DisLove Podcast with Vanessa and Kris

DisLove E142 Artistic Wonders and Culinary Delights at Epcot and Amanda with Happy Thoughts Crafting Co.

• Vanessa Ferguson and Kris Johns with Guests Amanda Robinson-Demarco • Season 5 • Episode 142

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Embark on a sensory journey through Epcot's International Festival of the Arts with us and savor the fusion of creativity and cuisine that is sure to enchant your palette and your imagination. We wade into a sea of artistic wonder, from the skilled hands of live painters to the whimsical chalk art adorning the pavements. Feel the joy swell as we recount the thrill of contributing to a grand interactive mural or seeking out Figment on a park-wide scavenger hunt designed for the delight of families. Your culinary cravings will be satisfied with a tantalizing recounting of treats like the vibrant rainbow cake, sparkling with freeze-dried Skittles, and a Figment-inspired concoction that's as playful as it is refreshing.

Amanda from Happy Thoughts Crafting Co. joins us, sharing her story of spinning a challenging time into an opportunity to sprinkle a little more Disney magic into the world. Her handcrafted items - born from a blend of passion, thrifted vintage materials, and a dash of enchantment - are the perfect companion for any Disney adventure. As she opens up about her creative process and how she tailors each piece to her clients' dreams, be ready to discover how to add personalized magic to your next trip to the happiest place on Earth.

Use the code Dislove10 to save 10% off your order placed through direct message on her website.

Closing our episode, we reflect on the power of artistic expression and the unstoppable drive that Walt Disney himself championed. Whether it's through crafting your own Disney-inspired wardrobe or simply taking in the festival's sights and sounds, we hope to ignite that fervent spark of creation in you. Join us as we celebrate the harmony of art, taste, and joy, ensuring that your experience at Epcot's festival will be nothing short of spectacular.



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Vanessa Ferguson:

Welcome to the DisLove Podcast with Vanessa and Kris. I'm Vanessa Ferguson.

Kris Johns:

I'm Kris Johns.

Vanessa Ferguson:

We would like to welcome you to show number 142 and for anyone joining us for the first time. Our show features things we love at Disney and in each episode we have a guest who creates Disney magic for our listeners at home or on their Disney vacations. From vacation planners to product producers, our guests can bring Disney magic into your life and, as a reminder to our listeners, we appreciate if you can take time to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or any other platform where you listen. We always like to give shout outs to these reviews and, of course, it helps the show grow. So thank you to all of you who've already left those ratings. We appreciate those and, chris, we have a message from some of our friends.

Kris Johns:

Yes, our friends Eric and Alexa want us to remind you that when you're planning your next Disney vacation with the little ones, make sure to reserve anything you need from them, including strollers, car seats, cribs and high chairs and more, with delivery directly to your resort.

Kris Johns:

As your baby quip independent quality provider, they will provide you with excellent customer service by providing clean and useful equipment to make your vacation easy. Want something but don't see it on their site? Let them know and they'll do their best to accommodate you. We've used them for several of our rentals. Most notably, we rented a very nice stroller and what was great about it was that it was delivered directly to our resort. It came in, it was perfect, they picked it up and it was a wonderful experience, where our daughter still is at the age where she can go all day, but she can't walk all day, so that's why we need a stroller for both her as well as our stuff. Eric and Alexa and baby quip really took care of us, so visit the show notes for a link to make your reservation today.

Vanessa Ferguson:

And on today's show we are going to be joined by Amanda from Happy Thoughts Crafting Co. She makes magically handcrafted sewn items and crocheted items. I'm really looking forward to hearing to having you hear all about her shop and, Kris, she has a special discount for our viewers.

Kris Johns:

She does use the code Dislove10 to save 10% off when placing an order by direct message. The code will also work when her website goes live.

Vanessa Ferguson:

And we will make sure to share when her website launches, which is very soon. So that's exciting as well. So festival season has officially kicked off at Epcot earlier this month. So today we are going to be discussing the International Festival of the Arts at Epcot, and one of the things that's great about this is it features, obviously, artwork and great artists, but they also have. I think one of the nice things that Epcot has started to do is really incorporate food in all of their festivals, and if you listen to the show, you know we love to talk about food. So one of the things that's really awesome with this is they have food that's presented in an artistic fashion. So that is super exciting. So before we start talking about the food, I want to talk about the really all the different acts that exist, because they have a lot of different artists, from musical artists to artists who are like painting and doing different things. So we've only actually been able to experience this festival once and it was awesome.

Vanessa Ferguson:

It was great to see the artists doing things live, and you had so many great vendors to check out. So one of the first things they have is what's called art in action. So when you go throughout the park. There are artists actually doing things their artwork right in front of you, which is super cool. They have all kinds of pieces that you can see them make and then you can buy them and take them home. Right then it's super nice because you can talk to the artists in here about their inspiration and you get to be able to take something home with you. Now, one piece of art that you can't take home with you is they do 2D and 3D chalk art, which is so cool. So they have a variety of artists throughout the park and one of the super neat things is that they have them on the ground and they even have them in some of the spaces, like in world showcase. This year there's a super cool one in Italy that's by the fountain. They have Luca. So there's all kinds of fun things and it's super cool because it it's looks like you're in the artwork with. Some of them are friends of shared some pictures. It's super neat to be able to do.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Another thing that we have gotten a chance to do which is fun is they'll have these giant mural displays and it's a paint by number so you can't mess it up. You stand in line, they give you a little thing with paint and a paint brush and you get to paint one of the Little squares and then, when the murals done, you can say you were part of this amazing artwork. This only runs like it's kind of got weird hours. It's only from like 11 to five. So I know that was something when we were there we had intentionally planned to go do it. It's at. These are usually between that walkway from journey to your magic, into imagination, to the world showcase. So you want to time it where you get to be able to do it, because it's just fun, is kids, for kids or adults to be able to have a chance to participate in the art. And I'm betting, Kris, do you remember painting on the mural? Oh, I sure do. I'll have to look and see if I have some pictures when we painted.

Vanessa Ferguson:

It's super. It's super fun to do. And of course, they have an interactive scavenger hunt which they do for all of the different festivals. And if anybody knows me, they know I love figment. So there is a figment brush with a master scavenger hunt. So I love the theming for this one, and what it is is you're searching for famous artwork throughout the world showcase. So it's super neat. You buy the maps, just like you do with all the scavenger hunts. You can get them at that port of entry, the world traveler or the creation shop and then when you turn it in at the end, after you found all of the pieces of art, you get a prize, and that's always fun to do. I enjoy all of those scavenger hunts that they have all year. Earlier this year we did the Easter egg one, so it's always fun and I think for kids that's also a good way to engage them if they're not as excited about being at Epcot. So that's super cool to do. And then when you go over to, they also have animation Academy classes, which we've not done these down there. We did them when there was one of the traveling Disney exhibits in Chicago, but it's super fun.

Vanessa Ferguson:

You at the American Gardens Theater. So right by the American adventure you. They do these at 1230 and 130, so it's earlier in the day, so it doesn't interact with when they have some of the singing artists later in the day. You get to, they give you a clipboard and all of the stuff you need to be able to make your creation and it's fun because they have an animator walk around and give the instructions. They have big screens for you to watch. That super fun. And then they have a lot of interactive things for kids. Check out the booklet because they have some chalk art for kids to do. They have a lot of like projects that they can do throughout the, throughout the festival, and I think one of the neat things that I really enjoyed they call them visual art and performance.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So we watched a painter do a Mickey portrait and they have them all throughout the day this year, the I think it's similar artists that come every year. They do the painting and it's so cool because within just a few minutes, this amazing portrait of a character comes up. So, like I said, we saw Mickey. They have all kinds of other things. That was so, depending on the day, these are usually in the afternoon as well, so you'll notice a lot of this stuff is in the afternoon.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So if you're planning a day there, you have to plan accordingly. If you're trying to mix in rides or reservations, I would definitely. If it was me, I would avoid a lunch reservation because you'll want to maybe eat earlier in the day and then have a dinner because you don't want to miss out on some of these really cool things. There's also some cool acrobats that do some shows and those are also kind of from the 11 to three range, so you'll want to check them out. Some of their. The things they do is amazing. It reminds you of Cirque du Soleil on just on a smaller scale, so that is super fun. Now we have a friend who loves Broadway loves it.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Loves it, so I know he sent me some of the concert series. We unfortunately have not been able to attend one of these, but they bring in a lineup every year of different Disney on Broadway artists and it's super great to see all of the different ones that they have. And they do the dining packages, just like they do for candlelight processional or for the concerts during Flower and Garden. So depending on the artist and depending on how popular they're going to be, you might want to do the dining package and I really liked, like when we went to the candlelight processional I thought it was just nice to not have to go over there super early to get a seat. Did you like having that dining package?

