Every morning I look out of my window to see the tree in front of our apartment showing off its neon red leaves against the fog and I say "can we keep the leaves?!" as I make my coffee.
The beginning of autumn is this beautiful thing. You have the upcoming holidays to look forward to, pumpkin spice makes its grand return to stores, and the leaves have changed but are still attached to the tree.
After this magic wears off, you get goopy black leaf mush all over the road in Oregon. Not so magical.
If you are looking for a last minute costume, give this one a try :)
xo,
Natalie
We landed in Florida, walked into the Magic Kingdom....and I instantly became obsessed with the "Autumn Time Mickey Wreaths" adorning Main Street USA. After talking to a fellow wreath admirer in the confectionary, I quickly learned that many want to buy these wreaths for their home but Disney doesn't sell them.
What I cannot buy, I make...and what I make, I share on this blog!
Here is how you can make your very own Main Street Mickey Wreath!
Disclaimer: This is not a quick project, it took me a week of spare time and a few tries. Be patient and give ample time for everything to dry.
Video How To:
Detailed Instructions:
1. Slice the craft pumpkin directly in half, This takes some serious arm work so ask a friend for help so you don't slice your fingers off. Pick the better half for the face of your Mickey pumpkin and either recycle or throw away the remaining half.
2. Probably the most difficult step of this project, you will need to carve the face into your craft pumpkin using an Xacto knife. My best advice is to stencil out your face with a sharpie and then begin carving from there.
NOTES: This step is seriously messy and may take awhile. Carving mine out took a few days of sitting in front of the TV and carefully carving away. You are done when you are deep enough to have a 1/4th inch crease, but be careful not to carve through the foam!
3. Paint the creases and space you have carved yellow, coat twice.
4. Now you will need to form the ears! I used Model Magic for this because it dries lightweight and is easy to form. There isn't really exact instruction for this, just combine three packets (colors) of clay and form each ear. To make sure that they would fit on my pumpkin head I let them dry around the left over pumpkin half.
5. Once the model magic is completely dry (48 hrs) spray paint the ears orange! Use quick light sprays in a well aerated area until ears are completely coated. Glue the ears on to the pumpkin head and you are done with Mickey Mouse!
6. To form the wreath you can go one of two routes, floral pins for temporary placement or hot glue for permanent. I went the hot glue route out of fear that the wind on my balcony might send leaves flying. There wasn't a super "set" way to do this, I just started placing leaves and flowers until it looked right and glued everything down. Save some leaves and flowers for the very end.
7. To attach the mouse head to the middle of the wreath glue the pumpkin back to a piece of cardboard, then glue the cardboard edges to the back of the wreath. Make sure everything is sturdy if you are putting it outside.
8. To get this wreath to look as much like the Disney Parks original as possible, fill in the remaining space with the extra leaves and flowers. The space between the pumpkin and the wreath should be completely filled in.
9. Hang it, and wait for the complements to roll in from your neighbors ;) You are done!
If you give this a try, tag me! I would love to see it!
xo,
Natalie
Have you ever been sick or not felt your best at Disneyland or Disney World? It is the absolute worst.
I have been compensated by Sundown Naturals® and Pollinate Media Group for this post as part of a
social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and
Sundown Naturals® but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #GoodnessGiveaway
#sharethegoodness http://my-disclosur.es/OBstV
Have you not
felt your best at Disneyland or Disney World? It is the absolute worst.
For my
18th birthday we took a weeklong trip to Disneyland that ended in me feeling
less than my best and it was the biggest struggle. Not only was it my birthday,
but I felt not my best on every ride and was the slowest version of myself.
Not
ideal, I assure you.
Today I
come to you with my 5 tips for feeling your best and staying healthy during
your Disney trip!
1. Pack vitamins (Multi, Vitamin C)- Vitamins
are a great way to integrate a mini "health" routine into your trip
and feel your best during a long park day. As a kid(read: still a kid
at heart, but an adult in form) I used to love gummy vitamins. It’s the perfect
excuse to eat what tastes like candy! Since everything at Disney is
maximum fun, I think that should extend to the vitamins that I pack as well.
I grabbed
some Sundown Naturals® gummy
vitamins at Walmart to pack for my trip in two weeks and they taste awesome.
This particular brand is gluten free, dairy free, and artificial flavor free◊ which is
extra great. I picked a multivitamin for overall wellness and a vitamin C to
boost my immune system, but you can see what vitamins may be best for you by
takinga short quiz here with a
coupon attached at the end!
2. On a multi-day trip bring "just in case" medicine
like Ibuprofen and Advil-
Just in
case you feel sick or sore from walking (!!!!), pack medicine like Advil to
have in your hotel room or on your person. Disney charges a premium for
medicine in the gift shop, so prepare ahead of time. One person can be the
designated packer for this and the whole group will be thankful just in case
someone gets sick.
