Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Mickey Ears update

We conquered Disney AND Universal Islands of Adventure in one very magical weekend! The group of 9 wore their ears to Magic Kingdom, Epcot and MGM Studies but decided against wearing it to Universal for fear we may be shunned for representing "the rat" as a disgruntled employee of Universal said to me at the bar. Anyway we got tons of compliments on our custom made ears but very few people got that we were a bachelorette party right away. Duh! Erin had a huge white veil on hers!
Few highlights...
While walking through the World Showcase in EPCOT, we stopped to admire Belle who was taking pictures and signing autographs with the Beast. She kept looking over at us and suddenly in a very exciting moment said "I love your ears!". We were filled with the joy that can only come with a celebrity personally addresses you. THANKS BELLE! We collectively squealed.

Our ears also caught the attention of Carol the Hat Lady of the Rose and Crown pub in EPCOT's UK. She composed a delightful song about the entire bachelorette party and Erin & Aaron. It made our evening!

As a fun game for the weekend, I made a scavenger hunt which included trivia and hidden fun in the different parks. This is what I included:

1. Park Map with any 5 rides circled that you rode.
2. Picture with a park staff member whos name starts with "J"
3. A drink umbrella
4. Fast Pass Ticket to Space Mountain
5. Picture of a person wearing a fanny pack *5 point bonus for a couple both wearing fanny packs *10 points if they match!
6. Picture of you with the pickle tree in Germany (Epcot)
7. Cross the "English Channel"- the bridge crossing from France to UK (Epcot)
8. Picture with a Disney Pirate hat on
9. Picture of you napping on The Carousel of Progress. (The most boring ride and thus the best for naps)
10. What does EPCOT stand for?
11. Which is taller Tower of Terror or Cinderella's Castle?
12. Picture or autograph of/with ANY character.


BONUS POINTS:
• If you go to the Guest Relations which is on the left of Spaceship Earth, they will give you the list of Hidden Mickeys, just ask for it.
• Monorail co-pilot card *Ask if you get to sit up front on the monorail
• Picture with your "paws" in Lady and Tramp's paw prints in front of the stairs that lead up to Tony's Town Square Restaurant (Main Street USA, WDW)
• Go to the candy shop on Main Street & pick up the old phone on the wall inside; take a picture of you listening in on an old time phone conversation between a mother and daughter on the party line
• Find the maze garden in the back corner of UK (Epcot)
• Inside the Tower of Terror cue, as you leave the lobby but before you enter the TV room there is a bulletin board in a glass case. Some of the letters have fallen out; get right up against the glass to see what the letters have spelled out.
• Complete this phrase from Muppet*Vision 3D: "It's called ____________ all nations, but mostly America."
• While waiting in line at the Peter Pan attraction, look up at the turret on top of the Snow White attraction. Every thirty seconds to one minute or so, the Wicked Queen animatronic figure opens the curtains, looks down on the crowd for a few seconds, and then pulls the curtains closed again. Try to snap a photo of her.
• Take an "inappropriate" photo with a Disney character statue.


Now I found a few of these bonus questions I found online to be false. In particular, there is no "hidden Mickey map" available at Epcot however the nice guest relations lady told us there was a book available for purchase at the gift store. Typical. Also the Tower of Terror bonus clue was a bust and we could not find the Wicked Queen in the curtains. Perhaps that is at Disneyland? Erin's sister was the most dedicated to the hunt and thus won the prize of bragging rights that you won the scavenger hunt.


The weather might have been unseasonalby chilly, but that did not stop us from having a terrific time at "the most magical place on earth". I probably have to pay Disney now that I have written that in my blog.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

How to make custom Mickey Mouse ears.

Let me start this posting with I LOVE DISNEY WORLD!

Dad and I at The Magic Kingdom circa 1983

As a child I lived in Kissimmee, Florida from the ages of about 4 to 8. We lived close enough to the Magic Kingdom that I could see the laser light show at night from our house. Epcot Center was pretty much brand new then and my family was able to get season passes for cheap as Florida residents. Needless to say we went there all the time. Who wants to go grab ice cream at Epcot?!? This being said, I was obviously on board when one of my best friends Erin wanted to have her bachelorette party at Disney. YES!! A lot of planning and emailing and now its actually happening.

