My family just recently booked our first big family vacation to Walt Disneyworld! We're really excited and to help the days pass, I decided to make a countdown. I found a couple really cute ones in the blogging world, but none really fit want I wanted to do. Mostly, I wanted to make it generic (used for Disneyworld, land, and maybe Cruise..one day) and I wanted it to be reusable.
Enter my Silhouette.
How did I make this?
Supplies:
- cutting machine or scissors
- black, red, and yellow cardstock
- permanent marker
- yarn
- tape
- adhesive
- spare container-- I used a Crystal Light container (love those things)
- I googled Mouse Ears, used the Trace feature and began cutting ears out... a lot of ears... 70 to be exact. If you don't have a cutting machine, you can always use a Mickey Mouse cookie-cutter or print them on cardstock, etc.
- NOTE: My last 10 ears, and the multiples of 10 (20, 30, etc.) are bigger than the rest of the numbers. I had 16 big ears and 54 little ears; that's if your countdown starts at 70 because your family is just as impatient as mine.
- For the title, I used my Walt Disney font and set the word 'countdown' along the bottom edge of a circle. Then I cut it out. And glued it to a couple other sheets of cardstock. Remember to watch for the little pieces.
- To assemble. I taped 10 ears each on a strings of yarn. Then I tape those strings underneath the sign. (Don't forget to write the numbers on the ears before taping them to the string). Eventually, I'll laminate them all, but I'm kind of in the middle of direction a rather large production... I had to be efficient... next vacation.
- Each day, my son and I cut off a Mickey Ears for the day. If the Mickey Ears for the day happen to be BIG ears, then he also gets to pick an activity out of the Mickey Jar. (to assemble that I used an old Crystal Light container and extra ears from my cutting madness).
- I printed activities out on red and yellow cardstocks. Here's what we'll do by the end of the countdown: Disney-Themed Dinner, Create our "Must-Do" List, Postcard People List (who we'll buy and send postcards to), Mickey Ear Day (wear Mickey Ears all day), Disney Movie Night, Disney Music Marathon, Wear Disney Jammies, Have Mickey Pancakes, Make Family Shirts, Make Number Tattoos for kiddos (temp tatts to put on their arms in case they get lost), Color Disney Pictures, Bounce Around like Tigger, Disney Crafts (great ideas HERE), Get/make an autograph book, Read Disney Stories, Hide the Mickey game (kind of like hot 'n cold), Pack Bags and Carry-ons!
Cute idea. Helps the kids have a tangible way of knowing how long until your trip. My only critique is that it's going to get awfully lopsided the closer you get to vacation day. I might thinking about putting the numbers across rather than down next time. Just an idea. :)
ReplyDeletethey're taped behind the sign, so we move the strings when we lose 10... I definitely would not have made it to be off-balanced ;)
ReplyDeleteLove this idea. I saw it on somewhat simple link party. We are going in over a year so I may have to modify because I can't cut out 500 ears, even on my cricut! Love the ideas too for activities to do. Definately doing this!
ReplyDeletewww.caraleecrafts.blogspot.com
Glad you like it!
DeleteI am doing this today!!! We have 36 days till our Disney Vac!!
ReplyDeleteSo fun! Enjoy your vacation! More than a year later and the kiddos still ask when we are going back! Hope you follow us now!
DeleteI love Disney Countdown crafts! It really gets kids excited. We'd love for you to link up at our Disney Craft Making Monday http://wp.me/p2om0b-qz
ReplyDeleteIm kind of being sneaky about my count down craft... The kids dont know we are going on Thanksgiving of this year and my youngest sons birthday is the end of september so our plan is to totally surprise them with the trip at the party since the whole family will be here. heres the sneaky part... Before the party i am going to precut the number of paper strips we need (i think it will be 58 days by then) and have the boys make a big paper chain to decorate.for the party, then after we tell them i will tell them it is really our count down chain and we will tear one off every day until the trip :)
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