Vintage Disney Posters

I don't know about you, but to me, there is absolutely nothing cooler than vintage Disney.  I love the old designs, old posters, and old pictures.  I really want to incorporate some vintage posters into a room somewhere in my house (maybe my office at some point) and I love the idea of doing a vintage Disney party.  These are some of my favorite vintage Disney poster prints.  (Click print for original source, all pics via Pinterest.)

 

Pretty cool, huh?  I especially love the Date Night posters.  Think of how awesome those date nights would have been with dinner and dancing and people getting dressed up.  So fun!  Wish I could have been there for those!  Instead, I will live vicariously through the artwork!

Pin of the Week!

Hey there crazy kids!  I hope you have enjoyed the first week here at Disney Darlings!  This week you got to learn a little bit more about me, we made these awesome Mickey notebooks, you got some tips on how to enjoy Disneyland as an adult, and I reviewed the Disneyland Explorer app.  To close out the week, here is my favorite Disney inspired pin of the week!

Source

If you would like to follow me on Pinterest, click the purple P on the right hand sidebar.  It has been an awesome first week here at Disney Darlings!  We hope you have had as much fun as we did and we'll see you back here next week!

Disney App Review: Disneyland Explorer

I'll admit. I don't have a ton of use for most Disneyland apps, since many of them are designed for people on vacation or those who need park maps and assistance.  Because I know the park like the back of my hand, I typically just use the wait time apps (more on those later).  But I decided to check out some of the other Disneyland apps out there, and started with the obvious choice as Disneyland Explorer is licensed by Disney.  While this app is totally stunning and the animation is super cool, that's really all there is to it.  The app takes you around the different park lands, starting at Sleeping Beauty's Castle...

You can tour all the different lands at Disneyland...

And you can also explore California Adventure and Downtown Disney...

These pics are all screen shots directly from my phone, so you can see how awesome the graphics are.  But there is really not much information given in the app and unless you don't know what to expect at the park, this app is pretty useless.  Pretty, but useless.  I would save your memory for an app that provides a bit more substance.

How to Have Fun at Disneyland as an Adult

Okay, this post is a long time coming.  I did my "research" over the summer, but haven't had time yet to really sit down and perfect my map (at the bottom of this post).  I still would love to make it fancier and more detailed (and to a better scale), but I have gotten to the point where my graphic design skills (pretty much nonexistent) have gone as far they can go.  So it's time for the post!  I hope to one day make this a series with editions for Have a Great Disneyland Experience as a Pregnant Woman, with a Baby, with a Toddler, etc.  But for now, we are talking about how to have an awesome time at Disneyland as an adult sans the kiddies.

It is no secret that I love me some Disney.  I have been a passholder for the past twelve years (I just did a little bit of mental math on the cost of that and had a mini stroke), and have been going to Disneyland since I was one year old (see the proof here).  Obviously for the die hards like myself, part of the appeal is the nostalgia of Disney.  But there is also a ton of fun stuff you can do in the park even if you don't have a history with Disney or a little one to entertain.  Today, we are focusing on California Adventure.  If you are an adult going to Disneyland, visiting California Adventure (or DCA as the regs call it) is a must.  It's where the adult stuff (aka the booze) is.  And DCA is like Vegas--it's perfectly legal to walk around with your drinks!  So here is my tour of the best spots in DCA to have an adult level good time.

The Karl Strauss Beer Cart (number three on the map) is located at the Pacific Wharf (where there are also tons of food options, including a Ghiradelli Soda Fountain).  There are multiple draft beer options available here.  They come in plastic cups (second pic) perfect for carrying around the park.  It is much less painful waiting in a long ride line when you have a cold beer to drink while you wait!

Mr. B and I typically buy our beers and then head over to Paradise Pier and Toy Story Midway Mania.  There is usually a longish line for this ride, so we enjoy our beers while we wait.  Toy Story is an awesome ride, mainly because it's a competition.  You travel through a bunch of 3D style carnival games and rack up points.  We plays for beers, so whoever loses has to buy the next round.

Also along the Paradise Pier is the Cove Bar (number five on the map).  This bar is a little swankier, but you cannot beat the view of the ferris wheel and California Screamin (the roller coaster).  This is a great place to go when the weather is nice as all the seats are outside.

The Sonoma Terrace (number four on the map) is a new discovery for us, but this is a convenient spot to grab a beer or a glass of wine.  They have a great selection of craft brews, and a lot of yummy California wines.  Plus, there is a nice patio where you can sit and relax.  Bonus, last time we were there, they had to get rid of their pretzels and gave us one for free!  Free stuff doesn't happen very often at Disney, so you have to take advantage when you can!

