Highlights from Trip / Disney Magic vs. Disney Fantasy

We had an absolutely amazing time on our vacation.  We started with four nights at the Grand Floridian and three full, action-packed, hopper pass days in Disney World.  I didn't mention this before, but my son broke his heel on Memorial Day and he was still on crutches when we arrived in Disney.  We rented him a scooter which helped him get around the parks much easier.  If there was ever a vacation to be in a wheel chair/scooter, a Disney vacation is the one.  

Disney is incredibly equipped to aid someone with limited mobility.  

They had getting him on and off the bus and monorail down to a science.

Contrary to popular belief, he did NOT get on any of the rides any faster.  

Here's a funny story - one night at Epcot my daughter wanted to try my son's crutches.  So my son was on the scooter and my daughter was crutching her way around the park.  A woman came up to my son and starting yelling at him saying that he was selfish and shame on him for taking his sister's scooter and making her use her crutches.  He tried to explain, but she never let him talk...she just kept saying shame on you.  Really??  That was the last time my son let my daughter use his crutches.

After four exhausting days in Disney, it was time to go on the Disney Fantasy.  We had a Disney transfer from the Grand Floridan to the ship.  They arranged  to take all of our luggage from our room at the Grand Floridian and the next time we saw it was once we were on board.  

They seriously made traveling stress-free.

The Fantasy is Disney's newest ship.  It is absolutely incredible.  We have travelled on the Disney Magic three times in the past.  One of the main differences between the Magic and the Fantasy is that the Fantasy is 40% larger.  It also means that the Magic holds 2700 passengers and the Fantasy 4000.  The Fantasy definitely feels more crowded than the Magic ever did.  

One of the coolest things on the Fantasy is the Aqua-Duck.  It is a thrilling "water-coaster" ride.  

On the days at sea, the line was 30-45 minutes long.  

Hence, my statement about the Fantasy feeling too crowded at times.

Other than that the Fantasy is incredible.  It is laid out almost exactly as the Magic, which made getting around the ship very easy for us.  There is a show each evening and they were of Broadway quality.

  There are three main restaurants on board the Fantasy...Royal Court, Enchanted Garden and Animator's Palate.  The food is gourmet on both ships and always served like a work of art.  

The technology on the Fantasy is incredible.  At Animator's Palate you draw a picture and during dinner they animate your drawing on a screen.  It's super cool.

The biggest difference between the Magic and the Fantasy is the size, the technology, and quite frankly the price.  The Fantasy is significantly more expensive than the Magic at this time.    

I honestly can't wait to book another Disney cruise.

-Judy

We're Back

I am back after an amazing vacation to Disney World and then a seven day cruise on the new Disney Fantasy ship.  The trip was absolutely wonderful, but I am exhausted.  

It's tough coming back to the real world.  

I can't wait to share the details of the trip with you.

I want to thank everyone who did a guest post for me while I was away.  

I really appreciate all of the help.

-Judy

Guest Post - Thrifty Inspirations - Furniture Makeovers

Please welcome Rachel from Thrifty Inspirations to DIYbyDesign!

Hey DIY by Designers! I'm Rachel from Thrifty Inspirations and I am so happy to be here today!

I love reading Judy's blog and seeing all of her fabulous decorating tips. Her home is so beautiful and fresh and inspiring! I love all of the curves and shapes of her furniture so when she wanted guest bloggers for her vacation this week I knew the perfect project to share!

I scored some awesome french antique tables at a local thrift store. I saw the set had been marked down and I decided to take the plunge :)

Aren't they adorable?!

I've been loving the frenchy stuff that's floating around the blogosphere (you can catch glimpses all over Judy's Home Tour) and had been dying to get my hands on a piece or two (or three!) for a while.

I hit the jackpot with these little gals.

They're all in excellent condition aside from having a few minor dings and some discoloration on the inlays. They are actually leather inlays. I had expected them to be paper of some kind but a small spot was a little rough so I started to sand it and it got fuzzy! Not papery fuzzy, leathery fuzzy!

