Tag Archives: Barbara Jones

Decor – Seasonal Front Door Decorations

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Festive decorations on the front porch are a wonderful way to welcome guests during the holiday seasons.  In this post I will showcase the seasonal front door decorations that I have used for our home throughout the year.

Shown below are three photos from past Christmas front door decorations I have used.  The first photo was taken in 2003 and shows the Christmas wreath and front door garland I used for our home in California.  Both decorations feature pine boughs, poinsettias and red berries.  The second photo was taken in 2008 and shows the Christmas wreath I used for our new home in the Midwest.  The grapevine wreath is covered entirely with pine cones and I added red berries and holly leaves.  The third photo was taken in 2012 and shows the pine wreath and I added several pine cones and red berries.  (For more information about my home’s Christmas decorations, please click on the following links: Christmas Home Decorations, Christmas Wreaths Décor post, Christmas Wreaths Craft post, and More Christmas Wreaths and Christmas Decorations from Past Years)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA    2008 Christmas front door wreath

2012 Christmas Front door wreath

The next photo shows the Valentine’s Day wreath that I used for the front door of our home in 2012.  It is the same pine wreath that I used for Christmas the previous year and I just added some large red glitter hearts.  I used the wreath as a front door decoration for the Queen of Hearts Party that I had for Valentine’s Day.  (For more information about the Queen of Hearts Party, please click on the link)

2012 Queen of Hearts party wreath

Below are two photos that show two of the different front door decorations that I have used during the Spring and Summer months at our home in the Midwest.  The first shows a very special and sentimental wreath that was originally used at my Mother’s funeral.  The floral wreath that I made features white roses that were my Mother’s favorite flowers – six white full roses to represent my parents and their four daughters, nine white rose buds represent their nine grandchildren and finished with green hydrangeas and berries in a lovely pastel shade of rose pink.  The second photo shows my most recent Spring/Summer front door decoration.  I had purchased a metal cone-shaped container which I filled with white and purple tulips.  (For instructions and supply list for this Spring Door Decoration, please click on the link.  Also, for more information about my home’s Easter decorations, please clink on the link)

2013 Easter wreath 1a    2014 Spring Front door wreath

Finally, below are two photos that show two different shaped front door decorations that I have used for the Fall season.  The first photo shows an unusually triangular shaped pine wreath that features several sunflowers, orange berries and a festive autumn bow.  The second photo shows another unique door decoration, it is an oval grapevine wreath that features a pumpkin wall hanging, orange mums and autumn leaves.  (For more information about my home’s Fall Decorations, please click on the following links:  Fall Home Decorations, Halloween Decorations and Nightmare Before Christmas Wreath inspired by the classic Disney animated movie)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA    2013 Front door autumn wreath

Decor – Setting up a Boyds Bear Village display

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In two previous posts I discussed the many wonderful pieces of my Boyds Bear collection that I started in the 1980s.  Throughout the years I have collected Boyds stuffed animals, whimsical figurines and picture frames.  The main portion of my Boyds Bear collection is displayed in the library of our home in a lovely oak glass-front lawyer cabinet.  These items are displayed year-round in the cabinet and I also add additional seasonal holiday themed figurines.  (If you would like to see more of this collection, please click on the following links:  Displaying a Boyds Bear Collection Part One and Two)

The focus of this post will be the setting up a Boyds Bear Village Display and will included step-by-step instructions of how I set up the display.  In addition, I will show how I change or add special seasonal items to the display for the various holidays.  The Boyds Bear Village display is set-up on the bottom shelf of my Boyds Bear cabinet with several of the charming Boyds Bear Village houses that remain in place throughout the entire year.  The Boyds Bear Village house are: “Edmund’s Hideaway”, “Grenville and Beatrice’s Homestead”, “Emily’s Carrot Cottage”, and “Bailey’s Cozy Cottage”.

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos of how I set up the display:

First, I lined the bottom shelf with newspaper and then placed two large bricks to add height to the display.  The newspapers were used to prevent the bricks from scratching the oak bookcase.  Next, I placed two smaller bricks to create more height in the center of the top section of the display.  I also used two large rocks on either side of the display to create more texture and visual interest.

