DIY Glitter Mickey Shirts

Disclaimer...I'm not a crafty person. After a few requests on how to create the shirt below, I decided to share how we did. I don't claim for it to be the best way and it's certainly not the only way!

We've always bought shirts on Etsy for our Disney trips. My mom decided to purchase a Cricut so we could try our hand at making them for ourselves.  She bought the Cricut Explore.

It took me a little while to figure out how it works.  There seems to be 2 different ways to use this.

1. Print and cut. With this method you can print on your color printer, then bring it back to the cricut and it will cut it out for you. I have some plain white Iron on paper that I'll try this option with later.
2. Just cut...that's the method I finally figured out to make the above shirt.

Ok so here's how we did it...it's actually pretty simple. I used Cricut's online design program, Design Space.  I bought a Mickey head silhouette ($1.49) and simply made it the size I was looking for.  I had bought some Glitter Vinyl paper at Michaels. I think it was about $8 for 4 colored sheets.

You simply put the Iron on Vinyl on the green mat that comes with the machine...click GO and it cuts out the shape!I repeated this with the Snowflake and Kennedy's name.

 After all were cut out my Mom cut some of the "arms" off the snowflake and lined them up with the Mickey Head.  Layout your design, cover with a pillowcase and iron for about 40 seconds... VOILA!

I'll be trying a  few more things about before we leave so stay tuned!

 

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30 Days of Disney - Day 1

I know what you are thinking...FINALLY we get to the good stuff!! Although I hate to disappoint you...Day 1 is never very exciting! Let's talk a little bit about the preparations leading up to Day 1 shall we?

1) The BIG decision...do we fly or drive? I wrote a whole post about why we decided to drive vs. fly...except then airfare dropped in price...and we have a now 6 month old that still doesn't love car riding so our decision was confirmed. We fly!  We are actually flying two different carriers in order to get the best price. That's why I recommend using www.kayak.com as they show you all available options. We are also flying from a nearby city because even with the combined mileage/gas to get there, it was still cheaper! I'll have another post coming up about traveling with the little one's.

2) Packing! We have less than 30 days to go so I'll start my list. I really love this list from Disney Under 3 though! This is our first time traveling with BOTH kids so we need to be super organized!

3) Miscellaneous... I had a few odds  and ends to do to get ready for the trip. One was sorting out our stroller situation (post on that coming up), deciding to order groceries or pick them up ourselves, reserving our rental car and more!

Now that we have full prepared for our trip, let's talk about the actual trip!

Who
We covered that a bit in a previous post but it will by myself, hubby and our two girls.  My parents will also be joining us for most of the trip.

When
We'll be heading to Disney in early December.  My family LOVE Christmas, not to mention that it worked out to go between my husbands semesters at college. It's been two years since we've had a family vacation!

Where
On our arrival night we are staying at Pop Century but for the rest of our vacation we'll be at Port Orleans French Quarter! I love that this resort is smallest of all the resort and my daughter is so excited for the Serpent Slide!

Why
We have a few reasons!

• Hubby wrapping up his last semester of classes 
• Kennedy's first BIG girl trip
• Finley's first trip...ever!

But mostly it's just for family time. As this was my husband's last semester of classes we've barely seen him.  Between classes, teaching and working nights we are all in desperate need of some family time!

 

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30 Days of Disney - Magic Bands

Magic Bands...what are they? How do they work? When do you get them? I get these questions on a daily basis! So let's talk about them! 

So what are Magic Bands and who gets them? Well if you are an on-site guest YOU do!! If you are staying off-site they are available for purchase.  

From WaltDisneyWorld.com:MagicBands are colorful, waterproof wristbands—resembling a watch or bracelet—that you can quickly and easily touch to a sensor called a touch point.  

Cool  right?  You are wondering HOW do you get them right? Well remember in my last post I talked about creating your My Disney Experience account and linking your resort confirmation? Well once you do that you'll notice a section called Magic Bands and Cards!  There are TWO steps you need to complete to get your Magic Bands in advance and in the color you want.

