Wall-e & Eve

UPDATE: We're in the top 10!! Vote for us here: 
https://www.facebook.com/questions/480565408669261/

(See the other entries here)

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I know this blog is technically over, but there have been some fun Disnerd Adventures going on lately. My boyfriend Pat and I are entering the Disneybound couples contest! Our outfits are inspired by Wall-E & Eve.  Yes, somehow I managed to find a boyfriend who not only doesn't think I'm crazy but was actually excited to dress up with me. He was the one who suggested Wall-E and Eve. Hmm...I think he's a keeper. :)

Thanks to Matt for such a fun photo shoot! (How crazy is it that there was a forklift right on location?) It was freezing cold but it was worth it. I want to WIN!

Happily Ever After

When I began this blog 14 months ago, my goal was to create a fun, yet structured outlet to write. I had no idea it would become so much more. It's been an Adventure, to say the least.

Finding Truth
The writing itself turned out to be a process of discovery. Every week I would sit down at my computer and have no idea what I would end up with. But as I wrote I would stumble upon some precious truth found in the film's story, and that process became something I looked forward to every week. I will always treasure those many hours I spent alone finding clever ways to communicate my discoveries.

There were weeks where I wasn't feeling so clever. And some weeks I was feeling plain snarky (though, inexplicably, those posts seemed to receive the most views. This just goes to show everyone must agree with me about Tinkerbell's pantslessness.)

But then there were other weeks when I realized something new or different about a familiar movie. My review of Aladdin is one such example. Though I've seen that movie probably more than any other Disney movie aside from The Lion King, its theme of clinging to that which defines us was a brand new revelation this time around. In my own life this year I have especially wrestled with my identity as a (1) single (2) Asian American (3) woman (4) in ministry. Each of these aspects of my life have weighed as heavily on me as Genie's shackles and often felt as frustrating as Aladdin's fleas (perhaps less itchy, though.) But as I wrote in that review and many others, I have continued to experience the freedom found in Jesus.

In some ways, this blog has provided an unexpected form of discipleship, leading me to dwell on the Gospel every week, and ponder the ways it has taken root in the world and in my life. The True Story of redemption and hope could not stop ringing in my ears. Even despite all the loud belting of "A Whole New World." And it wasn't just me doing the belting. Though probably 95% of it was me. Sorry about that.

Finding Disnerds
This project has served as a great on ramp to community and new friendships. Hosting a weekly movie night for over a year has been tiring but also a wonderful way to practice hospitality. Apparently I am not the only Disnerd out there. Over the 51 weeks I have hosted over 60 different people at my movie nights! Five of those people, Vicki, Kylene, Mimi, Tiana and Christopher, attended over half of the movie nights, and have even started calling themselves Disnerds. I've enjoyed having these friends and others along for my mostly crazy experience. It made me feel less crazy seeing their enthusiasm for what I was doing. Or maybe I just realized that I am surrounded by weirdos. Either way, I've had a blast! I've also learned that Disney is one of those universal topics that everyone can talk about. The perfect icebreaker, and so helpful for an introvert like me!

The Disnerds recently went to Disney in Concert at the Overture Center, dressed in Disney fashion of course. Can you guess which characters inspired each of us?

a few more details pictures of our outfits! :)

Finding Creative Outlets
Possibly what I have loved most is the wide variety of opportunities to channel my creativity. I never realized how energized I could be making Mickey Mouse mummy cupcakes for Halloween or Mickey shaped Christmas ornaments. I found so much joy in gathering data and designing the self-coined phrase "Disnographics." (Maybe a little too much joy.) I think I hit an all-time low, or high, when I actually created Disnerd t-shirts. And my birthday party. Well, we all know how that went down. ;) The passion I have always had to be resourcefully creative has been thoroughly reignited this year.

celebrating nearly every holiday, Disnerd style

The Renaissance, which took me from about March to June this year, was an especially fun season. Who knew getting dressed could be Disnerdified? I'm pretty sure this is a part of my project I will carry into the future. I've already got my outfit planned for Halloween. I'll give you a hint, I will dress as a villain.

Never have I worn so many solid primary colors in one season!

Finding the End
I could probably go on and on about how this blog has changed my life. It sounds ridiculous but it's true. Not only am I proud of myself for accomplishing what I set out to do, I'm also in awe of all that God has poured onto my overflowing cup. I have learned so much about myself and God, and have made so many memories along the way. While I need a bit of a break from blogging for a while, I know I'll be itching to get back to another blog project eventually. This has been way too much fun.

So here we are. This leads me to my final goodbye, and my last words to you from me, the Disnerd:

Never go anywhere without your pants.

The End!

