Our #DisneySide House Warming Party!

Our #DisneySide House Warming Party was this weekend!  We had so much fun!  I decorated up our new apartment with all the goodies that came in the kit from Disney.  Our table is a bit too small for the tablecloth so I folded it in half.  Then we made yummy cupcakes and used Mickey Mouse the cupcake papers.  We also made cookies with the cookie cutters, bought some finger foods at COSTCO like pizza bagels and mini egg rolls.  Topping it all off with chips and salsa and we had a full party spread for our guests!  I put out the cups, plates and napkins for use as well.

I inflated all the balloons, hung some of them and then spread the rest on the ground.  Simple but fun.  I also hung the decoration in the archway between our living room and dining area.  There's a step down and a railing there so it seemed natural to divide the space.  It looked great!






I continued the decorating theme with our own collection of Disney memorabilia.  Our plush Sven from Frozen took center stage near the table.  Since I used a Frozen theme for our punchbowl.com invitations, it only seemed fitting that our favorite reindeer be in attendance.  He wasn't the only plush figure there though.  Band leader Mickey, Pascal, the Fairy Godmother, and Cri-Kee were also part of the party for good measure.   As a final touch, we set the Apple TV to scroll thru our Walt Disney World vacation photos as a screensaver.

I put together 10 party favor packets with the Mickey/Minnie heart print, a Run Disney cheer card, bracelet, & window cling, a box of dried cranberries, a Mickey sticker and a Donald tattoo and a Muppet movie calendar postcard.  We ended up with 13 guests so some of the couples had to share packets.  But they gifts went over very well!!  The Mickey/Minnie heart poster was the clear favorite.

 After everyone had their fill of yummy treats, we played a bit of Disney trivia and had a long group discussion about what our favorite rides are!  Tim and I are in the process of decorating our bathroom in a Hollywood Tower Hotel theme, which was the inspiration for this turn of topics.  I love the theming of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror thrill ride, but don't like the actual thrills.  I'm much more of a Haunted Mansion type, personally.  Speaking of Haunted Mansion, whenever that new movie finally comes out, we might have to organize a group to go the NYC premier because we're all pretty excited for it!

I'm SO EXCITED about our trip to Disneyland Paris!  We'll be there in less than a month!!   So, obviously, there was a lot of chatter about that- what we plan to do there, where we're staying, how long we'll be in France, etc.  I can't wait to show my #DisneySide a la Francais!

The party lasted until about 1am but Lola did not.  Below is a picture of her crashed out on our Mickey Mouse throw blanket.  It was just too much excitement for our little Chihuahua.

**DISCLAIMER**

 I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration.  The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Parks, or MomSelect.

Captain America Shield Tart

I found a great recipe for a simple berry tart that's shaped like Captain America's shield over at Maryland Mamma's Rambles & Reviews.  What a perfect idea for a Marvel or Avengers themed #DisneySide @Home Celebration, right?  I'm not much of a cook much less a baker, but the recipe seemed simple enough to me.  Plus my matinee was canceled today due to snow so I had some time on my hands. :)

You can find the full recipe HERE.  You can also see what the tart is supposed to look like- haha.  But here was my attempt.  It was SO YUMMY!!  I bought enough supplies so that I can make a second one for our party.  I'm not sure that it will fit in with our theme-- but it's still a fun treat.  It also makes me think of Summer, which is nice on a cold Winters day.

I can't wait to host our #DisneySide house warming party!  We've set a date and sent out e-invitations already! We used Frozen theme over at www.punchbowl.com.  It was very simple to set up and I can manage the guest list, see who's RSVP'd, send out additional messages, etc. Check it out!

**DISCLAIMER**

 I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration.  The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Parks, or MomSelect.

My Disney Side @Home Celebration Kit Arrived!!

Our Disney Side @Home Celebration kit came today!!  I'm super excited and humbled by this amazing gift from the Walt Disney Company!   Now we are all set to plan an amazing house warming party where our friends and we can show our Disney Side in style!

Here it is!  I got so excited when I saw that label!

Getting Impatient!

I've been obsessed all week about My Disney Side @Home Disney Celebration kit which is supposed to arrive sometime before the end of the month!   Each kit is supposed to be a little unique, but that hasn't kept me from obsessing over what other people have posted online about their kits!  Check out what these other hosts have posted here, here, and here!  AMAZING, RIGHT?

Now that Tim and I have finally found our new apartment, our Disney Side celebration will be a house warming party.  A few of our friends have kids, but this will be mainly an adult party.  I haven't settled on a theme yet.  At this point I'm just brainstorming.  Here are a few random thoughts from my notebook:

• Decorating with printed out Vintage Disney Attraction Posters? 
• Encouraging our guests to wear fun geeky Disney related costumes or t-shirts. I know our friends have Star Wars,  Muppets, & Marvel shirts!  
• Giving out pins as party favors?  We have a bunch from our last pin trading experience!
• Giving out Disney hotel soaps and shampoos guest gifts.  
• Recreating some park food like Popcorn, churros, mickey bars, Lafew’s Brew, Dole Whip
• Have Disney music playlist running in the bathroom ipod dock
• Have Disney movie playing in living room? 
• Vintage Mickey cartoons from a youtube playlist playing on an iPad in the kitchen? 
• Everyone gets to wear an ear hat from our collection for a fun photo op! 
• Play Disney Apples to Apples

Ohhh the possibilities!  

Well, as soon as my kit arrives I'll make sure to post lots of pictures!  :) 

Starting to Plan My Disney Side @Home Celebration Party!!

A couple weeks ago I filled out a survey / contest entry form to host an @Home Celebration party themed around the Show Your Disney Side campaign.  Well guess what!   Along with hundreds of others-- I WON!   Basically I've agreed to

• Host a gathering and invite friends to attend.
• Share my experience online via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, your personal blog, and any other available social media channels
• Participate in a short online survey after hosting your party, and share links to your social media posts.

And for that I'll get a @Home Celebration kit, containing party favors, decorations, games, activities, recipe ideas and special host gifts!   I can't tell you how excited I am!  I think most of the other winners have children.  It was organized by a BSM Media which focuses on mothers.  It's nice to see that they didn't discriminate, however and selected some childless Disney fan bloggers to participate as well.  

About the party itself-- it has to be in the last two weeks of February which is perfect for us!  We'll be moving at the first of the month and that gives us a couple weeks to get settled in before hosting the event.  I think it will be a house warming party as well. :) 

I'm eagerly waiting for my kit-- but in the mean time I'm getting some great theme ideas at http://www.disneysidecelebrations.com.  :)

[Image Credit: http://sugarnspice-life.com]

What to Wear & Carry in WDW

In today's blog I discuss how to take care of yourself in Walt Disney World.  In order not to get over heated, dehydrated, blistered, and miserable I take extra steps to wear comfortable clothes and pack a bag of must-have items.

My Favorite Disney Podcasts

My Favorite Disney Podcasts!

WDW Radio with Lou Mongello: http://www.wdwradio.com/
Inside the Magic with Ricky Brigante: http://www.insidethemagic.net/
The Unofficial Guide's Disney Dish with Jim HIll: http://jimhillmedia.com/p/podcasts.aspx
Wedway Radio & Wedway Now: http://wedwayradio.squarespace.com/
Moustalgia: http://www.mousetalgia.com/
Disney Hipsters: http://www.disneyhipsters.com/

For more Disney podcasts go to:
Touring Plans.com Podcast Network: http://blog.touringplans.com/2013/06/27/introducing-the-touringplans-com-podcast-network/