Kris Johns:

Oh, it was wonderful.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So it is a little bit more, but you get to choose what show you want because they have three shows every night that 5.30, 6.45 and 8 o'clock so it's really great to be able to do that. So this year the artists vary, but they have artists from Disney on Broadway with Frozen Little Mermaid, beauty and the Beast, mary Poppins, lion King, tarzan, aladdin so it's just super great. Depending on when you're going to be there, you can check out their dates that the artists are there kind of vary. So definitely check out the schedule.

Vanessa Ferguson:

I'll make sure to put a link to this year's concert lineup because this runs all the way to, like the third week in February. So I'll make sure to put that lineup in the show notes. But really now you can start planning for 2025. That's kind of the fun thing with this festival is you can already start thinking ahead. So hopefully, if you have any Broadway lovers in your family, like we talked about with our friend, or if you just really enjoy a great show, definitely check those out. Now again, as I mentioned earlier, we love to talk about food.

Kris Johns:

Yes.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So they call them the eats and treats and they have all kinds of really cool things that are just so pretty you just aren't really sure if you want to eat them. There's 16 different exclusive things and they have super cute figment inspired things. The one thing this year is a rainbow cake that has freeze dried Skittles. I know freeze dried candy is a big thing.

Kris Johns:

I haven't tried any freeze dried candy yet it's a thing I just haven't been drawn to it.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So if you've tried it before or if you haven't, this might be a chance to try it. So the rainbow cake. And then they have a super cool. They have a figment drink that comes in a figment cup, which I have, a cup from a previous year. Purple drink, lots of fun. And then they have all kinds of just really nice displayed things. They have a key lime tart that's supposed to be great. Kris is on a pop tarts kick. This is not pop tarts brand, but they have a blueberry filled pastry tart with purple icing, so it has figment kind of thing. They have all kinds of nice dessert trios. Kris loves beets.

Kris Johns:

Love beets.

Vanessa Ferguson:

So there's a roasted beet with goat cheese, petite lettuce, blackberry and spice pecans. So lots of different different things. There's a chorizo and potato and panada. There's a lot of variety of things which I think is fun. And they have just like the cookie stroll at Christmas time. They have what's called the wonderful walk of colorful cuisine and if you get a stamp at each of those locations for food as you purchase those things, then at the end you get an artist's palette cookie and that is available at the Deco Delights location. So that's kind of a fun thing.

Vanessa Ferguson:

And another interactive thing I love when they have these interactive things because it's great for kids, but it's also great for those of us who go to the parks a lot. It kind of adds a little bit something new, something a little exciting. So those are some of the different food options. And again, check out what you. Sometimes, when there's these festivals going on, we skip having one sit down meal because we like to try all the different things that you can at all the different locations. So a couple of final tips that you want to do, just like for Flower and Garden and Food and Wine. They have a great little passport that you can pick up. I find picking those up is easier than trying to flip through things in the app and obviously you're gonna use the app for finding times and all of that. But I think those booklets are nice to help guide you as you're going around the park. But also it's a great way for it's a nice little keepsake and ice scrapbook. So I like to save those for that sort of thing.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Check out all the really cool merchandise. I've been torn. They had a super neat figment popcorn bucket that looks like the imagination pavilion. It lights up. That's something that you could get. I know it's been popular in. Disney's been good about keeping those in stock and they have mobile order for that. That's over at the Odyssey A lot of the food options you can pick up in that area.

Vanessa Ferguson:

There's some things there and, as usual, Disney always does a great job with fun interactive photo things. So they have a lot of, of course, famous art pieces and, Kris, they have where you could be in the Mona Lisa. They have some Vincent Van Gogh ones and there's even some cool, a cute one from the movie wish, and we enjoyed the movie wish. Yes, we did, yeah, so lots of that's kind of a neat thing and then of course, throughout the world showcase.

Vanessa Ferguson:

There's nice, like the tents and the little kiosk where you can go and see lots of different artists, and I think that's the fun thing about this is it just brings a new element. I know people joke that Epcot is the festival park and I know people kind of make jokes about when they abbreviate the name of this one. I don't, we're not gonna go that juvenile with the abbreviation, but people have fun with the abbreviation for this festival name and stuff. But I think it brings something unique. I like Epcot anyways and I enjoy going and trying these new festivals. What's your opinion about all the festivals?

Kris Johns:

Well, it's just something different because for the most part, you know, in Epcot the countries are there, they're not gonna change, but the festivals allow a new wrinkle and something new to see.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Yes, and I think those interactive elements just make it where. It gives you something different, especially for those of us that are there all the time. And if it's your first time, it's also a great way to experience something that you might not experience on a future trip, depending on what time of year that you come. And, of course, I think the added elements with the concerts, like that just is such a huge extra thing for people as well. So give us just a few minutes. We're gonna bring up. Oh, and there's one more thing you have to do At the end of the night on Spaceship Earth they have a they do with the lights on Spaceship Earth. They do they sequence with rainbow connection with Kermit the Frog, and it's so sweet. I have some friends that have watched it and it just brings back a lot of those nice childhood memories. So check out the rainbow connection sequence on Spaceship Earth. You won't be disappointed. So, as you're leaving for the night, make sure you do that and give us just a minute. We're gonna get our call up with Amanda so you can hear all about her shop.

Vanessa Ferguson:

I'd like to welcome Amanda to the show. Her shop, happy Thoughts Craft Co, has all kinds of neat custom. She does ear pouches, hip pouches, dresses, all kinds of really neat products. She sews crochets and knits and of course, like all of us, she loves Disney. Her and her husband love traveling down to Florida. Some of their favorites, like ours, are People Mover. They also like Seven Doors, mind Train, cosmic Rewind. We actually haven't gotten to ride that yet. We're hoping to do that on our next trip. And even though we're in Michigan, she's not too far away. She's our neighbor over in Ontario, so we'd like to welcome Amanda to the show.

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

Thank you so much.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now we've been asking everyone lately what is your favorite event at any Disney part.

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

Okay, so my favorite event is definitely the Christmas party at Magic Kingdom. We have gone, I think, five times now. Our first one was in 2019. And we love it, we love Christmas, we love Magic Kingdom, we love Disney. So having all of that at once is the best thing ever.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Yes, and we just got to go in December again. It was the first time taking our daughter, and we've been before, but it's so much fun taking kids. They just really bring such more excitement to that party for sure.

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

It is so magical. We bring our daughter every time and we just love it Like the snope on Main Street twirling in that and the parade. We've had a lot of really magical cast members as well at the Christmas party who have given us amazing, just experiences. So we really really love it. It's great memories.

Vanessa Ferguson:

That is for sure, and I touched a little bit about what you offer. But if you could tell us a little bit about your business and the products you offer connected to Disney, okay, perfect.

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

I make magically inspired, handcrafted items. I mostly sew, so a lot of the things you'd see on my page is sewing, but I also crochet and knit as well. As you mentioned, I make items to bring on vacation, to the parks, on cruises, dinny cruises or just to have some magic at home. Some of my favorite things to make are hip pouches and ear pouches. I make a lot of cosmetic pouches or like a boxy, larger cosmetic pouch for traveling cosies and hair accessories. I also started making dresses last year and I really loved making them. I like working with people to make them like the perfect dress for their park experience, and I'm using new fabrics as well as thrifted vintage sheets as well, so I've been collecting a lot of those.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now just a quick question about the dresses Do you make ones for adults and for kids?

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

I do so I can make matching like mama and me dresses, or just for kids or just for adults, absolutely any size.

Kris Johns:

What was the inspiration for you to start your business?

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

So I actually started during the pandemic. I think a lot of small shops did. I was kind of depressed thinking about wearing masks out and I thought what if I had some magical fabric to make masks with? I hadn't touched my sewing machine in a few years my daughter was about four at the time so I was finally at the point where I could get my sewing machine out and kind of leave it out without her getting into it. So I started making masks during the pandemic and people were like where did you get that fabric from? So I started searching everywhere for just all of the Disney fabrics that I could find and making masks for everybody. And I started my Instagram and then it just kind of grew from there.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Yeah, it's so interesting. We actually started the show in 2019. So before the pandemic. But it's just been so neat, like from when we started, versus the growth in the last couple of years. In this industry there's just so many creative vendors just like you. It's just so exciting to see those things. And that kind of leads into what we wanna talk about next how do you think your products add Disney magic to your customers' lives?