Boyds Bear Village set-up 1Then, I placed the four Boyds houses, leaving space in the middle for additional accessories.  On the lower section of the display, I placed a piece of artificial grass.  To hide some of the brick, I used four sections of stone walls and added small rocks.  On the top section of the display, I used a three piece section of fencing between the two houses.

Boyds Bear Village set-up 2Next, I placed several trees around the display.  Special Note:  I have several sets of seasonal trees for the different holidays.  Such as full green trees for summer/spring, bare-branch and golden brown trees for fall and pine trees for winter.

Boyds Bear Village set-up 3To hide the base of the trees, the spaces behind the wall on the lower section and behind the fence on the top section and also to fill the other empty areas of the display I used Spanish moss.

Boyds Bear Village set-up 4Finally, I place some of the Boyds Bear Village bear/hare figurines around the display.  Special Note: I have several different sets of small seasonal figurines that I add or remove during the different seasons and holidays.

Boyds Bear Village set-up 5

Below are several photos taken of the Boyds Bear Village display throughout the year for the various seasons with a description of the items that I add or remove depending on the holidays.  Some of these additional items are from the Boyds Bears product line, I also use some Department 56 items and other items were purchased at local craft stores.  Every year I try to change or add to the seasonal displays!  Craft Tip: Keep an eye out during the various holidays throughout the year for miniature decorative accents; also check the dollhouse section in the craft stores for more miniature items to add to a display.

Valentine’s Day

Sometime near the end of January, I will remove some of the winter accessories, such as the Christmas figurines and pine trees leaving only the bare-branch trees.  Then, in my local craft store I found miniature pink and red hearts that I sprinkle on the grass area of the display for Valentine’s Day.  (Next year, I’m thinking of adding more small hearts to the bare-branch trees for an extra special touch)

2012 Valentine's Day Boyd's Bear Village2012 Valentine's Day Boyd's Bear Village closeup

Spring/Summer

Usually in March, I will remove the bare-branch trees and will replace them with a set of full green trees.  Next, in the railroad model section of my local craft store I found miniature white, pink and yellow tulips which I added to the top and bottom sections of the display inserting them into the Spanish moss so they would remain upright.  To complete the Spring/Summer display I placed several of the Boyds Bear Village small figurines.

2013 Spring Boyd's Town2013 Spring Boyd's Town closeup 1

Fall – Halloween & Thanksgiving

In mid-October, I will remove all the Spring/Summer accessories.  Then, I will replace the Spring/Summer trees with several bare-branch and golden brown trees for a more seasonal autumn look.  Next, for Halloween I will add several “trick or treaters” figurines, a pumpkin patch figurine and several miniature pumpkins to display.  As a final touch, I will add a “harvest moon” in the right corner of the display.  For Thanksgiving, I will remove the Halloween figurines and on the left side I will add a figurine of two small turkeys.  Last year, I could find the right accessories to add to the Fall display so I made sunflowers from small buttons that I found in my local craft store.  I added small twigs, which I attached through the button hooks on the back and glued small leaves onto the twigs and placed them near the rock wall on the lower section.  I also added small corn stalks near the fence on the top section.

2012 Halloween Boyd's Bear Village

2012 Fall Boyd's Bear Village closeup 1    2012 Fall Boyd's Bear Village closeup 2
2013 Fall Boyd's Town closeup 1    2013 Fall Boyd's Town closeup 2

Winter – Christmas

At the beginning of December, I remove all of the Fall figurines and replace the Fall Trees with snow covered pine trees for a winter look.  Next, I add a small Santa bear and several snowmen figurines.  I also add several tiny lamp posts accented with Christmas wreaths and place them near each of the Boyds Bear Village house.  To finish the display I sprinkle several miniature snowflakes which I found in my local craft store.

2012 Christmas Boyd's Bear Village 1

So, I hope you enjoyed seeing how I set up my Boyds Bear Village and also how I accessorize the display throughout the year!

