We were under the magical spell of Disney on Saturday.
12 hours of fairy dust, smiling faces, skipping, jingle bells and feeling like a kid again!
There is nothing like Disneyland at the holidays.
It’s MAGIC {to infinity and beyond}.
It’s our little family tradition that we go during the holidays right after they set up the winter wonderland and right before it gets super hectic ~ usually the week before Thanksgiving. We’ve found that this works great and the crowds are still doable. We were able to go on a record 14 rides with 6 of them being new to the kids so that wasn’t too shabby. Holden was tall enough for the Matterhorn, but still isn’t too sure how he feels about the {snow monster}.
We were able to catch the holiday parade which I love {if that won’t put you in the holiday spirit, I don’t know what will!} and also the fireworks display and {snowfall} in the evening.
It was so so wonderful.
{NOT my favorite ride!}
{cuties on the carousel}
{this is ALWAYS how Holden exits the park}
*****
A magical time had by all!
I want to thank Jay for working so hard to make this little day trip possible for us.
These are the memories that the kids will have forever and it is so fun to relive Disneyland with them and see it again through their eyes.
Time to get out the plastic crate from the garage. The one with the orange and black stuff in it!
It’s under the Spring/Easter one, so I have yet to go out there and move a few things around and dig it out.
I did, however, make another paint chip bunting for the month of October.
{do you ever choose paint, lipstick or nail polish for the name of the color? I do…one of the oranges on these cards was [sunset strip] so I picked that one over another one with not so [hollywood] names}
These are the easiest things to make. I’m addicted.
Just hung the blue and green one from my mom’s birthday brunch in the laundry room and it makes the chore a little more enjoyable.
So, run to Home Depot this weekend and pick up some paint chips and make one. Or have your husband pick some up for you…men seem to go to HD a lot.
They add an instant festive touch to any room. I hung ours above the couch in our great room and it’s the first thing you see when you come in the front door.
Now to venture out into the garage and get the rest of the ghosts, goblins and witches!
I love doing house parties, but those get redundant after awhile and it’s nice to try something new. As the kids get older, they’re more interested in heading {off site} to something that has a little more going on.
There are SO many places that you can throw a party…
Park, beach, community swimming pool or clubhouse, firehouse, ice skating rink, Build-A-Bear, paint a ceramic, gymnasium for a gymnastics party, jumpy house place, mini golf, cooking school, pumpkin patch for October birthdays, movie theater, mobile video game truck, Lego store, dance studio, zoo, nail salon, animal shelter to walk the dogs, skateboard park…the destinations are endless! Use your imagination. Call up to see if you can arrange something.
There is a state park near us that brings out live animals every Saturday afternoon. They have picnic tables and PLENTY of room for running and exploring. This is where Elliott’s party will be this year. They do not do anything other than show and talk about the animals…you have to get there early to get a spot and set-up. I thought this was a different venue and somewhere that would allow LOTS of people!
Now let’s talk about decor. I like to try and keep it simple and semi-homemade. Balloons are a must for me. They are relatively inexpensive and add a pop of color here and there. Plus, I don’t know a kid that will refuse to take a balloon home! Streamers are fun, but sometimes challenging to hang. I am in love with these ~ they are more substantial and can be draped and hung easier…and can be reused! Placing my order soon!
Pick two or three colors and carry them throughout the party. You don’t need to run out and grab the WHOLE section of {Yo Gabba Gabba} paraphernalia…just grab the plates and pull colors from that for the napkins, cups, balloons, etc. This will help everything look cohesive and coordinated without being too matchy matchy. I love these plates from Party City for Elliott’s {outdoorsy nature girl} party…I will probably just purchase these and then get the napkins and cups and other stuff at the dollar store.
Go through your house and see what you already have that you can use to decorate. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find and it will save you some dough!
Also, I like to have a little sign to welcome guests. For Holden’s 3rd birthday, I whipped this up with a piece of cardboard, some aluminum foil, Dollar Tree stickers and some post-Christmas tinsel:
Easy, peasy.
Lately buntings or banners are all the rage. Here is a quick and easy tutorial for a paper bunting. Once I get Elliott’s color scheme for her party, I’ll be picking up some scrapbook paper and making one of these! It’s darling with the old pages of a book, but we need a little more color for this party!
Tissue paper pom poms are a cinch to make with this tutorial.
I also like to display a few pictures of the birthday boy or girl over the years…pick up some frames at the dollar store and spray paint them with the party’s signature colors. You can even clip them onto a ribbon or twine with wooden clothes pins and create a bunting out of them over the mantel.
Flowers are also a nice way to add some color. The cake itself can be a focal point ~ display on a beautiful vintage cake stand or even on a tall cardboard box covered in fun wrapping paper to give it some height.
Roll plastic utensils in coordinating napkins and tie with a ribbon or raffia. Place in a basket or small metal bucket.
All these little things add bits of color and become {decorations}.
*****
Now that you’ve got the place all dolled up, let’s talk about what we’re going to eat!
As I am here putting certain things away and exchanging them for all things Christmas, I am noticing that I am extremely traditional when it comes to our holiday decor.
Lots and lots of red and green. Oh, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I do notice that I also LOVE holiday decor that steps out of the box…a themed tree, choosing a non-traditional color scheme and carrying that throughout the house, simplicity when it comes to decorating or completely over the top.
I am attracted to it all ~ tastefully speaking, of course!
But, our home is traditional…and I wouldn’t change it at all. A lot of our things have been passed down from generations, special gifts from family or friends or things that I have carefully chosen or kept throughout the years to bedazzle our nest during this magical time.
This is not to say that maybe when the kids are older and I have a little more time {and money}, I most likely will step out and dabble in something new. Maybe our traditional tree in the living room and a special themed tree elsewhere…choosing yellow, orange or lime green and building our decor from there.
There are literally a gazillion magazine spreads that I adore ~ here are just a few:
