we just got back from disney. we had an amazing time, the four of us with mimi, papa keith, nana and papa. it was, on average, 96 degrees while we were there (95 at night), and my obsession with having all the people drink water was at threat level orange. (note: when you’re obsessed about making sure everyone else is hydrated and not going to pass out from heat exhaustion, it helps to practice what you preach. no passing out, but i did feel like ick one day, didn’t know why, and finally felt better after i guzzled the h2o.)

anyway, prep for disney was a whirlwind. besides the usual packing for two tiny humans + myself, of course i had to add in some handmade goodness that was going along with us on this trip. not only was this trip the boys’ christmas present, but we were also going to be at disney for no. 2’s sixth birthday. (i mean, come on…a birthday at disney?!) so, shirts were made for both boys for the birthday day, but there was more…

my boys love disney pin trading! if you’re familiar, you’ve probably seen the pins that people put on lanyards and wear around the parks. we had gotten to the point where not only were the lanyards pretty full, but the backs weren’t always 100% reliable with staying on the pin backs. (i have a distinct memory of picking up a trail of pins and pin backs through the line to get to the monorail at the contemporary resort…) i checked into getting the boys the official disney pin trading cases, but i wasn’t totally into paying disney prices for them. so, i consulted pinterest for some ideas on diy disney pin trading cases!

i came across this idea that combines a simple, clear pencil case, sheets of silly winks craft foam and a little personalization, thanks to my silhouette! i found these clear pencil cases on amazon which were the perfect size. hobby lobby was my stop for the sheets of red craft foam, that i brought home and cut to fit inside the clear pencil cases. (note: you want to cut two sheets of craft foam for each pouch because this will help your kids organize their pins into ones they want to keep and ones they are willing to trade.) and, besides the pins, we put both boys’ autograph books and a pen in each of their pouches, so that it was an easy grab into my backpack when a character sighting happened!

for personalization, i turned to my tried and true love: monogramming. i did a classic mickey silhouette with their monogram in a classic format inside the center area. they both loved them, and had a great time spotting cast members with pins to trade!

and, as an extra added bonus, here’s how the boys share their pin love when we’re home from disney! it didn’t seem right to just keep them on their lanyards or in their pouches where they can’t enjoy them. so, i added a couple of large message boards to their rooms, and their pins are stuck on there!