Disney•Pixar's Finding Dory FREE Printable Activities

*PR Materials Provided

Are your kids as excited as mine for the new Disney•Pixar movie?  Finding Nemo is already one of our favorite family movies, so we already know we're going love this one too.  We're less than a month away from it's release and I have some really fun downloadable activities to share.

One reason we're especially looking forward to this movie is because we went to Disney World over spring break in April.  We didn't tell the kids about the trip until Easter morning, so they only had a week to wait until they were checking into our All Star Resort.  As you can imagine, it was a magical trip!

One of the most anticipated rides for the whole family is The Seas with Nemo & Friends.  I definitely recommend using a FastPass+ for this popular attraction as the wait time can be quite long.  Don't forget to stop by the really fun photo spot my kids are at in the photo above, and get a picture with your favorite underwater friends!

This trip my little guy selected a Squirt plush as one of his souvenirs because turtles are his favorite animal.  He had a really amazing experience with some sea turtles at The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion at Epcot after the ride.  Three swam by right on the other side of the glass and the look of amazement and joy on his face was priceless.  He was so in awe that he sat watching them for almost ten minutes.  Anyone with an active four year old boy knows that's really something!

After such a memorable experience, we can't wait to see our favorite forgetful blue tang again as she goes on a search for answers about her past in Disney•Pixar's “Finding Dory”.  Joined by her friends Nemo and Marlin, Dory will be looking for the answers to: What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale?

I can't wait to see the film!  Here is the official trailer, followed by the FREE"Finding Dory" activities.  I hope your kids have as much fun doing them as mine!  Click on each link to download the PDF and print!  (Let me know if you have any problems accessing the PDFs.)



Finding Dory - Memory Match Game

Finding Dory - Coloring Pages

Finding Dory - Connect the Dot Pages

Finding Dory - Maze

Finding Dory - Weekly Calendar

Finding Dory - Character Mobile

Don't forget to mark your calendars!  “Finding Dory” swims into theaters June 17, 2016

Toy Story That Time Forgot on Blu-ray, Digital HD and DMA November 3rd‏

Mark your calendars!  TOY STORY THAT TIME FORGOT will be out this fall on November 3rd.  I know this is a bit early but we just love Woody, Buzz, and the whole gang around here so we're extra excited.  My four year old son really loves Buzz!

In this new Disney•Pixar's animated adventure  Join Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang for an unforgettable tale packed with family fun and a must-have for every Pixar fan’s collection! During one of Bonnie's post-Christmas play dates, the “Toy Story” crew find themselves in uncharted territory when the coolest set of action figures ever turn out to be dangerously delusional. It's all up to Trixie, the triceratops, if the gang hopes to ever return to Bonnie's room.


Available for the First Time on Blu-ray™, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on November 3rd.  Will you be picking this one up to add to your collection, we will!

Chuggington Snow Rescue DVD: Coming December 9th

*2014 Holiday Gift Guide

If you have a train fan like I do, you might be interested to know that on December 9th Chuggington: Snow Rescue will be traveling home to DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment and Ludorum. This all new winter collection is a must-have for your little conductor this holiday season!

Embrace the spirit of the season with this all new festive winter adventure with beloved characters Wilson, Koko and Brewster. In the most wonderful time of the year, watch old and new friends go on a magical ride in these five specials filled with fun and heartfelt lessons enjoyable for kids and parents alike!  Here is a clip from the DVD to get you in the holiday spirit:


Description:

It's wintertime in Chuggington and the Chuggers are busy making preparations for the Parade of Lights Festival, adorning themselves in glowing colored lights for a special procession through Chuggington! But, when freezing fog traps Koko and a snowy avalanche derails Fletch, that’s when Wilson and the Chug Patrol team must set out on a wild winter rescue!   This action-packed collection features five Chuggington specials, including the all-new Snow Rescue Special airing for the first time this fall on Disney Junior!

