harry potter

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Fandom Lovers

Disney Style, Musings, Style

If you follow this blog then it’s very likely you’re a fandom lover like me! There’s something about fandoms that really resonates with me and I’m sure many of you. To find people out there that love something as much as you do is incredible. Then you start bonding and helping build that little (or big!) community and in a flash you inherit a family that gets your love of movies, games, magical things, or comics.

So I’m super excited to share my second gift guide of the season, a Holiday Gift Guide for Fandom Lovers! Obviously, there are a lot of Disney-related items mentioned here, but many of the shops listed also carry licensed products from Nintendo, Studio Ghibli, Star Wars, Golden Girls, and Looney Tunes just to name a few. I also mention a lot of apparel and accessories items on this list, but a handful of the shops mentioned also carry books, home items, and toys!

Cakeworthy Elf Flannel with Embroidered Pocket and Collar Details

Cakeworthy: Apparel & Accessories, $20-$80
Cakeworthy is one of my go-to shops for licensed apparel. Most of their collections are Disney, but over the past few years, they’ve expanded their offering of licensed collaborations — including The Golden Girls, Nikelodeon, Looney Tunes, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Nintendo! The character quote flannels specifically are great gifts since the colors, quote, and details are all designed around a specific character or franchise. And one of their newest ones is inspired by Buddy the Elf! But the totes, all over print t-shirts, and dresses also make great gifts for fashion-loving fans.

Buckle-Down Jack Skellington Crossbody Bag, Purse Strap, and Belt

Buckle-Down: Accessories & Pet Supplies, $16-$30
Buckle-Down is another shop that sell products from a variety of licenses. Aside from Disney, they also have licensed products for DC Comics, Warner Bros., various car brands, and even Grumpy Cat! Known mostly for their buckle belts, Buckle-Down recently introduced quirky licensed crossbody bags to their assortment. The bag is on the smaller side, but still roomy enough to carry everything you need! Other items that make great gifts are their Signature D belt collection and purse straps!

PARC Collection: Crossbody Bag Straps, $28
This small shop just released their newest item, polka dot crossbody bag straps! The crossbody straps are meant to be paired with their travel cases, but the clips make it possible for you to attach it to any of your other Disney bags. Although these aren’t officially licensed, I love that the oversized dot print really evokes that classic Minnie style look. I may have ordered both colors and I can’t wait to pair them with my Minnie Mouse Disney bags!

BoxLunch Totoro Sweater

BoxLunch: Sweaters, $60 (but check for sales!)
The holiday season is pretty much synonymous with sweater weather. And when I saw BoxLunch’s collection of fairisle-inspired licensed sweaters, I was obsessed! All the designs are so adorable and the sweater itself is soooo cozy. They’re perfect for those homey quarantine nights with a toasty hot chocolate in hand. Aside from sweaters, BoxLunch also has tons of other apparel, accessories, home decor, figurine, and beauty gifts. Plus, for every $10 you spend BoxLunch donates a meal through Feeding America.

DIFF Eyewear: Star Wars Sunglasses & Frames, $95-$105
DIFF Eyewear released a capsule collection of Star Wars sunglasses and frames I’ve had my eyes on them. When the time came for me to write my holiday wishlist, I immediately knew these would be on my list. Each pair is super wearable and has that hint of character inspiration. And they also offer the same frames as blue light blocking glasses, which is great for anyone who is staring at a screen all day, aka me!

“DisneyBound Dress Disney and Make It Fashion” by Leslie Kay

DisneyBound Dress Disney and Make It Fashion by Leslie Kay, $17.99
DisneyBound is now officially a book! Written by the DisneyBound creator herself, Leslie talks about the myriad of ways everyone can DisneyBound and how it’s ultimately a way for Disney-lovers to express their own style and creativity. Although it’s written with newcomers in mind, this is still a great coffee table book for the most avid DisneyBounders. And the outfit illustrations are too cute!

Chronicle Books: The Disney Princess & Star Wars The Jedi Mind Books, $15-$50
A couple other great coffee table book options are The Disney Princess and Star Wars The Jedi Mind from Chronicle Books. The Disney Princess book looks like it’s filled with beautiful illustrations and histories about our beloved princesses and I love how Star Wars The Jedi Mind is pretty much a mindfulness book in Jedi wrapping.

BlackMilk Bambi Slip Dress from Poshmark

BlackMilk: Apparel, $42-117
From Pokemon to the Mandalorian, BlackMilk has released so many amazing licensed collections that I literally could not not get everything. Ok, not everything, but I adore the innovative ways they use characters to inspire their fabrics and prints. The cuts of their dresses are also really flattering and you can’t resist the urge to twirl. And gifting the joy of twirling sounds like a pretty great present if you ask me!

