Winter Blues

While the bad weather has given me plenty of time to decorate and create, it also caused us to have to cancel our Disney Side party. There is nothing worse than a fully decorated house that's empty. Luckily some friends braved the snow covered roads and ate king cake with us. We had a great time and we have rescheduled our party for this Saturday. I am trying my best to get back into party mode, but this weather is making it very hard :(  I am focusing on our upcoming Disney trip and I started packing to try to get my spirits up.

Radiator Springs Sign

The only good thing about this horrible weather is that I have been stuck in the house for days and, therefore, have had tons of time to get my #DisneySide on! One of the projects I have been working on is a Radiator Springs sign. I got my inspiration from this photo of a sign at Disneyland's Cars Land:

I started with a large cardboard box that I cut into a rectangle. I then began the faux wood treatment on it as follows:

1. Lightly spray black spray paint all over the surface in random patterns

2. Next use a small paint tray and add water to where the paint normally goes. Then squeeze a small amount of white paint on the ramp of the tray. Dip the brush in the paint and then in the water. Brush off the excess water on the ramp of the tray until the brush is no longer dripping.

3. Paint stripes of white across your cardboard in the directions you want your wood "boards" to go. 4. Repeat the water down and painting process with brown paint. 

5. Use black paint to paint lines, creating boards. You can also use black paint to create knots and other imperfections in the "wood". 

6. I printed out my letters and then painted over them, but feel free to freestyle paint them for a more realistic look. 

7.  I found a great photo of Route 66 online, printed it, and glued it to a cardboard backing. I then used cardboard and posterboard to create a sign post and attached it to both of my signs.

Finished product: 

Getting the party started...More #DisneySide fun

Getting some more decorating done for our party :) This is so much fun!

Mardi Gras Mickey

I am separating the Mardi Gras and Disney Cars theme by creating a Cozy Cone Entrance into our living room, aka Radiator Springs. I originally planned on using cardboard and cutting an entrance in the middle, but it would only allow for kids to enter and not the adults. I brainstormed a bit and came up with this idea.  I started with a piece of paper ribbon and made a triangle frame in the doorway from which to hang the orange crepe paper.

Then I stapled the crepe paper to the paper ribbon. I cut the crepe paper right above the floor line, but will probably cut it a bit shorter when  I complete it. 

 

For the background I was lucky enough to have saved a Radiator Springs background from a Cars wall set we had when Eli was a toddler. It ended up working out perfectly for this project, but you could substitute this background with a blue plastic tablecloth with painted clouds or whatever you choose.

Almost finished product. I went through four rolls of crepe paper and a box of staples. I need to run to the store tomorrow to replenish my supplies.

I also need to get supplies to make the sign:

Tomorrow, hopefully, I will have supplies, finish this project, and start on my Radiator Springs faux wood sign.

Chick-fil-A Astronaut Live Broadcast

So excited! Tonight we are participating in Chick-fil-A's Astronaut Live Broadcast!!! The boys can't wait to hear from a real astronaut. I'm sure he will have tons of amazing stories to tell and we are honored that he is choosing to share with the members of the Chick-fil-A Moms Club. For more information on Chick-fil-A click here.

Update:

Mr. Jon McBride was everything we could have hoped for and more! He shared so much wonderful information and gave the kids some great advice. It was a truly amazing experience and I am so grateful to have been part of this event. Some pictures from the chat.

February = Party Time!

Now that Puppy Bowl 2015 is over, I can focus on our upcoming #DisneySide party! Even though it's not for a few weeks I am starting to get things together now in the event that I get my knee surgery next week and won't be very mobile.

Puppy Bowl Party

Today the Puppy Bowl aired on Animal Planet and I received an awesome complimentary kit to host a party during its airing. We snacked on Twizzlers and homemade goodies while we cheered for our favorite pups and teams. I was rooting for Team Fluff and, while they didn't win, they put on a fantastic show. We all had a great time and we are already making plans for next year. Thank you Twizzler and Bissell for sponsoring this awesome event and HouseParty for selecting me as a host. Some pics from our party: