May 9, 2012: 5 Night Bahamas Cruise on Disney Magic

[sweetpee_1993]

Okay! This is a fly-by-post! I'm still not done sewing...one more thing to make. I've been taking pics as I go. Since I'm resting my back for a little bit I thought I'd post what I've got. My back between my shoulders hurts sooooo bad from sitting over the stinkin' sewing machine! I'm gonna need an industrial massage!!!!

First, my Pixar Up! upcycled Little Golden Book journal. I bought the book off eBay for a couple bucks plus shipping. I was kinda miffed when it arrived. It was warped and beat up. The listing said nothing about this. However, Now that the journal is made, I'm glad it was beat up. I didn't feel near as bad about deconstructing a book that already had issues. I think the wear adds patina to the journal that you can't create intentionally. So, here it is:

I added the braided embroidery floss to the binding to use as my page marker, This makes jotting down notes on the fly muuuuch easier. The story and all the pictures in the book are still there in the correct order. My lined journal pages are interspersed randomly. See?

And here's a little closer shot of my handiwork at rebinding the book. It took me a few tries to get it right....plus some less-than-magical words, a few stuck fingers, and a bull's determination. The binding isn't meant to be perfect and pretty. It's functional and sturdy.

Then there's the project that I worked on all weekend long. I'm terrible at underestimating the time it takes to do this stuff. I thought I'd be spending a day making my skirt for pirate night. No, this was more like 2 days...both were no less than 9 hours long. I hadn't even cut the fabric when I started this thing on Saturday. Ruffles are brutal! The zipper (not pictured) isn't perfectly precise the way my mother-in-law does them but I'm proud to say the zipper is IN and it's not backwards. Zippers are my nemesis. I hate them and they hate me. I plan to wear this with my black Goonies Never Say Die fitted tshirt. I'll wear a pirate bandana as a headband, my hair in 2 braids again like last time. This time, tho, I have an assortment of pirate ribbons I can tie onto my braids and decorate my flip-flops with!

I had grand plans of making myself another cross-body bag to carry while on vacation. I use my Disney Dooney purses (I have like 6 of them) or my Harvey's/Disney Couture purse for everyday. I do NOT use my good bags on vacation. No WAY! A few years ago I made myself a couple of my ideal WDW bags. Love them! See???

The problem is, they're a little too small in size for me now. I need more space. I still have some of my favorite fabric so I was planning to do a new one that's a little bigger. Well, last week a Disney-buddy from another website contacted me and asked if I could possibly make her a custom Minnie-inspired bag if she paid me. Good timing since I was planning to make one for myself, too. Again, I underestimated the time involved. It took waaaaay longer than I thought it would. I hurried to get hers done so I could get it shipped. I have yet to start sewing mine. Hers sure turned out gorgeous, tho! Very proud of this! She asked for the white daisy detail vs. Minnie's hair bow. She favors the more vintage Minnie look. Here's my interpretation:

Another ruffle. I'm telling you, ruffles will be the death of me! So tedious! And here's the inside of the bag. I like light/bright colors inside so the bag isn't so dark you can't find anything. The little side pockets are created to be the perfect size for slipping in your room key and driver's license. The ribbon, I thought, was a fun detail:

So now I'm off to get my packages shipped and get started on my own bag. No ruffles on mine!

I promise to catch up reading the goings-on as soon as I can!

 

[Britster18]

HOLY MOLY you do GREAT work!!!!!!!
I have all the things here to do that but not the talent.. yet. I haven't had one second to myself other then playing around with scraps to try anything!

You did AWESOME!!

 

[PixieMom712]

I would have my DS in plaid shorts except he is currently too cold ALL THE TIME so I think he'll do khakis at night.

Kelly - your stuff is AMAZING! I am seriously in awe, but I can't sew a button on. XD

 

[iloverags2]

Kelly! Holy smokes! You are one talented lady! Love, love, love all of your creations. Sewing, crafting, any of that is just not my forte. In fact, I downright stink at it! How awesome you are able to create such cool items.

 

[TPNaida]

We will also be on this cruise. It is our first ever cruise and we decided to treat our boys (7&9) to the best.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

We will also be on this cruise. It is our first ever cruise and we decided to treat our boys (7&9) to the best.