Episodes Included:

• Snow Rescue Special
• Iron Chuggers
• Deputy Chug Patrollers
• Movie Maker Brewster
• Toot’s Tall Tale

Special Features:

• Bonus Badge Quest Episode: Wilson Winter Feed
• New Character Montages: Fletch, Cormac and Tyne
• Coloring and Activity Sheets (DVD-ROM)

I know my three year old loves everything Chuggington and would love to find this underneath the Christmas tree!  He loves watching his favorite characters and I like that he's learning important lessons about safety, responsibility, and teamwork.



Disclosure: PR Materials Provided

Shutterfly: Choose from 3 Free Gifts this Weekend Only

Magnet

View the entire collection of cards.

This weekend Shutterfly is offering three free gifts, using the code FREEBIE.  I picked the magnet and only had to pay shipping.  Offer ends June 29 at 11:59 P.M. PT so hurry up and get yours!

Free Project Life Digital Starter Kit & 30% off Sale!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you, my dear blog friends - both near and far!  We are home from a long day visiting with family.  I jumped online to see if I'd gotten any good deals emailed to my inbox during the day and saw that this AWESOME Free Project Life Starter Pack over at Digital Project Life!  This weekend, you can get the Cherry Core Kit and two of the most commonly used Page Templates for FREE!!!

This is a great way to see if you'd like doing Project Life digitally and to play around with the products.  It's super fabulous that they also give you two page templates in it as well.   Most of the time I am happy using Design A in my book so that is one you can get a lot of use out of.  If you are at all curious about Project Life I highly recommend you download this and give it a try!

For those of already addicted to Project Life, there is a site wide 30% off sale and that is HUGE!  Normally new releases are 20% off the first week but 30% isn't seen very often!  It's time to stock up on any kits you might have missed!  I especially like their Mini Kits, with Merry & Bright being one of my favorites and the big selection of Theme Kits, of which I probably already own most.

Chronicle Eye Candy Craft Month- Amazing ebook Deals

I just found out about a super cool deal from Chronicle Books that I'm really excited about and I know my crafty friends will be too!  I just happened to be checking out one of my favorite publisher's websites and chanced upon their blog.  I'm so glad I did!  Check out Chronicle Eye Candy for the awesome deals they are running this month on nine of their ebooks, each one starts at just $3.99!  Then make sure you check back as they select new titles for each month!

I immediately spied one title I've had my eye on for awhile: 1,2,3 Sew and scored it for just $2.51 though Google Play!!!  $2.51!!!  Can you believe it?  I'm loving it!   Basically, I'm now planning to go back and purchase pretty much every other book, except for the knit and crochet titles because those are not among my crafting skills.

In case, you are hesitant to purchase a ebook version of a craft book, let me reassure you that you can easily enlarge the photos to get a closer look and there's a download link to get the patterns via a PDF.  My experience on my NookHD has been very good with Chronicle's ebooks.  I hope they release more of their terrific titles in this format.  I would especially like to see Best Lunch Box Ever.



PS: In case you are wondering, since I do frequently post review, this is in no way a sponsored review of either Chronicle Books or NookHD.

Teen Beach Movie, Premiering Friday July 19th & Family Movie Night Fun

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, I received Disney Channel "Teen Beach Movie" products in exchange for a post about the film.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love summer!  Schedules are relaxed and there's time to have fun together as family.  We let our daughter's strict 8 o'clock bedtime slide and a great way to end a hot busy day is with cuddles on the couch, popcorn, and a great movie on the TV.  Already on our schedule, is to enjoy the Disney Channel's premier of "Teen Beach Movie" on Friday July 19 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

This breezy surf-rock musical comedy is going to be perfect for our family to watch together, the video clip previews have already got us excited to dance and sing along.  The movie has a really cute premise: When teen surfing sweethearts Brady and McKenzie surf their way into a classic beach party movie, "Wet Side Story," they find themselves caught in the middle of the two groups vying for control of their beach's hangout.  It's a beach side movie as only Disney can do it, complete with spontaneous song and dance!  As Brady and Mack try to get back home, they inadvertently change the movie's romantic storyline when handsome surfer Tanner falls for McKenzie and biker girl Lela falls for Brady. 

