DIY 'It's a Small World' Baby Shower Basket with Minnie Mouse Gifts!

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If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ve probably noticed by now that I’m a big Disney fan.

It’s funny because this new Disney appreciation emerged not as a little girl but well into my late 20’s.

Since then, I’ve become a theme park annual passholder, participated in Disney races, and visited the theme parks as often as possible (in Anaheim, Florida and Paris). I just can’t get enough of Disney!

One of my all-time favorite attractions is the lovely and glittery It’s a Small World boat ride.

Did you know the attraction has about 300 singing dolls and the famous theme song is played on a continuous loop for 16 hours a day!?

One of my favorite rides at Disneyland! Isn't it adorable?

When I was expecting Benny, I visited Disneyland frequently since it seemed to be the perfect escape for a pregnant lady. Being there so often gave me plenty of nursery décor inspiration. At one point, I thought about decorating Benny’s room after It’s a Small World but ended up going for a Pinocchio theme instead.

Nonetheless, my desire to design something with towers, minarets and cutout turrets, like the ride’s façade, had always been lingering in the back of my mind.

Fortunately, my dear cousin Luana is expecting her second child (yay!). We're very excited to welcome a baby girl to the family since there are currently only two little boys (my son Benny and Luana's first-born, Ethan).

I decided my gift for Baby Alice would be an It's a Small-World Themed gift basket with Disney Baby Minnie Mouse products!

Did you know Walmart carries Disney Baby products?  For Baby Alice’s gift, I purchased all Disney Baby Minnie Mouse gifts at Walmart. The store carries enough adorable Disney Baby items and nursery accessories to make a baby’s room truly magical and well, the happiest nursery on earth!

You can find Disney Baby items at Walmart in the baby section

I hope Luana and baby Alice enjoy the gift. It was a lot of fun to shop for, and create.

In order to make an It’s a Small World themed gift basket similar to mine,  here’s what you will need:

Note: all materials were purchased at Walmart.

Empty Gift box

Pastel colored cardstock paper (I used yellow paper)

Glitter paper

Scissors

Glue

Paint

I must say I'm the type of person who likes to add a lot of detail to things and this project was completed over a span of several days but you can avoid the extra work by simply painting the shapes instead of cutting them out of glitter paper, individually.

1. Start with the empty gift box. I drew a line across the center and cut in right down the middle. I placed one pieces over the other to give it extra support since this will be the free-standing base.

2. Again, make sure you tape both pieces of cardboard. This base has to be sturdy to hold the cardstock and glitter paper panels that will be glued to it.

3. This is what the base should look like once you've taped both pieces.

4. Design enough panels on cardstock paper to cover the width of the base. You'll need cardstock so it can be resistant enough to hold paint, glued embellishments and stand straight. Since I used a box that was 17" wide, my measurements here are such that would cover that particular width. Remember, you can get creative and not everything has to match the ride exactly.

5. Using the attraction details as inspiration, I cut out numbers, clock hands, clock features, towers and other details out of rose gold glitter paper. You can also use a gold metallic marker to draw over your panels if you don't have the time to cut each piece individually.

6. Since this gift is for a baby girl, I used pink and lilac paint to add color to the details. Again, you can use different colors and simply let your imagination soar.

7. For the clock face, you can use any round household item to trace out the face. I used a glass.

8. Once you've got all your pieces painted and cut out, you can start building your towers. This activity is almost like a puzzle!

9. After you have all your pieces in their place, you can start gluing everything over each paper panel. As you can see, projects like these are almost therapeutic for me... so fun! 

10. After each panel has been put together and the embellishments have dried, it's time to start gluing over the base. Make sure you line each panel perfectly along the edge of the base so it's not uneven when standing.

And here is my It's a Small World themed Disney Baby Minnie Mouse gift basket! What Disney Baby items would you purchase to put inside a gift basket?
Wish  everyone has a Magical Day! 

Memories of Disneyland's 60th Diamond Anniversary Celebration Weekend!