Welcome!!!!!!!

Kelly you are AMAZING!!!! You could make ALOT of money making and selling those!!!

 

[iloverags2]

We will also be on this cruise. It is our first ever cruise and we decided to treat our boys (7&9) to the best.

Welcome aboard!!!

 

[iloverags2]

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to post a reminder of the two meets we have planned (especially to those who are not participating in the FE, and therefore are not constantly reminded by me about this! ). If anyone wants to add to this list, please do!

• 
  Embarkation Day (Wed, 5/9) at 3:00 p.m. in the Promenade Lounge

• At Sea Day (Fri, 5/11) at 11:00 a.m. on the Pool Deck, near the Family Pool (midship) - From here everyone will disperse to their lunch spots (Palo, Topsiders, Lumiere's, etc.). Those who want to get back together after lunch, meet in Diversions.

 

[Britster18]

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to post a reminder of the two meets we have planned (especially to those who are not participating in the FE, and therefore are not constantly reminded by me about this! ). If anyone wants to add to this list, please do!

• 
  Embarkation Day (Wed, 5/9) at 3:00 p.m. in the Promenade Lounge

• At Sea Day (Fri, 5/11) at 11:00 a.m. on the Pool Deck, near the Family Pool (midship) - From here everyone will disperse to their lunch spots (Palo, Topsiders, Lumiere's, etc.). Those who want to get back together after lunch, meet in Diversions.

We (or me) will be at the first one... we have Palo on sea day!

 

[Mom of 2 boyz]

We will be at the meets as well.
So tonight I ran around like a nut with my 5 and 3 yr old in tow to Jo Ann Fabric and Michael's to find things to make an FE.
Let this be your warning....I am not crafty by an means and pretty much threw together something to hang outside our stateroom. So please don't judge me by the looks of it. LOL
Is everyone packed?
I still have quite a bit to do and a full weekend of parties coming up.
Anyone staying at Disney before or after our cruise?
We are staying 1 night at All Star Movie before the cruise and then 3 nights at Coronado Springs after the cruise.

 

[lzmom_of_twins]

We will be at the meets as well.
So tonight I ran around like a nut with my 5 and 3 yr old in tow to Jo Ann Fabric and Michael's to find things to make an FE.
Let this be your warning....I am not crafty by an means and pretty much threw together something to hang outside our stateroom. So please don't judge me by the looks of it. LOL
Is everyone packed?
I still have quite a bit to do and a full weekend of parties coming up.
Anyone staying at Disney before or after our cruise?
We are staying 1 night at All Star Movie before the cruise and then 3 nights at Coronado Springs after the cruise.

No judging from me! I have my kids clothes all laid out. I need to start getting my stuff out. FE gifts are done and shipped. Magnets are done. Its coming together. We leave on Saturday. We are staying at Bonnet Creek for 4 nights before the cruise. We will be at MK on Monday and HS on Tuesday.

 

[wildforgoofy]

Okay! This is a fly-by-post! I'm still not done sewing...one more thing to make. I've been taking pics as I go. Since I'm resting my back for a little bit I thought I'd post what I've got. My back between my shoulders hurts sooooo bad from sitting over the stinkin' sewing machine! I'm gonna need an industrial massage!!!!

First, my Pixar Up! upcycled Little Golden Book journal. I bought the book off eBay for a couple bucks plus shipping. I was kinda miffed when it arrived. It was warped and beat up. The listing said nothing about this. However, Now that the journal is made, I'm glad it was beat up. I didn't feel near as bad about deconstructing a book that already had issues. I think the wear adds patina to the journal that you can't create intentionally. So, here it is:

I added the braided embroidery floss to the binding to use as my page marker, This makes jotting down notes on the fly muuuuch easier. The story and all the pictures in the book are still there in the correct order. My lined journal pages are interspersed randomly. See?

And here's a little closer shot of my handiwork at rebinding the book. It took me a few tries to get it right....plus some less-than-magical words, a few stuck fingers, and a bull's determination. The binding isn't meant to be perfect and pretty. It's functional and sturdy.

