Disney & Christmas & Card Making

Last week I talked about the trip the hubs and I booked for Walt Disney World in December. Sadly, the end-of-semester crush of group projects and big research papers and impending finals is putting a crimp in my trip planning. I did, however, get a chance to secure our attendance at the Candlelight Processional, a retelling of the Christmas story with a guest narrator (hello Neil Patrick Harris), a 50-piece orchestra, and a mass choir, all at the American Gardens Theater in Epcot. Hubs made the request to eat at Biergarten Restaurant, so I booked a Candlelight Dinner Package which includes our meal, seats for the Candlelight Processional, and reserved viewing for the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. I'm so happy that I was able to get this one thing booked. I cannot wait to be done with this semester and really throw myself into the trip planning and look into more unique Christmas experiences that only Disney can provide.

What else besides Disney could make me be anxious for Christmas? Oh, maybe designing and planning my Christmas cards for this year. So, I was hunting around on the internet a few weeks ago when I stumble upon the newest Tim Holtz stamps and I instantly fell in love with these beauties:

I am so in love with the retro look of these stamps. They're very reminiscent of that Christmas line from the now defunct Daisy D's. The line is so old, I can't find the name or a decent image on Google to share with you. sigh. But I digress: Back to the stamps; I couldn't wait. I couldn't resist. I did not hesitate. I immediately placed an order with Simon Says Stamp and the set arrived in the mail today. I'm thinking of pairing the stamps with either Crate Paper's new Christmas line, Peppermint:

Or, possible October Afternoon's line, Holiday Style. They just released this preview on their blog today!

So tell me, are you thinking about Christmas? When do you start making your Christmas cards? 

A Hodgepodge of Disney and Scrapbooking or The Stuff this Blog is Made of!

I am so very happy to report that the hubs and I booked a trip to Walt Disney World for early December!

We've been talking about this for quite some time and now we're that much closer to making it a reality. This is very exciting for a couple of reasons:

A.) It'll be the first time I've been to the World during the christmastime season since my love for Disney has developed. I so look forward to the amazing decorations done only the way that Disney can do it. And, can you just imagine the pictures I'm going to have to scrapbook!?! Disney/Christmas themed pictures! It's going to put a whole new twist on Disney Scrapbooking. I can't wait!

2.) It's been about a gazillion months (okay, maybe only seven) since I've been to Disney and I'm kinda suffering from some crazy Disney withdrawals. By the time we get there in December it will have been 11 months!! That's just far too long (and secretly I'm trying to figure out if I can make a quick weekend trip down in October. shh, don't tell anyone.)

In light of this wonderful news, I wanted to share some Disney information that I've discovered over the past few days. First, if you're a Annual Pass holder (like me) there are some amazing room discounts available right now up to 40% off. This ended up being the best option for us!

Don't despair though if you're not an AP holder, Disney is also running a promotion where they are offering the Disney Dining Plan free when you book a non-discounted room and ticket package for select arrival dates between October 2011 and March 2012. These are both great promotions that really make it worthwhile to stay on property and really plan an Disney vacation sure to loaded with some amazing memories.

While I could go on and on about the ins and outs of planning a vacation at the Walt Disney World Resort (and maybe I will in some future posts) right now I want to leave you with the simplest advice I can give: RESEARCH!

I'm continually amazed at how little guests know when they arrive at Disney considering the amount of information readily available on the internet. Two of my all time favorite sources for information are AllEars.net and the Dis Boards. I use these boards to flesh out my itinerary and get answers to questions I may have. I find the official Walt Disney World website cumbersome to navigate and only use it to book vacation elements and confirm information after I have researched on the other sites.

The first, AllEars.net is a great resource for planning every detail of your vacation. It offers information in a very organized way and is easy to navigate. You can find attendance records, current ticket prices and park hours, full resort information and restaurant information including menus updated regularly! This site is a wealth of knowledge that is necessary for the novice and acts as a trusty resource for the veteran.

The Dis Boards is also a great place to get real life information and experiences. This is a welcoming and friendly message board forum where you can get answers to many of the questions you may have about anything pertaining to Disney.

These two sites are my go-to resources when planning any of my Disney vacations. So, in the weeks and days leading up to our December trip, I'm going to be spending a majority of my time on these boards to plan an unforgettable Christmas trip to Disney. That is of course, when I'm not busy scrapbooking one of my other magical trips. Here's another layout from the 1st anniversary trip the hubs and I took in January 2009.

What about you? Have you been to Walt Disney World before? Have you been there during the Christmas season? Share your favorite Disney Christmas memory!