Ariel and Alder

Two weeks ago Cameron and I were on a plane to Disneyland for a quick weekend trip (so sad how time flies, haha!) and had the opportunity to check out the newly remodeled Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel during our time there! The hotel was updated to coincide with the diamond celebration and had a grand "re-opening" this May. If you are a local or frequent visitor, you may remember this property as the Sheraton, and a whole lot has changed since then!

Pictured: Anaheim Magestic Garden Hotel/ Ortsenia Park Ears

Room/ The room was huge, and I mean HUGE! Like almost too much space for just the two of us, but for a traveling family it would be totally perfect. The room came fully equipped with a tv, a single serve coffee maker (very necessary, we had a 5am flight!), table/desk area, and a decent size bathroom. The decor was seriously gorgeous, walls were lined with forest wallpaper and the stained glass headboard was stunning.

My only complaint about the room at all was the shower and toilet, both were broken upon our arrival. Not a huge deal but worth noting, we called down to the desk but our stay was quite short so the time it took to get it fixed didn't quite match up. The desk was super sweet, these things do happen!

Proximity To The Park/ At first glance on a map, this hotel doesn't seem that close to the park at all but the shuttle ride makes it essentially right next door. Personally I liked that the property seemed secluded and far away from all the harbor blvd madness. When you arrive the main driveway is lined with palm trees, I liked this divide between "busy" time at the park and "down" time at the hotel.

The shuttle aka "the dream machine" runs between the hotel and the park every ten minutes and is completely free and easy to use. It pops you right to the front of the park and runs far past park closing so you can stay "in the magic" till the very last minute.

Disney Experience/Theming: For an off property hotel, the theming is pretty impressive! They have disney desk in the front lobby to help you with tickets and some photo opportunities to celebrate the diamond celebration. The overall "castle" theming also carries over the magic experienced within the park, I loved all the little medieval touches.

Food/ The food didn't blow me away, but was a solid option and was slightly less expensive than in the park. They also offer their own branded character dining and have roaming princesses visit your table which is always fun for kids!

Grounds/ So gorgeous! From the medieval castle exterior to the lush green corridors between buildings, everything is so immersive and serene. There are beautiful pink trees and big green plants, its such a beautiful slice of Southern California. The koi pond is also really fun, I stared at it for a good twenty minutes before we left for the park one morning :)

See more of what i'm talking about here!

Pricing/ Perhaps the best part of this hotel is what you get for the bottom line, a room here *on average* won't run you more than $200 a night. When I initially looked on Trip Advisor, the rooms were going for around 150$ which is super competitive for the Anaheim area. We paid 99$ a night on a media rate, and felt like we definitely got a great experience for what we put in.

Overall, we had a great weekend and would definitely stay here again for a Disneyland visit! Special thanks to Anaheim Majestic Garden for being so accommodating, and letting us check out the new updates :) You can see more of our weekend in this Youtube video!

Have a magical week!

xo,
Natalie

I have long admired the look of Cafè Lights incorporated in home decor ideas all across Pinterest, but as a 21 year old student my rental situation doesn't leave much room for installing lighting.

Usually we are at home our apartment in our college town and have been there for 2 years now, but Cameron got an Internship offer this spring that made us pack up and move closer to his job for the past three months. Tricky stuff, I hate packing and moving...but thats a whole other story.

Like I mentioned, our current situation is super temporary and involves all of our stuff in just one room so upon receiving these Cafè Lights, I had to get super creative on how to hang them. I needed something supportive enough for the lights to stay up, but light enough to not leave much damage behind when we move back home.

I managed to hang these lights with just three nails and a clamp, but I think command strips would have worked equally well if you wanted to be truly damage free. These particular cafe lights were better for this style of hanging because the top of the light allowed for flexible hanging options. There is a hole to hang by nail, hook, or even a zip tie!

Our little pup Baloo is always "lending a hand" or getting in the way, hah ;)

Overall, we love having these lights up! Especially considering that our situation is so temporary. I start to get stressed out when I'm unpacking, moving, or I can't find something because our home is split in two. So having something up on the wall "just for fun" makes our room feel more like a fort and less like a cramped tiny spot for a busy season of our lives!

Watch how we installed them in the Youtube video below if you are curious, It took maybe ten minutes total! Everything used or pictured is linked in the description as well, and you can enter to win your own set of Cafe lights in the giveaway widget below!

xo,

Natalie

This post was sponsored by Jasco a brand I truly enjoyed trying out and styling! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Ariel and Alder a possibility.

I love candles, which is obvious if you step into my home.

I put them on my desk, on our coffee table, dinner table, in the kitchen, on the bathroom counters, basically anywhere that has counter space. A good scented candle with equally cute packaging is a win/win in my book because you can use the container for organizational storage long after the wax is gone.

Northern Lights reached out to me to share some of their fragranced candles and as a candle nut I was thrilled to try them out. Naturally I thought I would share them with a Disney twist, and these two collections (Vintage Opal and and Jubilee) screamed "Princess Jasmine" in both color and detail.

Vintage Opal Candle ($17.99)

This little candle is one of my favorites, It comes in a beautiful mercury glass container with a Moroccan detailed lid. So so cute and perfect for a boho bedroom or bathroom.

I love the three paired together, you get a beautiful blue hue when combined and the fragrances actually pair pretty well together.

Tropical Lagoon/ Waterfall Mist/ White Pepper and Lemon Zest

I have linked all the Jasmine colored candles above for you guys to browse, I think #candlebounding needs to be a thing from now on :)

xo,
Natalie

One of my favorite parts about heading to the park? The ears!

These days buying Minnie or Mickey ears at a gift shop is only one of your options when selecting headgear! You can find SO many cute styles on Etsy too! I love the idea of disney lovers being a part of a bigger "mouse" centric global community, so buying unique ears from an online shop is a great way to support your fellow Disney community members.

Summertime is an especially fun time to sport pineapples, florals, and polka dots! Here are a few of my seasonal favorites!

xo,

Natalie

If you didn't know, I opened up an Etsy store! Which means I am shipping out hoop orders and a big part of my time now is spent at the post office.

Regardless of if you find a hoop in the park (#natalieshiddenhoops) or buy one online, I want it to arrive to you with a little Disney magic infused. Today I have partnered up with one of my favorite stationary brands (Minted!) to show you a few different ways to incorperate their enchanted stars collection onto your mail.

These are also perfect for a Disney-related wedding invite, which was their original purpose!

Watercolor Stickers (starts at 10$)

Round Sticker (starts at 10$!)

Custom Stamps (!!!!!)

Overall I loved how everything looks and am excited to start slapping them on outgoing packages! You can shop everything pictured in the widget below.

PS. whats special about the recipient the pictured on this envelope? hehe ;)

xo,

Natalie

Wanted to post an update on the blog regarding my youtube channel! I have been having fun testing out different filming methods and creating DIY and Travel videos for you guys, its a little out of my comfort zone which is great!

I have linked all current videos and posts below! Let me know what future video content you would like to see in the comments below and be sure to subscribe if you like what you see :)