I have been toying with the idea of doing another Disney College Program or at least an Alumni Program because I am having extreme withdrawals from not going to Disney The only problem with doing this, is that I would push back my graduation date and I really want to graduate on time next Spring. So, my plan has shifted gears.

I am 85% sure that I am going to apply for an Alumni Program or a Professional Internship with Disney after I graduate. When I left in January I had the mindset that, the College Program was a great experience and from that I can go on to do other things. But, after some soul searching and some changes in life, I have decided that I want to return to Disney. I was incredibly happy while there and couldn’t imagine working for a better company. Now it’s just a matter of getting through the end of my senior year.

In progress

This project stitched up really quickly, I was able to finish it in only a couple of days, the greatest difficulty I had with it was using the pearl filament thread on Tink’s wings and wand. That stuff is a pain in the you know what but in the end it turned out really pretty, with just the right amount of sparkle.

Before doing the detail stitching

I omitted a part on the pattern that was supposed to go above Tink between here wings cause I thought it was silly looking to have her name there almost like a label. It is must more appealing and I like the simplicity of it just being sly Tink looking like she is up to something like always.

Close up of the finished product. You can really see the pearl filament in the wings.

I had a spare frame lying around and I gave it  a couple quick coats of purple spray paint any tada! I’m done. I decided on purple for the frame because it matched the back stitching around Tink, and I thought it would be fun.

The finished product with the awesome purple frame.

I made it using THIS tutorial from Moda Bake Shop, and I love the finished result. I tweaked the tutorial a little bit just cause a few of the steps I did differently and I used some different materials but overall it’s pretty consistent with everything else. I used a charm pack from Fig Tree Quilts called Fresh Cottons, and I love the finished result!

I used a frame that has been laying around my parents garage for almost a year now and I figured if it hasn’t been thrown away or used yet then it was fair game for me to have. I toyed with the idea of painting it, but in the end I am glad that I didn’t because I love the contrast of the wood grain against the fabrics.

The hardest part of the project was making sure that the ribbon stayed taught enough so that it would hold the photographs when it was all finished, but they all turned out the perfect tightness except for one that is in the bottom corner so it’s kinda hidden.  I love the ribbon I ended up using because it covers the seams from where I sewed the charm squares together but the edges are sheer so it gives it a cute little effect.

This picture isn’t very true to color but it is a nice close up of both the ribbon and the buttons. In the tutorial it called for a variety of buttons but I liked the idea of them all being uniform and cohesive so I used the same buttons for all of the placed where the ribbons crossed. And here is one last in use picture of the finished product, I wish I would have taken in progress pictures but I always think about doing it after I have already completed the project. I pictures on the board are 4×6 so that gives you some idea of the scale of the whole thing. Also on the frame I mounted hanging brackets on both sides so that it could be hung either vertically or horizontally. I love this project and my mom has already hinted to wanting one for herself.

As the end of summer session one comes to a close this week I am SOOOO glad that I decided to take the courses online; it is much easier and more convenient. It definitely is something that you have to stay on top of though because it’s self-paced and if you get behind it becomes hard to keep up.

I have been having the desire to go back to Disney really bad recently. If I don’t go soon I will loose my seasonal status with the Jungle Cruise which would be super sad. I love working at the Jungle Cruise, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my young adult life and I will remember it forever.

Hopefully soon I will be able to post the recent craft projects I have been working on, but I have to get finished with the few projects I have for school first.

Have a Magical Day

The first one is Jerome Loving’s Mark Twain: The Adventures of Samuel L. Clemens. I’m reading this book for a research opportunity that I have in the fall with the books author. I have actually started reading this book and I really like it so far, it pretty interesting as far as biography’s go.

The next one I plan on reading, well more like finishing, is Knit Two by Kate Jacobs. I started this book a little while ago and it got pushed to the back of my bookshelf when the semester started picking up and I haven’t been able to finish it yet. I read The Friday Night Knitting Club last year and  I really liked it, so naturally I moved on to the second book in the series and so far I like it just as much as the first one.

Next I am going to read four books by Mark Twain including, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Innocents Abroad, Roughing It, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. All four of these books are for a class I am taking next semester and I am reading them over the summer to get them out of the way so I wont have too much reading on my plate when the semester starts back up again in August.

Of these four books the only one I have read before is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and I really like this book so I don’t have a problem reading it again. This class that I am doing all this Twain reading for will most likely be my favorite class next semester because it isn’t a “real” class. Meaning I don’t go and listen to a prof lecture for an hour, I get to do research about Mark Twain and the best part is at the end of the semester I get paid for it!

The last book on my list is one I have had for a little while now that I just haven’t sat down and read. It is South of the Border with Disney: Walt Disney and the Good Neighbor Program, 1941 – 1948 by J.B. Kaufman. Growing up my favorite Disney movie was the Three Caballeros, and much of that movie was inspired by this trip to South America. Also I used to work at the Jungle Cruise in the Magic Kingdom and it is said that Walt got his inspiration  for that attraction from a river cruise he took while in South America.