Then there's the project that I worked on all weekend long. I'm terrible at underestimating the time it takes to do this stuff. I thought I'd be spending a day making my skirt for pirate night. No, this was more like 2 days...both were no less than 9 hours long. I hadn't even cut the fabric when I started this thing on Saturday. Ruffles are brutal! The zipper (not pictured) isn't perfectly precise the way my mother-in-law does them but I'm proud to say the zipper is IN and it's not backwards. Zippers are my nemesis. I hate them and they hate me. I plan to wear this with my black Goonies Never Say Die fitted tshirt. I'll wear a pirate bandana as a headband, my hair in 2 braids again like last time. This time, tho, I have an assortment of pirate ribbons I can tie onto my braids and decorate my flip-flops with!

I had grand plans of making myself another cross-body bag to carry while on vacation. I use my Disney Dooney purses (I have like 6 of them) or my Harvey's/Disney Couture purse for everyday. I do NOT use my good bags on vacation. No WAY! A few years ago I made myself a couple of my ideal WDW bags. Love them! See???

The problem is, they're a little too small in size for me now. I need more space. I still have some of my favorite fabric so I was planning to do a new one that's a little bigger. Well, last week a Disney-buddy from another website contacted me and asked if I could possibly make her a custom Minnie-inspired bag if she paid me. Good timing since I was planning to make one for myself, too. Again, I underestimated the time involved. It took waaaaay longer than I thought it would. I hurried to get hers done so I could get it shipped. I have yet to start sewing mine. Hers sure turned out gorgeous, tho! Very proud of this! She asked for the white daisy detail vs. Minnie's hair bow. She favors the more vintage Minnie look. Here's my interpretation:

Another ruffle. I'm telling you, ruffles will be the death of me! So tedious! And here's the inside of the bag. I like light/bright colors inside so the bag isn't so dark you can't find anything. The little side pockets are created to be the perfect size for slipping in your room key and driver's license. The ribbon, I thought, was a fun detail:

So now I'm off to get my packages shipped and get started on my own bag. No ruffles on mine!

I promise to catch up reading the goings-on as soon as I can!

Kelly these are all AWESOME!! I love the book & the skirt is perfect! I agree with you on the ruffles, they are a pain in the bu**! The purse is so adorable! I'd buy one. Wait till Maya sees it she'll go nuts over it. Did u use a pattern or just design your own? Why don't you use your expensive purses? I've been thinking about what would be the best thing to carry around. What's everyone going to use?

We will also be on this cruise. It is our first ever cruise and we decided to treat our boys (7&9) to the best.

Welcome!!

 

[iloverags2]

Kelly these are all AWESOME!! I love the book & the skirt is perfect! I agree with you on the ruffles, they are a pain in the bu**! The purse is so adorable! I'd buy one. Wait till Maya sees it she'll go nuts over it. Did u use a pattern or just design your own? Why don't you use your expensive purses? I've been thinking about what would be the best thing to carry around. What's everyone going to use?

Funny you should ask this...I was just wondering earlier tonight where the heck I'm going to put all my purses/bags! The duffle for shoes is almost full (and I still have only my shoes in there...and not all of them!).

I'm bringing my small Life Is Good purse, a larger Life Is Good hobo bag, drawstring backpack, and at least one evening clutch (need something to carry my camera and other necessities to dinner in). Oh crud! I also have the new cute little throw over that is just big enough to hold my camera and phone for when I wander around the ship to take pictures! Five (possibly six) and counting!

 

[iloverags2]

We (or me) will be at the first one... we have Palo on sea day!

Meet at Diversions after!

We will be at the meets as well.
So tonight I ran around like a nut with my 5 and 3 yr old in tow to Jo Ann Fabric and Michael's to find things to make an FE.
Let this be your warning....I am not crafty by an means and pretty much threw together something to hang outside our stateroom. So please don't judge me by the looks of it. LOL
Is everyone packed?
I still have quite a bit to do and a full weekend of parties coming up.
Anyone staying at Disney before or after our cruise?
We are staying 1 night at All Star Movie before the cruise and then 3 nights at Coronado Springs after the cruise.