1) Confirm your address!  Once you go into the Magic Band section you'll see a place to make sure your address is correct. Magic Bands ship automatically around 28 days prior to arrive so make sure it's right!!

2) Select your color. Right now Disney only has seven colors to choose from; Red, Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow, Orange and Grey.

If you customize your MagicBand between 9 and 5 days before your arrival at Walt Disney World Resort, you will receive it when you arrive at your Disney Resort hotel. If you do not customize your MagicBand, you will receive a non-customized MagicBand or card when you arrive at Walt Disney World Resort.

Ok now you know what they are and how you get one...why do you want one? Check out all the cool things the Magic Band can do!

Looking to spruce up your Magic Band? I'll be doing a review of TWO different company's that sell these awesome covers!

 

Stay tuned to find out what color Magic Bands we picked and what our cover's look like! Next up the start of our Itinerary...Day!

 

 

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30 Days of Disney - My Disney Experience

Since this is my first official 30 Days of Disney post, I figured it would be best to start at the beginning...My Disney Experience!  Some love it, some hate it...but let's talk a little about how it works and what it does.  I'll say upfront while it's not without some issues, most people have no major issues and problems can quickly be resolved

Ok so where do you start? I would recommend if this is your first time using the system to NOT set up your account until you have your reservation booked (if you are staying on property).  Simply go to startyourdisneyexperience.com and create your account.  After your account is set up, you'll simply put in your Confirmation Number!

 

So why should you set up an account? A few reasons!

-Manage your dining reservations

-Manage your FastPass+ reservations

-Access your Photopass photos

-Add tickets to your Magic Band

-It's FREE!!

Plus while in the parks you can access wait times, check restaurant availability, see maps and more! While this app is a really great tool while you are in the parks, things do happen sometimes so be sure you take screen shots of your dining and fastpass reservations JUST IN CASE! I'll also be sharing some more tools with you in the next 30 days!  

We are all linked up!

• Resort Confirmation Added
• Online Check-in complete
• Magic Bands ordered
• Dining reservations added
• Fastpass+ reservations made

I've added the app to my cell phone and we are ready to go!  Next up...more on Disney's Magic Bands!

 

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30 Days of Disney - Intro

I debated writing this post...most of you know me and my family by now but we have new friends joining us every day so I though why not! We need a place to start right?

What better place to start than with the cast of characters right? 

Well first up is ME...your resident Travel Expert! I'll be the one writing all the posts, posting the updates, organizing the trip...etc!  Everyone had input into the trip on what they wanted to do, what they didn't etc, but I helped bring it all together! 

Did I mention that my little family all has something to celebrate? What am I celebrating? Well that's a secret for now (and NO it's not a new brother or sister for the girls).

Next up is my  handsome husband.  It's been 2 years since he's been to Walt Disney World. He works incredibly hard...working with mentally challenged adults at night, and going to school and student teaching during the day. He's most looking for some family time as we don't see him much these days. What's he celebrating? The end of the semester!

Who's next? Our first born...sassy, smart and adorable Kennedy.  While she's already been to Disney 3 times, this is her first BIG girl trip (that's what she's celebrating). We talk about Disney daily, she watches all the TV specials and already has her wardrobe for the trip set (all Princess dresses of course).  I can't wait for everything that we have in store for her!

And last but certainly not least is our littlest, Finley. Finley is celebrating her very FIRST trip to Walt Disney World (outside Mom's belly of course). She'll be 7 months old and loves anything her big sister loves!

But we don't stop there!! Nana and Papa have decided to join our Holly Jolly Christmas vacation! We are excited to have them join us and so are the girls. Nana and Papa aren't celebrating anything...except maybe an amazing and well deserved vacation!

That about covers it! We are LONG overdue for a family vacation and we all LOVE Christmas!  Disney here we come!

 

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