A Little Magic at Home

I have seen many a cute way to keep the Disney magic going at home on Pinterest.  Just one problem, it's a little hard to do when you are planning a SURPRISE trip super far in advance.  Because of that our magic is being saved for the surprise announcement and the trip itself.  However, there is one place the magic lives on forever...in the boys bathroom.

When we moved into our house I let the big brother choose whatever theme he wanted for their bathroom.  We'd had a beachy theme in our old house because the bathroom was a hall/guest bath as well so I didn't want anything too kid-centric.  However, since this bathroom is upstairs and we have a half bath downstairs I put the beach themed items in the downstairs bath and he chose Mickey for their bathroom.  We bought some Mickey themed items at Target, but the bathroom seriously needed something more to jazz it up.

I had seen some super cute signs with reminders to "wash your hand" and "brush your teeth", etc.  However, even searching on Etsy I couldn't find any Mickey themed ones.  So I decided to make our own.  I don't own any fancy programs like Photoshop or anything so they are simple, but still came out super cute!

I started by spray painting some frames yellow.  Well, the Gunny helped with that one.  I bought black frames thinking if a  little black showed through it would look cool.  They required a few coats as a result, but they looked good when finished!

I then downloaded a free "Disney" style font called Waltograph to my computer.  I simply created three signs (because everything looks better in odd numbers, right?) in Word using the font.  I chose "wash your hands",  "flush the toilet" and "brush your teeth".

Then I cut out Mickey heads using my Silhouette Cameo in a fun red with white polka dots scrapbook paper.  I attached the Mickey heads to the bottom of the page after printing them up.  then I had to trim the 8 1/2x11 paper down to the 8x10 size of the frame.





Once the paper was fixed to the right size I simply placed them in my bright yellow frames and voila! 



After I had the frames ready to go the Gunny and I hung them up in the bathroom where they're easy for the brothers to see them, even if only one of them can read them right now!  I love that we added a quick pop of color to the room with very little effort.  I love that the whole project was about $15 even more!  (I probably could have found cheaper frames, but I was picky about the "hooks" on the back.)

When the big brother saw them he was so excited!  I told him I made them so I never had to nag him again.  He thought that was pretty cool, and a little funny, too!

Now we just need to paint the room!  Since we hate painting with a passion, this is probably a little ways off.   But for now, we've made one more room in our house look like we live there.  Bonus is that we're keeping the magic alive for our kids, without ruining the surprise!  How do you keep the magic going at home?

Disney Fund Update - July

What a fabulous month for the Disney fund!  We sure needed to make some progress and I'm happy to say we did!  Here are our deposits for this month:

$25 - Surveyhead
$30 - Opinion Outpost
$3.29 - Pam Rebate
$6 - Anheiser Busch Rebate
$6 - Pinecone Research
$1.70 - Ebates
$15 - Military Opinions
$57 - Yard Sale
$10 - Corona Rebate
$19.28 - Ebay Sales
$500 - Sold Bunk Bed

Total Deposit: $673.27
Total Savings: $851.70

There you have it folks!  I'm pretty stoked that we came so far this month.  It is and probably will be our biggest month thanks to selling the bunk bed, but we also won't have to shell out the cash for a new bed and bedding, etc in the upcoming months so I hope it continues to grow at a good rate.  I've been slacking on my surveys and such this past week with the 4th of July holiday so I need to get back into my routine so I can continue to add to our fund!  As such, I need a little less typing here and a little more survey clicking so next month's update is just as grand! 

Disney Details #4: Splurge

Sometimes I just can't help myself.  I am trying my best to save money and coupon my way to Disney.  But when you see these great OPI Minnie themed nailpolishes I just couldn't resist.

At least I only bought two colors.  Because there was at least one more I HAD to have, but resisted.  I think these will make for fun summer pedicures.  That I give myself to save money!

 I got these adorable colors at Ulta to spoil myself a little.  Maybe I'll do a fun Disney manicure before we go.  But for now I think this purchase might officially qualify me as a little obsessed with Disney.  A little being the key word!  Hey, at least I'll have cute toes!

Disney Details #3: Autograph Books

Getting his book ready!

