Cool awesome Disney Countdown courtesy of Love our Disney

Thank you so much Melissa for letting me come and share this tutorial with your readers!

When you are heading to Disney, it is fun to have something to get the kids (or yourself) excited for the trip that last week.

The inspiration for this piece came from this book. (Page 12). They had a countdown, but there are no instructions, and the embelishments are all different, and look more complicated in my opinion. I decided I needed to do a tutorial.

Supplies you NEED:

• Disney paper- 12x12
• Colored card stock 12x6
• Solid color card stock 12x12
• 8 "tags" that are approximately 2" wide and 3.5-4" tall (or you can make your own)
• Stickers and embellishments
• Adhesive
• Scissors/paper cutter
• Ribbon
• Vellum

Extras I used

• Sticker maker
• Printer
• Hot glue gun
• 12x12 card board
• Distressing ink

To start- if you are going to print anything on vellum in the printer- you may want to do this first (preferably 24 hours in advance) as ink on vellum takes a long time to dry.

Next- prepare your tags. I used one from the countdown in my scrapbook to trace and make my own out of white card stock. You need 8 tags total, but it is good to have some back ups just in case.

If you know me, you know I love to use distressing ink. I purposely over did it on the cards here. I think it gives a better effect then plain white. I punched holes in them knowing I wanted to embelish them later.

After I distress the tags, I put them aside to dry a little. I begin working on the main part of the countdown.

Take your vellum and cut 2 strips that are approximately 2.5" by 11"
Using a tag to figure out placement, glue the vellum on to the Disney paper, glue only the 2 short edges and the bottom. Your tags will need to be able to slide/sit in the vellum. You are basically making a pocket.

Then place, use a tag in the top row of vellum to figure out a good place to cut the Disney paper (or you can use the whole thing and cover the top part up, but I hate to waste that paper). After you have trimmed the Disney paper, glue this to the white card stock. It should look like the picture above.

Now you will add some ribbon embelishment to the vellum. Make sure to use a tag to measure in between. I put the bottom one on first, and then the sides. Last, I do the middle ones. If possible, and it won't make the tags fit too tight, I put a dot of glue under the vellum where the ribbon is to separate the pockets for each tag.

I now usually take a break from the main page and go to the tags. I printed out little sayings for all the days on my printer (I used the Disney font) on regular paper (you can use cardstock too). To make it easy to apply them to the tags, I cut them out and ran them through my sticker maker.

Then I added number stickers to the top and I also printed a big Disney "D" and made a sticker of it.

This is what you should have so far.

At this point, if you don't have holes in your tags, you can skip this next step. I like to embellish the tags so I put ribbons in them and tie them.

Next is another optional step. I wanted my friend to be able to hang the countdown on the wall. So, I took a 12x12 piece of cardboard. I punched 4 holes in it. One at each side about 2" in from the side, then two in the center. Then I ran ribbon through it (and hot glued the ribbon down on the other side so it couldn't move around.

After that, I glued the 12x12 page to the other side (not pictured) of the cardboard. Then I took some colored cardstock and glued it to the top. (I used hot glue for all of this). Then I distressed around the sides.

Here, you can either use stickers as I did in the picture of the one in my 2007 countdown pictured at the top of this page, or, this time, I used the Disney font and printed it on Vellum that could be ran through the sticker maker (so this is a smaller title because I only have a small sticker maker). Make sure, as I noted above, you have pre-printed your vellum and it is completely dry. I used a hair dryer to ensure mine was completely dry.

This is what you should have so far. (Tags are out of the pockets)
Now is the fun part. Embellish each pocket. Many of the days rhymes mention characters. In that case, I try and put the character on the pocket. I used chip board characters, stickers, and other random embellishments. I mixed and matched, used different textures, etc to make it fun. You could add buttons across the top of a few (as done in the book this craft idea came from). Whatever. Just have fun with it.

Then, what you end up with is something like this.

It's a great way to get kids excited for the upcoming trip, and also a great first page to a scrapbook for your vacation.

I am also happy to have this giveaway for Melissa's readers, and reader's of the other bloggers participating in the Blog Your Way to Disney event. Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win one of two amazing prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So happy

I came to check out my blog today and found 5 followers  well one is myself but it was i so thank you all for coming following  now if i can just figure out some cool things to post about.  If you have any ideas please feel free to request.  if you would like to guest blog  you are more than welcome.  If you have crafts or recipes feel free to share.  i will do button swaps with anyone out their. have a great  evening all.

Plain Chicken: Bourbon Mushrooms

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Bourbon Mushrooms

Bourbon Mushrooms

adapted from Southern Living

serves 8

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds assorted fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup bourbon (Maker's Mark)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried French thyme

In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Add chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper.  Cook 12-15 minutes, until tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add bourbon and cook 2-3 more minutes.  Reduce heat to low and add garlic, parsley and thyme.  Cook 2-3 more minutes.

Happy New Years !!!

Wow, it is here the passing  of another year and by far I feel this has been the worse year for me.  I lost my mom in August and every day I wish she was still here.  With the days getting further away  I feel like I might forget something.  But it has also been a good year my son is  doing well growing and  talking and learning so much.  I am looking forward to a good year to come.

We will be spending New Year here at home, have some snack goodies from christmas, my honey Take n Bake Pizza.  And we might watch movies or play Scene It love that game.

We hope you stay safe in the new year.

Be Mine… True Love... First Kiss.

Have you ever opened a Valentine hoping there was a candy heart inside? And not just any candy heart—certainly not Go Away or As If (remember those?)—because it wasn’t just the yummy hit of flavored sugar you were after. It was the sentiment stamped on the front.Crazy 4U. That’s the candy heart you were hoping for.

Chocolates may be able to boost our endorphin level, but only Sweethearts® candies can reveal if the girl sitting two desks away returns our crush. And the tiny hearts, not to mention the hopes that go with them, aren’t just for kids. The odds your traditional candy heart will say Marry Me are 1 in 40 .

Sweethearts candies were invented just after the Civil War, at a time when the practice of exchanging Valentines and other novel forms of romantic expression were surging in popularity. They were originally called “Motto Hearts,” formed in the shape of a cockle or scallop shell, with a message rolled up inside. From the start they were linked to coupling, often showing up at weddings with sentiments that were more tart than sweet, including Married in Satin, Love will not be Lasting, or Married in Pink, He will take to Drink.

The heart shape was adopted in 1902, and over a century later they are still cut and stamped on custom manufacturing plates at the New England Confectionery Company’s (NECCO) factory in Revere, Massachusetts. Every year 10.8 million pounds of sugar are used to produce over 5.8 billion Sweethearts—almost all of which are devoured in a 6-week period around Valentine’s Day.

The manufacturing process remains old-school, but in 2010, for the first time in 145 years, the look and taste of the candies has changed. There are new flavors like Green Apple and Blue Raspberry, bolder colors, and a version called Dazzled Tarts which actually is tart—although this time around, the expressions are sweet.

The sayings on the original “Conversation hearts”—the ones you can get in a one-ounce box, or if you’re lucky, inside a Valentine—have continually changed with the times. Please Send a Lock of Your Hair by Return Mail, a popular pick around 1900, has given way over the years to sayings like Love Bug, Cool Dude, Girl Power, and Get My Drift. This year NECCO put all its sayings up for grabs, asking the public to decide what messages they wanted to give and receive. A contest elicited over 10,000 responses, with the top results: Tweet Me and Text Me.

It’s perfect. In many ways Twitter is the high-tech equivalent of a candy heart—compressing likes and dislikes into as few letters as possible. NECCO has adapted its manufacturing process to reflect the will of the people. Between the traditional Sweethearts and the Dazzled Tarts, there are approximately 80 sayings, but manufacturing proportions vary according to popularity. The odds a traditional Sweethearts heart will say Hug Me or Baby Doll (a couple of classics kept by popular demand) are 1 in 80 respectively, while the odds are double—1 in 40—your traditional heart will say Text Me or Tweet Me. You can even create a virtual box of Sweethearts stamped with your own sentiments and tweet them to your lover.

Or you can go the old-fashioned route: red construction paper, white doily, some glue, and an envelope. The odds a traditional heart to place inside will say Crazy 4U? Also 1 in 40.

Invitations

One of my hobbies if making invitations I love making  things I really love Disney stuff here is a sample of and invitation I did  recently. i think it came out really nice.  To check out more of my  work you check out my Facebook  page OOPSEY DAISY DZIGNS.

Blog Your Way To Disney by Love Our Disney

Blog Your Way To Disney

Love Our Disney is super excited for this event/giveaway! In case the title didn't give it away, this is a giveaway for bloggers, and also has Disney vacation written all over it!

 Remember back when I said I had won gift cards, etc that I probably wouldn't use? Anyways, the original plan was to do a giveaway if we hit 2000 likes on facebook by December 31, 2012. Well, I decided I had enough to do 2 giveaways with the gift cards and some wonderful donations from our sponsors. We will still do the other giveaway IF we hit 2000 likes by December 31, 2012 but decided, why not do one for bloggers? We always have giveaways for our fans, but since it was a blogging community that I won the gift cards from, I want to give back to other bloggers as well.

So how would you like to blog your way to Disney?

