Celebrating May the Fourth with excitement over Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

The happiest May the Fourth to all my Star Wars fellows! Indeed, it's a very happy date since reservations for the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge were officially opened a couple of days ago. This same month, the land will be opening at Disneyland for visitors to enjoy, so May will definitely be filled with Star Wars celebrations. I've already started the festivities by pulling off a "why hadn't I made this before?" Darth Maul inspired DisneyBound, like the Sith Lord I hope to become someday.

The Star Wars area at Disney's Hollywood Studios has always been one of my favorite parts of that park. So, naturally, the news of an expansion made me jump of joy... even though I must admit that I'll miss the Backlot Tour! Galaxy's Edge looks fantastic in all the photos and videos that have been released to date, and I can't wait to see it live once it fully opens. I think it's curious how Disney opted for a "reservation" method for Disneyland, but won't be having a similar procedure for Hollywood Studios. Obviously, Galaxy's Edge will be overflowing with expectant guests once it's open to the public, so controlling access to it may prove to be a nice way to improve the guests' experience once they're in.

Entering Galaxy's Edge will immerse us into the planet Batuu, which has never appeared in any of the Star Wars films before. We'll be visiting Black Spire Outpost, where we'll be able to explore around feeling like we're right in the middle of the Star Wars universe. By the way, did you know that this name comes from the fact that Batuu is known for its many spires, particularly the one where the outpost was built? It will be interesting to see the land morph and adapt itself to the twists and turns of the newest Star Wars films, since it's set within the newest sequel trilogy's time frame.

Concept art of Black Spire Outpost at Batuu. Photo from Gizmodo.com

One of the most attractive thing to see at Galaxy's Edge is the Millenium Falcon stationed at the outpost, which houses one of the new attractions: Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run. The other new attraction is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. An interesting aspect is that both rides will feature different versions within the same attraction, just like the latest upgrade Disney did on Star Tours. I'm quite thankful that Star Tours is also remaining untouched at Hollywood Studios.

Another thing I'm really excited about is all the new merchandise, food and drinks that will be offered within Galaxy's Edge. There will be four food stands and one cantina, with so many exclusive things on the menu that you'll need to come back several times to try everything. I'm especially intrigued by the fried Endorian tip-yip and the carbon freeze drink. Of course, the classic blue milk and its newest spin -green milk- are also on my list. On the other hand, there will also be nine new shops where you can buy different types of items including plushies, t-shirts, creature replicas, action figures, robes, accessories, home decor, lightsabers and much more.

Photos of merchandise, shops and attractions at Galaxy's Edge. Photos from Gizmodo.com

Speaking of lightsabers, it's been so cool to see people building their own lightsaber at the small station in Star Tour's exit shop through the past years; but it will be even cooler to have Savi's Workshop. This will provide visitors with a unique experience to "professionally" build their own lightsaber based on one of four disciplines and a kyber crystal (or lightsaber crystal) that each guest must choose from. A similar shop called Droid Depot will invite guests to create their own radio controlled droid, whether it's an R or BB series robot.

I'm more than positive that with all these new additions we'll be seeing much more of the Rebellion, the First Order, the Jedi force and the dark side, as the storylines keep developing through time and alongside the movies and other parts of the Star Wars franchise. We'll get the chance to feel like we're truly inside the Star Wars universe; eating, walking and breathing like Batuu citizens or even as galactic passersby. 

On the whole, I think of Galaxy's Edge as the perfect addition us, Star Wars and Disney Park fans, didn't know we needed. All that's left is to experience it ourselves. Unfortunately, my husband and I won't be able to make it to the parks this year, but we're definitely planning to travel to Disney World next year and hit up Hollywood Studios for a good dose of Star Wars at Galaxy's Edge. By the way, hopefully, when the crowds are not as crazy (as I'm sure they will be starting on May 31 and August 29 respectively)!

What are you most excited about? Leave a comment below!

I'll be posting more pictures (and a cool video) on my Instagram account, so feel free to follow me on social media for more content! 

March DisneyBound Challenge 2018 outfit summary

It's obvious that this year has been slow for me in terms of blog writing. Only one post in three whole months! However, I must highlight that I've been a little busy planning a new project that you'll likely discover soon enough. But, I really didn't want March to go by unnoticed because of the wonderful experience in which I took part during the last 31 days.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you've probably already noticed that every single day of March I have posted a Disney-inspired outfit portraying a Disney character, item or park. What you may not know is that every year the fabulous Leslie Kay promotes the March DisneyBound Challenge from her well-known @TheDisneybound Instagram account and her DisneyBound Tumblr. Following the hashtag #DisneyBoundChallenge you will find quite a fashionable flood of Disney-inspired ensembles from hundreds of Disney fans from all around the world.

The trick about the DisneyBound Challenge -it is a challenge, after all- is that you must follow a pre-determined theme for each day of the month. This year some of the topics included movies like The Little Mermaid, A Wrinkle in Time, and Cinderella; characters like princes, sidekicks and villains; and even some other themes like rule breakers, 90s styles and park attractions.

According to @TheDisneybound, this year's challenge doubled the amount of Instagram posts using #DisneyboundChallenge, going from less than 14,000 images before the challenge started to an overwhelming post count of almost 29,000. This implies there's a flowing river of Disney-inspired outfits to admire and take inspiration from. What I liked the most about this challenge was seeing all the different styles, combinations and creative views within the Disney community. Everyone comes together, free to use their imagination and express their personality, thanks to a conjoined love and admiration for the happiest place on Earth and everything around it.

In the photos above you can see my 31 bounds for the month. It was so fun to participate in this year's #DisneyboundChallenge, but it was also a daring task to keep up with the challenge every day. I'm also really glad about taking the decision of changing my backdrops after the first four DisneyBounds that I posted. The extra effort of finding locations was really worth it! Feel free to visit my Instagram account @edu_and_joy to check out all my March bounds and some older Disney outfits from past months.

Remember to follow me on social media to get all my new posts! 

Star Wars 40th anniversary inspiration

The Star Wars Celebration wrapped up this weekend after four glorious days of commemorating 40 years of this amazing saga. The event took place at Orlando, Florida, and featured fantastic panels of guests, live interviews, behind the scenes and screenings, autograph signings, and a touching storytelling tribute to Carrie Fisher. Visitors could also tour around the Star Wars art show, explore movie props, costumes, life-size replicas and scenery, and shop for Star Wars merchandise in over 200 stands at the exhibit hall. 

My take for this 40th anniversary Star Wars celebration came in the shape of two heart-warming dresses that I was able to purchase in my last visit to Walt Disney World. Featuring two of the most beloved droids in the galaxy, BB-8 and R2-D2 respectively, the outfits fit perfect for the occasion. These belong to a collection of four Star Wars dresses sold by the DisneyStore, which also include a C-3PO model and a galactic Star Wars logo version.

DisneyStore®

All four dresses have a cotton t-shirt-like top printed with the droids' icons in color and glitter detailing, with a gathered detail on the sleeves. My two dresses come with a white top attached to a soft two-layer tulle skirt with polyester taffeta lining. Both are presented with a silver stretch band placed just over the waist, where the top meets the skirt. While R2-D2's model has matching dark blue tulle and lining, BB-8's version has a droid icon printed over white lining, which peeks out through the tulle's orange mesh.

The other two dresses are made with yellow and black tops with color-matching skirts. The BB-8 and C-3PO models are out of stock already, and apparently won't be restocked again. I had seen these dresses on the DisneyStore webpage, but got to try on the R2-D2 one at the Legends of Hollywood shop in Disney's Hollywood Studios. I bought the artoo dress straight away, but was able to snag the BB-8 one exactly my size after the clerk told me it had been sold out everywhere, and suggested to give it a shot online.

The bright colors, the fresh fabric, the full tulle skirts, the comfortable fit, and of course the timeless and memorable characters pictured in each dress make these outfits my top picks for this week and pretty much any other moment in life.

Although I was sadly unable to attend the event, I watched most of it through live stream. Gladly, I was able to watch several surprises being unveiled, such as a new poster and a movie trailer for The Last Jedi, a sneak peek of Star Wars Rebels season four, hints about new characters and storylines, and a debut appearance at Star Wars Celebration by Harrison Ford. Guest speakers included directors George Lucas and Rian Johnson, LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy, executive producer Dave Filoni, music composer John Williams, actors Warwick Davis, Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Ian McDiarmid, Billie Lourd, Billy Dee Williams, and other incredible panelists.

LucasFilm / Disney

So after this thrilling experience, don't forget to set your countdown clocks for eight months from now, as we brace ourselves for the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on December 15, 2017. I will definitely start preparing a special outfit for such an important day, and of course, I will be sharing it with you in due time.

Come back for more cool posts about fashion, crafts and other findings!