runDisney update: Metal Medals for 5Ks from now on!

Disney just posted this news at 10am today. Metal medals for the runDisney 5Ks from now on!  No more rubber plastic medals for the 5K!  Well, that is except for the inaugural Disneyland Paris 5K, because they already released photos of the rubber one.)  https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/07/new-rundisney-enhancements-coming-this-race-season/

This goes into effect starting the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend on Labor Day weekend 2016.

Here are the upcoming 3 metal 5K medals.

Tote bag upcycled from a broken umbrella

One of my souvenir umbrellas broke. I bought it during a tropical storm at Walt Disney World. I wanted to keep the logo image of the umbrella, as well as save as much as I could from a landfill. So I decided to turn it into a reusable shopping bag.

First I salvaged the fabric from the umbrella frame.  Then I separated the panels at the seams.

Next I arranged the triangles in an alternating pattern to make a slanted rectangular shape.  I only needed to use 6 out of the 8 panels.

I sewed each of them together (using a French seam) to make a tube.

Then I sewed the bottom of the tube shut (again using a French seam).

I used one of the remaining 2 panels to make straps.

I hemmed the edges of the the straps, then sewed them onto the top of the bag.  Then I hemmed the top of the bag. 

I salvaged the Velcro strap from the umbrella and attached it to the seam of the handle.

When rolled up, that strap comes in very handy for compact storage.

I'm quite pleased with how this bag turned out. So now, instead of waiting for it to rain to remember my trip to Walt Disney World, I can remember it whenever I go shopping.

Organizing makeup with the Z-palette

My makeup organizer was overflowing with pressed powders, palettes, and those tiny beauty subscription samples. Plus I felt that digging around for one compact for face powder, another one for bronzer, and yet another one for eyeshadow was an inefficient way to get ready in the morning. So I decided to "de-pot" all of the makeup and combine them into one large palette.

I picked up the large Z-palette from Sephora and just followed the instructions that came with it.  I must admit that I was at first skeptical about the "flat iron method" of de-potting the powder pans, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy (once the glue was softened by the heat, each pan popped out with minimal effort) and effective it was.  I then used rubbing alcohol to clean off any remaining glue residue from underneath the pans.  Most of the pans were magnetic metal, so they easily attached to the magnetic Z-palett base. For the aluminum/non-magnetic pans, the Z-palette came with magnetic stickers to attach to the bottoms of those pans.

I'm quite pleased at how I was able to consolidate all of this stuff into a more space-efficient streamlined palette that's customized for me.  (I have the pallet pictured above with one of the tiny shadow samples to give a sense of scale.)

Happy Father's Day: June 2016 Target Men's Beauty Box

These boxes went on sale on Target.com on Memorial Day and sold out that same day. I was lucky to be able to buy both a women's box and a men's box. The women's box arrived on June 6. The men's box arrived on June 9.

Here's the men's box.

Paired with a Star Wars T-shirt that I bought elsewhere, I think this will be a cute Father's Day gift for my husband.

#DisneyxCoach collaboration launches June 17!

Wow, Disney fans around the world will have A LOT to celebrate on June 17!  

First is the official grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland.  

Second is the premiere of Pixar's Finding Dory movie.  

And now fashion fans have the #DisneyxCoach limited edition capsule collection to look forward to. 

Mixing the irreverent with the iconic, the collection launched exclusively on June 10 in a specially-designed concept at the Coach store in Soho, New York and at Colette, the celebrated store on rue St. Honore in Paris. It will release on June 17th on coach.com and Coach stores worldwide.

The collection is part of a series of exclusive, limited-edition projects that celebrate American pop culture, and commemorate Coach's 75th anniversary.  The collection will feature Mickey Mouse designs on everything from Coach's leather goods to ready-to-wear, and beyond.   Mickey Mouse's vibrant personality shines through the collection, with specially created sketches by Disney animators. The exclusive artwork appears on t-shirts as well as signature Coach glove-tanned leather bags including the Saddle and the Dinky.

The range also includes sneakers featuring Coach's signature hangtag playfully redesigned in the shape of Mickey's ears. The Mickey ear silhouette is also marked out with punky studs on a biker jacket and a frame on a re-edition of an archival Coach bag from the 1960's 'the Kisslock'.  Collectible pieces like oversize black leather Mickey dolls and shearling beanbags complete the offering.

If you live in New York or Paris, you can shop for these items now!  For everyone else, we can just drool on these sneak peak photos of some of the items from the collection until they finally release on June 17.