Today, I am so pumped to share a fun DIY Disney Floral Ear tutorial from my friend, Carrie.

Grab your craft supplies and then craft along with her video as she shows you how easy it is make your very own custom DIY Disney floral ears – even if you don’t think you’re very crafty! These are super cute to wear whenever you’re feeling fancy, but also perfect for the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. Can’t you just imagine posing amongst the Mickey topiaries in these? 

DIY Disney Floral Ears

Are you as obsessed as much as I am with the new trends of Disney floral ears? As I spend hours pining over Etsy and feeling like I could easily be on an edition of Hoarders: Disney Ear Edition, I finally broke down and decided to make my own.

After all, there’s no need to go broke just because you, like me, MUST have every variation of floral ears there is in existence.

Floral Ears Supply List

Thankfully, making your own ears is fairly simple. All you need are a few basic supplies:

• Thick Headband – You can use one you have already, or grab two for $1 at Dollar Tree! Of course, they can be found almost anywhere including Amazon too.
• Bendable Wire – You’ll need 4 pieces of this. It can be any color you’d like. I use floral wire, which can be easily found at any craft store.
• Wire Cutters – Take it from me, you’ll need these! Scissors won’t really work with cutting wire, especially if you bought a thicker wire.
• Fake Flowers – You can get these anywhere. I suggest a few different colors and not too large ones!)
• Hot Glue and Hot Glue Gun

Steps to DIY Disney Floral Ears

1. Grab two pieces of wire and hold them together with ends aligned. Then, twist them together from one end to the other.
2. Cut the wire down to about inches – this is your first ear.
3. Then, repeat with another 2 pieces of wire. 
4. Bend each twisted wire over the top of your headband…this will form the rough shape of your mouse ear.
5. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to hot glue one end of the twisted wire at a time to your headband. Make sure to leave a space in the middle of the ears that’s about 2″ wide.
6. Then, glue all remaining ends of the ears onto the headband. Don’t worry about what the glue looks like…it will be covered by the flowers!
7. Speaking of, now it’s time to add those pretty florals! Pop off the tops of your faux flowers. Make sure to pull or cut off some of the greenery as well.
8. Next, use glue to add the green leaves to the middle of your ears. I also recommend adding some around the base of the wire.
9. Now it’s time to add the flowers. Pro tip: before gluing, arrange your flowers on your headband first. Once you’re happy with how they look, then go for the glue.
10. Check the back of your headband too. You may want to glue in leaves to cover any exposed pieces. You can even add flowers on both sides so you can make a reversible set of DIY Disney Floral Ears
11. Want to take it up a notch? Add in a mini figurine if you would like to create a theme to your DIY Disney Floral Ears!

Thank you for crafting with me and let us know if there are any crafts you would like to see in upcoming blogs! See you in the parks!

For more amazing Disney information, head over to Disney Express Lane. Take a peek at these Four Things I Will Never Do At Disney Again. Plus, make sure to check out these 7 Disney-Inspired Crafts!

Yield: 1 headband

DIY Disney Floral Ears

Print

This DIY Disney floral ears project is the cutest! Learn how to craft one up for yourself.

Active Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Materials

• Thick headband
• Bendable wire (such as floral wire)
• Fake flowers
• Hot glue

Tools

• Wire cutters
• Glue gun

Instructions

1. Take two pieces of wire and twist together from one end to the other.
2. Cut wire to ~8 inches
3. Repeat with other 2 pieces of wire. Twist and cut.
4. Bend your wire over the top of your headband to form the rough shape of your mouse ear.
5. Hot glue one end of the twisted wire at a time to your headband leaving a space in the middle of the ears 2-3 fingers wide.
6. Glue all remaining ends of ears onto headband.
7. Pop off the tops of your fake flowers and take the greenery off as well.
8. Use glue to adhere green leaves (on their side) to the middle of your ears, followed by some around each base of the wire.
9. Before gluing, arrange your flowers on your headband and when you are happy with the desired look, glue them in.
10. Go to the back of your headband and glue in leaves to cover all of the "behind the scenes" glued in pieces. OPTIONAL: You may add flowers on both sides if you want a reversible set of DIY Disney Floral Ears!
11. Glue in any sprigs or extra pieces to add depth to your new ears.
12. OPTIONAL: Add in a mini figurine if you would like to create a theme to your DIY Disney Floral Ears!

The post How to Make DIY Disney Floral Ears! appeared first on WaltExpress.com.

Help Your Kids Choose Souvenirs At Disney World

If you are visiting any of the amazing stores inside Disney World, you will very quickly see how absolutely overwhelming it can be! I remember our first visit as we walked into the World of Disney in Disney Springs. My heart pounded and I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Even though, I had no idea how to help my kids choose souvenirs at Disney World! There were so many things to choose from: housewares, Mickey or Minnie Ears, mugs, food, clothing, purses, stuffed animals, toys. You name it, it’s there. If I was overwhelmed as a thirty-something adult, can you imagine how my kids felt! And they were 3, 5 and 15 at the time.

