Ginchy Gal of the Week: Mary Blair

 Hey there princess!

Mary Blair was born on October 21, 1911 and is well-known throughout the Disney community for her artistic contribution to classic films such as Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland as well as her designs for Disney's attraction, "It's A Small World," and her mural featured in Disney World's Contemporary Resort. 

Blair was born in McAlester, Oklahoma and moved around with her family from Texas and finally to California in the early 1920's. She attended San Jose State University and after graduation earned a post-graduate scholarship to attend the Chouinard Art Institute. After graduation, she took a job in Metro Goldwyn Mayor's art department, after not too much time she took on a role with Walt Disney Animation Studios. At first, a job at Disney wasn't Mary's cup of tea. She was given small animation roles on Dumbo and Lady in the Tramp, but really hit her stride after traveling to South America for a research tour. After experiencing the new culture, her artwork transformed and took on the bright colors and bold patterns that captured her imagination during her trip. Disney was so impressed with her work that he promoted her to Art Supervisor for the film The Three Caballeros in 1944.

Mary spent the next decade focusing on providing art direction for Disney animated features, and contributed her unique sense of color styling to create artwork that would stand the test of time. While Mary did take some time off from Disney to freelance for other companies in advertising, and also to illustrate for Little Golden Books, she was wooed back at the prospect of creating "It's A Small World for the 1964 New York World's Fair. 

Today, Mary's influence can be seen in both the Disney films and rides that her concept art influenced, as well as a resurgence of mid-century modern decor. She also completed several murals in her lifetime, including a 90-foot ceramic mural in the elevator shaft of the Contemporary Resort onsite in Walt Disney World. 

Be more like Mary:

- Draw inspiration from the beauty of the world around you.

- Don't be afraid to try new things. 

- Travel!

- Don't burn your bridges - you never know when you may want to cross them again. 

- Practice makes perfect!

Sparkle on!

Our Disney World Honeymoon - Day 1 - Travel Day and Magic Kingdom

Hey there princess!

Exactly one year ago today, my husband (of about 15 hours) and I were waking up at 5:30am to get in the car so that we could drive to the airport and fly to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I loved the process of planning our wedding, but I LOVED the process of planning our honeymoon. Niles would joke that I should be a professional Disney vacation planner, for how much research I put into everything. 

I remember being absolutely amped when we woke up that morning, and bouncing in my seat as we pulled through the Whataburger drive-thru in the pitch black that morning. We were going to get to spend a whole week in my absolute favorite place with my absolute favorite guy. 

After landing in Orlando, Niles and I put on our Magic Bands, and made our way to the bus waiting area where we found a sign for Caribbean Beach Resort. It was time for our vacation to begin!

When we arrived at Caribbean Beach we were surprised to find out that our room wasn't ready yet. The staff was super helpful and upgraded our reservation to an even nicer room right next to the drink machine (ooh la la)! It was totally ok with us, and we left our bags at reception and headed straight to the Magic Kingdom. 

We rode Peter Pan's Flight, we hopped on It's A Small World, and enjoyed our very first meal in the parks at Cosmic Ray's.

Just look at that focus!

I have been a fan of Sonny Eclipse ever since I was a little girl, and when planning this trip I knew it would be the perfect way to start out our trip (splitting a sandwich at the airport doesn't count). Niles had a  Mac n Cheese Bacon Burger with a cute Mickey and I had my favorite - chickie nuggies. 

We stayed in the park and rode Space Mountain and walked around enjoying the fireworks and the fun nighttime music and sights. Then, it was time to hop back on the bus and head to our hotel. The room was so beautifully decorated, and we were both exhausted beyond belief. 

Still, we had the energy to head over to the hotel lobby to pick up our complimentary drink cups, which we immediately filled to the brim with grape Sprite. Below, you will see the bag that I used in the parks, fresh with my new monogram (click here for site). I absolutely loved this bag, and I still use it regularly. Also, if you check the photo above, you'll see the incredible monogrammed Lilly luggage that my mom gave me at my bridal shower! She purchased it off of Etsy, I believe, and it has gotten so much use already!

The "Happily Ever After" pin I picked up at the reception desk at Caribbean Beach. If you are traveling to Disney for your honeymoon or anniversary, I would highly recommend picking one up! It was such a nice keepsake.

Plus, look how cute these cups are! Niles chose the green Buzz one, and I went with a classic Mickey Mouse. 

As one last treat - we had a sweet delivery! It just wouldn't be a Disney honeymoon without some bride and groom ears! Our delivery came with an engraved tray, chocolate, champagne and glass Mickey ear etched champagne flutes. Everything was so incredibly magical! 

Ever since I was little, I knew that I wanted to go to Disney World for my honeymoon. My parents went on their honeymoon, and always talked about the experience with such fondness. Growing up, they took the three of us kids on family vacations, and it became such a special place where we could all share millions of incredibly memories. 

After Niles and I got engaged, I was so ecstatic about planning our wedding and our future lives together that I waited a little bit before broaching the subject of our honeymoon. Niles is actually the one who brought up Disney World to me, and the second the word "Orlando" touched his lips I was beyond thrilled. It's really something special to marry a man who is on board with spending their first week of marriage in a theme park with you. My parents also went to Disney World for their honeymoon, and I loved growing up hearing about how much fun they had. I know that when they established their marriage with fun experiences they set the tone for us in the future - be silly, play sweetly, and don't be too serious.

If you are planning your honeymoon, remember to choose somewhere that you can both have fun, relax, and start building memories that will last throughout your marriage. Disney World was certainly the perfect place for us to do that - and whatever you choose to do will be perfect for you too!

Sparkle on!