How does it work? The Simple Version: (Please be sure to read the Nitty Gritty rules if you plan to participate)

1. You as a blog (craft, DIY, Self-help, Save money or special interest blog- no shops, family blogs, etc) first swap buttons with Love Our Disney (FREE ADVERTISING!!!) Love Our Disney's button MUST be on your site.
2. You do a post somehow related to Disney. Here are some ideas: Disney crafts, save money tips, Disney Review. If you are not able to come up with something, you can also ask me to guest blog one of my tutorials or my save money tips on your site. At the bottom of the post you post a link to send your readers over to Love Our Disney to enter a reader giveaway (which will be titled Love Our Readers) for a $50 Visa Gift Card and 2 Mickey/Minnie shirts in the sizes of their choice. 
3. Any blogger that gets someone to enter the giveaway is then qualified for the blogger grand prize. This is not a "who can get the most" type thing. You get one person- you are entered into the drawing. We hope you get more- but just one gets you entered. (The entry requires them to answer the question- Where did you learn about this giveaway?- you will, in your post instruct your readers to answer the name of you blog/site here)
4. Readers will have extra opportunities to enter their giveaway by liking Love Our Disney on facebook, etc.
5. After the reader giveaway has ended, we will do a drawing (using random.org) for the blogger giveaway.The winner gets their choice between
   ~ 3 night hotel stay (at a hotel booked by Love Our Disney), a $200 Airline or Gas Station Gift Card(s), and choice between 1 day park hopper or 2 day 1 park/day Disneyland tickets (for 2 people). Transportation/Air fare would be on you (though you can use your air/gas gift cards). We ask if you choose this option, that you consider (but not required) joining Love Our Disney in the park in either March/April or November. Incidentals, spending, etc would also be the responsibility of the winner. Winner would need a credit/debit card to put on file with the hotel. Hotel may charge a fee for parking (though we try to avoid those hotels). Love Our Disney will also supply you with 2 Mickey/Minnie shirts in the sizes of your choice. Additional shirts can be ordered for $10/each.To be clear- YOU ONLY GET THE HOTEL STAY, GIFT CARD(S),  PARK TICKETS AND SHIRTS.
   
   OR
   ~ A $250 Disney Gift Card and a $250 Visa Gift Card.

Pretty simple right? It won't take you a lot of time, and it has an awesome prize!

Below are the Nitty Gritty Rules:

1. Must be a US Resident, 18 years or older as of January 1, 2013 to enter. 
2.  Must be the blog/site owner or admin in order to enter. For instance, if Sally started Blog Hog, Sally must be the person to enter. Even if Suzy is a regular poster, she can not enter Blog Hog in the giveaway.
3. Your blog must be crafty, DIY, save money, special interest site that is not selling a product. Family blogs are not eligible. Blogs linked to shops are allowed as long as the blog itself does not sell items (ex: My Vinyl Direct has a project blog separate from the sales part). To verify your blog's eligibility, you can email becca@loveourdisney.com
4. Must sign up to participate by December 20, 2012. Sign up by emailing Becca at becca@loveourdisney.com with the subject line Blog Your Way To Disney Entrant
5. December 31, 2012 in the evening, Love Our Disney will put up the reader giveaway and email all participants the link. It opens January 1, 2013.
6. Participants must do their Disney post by January 15, 2013 to be eligible for the blogger prize.
7. Reader giveaway will close on January 31, 2013.
8. Reader Giveaway winner will be announced on February 2, 2013 and will have 1 week to claim their prize.
9. Blogger Giveaway drawing will be held on or around February 15, 2013. Winner will be emailed and will have 2 weeks to claim their prize (and specify which prize).
10. If the vacation prize is chosen, Love Our Disney will work with the winner on dates, ticket choices, etc. Vacation may not be taken before March 23, 2013 and MUST be taken by December 1, 2013.
    The hotel will be booked by Love Our Disney. Love Our Disney will make an effort to book a hotel with free parking, no resort fees, etc and will discuss options with the winner. Hotel may be booked using hotwire or priceline where the hotel name is hidden until after it is booked. Hotel may require a credit/debit card at time of check in and may place a hold on the card for incidentals.  If this prize is chosen, transportation/airfare, parking fees, spending, food, and all other extra expenses are the responsibility of the winner. Love Our Disney will only be paying for (1) hotel room for 3 nights and (2) Park Tickets, the (2) Mickey/Minnie shirts and $200 in air/gas giftcard(s). Love Our Disney encourages you to take your vacation to join them in the park during either their March/April or November visits- though this is not required. Prize is valued at under $600, but winner is still responsible for any  taxes that may be required by state or federal laws. 
11. If the Gift Card prize is chosen, Love Our Disney will send the winner $250 in Disney Gift Card(s) and a $250 Visa Gift Card(s) via USPS, UPS, or FedEx  (Signature required) . Prize is valued at under $600, but winner is still responsible for any taxes that may be required by state or federal laws.
12. This giveaway is in no way sponsored by facebook, the Walt Disney Company or it's affiliates, blogger, twitter, instagram, or any other social media site. Giveaway is sponsored solely by Love Our Disney and their sponsors. 

If you have any questions- please feel free to use the comment section to ask them. Don't be shy, if you are wondering, someone else may be too. Have more than just a simple question, want to verify your eligibility, or ready to sign up? Email Becca at becca@loveourdisney.com