The children are all older now, but every time I walk into a merchandise store in Disney World, I still get that giddy, excited feeling and I want to buy everything! I obviously can’t buy everything. However, I do find it a lot harder for my kids to pick and choose what they want to buy as their souvenir every time we go. So because of that, I have a few tips for you to help your kids choose what they want to bring home from the most Magical Place on Earth!

Set A Limit

I find it helps to give them a limit. We went and bought them gift cards before our trip when we went last time. Each child received $50.00 and we told them it was theirs to do as they pleased with it. We usually tell them to keep their eyes open in every store and keep a running list of things they may want to bring home. Then we make sure we save some time at the end of the trip to go back and get what they want if we need to. Sometimes things are found in many of the stores, but sometimes things are park specific and you can’t just find it anywhere. Although the more trips we take, I have learned that if there is something one of my kids expresses a real want for, we get it then. This way, if we are staying in a resort far from a park, it doesn’t become a hassle to go back and get it at the end of the trip.

Choose Souvenirs At Disney World That Leave Memories

I try to explain to them that there are things you can get anywhere and there are things that are great for sentimental value or just things that can be tied to great memories of your trip. Last trip we came home with several popcorn buckets. A great souvenir because well, who doesn’t love popcorn! And they can be played with. We got one from Galaxy’s Edge and it had wheels, therefore, keeping my son busy when we were waiting in lines or sitting around taking a water break. We also got one of the alien buckets from Toy Story and my daughter still plays with it a year later. She puts it on her back and puts stuffed animals in it, using it as a carrier. And they both still talk about the fun memories we had carrying these buckets through the parks and enjoying our popcorn. There will always be a memory attached to them and I think that’s great.

On one of our trips, my son wanted these plush dice. There was nothing “Disney” about them, you could probably find them anywhere. But he was little and he wanted them. So of course it being our first trip we said fine and got them. I don’t think he has any clue at this point in life that they came from Disney World. If I had known then, what I know now I would have encouraged him to get something else. Something he would have gotten more use out of. Or at least something Disney themed he could hang in his room. OK, OK, they DO have Mickey emblems on them, but still! LOL!

Special Experience Souvenirs

My kids love Star Wars, so on one trip we made our own Light Sabers, they loved it! They played with them in the hotel at night when we went back for the night. The light sabers are very sturdy and they lit up. They were able to personalize them with their own choices of colors and handles. They still have them 5+ years later. On our last trip we decided to splurge a little and we made Droids at the Droid Outpost in Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge. It was pricey but we were there for a while, and the kids did all the work. Walt Express has a great blog on our experience at BUILD YOUR OWN DROID!

If your kids are Star Wars fans, they are really great souvenirs. We were able to get ours into our luggage for the flight home, so that was really great too!

What Is Their Obsession?

Everyone has different things they love to bring home, I love buying mugs. So I always know that no matter what I am going home with a new mug. But the kids tend to be harder, but I like to remind them of things they like to use everyday. My daughter has an obsession with stuffed animals, so I know she is almost always going to choose one of those. My son likes things he can use, so he usually comes home with a new set of little figures to play with. So now that they are getting older and we have gone a few times it has gotten easier to help them pick what they want in the stores. I try to remind them that even though there are huge stores with tons of fun stuff to think about what they are going to love the most when we go home!

Be sure you know about any SURPRISE COSTS before you go!

What are your kids favorite souvenirs? We would love to see them! Join our Facebook Group, DISNEY EXPRESS LANE! We also have friends over at WALT EXPRESS TRAVEL that would love to help you plan your next Disney World vacation!

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Since our first family trip to Disney World, I have wanted to find the perfect souvenir that my kids could keep and look at as they grew. After much searching, I found our Favorite Souvenirs: Disney World Autograph Books! This also is very helpful for Disneyland visitors.

Disney World Autograph Books

Character autographs are one of the neatest ways to remember your visits with your favorite characters, their signature is there for you to keep, and I like to add the picture of the meet and greet in so that the kids will be able to look back and see the details for themselves! One of the best things about autograph books? They are a FREE souvenir, and will probably be your child’s (or your) very favorite!

Getting Autographs At Disney World And Disneyland

Disney World and Disneyland both offer opportunities for you to meet your favorite characters and get their autographs! Both parks offer character dining where you can snag a signature when your favorite characters come to your table and take a picture too. Character meals are a great way to have interactions with your favorite characters that you won’t forget! Find out more about Disney World Character Dining here!

Meet and Greets are available at all Disney parks but they work a little differently at Disneyland than they do at Disney World. Characters at Disneyland are free roaming much of the time with no set ‘location’ where they do their Meet and Greets. Characters at Disney World Parks typically have a Meet and Greet location that remains the same from day today. Animal Kingdom has more free roaming characters than the other parks, but typically you can plan on where to see your favorite characters to get some autographs!

Personalize Your Autographs!

The best thing about gathering autographs as a souvenir is that you can make it your own! My family prefers a photo book for each kid so that we can customize it to be just them and their favorite characters. I make them myself using blank (unlined) 5 X 8 index cards and covers made from laminated card-stock. I take them to a place like FedEx Kinkos or another office supply store to bind them for me since I don’t have a binding machine. Once they’re bound, they’re ready for autographs!

