"Postcards from California Adventure" Notecard Giveaway!

The Disney California Adventure expansion is incredibly breathtaking and deserves all of the hype it is getting.  DCA held a special place in my heart when I visited last summer as it felt like it was everything I always wanted from Hollywood Studios in Disney World.  Disney loves setting the bar higher and higher and the addition of Buena Vista Street and Carsland does just that! 

I took 100s of pictures in Disneyland this past week but I was so psyched for the expansions that I posted some pictures over on the Picturing Disney Facebook page.

I also was so excited about the expansion that I brought home lots of goodies.  I wanted to share something with you through a little contest. 

What's the Prize? 

Set of 4 "Postcards from California Adventure" note cards.  The picture above shows all 4 together and below I snapped some individual pics (sorry for the low quality, I used my cell phone)! These are awesome and I plan to hang a set up in my Disney kitchen.  The Red Car Trolley one is especially awesome (and Buena Vista Street is my new favorite place in the park-- maybe in all the Disney Pakrs I've visited)!

How do you enter?

Simply head over to the Picturing Disney Facebook page and check out the Buena Vista Street and Carsland albums.  YOU WILL RECEIVE ONE ENTRY FOR EACH TIME YOU LIKE, COMMENT, OR SHARE ONE OF THE PICTURES FROM THESE TWO ALBUMS! 

I think this is a fun way for me to see my pictures shared and for you guys to win some awesome artistic note cards! You will have until Midnight Thursday July 5th to enter!

Good luck!!

I'll Have a Mint Julep With That!

Have you checked out Kungaloosh, yet?

If the castle picture and the chili review wasn't enough to give you a reason to check out the Kungaloosh facebook, how about heading over and telling DK your favorite Disney Adult Beverage? I think mine is either the Captains Mai Tai at Caribbean Beach or Gran Marnier Slush in Epcot! 

DK's take on this refreshing (non-alcoholic) drink:

I could spend an afternoon soaking up the atmosphere of New Orleans Square. And soaking up the sweet goodness of the non-alcoholic Mint Julep served at the Mint Julep Bar.  I like them served with a side of fresh, powdered Mickey-shaped beignets. Now, some people might tell you that combination is a bit too sweet. I don’t even know what that means.

Walt in Morse Code

Taking a trip on the Disneyland Railroad?

Welllll, be sure to listen closely as you pass the telegraph station near New Orleans: you can hear a part of Walt's Opening Day Disneyland speech in morse code!

Now thats magic!

The most magical part of the rooms in Disneyland Hotel isn't quite the adorable pillows or pictures.  Its that when you click the Tinkerbell button on the bedside lamp LED fireworks go off on the headboard over the castle as music plays!!! :)

Make it Shine...

...with Brawny!

Ariel's Undersea Adventure

This is one of my favorite Disney Parks rides EVER and I simply cannot wait for the Disney World incarnation to open!

The World is a Carousel of Color

Paradise Pier and World of Color were hilights of my trip! The colors pop even against the blue California sky!

California Screamin!

This ride really pays homage to all the great boardwalk coasters that ever came before! Don't miss it on your next visit!

2 Line Review: Gibson Girl Ice Cream

Nothing like stopping for some ice cream and people watching on Main Street USA!

I had the Firehouse Dalmatian Mint Sundae which was Mint Chocolate Chip in a waffle cup with chocolate chips, whipped cream, and of course a cherry on top- Nom nom nom! :)

Fun Wheel

Paradise Pier is one of my most favorite places ever!

Aladdin the Musical

This is a GREAT stage show and should not be missed if you are visiting Disneyland! Fabulous!!!

Etsy Shop Review & Artist Card Giveaway!

Just in time for me to celebrate my return to Disneyland (and getting to ride my favorite Ariel's Undersea Adventure again) I have a great little contest featuring these adorable Ariel & Prince Eric artist cards! They are great to be frame together or placed separately facing eachother. :)

I thought you would all love a review of the awesome Etsy artist who created them and how we became acquaintances!

 As you know, a recent "sign" from Orange Bird spawned a new collection for myself and once I finally nabbed all 5 of the Hidden Mickey Orange Bird pins I was looking high and low for a way to display them.  Then I came across the above canvas on Etsy.  It was perfect! I was thrilled when it came- the size is perfect (4x4) and it even came with a mini easel to sit on.  I was able to mount my pins with minimal damage to the painting itself as well.

When I opened my package there was a personalized Thank You note inside.  This impressed me beyond all measure because frankly, that is not the kind of service you usually get on the world wide web these days! I messaged Katie and mentioned Picturing Disney and a connection was born! 

Katie's Etsy shop, Crazy Cat Katie features her canvas paintings, drawings, and even the ability to contact her to order custom painted Disney shoes! Katie is super talented, her work has attention to even small details, beautiful bright colors, and you can tell when you look at each piece the hard work and love that are put into everything she does! Katie even created a Picturing Disney artist card for me!

After talking to Katie I was convinced I need a pair of her custom shoes for my next Disney trip but can't seem to decide what I should order on them! LOL! Want to check out more? Head over to her Tumblog and check out all the custom shoe posts (prepare to be blown away!

What I love about Etsy is the way it showcases talent and inspiration I would never have found before! I cannot thank Crazy Cat Katie enough for teaming up with me for this giveaway and can't wait to see the reaction of the lucky winner!