A Disnerd Birthday Adventure, part 3: Fashion & Fun

Fashion
I was absolutely GIDDY that the vast majority of my party guests showed up in Disney-inspired outfits as requested. Yes, I indicated that it was not optional, but I kind of expected that some people wouldn't take me seriously. But to my delight, most of my friends participated... or maybe I should say...humored me.

First, my fabulous outfit. :) As you might have guessed, I was Flynn Rider! It's not so much Flynn as it is the actor Zachary Levi that I love. But it seemed appropriate to wear this for my birthday! The teal blouse (Old Navy) and skinny jeans (ModCloth) are both new. So, not quite an outfit on a budget, but I decided they were my birthday gift to myself. Everyone's allowed an exception when they're having an epic birthday.

And here are some of the other fabulous outfits! Click on the pictures to view bigger and read captions.

Thanks to Abi for these photos!

Thanks to Allison for these photos!

Not pictured: Carolyn as Cruella deVil & Amy as Goofy.

After the votes came in, Tiana (Rapunzel), Stephanie (Snow White), Elizabeth (Eeyore) and Kylene (Maleficent) went home as reigning Disnerd Fashionistas! Seriously though, I was super impressed by everyone's outfits. From Cassie's snake skin shoes (Jafar) to Laura's fishscale nails (Ariel), everyone did a great job! I hope you had fun because I sure did!

We also had other fun Disney-themed activities to complete the epic awesomeness. A huge shout-out to Kylene and Mimi for organizing!

Matching Game
Mimi led an icebreaker type game where each of us had a sticker on our back, with either a Disney hero/heroine, villain or a sidekick on it. We had to figure out who we were and then find our partner by asking each other yes or no questions. This was a great way for all my guests to meet each other, since I had friends from different areas of my life. Let it be noted that I was the first person to figure out my sticker (Pinocchio) and my partner (Abi - Jiminy Cricket)! I knew exactly who I was when I asked, "Am I human?" and someone answered, "Um...well it depends." :)

I have no idea what face I am making in the picture on the right.

Karaoke!
Later on in the evening I broke out the Disney karaoke. This may have been my favorite part of the night. I found a whole bunch of karaoke videos on YouTube that I compiled into a playlist. I hooked up my laptop to my TV and we had a whole hour of Disney karaoke songs! It was both heartwarming and slightly disturbing that everyone knew all the words to every song. (I knew I wasn't the only one!) Disney songs work well for karaoke because you are allowed to be both dramatic and silly. Plus, most of the songs are within my vocal range.

why do i look so earnest? and yes, that is a Disney Princess microphone (that someone gave me a while back)

I took a couple videos but this is by far my favorite. Drew totally embraced his Gaston-ness in this clip:

Who What Where
Kylene organized our last game, and by then we were down to about a dozen people. This is when things really got crazy (aren't you all wishing you had stayed longer? haha). We played a Disney version of "Who What Where". It's sort of like Pictionary but a little more involved. In each round we had to pick out pieces of paper with a "Who" - all Disney characters, a "What" and a "Where." Then we had to draw that scene. As you might imagine, hilarity ensued. See if you can guess some of these masterpieces (answers at the end of this post):

my drawing

Laura S's drawing

Amy's drawing

Christopher's drawing

All in all, this was probably the best birthday party I have ever had. I throw a good party, if I say so myself. ;) But it wouldn't have been possible without the help of so many friends, and for everyone who came to celebrate with me. I felt incredibly blessed and cared for that night. It was the perfect way to ring in my 30th year and cap off this crazy Disnerd Adventure! Thanks for being a party of my epic day!

I've got at least 2 more posts coming before I say goodbye, so stay tuned!


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Who What Where answers: (1) Aladdin break dancing in a tent (2) Cheshire Cat bowling in Madison (3) Ursula segue-ing on a mountain (4) Cogsworth pole vaulting in a cave

Disnerd Fashion: A Little Mermaid Family

Since she can't be at my big party this week, my longtime friend Lindsay dressed herself and her family in Disnerd fashion for my birthday! Thanks Lindsay, these pictures make me so happy!

Check out their amazing and adorable Little Mermaid outfits! Descriptions are directly from Lindsay's email.

Lilly, Mia, Lindsay & Dave

Lindsay - Ariel: green gaucho pants, modest purple tank with a cream (or pearl-y) colored sweater, pink flowers in hair, necklace with bronze/gold colors and pearls, and red shoes to represent Ariel's red hair. I chose Ariel because I had the right clothes... just ignore my big preggo belly.

Dave - Sebastian: red shirt and red oven mitts. [note from Laura: I loved the oven mitts! Hilarious!]

Lilly - Flounder: couple shades of blue, blue tank has some ruffles that remind me of ocean waves or sunlight glistening on the water, yellow skirt and a yellow headband.

Mia - Max (Prince Eric's dog):  white dress, white leggings, furry sweater vest, white headband, and a grey and black scarf to represent the grey fur on Max and his black nose.