Another tip if you are in an adults only party, check out the single rider lines for the popular rides.  The Radiator Springs Racers (located in Cars Land) tends to have a minimum of an hour and a half wait every time we are there, but the single rider line is usually about thirty minutes.  You and your party will most likely be in separate rows, but I have always ended up in the same car as my group and the wait is way shorter.  Totally worth it.

By far, my favorite spot in DCA is Carthay Circle Restaurant (number one on the map for a reason!).  This newly opened restaurant is decked out in a 1930's California theme, which means the bar is all dark wood and jazz (all they play are jazz versions of classic Disney songs, and yes, I own the soundtrack) and the martinis are divine.  We have only eaten there once as the food is super pricy (but amazingly delicious) but we stop at the bar every time we visit the park.  The best thing to do is get a Fast Pass for a ride like Tower of Terror (number two on the map), then go enjoy a martini at Carthay Circle.  By the time you are done with your drink, it is usually time for your Fast Pass!

If you want to take a little walk and explore, you can head out to Downtown Disney (exit is marked on the map) where there are tons of great restaurants and shops.  At the end of Downtown Disney is the Disneyland Hotel, one of my most favorite places in the whole world.  Trader Sam's is a tiki bar located near the hotel pool that has tons of fun tropical drinks.  At night they have live music on the patio (this is where we came after our wedding!).  If you sit inside, you get to see lots of cool effects as people order their different tropical themed drinks.  Today's Disney trivia question, where is Trader Sam located inside the Disneyland Resort?  (Give your answer in the comments!  You won't win anything, but I will think you are super cool if you know the answer!)

Alright, and here is the little map I came up with to show you where all the cool stuff is located in DCA.  Please note, this map is not anywhere near to scale.  Please also note, I am sucky with technology and graphic design.  Don't judge my skills.

I hope I have convinced you that you can have an awesome time at Disneyland as an adult.  If you have Disneyland related questions, post them in the comments and I will do my best to answer!

DIY: Disney Notebooks

Hey there Disney fans!  I have a quick and easy Disney inspired craft project for you today!  These notebooks are perfect for school or for office use (I've been using mine to plan out all of my blog posts!)  Here is what we are making:

First, gather your supplies: a notebook, patterned duct tape, scissors, black cardstock, circle punches or templates, Mod Podge, and a sponge brush.

Next, cover the front and back covers of your notebook with the duct tape...

Then use your circle punches or templates to cut out one big circle and two small circles from the black cardstock and position them on your notebook.

Put a coat of Mod Podge on the back of the circles and glue them down.  Then give the front side of the Mickey a coat of Mod Podge to make sure all the edges stay down.

And there you have it!  A totally personalized and super cute Disney notebook!  If you really wanted to get fancy, you could write your name or a cute saying on the Mickey with a paint pen for even more personalization!

Stay tuned for more awesome Disney crafts and inspiration!

Welcome to Two Disney Darlings!

Hello Disney fans and welcome to Two Disney Darlings!  This blog is being brought to you by two diehard Disney fanatics and self-proclaimed Disney experts.  We plan to share everything Disney with you: crafts, recipes, weddings, inspiration, and most importantly, our tips and tricks for having an awesome Disneyland experience.  And now for the formal introductions!

I'm Falon and I will be your main tour guide on this Disney adventure.  My good friend Brianna will be my co-pilot, and you will get to know her better a little later on, but for now, I will tell you everything you need to know about me!

I am a thirty-ish year old teacher.  I live in Los Angeles with my fabulous husband and our little dog Winston.  I love reading, crafting, blogging, and of course, going to Disneyland.  I have been Disney obsessed since I was a wee little one...

...Yup, that's me!  Even as a little munchkin, I knew I was born to be a Disney baby!  My family and I took several trips to Disneyland as a kid and for most of my life, I have celebrated my birthday at the park.

Many of my most important life events have been celebrated at Disneyland (I even forced my poor husband to go with me the day after our wedding!), and I have spent ten times as many "normal" days exploring and enjoying the park.  I have been a passholder for the past 12 years (don't tally up the total cost of that...please) so I have plenty of knowledge on how to have an awesome Disney experience.

I hope you will stick around for all of the Disney love that will be coming your way!  Please feel free to leave us questions/comments at anytime, I promise to always respond!  Plus, you can follow me on Instagram and follow the blog on Twitter (both icons are on the right hand sidebar) to stay up to date with all of our Disneyland adventures!  We are so excited to start this journey and hope you are too!