Vacation 2016: Haul

   Shopping at Disney or Universal is a very unique experience because of high volumes mixed with a large variety of items (clothing, foods, collectibles, figures, etc.)... Although I was low on funds for this trip, I really love every single purchase made - can't wait to go back for another vacation, and another shopping trip!

   While in Disney Springs we popped into the Candy Cauldron and I noticed the Poison Candy Apples and jumped for joy... Candy apples are one of my favorite fair/theme park/autumn treats, and anyone who enjoys the more villainous sides of Disney should try the Poison Candy Apples or attempt making one for themselves. By the time we had gotten back to the hotel, my apple had started to melt a bit, so it isn't as adorable but still tasted delicious - even though the green chocolate was a bit more sweetness than I can generally handle. I will definitely be getting another one of these next time I am able to go to Disney!

   The WonderGround Gallery at Disney Springs took my breath away... I wanted everything, but fell in love with these two prints.

   "Something More" by Sydney Hanson & "Maleficent Enthroned" by Jasmine Becket-Griffith

   If you've known me for any portion of time, I'm sure you are aware that Beauty & the Beast was my first Disney Princess love and Maleficent was my first Disney Villain love - plus these styles are very "me" - so I had to get them! The ones that originally caught my eye were small with cute frames around them for $25.00 USD/ea and when I saw the price tag it must have been noticeable to the cashier that I couldn't spend that much money because she came up and handed me these two post cards and said "Here, these are just under double the size of the ones you were looking at and are only $5.00 each!" I smiled and thanked her as she rang up my purchase... Now I get to go on the hunt for interesting frames for these two pieces - which makes me excited because collecting unique/vintage frames is an odd hobby of mine.

   Of course we had to run inside the World of Disney store because it was huge and glorious... I was on the hunt for some Tsum Tsums and ran into the Beauty & the Beast range. My favorite fussy household duo - Lumiere and Cogsworth - were in stock and even more adorable in person so I snagged them...

   ... And then I ran into the household items room packed full of mugs and I almost had a heart attack! This "stacked" mug caught my eye because I have a ceramic vase with a similar look in my room. It is the perfect size for my morning tea and has a good weight to it, plus its covered in lovely Alice in Wonderland details... I really wanted to snag a Chip mug and this glorious Alice in Wonderland, three-spout teapot (can be seen in this post) but they weren't in my budget - NEXT TIME!

    While at Wizarding World I was hyped to hit up Sugarplum's and Honeydukes and so indecisive with what I wanted to purchase... I wound up getting a Chocolate Frog, which half melted by the time we got back to the hotel (so there isn't a photo of it). It is way bigger than I expected and honestly between the size, taste, packaging, and card - they really aren't overpriced! I wanted my first card to be Dumbledore and got my wish, so that was pretty great as well... I also picked up an adorable pack of Strawberry Chocolates and I am rather gutted that they completely melted into a bar of chocolate by the time we got back to the hotel because they were so cute! Also, they were some of the best "fruit related" chocolates I have ever had - highly recommend.

    I got my wand... I got my wand... OH MY GOODNESS. I GOT MY WAND!
   When Pottermore was first in Beta and we all were able to get sorted into our Houses is also when we got to discover our wands for the first time... Mine was, and is, a wand of Alder wood with a Dragon heartstring core, 11.5 inches long, and is surprisingly swishy in flexibility. The fantastic cast member at Ollivanders asked me if there was a specific wand that I wanted and I showed her my wand on my phone. She reached up and grabbed a wand box off one of the shelves and showed me the label saying Alder and proceeded to tell me the type of witch/wizard who wields it (to the T with Pottermore's descriptions), and explained how it is an interactive wand with the park.
   I didn't have enough time to use my wand around the park but I will next time, and until then it is on display in my room - sitting on top of my Dumbledore and Hagrid Pop! Vinyls... The map for the park interactions in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are so intricate and beautiful that I want to hang it up, but its double sided and I don't want to just show off one side - gotta figure something out!

I hope you enjoyed this haul - sorry I was all over the place, but it has brought me a lot of personal joy!

What is the best vacation purchase you've ever made?

xoxo Elle