I started these like I do most projects I intend to paint and used a fine grade brillo pad to scrub off the crud. There wasn't a lot of crud, but it helps to buff up the finish too.

Don't forget to wipe with water after!

Then I flipped everyone over and spray primed them upside down first.

The reason I do them upside down is I find it very difficult to paint the legs thoroughly while crouched and trying to see upside down. Thus, the flip.

Once the bottom had gotten two coats of primer, I flipped them all upright and did the tops.

By the way, I always prime old pieces of furniture because they tend to have the most problems with stain bleed through.

The primer, paint, and sprayer I had on hand so the only $$ invested in these was their initial purchase price, which was a total bargain!

After two coats the bleed through from the first coat was not visible so I felt it was safe to paint.

I chose Behr - Cottage White. It's the perfect warm white.

Not too yellow, not too pink, not too grey.

Perfect!

Right in the middle of my project the sun decided to retire in lieu of grey clouds, so I apologize for the sudden dip in color quality of the photos :(

I didn't want to lose the character of the leather inlays so I taped them off.

And gave them a quick 1, 2, with an oops paint that I believe is Behr - Contemplation.

It's blue, but green, but grey.

It's a wonderfully neutral color.

Peel the tape before the paint dries and you are finished.

I chose to add a little distressing to play up all the curves.

Using a 180grit sanding block I just applied light pressure along the curves until the wood started to poke through giving that nice shabby distressed looked.

Did I mention I love my paint sprayer?

Besides the cleanup, it's pretty much the best thing since sliced bread.

Do you love them? I love them :)

Fabulous! These could really be used just about anywhere.

Master bedroom, guest bedroom, children's bedroom, living room, office, den, the list goes on and on.

Thank you so much Judy for having me over this week.

I hope you are having a fabulous vacation.

I hope you all will stop by and visit me at Thrifty Inspirations sometime!

Have a great day!

XOXO,

Rachel

Thanks so much Rachel!

-Judy

Guest Post - Scobell Expression - Fabric Transfer

I'd like to welcome Michelle from Scobell Expression today to DIYbyDesign.

DIY Citra-Solv Dish Towel (revisited)

Hello DIY By Design Followers! I'm so excited to be here while Judy is on a fabulous vacation. My name is Michelle. I am visiting from my blog ScobellExpression.blogspot.com. I focus on free printables and crafts.

Back in May I decided to make these fun personalized dish towels for my mom and mother-in-law for Mother's Day. Well, initially I wanted to use Citra-Solv but my design had too many small details in it and it came out blurry each time I tried. So I gave up went the iron-on route. They looks great, but it wasn't really what I wanted.

Just recently, I decided to give it one more attempt! I took my white dish towel and taped it to come corrugated wood that I had from the back of a picture frame. But, I believe any sturdy surface will work fine. I pulled the edges tight and made sure there wasn't any room for the towel to move around while I pressed the picture on.

For the design, which is below if you would like to download it, I printed it on a Laser printer, instead of ink jet. I found the ink came off much easier this way. (Remember to mirror your image so that it goes on correctly when you transfer the image). 

I taped down the image just with some painters tape. Poured a generous amount of Citra-Solv onto a cloth and rubbed hard with the back of a spoon.

I pulled off the image and was so impressed with the outcome! It was clear and readable. 

IMPORTANT:

Next, you will need to let it try for 24 hours. Iron without steam to secure the image from fading. Then wash. I recommend hand washing it the first couple of times. 

Thanks for reading my post! Come by and check out more at scobellexpressions.blogspot.com

Old post and images to download below :)

Sizzle into Summer - It's a Party #72

Happy 4th of July!!  Welcome to this week's Sizzle into Summer party.  I am on my cruise, but that doesn't mean the party needs to stop.  I can't wait to see what you have to link up this week.

A few rules:

1.  Please become a follower (if you already follow me on Google, I would love for you to follow me on Linky Followers as well).  