We visited Disneyland during the 60^th Anniversary Diamond Celebration weekend.

Yes, the crowds were insane…

Yes, the lines for the rides were ridiculous…

And yes, it was expensive.

But the park was simply charming.

The new fireworks show alone was soooo worth our trip.

The new light parade is fantastic and taking Benny with us to share the “Magic” of Disneyland during a significant anniversary was especially meaningful. This outing was pure joy for Benny.

A week after Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration, the California State Assembly and Senate proclaimed June 1 as “Disneyland Day”!

Here are some pictures from our trip during that crowded weekend.

Enjoy!

The lines to take pictures in front of the Disneyland Train station were too long. I stood off to the side and my husband took this shot during a second in time when guests were switching off for the next photo. The flower-bed Mickey had a huge diamond in the center of its bowtie.

The park is draped with blue decorations and diamond details everywhere.

Shops have the cutest diamond celebration gifts, like these fancy photo holders, where Mickey is standing on a diamond.

The new "Paint the Night" parade features about 2 million LED lights.

Something new we hadn't experienced before-- the characters speaking to the audience! In this float, Ariel was interacting with parade enthusiasts and speaking to them directly. Her voice was projected on a loud speaker for all to hear.

We prepared for this parade ahead of time. We bought tons of glow-in-the-dark sticks for Benny and he fit right in!

En español

Visitamos Disneyland durante el fin de semana de la celebración del aniversario de diamante.

Es cierto que las multitudes no dejaban ni caminar por ciertos lugares ...

Es cierto que las filas para los juegos estaban demasiado largas...

Y es cierto que un viaje a Disneylandia puede ser muy caro .

Pero el parque estaba lindo, un espectáculo simplemente encantador.

Tan solo nuevo show de los fuegos artificiales hizo que nuestro viaje valiera la pena.

El nuevo desfile de luces es algo fantástico y el hecho de que llevamos a Benny a que compartiera la "magia" de Disneylandia para una fiesta de aniversario fue especialmente significativo. Esta visita a Disneylandia fue pura alegría para Benny.

Una semana después de la celebración del diamante de Disneylandia, la Asamblea Estatal de California y el Senado proclamaron 1 de junio como el "Día de Disneylandia" !

Aquí están algunas fotos de nuestro viaje durante el concurrido pero inolvidable fin de semana de 60 aniversario.

Beauty and the Beast Breakfast!

If breakfast was always this easy to prepare, I’d probably make frequent invitations for everyone to “Be our Guest!”
I discovered these awesome preservative-free, all natural, chocolate crepes (imported from France) at Whole Foods Market. I bought a package and nearly died… they’re so delicious!
This morning, as I was getting ready to make our weekly pancakes, the package of crepes seemed to be staring at me from behind the pantry and I decided to prepare them for breakfast instead.
The crepes can be enjoyed straight out of the package but today, I chose to place them in the oven, which, not only allowed the chocolate to melt but also made them warm and crispy.
Once they were out, I added fresh strawberries, a little bit of vanilla frosting and a drizzle of Mexican caramel syrup (cajeta).

I made two for mommy and two for Benny and they were sooo good!
But before we enjoyed them, I figured I should play on the whole French theme and invite Beauty & the Beast’s Lumiere to set the mood (Sold at Disney Parks for $50). Then I brought out my Enchanted Glass Rose (gift from my husband during a trip to Disney World), placed a couple of milk goblets next to the crepes and voilá!
I wanted to share this quick and easy little breakfast idea because it’s a great way to enjoy a classic French treat without the hard work!
Le Breakfast is served.
Bonjour!

En español

“Que festín” disfrutaríamos seguido si el desayuno siempre fuera así de fácil de preparar.

