DIY: Personalizing Disney MagicBands

by Elizabeth Van Allen  for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com

Me at the Magic Kingdom, chatting 
with a few of my favorite characters 
about my MagicBand.  They wanted
to know why I painted the Cheshire
Cat instead of their cat Lucifer!

I love Disney World.  
What's not to love?  Between the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and my personal favorite EPCOT, there's something for everyone.  The staff is friendly, the properties are clean, and the company wants you to have a good time.  I have stayed on-property three times in the last six years and, like all tourist destinations, the Disney World parks and hotels have been going through some changes.  One of the most obvious changes in Disney protocol is a new way that attractions and amenities can be accessed: the MagicBand.  

Our newly re-designed MagicBands
in their original packaging

MagicBands are Disney's version of a wearable digital access pass.  These waterproof, non-latex wristbands are the newest and most high-tech Disney accessory du jour.  On the outside they are streamlined and simply designed, suitable for even the most conservative among Disney's guests.  About the size of a wristwatch, they are available in a variety of colors (except for purple- they need to do something about that) and can be made child-sized by simply detaching the removable black border.  Tucked safely inside the MagicBand's streamlined exterior is an RFID chip, coiled antennae, and a battery.  The activated Magic Band can function as a room key, credit card, park ticket, and/or FastPass, allowing you instant access to just about 

A Disney Fingerprint Scanner
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-nirenberg/
no-security-mickey-mousep_b_4987896.html

anything on the property without having to find your wallet.  Whether you are all for added convenience and security or wary of this increase in tracking and monitoring, it looks as if the MagicBands, coordinating MyDisneyExperience planning page & mobile app, and fingerprint scanners at the front gates are here to stay.

As soon as I received my MagicBand I NEEDED to personalize it.  While I appreciate the one-design-fits-all styling, as many of you know I'm a little compulsive about making things mine.  After exhaustive research, (a.k.a. obsessive pinterest and image searches) it seems that I'm not the only one out there with that idea.  In addition to the many official Disney licensed MagicBand-specific accessories (MagicBandits and MagicSliders), many people were adding temporary tattoos or painting them with nail polish.  Being the crafty artist that I am, I chose the nail polish route to style not only my MagicBand, but my Mother- and Father- in-law's bands too!

My amazing M-I-L Marilyn, modeling her
stylishly redesigned MagicBand at the
Hollywood Studios '50's Prime Time Cafe

DIY: Personalizing Your MagicBand 

Materials:

Paper for planning and covering your working surface

Pencil & Eraser

Nail Polish in assorted colors

Toothpicks or something else pointy (I used the stylus from an old scratch art set)

Nail Polish Remover & cotton swabs just in case

Directions:

Step 2:
Draw or transfer
your design onto
the MagicBand
with a pencil.

Step 1:
Choose a theme (mine
was Alice in Wonderland),
then sketch up ideas
for your MagicBand

Step 3:
Carefully fill in areas of solid color.
Be sure to give the paint enough time to dry!

Step 4: 
Add Outlines,

Step 4:
Shading,

Step 4:
and Details


(see right)
Behold, the finished
Cheshire Cat MagicBand!

(above) My Father-in-law
requested a NY Giants 
theme for his band.



(left) the Sorcerer's 
Apprentice theme
was an especially
fulfilling challenge!

The Sorcerer's Apprentice 

Actually...it's an action figure.

Can you tell I have mixed feelings
about my love for this barbie doll?

by Elizabeth Van Allen 

scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com

Anyone who has met me knows that I'm not exactly the girliest girl around.  I don't like pink, avoid glitter whenever possible, and I'm all about comfort when it comes to choosing my shoes.  That being said, I do have my weaknesses when it comes to some of the more traditionally feminine things in life. I can't get enough of sewing, fun accessories, skirts, and aprons.  I love aprons.  I use them in the classroom almost every day.  Owning several aprons doesn't mean that I like baking, so for your own sake don't ask me to bake anything.  Baking and I just don't get along.  But I digress.  

In my opinion, including 2 students to
run after qualifies the art teacher barbie
as an action figure instead of a doll.

I've never been a Barbie fanatic, but having one that matches your profession is pretty cool.  I've amassed collections of a lot of slightly odd things over the years like swizzle sticks and masks, but dolls have never been at the top of my list.  Even so, when my mother saw this doll in the store she felt that it was a no-brainer purchase.  I mean honestly- with a daughter like me how could she pass up an art teacher Barbie?  I proudly display it in my office, and I love that my chosen career has been immortalized through the mother of all pop culture icons.  

Although I really do love this gift, a few of it's minor details keep bothering me.  Maybe this is just my defiant side rearing it's pointy little head, but I couldn't avoid a good old fashioned critique. We art teachers do a lot of running around and heavy lifting every day. We're pretty active people and rarely have a slow moment.  Wouldn't it be more appropriate to market this doll as an art teacher action figure?  They got a lot right, but when it comes to this product some of the details just don't sit right with me.

