Disney World Tips & Tricks

Hello lovelies!

 Today I'm sharing some tips, tricks, and hacks to make your Disney vacation a little bit easier! :)

1) FREE WATER
 Lots of locations in the parks offer free cups of water- being hot & dehydrated is absolutely horrible on your body and is not going to make for a good vacation, so this is something great to know. Lots of quick-service locations offer this, especially.


2) PONCHOS
 Ponchos are super good to have on hand in case it rains, or if you decide to go on things like Splash Mountain. It's no fun to walk around in wet clothes all day.


3) USE YOUR FAST PASSES WISELY
 If you're staying at a Disney resort, you can plan your fast passes 60 days in advance, and 30 days in advance if you're staying off-property. Either way, it's good to be right on top of that (or as close to it as possible). Fast passes book quickly and some of the lines are 2-ish hours long- it's no fun to get caught up in that!


4) USE YOUR TIME WISELY, TOO.
 Mornings and evenings are when the parks are generally most empty. Afternoon is peak-time, so if you need a bit of time to rest, that's the ideal time to head on over to your Disney resort (or hotel) and take a breather.


5) USE A VACATION PLANNER
 Disney vacation planners are free to use and are super great at working with you to find you the best prices and place to stay! It makes your vacation so much easier.


6) RESORT HOPPING
 You can visit any of the resort properties and take advantage of the stuff there- like drawing classes at Art of Animation, restaurants at different resorts, and so much more.


7) DON'T OVER-DO IT
 It's good and healthy to take breaks. If finances allow, I recommend a 'break day' in between days at the park, or going back to your hotel/resort sometime mid-day to take a breather (see #4 as well).

8) DIRECT-TO-RESORT SHIPPING
 If you buy a souvenir at a shop in one of the parks, you can have it directly shipped to your Disney resort so you don't have to carry it all day! Best part is, it's totally free to do so. Just don't do it on the last day you're there- it can take 24 hours to get to your room.

9) PLAN YOUR EXIT
 I know day's-end fireworks and shows are super exciting, but everyone rushes to the Magic Express buses and you can end up waiting an hour+ to board, with standing room only- it is NOT a pleasant experience, I know first-hand. Shops at Disney World are usually open past closing time so you can hang out for a little while in there, or leave a little bit earlier than the last-minute rush of vacationers so you can avoid the crowd.

10) BE PREPARED FOR MAIN STREET
 Main Street, when you first enter the Magic Kingdom, is really busy. Everyone has to have their photo op in front of the castle, and people mull about at the shops, or they may stop and cry for a minute (like my sister & I) out of pure joy. Be prepared to either push through Main Street or just take it all in.

 Have you ever been to Disney World? What about Disney Land? If not, do you want to go, and why or why not? Tell me below!

Ciao!
Hannah

Cheap & Easy Clothing Hacks

Hello lovelies!

 Today I'll be sharing some tips, tricks, and tools to use to help you style your clothes, save money while buying new clothes, or even repurpose your old clothing!

1) PAIRING CROPPED CLOTHING
 Cropped clothing is super cute, and we all know it. However, for both modesty reasons and/or personal convictions or feelings, sometimes it feels much too revealing. To help curb this, pair a cropped tee or hoodie with a lacey cami, or even a pair of ultra high-waisted jeans.

2) STINKY SHOES NO MORE Use dryer sheets or heavily-scented tea bags in your shoes overnight and they'll smell better by the morning!

3) DOWNSIZE YOUR CLOSET
 If you downsize your closet to a few key outfits (I generally think 1 per day) and a few extra special pieces if need be (that skirt you never wear but just can't bear to part with... I got you, girl.), and just keep a few good accessories and you can mix and match like crazy to create countless new outfit combos.

4) THRIFT STORES ARE YOUR FRIEND
 Thrift stores are a gift from above- try to find out-of-the-way and/or privately owned ones, rather than main-stream ones like Goodwill to find cheap- and sometimes high-brand- pieces.

5) USE YOUTUBE TO FIND DIYS YouTube and Pinterest have ton of easy DIY's on how to snip, sew, and glue your old clothes into something totally new and exciting.

6) GO MONOCHROME
 Wearing all one color in varying shades is a chic and easy way to look high fashion for cheap.

7) T-SHIRTS + SCARVES, BELTS, AND RIBBON
 Using belts, scarves, or even thick ribbon is a super cute way to cinch in oversize tees.

8) TIGHT AND LOOSE
 If you're going to wear leggings, wear a slightly-big t-shirt or blouse. If you're wearing a form-fitting shirt, wear a loose skirt or flared jeans. Pick one thing to accentuate and focus on that section of your body.

9) KNOW YOUR SALES
 Pay attention to your favorite clothing brand's sales, credits, and other such things. If you like dark clothing and shop a lot at Hot Topic, figure out when they're doing the best "Hot Cash" deals. If you're like me and are a sucker for Rue 21, look at their sale section, they have a ton of clothes ranging from $3.00 to $20.00 (everything from tanks to coats to skirts to jeans).