Both the surfers and bikers are stylized with a retro cool look, adding to the old school vibe of the film.  It's a modern twist on classics such as "Gidget," or "Grease," with a message for kids and tweens about the importance of believing in yourself and following your true identity along with positive themes like self-expression, friendship and youth empowerment.  I am glad to have an option for good wholesome entertainment for my soon to seven year old daughter.

Teen Beach Movie is ideal for a family movie night and to get in the mood we threw a beach themed night!  It was complete with decorations and snacks to make our time spent together even more memorable.  To make planning super easy, right now there is a "Teen Beach Movie" party kit at DisneyChannel.com/TeenBeachMovie!

You'll find everything you need there from banners, to food ideas, crafts, and more.  Please excuse the crinkles in part of our banner, my almost two year old got a little excited over all the decorations and couldn't resist playing with it.  He was really, really, into this special family time and it was great to do it all without leaving home!

We decided to get into the mood, using some of the party ideas from the "Teen Beach Movie" site.  Starting with a "Surf's Up!" banner we downloaded and printed and a cool blow up "Teen Beach Movie" surf board sent to me for writing this post.  While ours themed, another beach blow up were certainly add the right touch to your party decorations.  A stack of inter tubes artfully arranged would look great!

The Teen Beach Movie Party Kit makes it super easy to throw a themed event and leave you with plenty of time for fun!   I was really tempted to go all out with the food but my daughter just wanted fruit and "sammies" aka sandwiches.  I had to remind myself movie night doesn't have to be complicated, what she is going to remember is the time we spend wit her and not how long it took Mommy to make decorations!

Then we laid out our favorite beach towels to get into the beach party mood and popped in one of our favorite Disney DVDs into our player, Jake and the Neverland Pirates to substitute for "Teen Beach Movie" this time. 

Time to dig into some yummy snacks, using the Premier Food Labels and Party Board Surf Boards to carry on our theme. Easy peasy and both kiddos were crazy about the little surf boards. The little signs punched up the level of excitement over the snacks and every day food became extra special.

We had so much fun, here are some more pictures of the silliness to be had!  The photo props and popcorn buckets were sent to me in my kit along with E's bracelet and temporary tattoos but it's easy to get a couple things like leis or inexpensive sunglasses to wear for your beach themed family movie night!

Here is a little video showing more of our family movie night, enjoy!

Our night felt like just a warm up for the big event on Friday, July 19th!  We hope you'll tune it too!

Recess! Family Music Festival - This Saturday at The Meadow Brook Music Festival

This is a promotional post on behalf of Recess! Family Music Festival.

There's a really exciting music concert coming to the Detroit Metro Area this weekend.  It sounds like a ton of fun, an all day adventure with some of our favorite family music groups like The Laurie Berkner Band, Dan Zanes & Friends, Ralph's World, Candy Band, The Verve Pipe and the School of Rock!

Here is a description:

You loved recess and now we’re bringing it to you! The daylong Recess! Family Music Festival is coming to Meadow Brook Music Festival Saturday, June 22, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Recess Festival will feature some of the biggest family-friendly acts The Laurie Berkner Band, Dan Zanes & Friends, Ralph's World, Candy Band, The Verve Pipe and the School of Rock – in addition to other performers and deejays, games, interactive activities, storytelling, and fun workshops.

The festival is designed to actively engage the imaginations of children, ranging in age from 4-9, and their parents where families can visit various creative spaces on the Meadow Brook grounds to write and record a song, take a dance class, do arts and crafts or get a “rock star” makeover.

“There are lots of music festivals out there and children love music, so we are pleased to present a dedicated music festival for kids and their families,” said Adam Schneider, Palace Sports & Entertainment senior vice president for Events and Booking.

(The Verve Pipe)

There will be the following Creative Spaces at the event, making this really special!

IMPROVISATION & IMAGINATION
Children and parents will have fun at a hip hop workshop, where kids will learn to rhyme, beat box, and scratch. Kids will take home their very own hip hop track on CD.