This Disney DIY is still a work in progress, but so far I'm in love!  These autograph/scrapbooks are a true labor of love.  They are time consuming for someone like me who's a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to scrapbooking.  On our last trip to Disney we weren't sure how into the character autographs the big brother would be.  We bought him one of the standard books at the last minute when we ran into Buzz Lightyear, his favorite character EVER!  The book definitely did the trick, but thanks to Pinterest I wanted something bigger and better this year for him, and the fussbucket too. 

After pinning a million ideas my friend Jennie & I got together to work on our books and I started on the inside pages first because I had an idea and couldn't find any paper I liked at our local Michaels.  I really wish we had a nice scrapbooking store, but I guess it's not all the rage like it used to be.  Either way, we had fun working on them and I plan to continue to build pages over the next couple months, but wanted to share the general idea of what I'm doing. 

I always draw up a little design for my pages before I do them.  It helps me visualize what I'm doing, even though I always have to fiddle with things as I put it together.  I love how the covers turned out!  They are so fun!  I'll be adding some ribbon to the top, but wanted to wait till I was done with the inside pages so it's easier to turn them all.   Yes, they're a little sparkly, but it's all part of the magic, right!

The inside cover has a great fireworks and castle scene!  My plan is to put a family picture opposite it after the trip. 

The rest of the pages follow the same model of scrapbook page on the "top" and autograph page on the "bottom".  The boys will get an autograph on the bottom page for each character and we'll put a picture of them with the character on the top. 

I have quite the list of characters to do based on our character dining and those C got autographs for last time.  I figure then there will be blank pages for any who pop up that we get autographs for and we can do the decorating when we get back home. 

I did make the books almost exactly the same based on the papers I had on hand.  My main reason for this is that even though my kids are 10 years apart, there is still that sibling rivalry so I didn't want anyone to feel left out. 

Now the challenge is to finish these before our trip!  The autograph pages are relatively quick once I put my mind to it and find paper I like that matches the characters.  That's the catch 22!  I have one more week to work on them before C gets home, then they'll have to wait till he's back in school so we can keep the surprise element of the trip.  This is the one project I wish I'd gotten more done of, but a week is a week so we'll see what we can check off the list between now and then.  Either way, they'll get done and I'm positive that these will only increase the magic for my kids, not only for the trip, but for years to come!

Disney Details #2

This is the first installment of what I should call DIY Disney I guess.  The first of my many Disney oriented projects I'm working on while the oldest is away.  The joys of a surprise trip mean that I can only work on things when he's not home so I've been trying to check some of these off of my to do list while he's gone so I can focus on the other projects when his eagle eyes and ears return!  I, of course, have a million Disney ideas pinned.  There's one problem...I don't sew.  For some reason in my home ec class we never learned how.  However, I CAN sew on a button so when I saw this project on Pinterest I knew I could handle it!

These adorable button shirts were so cute and so easy I couldn't resist.  Plus, all the materials for these four shirts cost about $25 tops so I made four shirts for the price of one at Disney and they are much more unique.  As I said this project is so easy I can do it so here are some quick instructions in case you don't want to click the link:

The Fussbucket's Shirt

1.  Cut out a Mickey silhouette shape.  I imported an image into my Silhouette Cameo, but you can google to find one online and size it as needed.

2.  Trace around the Mickey cut out with Tacky glue.  (The gold bottle in the craft section of Wal Mart or found at your local craft store.)

3.  Place buttons in colors & pattern of your choice on glue outline.  Wait for them to dry.

4.  Sew buttons in place permanently. 

5.  Done.  You are the creator of a super cute Mickey shirt for your Disney trip or your Disney fanatic. 

The Big Brother & The Gunny's Shirts

The little brother's shirt looks similar to the inspiration post, although it might be a wee bit crooked now that I'm staring at a picture.  But I don't think he'll care!  I decided though that my 12 year old and the Gunny may not want a giant Mickey made out of buttons so I got them polo shirts and put the Mickey on the breast of the shirt.  (Although according to the Gunny Mickey is 'huge" so I guess it's all a matter of opinion.)  For mine I put Mickey in the lower left corner of the shirt for a little something different. 

Little brother counting buttons while I try to take pictures.