10) MOST IMPORTANTLY, KNOW YOURSELF.
 Study your body type, skin tone, and hair + eye color to figure out what looks the best on you. For example, if you're like me, short but wide, vertical stripes and the color red look really good on me. But most of all, just wear what you feel confident in, and nothing else matters. :)

Ciao!
Hannah

Dance Recital Tips + Tricks

Hello dears!

 Today, I'll be sharing some tips + tricks I've learned in my time as a dancer, on how to make recital days run smoothly!

1) CREATE A TO-DO LIST
 If you create a list of all the things you need to do 3+ days before recital day, it makes getting ready so much easier. For example, put gathering costumes, cleaning out dance bag, etc., on the list.

2) ASK QUESTIONS Ask your teacher about the set up of the stage, dressing rooms, approximate times between dances, make up guidelines, anything you don't already know- ask (BEFORE THE SHOW!). Most teachers are more than happy to help and just want to make sure dress rehearsal and show day go smoothly.

3) GATHER MAKE UP
 Investing in a large tool-box style carrying case is a good idea. It's easy to separate different kinds of make up so you aren't scrambling back stage to find that particular tube of mascara.

4) GO TO BED EARLY Going by the idea that you don't have a practice late the night before, go to bed early. It's easy to get caught up practicing at home, prepping costumes and make up, or even working on show-prep, but if you're run ragged you'll be too tired to perform to your best ability.

5) PLAN ON CUSHION TIME If you have to be at your venue by 12:00 noon, it takes you a half-hour to get there, and an hour and a half to get ready, plan to start getting ready at 9:00, not 10:00. It's easy to get distracted while doing your make up, or if the road happens to be busy, you don't want to be late for call time, so it's good to plan for extra prep-time.

6) SHOWER BY YOUR COSTUMES If you hang your tutus (or other costumes) upside down on a towel rack while you shower, it can act like a steamer and get all of the wrinkles out.

7) LOAD THE CAR THE NIGHT BEFORE
 If you have costumes and props, throw 'em in the car the night before. Then you'll only have to worry about costume base, your water bottle, make up, and hair products.

8) PUT DEODORANT EVERYWHERE
 Okay, so... not literally. It may sound weird, but if you have weird reactions to plastic straps on leos and/or costumes, or become irritated by tights, putting deodorant on those problem-areas helps tone the problem down slightly.

9) LABEL EVERYTHING
 Write your name on the insides of your shoes, hangers, costume bags, make up palettes, anything and everything. It helps you keep track of *your* items.

10) CONTAIN EVERYTHING
 Pick a spot to put your stuff and keep it in that area. Always put your stuff back in your bag in-between pieces and don't open anything you don't need immediately so you don't lose your lucky pair of ballet shoes right before going on stage.

 I hope these help a little bit! And just remember, have fun and be yourself! Dance recitals are just about having fun and showcasing what you've learned.

Ciao!
Hannah

Self-Care

Hello, lovely people!

 Today I'm going to talk a little bit about self-care, because I feel it's something important to talk about in this day & age. It's a topic that is talked about often, but no one can agree on anything about it.

• Self care isn't always pretty.

 Everyone seems to have this idea that self-care is all about coffee dates with friends, bath bombs, and getting haircuts. Things that are easily Instagram-able, fun, and "cutesy". And that's great! For some people, that is great!
 But for some people, self care is just being able to eat something other than microwave dinners or cold pizza. For some people, it's changing their bed sheets. Or even just brushing their hair. It's small steps, and not everyone can have "pretty" self-care. Which leads to my next point...

• Self care isn't the same for everyone.

 Some people may need less of one thing, more of another, and none of something different.  Each person is a unique mix of needs & wants, and it may even depend on the day!

• There's a difference between Needs and Wants.

 There is a surprisingly big divide between what a need and a want is in the form of self-care, and again, it's different for everybody.
 For me, personally, my *NEEDS* self-care is getting my to-do list done, my room cleaned, and then being able to just relax and write a blog post like this one. My *WANTS* self-care is being able to take a long bath, make some art, and then relax and watch some TV with my dog.

• Self care can kind of suck.

 Yep, I said it. It can really suck. Self-care isn't fun all the time. I don't enjoy cleaning my room- I actually find it extremely frustrating, but it needs to be done and afterwards I feel fantastic. Sometimes the road to your destination is boring, but it's always worth it in the end.

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 Now, here are some tips & tricks to help you with your self-care! :)

• If you find yourself struggling with doing the "un-fun" stuff, give yourself a reward after doing each thing. You'll be more apt to do it. For example; shower, brush your teeth, and get dressed, and you can take 15 minutes to read from your favorite book.
• Don't stress out if you can't do it all- it's okay, take your time.
• If there's something that stressing you out and you can take a break from it, do so! You'll come back to it with a clearer head.
• Keep your mental health in mind- if you deal with things like anxiety, depression, etc., your self-care is probably going to different than your friends who don't deal with those things, and it's okay.
• Take a break from social media- it can be very taxing on your well-being without even realizing it. I've learned that the hard way multiple times.

Just hang in there, dears. Love you all! Ciao!
Hannah