Monorail Room Decor

My youngest is all about Disney, especially Mickey and anything to do with the parks.  He has special needs and making choices like decorating his room is a big deal.  When I showed him the monorail from Designs by Miss Mandee, he was thrilled.  He already has a banner he made over his bed, so I asked if he wanted monorail trains around the top of his room.  He was so excited picking each color for the striped and I resized them for the wall.  The end cars ended up

being 11.5 inches long.  I had to tweak the design so I could layer the black windows on top, rather than cut whole black cars.  Because they were so big, we didn't bother with transfer tape and just peeled and placed like regular stickers.  The walls are not smooth so it took a bit of work to get them to adhere but they are fabulous!  Thanks for looking!  April

Santa Mickey wall hanger

I had this jpeg image for a while now.  I planned to make cards or put it on something as vinyl but came up with this.  I cut the base of each five times and glued them together to give it some sturdiness and keep it from curling.  The letters are cut from green polka dot Bazzill and the hat is red and glitter white.  I added hangers to the back and used removable Command hooks to hang.  Can you tell my teen son did the hangig because he is taller?  I may consider remaking this in basewood later on.  Thanks for looking!  April

Peppermint Mickey Garland

I decided I wanted a garland for over the fireplace after finding some amazing inspiration on IG and Pinterest.  So, off to the Cricut I go!  This was made with white glitter cardstock and red and green Cricut brand shimmer papers.  I used Tombow Aqua adhesive and it worked well.  I used a light weight on top to help set as I glued the next one.  I got inspiration from Tara at Wilder Crafting on IG for the hanger design.  It is basically a strip of paper with a hole on each end to run the string through, allowing the ears to look like they are floating.  I just used jute twine to string them up.  Thanks for looking!  April

Snowy Village Scene

I will be honest, I can't remember where I got this beautiful winter scene.  If you recognize it, please let me know so I can properly credit it. 

I cut this on my Cricut using 110lb white cardstock.  It took 6 sheets and some patience getting the scores to fold but the sections were easy to match.  I was able to fold each section in half and store sandwiched against the side of a box to keep it from being bent in storage.  Thanks for looking!  April

Winter mailbox

I got this awesome svg file from Designs By Miss M.  Mandee makes some really great stuff so be sure to look her up!  I just followed the colors she used and cut them on my Cricut.  I used glue and double-sided tape but would recommend hot glue for faster assembly.  I used Bazzill papers from JoAnn...good thing it was on sale.  This takes 5 sheets of dark red alone!  It turned out beautifully and looked great on our mantle.  Mandee even reposted it on IG account.  Thanks for looking!  April

Mickey Valentine Garland

I loved my Peppermint garland so much, I decided to make a Mickey Conversation Heart Garland too!  I used Cricut Design Space to cut the words out of the Mickeys, as well as the red glitter backs.  I used the same process as the pepper hangers.  I am already thinking of ideas for Easter.  Thanks for looking!  April

Halloween sign

I found this awesome svg from Craft with Sarah on IG.  (I recently discovered IG and its as bad as Pinterest addiction!). Sarah is in the UK and does an amazing job including a video to assemble.  There is a ton of dimension and uses loads of foam tape so be sure to get the big rolls on Amazon!  Thanks for looking!  April

Jennifer Marker Star Lantern Alternative

Yep, you read it right, I altered the star lantern from Jennifer Maker.  My youngest has his own little tree in his room with his favorite ornaments and last year refused any attempt at a tree skirt or topper.  This year I offered to make him a Mickey topper or a star.  He asked for a star and as soon as I saw Jennifer's, I knew with a little tweak, it would be perfect.  Her team was wonderful about answering my question about how big the finished star was so I had an idea of how much I needed to downsize.
The original star lands around 14 inches and each arm is around 7 inches, way too big for a little 4 foot tree.  My wonderful engineer hubby said that a six inch star would keep the proportion just fine, so I needed each arm to be around 3 inches once folded.  Now, when you are adjusting the size, it's hard to tell on screen, but I cheated by using the score line image and stretched it over the point to the inside.  That gave me a realistic idea of the actual size, then I deleted the score line.  I also deleted the piece with the notch for the pendant light and duplicated an extra of the regular points.  I cut the image on glitter cardstock.  Be ready for a long wait as it took nearly 45 minutes to cut.  The glitter paper setting on the Cricut will cut it twice.  I found it did not need the second pass as it only made more of a mess so I stopped it half way through the second cut.
Be sure to follow Jennifer's suggestion to only assemble 4 of the points before gluing them together.  The last point is much easier to add when you can glue one tab at a time and save the long point for last.
How did I attach it to the tree?  I used scissors and cut a small notch in the base of the star and slid a chopstick with hot glue in it up to the top.  The stick hides well in his tree so I did not feel like I needed to paint.  I do recommend a twist tie to keep it in place.  Thanks for looking!  April