So there it is, my 2010 summer reading list. I don’t think I’ll have a hard time reading all these books, especially since I am going on a road trip to North Carolina at the beginning of the summer so I will have 20+ hours in the car to read. I’m looking forward to reading all these books.

What I am looking forward to most about summer is that fact that is the time for me to do craft projects all the time!!! I wish I could do more during the semester but I really don’t have time, plus they distract me from my studying

I have 2 big cross stitch kits that I want to get at-least halfway done by the end of the summer and that is pretty ambitious considering they are 18×24 inches in size (or something close to that). I also have a couple knitting projects that are sad and lonely in my unfinished projects basket, so I am planning on digging them out to finish up.

I may or may not be taking a road trip to North Carolina where my boyfriends parents live. I am really hoping that we end up going because they live on the beach and that would be an awesome vacation! We looked it up and the drive is about 21 hours, which isn’t too bad considering I’ve driven to Rhode Island from Texas before and was able to make it. So we’ll see what happens. Either way it’s going to be a good summer.

I have been looking at my options for graduate school and so far I have come to the conclusion that I want to pursue a Masters of Information and Library Sciences. The only thing about this option is the fact that there are only 3 universities in the state of Texas that are accredited by the ALA (American Library Association). That leaves my choices at The University of Texas at Austin, Texas Women’s College, and The University of North Texas.

Right now my first choice is UT because I can live at home and save some money because my parents wont charge me rent. The bad thing about this is the fact that I will be living at home, and most college students understand that going back to living at home is a difficult thing to do once you have been out of the house for a while. Also UT is ranked #1 in the Nation for their archival dept. within the school of information sciences, so it is going to be an extremely hard program to get into. Plus I am getting my undergrad at A&M and then going to UT is going to be a completely different experience.

First Off: Snacks, no matter how far you are driving snacks are a must especially if you have a sort amount of time to get somewhere. If you pack snacks beforehand then you prevent making unnecessary stops along the way. Being in college and having a meal plan makes the purchasing of snacks rather simple because I don’t even have to make a trek to the grocery store. Chips, cookies, Red Bull, sodas….. all the stuff that is bad for you are perfect things to take.

Second: A map, I know it seems odd these days to have an actual map but believe me just having one in the car is a good idea especially if your GPS dies and you are lost for some reason. Plus there are all kinds of fun games you can play using a map…. the best is the giant atlas of the US (or where ever your road trip is taking place) because there are all kinds of facts about the different states in them and you can play 20 questions and stuff like that.

Third: Jumper cables, a spare battery, make sure you have a spare tire…. you know all the things that could go wrong may go wrong so be prepared. I have had one too many flat tires while on the road so always be prepared. If I knew more about cars I would offer advice as to other important things you should do before embarking on your journey but I just know the basics check your oil, check your tires, and check your gas.

Fourth: Clothes. I know this sounds obvious but you don’t want to get 50 miles down the road and realize that you forgot underpants. Now granted unless you are going to the middle of nowhere then this isn’t a huge problem but if you remember to pack all you necessities you can spend your money on more important things. Like booze Also be prepared for anything. I am from Texas and the weather here changes hourly. One minute it’ll be sunny and hot and the next it will be pouring down rain and cold, so always be prepared with a jacket and an umbrella or poncho (hurray for Disney ponchos!).

Last: And probably most important…. A camera to record all the fun, or not so fun, times you’ll have while on your adventure. I am hoping that my road trip coming up is going to be stress free and relaxing, and I hope your next journey is too!

Have a Magical Day

Being a Cast Member mean that the perks are pretty awesome. First and foremost, you get to go to Disney World for FREE! And during my program they were having a special promotion that we got to go to the water parks for free too. As a castmember, you also get merchandise discounts, hotel discount, cruise line discounts, and ticket discounts. During the Christmas holiday our cast member discount was raised to 50% off, which was pretty awesome because it applied to all Disney merchandise except for movies and CD’s.

Now I will warn you, the housing situation seems great but as one of my friends so adequately put it, she “hates Price Management and their stupid apartments… they can take their stupid rules and shove it where the sun don’t shine”. The company that manages the apartment complexes absolutely blows. The rules are ridiculous, the security guys are assholes, and if you break a housing rule you can be terminated from the program. The housing is the biggest bad mark on the program in my eyes. I would recommend living in Patterson or Chatham, stay away from Vista. Patterson is the newest complex and where I spent my program. DO NOT LIVE IN A 3 OR 4 BEDROOM APARTMENT because it is 2 people per room meaning there will be 8 people max in an apartment. Though this sounds fun…. you will have no space in your kitchen for anything. I lived in a 3 bedroom so there were 6 of us, and well there was never any space in the fridge at all. Plus 6 girls in one apartment…. no bueno.

Despite the lousy housing situation, I would recommend this program to anyone. I have loved Disney since the very first time I went there when I was 4 years old and I love it even more now that I have been a Cast Member. If you have worries about seeing the backstage stuff and it ruining the magic, don’t worry, being a part of the magic is such a rewarding experience. So if you have ever wondered if the Disney College Program is right for you, I say do it. You only live once and to have an opportunity like this is, in my eyes, a dream come true.