 

Celebration – Teddy Bear Day

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Children around the world have received and cherished their beloved teddy bears throughout the years.  These teddy bears could range from the expensive and classic Steiff bears to the contemporary Boyds bears or iconic storybook bears such as Paddington Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh or Smokey the Bear.  Sometimes these tattered teddy bears become family heirlooms passed down to future generations.  So, in honor of Teddy Bear Day, this post will discuss the history of the Teddy Bear.

Teddy's BearThe teddy bear is named for the 26th President of the United States, Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt.  Roosevelt had become known for his love of the natural wonders and wildlife of the United States.  Legend has it that on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi in 1902 Roosevelt found a wounded small bear and he ordered that the bear should be spared from being killed.  The story was depicted in a political cartoon, “Drawing the Line in Mississippi” by Clifford Berryman, which appeared on November 16, 1902 in the Washington Post.

Soon after the cartoon was published, Morris Michtom was inspired by the illustration and his wife, Rose, created a stuffed toy version of “Teddy’s bear” that he put for sale in the window of his candy store in Brooklyn, New York.  The little teddy bear received instant notice and Michtom started to mass–produce the stuffed toys and eventually he founded the Ideal Toy Co.

Steiff teddy bearMeanwhile at the same time, the Steiff Company had created their own bear that they showcased at the 1903 Toy Show in Germany.  Margarete Steiff had created a mohair fabric bear with button eyes, an embroidered nose and a body that was stuffed with wood shavings and had full articulated head, arms and legs.  An order was placed by a buyer for the George Borgfeldt & Company in New York which proved to be an instant success.

Within a few years other manufacturers began to produce their own versions of the teddy bear.  The early models of teddy bears were made to resemble real bears with small eyes and longer noses.  Gradually, the modern teddy bears were made with smaller noses and larger more “friendly” eyes in a variety of fabrics such as synthetic furs, cottons, satins, silks, denim and canvas.  Also different types of bears were made such as polar bears and pandas.  (Speaking of pandas, I still have an old stuffed wind-up musical panda bear that I received from my godparents when I was a child which bring back wonderful memories of falling asleep to the soothing sound of Brahms Lullaby)

Interesting Teddy Bear Facts

  • In 1834, the first bear in literary form, it was the fairytale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” which was written by Robert Southey.
  • In 1908, the English J.K. Farnell Company, which originally produced tea cosies and pincushions, started to manufacture the first British teddy bears.
  • With the tragic sinking of the Titanic on her maiden voyage in 1912 the Steiff Company created a black stuffed bear that was given as a mourning gift to those that lost their loved ones.
  • In 1920, the first Rupert Bear story of the Little Lost Bear, which was written and illustrated by Mary Tourtel, appeared in the UK newspaper, the Daily Express.
  • In 1926, the first A.A. Milne book of the Winnie-the-Pooh series was published and the character has remained one of the most famous and loved bears of all times.  In 1959, Disney acquired the rights to the Winnie the Pooh stories and later, in 1975, they released their first animated film based on the character.  (For more information about A.A. Milne, please click on the link)
  • In 1944, Smokey the Bear was first used as the mascot of the U.S. Forest Fire Prevention campaign.
  • In 1958, the first Michael Bond book of the Paddington Bear series was published, the character proved to be another popular bear.

Speaking of bears, as previously mentioned in other posts on this website, I have a large collection of Boyds Bears stuffed animals and figurines.  For more information about this collection, please click on the following links: Displaying a Boyds Bear Collection Part One & Two.  Also be sure to check out the additional post, Displaying a Boyds Bear Village.

Craft – Grandparent’s Day photo frames

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In honor of Grandparent’s Day, which is celebrated on the first Sunday in September, here is a simple craft idea for a sentimental way to remember and display photographs of those grandparents that are no longer with us.  My parents have been gone now for several years and this year I wanted to display their photos in our home in a special way for my children to remember their maternal grandparents.

Shown below are two different ways that I could display each of the photos of my parents which are framed using ivory mats and simple wooden frames.  Each version features items that hold special meaning –

Father/Grandfather photo frame

The first version uses items that were once used by my father.  I used four wrenches from my father’s tool box and arranged them around a simple wooden 5×7 frame holding the photo of my father.  Other ideas which could be attached to the frame are car keys, fishing hooks or golf tees.  Another idea for a bigger 8×10 frame would be to use a large single wretch, screwdriver, hammer or other tools.

The second version uses a personal item of my father, his stripped bowtie.  Other ideas for items that could be attached to the frame are cuff links, military id tags or maybe a special tie wrapped around the frame.

Grandparents photo frame 5    Grandparents photo frame 3

Mother/Grandmother photo frame

The first version uses items that were once used by my mother.  I used a string of my mother’s pearls and a cameo that my mother gave to me as a gift.  I arranged the pearls in soft curves and attached the cameo at the top to cover the necklace clasp.  Both these items, one from my mother’s personal jewelry and the other a special gift from her, have important meaning to me.  The second version features a pair of rhinestone fur clips which are attached to the bottom of the frame.

Grandparents photo frame 2    Grandparents photo frame 1

I hope these photo frames inspire the idea of creating and decorating Grandparent’s Day photo frame to honor and remember those grandparent’s that are no longer with us.

For more information about the history of Grandparent’s Day and for additional gift ideas, please click on the link.

Travel – The Walt Disney Family Museum

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Walt Disney Family Museum 5

As many readers known from my previous posts, I grew up in Southern California about a one hour drive from Disneyland in Anaheim.CA.  Our family went often over the years we enjoyed seeing the attractions, riding the rides and the watching the parades at the theme park.  So, as a result of my interest in all things Disney, I have read many books on the fascinating history of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company.  This year, on a recent road trip to California, we took a side trip to see the Walt Disney Family Museum located on the grounds of the historic Presidio in San Francisco.

A brief history of the Walt Disney Family Museum

The Walt Disney Family Museum is located on grounds of the Presidio which was a former U.S. military facility located in San Francisco.  The Presidio was closed as a US government Army post in 1989 and the administration of the property was transferred to the National Park Service.  The museum, which opened in 2009, is funded by the Walt Disney Family Foundation which was started by Diane Disney Miller, Walt’s daughter, and was built as a lasting memorial to Walt Disney’s work in animated films, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry including his beloved theme parks.  The museum occupies three brick buildings and the two main buildings were formerly Army barracks which were originally built in the 1890s and additional special exhibits are displayed in the adjacent Diane Disney Miller Exhibition Hall which was formerly the Presidio gymnasium which was built in 1904.

The 40,000 square feet space of the main portion of the museum features an interior designed with state of the art exhibits and interactive displays in 10 themed galleries that the visitors can move through in chronological order viewing the highlights of Walt Disney’s personal and professional life.  There is also a movie theater located in the lower level of the museum which shows limited engagements of past classic Disney movies and the theater’s interior design was inspired by the scene of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from the 1940 movie “Fantasia” which coincidentally was the first film to shown in the theater after the museum opened.

Disney Museum Theater

One of the most interesting elements of the museum, aside from the fact that visitors can view a wonderful collection Disney historical artifacts and memorabilia, is being able to hear Walt’s narration of the various stages of his life played throughout the various sections of the museum.  These voice tracks came from 19 hours of tapes that Diane, Walt’s daughter, had made during the 1950s which were to be used later as source for a biography about her father.

A tour of the Walt Disney Family Museum

Lobby - Disney's Academy Awards display caseIn the lobby of the museum are several display cases with the 248 awards that Walt received during his long career in the entertainment industry.  Some of those awards include the twenty-six Academy Awards that he received throughout his career including his first two Academy Awards received in 1932 for the Best Short Subject Film (“Flowers and Trees” cartoon) and an Honorary Academy Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse. In 1939, Walt was presented with another Honorary Academy Award for the achievement of the first feature length animated film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (Be sure to take a look at the award as it was cleverly presented in the form of one full sized Oscar statue and seven additional miniature ones presented on stepped base) Also shown in the lobby display cases are Disney’s seven Emmy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom which was presented to Walt in 1964 by President Johnson, and several honorary degrees from such prestigious colleges as Harvard, Yale, the University of Southern Californian and UCLA.

Lobby 1    Lobby 2

As previously mentioned, the ten permanent galleries in the museum are arranged in chronological order.  The first gallery is “Beginnings: Walt Disney’s Early.  As visitors enter this section, one wall shows photographs of the Disney family, including Walt’s grandparents and his parents. (Be sure to look for the charming photo of baby Walt and also a copy of his birth certificate) The displays in this section tell Walt’s story which begins in 1901 when he was born Chicago, IL and follows the family as they moved to a small farm in Marceline, MO to Kansas City, MO and then back to Chicago in 1917 where Walt attended McKinley High School and also took night classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.  (Be sure to look for a copy of the Voice Yearbook from McKinley High which featured illustrations drawn by Walt)  After graduating, Walt joined the American Ambulance Corps stationed in France for the duration of World War I. (Visitors will see a replica of one of the ambulance vehicles that Walt drove on display in this section of the museum) When Walt returned to the states in 1920, he chose to go back to Kansas City to work for an advertisement company.  By this time in his life Walt had discovered the art of animation and he became fascinated by this relatively new form of entertainment.  Eventually, Walt started the Laugh-O-Gram Films which produced animated short films but unfortunately the company soon went bankrupt and Walt moved to California. (Be sure to look for Walt’s Laugh-O-Gram business card and the company’s first stock certificate that was issued to Walt’s parents, Elias and Flora Disney)

Gallery 1 - Disney Family photos    Gallery 1 - American Ambulance Corps vehicle

The second gallery of the Museum is “Hollywood” tells Walt’s story of when he arrived in California in 1923 hoping to find employment working in Hollywood as a movie director.  Walt and his brother, Roy, formed the Disney Bros. Studio company and hired several former employees of Laugh-O-Gram to come to Hollywood to work on the series of live action/animated short films based upon the Alice in Wonderland books.  Around this time, a girl named Lilian Bounds came to work at the Disney Studio in the “Paint and Ink” department.  Walt fell in love with the petite fun-loving Lillian and after a brief courtship they were married on July 25, 1925. (Be sure to look for a copy of Walt and Lillian’s marriage certificate)  Now, with the limited success of the Alice Comedies, the Disney Studio received a contract from Universal Pictures to create a series of animated shorts starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.  Walt had now started to focus more on story development, film direction and he was no longer working as an animator.  Then in 1928, despite film distribution problems with Universal, Walt went to New York City to negotiate higher fees and ended up losing not only the contract but also the rights to the character of Oswald, the situation taught Walt an important lesson about retaining financial and creative control in the entertainment industry.  Walt was very discouraged about the business setback but Lillian encouraged him to keep trying and on the train ride back to California Walt started to sketch ideas for a new mouse character which Lillian named Mickey Mouse.  (Be sure to look for the display featuring Walt’s first sketches of Mickey Mouse)  The character of Mickey Mouse went on to become a national sensation, especially after he was featured in the first animated film with synchronized sound. (Visitors should check out the large display of the Mickey Mouse merchandise that was available in those early years of the company)

Gallery 2

The third gallery of the museum is “New Horizons”.  With the financial success of Mickey Mouse, the Disney Bros. Studio now had the funds to move into much larger facilities.  The newly renamed Walt Disney Studios now concentrated on improving their animation techniques with better equipment that was used to create the first Technicolor cartoons.  Visually the quality of the Disney cartoons increased to another level with improved story lines, character development and better sound quality with music added to the finished cartoons.  As previously mentioned, in 1932 Walt won his first Academy Award for the Best Short Subject Film, “Flowers and Trees”, one of the animated cartoons in the “Silly Symphonies” series.  That same year, Walt received an Honorary Academy Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse.  (Visitors can see both these Academy Awards are in the display case in the lobby of the museum.  Also on display in this section are several Silly Symphonies animation cels and character merchandise) The Studio was now very successful and Walt had attained fame and celebrity status but there was another more personal reason that brought him happiness.  Walt and Lillian had been blessed with two daughters, Diane born in 1933 and Sharon born in 1936.  (Be sure to take the time to look at a few of the Disney family photos)

Gallery 3 - Mickey Mouse memorabilia    Disney Museum -first sketch of Mickey Mouse

The fourth gallery in the museum is “The Move to Features”.  This section features displays of the Disney Studios first full-length animated movie, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”.  The film took over four years to complete and premiered on December 21, 1937 at the Carthay Theater near downtown Los Angeles.  During the production process, the Disney Studios brought in live animals so that the animators would be able to study and draw the animals in a realistic style and not “cartoon” features.  The Studio developed a special Character Model Department where sculptures were created so that the animators could study the characters from all sides allowing them to draw better figures.  (Be sure to check out some of the very detailed three dimensional figures in this section.  Also displayed are several original artwork and character studies drawings used to create the Snow White film) After losing the rights to the Oswald character in the 1920s, Walt had learned an important lesson about marketing and numerous Snow White items were sold to promote the movie.  (Look for the Snow White Doll and charm bracelet in the display case in this section of the museum)

Snow White Doll    Snow White charm bracelet

The fifth gallery of the museum is “New Success and Greater Ambitions”. With the critical success of Snow White, the Disney Studios had achieved the financial means to build a new state of the art facility in Burbank, CA. and went on make Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia over the next ten years.  The production process for each of these films took several years to complete starting with Walt’s famous storyboards which were used to determine the film’s final storyline that would inspire and guide a team of animators to create the final drawings that were sent to the paint and ink department to be colorized and then filmed using the unique multiplane camera which gave the illusion of depth to the two dimensional characters drawn by the animators.  (Be sure to take a close look at the multiplane camera on display in this section, visitors are able to view the camera from two different levels on the first and second floors)  Each of these films received great critical acclaim but brought the Studio only minimal financial success due to the onset of World War II causing a decrease in theater attendance in the United States and very limited international distribution.  (In this section of the museum, visitors will see rare production artwork, character models, drawings and animation cels for all three films and the unique animator desk which was specifically made for the Disney Studio)

Gallery 5    Multiplane camera - view from second floor

The sixth gallery is “The Late 1930s to Mid 1940s”. This period of time is the Walt’s life was plagued by a series of unfortunate circumstances and events.  On a personal note, both Walt’s parents died; first his mother, Flora, in 1939 and later his father, Elias, in 1940.  Then in May 1941 the Walt Disney Studios faced an employee strike which lasted several weeks severely damaging the company and Walt’s reputation.  (Be sure to take the time to look at the photos and union flyers from the strike)  During the time of the strike and before it had been settled, Walt was advised to remove himself the negotiation process and a special U.S. State Department “goodwill” trip to South America was quickly planned.  As a result of this trip, the Disney animated feature, Saludos Amigos, starring the Three Caballeros was later made.  Back at home, the Disney Studios production of Dumbo had been halted during the strike but it eventually premiered in October 1941 and received very limited success.  (In this section of the museum there are many drawings, character studies and animation cels from Dumbo)  Then with the start of World War II, the Disney Studios lost many of their employees as the men went to serve in the U.S. military during World War II.  Once again production stopped on many of their animation films and instead they did their patriotic duty by making training films for the military and other morale-boosting shorts films such as Der Fuehrer’s Face starring Donald Duck.  (Display in this section are various military regiment and squadron insignias created by the Studio featuring Disney characters)

Gallery 6

In the seventh gallery is the “Post War Rebuilding”.  This section of the museum covers the Disney years between the Mid 1940s to the early 1950s.  With the end of World War II, the Disney Studios produced several successful animated films; Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Lady & the Tramp.  During this time, Walt had decided to venture from animated films into live-action productions with the 1950 Treasure Island and 1954 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  (In this section, visitors will see several concept and animation art from these animation and live-action films including the underwater camera used in the filming of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)  Before, proceeding into the next area of the museum, there is a wonderful display of some of the Disney personal possessions including Walt’s large collection of miniatures.  (Be sure to look for the unique charm bracelet that was a gift from Walt to his wife, Lillian, to acknowledge the important personal role that she played in his professional success.  The 18k gold bracelet features twenty miniature Oscar charms to represent those Academy Awards he received)

Gallery 7    Lillian Disney's Oscar charm bracelet

The eighth gallery of the museum is “Walt and the Natural World”.  Walt had always loved nature since he was a young boy growing up on the farm in Marceline, MO.  When the Disney Studios had ventured into making live-action films it naturally (no pun intended!) led to nature documentaries.  The first one, the 1949 Seal Island, featured a group of seals and their seasonal habits.  Since the Disney Museum is located in the Presidio, the large floor to ceiling windows in this section allows visitors some wonderful views of the Golden State Bridge.  (Be sure to stop and take a few minutes to enjoy the view and it is also a perfect opportunity to get a great photo of the Bridge!!)