If anyone saw the first FE I ever made, they would be in for a good laugh! It was for my mommy and me cruise (love hanging out with my mom!) and she was none the wiser. Let's just say, I have purchased FEs since then.

I have shoes packed!

Not staying at Disney (boo), but will be at the Residence Inn at the port the night before the cruise (hope to see Erica there!), and then it's off to the Residence Inn at the Convention Center for three nights after the cruise. I'm presenting at a huge conference there, but plan on hitting Disney parks in the evening hours at least one night! Maybe one night having dinner at RFC in DTD.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Thanks for the compliments, y'all. It's always nice to see the payoff for all the hard work. I love to make stuff. Sharing my work is the most fun for me.

Terri, I don't like carrying my good bags around WDW or on the cruise mostly because they're bulky, big, and annoying. If I don't need to carry all that junk around I'd rather not. Then there's the worry that something could happen to my bags. The parks in particular are dirty. No way I'm taking my expensive bags there. Embarkation I'll have my bag with everything but the kitchen sink crammed in. Once we get to our room I'll pull the bare necessities, situate my small cross-body bag, and the big boys get put away. I love the cross-body style because they're light and easy. Totally hands- and fuss- free. In the parks or anywhere i dont even have to take it off to sit. Just shift the bag to my lap and sit. If they get dirty I can wash them. And I can make them in any number of looks. Yes, I use a pattern or multiples of patterns. Mostly I use patterns for pieces, shapes, & how-to's. I rarely follow a pattern. I resize things, modify pieces, etc. to produce what I envision. The Minnie bag I just made was from Simplicity 2164... except I resized the bag body to 110%, omitted the pocket elements, created the card slot pockets for what I needed, lengthened the strap, and edited in my embellishments. If that makes any sense. Lol! I have bins and bins of fabrics, tons of Disney stuff. Still not willing to spend for the killer Disney fabrics out of the Japanese market. That stuff is insanely expensive then you have to ship it. They just don't do as much character variety and detail in the US market. I also have oodles of patterns...lots of random patterns I've created from packaged patterns, etc. I could go on all day. I just love to make stuff! Lol!

Oh! I was reading a trip report from someone recently off the Magic on another forum and saw pics of her stateroom. Why are they still using bedspreads?!?! Ugh! I hate bedspreads! Not gonna be a cruise killer or anything but I just don't get why they've not swapped out to the lovely fresh comforters and duvets like the new ships have. Wouldnt it be advantageous to upgrade those little details to maintain continuity and quality across all 4 of their amazing ships? Tracey is going to kill me but I'm packing one of our old hard shell suitcases with my Minnie quilt &/or an older comforter & duvet. I may not even tell him beforehand. I may just pack it & he can deal with it once he arrives in Orlando. Lol!

Gotta send a big hello out to our newest cruising additions! Don't sweat the FE stuff. It's all awesome-sauce on an already mind-blowing experience! We'll be at Pop for 2 nights pre-cruise. Going to Typhoon Lagoon the day before. May or may not hit Raglan Road for dinner the night before. I'm not a big fan of WDW grub in general. Way too overpriced for mediocre quality. We may just head off-property to try to find something off the beaten path.

I'm planning on being there for the meets! Lookin forward to it!

I took tonight off from sewing so I could run and rest my back. The guys all had to fend for themselves with the leftovers. I'll be getting up with Tracey in just a few short hours to hit the grind stone again. Gonna sew while I can then hit the ground running...errands, shopping, packing, house cleaning, bank books, etc etc etc....I think the list is multiplying!

 

[wildforgoofy]

Funny you should ask this...I was just wondering earlier tonight where the heck I'm going to put all my purses/bags! The duffle for shoes is almost full (and I still have only my shoes in there...and not all of them!).

I'm bringing my small Life Is Good purse, a larger Life Is Good hobo bag, drawstring backpack, and at least one evening clutch (need something to carry my camera and other necessities to dinner in). Oh crud! I also have the new cute little throw over that is just big enough to hold my camera and phone for when I wander around the ship to take pictures! Five (possibly six) and counting!

Cindy are you a fellow Jeep owner? I got my first CJ5 when I was 17 and I've have one ever since. Just wonder since your bag of choice is Life is Good.

