D23 Expo App available in the App Store!

Hey Mousers!

I thought I would drop in and let you know about a cool FREE app Disney just released for D23!

It's titled as you'd expect "D23 Expo" and has a ton of info regarding the upcoming Expo.
It includes:

- Presenter information
- Schedules
- FAQ's
- Photo Booth where you can edit your Expo photos
- Maps of the Main floor and the Collector's Forum
- A sharing section where you can push your photos and info straight to facebook or twitter
- Collector's Forum with a list of all toy makers present
- Shopping section with official D23 merchandise as well as other official Disney retailers
- Disney Trivia, Scavenger Hunt, photos and more!

As of right now, there is still a lot of information being finalized as well as still being announced.  Disney has said they will continue to keep updating the information as it comes out.

If you are planning on attending the D23 Expo (I am!!), download and check this app out.  It's a great tool to have with you during the event.  I tend to lose papers and they get crumpled and mushed when I don't, so this is going to be great to have handy!

Hope to see some of you there!

Scavenger Hunt at Disneyland!!

What could be more fun than scouring the Happiest Place on Earth for clues in a Scavenger Hunt?!

RaceLA.com has put together such a race!

Scheduled for October 5th and a recently added December 8th! Go register before it sells out!

"Get ready for a fun-filled adventure you'll never forget!
From Main Street USA to Adventureland, Tomorrowland and more, set out on a magical search for clues in this one-day-only special event, CityRace Disneyland.You'll encounter familiar friends as well as hidden secrets as you and your team use brainpower, detective skills, and maybe a dash of some madcap moxie as you explore Disney's Magic Kingdom in an unforgettable day of memories, magic, and of course... Mickey! This hunt is moderately challenging. Total hunt time: 4 1/2 hours."

Price is $47.50 per person and General admission to the park is required.  You do not recieve entry with your race registration. 

New Facebook Page!

Mouse House Musings now has a facebook page!! 

CLICK HERE

Come on over and check it out! I'll be posting all kinds of fun stuff on there that aren't necessarily blog posts.  I'll be fun and full of Disney! What could be better?

Mansion my House please!

Hey Mousers!

I wanted to show you guys some really cool Mansion decor today.  Now, a lot of you have seen some of the merchandise you can buy in the parks and online which includes pillows, throw blankets, candlesticks etc.  These are fantastic collectibles to add to your themed rooms and I don't know how long they'll be around.

 I first saw these mentioned on the Disney Parks Blog a few months back and since then I've seen collectors flooding into the store in New Orleans trying to get each piece.  Many have sold out multiple times, particularly Madame Leota's music box. 

So why am I writing about this now?  

Good question.  Many other bloggers have extensive posts all about each of these items and I encourage you to search around for those if you haven't already seen this merchandise.  (Zannaland is personal favorite and she always has tons of new merchandise reports) 

Very few people are aware that imagineered sections of the Haunted Mansion (specifically Disneyland's attraction) has elements that are available outside of the park.   When Imagineers dream up attractions, many times times they are able to find props in the "real world" to use within the scenes.  I'm sure it makes it a lot easier to order parts in bulk without having to dig through archived shop molds and specialty made designs that may or may not have survived all these years. 

I was first made aware of this when I came across the blog Long Forgotten Haunted Mansion.  I absolutely LOVE and devour the research that goes into each and every post.  Go check it out if you're a Mansion buff.  So why am I telling you to go to another blog?

Because he identified ALL of the Haunted Mansion dishes and flatware within the Dinner party scene! Not only that, but amazingly it's still being sold! YOU can buy it! 

SOURCE

Funnily enough, you can purchase the entire Disneyland Haunted Mansion collection, Spode Blue Italian, at Macy's! (it has 5 star reviews! haha) And of course we need the lovely red wine Goblets to go along with our fabulous china.  These are Tiffin Kings Crown Goblets and can be found on ebay or easy, or even amazon! 

SOURCE

If you're interested in the dinnerware used for the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World or other Haunted Mansion attractions at other parks, the Entire Post  goes into much more detail regarding the different lines of dishware and flatware used.  

And then go buy it and PLEASE re-enact this! 

SOURCE

Guess what? 

I've discovered MORE! 

On a recent trip to Disneyland I was taking random pictures of parts of the park I don't normally pay attention to.  Not only for nostalgia reasons, but I have to keep my Disney Instagram fans happy! haha 

I grabbed a quick shot of the victorian style wall paper next to some of the candelabras in the foyer before you enter the "stretching room".

 

The wall paper is absolutely gorgeous and the gold leaf of the lilies reflect the candle light each time they flicker.  I posted it on Instagram as well as saying I wished Disney would market it so we could use it in our homes.  Well.... they don't but someone else does!! 