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Paradise Pier at Night

Our pictures today come from one of my favorite people! Amanda is a travel agent for It's All About the Mouse travel and a very good friend of mine.  She is a great person and a fabulous TA! If you need help planning your next trip take my advice and send her an email: amandal@mickeytoday.com

Amanda and her family were out in Disneyland this summer and she snapped these awesome pictures at one of the most fun and beautiful parts of the park- Paradise Pier! There is just something about this area that makes my heart skip! Enjoy the eye candy! :)

Sleeping Beauty (water) fountain

Tucked behind Sleeping Beauty Castle you can find this adorable statue on the closest water fountain. :)

Picture Hop: Ideally Disney

Today's Picture Hop comes from Pixie Brenda over at Ideally Disney!

While the Grand Californian is hard to grab good pictures in because of the low lighting it has a rustic charm that must have inspired Disney World's Wilderness Lodge!  Like my experience, Pixie Brenda says of her picture:

I didn't have very clear pictures from the Grand Californian but this view from the upper floor shows the expansive lobby, and that was only a small part of the lobby.

The high ceilings and lodge feel make Grand Californian a great choice to stay, dine, or just stop by! Be sure to visit Pixie Brenda's website Ideally Disney (you can find her on Facebook as well)!

Pacific Wharf

I love this out of the way area, full of great dining quick service choices and some cute photo ops! 

City Hall

City Hall in Disneyland Park 

King Arthur's Carousel

Fantasyland at night makes my heart happy.

Walt's Apartment

Before we stopped for pictures on Main Street or by the Castle we stopped for a picture outside The Disneyland Fire Dept where a light is still left on for Walt since he had an apartment up there when he was alive. 

Oh, Toontown!

I was so happy to revisit Toontown!

I made myself right at home in Minnie's House and was happy to see different features than what I'd seen in the Disney World ToonTown!

2 Line Review: Goofy's Kitchen

Character Dining is a totally different experience at Disneyland, we had no guaranteed characters but Goofy and made our reservation only 2 days early! The food was excellent, service quick, and we had great character interaction!

Retro

There is this awesome retro feel around Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Hotel especially after the recent renovations. 

Animation Academy: Disneyland Style

Animation Academy is waiting for you in all it's glory in Disneyland Park, but the Animation building is a world unto itself in the Studios section of the park.  I don't want to give too much away but there are lots of awesome interactive areas in the building a really cool multi-screen room when you enter.  The Animation Academy itself was rather quick for us, but that may have been because we were drawing Mr. Jack Skellington and he's a quickie!

Tomorrow.

Tomorrowland is a little more cramped in Disneyland but offers a lot of attractions you have to venture into other parks to see in WDW like Innoventions, Star Tours, and the monorail service even drops off here!

New Orleans Square

One of my favorite places in the world! :)

Diamond Horseshoe

I am a sucker for a cute kid with a balloon in hand and didn't mean to catch this one in my pic but love it more because of it! :)

A World of Laughter

I adore It's a Small World in either park but at Disneyland its a cut above for 2 reasons

1.  You board your boat OUTSIDE which rocks!

& 2.  There are Disney characters infused into the countries! 

Father's Day Giveaway!!!

Like so many other people in the world I count my parents as two of the most fabulous people I have the pleasure of knowing, let alone being related to.  They taught me to work hard and follow my dreams and believed in my fiercely my whole life.  They showed me every single day what true love really is and are my favorite people in the world.  I had the most incredible childhood because of them and grew up with the best traits instilled in me because of the lessons they taught me.  I can never put into words how grateful I am for the life they have given me because I wouldn't be where I am and who I am today without them rooting for me and picking me up when I fell all along the way.

Last weekend without even realizing it they brought that little Orange Bird into my life and reminded me of how much magic is in my life every day! With Mother's Day having just passed a few weeks ago and Father's Day on the horizon I thought a fun family movie giveaway would be a nice way to celebrate our parents! :)

Since I love me some 80s & 90s Steve Martin, the Blu-Ray Combo Pack of Father of the Brides 1 & 2 seemed like the perfect choice!

To Enter:
Simply comment below and share a magical memory that you cherish that includes one of your parents (or guardians)!

Get your comments in by Tuesday June 5th at midnight- I will choose a winner using an online randomizer first thing on Wednesday morning!
Good luck!

PS- To get the ball rolling, one of my favorite memories with my parents is snow days where they both stayed home from work with me and my sister and brother.  My sibs and I would go outside and shovel with my Dad and we would laugh and play the whole time we were supposed to be working.  My Dad would end up dividing up the driveaway into what translated to him doing about 80% of the job and me and my sis and bro doing the rest (lol).  We would get in so much trouble but sometimes even my Dad couldn't help but laughing when we slipped, or knocked snow into eachother by accident.  Then we would go inside and my Mom would have hot cocoa ready for all 5 of us to enjoy together with mini marshmallows and we would climb out of our wet cold snow gear and warm up with rosey cheeks around the table. To this day I love warming up with hot cocoa because it brings back childhood nostalgia and my favorite is "Mickey's Famous" that you can pick up in Disney World and Disneyland gift shops! :)

Submarines & Bobsleds

I love that I got an awesome shot of Finding Nemo Submarines with the Matterhorn so majestically standing in the back.  It took a bit of waiting and repositioning but it was worth it.  I actually made this into a mailable postcard when I got home! ;)

Hold onto your britches on Big Thunder Mountain RR!

There is just something I love about snapping a pic of ride vehicles in motion.  This particular day on my trip my husband and I rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at least a half dozen times.  We were able to go two in a row in the afternoon and then multiple times during Fantasmic.  We are convinced this ride is faster in Disneyland than in Disney World and had a great time.  

Photo Tip: When you are in a great area for a shot of a sign or track hold tight and with a steady hand hit your shutter when the vehicle enters your frame-- often even if there is some blurring it will make for a pretty sick picture!