Poshmark, Depop, Etsy: Vintage or Unique Apparel & Accessories, prices vary
If you’re looking to shop sustainably this season, definitely turn to shops like Poshmark, Depop, and Etsy. These sites are great for finding vintage or unique Disney finds, but I love when I get lucky and find pieces from past collaborations that I missed out on, like old BlackMilk collections. And of course, you can also find other fandom licenses, like Harry Potter.

Loungefly The Child Wristlet (Background: Cakeworthy The Child Shirt)

Disney Store: Accessories, prices vary
An obvious pick for this Holiday Gift Guide, but I want to talk specifically about all things Grogu and the character stretch headbands. With season 2 of The Mandalorian, baby yoda merch, or should I say Grogu merch, is on the rise! Some of my favorite Grogu merch from the Disney store is the Loungefly wristlet and ear headband. Another great stocking stuffer is the character stretch headband, which is available in a variety of characters. I don’t believe they’re available at Disney Store locations, but you can easily order them online. They’re perfect for those self-care nights when you need to keep hair out of the way while wearing a face mask!

Giving your friend or family member a present that supports their fandom is such a meaningful way to say “I support you and what you love.” And for those of us that found each other through our shared love of fandoms, you’ll be able to create an even stronger bond and passion over the mouse that started it all, little animal villagers or even senior citizen cheesecake lovers. For me, passions for fandoms is what brought some of the most important people into my life.

If you’re still looking for more fun gift ideas, check out the Galentine’s Day Gift Guide for Disney Lovers that I posted earlier this year or jump back to the first gift guide I posted this week of gifts that support BIPOC brands and shops.

Happy Holidays!
ABW

13 Halloween Shows & Movies that Pass the Bechdel Test

Musings, Spotlight

And the countdown begins! We’re only 13 days away from Halloween! And we all have our favorite Halloween movies on repeat, but how many of those movies can actually pass the Bechdel Test?!🤔

This Halloween season, I’ve been proactive about watching movies and shows that pass the Bechdel Test. And honestly, some of these barely pass. I used the most basic measurements which are 1. Incorporating at least two female characters, 2. Two female characters must talk to one another, 3. They must talk about something other than a male. Some uses of the Bechdel Test require the female characters to have names, but I chose not to include that as a requirement for this list.

So in no particular order, let the binging begin!

1. Maleficent: For all the misunderstood, fairy witch queens out there, Maleficent is an obvious movie choice for Halloween.  And even more exciting, the sequel is out now!🖤🧚🏼‍♀️💜👑

2. Us: One of the best horror movies from this year!✂️

3. Get Out: Everyone knows you won’t get out of your seat while watching this first Jordan Peele thriller.☕️🥄

4. Stranger Things (2 & 3): Season 1, I dump your ass!  To be inspired by determined female characters, travel to the upside down in seasons 2 & 3!🍦

5. Kiki’s Delivery Service: Studio Ghibli is known for producing movies with strong female leads.  Kiki’s Delivery Service is no exception.🐱🥖

6. Halloweentown: Because Halloween is cool and being normal is vastly overrated.Image result for halloween is cool halloweentown gif

7. Practical Magic: It’s hard to not love witchy sisters that always have each others’ backs.  And midnight margaritas.🍹

8. American Horror Story: While Ryan Murphy has given us numerous intriguing female characters, I’m especially bewitched by the witches in Coven & Apocalypse.🔮

9. Hocus Pocus: This classic Disney Halloween movie puts a spell on everyone.👁🕯

10. Addams Family: Because Christina Ricci as Wednesday is just to die for. *duh duh dun dun, 👌🏼👌🏼*

11. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: I admit, I didn’t watch the series until this year.  But it’s so wickedly addicting.😈🐗

12. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: This is one of the only HP movies that passes the Bechdel Test.  And it only passes by a werewolf’s hair!  But the shift to a darker mood in the series is…well, A MOOD.🐺

13. Ghostbusters (2016): The power of Patty compels you!…To love this witty re-make with smart female leads!👻

And that’s 13!🙌🏼 How many of these shows and movies have you seen?! To help you keep track, use the template list below to check off what you’ve binged so far this season and then share it in your stories on instagram so I can see it too!👀  If you have other movies and/or shows that you love to watch for Halloween and pass the Bechdel Test, let me know and I’ll add them to the Honorable Mention list below!🏅Halloween Watch List (1).jpg

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Freaky Friday (2003): I actually really love the songs from this movie!🤘🏼

The Labyrinth: This also barely passes the Bechdel Test, but who can deny the babe with the power?💁🏻‍♀️🔮

Twitches: Another Halloween DCOM, but vastly underrated.  This made for tv movie also deserves bonus points since it’s lead characters are WOC!✊🏾 The only reason this isn’t on the official list is because I haven’t seen it in ages.😅

The Craft: Because we’re all weirdos.😎

 

 

 

 

 

Home Tour: Boo to You!👻

Disney Style, Home

DSC08971.jpgIf you were watching my Instagram stories earlier this year, you’ll know that I was renovating a new place with my boyfriend, and a couple months ago, we finally moved in!😱🏠 It only took us over a year thanks to a contractor that worked at a snail’s pace.🐌🙄 We’re still in the process of getting everything in its place and really making it a full fledged “home,” but Halloween was the perfect opportunity for me to have a little fun with home decor!

