Celebrating Experiment 626 "Stitch" Day (plus Spongebob fun!)

This past Wednesday (6/26) was one of those classic Disney holidays that hundreds of Disney fans cannot let go unnoticed. It is known as "Experiment 626 Day", and it's just the right time to honor the crazy and adorable little blue alien that conquered our hearts around the peaceful beaches of Hawaii. Of course, we're talking about Stitch! 

Unfortunately, I'm a terrible person with timing, especially in terms of remembering any dates of special celebrations (birthdays, national holidays, release dates, you name it!). This caused me to join the Experiment 626 Day festivities quite late (on Sunday, to be exact). Furthermore, you see me posting this today, practically a week after the day in question. I've been especially busy raising my very own Experiment 626 - a.k.a. Nugget the puppy-. But, since Stitch is my favorite Disney character, it simply feels mandatory for me to commemorate him somehow. That's why I've taken this opportunity to showcase my modest -but growing- Stitch collection! So, I gathered all my Stitchy items (at least all the ones I could remember) and prepared these lovely photos.

As I said before, Stitch is my absolute favorite Disney character. I think he's a perfect mix between a rebellious soul, a brave explorer, a kind spirit and a funny friend. Plus, he's incredibly adorable and has some amazing battle skills! I especially love how he looks dressed up like Elvis, whom I also adore... though that's a story for another day. Stitch is simply darling to me, but I had another favorite prior to his addition to the Disney family.

Before Lilo & Stitch came out in 2002, I had been a fervent fan of Spongebob Squarepants, my favorite non-Disney character ever. (Fun fact: When I was even younger, my favorite character was Tweety Bird). I still adore Spongebob, but I share my love with Stitch as well. Anyway, I had started to collect lots of different Spongebob-related items, a collection of which I'm proud of to this day. Mug and cups, LEGO figurines, t-shirts, games, toothbrushes, a fleece blanket and many more are part of my treasure loot. You can see some of my collection below, but I missed quite a few items in this photo... which I realized way past taking the pictures.

There's a funny and curious thing about these two characters. Stitch and Spongebob share a connection that could have somewhat influenced me to adopt them as my favorite characters: both are related to Hawaii one way or another! Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of anything Hawaiian and tiki. Lilo & Stitch obviously takes place in Hawaii, specifically inspired by a town in Kauai, and it showcases many things about Hawaiian culture (like hula dancing!). Spongebob Squarepants, on the other hand, is set in Bikini Bottom, an underwater town hypothetically located below Bikini Atoll, one of the many islands that comprise the Marshall Islands, which in turn are located between Hawaii and the Philippines. Although it doesn't physically take place in Hawaii, the series does have lots of elements that imprint a Hawaiian style on it, such as the music and part of its decor. I really love Spongebob's goofy and innocent personality, and the fact that he has a kind spirit... just like Stitch!

I don't know if Spongebob and Stitch would get along wonderfully (especially since they live on opposite sides of the ocean), but these two tropical friends have been coexisting in my life for quite a while now, and I like to think of them as really good buddies. What do you think about this duo: friends or foes?

Don’t forget to follow my blog and social media channels to see more pictures! 

How To Make Your Own Spongebob's Pineapple Home

Spongebob's pineapple definitely portrays a unique and funny home choice. Now you can have your own with this make-your-own pineapple mini tutorial! 

These are the materials you will need to make this awesome piece:

-Pottery clay

-Water

-A balloon

-Pottery tools (A toothpick and a knife will do just fine)

-A sponge
-Paintbrushes

-Paint:

   +Green for the leaves

   +Yellow for the pineapple

   +Light blue for the windows, chimney & door

   +Orange for the details

Here's a small step-by-step with supporting images of the process:

1. Inflate the balloon just above the minimum capacity and build the pineapple's body around it. Make sure to make the bottom flat.
2. Carve out the two circles for the windows and a smaller lateral circle to insert the chimney.
3. Make the outer door and window frames molding thin clay rolls (about half a centimeter thick). Attach them to the body by making small markings with the toothpick on the areas to put together, wet them a little and stick the parts to the body. (You can also make the whole door with the helm instead of just the arch).
4. Make another roll for the chimney and attach a bell-like ending. Stick it into the lateral hole.
5. Take out the balloon carefully through the bottom of the body for the pineapple to stand on its own.
6. Trace the body lines with the toothpick or carving tool. Don't make them too deep or you could end up cutting part of the body! Then do the "X" markings in the middle of each "diamond" in the body.

7. For the leaves, make a half-centimeter thick layer and cut out 9 leaves: Starting from a middle leaf, draw the other four to each side, each becoming smaller than the last one. Then order them in a triangular shape (biggest in the middle, smallest on the edges). Attach them together with the same technique as before. Wet your sponge a little and rub it on the leaves smoothly to flatten any irregularities.
8. Attach the whole leaf bunch into the center-top body of the pineapple (same technique as before).

9. Leave it all to dry for a couple of days. (Unless you have one of those fancy pottery ovens).

10. Once dry, paint it all. I started by painting the orange details and the inner piece. Then I moved on to the yellow part. Next, the leaves. Afterwards, the door, windows and chimney. Finally, I passed a brush with orange dust-paint over the whole body in order to give it that fresh-pineapple appearance.
11. You can later coat the piece with white glue or varnish for extra protection. If you are going to use it on a fish tank or over humid dirt, you MUST bake it and coat it at least twice with varnish.

Voilá! A perfect Spongebob's pineapple home. 

You can use this pineapple as an ornament, as a cake topper, as an aquarium decoration or as anything you like. I personally made this one as a home for my escargot snail, Gary. Unfortunately he passed away before I managed to finish it properly. Now I just use it as a decorationin my tiki-themed bedroom.