Well Cinderella’s coach turns into a pumpkin at midnight so I decided to take a pumpkin home with me as a souvenir of our mother-daughter vacation to Walt Disney World. My mother and I stopped in to Crystal Arts on Main Street USA in Disney’s Magic Kingdom on Saturday, September 17th following our amazing roles as Grand Marshals of the Festival of Fantasy Parade (but that’s a whole other blog post). Our timing was spot on since it was 3:55 pm and the next glass blowing demonstration began at 4:00 pm.
Crystal Arts is home of the Arribas Brothers, one of three locations at Walt Disney World, and 19 locations worldwide. The other two Walt Disney World locations are at Disney Springs, formerly known as Downtown Disney, as well as a small glass shop in Epcot World Showcase in the Mexico pavilion. We browsed the shop filled with crystal, jewelry and hand blown glass items until the artist, Cast Member Charlie, arrived to showcase his glass blowing talent. I inquired if I could have a custom-made pumpkin made and much to my surprise and pleasure he said yes and proceeded to ask what colors I had in mind for my pumpkin. There were a few pumpkins on display of various colors but I couldn’t pass up watching an artisan make a custom item just for me. The base was a white opalescent glass with light and dark purple as well as bright yellow flecks. For the stem and tendrils I wanted a metallic/shiny gold. Charlie began by capturing a small amount of glass on the end of the metal rod. I’ll let the photos show the progression of the piece.
The kiln used is 2400 Fahrenheit and it is on at all times. A very warm job indeed.
The entire process took about 25 minutes. I was so excited unwrapping my pumpkin when it arrived one week later. The box was well packed and it arrived in one piece! It’s gorgeous and I’m so glad that we stopped in to see the shop that day.
I can’t wait to see what is available for custom order when I return in December. I have a feeling I may be purchasing a Christmas gift or two.
Did you know you can have custom glass and crystal items made at Walt Disney World? Will you be stopping in on your trip? Have you purchased a piece from Arribas Brothers in the past? Show us the photos of your items!
As always, please like and share my page and contact me to plan your next “Magical Adventure”! betsy@magicaladventurestravel.com
Betsy Walker Travels 