DSC08884.JPGLiving Room

This whole home decor frenzy really started after I spotted the cutest ghost pillow and throw from Home Goods! Since my boyfriend and I tend to like more monochromatic palettes, the name of the game for our couch is texture. So when we spotted a 3D grey tweed ghost pillow, we knew it HAD to come home with us! And just as if a spirit was conjured, we immediately stumbled upon a cozy ghost blanket. At that point, we were devoted to a ghost themed couch, so the Mickey Boo to You ghost pillow was a necessary spoopy purchase.👻DSC08889.JPG

DSC08922.JPGSince we still have no artwork for our living room walls, I focused on getting trinkets and decor for the coffee table to help bring some life and color into the room.  But because I went a little crazy buying anything that was cute, it’s a little bit of an odd mix.😅

One of my favorite purchases is the Jack Skellington candle holder from the Disney Store.  I love that it was actually pretty affordable ($15!), and that any kind of small candle can fit in it.  And for Christmas, it would look so festive with some poinsettias or cranberry stems coming out from the top!DSC08903.JPGThe other great and inexpensive item I picked up is a glass pumpkin jar from Target!  It’s perfect to show off my souvenir treats from Wizarding World at Universal Studios.  But once the treats are gone, it would look so magical with tiny LED lights!

One of the biggest pieces on the coffee table is a large Mickey etched glass vase from Ethan Allen.  It’s not necessarily Halloween themed, but it gave me the perfect opportunity to add some color to our mostly neutral living room.  I picked up bright marigolds from the farmer’s market that are a great contrast against all the grays and blues that dominate the living room.DSC08917.jpg

Tea Corner

Another area I loved decorating for Halloween was my tea corner!  I’m constantly drinking tea and hot water, so you can imagine my excitement when I realized I could buy lots of Halloween mugs and decor for this area!😆  One of the simplest ways to revamp this area is with a spooky sign.  I especially loved the simple typography of this Hocus Pocus sign and the obvious nod to a Disney Halloween classic.DSC08858.JPG

The other functional way to give this area Halloween flair, is with cups!  Though some are outright Halloween mugs, like a ouija board and ghost Mickey, others just have that spooky vibe.  I also like the mix of bigger, chunkier mugs with more delicate teacups.  The varying sizes make the whole mug tree look more interesting!

Bathroom

Another part of the house that was easy to update for Halloween is the guest bathroom.  During my recent trip to Orlando, I HAD to stop by Basin and pick up some seasonal soaps!  And what I especially love about visiting Basin is that you can easily find seasonal Disney soaps!

DSC09019.JPG

I usually pick out the soaps based on the scents.  Since I’m not a huge pumpkin fan (I know, SHOCKING for someone who loves Halloween so much), I picked out soaps that had more wood and citrus based scents. And to my luck, the Sorcerer Mickey soap matches nicely to my white star and moon pumpkin and the orange bats match my Little Green Alien Halloween mochi cup from Tokyo Disneyland!🎃

Another simple Halloween update are these Sally jars. They’re more festive than my usual wood or fabric containers and perfect to display my makeup and brushes on the counter. I also love that there are three separate jars so I can easily separate my mascaras, lip products, and brushes!DSC08975.JPG

Nightstand

The last part of the house I added some Halloween flair to was my nightstand! Since the light switches are far from the bed and I’m not a huge fan of lamps, this Zero nightlight is perfect for my needs — my need for cuteness that is!😆  And honestly, it’s the combination of two things I love, ghosts and dogs.😂  It also has a timer option so it can automatically turn off after 15 minutes!  And if you need another reason to love this little trinket, Zero’s ears can also double as a ring holder.💍😏DSC09052.JPG

Halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays, so I can’t wait to improve my Halloween home decor skills for next year!  There are still some areas I’d like to spruce up some more, but for only being in a our new place for 2 months, I think it’s a great start! But I definitely need to create a seasonal inspo board over on Pinterest to really be in full swing next time!🙌🏼  Maybe I should start my holidays inspo board tomorrow.😆

ABW