This wallpaper isn't cheap but it's readily available from a company called Bradbury & Bradbury.  They have incredible artistic patterns that go from vintage victorian to modern looks.  The particular pattern used in the Mansion is called Dresser II Roomset - Lily.  Specifically: Lily - Ashes of Rose.

 I LOVE the color pattern and as I mentioned before, the gold leaf.  Some day! 

There area also companion wall papers if you want to mix and match but don't expect them to have scary googly eyes staring at you! 

Well, those are my secrets to be shared... so far... Muah hah ha! I may have some more up my sleeve to make your home even more... ghostly. But you'll have to wait and see! 

Till then, Have a magical week! 

Fox and the Hound fan art

Hi Mousers!

I've been working on something that has probably been THE most fun painting I've done to date and it was close to my heart for multiple reasons.  You guys all know my love of Disney and it's no secret  how much I enjoy watching the films. Well, one of my close friends is expecting a little boy in August and for his "gift", I painted a huge acrylic canvas with a scene from The Fox and The Hound which she opened at her shower a few weeks ago.

It was one of the most rewarding "jobs" I've done and I can't wait to see it in the nursery in Portland.

I spent probably about 30ish hours working on both the background and the 2 baby characters.  I was extremely lucky to find incredible background and character references as well as extra sets of experienced Disney eyes to critique for any proportion issues.  These two stole my heart and it was difficult to wrap that canvas up to give it away haha I wanted to keep it!

I'm waiting on a good quality final picture to show but here are some behind the scenes shots of the process and a quick shot of the finished piece that was taken at like 1am.

I drew out the initial illustration on the canvas with pencil. The canvas was prepped with Gesso. 

A side view to show how huge this thing was! It was about 3.5ft x 4.4ft. Took up my whole desk! 

The next step in my process was to get a base wash down to help hide the white of the canvas and to establish my darks. 

At this point it was about 6 hours into it that night and I was getting a little... Uh ...

tired. I needed to really be "one with the characters" LOL 

Even the kitten had passed out on me. 

The final shot before I wrapped it up! As you can see, the acrylic has a reflective shine to it. I'm hoping I can get a clearer image once it's up on the wall and not facing at an angle.

Here's a picture from the actual shower.

Hope you guys like it! It was just a joy to work on and I can't wait to do some more painting! 

Have a fantastic week ahead! 

Magical Memory: Ariel's Grotto

Hi Mousers!

I was able to go into the park for a few hours and was lucky enough to be able to get reservations at one of my most favorite places to eat.  Ariel's Grotto! (No surprise there, right?)  I haven't eaten there in years due to the price tag but for some reason, I just felt like going.  And in all honestly, do we really need a reason to want to go?
My original plans with a friend fell through but the outcome was one of the best times I've ever had.  I went with my sister and my little niece for a Princess Lunch! You know I totally would have gone to a Princess lunch even without a kid in tow... lets be real here, but sitting there with a little one made it even more special.

She takes after her Auntie 

For those of you who maybe haven't been able to have a Princess lunch, it basically involves ... well, the Princesses! They're in the restaurant as you're eating and get to come to your table to chat, take pictures, and/or sign autographs.

So lets get to it, the first thing you do is stand in line. Big surprise there.

The line leads you to the check in desk for the restaurant and soon you descend down a spiral staircase to meet the lovely Ariel!

(Check out my niece's outfit.  Fish scale Leggings... DIE of cuteness!)

I am such a goob 

look how amazing the carpet is - WANT!

It was my niece's first time meeting the Princesses so we were a little unsure of how she would react to them.  As my sister walked up to Ariel,  you could see the wheels turning in my niece's little head.  She stared at her for a little bit and then surprised all of us by throwing her hands out and literally diving into Ariel. HAHA! We think she recognized the hair - same color as yours truely - and thought it was me!

You know, I think I'm ok with my niece thinking Ariel was me.... hahahaha

action shot of the dive - Ariel didn't quite know what to do!

If you are seated inside the restaurant, here are some pictures of the inside.  I LOVE the decor.  I wish I could recreate a lot of the details at my house. 

Now this particular eatery has a set price, multiple courses, and you choose your main dish.  It's pretty cool because you get a little taste of everything.

 

Once you have decided your main entree, all the yummies start to arrive at your table...

Out comes the bread and appetizer plates.

fruit skewers, meats, cheeses, olives, and a really good salad 

During this time, before the main course arrives, each Princess is announced and she proceeds to make her rounds to all the guests.  They go pretty fast but I think thats so they can get to everyone before the main meal comes out.  I can imagine many many many sticky, saucy fingers reaching up to grab their beautiful dresses. 