Haha! We had fun getting dressed and taking the pictures. I'm attaching two pics from our photo shoot but check out Flickr to see the rest: http://www.flickr.com/photos/allbyself/8006527477/in/set-72157631508091108

This whole Disnerd thing has been fun to follow and fun to participate in too! :)  I'm proud of you for finishing and just in time to have a big celebration on your birthday. It's like the grand finale!

Happy Birthday!!!

Love, Lindsay
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Wanna celebrate my birthday with me? Take a picture of your Disnerd fashion outfit and post it on my Facebook page! 

The end is near...

My birthday party/end of blog soiree is just around the corner! It's time to celebrate, cry, do a funny dance, yell at the top of your lungs: "IT'S OVER!"

That's how I feel about this blog. And turning 30.

If you are reading this, you are invited! Check the Facebook event for more details. Those of you following this blog that aren't in my neck of the woods or can't make it, I want to invite you to still participate and celebrate with me!

This is definitely the first time I have ever created a logo for my own birthday. Also, maybe the first paper invitations I've made since grade school!

I'm requiring everyone at the party to come dressed in an outfit (not a costume) inspired by a Disney animated character, much like I did for my fashion project. I'd love to see out of town friends and blog followers send in pictures of their Disnerd fashion creations! Email them or post them on my Facebook page. Remember: be creative! I'll post photos of everyone's outfits here after my birthday.
 
Get ready for some epic Disnerdy fun!


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For ideas, feel free to check out the Tumblr site that inspired my fashion project: disneybound.tumblr.com or of course, my own fashion posts. :)

Fashion Summary

My goal was to get this done before the summer ended...(according to my job, that means end of August.) So here is my super nerdy Disnographic about my Renaissance fashion adventures! Yup, it's probably more than you ever wanted to know. But I figure that's like my whole blog. So really I'm just being consistent.

I am super proud of myself for putting together a whopping 47 outfits (46 Disney, 1 Avengers) and spending only 80 bucks on 10 new items! I've realized that I'm pretty passionate about being creative on a budget. There are few things that thrill me more.

I also find it quite interesting that I created outfits for twice as many male characters than female characters. I think there are actually a lot more male characters in Disney movies. Weird, huh?

Now for my faves!

1. Favorite Hero Outfit: Hercules
I love this color combination! It's something I definitely would not have done before... in fact, I think this is the only orange-rust colored thing I've ever owned.

Honorable mention: Beast

2. Favorite Heroine Outfit: Belle
Here's an outfit that required no new purchases. Most people remember Belle's yellow evening gown but her "daytime" look is much more my style.

honorable mention: Mulan

3. Favorite Villain Outfit: Gaston
I love that this outfit is both accurate and still totally wearable. I've never worn a belt around this shirt before but now I know I can!

honorable mention: Frollo

4. Favorite Sidekick Outfit: Magic Carpet
This was definitely one of my most creative outfits, straying far from the original character's look. I loved creating a new outfit from old clothes that I could wear again in the future.

Honorable mention: Crikee and Flounder

How do you think I did? Which was your favorite outfit from the entire project? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I need more verbal affirmation, people! haha. 

Fashion Update #10: Tarzan

It's my final fashion post! It's been a fun 10 weeks. Tarzan was challenging. I mean, the main character is nearly naked! And most of the characters are all gray. Still, I think I did okay. :)

Jane: If you happen to own a yellow dress, as I do, Jane's look is really simple! I wore lavender earrings since I have no lavender ascot.

Tarzan: Well, I really didn't have much to work with here. And I was not about to wear a bathing suit or loincloth or any such thing. The wooden earrings are from Africa, which I think makes this outfit more legit, since the rest of it is kind of a stretch.

Tantor: Got this tunic for $12 at Target. And I dug out this really old pink pendant necklace that I haven't worn since high school! I thought it worked well since the inside of Tantor's ears and trunk are that pink color. The silver earrings were inspired by his tusks.

Clayton: An explanation about the tank top I wore underneath: there are lots of bananas in Tarzan, since it's a story about gorillas. I hate bananas. Clayton hates gorillas (or at least doesn't value them as living beings.) So, I wore my tank top that has a banana on it. If that's not inspired I don't know what is!

Terk: Really I could have been Kala or Kerchak too. But Terk's gray fur seems to match my gray blouse pretty well. I thought about giving myself a faux hawk or some kind of special hairdo, but I ran out of time. Actually I got a lot of compliments on this outfit that day. I guess it's because it's a little dressier.

And...that's the end of my fashion series! I'll do a summary/best-of post some time soon. Let me know your favorite outfits in the comments!

Fashion Update #9.2: Mulan

There were so many Mulan posts I had to push this one to a new week. Here's part 2 of my Mulan outfits!

