Nightmare Before Christmas Tsum Tsum Wreath

Nightmare Before Christmas Tsum Tsum Wreath

Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween favorite, so we're making wreaths out of Disney Tsum Tsums. These wreaths are easy to make, so let's get started.

Here are the materials you'll need:

• A wire wreath form (I got mine at Michaels)
• Black wire
• Wire cutters
• 2 packages Halloween thorn garland (Michaels)
• Nightmare Before Christmas Tsum Tsums (3 or 6, depending on what you like (I got mine on Ebay.)
• Black and white striped ribbon (Michaels) 
• Needle and thread, if desired

Step One
The thorn garland that we bought at Michaels has little rings at each end that make perfect hangers for the wreath, so step one is to cut yourself a four inch piece of wire and attach one end of the thorn garland to the back of the wreath form (see the photo below)

Step Two:
Flip over the wire frame so the back of the frame is toward the table. Take your Tsum Tsums and push the back of the first Tsum Tsum into the wire and pull it through half-way. If you want you can take your needle and thread and sew the Tsum Tsum in place. If you want to free the Tsum Tsum for playing later, skip the needle and thread. For the wreath above, I used six Tsum Tsums, one for every section of the wreath. For the Lock, Shock and Barrel wreath below, I put them at the 9 pm, 12 pm and 3 pm spots on the wreath. 

Here you can see how the Tsum Tsum fits through the wire.

Step Three:
Take the thorn garland that you've already attached to the wreath and place it around the wreath on the outside but still facing  front. Arrange the garland so it's covering the wreath frame.

Step Four:
For the second row, take the garland and arrange it on the inside circle of the wreath. Arrange any overage to cover bare spots. 

Step Five:
Now cut four inch wire pieces with the wire cutters. Use the wire to secure the thorn garland by looping it through to the wreath frame with both ends of wire coming out the back. Twist the wire to fasten the garland to the frame. I did this about twenty times to fully secure the garland. Keep checking the front of the wreath to make sure that there are no bare areas.  

Step Six:
Tie your ribbon into a bow and attached by threading a piece of wire through the bow's center loop in back and twisting the wire around the wreath.

DVR Alert: Walt Disney on American Experience

PBS' American Experience will run a four-hour special on Walt Disney next week in two parts Monday (Sept 14) and Tuesday (Sept 15) from 9:00 - 11:00 pm. 

The show will feature rare archival footage from the Disney vaults, scenes from some of his greatest films, and interviews with biographers and historians, animators and artists who worked on Snow White and other early films, and designers who helped create Disneyland.

Here's a preview...

D23 Expo - Star Wars, Disney Legends and More

Mystery Playground was at D23 Expo this past weekend, the Disney Conference in Anaheim, California. The first act of the weekend was to get in line for the Disney Legends presentation where Disney anoints those who have contributed to the Disney legacy.  

We saw Richard Sherman and Ashley Brown perform the song, A Kiss Goodnight from the Disneyland Forever Fireworks show. 

Here's a video of that performance:

There was a performance honoring Disney Legend Eyvind Earle with a tribute by "Dancing with the Stars" Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd performed the Sleeping Beauty Waltz:

Susan Lucci, who played Erica Cane on All My Children, received an award. She said if she designed a ride for Disneyland for Erica it would be a rollercoaster with lots of husbands. 

George Lucas received the Disney Legends Award and told us that Goofy was the inspiration behind JarJar Binks.

And the surprise award was for Johnny Depp:

The new Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens movie costumes were out, here's the costume for Rey (Daisy Ridley):

Here's Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christy - Brienne on Game of Thrones)

Here's BB-8:

Here's the new Jack Sparrow costume:

A sequel to the Alice in Wonderland live action movie is coming out next year. Here are the costumes from that movie:

The models for the Pandora world slated for Animal Kingdom look fabulous:

Disney Event at the Silverado Winery

D23 is the official Disney Fan Club and they have events all over the country. I was lucky enough to attend an event at the Silverado Winery in Napa Valley recently. We toured the winery, tasted the wine, had lunch and heard from two archivists from Pixar who are charged with cataloguing and maintaining Pixar treasures, Christine Freeman and Julie Roth. They brought the two animation models below that inspired drawings used in Pixar's movie, Ratatouille. 

Here are Remy & Emile. They are brothers.

The archivists wear gloves when handling the models so they don't get damaged or soiled.

The winery itself is beautiful and we loved the wine. 

Disneyland's Shrunken Ned

If you go deep in the the jungle of Disneyland's Adventureland and stop at the first shop on your right, you may be able to find Shrunken Ned, the Jungle Witch Doctor. Shrunken Ned is a fortune teller machine that dispenses health advice, despite his lack of a body. He's one of four machines in the park: Esmeralda, Fortune Red, and the Fortune Telling Lamp. I attribute my love of fortune telling machines to Esmeralda who has been lying to me since I was small child.

Getting advice from Shrunken Ned is easy. You pop your quarter into the machine and put your palm on the wooden hand painted (pictured below) and Shrunken Ned will do his work. 

Here's a video of Shrunken Ned in action: 

Once Ned is done talking, the machine will spit out a card for you with a drawing of Ned on one side, and dubious health advice on the other. 

I have to say that he was right about me needing more sleep.  

Cars Land Holidays and Christmas Trees

Disneyland and California Adventure are always decorated so beautiful for the holidays, but the decorations in Cars Land this year have a wonderful sense of humor. I just had to share. 

Check out the one of kind,  Route 66, tree. 

The Cars Snow Plow is all dressed up for the holidays and there is even a little ornament to match. 

Above is the peace sign loving tree of the laid back van, Filmore. Below we have two trees from Sarge's Surplus Hut.

Sally's Cozy Cone hotel is decked out in bright orange with the extra special cone Christmas tree. 

The trees inside Flo's Cafe have a musical feel. The tree outside has motor oil for all. I don't usually put motor oil on my trees.