Disney Museum exterior - rear    View of Bridge from Museum

The ninth gallery is “The 1950s and 1960s: The Big Screen and Beyond”.  This section is one on the largest areas in the museum because it encompasses a twenty year span that was one of the most productive times in the Disney Company.  For the first time, the Company was financially secure and Walt was able to build a beautiful home in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles.  (Walt was an amateur model railroader so be sure to see the Lilly Belle, a 7¼ scale model locomotive, that Walt built and used on the track installed in his backyard that is displayed in this section of the museum)  The Disney Studio had established a reputation for making quality animated and live-action films and during this time they also started making weekly television shows.  Some of the most successful were the Disneyland TV show which help to fund and market Walt’s new theme park and was later renamed the Wonderful World of Disney, The Mickey Mouse Club which featured a cast of young talented Mouseketters, Davy Crockett which featured a catchy theme song and started the national craze of coon-skinned hats and the adventure series, Zorro.

Gallery 9

The Disney Company had also expanded into other parts of the entertainment industry.  Walt had a big dream to create a theme park that would be filled with attractions and rides that families could enjoy.  Disneyland opened in July 1955 and proved to be successful with the public and very profitable for the Disney Company.  (This section of the museum has several displays of the theme park memorabilia but be sure to check out the large model of Disneyland, the details are amazing!)  Special note: If you are looking for more detailed information about Disneyland, I would like to recommend the five part series which features the history of Walt’s first theme park and the various attractions and rides of Disneyland.  Just click on the link, Part One – The history of Disneyland.

Lilly Belle model    Disneyland model

When Walt was planning and building his theme park, he created a separate department of the Disney Company.  This creative group of imagineers went on to work on several projects for the 1964-65 World’s Fair which as held in New York and later some of these attractions were added to Disneyland, such as It’s a Small World and the Carousel of Progress.  Walt was fascinated with the new technologies being developed at this time and incorporated many of these ideas into his latest project, EPCOT the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which he was planning on building near Orlando, Florida.

The Disney Company continued to make movies and one of their most successful ones premiered in 1964.  The Mary Poppins movie was based on the books written by P.L. Travers and was an instant hit with both the critics and public.  Walt would receive the Best Picture Academy Award for Mary Poppins in 1965.  Special note:  For more information about this classic Disney movie, please click on the link Mary Poppins – the book, movie and play.

The tenth and final gallery of the museum is “Remembering Walt Disney”.   When Walt Disney died on December 5, 1966 the world mourned and this section displays the many letters, telegrams, newspaper and magazine articles that were written shortly after his death expressing not only the feeling of sorrow but also acknowledging appreciation for the quality entertainment that Walt provided to the millions of people around the world.  This section of the museum is a wonderful way to reminder visitors of the lasting legacy of Walt Disney.

Gallery 10

Travel note: When the Presidio closed in 1994, the National Park Service took over the administration of the property and several buildings were converted into business and corporate facilities.  Located near the Walt Disney Family Museum is George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic.  Just in case you were wondering, the Lucas campus is a working production facility and there are no public tours offered.  (Darn it!!)  Visitors are welcome to enjoy the 17 acres of the beautifully landscaped public property surrounding the buildings of ILM and if you decided to take a walk there be sure to look for the “Yoda” water fountain.  

If you are looking for more Disney experiences, we would highly recommend a visit to Marceline, Mo if you are planning a visit to the Midwest.  Last year, we took a road trip to the boyhood home of Walt Disney and enjoyed seeing the Disney family home, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum located in the old Santa Fe Railroad Train Station, the Walt Disney Elementary School and walking along the street in Marceline that is said to be the inspiration for the Main Street at Disneyland.  (If you are interested, please click on the link, Walt Disney’s Marceline, for additional details regarding a visit to this small Midwest town)