Disney Cruise adult FE cabin gift: Charcuterie board & picnic blanket

Now that our cruise on the Disney Treasure is completed, I can safely post what I gave out as a cabin gift for an adults FE gift exchange without spoiling the surprise.

I ended up giving out a charcuterie board with a picnic blanket.  These were the two variations.

I purchased bamboo boards which already had the laser-burned words and circles at Five Below about a year ago. I do NOT own a laser, so I personalized the boards by hand-burning the Mickey icon using a wood burning kit and heat-resistant gloves. I thought that placing the Mickey in the cheese circle was funny and appropriate🐭🧀.  There are other “easier” methods of wood-burning that replicate the laser look by using a Cricut and chemicals and a heat gun, but I intentionally chose to avoid that method because these items need to be food safe.  

The cotton blankets I found several months ago either at Target, Daiso, or Five Below.  

I tied everything together with the explanatory gift tags, and some cotton twine.  I left a long enough loop of cotton twine to hang the gift off of the FE itself just in case the FE hanger pocket was too small.

I hope everyone who received these gifts enjoyed them!

Haunted Mansion Tightrope Girl Tapestry

I finally finished making this tapestry last night. It took me 4.5 months to make during my free time, which is not a lot of free time given my typical 60 hours work week. 

I reshaped a wire hanger from the dry cleaner to make a hanging “rod”, which saved me a trip to the store to buy a wooden dowel.

One stretching portrait down.  Three more to go!

In case you are wondering, I followed the crochet pattern “Tightrope girl tapestry crochet pattern” which I purchased from @crochet.or.cry on Etsy after I saw her August 19, 2024 Instagram post.

Hello Kitty water bottle sling: Free crochet pattern

My sister-in-law mentioned during our Christmas get-together that my niece needs a water bottle sling to take with her on school field trips and asked if I would make one for her.

Given that my niece likes Hello Kitty, rainbows, and pink, I ended up designing and making this for her.  It’s also got a square pocket in front to carry a snack bar or whatever else she wants.

Here’s how I made it:

HELLO KITTY SQUARE POCKET

1. (White) ch5, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in remaining 3 sts —4 sts.

2. Ch 1, 2sc in base of 1st ch st from prior round, sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st, sl st to 1st sc of this round — 12 sts.

3. ch1, turn, 2sc in 2nd st from hook, (2sc in next st, sc in next st) x 5, sl st to 1st sc of current round —18 sts.

4. ch1, turn, 2sc in 2nd st from hook, (2sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts) x 5, sl st to 1st sc of current round  —24 sts.

5. ch1, turn, 2sc in 2nd st from hook, sc in next st, 2sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts, (2sc in next st, sc in next st) x 2, 2sc in next st, sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next st, sl st to 1st sc of current round —30 sts.

6. ch1, turn, 2sc in 2nd st from hook, sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 8 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 10 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next st, sl st to 1st sc of current round —36 sts.

7. ch1, turn, 2sc in 2nd st from hook, sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 10 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts, (EAR = sl st in next st, hdc in next st, ch 1, dc in same st as hdc, ch 1, tc in next st, ch 1, dc in next st, ch 1, hdc in same st as dc, sl st in next st), sc in next 4 sts, ear, sc in next 2 sts, switch yarn to outline color (black), sl st to 1st sc of this round (pulling the new color through) — 52 sts.

8. Continuing with outline color (black): ch1, turn, 2sc in 2nd st from hook, sc in next 2 sts, skip sl st, sc in next 4 sts, 3sc in next st (mark middle/2nd stitch), sc x in next 4 sts, skip sl st, sc in next 4 sts, skip sl st, sc in next 4 sts, 3sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts, skip sl st, sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st, sc in next 14 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts, sl st to 1st sc of this round; bind off —56 sts.

9. (PINK) Turn/Hold face so marked ear is on the right if you’re right-handed, on the left if you’re left-handed. Starting at tip of ear, put hook through marked st of previous round, yo and pull loop through, ch 2, 2hdc in same st, hdc in next 4 sts, dc in next 6 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, 3 hdc in next st, hdc in next 5 sts, sc in next 6 sts, hdc in next 2 sts, 2dc in next st, 3tc in next st, 2dc in next st, dc in next st, hdc in next 6 sts, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, 3 tc in next st, 2 dc in next st, hdc in next 2 sts, sc in next 6 sts, hdc in next 6 sts (6th hdc is in same st as 1st hdc of this round), sl st to 1st hdc of current round.

10. Don’t turn. Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc st), 2 dc in same st, dc in next 15 sts, 3 dc in next st, hdc in next st, sc in next 12 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, 3 dc in next st, hdc in next 15 sts, 3 dc in next st, hdc in next 4 sts, 12 sts, hdc in the same st as 1st dc of this round, sl st to 1st dc of current round, bind off.

11. Embroider the eyes, nose, and whiskers according to a reference photo of Hello Kitty which I found on Google.  (TIP: I put the reference photo onto my iPad so that I could pinch/zoom the image size to match the size of the crochetted blank face. Then by holding the crochetted blank face in front of the iPad photo, and quickly peaking behind it, I could get an estimate of where to place each facial feature.)

12. Make PINK bow by Repeating row 1-3, and continue until width of desired bow is reached. Bind off leaving a 12-inch tail. Fold the oval in half horizontally. Using the tail, wrap yarn tightly around the center of the bow several times to cinch it. Tie a knot. Using the remaining tail yarn, sew bow to the Hello Kitty face to match the reference photo.