3. Pack hand sanitizer, wipes, and Kleenex-
Pack your
bag or fanny pack with hand sanitizer, wipes if you have little ones, and Kleenex.
While the best thing to do is to wash your hands at a bathroom in the park, the
next best thing is having some sanitizer in a pinch. Single/mini packs of all
these things should be available at your local Walmart to save some space.
Wipes are
also great for feeling better in the middle of the day when you are
oh-so-sweaty and tired!
There is a whole post on what I pack for Disneyland that can be found here!
4. Drink water, its free!-
It always
surprises me when someone doesn't know this but just in case you don't the
water is always F-R-E-E at Disney Parks. Head to a food service counter, ask at
a Starbucks, or fill your own personal bottle at a water fountain. Staying
hydrated is the best tip I can give you for feeling great while at the parks!
5. Wear sunscreen, because sunburns are the worst-
You know
what’s worse than feeling less than your best? Feeling that way AND being
sunburned. Protect your skin, wear a hat, and load up on sunscreen to stay
happy and healthy.
All of
these things should keep you feeling happy and healthy on your next Disney
vacation!
PS. be sure to enter
the Goodness Giveaway Sweepstakes today! Head into Walmart and
purchase at least 1 Sundown Naturals® vitamin product for a chance to win weekly
prize packages and a grand prize! Every week, one winner will be selected to
choose from 1 of 4 prize packs – Yogi Pack, Fitness Pack, Foodie Pack, or a
$100 Walmart Gift Card. Simply upload a picture of your receipt here and you are entered for a chance to win some
incredible prizes now through 11/1!
xo,
Natalie
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. ◊Applies to all products manufactured after 5/1/15. Please check back of label as manufacture dates may vary.
There are a handful of great recipes that take zero talent, barely any time and end up tasting great. So when you find one of these gems you bookmark it, write it down, and print it out to ensure you don't lose it in case of emergency.
This recipe is one of those gems, pin it for later!
I found this recipe originally from my favorite source, Martha Stewart and made two small changes to the recipe below. I really don't like Mushrooms, so if you do sub the carrots for an equal amount of those. The only other swap was full-fat sour cream in exchange for low-fat, which was a recommendation in the youtube video I watched.
Putting the ingredients into the crockpot takes about 10 minutes, and the prep work required to serve it is about the same. Make sure to dissolve the cornstarch in some cold water initially, and add the fresh dill right at the end for best results.
Happy Crock-pot-ing!
xo,
Natalie
Its the spookiest time of year to visit a Disney Park and if you are planning an October visit, you might have one specific item in mind to snag as a worthy memento of your trip.
The one, the only, Poison Apple Stein.
This mug blew up on the internet last year, mostly on Tumblr and Pinterest. You can't carry it around in the park for more than 5 minutes without someone stopping you to ask "where did you get that mug?!?" and proceeding to head in the direction you pointed them in.
So the question I an many others have been asked so many times this month is where do you get it? Well I have created a comprehensive list for you guys AND a video, with that answer in mind. Here is how you can find THE poison apple mug on both coasts.
Something to note is that the mug is priced differently depending on where you buy it. Sometimes the mug is filled with fruit, ice cream sundaes, frozen lemonade, and if you ask you can just buy the mug plain and keep it clean to take home. I have tried to list the various prices where I can but if you know of a change or correction, make sure to comment and I will update the listing.
In Disneyland:
Maurice's Treats
inside fantasy faire, across from the theatre. Get the mug filled with a frozen beverage for $12.99. They also offer the mini poison apple glow cubes for $4.00 with any drink.
Big Thunder Fruit Cart
Across from the ride, next to the mark twain. Get the mug filled with fresh fruit for $10.99.
Haunted Mansion Snack Cart
Across from the ride, get it filled with a frozen beverage for $13.50 or get it clean and empty for the same price.
In California Adventure:
Mortimers Market
In the front of Buena Vista Street, right where Oswald does his meet and greet. Get the mug filled with fresh fruit.
Fairfax Fruit Market
in hollywood land next to the smoothie place, look for the building with the mosaic wall. Get the mug filled with fresh fruit for $10.99.
Clarabelles Ice Cream
right next to Starbucks on Buena Vista street. Sometimes I have seen the mug offered with a sundae inside.
In Magic Kingdom:
A note about Magic Kingdom mug access: As far as I know, the poison apple mug is only available during Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party. If someone has insight on this, please comment below!
Sleepy Hollow Refreshments
Right across (sort of askew) from where Jack and Sally meet in Liberty Square. Fill the mug with an apple pie sundae complete with caramel sauce.
Cheshire Cafe
right next to the teacups!
The Friars Nook
next to the "Winnie The Pooh" ride, get the mug filled with frozen lemonade and gummy worms. We got our mugs at this location during Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party.
As a last and final resort, you can always order one on Ebay. But it will run you double the cost of a mug at the park. Ive also linked a few poison apple items to browse in the widget below.
