Thankful for.... Disney Days!

There are so many things that I am grateful for in my life that if I started a list, I'm not sure I would ever stop. But I've recently discovered one more thing to add to that list: Build A Bear's Disney Days sale!

I'm just going to go ahead and say this now: I, a childless adult, am the proud mama of not one, but two Build A Bear stuffed animals. Both were a gift from my boyfriend, so it's not like I'm walking into the store alone and stuffing these bears solo. Having those two bears wouldn't be so strange if I didn't also have so many outfits for them that my boyfriend had good reason to get me a Build A Bear armoire so I could better organize all the clothes I have for them. I have Halloween outfits, Christmas outfits, some nice casual outfits, and graduation robes representing the two different years that my boyfriend and I graduated from our undergraduate careers. I got this armoire back in September, and I haven't purchased a single thing from Build A Bear since, and my wardrobe is already chock full of clothes! The drawers are filled to the brim, the accessory door can't take many more accessories, and I have to do some serious shoving and squeezing to add more outfits on the hanging rod. Between my boyfriend and myself, we have made enough trips to Build A Bear that we decided to go ahead and become a Stuff Fur Stuff member. We've purchased so much stuff that we have earned several gift cards because of all the points we easily rack up. Then I got an email from Build A Bear telling me all about Disney Days, their two-day sale on select Disney merchandise. Typically, I'm pretty skeptical of sales like this because sales usually fall into one of two categories: 

1) The sale is only a couple bucks off, which really just saves me the amount I would have paid in tax for that item; OR 

2) The sale is on an item that I don't particularly care to have anyway.

But when the email promised up to 60% off Disney merchandise, I couldn't help but at least check it out! 

Boy, am I ever glad that I did! 

For a little under $50, I had purchased two dresses, a Mickey tuxedo outfit, a Disney princess tiara, and a bedding set. This was all including tax. I really did save a ton on these items! I think I saved at least 50% on each item, a little more on some other items. I did the math comparing the amount I paid versus the full price, and I saved $24! That doesn't sound like much, but that is enough to buy two outfits at full price! I was thrilled! 

PLUS I didn't have to pay for shipping because I spent enough to qualify for free shipping. That's not all! The cherry on top of this whole thing: I used a $50 gift card my boss had given me a while back, so this purchase didn't cost me a dime! Without the Disney Days sale, I would have had to shell out an extra 24 bucks to get all that stuff. You guys, I'm a believer. I will always at least look at the items when Build A Bear promises things like the Disney Days sale! 

DIY Cruella De Ville Costume

DIY Halloween costume #1: Cruella Deville!

No way was I going to let this Halloween pass without a nod to something scary and Disney! Of course, I could have picked from several other Disney villains, but if I'm being honest, Cruella was really the most affordable and cost-friendly option for me. Unfortunately, I was so busy trying to perfect the costume that I didn't stop to take many progress pictures, but hopefully the written directions will be clear enough to make up for the lack of visuals.

Here we go!

You will need:

- A large white furry coat or shawl
- Red fabric
- Hot glue gun
- A black outfit
- A black and white wig
- Red gloves, or black & red nail polish

I actually couldn't find a white furry item of clothing in my closet, so I had to do some shopping for one. I didn't go out with high hopes. I would have been content with just a regular old white coat. But I couldn't believe my luck - I found the perfect white fuzzy coat that was super soft and fit exactly the way I hoped it would. I found mine in the bathrobes section of TJ Maxx. It was even on sale! I bought mine in a size L because I wanted it to fit a little looser than a typical coat.

Next, I measured out my red fabric and cut it so that it was the size of one side of my coat. That sounds a little confusing, but the picture below shows what I mean. You can cover the entire inside of your coat with the red fabric if you want, but since only the sides will be visible, I figured I'd just cover up the visible portions. Less work that way.

 As you can see, I cut my fabric so that it fit just nicely on the inside of the left and right sides of my coat. I seriously recommending splurging for fabric scissors. They're sharp and made specifically for cutting fabric without making those awful jagged marks as you go. Just remember not to use it for any other material than fabric. Fabric scissors cost a pretty penny, so it's helpful to make it last for more than just one project.

I have zero sewing skills, so my hot glue gun has very quickly become my best friend in DIY projects. I carefully glued the piece of fabric onto the coat. It stuck surprisingly well. I was initially worried that it wouldn't adhere nicely because of the material of the furry coat. You'll have to adjust the fabric as you go. Don't rush this process - since this fabric is visible, you'll want to make it look neat.

After doing the same to the other side of the coat, you're done! That's the main part of this costume, other than the wig. Then slap on some red gloves, or, if you're in a warmer climate like me, you can opt to paint your nails black and then add some nice red tips. Add some red pumps (or just any pair or red shoes, really), and voila! You are Cruella Deville! If you want to go the extra mile and add a cigarette holder to finish off the look, you can easily paint a straw black, white, and gold.

Here's the final look (minus hair and nails) :

This costume took all of 40 minutes to put together, so it's a great costume if you're trying to come up with a last minute costume for Halloween. Plus it's warm, too, so you can be comfy and cute! 

Have fun!

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