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

Well, I have hundreds of fabrics and people get really excited when they learn about all the options that I have available, I think just featuring their favorite ride or park or character. It's so special for Disney fans. They get really excited about that and having something that's custom made for them to wear out and about or at the parks, it's just super special for them and they really love it.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Now, talking about all these special fabrics and things that you have, number, I guess, two questions First, what is your favorite fabric? Like, what character or whatever it might be, what's your favorite fabric? And then the second question is what is your personal favorite product?

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

Okay, so my favorite fabric? Okay, I literally have hundreds of fabrics. One of my absolute favorite ones is a Park Snacks fabric that I have. It was actually designed by my darling creates and she's Canadian as well and, yeah, I really, really love that one. It's pink, it's got snacks, it's really fun and cute. But I also love I also have, like a vintage Disney poster fabric that I really love. So those are my top two. I can't narrow it down to just one. And my favorite product I would have to say are my ear pouches, because I'm really proud of those. I drafted the pattern myself, I created them I think last year maybe the year before Time Flies, but I did create the pattern myself and they hold eight to 10 pairs of ears. So they hold the ton and you can pack them for your trip, you can use them to store, like in your closet or your dresser. I just really love them. And they're really personalized because you can pick whichever fabric you like.

Vanessa Ferguson:

And that is super nice, I will say. I've had ear pouches in the past, but usually they only hold like two or three. So that's really nice in terms of storage and, like you said, packing, because you can't just take two or three pairs of ears, you have to take more. So that's really great Two pairs of ears, right, exactly. So that's really awesome to hear. Now, just, I know you, we've talked about it, but, like if I were ordering a product from you, what's the turnaround time if I have a trip coming up?

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

If you let me know your trip date, I mean I can get it out to you as quick as possible Within Canada, usually, like I can get expedited shipping within a couple days. The states maybe like three or four days out, but typically my turnaround time is one to two weeks, but I can always bump it up if needed to get you ready for your trip.

Kris Johns:

Now you've mentioned these things that you said that you make with love. Where can people go online to find them?

Amanda Robinson-Demarco:

On my Instagram, so it's at happy thoughts crafting co. I have lots of pictures of items that I make and also in my story highlights are all of my fabric options, and they're organized by category, and then you can just DM me with any order that you'd like to place and we can work out all the details together. I also do story drops pretty frequently, like once a month or so, so you can always watch out for those as well, if you're looking for something ready to ship. And also, I'll be launching my website very soon, so that's exciting as well. Perfect, we'll make sure to put the links to all of your socials and then when your website launches.

Vanessa Ferguson:

we'll make sure to share that with everybody. So thank you so much for joining us today. Great Thank you so much for having me. It was so fun.

Kris Johns:

Thank you again to Amanda for joining us today. Use the code DISLOVED10 to save 10% off your next order. And now we are on to Two Minute Trivia and our wisdom from Walt Quote and Kris from Up with Trivia. So we've talked about the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, yes, and so here's a question In 2024, when it commences, it will be the what year of the festival? How many years has the festival?

Vanessa Ferguson:

been, I feel like we might have went the first year. Is it 15?

Kris Johns:

According to altyearsnet, this will be the eighth year.

Vanessa Ferguson:

Oh, so I'm way off. I need to go back and look at my dates. Wow, that's. It's getting close to the 10th. That's really interesting, awesome. Well, because we were talking about art, I thought that I would pull a quote from Walt Disney about creation of artwork, and this quote was art was always a means to an end. With me, you get an idea and you just can't wait once you've started, and then you're there with the punches flying. So hopefully, all of you can create an amazing piece of art and maybe enjoy the festival as well. So thank you so much for joining us on this episode of the Dislove Podcast with Vanessa and Kris.

Kris Johns:

I'm Vanessa and I'm Kris. This podcast is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or its holdings, and it is intended for entertainment purposes only.