May 2016 | Ariel and Alder
Another month has passed (how?!) which means another Smugglers Bounty showed up on my doorstep. I unboxed it on Snapchat and realized mid-unboxing that the theme this month was "Bounty Hunters", which I love! I would love to see more female character boxes coming up, but this one was my favorite box thus far. 

Let me start off with the fact that the Boba Fett Figurine in this months box is SO cool! I love the orange/ombre jetpack bubbles holding up the figurine and this one is now a favorite in our collection!

This months pin was Bossk, which is dope. Cameron and I fought over him since this is the coolest pin we have received, so the pin is *temporarily* residing on Camerons cork board.

Honestly the pin and patch that come with each box is my favorite part, I put patches all over my embroidery bag so I love to get new ones to add!


The other figurine that came in this box was IG-88, he is super cool but it cracks me up how skinny he looks next to our other figurines. Its a little hilarious!

Overall I loved this one! Be sure to check out Smugglers Bounty if you know someone who loves monthly subscription boxes and also loves Star Wars. I didn't know I needed it until it started arriving, now its my favorite day of the month!

xo, Natalie

This post was sponsored by Funko, a brand I truly love! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Ariel and Alder a possibility.
On Monday I had the chance to attend an early screening of Alice Through The Looking Glass, and its safe to say although I was excited to go my expectations were very very low. The first film was kind of a dud for me, but I always attributed this to the fact that I loved the cartoon and the comparison was just trying too hard in my mind.

Long story short, I loved this one! And I think its because I had little to no expectations going in. 

The "Time" character (Sacha Baron Cohen) was so well done, and I really enjoyed seeing Alice as a strong female character fighting for her independence. The scenes were bold enough, bright enough, but not forced like they were in the first one. My only word of caution, is to not see it in 3D. 

Overall, worth seeing! It comes into theaters today.


Perhaps more anticipated than the film itself was the Urban Decay collaboration eyeshadow palette themed like the movie. There was a lot of hype surrounding this palette, and I was really impressed with the results. 

Disney was kind enough to send the palette over along with the O.P.I nail polish collection, so to celebrate the films release I will be sharing my thoughts and giving some of these goodies away!




The palette is so gorgeous and has a ton of hidden features and nods to the film. One of my favorites is the quote along the drawer and the purely decorative butterfly door. There is a ton of brown, tan, and grey within the shadows which made me so excited because the green, purple, and pink colors are just a little less practical.

My favorite colors are:

-Looking Glass
-Dormouse
-Kingdom
-Bandersnatch
-Time



My initial thoughts were that this was something to use on special occasions, but I have been integrating the colors into my usual makeup routine and I now think that its a perfect investment piece in terms of everyday makeup. The fact that its also Disney themed, just a bonus in my book!






My favorite thing is 100% the crease brush they include with the shadows. I have a hard time finding a great crease brush and the one they provide is one notch above the usual sponge applicators you normally receive with these things. Such a practical and useful inclusion!




Overall, 9/10 would recommend! I will be giving away some stuff on Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter so follow along to win some "Through The Looking Glass" makeup and other goodies. Leave a comment below for an extra entry.

Happy Weekend!

xo, Natalie

Crafted in partnership with Walt Disney Studios
I hate Mondays, but I like mermaids! 

There are so many adorable mermaid items popping up for the summer that I thought I would round some up and share them here on the blog. Seashells, mermaid mantra tees, pastels, and fantasy infused accessories are all on trend right now and I cant get enough. I love a great mermaid themed accessory and anything shell shaped instantly gets added to my cart! (case and point)

Here are some cute things I found over the weekend!

















Mermaid Brooch ($7.50)

Sign me up for a few of these cute things and a mental trip to the beach and it doesn't even feel like a Monday ;) Have a great week friends!

xo, Natalie

Working on embroidery projects kicked me back into the crafting mood and I have some fun DIY content to share with you guys this summer, starting with this easy planter project! 

I originally saw this idea for a cactus garden made of rocks on Pinterest and instantly thought about how fun it would be to have one with a "Hidden Mickey" in it! I love searching for hidden mickeys in Disneyland and Disney World so having a few hidden at home is right up my alley. 

Since its always a little more clear to show you how I made this instead of just telling you, I made a how-to video on my Youtube channel


Click here to watch!


My overalls were the best purchase ever! (last worn here and here)


You will need:

-Ceramic Pot
-White Paint or White Nail Polish
-Hot Glue Gun
-Mod Podge or Sealant 
-Pen
-Scrap Paper
-Paintbrush
-Rocks!


I have linked the video for you below! I am making a solid second attempt at more video content since I failed post-new years resolution, Ha! I will be adding more and more to my channel as I craft (hopefully!).

Let me know if you try this one out! 

xo, Natalie
We adopted a dog! Her name is Baloo, she is so so sweet and we already love her. All of the details about how and why we got her, her age, how we are training her, what she likes, and other info is below the photos in this post. We are learning so much everyday and are loving every minute of being new dog owners. This is something we have wanted to take the plunge on for a long time, and now we don't know how we ever lived without her.

Welcome home Baloo, we are so in love with you!






Name: Baloo! We named her after one of our favorite characters in The Jungle Book. We considered a few Disney names before coming to a quick unanimous decision. We saw the live action re-make of the film the weekend before we got her, so Bill Murray's performance as Baloo sealed the deal for us. Her nicknames are Balooberry and Loo!