I wanted the shirts to be matchy matchy without being too matchy if that makes sense.  Even the Gunny says they're cute so I think these shirts are crowd pleasers, even if they are cheesy!  My plan is to where them to our first day at Magic Kingdom.  Hopefully they'll make for some cute pictures!  I'd better make sure I pack a Tide to Go stick since we'll all be wearing white!   I just can't wait to see my whole family in our shirts.  That will be the true reward, even if the almost teenager rolls his eyes at me!

Disney Fund Update - June

I'm Dreaming of a Disney Christmas!

Well, it's been one month since I last updated you on our Disney fund.  It's coming along slowly but surely.  I really need to be better about putting a set amount into the fund each month besides the additional deposits from outside sources.

Deposits since last update:

-$30 from Opinion Outpost*
-$5 Miller NBPR Rebate
-$10 "Found" Money**
-$2.19 Lysol Rebate

Total Deposits: $47.19
Total Saved: $178.43

*TIP: Opinion Outpost is a great survey company where you earn points for surveys taken.  When you have 100 points you can cash out for $10 via PayPal.   I've found them to be easy to use, that I qualify for a fair amount of surveys and that the points add up quickly.  I was able to cash out three times last month!  Not too shabby!

**TIP: Found money is any extra money I find in my budget.  For instance, if I budget $150 for the electric bill, but it's only $140 then I would have $10 of "found" money to add to my Disney fund.  The same is true for the grocery budget.  If, at the end of the pay period, I have $10 left over in my grocery budget then I add it to the fund.

Here's to hoping I can at least triple, if not quadruple, the deposits this next month!  Momma's got a lot of saving to do!

Disney Fund Is Underway!

That's right!  You heard it here first!  I made my first deposits into our Disney fund!  Keep in mind, every little bit adds up!  Don't be surprised with the little baby steps!  This deposit was pretty decent actually:

• $92.30 earned at a consignment sale selling clothes & other kids items that we no longer use
• $29.30 refund from On-Star

Total Deposit: $121.60
Total Saved: $131.24

Obviously we have a ways to go, but we will be making regular monthly deposits as well to be sure we meet our goal.   I'm optimistic that we'll be able to make it!  Watch out Mickey, 'cause here we come!

Ready for Rebates!

In the past I've only submitted a rebate for my phone.  But recently I read a blog post on Couponing to Disney about using rebates to grow your Disney fund.  Since we have limited time I decided this was something I need to take advantage of.  Today I am prepping my rebates to mail off.  They're rather easy to put together and mail off.  The price of a stamp is well worth the return!  Here are some of the rebates I'm working on today:

1)  Lysol Dual Action Wipes.  You can download the form here, but the purchase must be made by April 30th.  Since this date is fast approaching get on it!  They will refund the purchase price of one canister of Lysol wipes.  These are something we use regularly, although I haven't tried the dual action ones yet so getting some was a no brainer!  Plus, I had a coupon for $1 off of two so it saved me even more money!

Everything I need to mail in for the Lysol rebate.

2)  Science Diet Ideal Balance.  Also, a try it free promotion.  I regularly use Science Diet food, but getting to try a new type for free is great!  This was also a great deal as it was $1 off at Pet Smart.  Then I had a $5 off coupon I used cutting the price in half.  To top it off I had a coupon for a free can of wet food with purchase of dry food so I really made out.  You can download the rebate here!

3)  Miller 64 $5 Rebate for meat purchase.  This is a no beer purchase necessary (NBPN) rebate I got off ebay.  They reinburse you for the cost of your meat.

4)  Landshark $6 Rebate.  Another NBPN rebate.  I bought chicken and they will refund me $6.

5)  Corona $10 Rebate.  Yet another NBPN rebate for meat purchases.

Here's the deal.  I obviously purchase meat on a regular basis so the NBPN rebates are great!  I am refunded for the items I need to feed my family or clean our home.  Then I take the rebate and put it into our Disney savings fund.  Basically, thanks to rebates I should have about $33 in rebates coming in 6-8 weeks for our Disney fund.  While I spend the money on stamps and I purchased the NBPN rebates on eBay so I spent a little over $4 on sending them all in, but the profit will go straight into the account and the rest comes out of our normal budget.  Small price to pay for big rewards.

Not too shabby for "found" money in return for what I normally would buy anyways, eh?

