Pixie Dust on this Whimsical Wednesday



3 Pocket Fish Extender

 

When planning for a Disney Cruise it is best to read up on all the tips and tricks that you can, but sometimes it is best to just sit back relax and be SURPRISED! As we cruised on DCL for the first time (2012) we were beyond excited and overwhelmed. Now I am one that likes to read and get all of the in's and outs, I have to be prepared for everything. But the one thing that really got my curiosity was the magnets covering the stateroom doors and these hanging pocket things hanging from the stateroom Fish/Seahorse. After asking some of the vacationers approaching there rooms, they informed us that the hanging pocket thingy was referred to as a "Fish Extender" and that you joined secret groups to drop off secret surprises off for the members of your cabin. The door magnets are homemade and are posted to celebrate Birthday's, Anniversaries, Graduations, and overall your love for Disney and the Characters. But we can share those ideas another time.So, after our first cruise I realized that in no way shape or form would we have ever survived the cruise, plus being involved in the Fish Extender Gift Exchange. However, now that we have completed this maiden voyage and I have educated myself a bit more on the gift exchange process, we are ready to jump in and enjoy in the fun.

You one can purchase a "Fish Extender" from many different people on Etsy customized to your wants and needs, but if you are familiar with a sewing machine this is an easy project. The only thing that I wish I had is a embroidery machine to customize it just a bit more for our family. Now we create the 3 pocket "Fish Extender". As I had posted previously, here are the list of materials you will need:

Heavy Duty Sewing Needles

Thread to match your chosen fabrics

2 pkgs. Extra Wide, Double Fold Bias Tape

Background Fabric: 16" x 32"

Pocket Fabric : 11" x 8" ( I prefer to use Fat Quarters)

Interfacing: 1 1/2 yd., Heat and Bond

Dowel Rod

Ribbon

Hot Glue Gun & Glue

Step 1: Cut your 11" x 8" pockets from your secondary material or the Fat Quarters you have chosen, and the 11" x 8" interfacing for your pockets.

Step 2: Measure out your Main material, 16" x 32" and trim down to size. Fold in half and iron so that your material now becomes 8" x 32", repeat with interfacing.

Step3: Iron the interfacing ( make sure to follow proper instructions that are wrapped around the interfacing) to the pocket material and the Main Fabric.

 

Step 4: Cut bias tape to fit the tops of the 3 pockets and bottoms of 2 pockets. Attach the bias tape to the pockets and use pins to keep them in place. (Picture left and top right)

Step 5: You will keep 1 1/2" from the left and the right of material, then find 1/2" and fold over to create a pleat on both the right and left side of the pocket(s). Make sure to Iron to create those nice pleats (as you can see the progression (picture bottom right).



Step 6: Place the pocket, with no bias tape attached to the bottom of the pocket, on the bottom of your Main Fabric. Then place the other 2 pockets evenly spaced above the bottom pocket. Make sure to use pins to secure the pockets to the Main Fabric in order to sew them on properly. Make sure to leave enough room at the top of your main fabric so that you can fold it over, creating an opening for your Dowel Rod so that your "Fish Extender" will have something to hang from.

Step 7: Take your bias tape and find the middle. I suggest doing this so that when you locate the middle of your fabric of your bottom pocket, you can begin attaching the bias tape around your entire project for a nice finish - don't forget to use your pins to secure the bias tape for proper sewing attachment guidance. 

As you can see I have sewn the tops of the pockets together with the bias tape, but NOT to the Main Fabric. The bottoms of the pockets (with the bias tape attached) are then sewn so that they are now fully attached to the Main Fabric. Finally, finishing out the completion of the attachment of the bias tape to the outside if the Main Fabric, so that you have nice, clean, crisp edging.

 

I had 2 Dowel Rods about 14" long in my Craft Closet, I used the hot glue to combine them so that they may hold the "Fish Extender" and the goodies that may be left in the pockets. I then covered the Dowels with a glitter ribbon, and threaded it through the "Fish Extender". I then took 3 pieces of ribbon, to match the fabrics that were used, I attached them with Hot glue in between the Dowel Rods so that they would be secure. I finished off the Dowel ends with the glitter ribbon.

