Whole New World

I decided to do my own version of the 30 days of Disney – rather than answer a question each day about favourite Disney princesses, movies, and castles, each month will be dedicated to a different movie. I thought it would be a nice way to warm up this frozen winter (and give you a couple of deals in the process!) The theme of the month will be the movie and my Etsy shop will be having a sale based upon that movie. For example, the first month coming up is March and since Frozen is coming out that month – its our first honoree! The sale will be one bracelet on sale for the entire week, each week, for the month (ie. Elsa, Anna, Elsa Coronation, Anna Coronation). Our tumblr and instagram will dedicate the entire month to Frozen themed fan art, bracelets, products and more. Be sure to head to our facebook to see a preview of the next month’s movie and let us know what you think!

The website is currently under construction, but it is the main hub for everything. There, you can find the links to the various social networking sites I have for the shop like twitter and pinterest where I create themed boards with a mix of Disney things and bracelets. There you can find the blog you're currently on, keep track of which movie this month is and maybe see sneak peeks of upcoming bracelets!

But just in case you were disappointed, I may just do a 30 days of Disney theme (though it may need to be altered slightly) for each movie!

Have a magical day, my loves!

Whistle While You Work

Decorating:

Want to get that magical Disney touch in your home? Here I will provide you with ideas and maybe even some authentic merchandise to decorate each room of your house.

You don't need to saturate every inch of space with Disney-themed merchandise, rather you should be inspired by a movie, character, or song and build your ideas from there. Be sure to print out or save any room colours, ideas, or furniture that inspire you - it could come in handy in the future! Many people find it helpful to create a collage or look book of styles they like or items they might wish to incorporate in their houses.

For example:

An Aladdin (or Princess Jasmine) themed bedroom might consist of billowy, draped curtains in rich purples or deep turquoises. Don't want your room to be too dark? Pick those colours in a sheer curtain. It will add the touch without making your room like an unlit cave. If you recall, Jasmine's room had a gorgeous vanity with mirror and of course, pillows! Pillows are extremely versatile because you can always cover them with a new case if you're ever redecorating. If you have room for it, a pouf or two add a cute touch and extra seating in the room!

You can even search online for inspiration or places where you can find pieces to decorate your room!

A Little Mermaid (or Princess Ariel) themed bathroom might consist of mostly ocean coloured items. But if you're on a budget, pick up a few statement pieces and try to incorporate what you already own into the theme.

A new teal hand towel, shell-shaped soap dish and Little Mermaid lithograph can be a great start in your blue coloured bathroom. The easiest items to find are teal or ocean coloured towels (though if yours go in a cabinet, the colour doesn't matter as much and you can save your money for something else!)

Personally, I like to hang two shower curtains, an inner plastic curtain and an outer fabric one which makes cleaning and keeping your bathroom dry easier. The fabric curtain could look like waves, be the colour of the ocean, or feature the Little Mermaid herself!

If you don't want to be overwhelmed by "theming" just try to buy one or two Ariel items that match your teal or turquoise shower curtain, hand towel, and bath mat. Its that simple! You can even use some of these pictures as inspiration!

But of course, those aren't the only rooms you can add the magical Disney touch to.

Sometimes doing the laundry is boring, so why not add a little Stitch to your life? He loved doing the laundry because it let him become a super hero for a few moments (and who does want to be a super hero for a few moments each day?)

If you love Rapunzel, adding lanterns as lighting or painting them on the walls add a cute touch to a room. Too much? Just the colour themes of the princess or her kingdom (purple, pink, and gold) would be perfect, plus your little princess would probably love it!

I took the picture below from the Disney Store in New York City in case anyone was wondering where it was from.

And if you love books as much as I do, you're going to want at least a bookcase in your house if not an entire room dedicated to your favourite novels. To do so, you're going to want to channel the quaint town shoppe that Belle frequents or the giant library that the Beast surprises Belle with during the movie.

Don't forget a plush armchair that you can sink into at the end of the end with your favourite novel so that you can be transported to Mars, travel to the centre of the Earth, or discover your prince. Books can transport you to your wildest dreams so make sure your room lets that happen.

Those are all of the decorating tips that I have for now, but if there are any other rooms or movies that you want me to address, let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading.

The Wonderful World of Disney

I've decided that I would like to dedicate the majority of this blog to Disney - due to my knowledge and love of the topic. Some of the things that I plan to cover are party planning, recipes, decorating, cosplaying/costumes or dressing in an outfit that is inspired by a character, and vacations!