Belle was the first to arrive and my niece, Annabelle, was priceless!  She also would NOT let go of poor Belle's gloves! haha she loved them. 

"No... I'm Belle!"

Next out was Snow White, and unfortunately Annabelle was way more excited about her string cheese than she was into meeting her.  Snow was beautiful though and very sweet to try to get her attention back.  Sorry, Snow! 

 Aurora also came out and greeted us, but I didn't get a good picture of her.  Next time!

Last but most certainly not least was my sister's favorite, Cinderella.  The interaction between her and Annabelle was absolutely priceless and melts my heart every time I look at this picture.  Pure Disney magic. (... minus the kid in the yellow shirt photobombing)

kissy faces with Cinderella 

Once the Princesses have made their rounds, the main course is brought out.  In our hunger we forgot to take pictures of our plates.  Blogger FAIL. But I can tell you that both the Chicken and the Beef courses are really really good! 

I did manage to snap a photo of my super exciting drink!

Clip on Ariel light

As well as remember to get a photo of the kids meal Annabelle got for free! Children under the age of 3 get to pick of a certain menu and are free of charge. 

**Note to all mommies, while the shell pasta is a great idea and fits the theme, make sure it's cut up for the little ones. The shells are too big and they can choke** 

And finally, the part we've all been waiting for... the DESSERT!  It consisted of a very rich chocolate lava cake, 2 kinds of cupcakes with a whipped cream fruit frosting, a chocolate chip cookie, and fresh berries.  Everything was delicious!! 

Everything about this lunch was so much fun.  The themed menu, the decor, the Princesses, the good times, the view... you name it.. it was awesome! 

I highly recommend eating here at least once.  It's about $50 a person (does not get you in the park - you need entry first) depending on if you get drinks or other menu items.  Discounts are available with Annual Passes or Castmember ID's.  

If you want to make reservations, call Disney Dining at (714) 781-DINE

Thank you guys for following along with me on this great memorable day with my sister and niece.  I hope you check out Ariel's Grotto sometime soon and let me know how you enjoyed it! 

I'll leave you with one last picture of the bathroom! I want it!!

Hiiii! 

Limited Time Magic: Easter Egg Hunt in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

Hi Mousers!


Just got back from 3 days in the park during Spring Break crowds! Woooo-weeee was it busy!
At one point after a parade, I turned around and could no longer see any part of Mainstreet's pavement. It was just a overflowing river of people and strollers.  Craziness!

It's good to take days easy when the park is that crowded.  Running around trying to hit every single attraction and grabbing fastpasses is a surefire way to run yourself ragged.  Especially when you have multiple days in the park.  I read a comment on Instagram this last week that I've adopted, as I love relaxing in the park, "Attractions are for tourists" LOL
It's true! I love going into Disneyland and DCA and taking in all the sights and sounds the park has to offer.  There are shows galore, food to eat, people to watch, characters to hang with, and music to tickle your ears!

Ok, I need to get to the point of this post!

This year, the parks have been marketing Limited Time Magic.  Which means that they'll be offering special attractions or happenings that are out of the ordinary for a certain amount of time.  Last week was an Easter Egg hunt all over DCA that awarded Vinylmation keychains to finishers.  A few months ago, there was the Golden Horseshoe Review and over at WDW special long ago characters appeared for meet and greets.

This week, in DCA, there was a special Easter Egg Hunt inside the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.  We took advantage of the Annual Pass Holder early entry to the area (8am-9am) and had a lot of fun.  (Even though we were the ONLY adults climbing up the bridges and stairs LOL) There were eggs hidden along the trail that you had to identify with each part of a special map given to you upon entry.  Each egg had a corresponding letter that you used to decode a special Easter message! I'm not sure the purpose of hiding the individual badge icons on the map, but you scratched off the silver coating to reveal which one you were working on through the challenge.
There was also a little section on the bottom to identify the totem pole animals with their meanings.

After completing the challenge, you could attend the Wilderness Explorer Ceremony to receive your Egg Hunt badge.

The ceremony was really cute! If you haven't gone to see it before it's worth it to go at least once.  The group host starts it out, teaches you the WE motto, and soon Russell joins in after he finds the camp.  You may even get a peek at Kevin too!

This week is definitely worth going because Carl arrives just before the end donning a pair of fluffy white bunny ears along with Easter garland wrapped around his walker. Too CUTE!

Both are available for pictures after the ceremony and you are awarded your Egg Hunt badge, a Senior Wilderness Explorer Badge, and a peep!

If you're going to hit the parks at all through the weekend, go check it out! It will only be available through Easter Sunday.

Have a great weekend!