RHYTHM
A day-long drum circle will empower families to make music together. Instructors will teach children and parents to use percussion instruments along with the instruments they make in the arts & crafts space.

MOVEMENT
Throughout the day, kids will participate in various movement and dance workshops, which include breakdancing, double-dutch jump roping, and tumbling.

DISCOVERY
An instrument petting zoo and a place of musical discovery, a complete "rock band" will be set up where kids can play any and all instruments, from drums and guitars to lead vocals. The basics of songwriting, including lyric and melody, will be taught in playful workshops.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Children will be guided through the process of making their own instruments out of wood, which they will be able to play in the rhythm space and take home with them.

BECOME A ROCK STAR
Throughout the festival, kids will have the chance to "Become a Rockstar" by getting temporary tattoos and punk-rock hair-dos. Once all done up, the little "Rock Stars" can stop by the photo booth to get their picture taken.

Sounds super fun, right?  Here is ticket purchasing info:

Tickets for $25 in the pavilion and on the lawn are on sale at Palacenet.com, The Palace Ticket Store and all Ticketmaster locations, including The Locker Room Store at Great Lakes Crossing. Tickets may be purchased with American Express, Discover, Visa and MasterCard by calling 800.745.3000. Family four-packs are also available for $75.

$10 off Shutterfly - Ends TONIGHT

Today is the last day to save $10 off a $10 purchase or more at Shutterfly! Use the code LOVESTRUCK when checking out.  You only have until 11:59 PM PST to redeem the offer.   I almost forgot it expired tonight and just in the nick of time I ordered this Celebrate Family Mug for myself.  Don't worry I added our name in correctly for the final design. 

Here is how the design wraps around the mug.  I have been wanting to do something special with my favorite pictures from our fall family photo shoot and this was just perfect.  After the discount and with shipping it was $10.58, not bad for a personalized item!  We have previously ordered photo mugs from Shutterfly and really liked the quality so it's totally worth it.  They even have teacher designs, that would make a great end of the year gift.  You can never plan too far ahead for that kind of thing and with the $10 discount it's a really reasonable gift.  Happy last minute shopping!

Please note I am not an affliate and I was not compensated for this post, just sharing my fun new mug!

Coupon Code & DIY Valentine's Day Cards from Martha Stewart Crafts

Valentine's Day is only a month away!  It's time to get crackin' and whip up some handmade cards.  I always think these are the best way to let your sweetheart and favorite people know how much you're thinking of them.  To make your cards very special and personal I've got some ways to help you unleash your inner cupid that are as easy as 1-2-3 when you've got help from Martha Stewart Crafts!

{1} To express your heart’s desire, start with the utterly charming Martha Stewart Crafts “Stamp Card and Envelope Set” – it includes 18 scalloped edge note cards and matching envelopes with heart-accented labels so you can share your love with everyone you wish.

These cute itty bitty cards are just 3.275in x 2.275in, with envelopes that are 3.4in x 2.5 in, making them perfect for class Valentines.  I love the peek-a-boo envelopes and sweet details!  I actually got a card made by my friend Jennifer Wilson from Simple Scrapper last year.  It was so cute I've kept it!

{2} Add your personal stamp with the “Wood Stamp Valentine’s Day Hearts” set of 12 mini stamps nestled in a reusable wood crate.  

These are just darling and sized perfectly for the card and envelope set.  Their small size makes them perfect for little hands and easy to store.  My favorite one has the teeny tiny hearts on it, those would look great and really stand out with when stamped and embossed.   This set of Pastel Embossing Powders would work perfectly.

{3} Seal with a kiss…and with “Valentine Cupid” and “Valentine Cupcake” stickers. Yummy confections, cherub silhouettes, hearts and more Valentine icons shine with glitter and foil accents. 

These cupid themed stickers feature iconic symbols of the holiday and any leftover pieces would look great on scrapbook pages and on your Project Life pages.  Their size is perfect for adding onto your 3X4 journaling cards or to create your own decorative filler cards.  Plus arrows are really on trend for all things scrappy.