 

I hope this tutorial will help you in the creation of your "Fish Extender" for your next Disney Cruise.  ~ The Little Ms. Crafty Pants

Well Hello Monday...

Still crafting along on the Fish Extender for our Disney Cruise, pictures and directions to follow! But today, today was the first time in over two years I have allowed my self to sleep in to....get this 7am! I know what you are thinking, but I am usually getting my day started at 5am. But it is summer and for the first time I feel like I can treat myself to a little sleeping in. So not only did I sleep in, but I was able to drop off both kiddos at a friends home for some play time while I went and had a much needed pampering break -Mani/Pedi time!! But, during my much needed pampering I began to think. I am an avid Pinterest Posting Momma, and keeping with "We are going on a Disney Cruise" mood, I had remembered about a few pins I saw from Jamberry. Jamberry is now catering to Disney Fanatics like myself with both Regular sheets and Jr.'s for your little one in a variety of prints. Now all sheets are still at the $18/sheet, however remember they have specials like Buy 3 sheets, Get 1 free.

 



https://www.jamberry.com/us/en/ Photo Credit : Jamberry

There are many Disney themes to choose from, and just like many products out there why not get all of your girlfriends and Disney Fanatics together along with your favorite Jamberry Consultant and throw a little "Me" time Party! May I suggest a wonderful local (to the Tampa area) Jamberry Consultant - Kathleen Hillard also to Find a local Consultant to you use https://www.jamberry.com/us/en/shop/consultant or Jamberry's Facebook to get up to date on new products https://www.facebook.com/jamberrynails/?fref=ts .

Maybe some of the new styles will inspire you to sail on Disney Cruise Lines or book that next Disney vacation. Contact your favorite Travel Agent or mine... Ms. Jennifer Hardy with Your Magical Vacation. 

 

 

Happy Father's Day & Happy Sunday Crafting

It's Sunday Funday in the Jones home today as we celebrate Father's Day.

Yesterday we took a trip up to Disney's Animal Kingdom to spend some quality family time and to meet up with one of our favorite Cast Members.



Because we live in Florida the weather is mostly predictable - Sunny, Humid, and a chance of Rain. We pre-booked our Fast Passes prior to our trip: Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, and Festival of the Lion King. We managed to sneak in some lunch, in between our Fast Passes, at the Flame Tree Barbecue. If you ever visit the park, and looking to get the most for your money -especially with kids, Flame Tree Barbecue is a place to visit!  We have one picky eater (our little guy), and the oldest goes with the flow. So, I will look for the restaurant that offers a 1/2 Chicken meal with sides and then I can make 2 meals out of 1 to share with my oldest. This meal will cost you $13.99 and does not include a drink. Our family likes to pack a small cooler with waters, juices, and small snacks such as apples, cheese cubes, and goldfish so that we have snacks to enjoy throughout our day in the park. One particular Beverage and Snack stand stood out to us yesterday though, have you ever been to the Tusker House or Boma  within the Disney Properties for a breakfast meal? If not, it is worth booking, the food is great and you are usually offered a breakfast juice called "Jamba Juice" - which brings us back to the Beverage and Snack stand (located just outside of Tusker House). This stand offers you the "Jamba Juice" is a slush drink form, and as the humidity was growing, this drink surely cooled us off. Our family was able to grab one more Fast Pass for Dinosaur before the sky opened up late in the day, around 5pm. And wince the sky opened up we finished out our day watching the Live performance of Finding Nemo the Musical. Overall it was a great day for family time, the park was light with the crowd, and we were able to do everything we wanted with no stress due to a toddler getting cranky in a line.  To finish out celebrating Father's Day with our favorite Daddy, we will be finishing out our weekend with some Pool time and Grilling. Just a nice easy, relaxing Sunday and Family time!