Descubrí estas crepas de chocolate (importadas de Francia) sin preservativos en el supermercado Whole Foods Market. Compré un paquete y casi me muero de lo deliciosas que están!
Esta mañana, cuando me preparaba para hacer nuestros pancakes semanales, el paquete de crepas se asomó de por atrás de la despensa y decidí prepararlas para el desayuno.
Las crepas se pueden disfrutar directamente del paquete, pero hoy decidí colocarlas en el horno y eso no sólo permito que el chocolate se derritiera, sino también permitió que se hicieran crujientes.
Una vez fuera del horno, les añadí fresas frescas, un poco de glaseado de vainilla y un chorrito de cajeta.
Hice dos para mí y dos para Benny y estuvieron deliciosas! Pero antes de que las disfrutáramos pensé que sería buena idea seguir con la temática francesa e invitar a Lumiere de la película la Bella y la Bestia (se vende en los parques Disney por $50). Entonces saqué mi rosa de vidrio encantada (regalo de mi marido durante un viaje a Disney World), coloqué un par de copas de leche y ¡voilá!
Quise compartir esta pequeña idea de desayuno rápido y fácil, porque creo que es una buena opción para disfrutar de un clásico platillo francés sin tener que hacer tanto trabajo.
Bonjour!

"Walking in a Winter Disneyland" - A holiday Trip to the Happiest Place on Earth!

When Benny and I arrived at Disneyland yesterday, I was a little shocked by how many people were there! I guess I should have figured the crowds would be insane when I was directed to park my car at the Anaheim Convention Center (about a mile away).
Still, entering the Happiest Place on Earth is always enjoyable and the Christmas Decorations are still up, making our experience a true Winter Wonderland, er Winter Disneyland!
What made the trip extra special was taking Benny to visit the Haunted Mansion, as its themed after one of his all-time favorite movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Also, Benny got his first Buzz Lightyear toy, thanks to Abuelo Pancho and I dressed him up as his Mickey Plush received as a birthday gift from Tia Laura and Tio Rafael Duran.
Finally, I had a chance to meet fellow mommy blogger, Andrea Casals, and her adorable family. We met through social media and arranged to meet in person at Disneyland...So fun!
The Disneyland Holiday Decorations will last through January 6, 2015. These include an amazing 60-foot Christmas tree with more than 2,000 custom-made ornaments and 70,000 lights!
The following are a few of my favorite sights/moments/memories.
Have a Magical Sunday!

The Dapper Dans Sing Holiday Tunes

Christmas tree ornaments for sale throughout the park

Disneyland offers Seasonal Holiday Treats like this Apple Pie Funnel Cake

The Disneyland Christmas Tree Stands at the Entrance of Main Street, U.S.A.

With his brand new Buzz Lightyear and his buddy Mickey

Visit Andrea's Blog: www.andreacomenta.com

Finally a nap on our way to see papa after a lovely trip to Disneyland!

En español

Ayer cuando llegué a Disneylandia con Benny,  ¡me asombró la cantidad de gente que estaba en el parque! Supongo que debí haber figurado que habría multitudes cuando me dirigieron a estacionar mi coche en el Centro de Convenciones de Anaheim (ubicado a unos dos kilómetros).

Aun así, al entrar al lugar más feliz del mundo es algo muy agradable y las decoraciones de Navidad siguen adornando el parque, haciendo de nuestra experiencia una maravilla decembrina.

Lo que hizo el viaje especial esta vez fue llevar a Benny a visitar la Mansión Embrujada, que está decorada como la una de sus películas preferidas, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Benny consiguió su primer juguete Buzz Lightyear, gracias al Abuelo Pancho y vestí a  mi niño como su Mickey de peluche que recibió como regalo de cumpleaños de la tía Laura y el Tío Rafael Durán.

Finalmente, tuve la oportunidad de conocer a una mamá bloguera, Andrea Casals, y su linda familia. Nos conocimos a través de los medios sociales y coordinamos para conocernos en persona en Disneylandia... ¡Qué Buena Idea!

Las decoraciones navideñas en Disneylandia durarán hasta el 6 de enero de 2015. Estas incluyen un árbol de Navidad de 60 pies de altura con más de 2.000 adornos hechos a mano y 70.000 lucecitas.

Las siguientes son algunas de mis fotos favoritas.

¡Que tengan un domingo mágico!