As a sample, I've written the following:

Soirees and Holidays

Walt put a lot of time and creativity into what he did - and that made Disney a huge success. Use his mentality and some of these ideas to make your next party a success!

Depending upon what you are celebrating, there's a way that Disney can inspire your party (without costing too much money).

With the growing popularity of Halloween, some people might be inspired to throw a get together for their fellow hauntingly fun guests! The Haunted Mansion ride and Nightmare Before Christmas movie are both great things to draw inspiration from. The Haunted Mansion is full of ghouls and ghosts, tombstones, dancing spirits, skeletons, a crystal ball and a Victorian theme. Bring your family out for a freakishly fun autumn adventure - hayrides, pumpkin picking, and corn mazes. There, you can collect some corn stalks, pumpkins and other natural items to decorate the outside of your house. Not spooky enough? Pick up a few packages of spider webs to adorn your porch, streetlight, or door. Don't forget to hide some creepy spiders to scare your guests. Next, you need to make your house look like its straight out of a horror story. Peeled grapes seem eerily like eyeballs and a baby carrot or two with an almond stuck in the end could pass for a severed finger! Colourfully frosted cupcakes with gummi-eyeballs will make your little ghouls jump with fright when they see they're eating a monster-cake. Don't forget to use food colouring to make your drinks run like blood for your favourite vampires. Plus set out crimson, black, grey, or orange plates and goblets for their consumption.

Birthday Parties

Have you ever considered cupcakes for your child's birthday rather than one big cake? You should, because with a little effort those tiny cakes could be the hit of the party!

And you don't need to purchase every princess or pirate themed item for the party, smart theming can turn a sparkle-overload into a perfect little party. For example, if your little princess wanted an Ariel-themed party you have lots of options. Ocean coloured plates and curtains will transform your dining room into her Under the Sea paradise. With mermaid or Sebastian cupcakes, Ariel plates, and some strategically draped netting - you can create the perfect birthday on a budget!

Please let me know what you would like to read about first!

An Introduction

So, for my first post I felt that it was probably best to introduce myself - hello, I'm Kyera. And now I'm sure you're saying, "Well I gathered that much already if I've found your blog, silly blogger." Okay, okay. I see where you're coming from new friend, so where shall I start? I am officially a college graduate, exciting right? As of two weeks ago, I walked across the stage crowded with distinguished professors who were bedecked in their graduation regalia - or wizard robes. One even resembled a plush velvet foot cushion, but I digress. Upon crossing that stage and receiving my rolled piece of paper (diploma to be received at a future date), I became a member of the real world, the adult club, whatever you wish to call it.  Once I have enough money saved for an apartment (for about two years) and tuition for grad school, that's where my life will be heading. For now, its just working, cleaning, and saving. But you don't particularly care about that, do you? To the interesting stuff - hobbies, likes, dislikes, and all that jazz.

Music is my life. There, I said it and its completely true. Its not just one of those overused tag lines or graphics, music really means so much to me. And I think the same can be said for many people, as music can get one through the good times, the bad, express every emotion you've ever had, or bring you to a type of realization. When I write, music inspires the stories and the characters, when I sing, I am able to express myself or just have pure unadulterated fun. I may not be the best at what I do, but I love it and would never want to stop. I've been singing since I was 16, not professionally, but for fun. Obviously, I sang before that as everyone does along to the radio or to a CD. At the age of 16, I convinced my mother to let me take voice lessons and that is when it all began. My sophomore year of high school, the drama club at my school decided to put on a Disney Cabaret in which we sang various songs from Disney movies such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, the Little Mermaid, etc. I'm a pretty quiet person, but I love Disney and wanted a part in the Cabaret. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding the auditions did not play out in my favour. They were down to the last 5 people auditioning (there were four people after me, so I was nervous and the next one up) when we were forced to relocate because the basketball team needed to begin practice. At that point, they were already tired and essentially ended the auditions there. I was allowed to sing the first few lines of my song (Colours of the Wind) before they said thank you, that was really sweet (referring to my style of singing), and asked me to do a quick read through. Who knows how it would have turned out had I been given a true chance to audition? Honestly, it probably would have turned out the same way - I was probably not ready to perform like that, I never had before, but it would have been a great first opportunity.

