We recently came back from the most amazing and magical trip to Disney World! It was our family’s first trip and we had such a wonderful time and learned so much along the way (separate blog post coming soon to share more on all that we learned). One of my top must-dos for the trip was to get a silhouette portrait of our girls done as a souvenir. | This post contains affiliate links |
At the time of writing this post, they currently have Silhouette Artists at Magic Kingdom and at Disney Springs. We tried twice at Magic Kingdom to get them done but the first time we went was towards the end of the day and the line was long and our kids were tuckered out so we had to skip that day. The second time we went to Magic Kingdom during the middle of the day and it was a success - a short line that moved fast and it was so amazing to watch the Silhouette Artist work! The subject sits in a chair across from the artist (many artists can also work from a side view picture if it’s a good one - they can even do pet portraits this way), and then they get to work snipping the paper with sharp little scissors. They cut two sheets of paper at once and you end up with two sets of portraits (mirror imaged). The artist did both our kids within minutes and it’s a perfect likeness to them, I was so impressed!
Afterwards when it's time to pay you have the option to buy the frames there if you would like. I had every intention of buying oval frames there but at the time they were sold out of ovals and only had rectangular frames which I just wasn't interested in. So we got our silhouettes to-go in a little gift bag (tip: it would be a good idea to bring a large ziplock bag to protect the silhouettes a little more).
When it came time to pack up and go home at the end of the week I was actually very thankful we didn't buy the frames in Disney - we traveled with carry-ons only and there was no way we would have had room for the frames in our carry-ons.
I recommend taking out the plexiglass piece and using that as a guide to trace and cut out your silhouette to fit in the frame (I did not use the oval mat that came with the frame - and don’t forget to remove the protective plastic film from both sides of the plexiglass). It worked perfectly for us! We kept one portrait for ourselves and gave the other one to the grandparents as a thank you for house sitting for us. It’s such a special souvenir that we’ll treasure!
Disclaimer: I found that these frames fit the Silhouettes we got this year (Fall, 2024) at Disney World perfectly. I would think they should also fit the Silhouettes from Disneyland and Disney Springs too, but I cannot confirm that because I haven’t tried it yet myself.
KEEP UP WITH BIRCH LANDING HOME
| Etsy | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin' | Hometalk |
A lot of families have their own traditions for when the Tooth Fairy comes - some do elaborate gifts or glitter-covered dollar bills, others do a quarter under the pillow and keep it very simple. We decided to keep our tradition simple, but still make it special. Here’s how we’re handling it… | This post contains affiliate links |
Those loose teeth seem to sneak right up on you. Out of nowhere our daughter’s tooth became suddenly very loose and she lost it within a few days. Luckily I was on top of it and had already planned how we were going to do the Tooth Fairy, but I suggest being prepared and having any special Tooth Fairy supplies or money set aside well ahead of that first loose tooth.
Since our daughter can be a light sleeper, we decided having a separate "Tooth Pillow" would be the easiest and safest bet to keep the Tooth Fairy's visit undetected. The Tooth Pillow we purchased also came with a cute little notepad for the Tooth Fairy to leave her receipts and a bottle of glitter (which we decided not to use... we didn't want glitter all over the place, haha). When she looses a tooth, it goes into the pillow which we hang on her closet doorknob and the Tooth Fairy trades the tooth for money and a receipt.
How much money should the Tooth Fairy leave? Well, that’s up to you and your family. Some people leave a lot of money per tooth (like $5-10), others just leave change. We decided $1-2 per tooth was a good amount but to make it more special we leave “unusual” money that you don’t see every day. Prior to her loosing her first tooth I went to our local bank and traded a $10 bill for any unusual US Currency they had in their drawer. In exchange I got a few $1 gold coins, some $2 bills, and a few half dollar coins. This way she gets special unique “Tooth Fairy Money” that can be saved or spent at her discretion.
To Keep or Not to Keep the Teeth? Again, another personal choice for you and your family. For us, we decided to just keep that first lost baby tooth in a small jar which we put away with other baby keepsakes. (They also sell some cute specialty Keepsake Boxes for these things.) Some people do decide to keep all lost teeth, but for us that's just not our thing.
Once those teeth start getting loose be prepared for them to keep coming. After our daughter lost the first tooth, we had about a two month break and then she lost three more teeth in less than one week - it’s definitely a good idea to be prepared with a stash of Tooth Fairy Money because you never know when the next one will happen.
KEEP UP WITH BIRCH LANDING HOME
| Etsy | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin' | Hometalk |
This year was the first year my husband and I have been able to get a real live Christmas tree. Before, we were in an apartment, then we got a puppy, then we had a baby... so this year we were finally able to get a real tree!
To commemorate this special event I had my husband cut a slice off the end of our Christmas tree and I turned it into a special hand-etched snowflake ornament for us. It's a little big and a little lopsided, but it'll be a special keepsake of our first real tree. On the back I wrote "Our First Christmas Tree - 2014."
KEEP UP WITH BIRCH LANDING HOME
| Etsy | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin' | Hometalk |
My Great-Aunt (who is now 97!), gave me this handmade card when I graduated high school. Though she hadn't made it herself, even then I thought the stamped Emerson quote was just beautiful.
Just about 10 years later I still had the card, and this summer I finally framed it with her signature safe on the back. It sits on my desk now, reminding me that success comes in many forms.
Success
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent
people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest
critics and endure the betrayal
of false friends; to appreciate
beauty; to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
a garden patch or redeemed social
condition; to know even one life
has breathed easier because you
have lived. This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
KEEP UP WITH BIRCH LANDING HOME
| Etsy | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin' | Hometalk |
