsession with tsum tsums.  (They're the newest Disney craze.)  The words "tsum tsum" is Japanese for "stack stack" and they're based off a popular phone game.  I love them and had to combine Valentine's Day with my love of all things tsum tsums!

The result was this cute "Gimme Tsum Lovin" wreath!  I've wanted to do a play words since the idea popped into my head.  (Ok, so it's really pronounced "soom soom"; it's close enough!)  I love how it turned out!  It was easy to make and took me about an hour and a half to complete- including time for the paint to dry.  Want to make one for yourself?  Here's how I made my "Gimme Tsum Lovin" Valentine's Day wreath!

Materials:

Tinsel Valentine's Day Wreath
Small Wood Sign
Acrylic Paints and Brushes

2+ Tsum Tsums (I used Valentine's Day Mickey and Minnie)
Craft Foam (red, blue, pink and yellow)
Chenille Sticks (make sure they match your tsums)
Pencil
Black Sharpie
Hot Glue Gun

Scissors
Small Wooden Letters (not pictured, optional)
Vinyl Tsum Tsums (not pictured, optional)

Steps to Make Gimme Tsum Lovin Wreath:

1.) Paint Wood Pieces
First, paint your wooden sign (and letters if you have them).  I painted two coats of each on the front of each piece.  I also did one coat on the back of the sign since you can see the back of it when it's hanging on the wreath.

2.) Cut Out "Tsum"

Next, find the Disney tsum tsum logo online.  (I used the bottom half of the logo.)  On your craft foam, sketch out the logo lightly with a pencil.  Cut the letters out.

Tsum Tsum logo copyright Disney.

3.) Assemble "Tsum"
Arrange the words "gimme tsum lovin" on your sign to make sure it all fits.  I started by gluing on my craft foam "tsum" and then I outlined it with a black Sharpie marker to give it the outlined look the logo has.  I traced around each letter and then drew on the outer edges of each of my foam letters to create my sign.

4.) Assemble Sign
Once your "tsum" is done, glue the rest of your wooden letters on.  If you don't have wooden letters, sketch your text in pencil and use paint or a Sharpie to fill it in.  You can also cut letters with a Cricut or Silhouette machine.  (Mine is still in storage, so I had to stick with what I had access to!)  There are numerous ways to create the sign.

5.) Attach the Sign and Tsum Tsums
Use the chenille sticks to attach your sign and tsum tsums to the wreath.  I looped one stick through my sign and then twisted the back to the bottom of the wreath.  With the tsum tsums, I wrapped the chenille stick around their bellies, making sure the tags were tucked under it.  Then, I arranged them on the wreath by twisting the sticks into the wreath form.  (Note: you could hot glue the sign and tsum tsums to the wreath, but I didn't want to permanently attach my precious tsums!)

6.) Add Vinyl Tsum Tsums (optional)
You could stop right here if you want.  (Your wreath should currently look like the top left photo shown below.)  I wanted to add more tsums because I can never get enough of them!  I tucked some vinyl tsum tsums into the wreath form.  Then, I stacked a few of them near the base of the wreath display.  Again, you can glue them if you chose to.

And there you have it!  I absolutely love my new tsum tsum wreath Valentine's Day decoration!  If you decide to make one for yourself, I'd love to see pictures!  °o°

Before you go, make sure to enter to win our prize for this hop . . . a Disney paper pack from Queen & Co. 

The paper stack will not even be shipping out to stores until late February 2016, so you can have it before the stores are even selling it!  Note: Due to the fact that we received this paper stack so early, it is considered a promotional proof and there could be some slight variations from what will be shipped to stores.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Good luck, and enjoy the rest of the hop!

The full blog hop line up is below.  

The full blog hop line up is below.  

Shawn

Jessica

Melissa

Ellen

Miranda

Lori

Nancy

Tammy

Midge and Madge

Jenny

February 2016 Calendar

Happy February everyone!  The first month of 2016 is officially in the books and this year is flying by already!  Of course, that can only mean one thing: it's time for another one of my free Mickey and Minnie Mouse Printable Calendars!

This year, I've also made a blank version (without the holidays) to make them more versatile.  My calendars have been used for many things over the past few years including: Disney trip countdowns, teachers' Disney themed classrooms, training calendars for runDisney events and to surprise kids with a Disney vacation!

Here's the link to download the February 2016 PDF version of the printable.

Here's the link to download the Blank February 2016 PDF version of the printable.

Feel free to link this post up to Pinterest or Facebook so your friends and family can have a fun Mickey and Minnie calendar too!  Let's spread the Disney Magic!!!  °o°

Note: I've made calendars through 2016.  I don't post the PDF links on my blog until the beginning of each month.  If you're looking for a particular month and would like me to email it to you ahead of my post going live, you can send my blog an email at mydisneylifeblog[at]gmail.com.  I'll send you the PDFs directly as soon as I can!  :-)