Now on to Sunday Crafting! Our family is taking a Disney Cruise, this will be our 2nd time, on the Disney Dream. The first time we cruised on Disney Cruise Line it was overwhelming! But, we learned what types of unofficial activities happen on the ship and what we needed to plan for the next time. I will post another time on the Disney Dream and hints and tips that will make this the most magical and stress free cruise. One of these activities was the "Fish Extender" that you will see hanging from your Fish or Seahorse (which has your cabin number located on it) located just outside of your cabin. The concept is that you join a group based on your sailing date either on Facebook (which I find the easiest to use) or on Disboards. Depending on the Admin. of the group it can be set up many ways, we did not participate on our first cruise as we did not know what it was about, and the Admin of our upcoming cruise was gracious enough to set it up based on our availability to be involved. Our Admin. assigned us to a Small Group based on our interest which teamed us up with 3 other cabins.  You learn who is in each cabin ( Adults & Children) and their interests- Disney and other outside interests. Then you are assigned one, or multiple days, to do a "drop" and you must do this as secretly as possible. You drop off special gifts, homemade or store bought, sprinkling a little fairy dust that makes this voyage a little more special. But, you need to have something ready for drop off, to house all of your goodies from your fellow "Fish Extender" members. This is where we get crafty!  I am going to create a 4 pocket, hanging organizer created just for our family - Star Wars style!!

The items that we are going to use is Heavy Duty Sewing needles, 2 packages of Wide Single Fold, Bias Tape, Adhesive Interfacing 8" x 41" (for 4 pockets), Background Material 16" x 41" (for a 4 pocket Fish Extender), 4 Pockets 11" x 8" - I am using Fat Quarters, and Thread to match. I am going to work on this over the next few days, I don't have a fancy embroidery machine to customize this so I will look into different ways to customize each pocket to make it easy for drop off during our cruise. Pictures and step by step to follow!!

Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day.

~The Little Ms. Crafty Pants

Staycation Getaway that won't break the bank!

Summer has arrived, and for some of us Teachers it is really the only time we KNOW we can get away without having to use any of our precious PTO. For my family and I it is Staycation time, though we have yet to venture out more around the state now that our toddler is able to appreciate things a bit more. However, our Home away from Home is Kissimmee/Orlando. We are a Disney family and take advantage of our annual passes and the 1 hour-ish drive. But staying on or near property can be challenging when it comes to wallet. The ideal hotels would be those on Disney property, right in the heart of everything. But when it comes to getting more bang for your buck you usually look towards staying off property somewhere between Irlo Bronson Hwy (I-192) or SR-535. Today I will share with you a little gem that Marriott has provided near Disney Springs.

Many travelers familiar with SR-535 and Hotel Blvd. know that just beyond (west) that intersection stood a hotel that was eclectic, once painted yellow with pineapples on the building is now unrecognizable! Marriott purchase the 12490 Apopka Vineland Rd. property in January 2016 and with a facelift and fresh paint, it is now a beautiful high-end feel property. And with this new modern feel and fresh paint comes with a new name- Delta Orlando. You are now a mear 6 mile drive away from EPCOT and walking distance to Disney Springs!

The hotel offers both self-parking and valet, a fitness center, bar/lounge, restaurant, Kid-Zone and pool area. The rooms are spacious and inviting with the perfect modern touch. The staff will go above and beyond for you, but please remember when there are hiccups things can easily be fixed - you will get more flies with honey than vinegar. And no one wants there vacation to turn sour! I can share with you that our first stay at this property we paid $121/night plus taxes, and $20 for self-parking. But over time we have learned to look with the nightly deals that will include breakfast (for those registered to the room). Now I know what you are thinking when you see "breakfast included". But, it is not the usual of muffins, Danish, and fruit. There is a self-serve area with the following items offered: Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Grits, Potatoes, Cereals, Fruits (Watermelon, Cantaloupe..) Cottage Cheese, Yogurt, Toast/Muffins/Danish, Made to Order Pancakes/Waffles/ Omelets. There is a wait staff to tend to your order and beverage needs - the coffee is fantastic! Now looking back and knowing what is included in the "breakfast/room" package, we chose to include valet parking in this stay and our total cost was $175/night (room/taxes/breakfast/valet) for our family of 4.  Below are photos I have taken on our last trip - though I forgot to grab photos of our room, so those will be stock photos with credit provided.

*Currently the hotel is building onto the Pool area with a Pirate theme splash pad area with the kids.