Age: 3 months, 6 Days

Adoption Story: We had been looking into adopting a puppy for about 6 months and Cameron was really passionate about not going through a breeder, If you have been through this sort of thing before you know that you have to check the humane society listings often and move fast. We had lost a few puppies to other families in the process and just when we thought we were going to give up Baloo became available. We dropped what we were doing on a Monday night and ran to meet her. It took us ten minutes to fall in love with her shy and sweet demeanor, and after that she was officially ours. 

In the end I am glad I trusted Camerons judgement and decided to go with a shelter dog, so many people surrender their pets and litters of puppies and kittens. Through all of this we met so many sweet dogs that deserve loving homes, I would recommend checking your local shelters to see if there is a fit for your family and lifestyle before going to a breeder. A dog is a dog in the end, but we felt better knowing that the money we spent on her was going towards helping other dogs find homes. 

Breed: Honestly, no clue! We know that her face markings indicate a German Shepard, and she is definitely part Lab, but the other day we heard her bark and think there might be some hound in her as well! We might get her DNA tested so that we can talk to our vet about her breed specific needs but otherwise we kind of like what a unique mutt she is!

Likes: Her chew toys, new bear toy, puppy playtime, walking, laying on the couch with us, her kennel, going for car rides, playing in the park, and these treats!

Training: With all the literature we read beforehand, we armed our house with we-we pads and are shocked that she hasn't had an accident inside the house!! Its like she bizarrely came to us already potty trained to go outside and we think it might have something to do with living in the shelter. Chewing is a 50/50 problem with her but her new teeth are coming in so we bought her extra chew toys and some bitter apple spray for the stuff she needs to stay away from. Overall she gets better everyday, more social, less shy, and is able to sit on command now. We are thankful because it could be a lot worse and cant wait to start her official training classes.

I will be posting more about her on the blog since she is such a big part of our lives now! Feel free to ask any puppy questions or just connect with us regarding your own dog. Our favorite part of this whole process has been meeting with so many dog owners in our area :)

If you want to keep up with Baloo, you can follow her on Instagram (@baloo.the.pup) or add me on Snapchat. I post videos and photos all the time since we are so obsessed with her!

xo, Natalie
A ton of you have asked questions about my hand embroidery habit so I have some great posts lined up with all those answers. Stay tuned within the next few weeks for more about stitching, but for now here is what I use to embroider on the road!

I explained this on Snapchat last week, but one of my embroidery hoops takes up to 90 Hours! It depends on the design itself but in order to embroider and well....have a life (!!) I need to be able to utilize my time and do it on the go. I stitch in the car, on planes, in waiting rooms, and even occasionally at Disneyland if the lines are too insane. Portability is key which is part of why I latched on so hard to this craft when I started. 

I fit the "essentials" into this palm leaf crossbody bag (c/o), which at just under 40$ was a steal for how perfectly it fits everything. It looks really adorable with pretty much anything (aka I'm not embarrassed wearing it out in public like other crafting bags) and is overall pretty sturdy.

I love it! Here is a peek at whats inside:


Scissors! A must have with stitching anything, you can buy fancy embroidery specific ones but these ones from Target have suited me well and the bag I use is deep enough to house them. When I am in Disneyland or at the airport and I have to keep security measures in mind, I use these safety scissors!


I have really enjoyed adding a few patches and pins to my little bag, the palm print canvas is perfect for it! I added a "Star Tours" tag from Disneyland this past trip and a Marvel Collector Corps patch from last months box.


I keep my thread in a color sorted thread box that cost me about two dollars from my local craft store. This big box slides just perfectly into this bag and I feel like its some sort of small convenient miracle that it worked out do perfect. When I need to really cut down on space, I just take the colors that I know I will need that day and then pop them back into place later on.


I also keep this pouch (same sizing match, fits right into the bag next to the box!) full of raw hoops, plain white fabric, and fabric swatches for #NataliesHiddenHoops




Pretty simple, but having a organized bag that I love for this hobby really makes me happy to keep doing it. I always have what I need and I'm never without something to work on. 

Happy Monday! You can shop everything mentioned in the widget below

xo, 
Natalie

Remember that Star Wars subscription box from Funko I talked about a few weeks ago? Well Funko reached out to ask if I would be interested in the Marvel version of the box to share with you guys, to which I replied "Heck YES!"

My dad is the biggest comic book fan! There was seriously a point in my life where his collection filled up a good portion of the garage, so its safe to say that even though Marvel isn't usually my favorite (its third next to Disney and Star Wars) I'm super familiar with the storylines and characters. Growing up with a Marvel parent has me especially up to date on the topic of superheroes fighting other superheroes. My brother and dad used to argue these hypothetical topics over and over again at our dinner table. Hulk beats Iron Man, Spiderman out tricks Ant Man, and The Flash...well you didn't even see him in the first place.

"Captain America: Civil War" comes out this weekend and there is tons of hype surrounding this film. I am excited to see it for myself and will be hitting up a screening in Portland to do so with a bunch of other local nerds. The Funko box theme this month was centered around the films release and it has me psyched for the movie. The goodies inside were all interesting, but the Captain/Iron Man figurine set is the golden goose of the whole box. 

PS: Next month is "Women Of Power" and I couldn't be more stoked!! You can sign up for the box here, I will be sure to unbox that one on Snapchat when it arrives!


A very handy lanyard, for pin collecting!




Super excited to see Black Panther in a Marvel film!!


 



And in case you were wondering, I'm #TeamCap hands down! Not a huge fan of Tony Stark.

Have a great weekend!! And if you see the film, share your thoughts in the comments below.

xo, Natalie

Next PostNewer Posts Previous PostOlder Posts Home