Let The Memories Begin!

I remember the very first time I took my kids to Disney World. I stood at the entrance and cried. And cried. And then I cried some more. Until the girls grabbed my hands and said, "Come on, Mom! Let's go inside!". So here I am, looking at the entrance to Magic Kingdom, and tears are welling up in my eyes. Those four words.... Let The Memories Begin...  have even more meaning now.

When Connie asked if I would consider joining her CT and do this new blog theme post, I yelped and screamed like a kid. It was like a dream come true. (Do you see where this is going yet?) Not only will I be blogging about my happy place... I will be doing it as a member of Connie's CT!

In case you hadn't guessed yet, the new theme for Sunday's will be Disney!! I hope you all enjoy this new feature and have fun participating. Yes, I want participation!! Now you know the additional meaning of Let The Memories Begin. This will be a new adventure for me and the beginning of a new set of memories.

On to the Disney meaning of Let The Memories Begin.... On our last trip (September, 2012), the entranceway to Magic Kingdom was a welcoming, Let The Memories Begin. Once inside, there were flag banners with the same sentiment. I knew in a heartbeat that photo would be the opening of my scrapbook.

Now, if you think all you will see are primary reds, blacks and yellow.... Think again. One of the things that prompted Connie to think about this venture was my ability to take just about any kit and make a Disney layout. And that is our mission. So let's get scrapping!

Connie has some absolutely marvelous kits that lend themselves to Disney, yet are versatile enough to scrap a variety of themes and events. Today, I want to show you two layouts I created, with completely different appearances.

Layout 1

Let's look at Layout 1. My base for this layout is actually one of the Sweetheart Templates (Number 1) from Connie. My Happy Place, Paper 7 is the side triangle pointing at the photo. I took the paper, enlarged it a little, and moved it so that the EARS lined up with the side and the three lines of Happy Place were centered and pointing to floral display. Then I clipped it to the layer. All the bits and pieces are from three of Connie's kits:  My Happy Place, Main Street Magic, and He's The Mouse.

Layout 2

Moving on to Layout 2... I used Give Me Sunshine for this layout. One of the ways I choose my color choices is to look at the photo and see the "palette" I am working with. I did not want this layout to be a monochromatic green, so I chose the banners above the entranceway, which were orange and yellow.  Works for Disney and it will work for me, right?

The journal card contains a bit of Disney "magic". While I will never publicly divulge certain things I have learned in "Behind the Scenes tours", (can't spoil it for the kiddies, you know. There is a reason they don't let kids under 16 attend many of these tours!), there are some things I can share without ruining the "magic". And it is all about maintaining the "magic" at a Disney park.

Basically, the entranceway to Magic Kingdom is designed to mimic the lobby of a theater. There are guides, maps, posters (upcoming attractions), the smell of fresh popcorn and bathrooms. All of which are geared towards priming the audience (visitors) for the main "show". And believe me, it really is quite a show!!

Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or even a link to share one of YOUR Disney layouts.