2.  Please grab my party button above and display it either on your sidebar or somewhere in your post.  This way word can spread about the party.  The more people at the party, the more fun we will have.

3.  Please enter the link to your actual post, not just a link to your main blog page.

4. Please visit others who have linked up.   Everyone works hard on their projects and blogs...let's show each other some love by visiting each other.  Let's have some fun and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

Ok...Let's Party

-Judy

Guest Post - Pondered Primed Perfected - Outdoor Project

I'd like to welcome Sherry from Pondered Primed Perfected today.  

Hi!  I'm Sherry from Pondered Primed Perfected.  

I am thrilled to be guest posting here at DIY by Design!  I've been hanging out with Judy and linking up our projects here since I first started blogging.  Thanks so much Judy!  Have fun at Disney World!

Meet my family:

My daughter Vanessa, Me (Sherry), Scott (the Handyman), and Alex (the Assistant)

At P3 we work on endless projects ~ creating, updating, and re-purposing whatever we can.  We have a lot of fun with it.  There's always a project going on and if we don't have one (or five) in the works, we start feeling lost!  

Little by little we are adding some much needed comfort, color and character into our "cottage" home.  

We've been working on our back deck lately ~ trying to infuse some fun, funky color into the small fenced space.  I really try to be satisfied with what I have, BUT the never-ending fence line and all of those boards were driving me NUTS!  So we've been doing some simple projects to give it some personality.

These lanterns were 50 cents at a neighborhood yard sale.  What a steal!  I sprayed some hanging brackets the same deep brown to match and hung them from the fence for ambiance.  I also added a little bamboo votive and battery operated tea light inside each one. 

I thought they looked pretty nice up here...until I saw these photos!!!

Where'd they go?

The problem was that once they were up they virtually disappeared into the fence.  

Do you see what I mean in the photo below?   

No good!  

The brown of the lanterns was too similar to the tones in the fence and basically wiped them off the radar:

 That just wouldn't do.

So I decided to do a quick and easy fix and grabbed a can of Rust-Oleum American Accents spray paint in Green Apple and give them a whole new perspective.  

It didn't hurt to add some more of the green accent color out here either.

A couple of quick coats was all it took.  

 No more wallflower status for these thrifty beauties!!!

 Now they demand presence and let you know they are here to party, don't you think?

MUCH BETTER!

Click  HERE  to view more of our Summer Deck Spruce Up

Thanks again for letting me hang out Judy!

Sherry

Thanks Sherry!!

DON'T FORGET TO STOP BACK TONIGHT FOR MY

SIZZLE INTO SUMMER PARTY at 8pm EST

-Judy

Guest Post - The House That Built Us - Monogram Project

I'd like to welcome Jamie from The House That Built Us today to DIYbyDesign.

Hello DIY by Design readers!  My name is Jamie, and I'm visiting from The House That Built Us.   I am super excited to help out Judy while she's on a her Disney World vacation.  It really is the happiest place on Earth, and that cruise ship looks amazing!  Lucky girl!

While Judy's out, I wanted to stop by to talk about monograms.  It's no secret that I love love love monograms, especially single monograms.  I look for any excuse to throw a "C" into my projects (at least it's an easy letter!).  Just this week, I made this button monogram wall decor by stapling green burlap onto a canvas and gluing on the buttons.

I made a "C" out of Cheerios using a bird feeder recipe for a wreath for my son's birthday party a few weeks ago. 

Then I decided to jump on the coffee-filter bandwagon and made this monogram using a wire hanger. 

My sequin monogram is another one of my creations that added a touch of glam to my bedroom.

I would call it a mild obsession.

The reason that I love monograms is that it a sign of family solidarity.  Family is the most important thing to me, and I am such a proud wife and mother.  And I know I'm not alone.  I see monograms incorporated into so many projects and crafts across the blogosphere.  So keep up the good work, and show off your letters!

Thanks Jamie!

-Judy