Some people prefer to get signatures on one set of blank index cards and then scan them so that they can make a giant photo book that includes the pictures of their family and their favorite character autographs. I’ve also seen lots of families who take a blank photo frame like this one and have all of their autographs collected there. That way they can put their favorite family photo from their trip in the middle. Check out this article from Walt Express for more Creative Autographs ideas!

What Else Should I Know?

It is important that you have the right type of pen/marker for the characters to write with. Disney World and Disneyland both sells autograph pens that fit in characters hands really well so that they can sign. We normally buy one for each of our kids when we get to the parks so they can have the characters use them for their books. I also like to take a large retractable Sharpie marker just in case something happens to the pens.

Always remember to have your autograph books ready and open to where you want the signed. You don’t want to waste valuable character interaction time on trying to flip through your autograph book! And be sure to get autographs for kiddos who have fallen asleep. My middle daughter fell asleep right before our Meet and Greet with Rapunzel and Tiana on our last trip, and Tiana made a point to sign her book and include her in our picture even though she wasn’t awake for it. It’s a great memory and we all love to look back at those pictures!

Are you looking for more unique and fun Disney World ideas? We have a Facebook Group dedicated to ALL THINGS DISNEY and it’s DISNEY EXPRESS LANE! Just click that link and join us!

The post Favorite Souvenirs: Disney World & Disneyland Autograph Books appeared first on WaltExpress.com.

Every time we travel to Disney World, there is something our family loves to do: collect Disney World pressed coins. Making and collecting these flattened coins has been something I’ve loved to do since I was a kid and now love to do with my own kids. Pressed coins at Disney World is a fun, creative AND cheap souvenir!

I LOVE Collecting Disney World Pressed Coins

Pressed coin collecting is one of the most fun (and cheaper) souvenirs at Disney World. They are made especially fun by the fact that they do take some preparation that you can do together with your family before the trip. Once you get to Disney World, you can finish off the process by making and collecting your pressed coins!

How Do I Start Collecting Pressed Coins?

One of the first things we do is start collecting our change in a jar. My husband, mother-in-law, and I all contribute, and sometimes our kids do too. They love adding money to the ‘Disney jar’ and it makes things a little bit more special to them since they helped. You’ll probably want to focus on pennies and quarters since most of the machines require 51¢ to work: one penny to be pressed and two quarters to make the machine work. Pennies are the most frequently seen presses at Disney World, but there are also a limited number of dime and quarter presses!

How Do I Carry All Those Collectable Pressed Coins?

One of my favorite things that I learned for pressed coin collecting that has made my life so much easier: Mini M&M tubes are PERFECT for storing your coins! No more bags of coins to figure out how to fit in your bag, and it’s especially handy if you’re flying since you can just pull out the coin tubes if asked!

There are two sizes of Mini M&M Tubes. The smaller length ones are perfect for storing your pennies and dimes. The longer tubes are perfect for storing your quarters! You can fit about 72 quarters in a long tube, which is enough money to make 36 pressed pennies. 36 pennies and some dimes fit in the smaller tube with room to spare! I haven’t done the math per machine, but you won’t be able to make 36 pennies if you do a dime or quarter machine during your trip, but that’s not a big deal since having some of each just makes your collection more unique! In total you can have 36 little souvenirs for $18.36; talk about a bargain!!

How Do I Store Pressed Coins Once I’ve Made Them?

One of the biggest problems we’ve had with our pressed coins is storage. There are several options, but what’s worked best for us is an inexpensive coin collecting booklet. These are sometimes called “Penny Passports”, and Disney World sells a version as well. Basically, they are flat books that have slots to store your coins once they’re pressed. There are slots that will fit pennies and dimes and some slots that are big enough for other coins, such as quarters. They are a much better alternative to throwing your pennies into your pocket or your park bag since there’s a chance you won’t see those ever again (please don’t ask me how I know).

Why Pressed Coins?

I would have to say, why not? There is something really cool about using the ‘hand-crank’ models of pressed coin machines, and my kids love getting to have a hand in making them for themselves. There’s nothing wrong with the newer models because those are fun to watch as they work, but the hand-crank is just too cool! Of all of our souvenirs, these are normally a favorite next to autograph books! Pressed coins aren’t just a Disney Parks thing so you can collect them from other parks and museums all over the United States and add to your Disney coins.

Disney World Resorts and Disney Springs will also have pressed coin machines in various places, so even if you’re not spending a ton of time in the parks, you can still collect a few coins along the way. The best part of the pressed coins is that they are different at each machine and they change up to several times a year, so you are guaranteed to get something different every visit! There are lots of places that you can find pressed coin machines on property and some of them update as soon as new machines are added! I would say that even if you don’t want to be a full-time pressed coin collector it’s definitely still worth grabbing a few in the parks while you visit!

Are you looking for CHEAP EATS at Disney World? Click that link and find out one of our faves!

Do you love collecting pressed coins at Disney World? Head on over to our Facebook Group, DISNEY EXPRESS LANE and show us your favorites! We would love to see them!

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