As you can see, I have mixed feelings about this action fig... I mean doll. So, being the organized person that I am (you can stop laughing now), I decided to make a list of pros and cons.

As Barbie's administrator, I should
take points off of her evaluation for
leaving so much stuff lying around.
That's a safety hazard!

Pros:

• Lots of accessories, check out the color wheel!
• Sensible shoes... or at least they are for Barbie
• Love the outfit (yellow top & polka dotted skirt with mary janes, I'd lose the scarf though)
• High necklines for an active female teacher
• My set came with cute little smocks for those children of the corn students

2 questions: 
1. Why isn't the apron/smock included 
in the art teacher play set? 
2. How would any art teacher be 
able to work in those shoes?

Cons:

• Terrible grammar ('I can be... Art Teacher').  Is adding the word 'an' really that hard, Mattel?  She is a teacher, after all.
• You have to buy the Barbie Careers Art Teacher Fashion Pack for Girls in order to get a smock/apron. Any art teacher knows that they are a necessity.
• A stool for a toddler's chair?  Who thought that would be a good choice? I can almost hear the lawyers salivating.
• Hate the outfit on my version (green and blue flowered dress with weird, ankle strap clog-ish shoes)
• Check out the size of the scissors in comparison to the kids' hands. The disproportionate size is something Tim Burton would be proud of.  
• You can't tell from my picture, but in the package the creepy blond baby is standing on a chair.  I know it's silly, but safety first- right?

The artist barbie set includes 
a cat.  Does this seem 
stereotypical to anyone else?
Also, is it sitting in a litter pan?

Pro or Con? You tell me:
Mattel has an interactive online companion game that sort of explores a few of the more popular '-isms' of art. The problem?  It has obnoxious music that kind of makes you want to start sharpening the ends of your paint brushes. Let's just say that it makes you feel a little stabby.  

Strangely enough, the game features the "Artist" Barbie instead of art teacher Barbie, which seemed kind of odd to me. In a way it defeats the entire concept. Why would anyone want to go through all the trouble of becoming a highly qualified, certified teacher with at least one degree and a hefty student loan bill when, if I'm reading the message correctly, simply having talent and skill could serve just as well?  Where is the teacher in the "A+ Art Teacher" game?

If there are no sharp objects handy, give it a try at http://www.barbie.com/en-us/game/Art-Teacher and tell me what you think!  I did't have a chance to actually play the game, I had to leave the site before it's music made me want to book a winter stay at the overlook hotel.

Bonus Barbie Awesomeness:
Mark McKinney from Artsology took the idea of Barbie personalization to a whole new level.  He started with regular Ken dolls and tailored them to take on the personas of different famous artists!  This gives me a whole host of new ideas... 
http://www.artsology.com/blog/tag/ken-doll/ .  

You can also read his take on the Art Teacher and Artist Barbies at  http://www.artsology.com/blog/2011/09/barbie-the-art-teacher/

Personal style site refinery29 used barbie as a model in the brilliant photographic recreation of diverse pieces from the work of Man Ray to the bust of Nefertiti.  
http://www.refinery29.com/barbie-as-fine-art 

How would you design an action figure based on your career? 

Thanks to Mark McKinney from Artsology for his permission to link to his site!

Making It Mine

by Elizabeth Van Allen 

for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com

Personalizing My Yoga Bag

I like to personalize my stuff.  I don't know if it's just an artist thing, but I don't like looking the same as everyone else.  This summer when I stayed in Disney World I needed a way to mark a few towels as mine so that they wouldn't get gathered up by housekeeping with the rest of the linens.  I know it sounds funny, but I bring my own face towel when I travel because my skin won't tolerate the bleach hotels use.  When it comes to personalizing towels, patches and painting were both out as options.  What I needed was something that would hold up well with frequent washing and drying.

Embroidered Face Towel 

Being a glutton for punishment, I decided to delve into the world of embroidery.  To give you a little background on my grand plans in needlework, I started really experimenting with sewing in high school. I decided one day that I wanted to make a dress with a fitted bodice and a strip-work, ankle length skirt.  I hadn't made much past simple pillows, but I'd watched my mother make clothing, curtains and quilted stuff tons of times.  How hard could it be?  Mom got pretty worried when I confidently stated my intent, but she patiently walked me through it and I wore my dress for years.  In that same tradition, I decided that one of my first embroidery projects would be a multi-hued purple lotus flower that looked the same on both sides of a face towel.  If you've ever see the back of a piece of embroidery or needlepoint, you know that is not exactly the status quo.  

Embroidered Yoga Towel

My Yoga Bag and Towel

I added a multi-colored running stitch
 at the seams to brighten up my gym bag

I did some research and finally got it right.  I successfully embroidered the same lotus on my face and yoga towels and figured out first hand why an embroidery hoop can be a very useful tool.  



My next challenge: my gym and yoga mat bags.  I think I nailed it! 

How have you personalized some of your favorite things?