Tip : Decide if you want a look that's strictly for function ex: Something that is made just for comfort. You may just want custom tees! Or maybe a specific event? Ex: Christmas time, you may want something cute but good for the weather, so maybe a hoodie with custom details on the back? In my case, I am obsessed with themes. Themed clothes, parties, décor, you name it! So for these trips I loved designing looks that went along with either the actual park, or season. My girls are used to wearing dresses, bows etc. Some Mom's have told horror stories of kids having melt downs over a hair accessory they're not used to while trying to deal with hot weather and crowds. Make sure your whole family is first and foremost comfortable, because a smile is what will make the photos/memories stand out more then anything!
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| Minnie Sets Mickey and Minnie are the ultimate Disney symbols. I pretty much add damask print to everything because I love the glamor it adds. I went with classic Red and Black feel for Scarlett and the fun modern pink feel for Michelle via Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. These appliques were hand made without embroidery! They wore them often for play clothes when we got back. |
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| Princess Ruffles During this visit Michelle's favorite princess was and still is Aurora and Scarlett's was Rapunzel, which has changed twice since then, I'm thinking now its a toss up between Elsa and Ariel. Anyway, having a princess themed outfit was a must for these 5 year old and almost 3 year old girls! The appliques (store bought iron ons) and Disney Princess fabric set the feel for these outfits, I just choose a yellow and polka dot fabric for every other ruffle that matched both Princesses! They have worn these several times since to both school and for play. |
Tip: If you are going to put in the time/effort/money to make clothes OR money on purchasing customs online, go a head and use them more then once! More then likely you'll be going to a different park the next day. Nobody noticed or cared that my girls wore a dress twice in a row. Unless there is a major stain, don't worry if its not even the freshest attire, even a spanking clean outfit smells like sweat an hour into your day! I did have access to a washer/dryer in our condo and used it once in the middle of the trip. But honestly the girls stuff didn't even smell gross. So go for it! You get a stretch in photos too! I like seeing my effort in tons of photos! Easy!
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| Global Fun Epcot gave me a chance to be super creative with patterns and characters. There is so much to choose from! It took me a while to finally decide. We finally chose Mulan/China for Scarlett and Marie/France for Michelle. A big factor was doing a little research to see what character greetings happen at Epcot during that time of year. It made pictures that much better! Mulan actually requested a picture with Scarlett that a cast member took for her after I took mine. The Mulan one was in delicate condition upon coming home so it didn't get another chance to be worn. Michelle wore hers to school, but it got dirty easily so no play wear happened. |
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| Pixar Love Hollywood Studios has a Pixar area. I found that Buzz and Woody did meet and greets, but that was pretty much it. I feel like I'd go a different direction during our next non seasonal visit. But it was fun to make! For Scarlett we chose Jessie who was a favorite of hers at the moment. Brave had just come out, so I took advantage of the awesome fabric and added some really fun "Scottish" elements and colors! |
Tip: Pick a pair of shoes that are both comfortable and match everything! Each time we packed the girls had one "park" pair and a pair of sandals that worked for the pool/beach AND dinners! Trip one the girls had silver Toms and the Halloween trip they had crocs that coordinated with all the outfits I made, Blue and Purple. Ben and I had fun joining in both times as well! Yay for cute matching families!
