As much as I loved buying Disney merchandise with my discount in the past, without it now I definitely have to budget myself. Sometimes it can just get really expensive for a cute t-shirt or a bag and you may not be willing to pay that price.
To save money, I like to try to test my crafting skills and create my own Disney inspired merch. I love Bo Peep so I decided to make my own bag inspired by her sheep Billy, Goat, and Gruff! I recently brought it with me to the Toy Story 4 Opening Event! When you can’t afford to splurge on merch, here are some cute ideas for you to try to create your own!
DIY Disney Ears
Something a lot of people do now is creating their own Mickey Ears! It’s a cute way to save $$ and create your own personal pair no one else will have! To do this, I recommend checking out tutorials on YouTube or looking up inspiration on Pinterest.
For a simple pair of ears what you’ll need is a headband, a measurement template, fabric, hot glue or a needle & thread, and the material of your choice to create the ears whether that be cardboard or stuffing of some sort. Once you have your materials, create the base pair of ears by attaching them to the headband. From there it’s up to you to decorate it however you like!
DIY Disney Bag
Disney Totes can be expensive. Why not make your own? All you need to start is a basic canvas bag from the craft store. I then used felt, cotton balls, and paint markers on mine but the rest of your materials are up to you to decide! You can paint a design, glue on a design, or iron your design on! The options are endless!
DIY Disney Shirt
Disney Graphic Shirts can be really cute but when you’re on a budget you don’t always want to pay top dollar for them. Creating your own shirts is pretty easy and there are two ways to do it!
The hands on way
Just start with a plain shirt from a craft store. Purchase graphic transfer paper, make sure your printer is compatible with the paper. Create your own image or find one online that you like and print it out onto the graphic paper. Iron the design onto your t-shirt and you’re all done! Just be careful when washing the shirt! I didn’t wash mine properly and it came off after one use.
The professional way
Some clothing companies like CustomInk or SpreadShirt will make any graphic design for you on any item of clothing. It can be pricey if you’re only purchasing one item though so be sure to check what the cost will be. Doing this gives you the liberty of choosing a specific type of shirt and ensuring a high-quality graphic as well!
Helpful Resources
If you are unsure of where to start when wanting to DIY, I recommend checking out Youtube tutorials to see how others have done it! They can be extremely helpful and offer a variety of inspiration for your own items as well!
The Finished Product
Once you’ve completed your DIY all that’s left to do is head out to the Parks and enjoy it! I’d love to see what you come up with so be sure to tag me in the comments of your post and I can check it out! I wish you the best in all your crafting!