Dollar Tree fall door hanger

After seeing the article from Angie at Burton Avenue, I couldn't wait to try this adorable fall pumpkin door hanger.  I found several hangers to choose from, but chose the same as featured in the article.  I also found the ribbon and leaves at Dollar Tree.  I have enough ribbon the make several more of these, so it really inexpensive.  Bonus, the Oracal 12x12 vinyls sheets are on sale at Michaels this week for .99 each!  I will say, after following the tutorial, I think I would not cut the vinyl and try to line it up to the pumpkin, but cut out a rectangle, stick the vinyl in place, then cut away the excess with a craft knife.  The rest comes together quickly and uses a bit of hot glue to place the leaves and bow.  I ran out of jute twine so I used linen thread as a substitute.  Thanks for looking!  April

Mickey subway art

This second subway art canvas was made for my youngest.  He is a huge Mickey fan and I wanted something to put over his desk.  It uses images found on the internet, as well as the Mickey font Cricut cartridge.  Again, I used the Jennifer Maker tutorial to create the canvas.  Thanks for looking!  April

Fall Pumpkin

This is a medium pumpkin I got at Michaels and added vinyl.  The images were free and found on Pinterest.  On one side, I did a Halloween theme, the other side is Thanksgiving themed.  The vinyl isn't happy about sticking to the pumpkin as it is a bit slick but with some patience and time, it stays.  I love that I will have this for several coming years and it can weather indoor or outdoor.  Thanks for looking!  April

Etched Mickey Shakers

As you know, we are Disney people.  Now my family is fine with Disney items scattered around the house, but we are not ready to dedicate ourselves to Mickey dishes and such.  With the new house, we are replacing some worn items and freshening up our decor.  We are updating our kitchen wares, including the dishes.  I was looking for some cute salt and pepper shakers and found some cute etched glass ones online.  However, I was not prepared to spend over $30 for them and knew there was a better alternative.  So, off to the dollar store...no luck.  I found shakers at Kroger for 89 cents each.  The glass etch paste is a whopping $14.99 for a tiny pill bottle size.  Bless Michael's and Hobby Lobby for 40% off coupons! 

showing sides of shakers

I cut the design from Cricut's Mickey Font on some scrap vinyl.  HINT:  Be sure to wipe all fingerprints off before placing your vinyl.  Press well and, again, wipe away smudges.  Follow the directions on the etch paste.  I used a foam brush and a paper plate, easily disposable.  The stuff is caustic but I did not notice much smell and I have a sensitive nose.  When you start rinsing, you will think it did not work.  I used a paper towel to dry and buff as I removed the vinyl images.  As it drys, the image is much more crisp.  I have enough solution to do another set of shakers or maybe a glass vase.  Thanks for looking!  April

Upcycled basket

We are in the process of moving to Wisconsin and I have been working on decorating ideas for my new home.  I have been busy picking paint colors and figuring out what we want to change.  I wanted to add some coordinating storage for my bathrooms but we are on a strict budget and spending $20 on a basket is not an option.

Behold, the crafty upcycled basket!  I wish I could take credit for this but I found it on Pinterest.  Nope, no underwater basket weaving experience needed.  All you need is a small box (mine is a small Amazon 5x7x10ish), thick jute twine (under $4 at Walmart), and some cheap fabric (muslin $1.97/yard at Walmart).
A quick recap of instructions: 1. Cut top flaps off box.  2. Start at bottom of box and hot glue the twine along one side.  HINT:  Leave a little tail.  I curled mine up the corner of the box and hid it under the next layer of twine.  3. Continue moving from bottom to top of box.  HINT:  Hide top tail of twine inside one corner of the box.  The liner will cover it.  4. Measure depth and width of box, adding 1/2" for seam, adding 2" on top for fold over.  5. Sew each side before adding bottom.  HINT: I chose to finish the top seam so it was easier to hide the raw edge.  6. Match corners and pull over box edge.  
I will be honest, if you are not into sewing, you can use fabric glue or webbing, but even a beginner can do this.  Be patient, double check your measurements before cutting, and sew as straight as you can.  I will admit the bottom is the hardest part to attach but it is very forgiving.  I was concerned I would need something to keep the liner in place but it is a very snug fit over the edge of the box.  Directions for liner are in a separate post linked with the box directions.
I made two boxes for about $5.  There is enough leftover twine and fabric for a third small box.  Thanks for looking!  April