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| Wild Child Animal Kingdom was another favorite of mine to design for! I'm pretty much obsessed with animal print almost as much as I am with damask. For Michelle I chose Nala and specifically looked for colors that reminded me of the clothing that came out when I was a kid when the movie was first released. I remember there were a lot of yellow and teals. I first hunted for Lion King themed clothes before thinking of making any and found nothing. So it was that hunt that started my "custom binge!" For Scarlett we went with Pocahontas. I loved the native pattern we found and added fringe. I love love love these! They are hands down my favorite. We ended up bringing them on the cruise we went on the next year. They also got some summer wear out of them when going out to eat or a museum. |
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| Sailor Minnie I absolutely had to have some kind of Disney meets sailing feel. The skirts have anchors and classic Minnie mouse dots. I found the hats and a party supply store. Bam, done! They wore them several more times during the summer, and I adjusted one of the skirts for our baby in the future on our last Disney cruise! |
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| Cruise Ship Couture Chevron has been a major trend, so I loved finding a way to incorporated it. I knew I wanted that Disney Cruise applique. So I just had fun with the rest. These were worn several more times as well including our last Disney Cruise, I just added leggings since they got a little short, but not bad! |
Tip : If you aren't a fan of sewing, or if the idea stresses you out, there are other options. One, buying customs online. There are several people who love sewing this stuff on a daily basis! Many aren't too badly priced either. You don't save much by doing it yourself. I didn't do all these to save a dime! Lots of money was spent which is why I try to get lots of use out of what I have vrs making more. But I enjoy doing it! If it stressed me out there would be no point, and a rushed job/or job with no passion is easy to spot. So again, pointless if you like the idea of customs. Second option is to buy Disney clothes! There are so many stores with Disney attire! (Walmart, Old Navy, etc) And if you need help dressing up a t-shirt? Call me! Text! Write! I love finding bargain items and making them look expensive! Disney store has clearance items all the time and sales which clothes that need no improving! Again, I did this for the experience of dreaming up a look and enjoying every minute making it happen. But there were trips I did way less. Our 2nd Disney trip I used clothes from the Disney store! We just stuck with Little Mermaid clothes because that's what was on sale! So you see? Even I do it! Not a requirement to have a blast on your trip!
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| Monster Craving! When Monsters University came out I had this major hankering to sew. So I did! I didn't use any patterns this time and just went with what I dreamed up. I am so in love with the amazing cool color combinations this movie gave me! Of course I found a way to add animal print AND damask this time. These were used many times during that summer, at school in the fall, birthday parties and then again during our last Disney World trip. I had just enough left over fabric to make one for the baby! These were worn at Hollywood Studios to combine both Pixar AND Halloween, which was during the week we were visiting! |
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| Disney Halloween! We went to Disney World during the week of Halloween last year, so I had to take advantage of the season and made some spooky Disney customs! These were just a classic Halloween feel. Disney characters in Halloween costumes holding Trick or Treat bags, candy corn and bat trim! Awesome! Since there were chilly nights and mornings, I had long sleeve black shirts that went under them and simply slipped off as the day got warmer. We doubled up on the use of these. They wore them during two different park days. |
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| Glamorous Mortals Haunted Mansion is a favorite for the girls and I. We love spooky themes, and this attraction is a classic which speaks to me as well. I love that the characters in the ride are only recognized if you in fact have visited! I love the colors and the old Victorian feel of the ride and added that to the look of these outfits! The three girls each had a different Hitchhiking Ghost on her skirt. The cast members loved that! They also wore these on two different park days. |
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| Jacky Hepburn? My girls love The Nightmare Before Christmas and it was a favorite of mine growing up as well. But as much as we love Halloween and spooky themes I absolutely do not like anything that looks too gothic looking. So it was fun finding patterns that would look so classy and elegant on their own before Jack was added. Once that was accomplished, it took Jack from looking punk to chic! Instantly one of my tops pics! I'd say 2nd favorite! They wore these two different park days as well. |
Tip : On seasonal trips, layering is a must! I am used to weather being up and down from living in Texas. So it made sense! In October I brought white cardigans for each girl. They were on clearance at Target $5 each, so you might think I was overdoing it and over dressing them, but it was a touch of glam with a purpose! Haha! I also grabbed a couple long sleeve black shirts at Walmart for about the same price as the cardigans. I didn't want the dresses covered up, but these were still easy to remove when the days got hot. One person would untie the bow and hold up the dress, the other pulled the black shirt over the head. Bam! Tie dress again and you're done! No display of nudity and no having to find a bathroom to change or anything like that.
Here is a closer look at the Halloween custom lot. These were taken after our trip, each worn twice, washed and stuffed in a suitcase, so don't look too close! JK -
I am open to take requests and make anything you may need. I haven't gone out and really got my etsy account going because I don't know how I'd do with several orders yet. But I have made things for others before and love it! So if you have a trip or party or holiday look you want, I can help! Its definitely a passion of mine! Once I've done a few for friends I'll get my etsy moving!
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