Day 1282: Tsums

The latest craze has been finding ways to display your Tsum Tsum collection, and since they stack relatively well, there's tons of creative ways to achieve this. When I realized that I have way too many Tsums to really stack them in individual little piles all over the place, I figured it was time to join the movement, and asked my Dad if he'd be so kind as to fashion me a frame. 

Well, as you can see, it worked out pretty well, and now my Tsum Tsum collection looks even more adorable all stacked up in this custom made frame. It fits perfectly on the top of my fireplace and is pretty darn cute. I already have black and blue custom wood pieces in my apartment, but this time I really wanted to keep it fresh and light with the white frame. 

There's plenty of other creative ideas on how to store your Tsum Tsums out there though, so definitely go check some of them out for your own collection! After all, for some reason they just look so much cuter when they're all together! 

Have a magical day!

Day 1204: One-Sided

Disney fans, unlike the title of this blog post, are very obviously not one sided. I mean, just look at the picture! You don't see that side of me all that often! As in my right side...

Alright, alright, in all seriousness, we're not talking about physical sides of us Disney fans. No, we're talking about the various...fandom sides. I suppose that's what you'd call it since there isn't really a better term for all of the various obsessions we have. And then we have our different moods on top of it, and really, Disney fans become quite difficult to figure out unless you're a fan yourself. 

For instance, there's the Disney Parks Side, which has us all excited to head to Florida. Split that up and you get three areas: Waiting to go to Disney, At Disney, and Leaving Disney. Waiting to go to Disney is how we spend most of our time, constantly wondering if there's anything else can do to plan, making lists of every shape and size, and making countdown crafts. When we're actually at Disney we're usually at our happiest, with Mickey or Minnie ears on our heads and a smile on our faces as we head out into the parks to experience our favorite attractions and foods for the 18 zillionth time. It never gets old for us. Remember that. And then there's the absolute worst part of every Disney fan's life: leaving Disney. We get uncontrollably sad, we may cry, and will also immediately start planning another trip. That's just how it works. And then the cycle repeats. 

Back home, there's the Movie Fan Side of us. The part that's perfectly content to curl up on the couch with some Mickey Waffles and watch every single Disney movie until we can no longer keep our eyes open. It's the side that rushes to the movie theater when a new film comes out, or, likewise, rushes to the store to buy the latest DVD. We end up collecting everything relating to our favorite films, and then proceed to argue with others about which Disney movie is obviously the best. Although, in the end, we all pretty much agree to disagree because they're all awesome. 

There's the Musical Side of every fan, and I don't just mean the Disney Broadway Musicals. No, the part of us that constantly sings along with every recording of every Disney song ever created, because obviously we learned the lyrics to "In a World of my Own" from Alice in Wonderland years ago. We tend to annoy others with this habit, but really they're probably singing along with us. 

There's the Foodie Side, which would give anything to have a Dole Whip during the long months between trips, and longs to go to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival every fall. The Obsessive Side, which refreshes the page every two seconds during the D23 Expo and other fan events, looks up all the possible information about our favorite animators, actors, characters, and films, and memorizes every line in our favorite films. There's the Historical Side, which researches Walt Disney, Disney films, and the parks like our lives depend on it, and the Calm Side, which rarely comes out for a visit.

But most importantly, there's the Dreamer Side, which makes us all believe that anything is possible and that our dreams really can become a reality if we pursue them with hard work, dedication, and a bit of pixie dust. One side alone wouldn't make up a Disney fan, and I'm sure there are plenty of others that I can't even remember to list, but the important part is that every side of a Disney fan helps make up the unique combination of our fandom, and I wouldn't want anything else. 

Have a magical day!

Day 1202: How to Become a Disney Fan

I've been a Disney fan for life, but not everyone has. I'm not kidding though, I've literally pretty much insisted that Disney World is my home since I started to talk, and there's nothing I love more than riding Spaceship Earth. Literally. Nothing.

But if you're not like me and maybe you've never been to a Disney park and haven't seen some of the most popular Disney movies, how do you actually become a Disney fan? I'm not going to lie, it's a pretty awesome community of people to join, as we're definitely some of the most fun and most magical folks around, but you'll also need to know what you're talking about...and what we're talking about for that same matter. Like, do you know what an ADR is? Or a Fastpass? Do you know how many individual strands of hair Rapunzel has on her head?

So, if you want to become a Disney fan, there's really only one thing you can do: jump head first into the fandom and embrace all the magic.

If you're at home, I'd definitely start with some of the classic Disney movies. You have to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at some point, and when you get a bit bored during the movie, look up some of the early history of the Walt Disney Company and learn about the man Walt Disney himself! From there you could just go straight through the 50+ animated Disney movies that make up much of the fandom, but if you want to skip around that's good too. Some other must watch films include Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tangled, Frozen, Dumbo, Bambi, and probably Lilo & Stitch, and don't forget about the Pixar movies too!

After you have a handle on some of the movies that we all fawn over, it's time to book your first trip to the parks! You may want to find a travel agent to help you the first time, but once you get the hang of things, you'll be fine! Be sure to brush up on some of the Disney Parks lingo, and make sure you head on some of the most classic and popular attractions: Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, The Teacups, The Carrousel, Carousel of Progress, Spaceship Earth, Test Track, The American Adventures, The Great Movie Ride, Tower of Terror, Star Tours, Expedition Everest, It's Tough to be a Bug, Indiana Jones, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and so on and so forth. Really you can't mess this one up.

And then, honestly, you just keep repeating all of this! Head to the Disney Parks more often! Check out some videos on YouTube from Disney YouTubers (like myself), follow Disney fans on social media, watch more Disney movies, and just keep moving forward. You'll get the hang of it eventually.

Have a magical day!