Last week some of the girls going on the Disney trip got together at Erin's place for an evening of Ear Crafting. Appetizers including Mickey shaped cookies and Skinny Girl margaritas were served. (BTW both of those things I just named are delicious!) We ordered basic black Mickey ears on a headband from Amazon.com. The are plush covered and surprisingly comfortable. Also very importantly they are the right shape and size since they are a Disney licensed product. Then I lugged over my entire craft closet to Erin's house for a ribbon, sequin, feather, bow covered extravaganza.

Once I starting pulling craft supplies out of my closet, I could not believe the massive collection I have acquired in the last 5 years! Extra fabric from MANY sewing projects, pieces of marabou boas, ribbon that I couldn't stand to see put in the trash at work, gems, feathers, and sequins from so many flamboyant headpieces! In short we didn't have to buy ANYTHING for decorating which saved money and a trip to Michael's. Everyone dove right in and I was very impressed with the level of creativity and craftiness. Many hot glue burns later and with a whole lot of glitter spread all over Erin's apartment we were finished. Here's a look at some our Disney works of art.

Andrea's Epcot fireworks show inspired World Showcase Ears!

Melissa's Gothic inspired Lolita Minnie Ears

Pam's Diamond in the Rough Ears *made and modeled by Andrea

My Alice in Wonderland inspired Golden Afternoon Ears

Lauren's Miss Piggy inspired Hollywood Ears

Alisha's Tim Burton inspired Minnie Ears *Made by Lauren and modeled by Andrea

Megan's Minnie inspired Glitter Bouquet Ears

Finally, Erin's very special Bride of Mickey Ears!



Let the most MAGICAL trip ever begin!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

To the Next Level!

So lately I've been contemplating how to bring my costumes to the next level of awesomeness. Wig customization has stepped it up for sure, but what is next?!
I offer you...
Costume Contacts and Out of Control Eyelashes

As a non contact wearer this is a big step for me! Placing something on top of my own eyeball is not something I have any practice with and frankly makes me a little nervous. But before my next big event I will have purchased and practiced to see if I can do it. Zombie Ragdoll Mermaid Part II here I come!!
As I am doing some research I'm noticing a couple different kinds of lenses. There are Plano (non-prescription) as well as prescription powers. The color is “sandwiched” inside the lens, so no color actually touches your eyes, making the special effects lens more comfortable to wear.



Then there is a more intense version that actually covers most of your eye! Its called Scleral lenses. They are large diameter contact lenses that cover all or almost all of your eye for an incredible effect.



Here's a good example of contacts used to take a costume to the next level. My friend Liz was a Bridezilla for Halloween. This costume could have gone cheesy in an instant, but check out her awesome makeup and 1 contact! Love it. Since she is a contact wearer normally she just ordered her prescription in a costume contact and wore one with a normal contact.


Another way which I think I can raise the quality of my costumes is CRAZY(ER) EYELASHES! Fake eyelashes are simply a must for me with ANY costume. The only time I didn't wear them was at Burning Man when my dust goggles interfered with them too much. My favorite pair of lashes are a black feather set by Make Up For Ever#25116 purchased at Sephora. They are dramatic but not heavy. It only takes a few seconds for me to get used to them on my eyelids.

If you remove them carefully and pull off the any dried glue, again carefully, you can keep using the same pair of lashes till you are sick of them! I keep the boxes they come in for storage because they tend to stick to anything so keep them separated.

Anyway on to my point, Bigger more Bad Ass Lashes!
While updating my Etsy page, I came across a seller named Natalie with a shop called Spirys. She makes CRAZY fun beaded and feathered eyelashes. This eyelash jewelry comes in all sorts of colors with feathers and tiny beaded extensions. I MUST HAVE!!! She even makes custom orders.
Also handy, if you are new to wearing eyelashes or eyelash jewelry she has a link to a video tutorial.
Think I will try making one of these tutorials seeing as I have my own technique that never fails!