Home » Podcasts » Santa Clarita Woman Transforms Home Office To Make Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Part Of Her World (VIDEO)

Santa Clarita Woman Transforms Home Office To Make Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Part Of Her World (VIDEO)

Disneyland is known as the happiest place on earth, leading a Santa Clarita Disney fan to create her own fairy tale in the comfort of her own home.


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Donna Collins from Valencia put her Disneyland knowledge to the test to add some magic to her husband’s home office, decorating it with Haunted Mansion memorabilia she had been collecting for almost 20 years.

“I bought these stretching portraits and we moved to two different houses and I had them all rolled up and I had no idea where I was going to put these things,” said Collins.

Although her husband — who proposed to Collins 25 years ago through an Aladdin movie videotape dressed as none other than Aladdin himself — is also a Disney fan, he prefers Pirates of the Caribbean.

“Looking at my husband’s beige box that he had been working in for about 13 years, I decided, you know what, let’s make this a Haunted Mansion room,” she added.

Collins began to research the attraction and found the exact wallpaper design from the foyer. She even recreated the moldings in the stretching room, latching onto every detail of the mansion.

“I happened to have the rug and the drapes, and the green just really worked. The Victorian feel was just really perfect,” said Collins.

After researching for about a month, her husband told her that he needed to take a trip to the east coast and would be out of the office for five days.

Although her husband was miles and miles from his nice warm bed, Collins picked the paint colors while keeping her husband’s requests in mind: no purple and no Madame Leota, the spirit of a psychic medium residing in the Haunted Mansion who is displayed as a disembodied head inside a misty crystal ball.

Collins went un poco loco, but knowing that one day her prince would come back home, she was able to finish just in time.

“I had to book the molding guy and the wallpaper hanger and I painted everything myself. So one month and five days is how long it took me,” she said proudly.

It took her husband a while to get used to the room because the reflection from the mirror in front of his desk shows people on the wall staring down at him.

Collins went to infinity and beyond, adding details and items to her flawless design.

“Mike Peraza, the art director for ‘The Little Mermaid,’ told me, ‘You did a really great job,’” she said blissfully.

Most of the décor that Collins used is from Disneyland, but several items were bought from Disneyana, eBay and secondhand sales.

“But of course, I love to shop every time Disney comes out with something new,” said Collins in the most delightful way.

The latest piece in her collection within the office was a Christmas present for her husband, which was the sculpture of the opera star who’s in the graveyard of the Haunted Mansion.

The 54-year-old mother of three says her favorite part of the office was given to her four years ago on her 50th birthday.

“One of my friends who used to be a cast member went to Company D one day and they were doing a refresh on the Haunted Mansion, and she happened to see some tie backs from the storm windows,” she added. “Those actually hung in the Haunted Mansion, so I actually have a piece of the mansion here.”

As a long-time Disney fan, Collins’ love for the place where fantastical dreams come true began when she was two years old.

“My grandparents have always been fans of Disneyland,” said Collins. “I’ve been going for years because they used to live in Burbank right down the street from the studio, so I guess I’ve always been a Disney person.”

And although Collins doesn’t have an annual pass, she says she ends up at the park “an awful lot.”

Some may criticize her for making her Disneyland trips a necessity in her life, but that doesn’t stop her from living happily ever after.

“I have a wonderful Walt Disney quote for that,” she said. “‘Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.’”

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Santa Clarita Woman Transforms Home Office To Make Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Part Of Her World (VIDEO)

5 comments

  1. This is too much fun! I love this…I also love the Disneyland “Haunted Mansion!” What a treat to be able to “live it” like this creative woman is!

  2. So basically a women with too much time on her hands, maybe make your husband dinner instead of wasting your time.

  3. Nothing like making another day at the office feel like you just wanna die.

  4. I love this! I what a cute idea. It’s so sad to see some of the remarks that people make but one thing I’ve learned Mean people Love being mean for no reason and happy people can be happy for all reasons. Some people store their China in a china cabinet and you as a decorator went outside the box. I’ve been decorating for most of my life and I can appreciate your creative side in your decorating. You go girl sincerely Sheri:-)

  5. Thank you Sheri and Dianne! I really enjoyed working on this project and my hubby enjoys spending time in there, too, which was my ultimate goal! I love doing things for my family to make them happy!

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About Lorena Mejia

Lorena was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She attended California State University Northridge where she double majored in Journalism and Chicano Studies and minored in Spanish Language Journalism. While at CSUN, she worked for the university's television and radio newscast. Through her journalistic work, she earned membership to Kappa Tau Alpha, a national honor society for selected journalists. Her passion for the community has introduced her to new people, ideas, and issues that have helped shape the person she is today. Lorena’s skills include using cameras as a tool to empower people by informing them and creating change in their communities. Some of her hobbies include reading the news, exploring the outdoors, and being an avid animal lover. To contact Lorena, send your messages to lorena@hometownstation.com.