 

[Britster18]

I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what "purse" to carry. HELP!!!!!!!!

I need to carry the wave phone, KTTWc, camera.... ugh.

 

[PixieMom712]

We will also be on this cruise. It is our first ever cruise and we decided to treat our boys (7&9) to the best.

It's great to have you! Do you have any questions we can help you with? And make sure you come to the meet ups!

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to post a reminder of the two meets we have planned (especially to those who are not participating in the FE, and therefore are not constantly reminded by me about this! ). If anyone wants to add to this list, please do!

• 
  Embarkation Day (Wed, 5/9) at 3:00 p.m. in the Promenade Lounge

• At Sea Day (Fri, 5/11) at 11:00 a.m. on the Pool Deck, near the Family Pool (midship) - From here everyone will disperse to their lunch spots (Palo, Topsiders, Lumiere's, etc.). Those who want to get back together after lunch, meet in Diversions.

I will definitely be at the first one, and am planning to bring my hole punch if anyone wants it for KTTW cards or whatever (looking at you Britster). We will try to make the other as well, but it depends on what the family is up for!

We will be at the meets as well.
So tonight I ran around like a nut with my 5 and 3 yr old in tow to Jo Ann Fabric and Michael's to find things to make an FE.
Let this be your warning....I am not crafty by an means and pretty much threw together something to hang outside our stateroom. So please don't judge me by the looks of it. LOL
Is everyone packed?
I still have quite a bit to do and a full weekend of parties coming up.
Anyone staying at Disney before or after our cruise?
We are staying 1 night at All Star Movie before the cruise and then 3 nights at Coronado Springs after the cruise.

No judging from me! I totally bought mine.
I have not packed one single stinking item. I have everything figured out in my head but I still need to figure out exactly what I am taking for DS as he is sort of between sizes and his (several boxes of) new clothes from gramma aren't unpacked yet. Bleh. On the to do list for today!
We are visiting my DH's dad and his wife before and after, which sort of negates the cost of airfare for us. They live in Sarasota. We arrive Monday evening and will probably hit the beach Tuesday, then we're doing a nature kayak trip on disembarkation day and will spend four more full days with the in laws before heading out early Saturday. I might sleep for a month after!

Thanks for the compliments, y'all. It's always nice to see the payoff for all the hard work. I love to make stuff. Sharing my work is the most fun for me.

I keep talking about learning to sew but I just feel like I am so uncoordinated. This is total inspiration though - I could make purses! XD

I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what "purse" to carry. HELP!!!!!!!!

I need to carry the wave phone, KTTWc, camera.... ugh.

I am probably bringing a bigger purse than anyone because I HAVE to have my water bottle at all times. I'm having Braxton-Hicks contractions and the doc was a little worried so I am drinking a ridiculous amount of water every day. I agree with Kelly that a crossbody is totally the way to go, and have heard good things about a few different styles. You might just try Ross/TJ Maxx/Marshalls and see if they have any smallish crossbodies that would work for you. I see Baggalini ones at my TJ Maxx pretty regularly. I am bringing a Relic organizer crossbody purse, but like I said, it's fairly large. It's a cute color and it's vinyl so I don't worry about it getting dirty or wet.
The other thought... though it might be too late to order one, is the Passporter lanyard thing. It holds a wave phone and a KTTW. Then you can just get a neck or wrist strap for your camera.

Edited to add: Or even something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Lewis-N-Clark...SR8Z/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1335967041&sr=8-8 which just might fit your camera if it's very small. If you have Amazon Prime you can get it by Friday for free shipping! Hmm... now I want one for DH.

 

[Britster18]

We have Prime to and I totally get my money's worth out of that sucker!

Maybe I'll have to stop in TJ Max.... I should just get my lazy butt up and go through my giant collection of bags I have in my closet.

 

[PixieMom712]

But shopping is more fun!

I have gone a little lanyard crazy - I just have no idea what will be most comfortable for us. I have an old Tinkerbell lanyard with a plastic pouch, I did get the Passporter one, and I also got a 'clip' kind with the retractable line for DH to clip in his pocket/on his belt which I think is what will actually win for him.