Now as I mentioned, this was hosted by our (newly created) Drama Club, not the school sponsored Drama/Theatre that occurred every other year. So the "director" was a senior, a boy who picked who would be cast in what role. Ironically or not, his friends were the ones who received the main roles and the remaining roles were given to people I believe were deserving of roles, but did not fit the roles they were given. By that, you have someone who sings well in their alto-range, but they were cast as Annie, a small child with a high range. I played one of the orphans from Annie, a townsperson from Beauty and the Beast (who has one of the singing lines in Belle), Nakoma from Pocahontas, a napkin from the Beauty and the Beast number Be Our Guest, and was almost in the Lion King number but it was cut due to time constraints and a limited budget. Now, I may be forgetting something, but I think that's everything. I was asked to help certain individuals with their songs over the course of the rehearsals. Now I was incredibly honoured that they would ask that, believe that I could help people in any fashion, but at the same time - it made me wonder why I was helping people sing and not being allowed to be the one to sing. I was even forced to be a stand-in (pseudo-understudy) for the people who rarely showed up to rehearsals, to sing or act for them. Overall, it was an incredible experience, it was fantastically fun, but the feedback that I received on it "the singing wasn't very good."

It was because of this experience, that I decided that I wanted to start taking voice lessons. For two years, I saw a wonderful person who helped me with my technique, breathing, and range. (Now, my mom didn't like the way that she taught me, thought it didn't make me sound "good" but I definitely think I've improved since I went to her.) When I went to college, unfortunately those lessons had to stop and I've not received any training since then. As much as I would love to take voice lessons once more, I can't afford it at the moment. But someone must have thought that they were worthwhile, as I performed in a few open mic nights with my friend on guitar, and was in a band for a few years though we were never able to record anything, instead just performed covers. In the band, I shared vocals with one of my best friends who was great at figuring out harmonies for us to do. The main reason for the shared mic? I am still not comfortable being the centre of attention. If you're in the car with me, my room, a concert, chorale, or anywhere else... chances are you'll hear me singing. In chorale, I know for a fact that I project more than anyone else there (a curse or gift of my voice lessons) and that means even in a room full of people, if you know my voice you're going to be able to pick it out. And that doesn't bother me. But the solo I'm given in the chorale concert? Incredibly nervous. If its a formal occasion, one in which attention is on me - I become nervous. I just can't help it. Even if I'm the only one singing somewhere like my room or the car, as long as its just casual singing, I'm completely at ease, even if there are multiple people in the room.

I would love to be a singer, to make music videos on YouTube, or record covers on my computer - but I still don't think I'd be ready for that. For the attention, its just not me. If there's someone else with me? I'd probably be more than happy to do it, let them be the one out front and I'll just be supporting in the background. I'm happy that way. Perhaps I can find someone talented to teach me guitar, piano, or ukelele so that I have my instrument and I can officially just do backup vocals. Any takers? Granted I also have a djembe drum, but I think I'd be better off learning the strings or keys to accompany myself. I've tried picking them up and learning on my own, but I honestly think that I'm not disciplined enough to do so unless I have a teacher. Otherwise, I pick up the guitar, strum the chords to Mad World for a few hours until it feels natural and that's it. I memorize how to play something (usually on piano, or the notes on guitar) before I am able to internalize the chord structure, scale, or read the music. I'm sure I could memorize the note scale, but as a kinesthetic learner - I learn by doing.

Since we're talking about music, you may be wondering what I'm listening to as I write this ramblog, because I know that I can ramble a bit when I blog or write. Two days ago, I discovered this incredible band by accident - Anthem Lights. If you've never listened to them before, I suggest you do so right now. Best of Pop 2012 Mashup begins playing through my speakers, "I'm at a payphone... I threw a wish in the well..." and instantly the music junkie in me becomes interested. Whenever I sing, I usually try to harmonize or figure out how I can turn a song into a duet. This is because whenever I sing, I have one of my best friends (the great harmonizer) singing with me or my actual BEST friend. Which means, its a duet and if I'm singing with my best friend it means that I need to figure out how to harmonize on it, pick who sings when, etc. That's just kind of my job with us, I figure out what we do and she learns it. The second the song begins to play, I just know its something that we need to cover, its beautiful and all their harmonies are spot on. I'm incredibly jealous. I am not very talented in that department, if you figure out a harmony for me to do I can be spot on, but I just need to practice a lot more to develop my talents of harmonizing on the fly. Back to the song though, its immediately one of the best harmonies I've heard, and on top of that its a mash up, even better. I finish the song and go in search of their music, discovering they have an entire album of covers (score, download album from Amazon) and some of their covers are Give Your Heart A Break, Don't You Worry Child, and a One Direction Medley. (They've also recently posted a Mirrors cover on their YouTube.) I hope