WATER BOTTLE HOLDER 

1. (DARK PINK) Magic Ring, 6 sc in Magic ring — 6 sts.

2. Increase 6 sts each round. Make 6 rounds. Sl st to 1st st of final round and change yarn color. 

3.  Sc in same st as the sl st, *(skip 2 sts, 5 tc in next st, skip 2 sts, sc in next st), repeat from * to the end of the round. Change yarn color.

4. Ch 4 (counts as tc), 2 tc in same st as 1st st, *(skip 2 sts, 5 tc in next st, skip 2 sts, sc in next st), repeat from * until 3 sts from end of round, skip 2 sts, 2 tc in next st, sl st to 1st st of this round. Change yarn color.

5. Repeat the prior 2 rounds until the desired height of the sling is reached. Change yarn color.

6. (DARK PINK) If the prior round ended in a sl st: Ch 4 (counts as tc), dc, hdc, *(sc, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc), repeat from * until 3 sts from end of round, sc, hdc, dc, sl st to the 1st st of this round, then proceed to the next round.  If the prior round ended in a sc: hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc, *(sc, hdc, dc, tc, dc, hdc), repeat from * the end of round, sl st to the 1st st of this round.

7. Ch 1, sc in same st as ch st, sc all around, sl st to 1st st. Bind off.

8. Sew the square pocket to WATER BOTTLE HOLDER to make a patch pocket.

STRAP

1. On desired area of the top border, insert hook, yo, pull through yarn, ch 2, hdc in same st, hdc in the next 5 sts, ch 2, turn.

2. hdc in the next 6 sts, ch 2, turn.

3. Repeat rows until desired length of strap is reached. Ch 1, turn.

4. Sl st all 6 sts. Bind off.

Valet Tray: FREE pattern & printable gift tag

On a recent Disney cruise, I participated in a Fish Extender (FE) gift exchange. One of the gifts that I gave out were fabric valet trays. They are one of my favorite gifts to give because they are so useful, so portable, and are easy to make.

Here are instructions on how to make a simple valet tray yourself:

1. Cut two 10”x10” squares from fabric.
2. Cut two 9.5”x9.5” squares from fusible interfacing. Alternatively use just one square of fusible fleece.
3. Iron the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric squares, making sure it’s centered.
4. With right sides facing, using a half-inch seam allowance, sew along all 4 sides but leave a 5” space open on one side.
5. Turn the item right side out using the opening from Step 4.
6. Top stitch the opening and then around all 4 sides of the square.
7. Stitch “fold lines”1.5” in from the outside edge. Do this on all 4 sides.
8. Attach a pair of KAM snaps to each of the 4 corners.
9. Voila! Ready to gift or use!

Any fabric can be used, and you can customize it any way you want. You can even use up your scraps to make a crazy log cabin patchwork tray. This is one that I gave to my Mom for Christmas a few years ago, made from upcycled courduroy pants.

Another customization that I made a few years ago was to make a complex version that converted into an envelope clutch.  I made this by eliminating the sewn “fold lines”, adding a slip pocket, adding a pen loop, and making sure that the KAM snaps matched when folding the clutch in half. 

I typically gift these trays with a gift tag that says:

“This versatile valet tray is a solution for organizing personal items like wallets, keys, watches, and jewelry, effortlessly decluttering your bedside table, desk, or countertop. It’s designed for portability — snap the corners to assemble the tray; unsnap the corners to flatten it for easy travel or storage. Also great as a dice rolling tray for game night!”

To make things easy for you, here is a printable set of 6 gift tags that you can print out onto an 8.5”x11” sheet of paper:

Disneyland Magic Key Holder Tote Bag: DIY Upgrade

I upgraded my 2023 Disneyland Magic Key holder tote bag with a bit of sewing: (1) added interfacing for structure, (2) added a lining, (3) boxed the corners, and (4) added a zipper. Now it can stand up on its own, and I feel safer knowing that the zipper will prevent stuff from accidentally falling out! Plus, I think it looks better than the original!

In 2022 and 2023 during the holidays, one of the perks that Disneyland gave to their Magic Key Holders (a.k.a. annual pass holders) was giving out Magic Key Holder exclusive tote bags.

In 2022, it was a reusable plastic shopping bag.

In 2023, it was a smaller fabric tote bag. But being fabric, it was already nicer and much appreciated.

However after receiving it, I realized how thin and flimsy the fabric was, and how it didn’t really feel nice when carrying stuff in it. I wanted to be able to carry it around like a purse. So with a bit of sewing, I upgraded it. Here’s how I did it: 

1. I unpicked the folded top seam and detached the bag handles. From this point onward, I will refer to the original bag as the shell. 
2. I measured the height and width of the shell.  Then I cut out two pieces of felt and two pieces of lining fabric in those same dimensions.
3. I sewed the lining pieces right side together on 3 side, leaving the top open. 
4. I repeated Step 3 on the felt pieces.
5. With right sides facing each other, I marked a 2-inch square at each bottom corner of the lining, and then boxed the corners.
6. I repeated step 5 on the felt layer and the shell.
7. Turned the shell right side out. Turned the felt layer and lining wrong sides out.
8. Inserted the felt layer (which will serve as interfacing) inside the shell.
9. Inserted the lining inside the felt layer.
10. Folded the top hem of shell down. 
11. Tucked both edges of a16-inch zipper underneath the folded shell hem. Pin in place.
12. Pin the handle straps into place onto the shell, making sure to tuck the strap ends underneath the folded shell hem.
13. Sew along the top and bottom edges of the folded hem.

Voilà!