Front Entrance (photo credit - J.Jones)

Front outside lounge area with water/fire feature (photo credit - J.Jones)

Open area to hotel as you enter (photo credit - J.Jones)

Front entrance lounge are and welcome center (photo credit - J.Jones)

Dual Sided Bar area (photo credit - J.Jones)

Lounge Area located near Bar and Pool Entrance (photo credit - J.Jones)

Community Table Restaurant (photo credit - J.Jones)

Community Table Breakfast Set up (photo credit - J.Jones)

Kid Zone location first floor (photo credit - J.Jones)

Kid Zone with a Modern feel (photo credit - J.Jones)

Multiple T.V's , Games, Gaming units (photo credit - J.Jones)

Inviting Pool Area (photo credit - J.Jones)

2 Queen Beds option  ( Photo Credit: Bing Business)

Wildtree - Simple. Healthy. Natural.

Many of us have heard of or used products from Pampered Chef, Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. But, what about Wildtree? As the school year was coming to a close for both my kids, along with wrapping up my year of teaching, I was invited to come out the "first" night of summer break, Wine down (pun intended) and learn about Wildtree.

Wildtree spices, Oils and Dressings

My friend Tonya was introducing Wildtree to everyone through the current Workshop meal options prior to us coming to her house through Facebook.Tonya posted the following, " Join us for a FUN, fast hour of solving the question, "What's for dinner?!" At our Dinner Prep Workshops, we will be preparing 10-20 meals to pop in your freezer for busy nights. The workshop cost is $86 (+ S&H) and includes 7 full sized Wildtree all natural/organic workshop products, detailed shopping list, a recipe booklet, labels, additional ingredients to complete your meals, and peace of mind! You will also go home with lots of leftover product to make the meals again. There will also be a tasting if you do not want to do the meal prep portion. There were 6 meal plans to look at and choose from. Tonya made this fun and easy! Now there are 4 types of women, and you probably know exactly which one you and your friends are, when it comes to meals for you and your family. First you have the Betty, the one who measures everything out to a "T". Second, the Wendy - the one who knows the drive-thru best. Third, the Melissa - the OPF, or the one who doesn't cook and doesn't mind others doing the work so they like to eat " Other Peoples Food. And finally, Kelly - the one that just throws everything together and it somehow comes out perfect.
                So, I am the one friend that just came to enjoy the tasting portion of the night and I am also the "Betty". I wanted to get a first hand look at the product, and completely investigate it before purchasing a meal plan. I learned from one of the ladies make sure to prep your cooler by loading up all of your proteins you purchased prior to the workshop night for assembly and that it is best to purchase 2 gallon Ziploc Bags when putting together your meals. The guides that are provided will have you become a "Betty", but this also guarantees you an incredible meal(s) for you and your family.

Wildtree Meal Options

Wildtree Meal Option Ingredients.

As a mom who is incredibly busy with my family and work, I need things to be a bit more simplified in my life especially when it comes to meal time. So...why not meal prep for your family and stock the freezer up?!? It is so easy that you may even get your significant other excited about meal planning and cooking. My family and I are really big on creating a food menu that sits above our stovetop, we can see what we have in our freezer without having to just stand there with the door open and debate on whats for dinner. Each meal we use we just remove it from our list as we go, and when we get down to 5 meals we know that it is time to start meal prepping and stocking our freezer once again.
So if you are looking to have some fun with meal prepping while enjoying the company of your best girl friends, I highly suggest having a Wildtree meal prep and tasting party! 

Summer is here!

Hello to all! Welcome to The Little Ms. Crafty Pants. A blog about crafting, couponing, meal ideas and my love for Disney and other Florida Staycation trips. Just a little about myself...I am a mother of two boys (ages 3 and 11) who bring life to both my husband and I.
I am an educator who is in an amazing transition this summer, I am moving from a classroom of Fourth Graders to a Middle School to following my dream job of teaching Agriculture and supporting our students in their FFA chapter.
I long for summers when I can be busy crafting, couponing and taking trips to Disney. I hope this blog finds you well and inspires you. I look forward to your thoughts so that there can be a community built in ideas, support, and inspiration!