Disney World Pressed Pennies Necklace - A Memento Unlike Any Other!

 

I'm always looking for new fun ways to celebrate and remember my Disney trips and the experiences there. One way that some people like to commemorate their trip is by collecting pressed pennies from various locations around the parks. I normally haven't done this in the past because I just didn't know what to do with the resulting stretched pennies. Some people turn them into bracelets, but I'm not a big bracelet wearer (other than the one given to me by my Jawa friend on this last trip). But before our last trip to Disney World, I had a friend on Facebook share something another friend of hers had made. And I instantly loved the idea.

Sara Ann now has an Etsy page so that you can do what I did. Take pennies on your trip (I've heard that pre-1982 pennies press best because after that year, the copper content was greatly decreased) and quarters. Each pressed penny costs 51 cents. And during your trip, just keep an eye open for the pressed penny machines.

During our last trip to Disney, I collected the following:

...and when I got back, I mailed them to Sara Ann. A couple of weeks later, I received a super cool and completely personal memento of our trip to Disney World.

Flower Crown Princess Buttons!

During our last trip to Disney World, we came prepared with 1" buttons for most of the princesses and face characters we met, featuring a joke or slogan or quote pertaining to the character. It was our way of trying to bring joy to their days. And of course I want to do it again for this trip. So a couple of weeks ago, I discovered the art series of DeviantArtist princessbeautycase. She did an art series featuring....

....All the Disney Princesses in flower crowns.

I mean, what? How perfect is that??

Here are just a few of my favorites....

 

The whole series is seriously awesome. She put a lot of thought into the flowers for each princess, giving Pocahontas sunflowers, Moana tropical flowers, Ariel flowers that could come from undersea, etc.

So I contacted the artist and asked her permission to make buttons for the characters using her art, and give them out on our next trip. (which is still being scheduled....might be later this year) She graciously said yes, so this happened:

I am so excited to give the princesses their buttons, and show the picture of all of the wonderful artworks princessbeautycase has created!

Just for fun, here's a collage of various pictures of me giving buttons to characters from our last trip. It was a pretty big hit, especially with Tiana, whose button was especially funny.

Mousesteps - The Best Source for Disney News

If you've read through my trip posts, you might have noticed me refer to a Disney parks resource for all the latest information on entertainment in the Orlando area, and at all the Disney parks worldwide.

After we returned from our first Disney World trip in 2013, we got into the habit of watching YouTube videos about the parks every night before bed. It always seemed as if one YouTube channel's videos kept popping up in our searches, and were always among the best videos taken of any particular subject. It got to the point where if we did a search under a certain topic (Disney parades, fireworks, ride videos, etc) we would seek out the videos done by this channel. And then finally we just went straight to their YouTube page and started at their very first video, going through and watching all of them in order.

This resource I am talking about is Mousesteps, the website, the YouTube channel, and the half hour YouTube show they do, Mousesteps Weekly, summarizing what is happening in the world of Disney and in Orlando entertainment each week. Jeff and Denise have incredible rapport, and their YouTube videos are always a great blend of their personal opinions and unbiased information on what is up and coming. Both of them have been attending the parks for decades, and they pepper their videos with fascinating information on how the parks have changed over time. For instance, they might be discussing the changes in this year's Halloween party parade (Boo to You), and Jeff or Denise might observe that a new float is actually one that was used in a previous parade, just repainted and re-themed. Their videos are full of this sort of fun observation that any Disney fan will enjoy.

Mousesteps also has a Facebook page, and it's a great place to get up to the minute information on Disney details as major as new attraction openings, and as minor (but really important to us Disney-philes) as what new merchandise is available in the stores around Disney World. Their reviews of new restaurants, new Disney cruise offerings, and new attractions really aren't to be beat. And they even attend special events at the Disney resort hotels that might go largely unnoticed, like Cinco de Mayo celebrations, golf cart parades, and chocolate Easter egg decorating competitions.

My husband and I now consider Jeff and Denise to be friends, but we discovered them through YouTube, and continue to watch every new video they post!

Disney Fashionista

I would be remiss if I didn't mention, and mention nice and early, the phenomenal resource that is ....

The Disney Fashionista blog/webpage.

Disney Fashionista is a relatively new page devoted to tracking down all the latest in Disney fashion, travel, makeup, and more. She sometimes updates it several times in a day, and what I love about her page, as a thrifty individual, is that she has suggested fashion items for hundreds of dollars, but also ones at prices I can afford.

I've bought at least two items on her recommendation so far...my Disney princess shoes from Target, and my Cinderella's castle skirt from Amazon, and I adore them both.

My blog here is devoted to a specific kind of Disney style (along with some general tips and trip advice), but hers has just about everything you could possibly want in general. So go! Follow her on Facebook! And be tempted by all she shares!