Mushu: I don't think I'd normally wear a yellow scarf and yellow tank top together. But Mushu only gives me 3 colors to work with here. I like how my blue earrings match his blue horns (or whatever those things are on dragons.)

Shang: He was a challenge. I didn't really have the right color grayish brown, so I just wore gray. Definitely a useful office outfit though. I'm getting a lot of mileage out of my red headband and belt. :)

Cri-kee: Here's a new preppy look that I enjoyed putting together! I wore this to a baby shower over the weekend and it seemed appropriately chic and grown-up for the occasion.

Fashion Update #9.1: Mulan

I had another 6-outfit fashion week, so I'm splitting Mulan into two parts. :) Stay tuned for Mushu, Shang and Cri-kee!

Mulan: I found this flower pin lying around at home and I knew it would help me complete this outfit. I wore this during my Mulan dumpling party so the sweater didn't stay on very long. That day was hot. Plus I was running around with 20 people in my apartment! Good thing I took these pictures before the party.

Mulan as Ping: For Ping, I wore minimal makeup to look more like a boy, which is why I look so crappy in this picture. Also, I tried to tie my very short hair into a bun and was only mildly successful.

Shan-Yu: Shan-Yu always had his falcon with him, so I wore owl earrings. Owl, falcon - they're both birds of prey right? The striped sweater is mimicking his raccoon tail scarf thing.

Fashion Update #8: Hercules

Hercules fashion week was super fun! Check out my looks:

Hercules: I think this may be my favorite outfit to date. I found this orange rust dress for $12 and I knew it would work perfectly. I really love this color combo and would totally wear this outfit again!

Pegasus: It's a little scary wearing an all white outfit. But for Hercules, when there are white flying horses, Muses and togas abound, it's kind of necessary to do it at least once.

Meg: Got this purple tank at Plato's Closet for $3! The gold leaves necklace doesn't directly correlate with Meg, but I think it adds a sort of "Greek-ness" to the otherwise simple look.

Hades: This is the drapiest dress I own and it happens to be the right shade of gray. As interpreted by my friend Abi, the chain necklace and earrings could represent Hades' underworld connection. haha.

Mt. Olympus: Someone dared me to wear a toga that week, and this was the closest I was willing to go. So I told people this silvery-sparkly outfit was a Mt. Olympus/Greek god-inspired look. :)

Fashion Update #7: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a fun week. I enjoyed the chance to wear more color. And for the first time including nail polish into the look. Yay for summer and sandals!

Clopin: Definitely my most colorful outfit yet! I came to work late because I had to paint my toenails yellow, blue & magenta. I never do more than one color on my toes and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do it.

Quasimodo: A casual outfit, but still fun. In the film his shoes are more of a turquoise/green, so I wore my blue Toms. The orange earrings make an appearance to mimic his hair color.

Esmeralda: A gypsy girl outfit is all about accessories. The colors may not be totally spot on, but I think I got the spirit of her look.

Frollo: Okay, he's one creepy dude. But I love this outfit! It's very dramatic. And...it's great that maxi skirts are back in style! Be honest now... do I look intimidating or ridiculous in these pictures?

Earth's Mightiest Fashion: Avengers

In honor of the premiere of Marvel's Avengers, Grete and I dressed up as Hulk and Thor. I figure this counts as Disnerd fashion, since Disney owns Marvel.

Hulk: Katie was upside down Hulk (which looks kind of like Ariel, actually), so I had her take a picture with me. The movie version of Hulk doesn't have purple pants. But this is iconic Hulk, so it works. :)

Thor: Okay, so I know Grete is the fashion maven, but I am not sure about this interpretation... she looks a bit more like Iron Man with the gold shirt. Also, I think she may be confusing Thor with a monkey with this pose. haha.

By the way, the movie was EPIC. Go see it. Now.

Fashion Update #6: Pocahontas

Flit: I have learned that the best way to cheaply add a certain color to an outfit is to wear a headband, preferably purchased from the dollar store. This pink one was one from a set of 3, and worked perfectly for this colorful hummingbird outfit.

Pocahontas: I struggled to find something the exact color of Pocahontas' dress. This shirt is nearly 10 years old and I never wear it anymore. This may be the last time I wear it. My necklace worked pretty well though, I think.

 

John Smith: If there's any outfit I can do easily, it's one that consists of all blue. :) Since skinny jeans are in, it's super easy to assemble "men in boots" outfits (see Prince Eric & Gaston).

  

Meeko: Please excuse my reddish nose. It was cold that day and I take all my pictures with the window open.This is definitely the most shades of gray I've worn in one outfit before.

Thomas: I happened to have this green beret that I bought at St. Vinny's for $1 for an Oscars-themed party at which I wrote a Hugo-inspired outfit. It's really the only thing about my outfit that was accurate for Thomas' look. I'm proud of myself for keeping the hat on all day.