Super Doubles Haul

I promised to share some of my couponing adventures on the road to Disney so here is an example for all the inquiring minds of a super doubles trip at Harris Teeter.  This was my trip last Wednesday.  The only thing missing from the picture is two packets of taco seasoning that I forgot to include in the photo. I've been been meaning to make a second trip back to HT for some more steals and deals, but so far our schedule this past week hasn't allowed for it.  Either way, the savings were a plenty!

Retail Price: $77.32

I Paid: $20 and some change

Saved: $57

If you're not couponing, don't you think it might be time to start?

Score!

I love a good bargain and follow a lot of the bargain sites such as zulily.com, totsy.com, mambargains.com and the like.  Often times I can find great Disney items on these sites.  I missed out on Mickey t-shirts today, but I did score a great burger press and cookie cutter combo for $10 on zulily.  This will be perfect for our surprise moment for the kids come trip time!  Our plan is to have them open a card on their advent calendar and find out they'll be leaving for Disney the next day!  Originally I was planning on getting a Mickey cookie cutter and making rice krispy Mickeys like I'd seen on Pinterest, however now I think I will make a whole meal of it!  Burgers and dessert all shaped like Mickey!

If you're in the market for some Disney at a discount they have a few other items that are fun for those of us who love the mouse!  Mickey, Toy Story and Cars t-shirts for only $8!  (Sadly they seemed to run out of Liam's size in all the Mickey ones before I could check out.  Next time!)  There are also ADORABLE dresses in the Disney spirit.  I so wish I had a little girl to get these for!  They are to die for!  And there is even numerous versions of the slinky dog from Toy Story!  (I so debated getting one of these because they are adorable!)  There are even tons of Disney books!

And I even spied, with my mesmerized eyes, a Mickey bag slatted for tomorrow's sale!  So, if you're not a member of zulily, hop on over and join!  Score some great deals to get you ready for Disney or whatever life throws at you!  You won't regret it!

*Please note: I'm in no way affiliated with or compensated by zulily for giving them a shout out today.  They just have cool stuff!

Couponing To Disney?

Being a military family we are pros at flexibility.  For once, this seems to have worked in our favor.  (Knock on wood.)  Needless to say, when one of my closest friends booked a pre-deployment trip to Disney I was insanely jealous.  I have been wanting to go back since our last visit and couldn't handle waiting any longer.  I called Disney and booked our own magical pre-deployment vacation.  It's going to cost a pretty penny as usual, but I know it will be worth it. 

Disney 2009

Recently I stumbled across a great blog called Couponing to Disney.  (Thank you Pinterest and my fabulous friend Jennie!)  I am infatuated with the idea that by couponing, something I already do, I could save for Disney.  My goal is always to pay cash for everything, so I'm really enjoying her take on saving for Disney, even if I am doing things a little ass backwards.  (Pardon my "French"!)  While we've already booked our vacation we only put down a deposit and are growing our own Disney trip fund each month to pay off the balance.


Sadly, the military discount Disney offers expires in September.  Of course, we have planned our trip for after it expires.  Go figure.  We are praying it is extended.  We took advantage of Disney's generous military offers three years ago and they paid off!  Of course, when it is extended the good people at Disney will magically adjust our balance "just like that".    Fingers crossed our fairy godmother is looking out for us!

But I digress...because all of the balance won't magically disappear I will be working to increase our Disney fund by scrimping, saving and couponing!  Kristin at Couponing to Disney has some great ideas and tips.  There are things I haven't tried and I plan to explore some of these options in the coming months.  I'm going to do my best to keep up with the blog and my savings exploits.  I'm a crazy planner when it comes to a Disney trip.   Being goal-oriented I'm hoping this motivates me to stay on top of my couponing and be more responsible with our budget.  (I feel like I've been slacking lately.) 

To start off I'm focusing on really staying on top of my coupons.  I had two weeks worth of inserts to cut and file this week before super doubles at Harris Teeter.  Organizing and planning are key to successful super doubles trips for me so I am well on my way to getting that done.  I spent the past 24 hours clipping and filing and will spend tomorrow putting together my shopping list.  Hoping to stock my fridge, freezer and pantry with lots of staples for my family of four.

So, join me as I embark on prepping for a memorable, magical family vacation.  I plan to blog my journey as I prep, scrimp, save, craft and coupon my way to Disney!  A dream is a wish your heart makes and my dream will be reality soon enough!