Coupon Code

To make things even sweeter, you can save 20% at MarthaStewartCrafts.com now through Valentine’s Day! Just enter coupon code BLOG20 at checkout.

I bought this Heart Stamp and Ink Set last year.  It was a great price for a set of stamps and inks! I'm planning to use it to get started on my cards soon.  I love clear stamps because I'm not the best stamper and it's a whole lot easier to position everything perfectly with them.  I use it with the Small Stamp Mount with Foam, which is also very helpful for beginner stampers.  It helps me get the right amount of pressure for perfect results.

How about you?  What type of crafty fun are you planning to pick up?  What are you planning on creating for Valentine's Day?

 

Disclosure: Information and images provided by Martha Stewart Crafts,  no samples or compensation were provided...I'm just a paper crafting junkie and excited to share some of my favorite things with you!

Cyber Monday Sale + Creating a Tip-Top Thanksgiving Table with Martha Stewart Crafts

Guess what just showed up on my doorstep?  The brand new Martha Stewart Crafts Circle Punch!  It's currently only available on HSN and only while supplies last.  Papercrafters, hurry on over and order one right away.  They've got it bundled in an a great set.  You not only get the starter kit but two more cartridges all at a fantastic savings! 

Speaking of savings, here's a Cyber Monday sale I couldn't resist sharing with you:

To help get you on the way to master crafter, MarthaStewartCrafts.com is offering a fabulous Cyber Monday Deal! Simply enter at checkout to receive 25% off of your entire purchase, plus get free shipping when you spend $50 or more from November 19-26, 2012.

Plus, here's a cool opportunity to stock up on your favorite Martha Stewart Craft Supplies, for FREE:

For your chance to win a $100 MarthaStewartCrafts.com shopping spree, enter the “Crafty Mondays” Sweepstakes each day through 12/31/12. For sweepstakes details and to enter, visit:

http://on.fb.me/TETex3 on non mobile devices

or

http://bit.ly/TsM4HM on mobile devices.

I have been busy playing around with my new Martha Stewart Crafts Circle Punch and thinking about how easy it would be to incorporate what I make with it into my Thanksgiving table decor.  A big circle punched out of a 12X12 sheet of paper would look great folded around the meal's menu, like a sleeve envelope and placed at each table setting.  Here are some more ways to create a beautiful table for Thursday from Martha Stewart Crafts.  Each is very quick and doable, even last minute! 

Tip-Top Thanksgiving Table

So much goes into hosting a Thanksgiving dinner –from the planning and preparation to all of that cooking – but it’s well worth it once everyone sits down together to enjoy the meal. The turkey doesn’t have to be the only thing to take center stage at your feast, though. With these simple tips from the experts at Martha Stewart Crafts, your table décor can be a feast for the eyes!

Want a tip-top Thanksgiving table? Try these ideas from Martha Stewart Crafts:

Decorate bottles or jars with “Doily Lace Assorted Beverage Labels” to coordinate everything. You can apply to blank containers or right over existing labels.

Dress up beverage bottles with festive Martha Stewart Crafts “Woodland Wine Labels” – and add glitter accents for some extra pizazz! This is also a lovely idea for a personalized hostess gift that will stand out at all of this season’s soirees.

Highlight your glassware by placing them atop “Doily Lace Coasters” with a silver edge featuring a lacy, scalloped design.

Use place cards to make special days look even more special – visit MarthaStewartCrafts.com for different styles or for tips on how to make your own.

Decorate windows and mirrors in the dining room with “Glittered Snowflake Mirror Clings” for fun winter touches. They stick to mirror and glass without adhesive and easily remove for use year after year.

Wrap napkins in something interesting like the red and white “Modern Festive Twine: by Martha Stewart Crafts.

These are just a few ideas – visit MarthaStewartCrafts.com for more (and to purchase any of the products mentioned above)!

Happy Thanksgiving from Martha Stewart Crafts! Be sure to check back for more crafty holiday tips and tricks!