Disney Button Contest

Hi everyone!  While reading Miss Dashwood's blog, Yet Another Period Drama Blog, I heard about a fun Disney Button contest, being hosted by Stephanie of Eccentricitee.  You know me, I couldn't pass up a chance to be involved in something Disney, so I decided to give it a whirl, so to speak. ;)

The point of the contest is to make a button with a picture from a Disney film and a quote from another film or song.  You can read the original instructions HERE.

I had a lot of fun with this. :)  Here are my entries (I enlarged them a bit so they'd be easier to read):

Movie:  Disney's "Aladdin"

Quote:  Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet"

The rest of mine are from Beauty and the Beast (are you really surprised?). ;)

Movie:  Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"

Song:  Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music"

Movie:  Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"

Quote:  "Pride and Prejudice" 1995 (Lizzy to Mr. Darcy after his first proposal)

I just couldn't resist...the quote seemed so perfect! ;)

And finally, because Hubby and I have often commented on the similarities between the endings of Beauty and the Beast and Tangled:

Movie:  Disney's "Beauty and the Beast"

Quote:  Disney's "Tangled"

I had a great time coming up with these.  I hope some of you take the time to try this out yourselves! :)

New EBay Listings

Hi everyone!  Just a quick post.  I've been working on eBay listings all day and finally have everything done! :)  The main reason I'm letting all of you know is that I was able to pick up 2 Madame Alexander Friends Boutique dolls in the after Christmas clearance at Walmart.  I've had so many of you ask about them, especially Emily (who just happens to be one of the dolls I got!), that I thought I'd let you know.  I'm listing them for the price I bought them for, $16.99 (plus shipping, of course), with no reserve and no buy it now price.  My hope is that those of you who missed out on these dolls before Christmas might be able to snag one at a good price now.

I also have an American Girl Mini Anniversary Kit doll and some other fun doll and Disney stuff. :)  You can view my items for sale HERE.

I also wanted to update my header, and as you all know, I like to have my previous header added to my posts for my own enjoyment.  So, here's the current header, soon to be replaced (I really like how it turned out!):

I'm having issues with centering my new header, partially due to the fact that my camera somehow got on a setting where it's taking pictures with smaller megapixels...argghh!!  I'll keep trying, but for now, I'm just going to have to deal with an off-centered header.  As I'm a person who loves symmetry, I'm not sure I'll survive! ;)

I don't know how much I'll be on this weekend, but I do want to work on some of my promised upcoming posts in the next couple of weeks.  I don't like saying I'll do something and then not following through! :}  Unfortunately, with my brain the way it is and with all the responsibilities of home, it seems to happen more and more.

I'll be in touch!

Announcing the Winner of My 100,000 Pageviews Giveaway! :)

Okay folks, the results are in. ;)  Out of 24 entries, our winner is....

EMILY!!!!!!

Congratulations, Emily!  You'll be receiving an email from me shortly.  Remember, you have 1 week to respond and claim your prize.  If I don't hear from you by Saturday, February 4th, then another winner will be chosen.  

I'm pretty sure that Emily is one of our US entrants, everyone, but if she's not, I'll be sure to let you know. 

Thank you so much to all of you who entered.  Have a great weekend! :)

UPDATE:  I added this to the comments, but I thought I'd put it here in case some of you don't read the comments.  I've officially heard from Emily.  She's in the US, so she's the winner of all three items. :)

Last Day to Enter the 100,000 Pageviews Giveaway!

Hi everyone!  Just wanted to give you a quick reminder that today is the very last day to sign up for my giveaway.  If you have no clue what I'm talking about, click HERE to see the original giveaway post. :)

So far, we have 19 entrants (plus a few extras from those who have also participated in the Disney Tag), so the odds of winning are pretty good. :)  Remember, you can get an extra entry for participating in my DISNEY TAG, but only if you participate by no later than today! :)

Tomorrow, I will put all of the entrants' names in a hat (or bowl, or something) ;) and select the winner.  Just to remind everyone, once the name has been selected, I will contact the winner by email.  In this email, I will also confirm whether the winner is within the US or out of the country.  If the winner is within the US, they will receive all 3 items.  If they are outside the US, they will receive the PDF pattern ONLY, and the day after I hear from them, I'll do another drawing for the Tangled Squinkies and the Pepsi lip gloss. :)

Thanks for the great response to this giveaway.  I can't wait to see who our winner is! :)

The Doll Wardrobe Winter Photo Contest

So, it's that time of year again. :)  The Doll Wardrobe is having another photo contest, and the pictures from Round 1 are up for voting today.  HERE is a link to the original contest rules, in case you want to get in on Rounds 2 and 3, and HERE is a link to the Round 1 photos, so you can cast your vote! :)  There were 51 entries for this round, and I tell you, I'm glad I'm not deciding on the winners!  Everyone did a fabulous job! :)

Oh, and in case you're curious, this one was mine (Photo 7):

I know, the theme was "Winter Wonderland" and I have a rainy picture.  Snow is pretty rare in my neck of the woods, and I just flat ran out of time to make a pretend snow scene.  Then I realized, for my city, this is what a Winter Wonderland looks like, as much as I'd love to have a snowy winter.  I'm just entering to have fun and to challenge myself anyway.  And thankfully, there was at least one other person that had a non-snowy entry.  :)

I would encourage all of you to head on over and enjoy all of the creative photos. :)  I especially loved Photos 1 and 31. :)  Oh, and Photo 39 is my mom's.  Didn't she do a great job with her snow scene? (She's much more patient than I am!) ;)

Thank you for all of the entries for my giveaway!  Remember, all entries are due by this Friday!  I'll draw the name of the winner on Saturday. :D

Talk to you guys again soon! :)  

Picnik Closing

Hi everyone!  Thank you so much for all of the entries for the giveaway and for all of you who have participated in the Disney Tag.  It's been lots of fun seeing everybody's answers. :)

This is a sad day for many of us in the blogging world.  (And no, I'm not talking about SOPA, although I'm a bit concerned by that, too!)  I just got an email from Picnik.com last night, explaining that on April 19th, Picnik will be closing.  I have loved using Picnik for editing photos, creating headers, and much more.  I'm really going to miss it.

Along with this sad news comes some happy news for all of you.  From now until their closing, Picnik is offering their premium package, normally $24.95 per year, for free!  You can make things and save them to your computer for future use, so if you want to have some extra headers or blog buttons on hand, now is the time to do it!

The nice thing about Picnik premium is you have many more options for photo collages, fonts, and effects.  You also can store somewhere around 100 pictures at a time on Picnik instead of the 5 at a time for their normal free service.

The email was somewhat vague, but it kind of sounds like they're merging with Google plus, and it may be possible to transfer photos over from Picnik.  Hopefully it won't be too much of a hassle or too expensive!

Just thought I'd get the word out to everyone.  I'm not a real fan of change, especially when I've found something that works well for me, so I'm pretty disappointed by this.  I'm sure life will go on without Picnik, though.  I think. ;)

I'll keep you guys updated if I find another site that I like just as well.

100,000 Pageviews Giveaway!

It's time for a giveaway!! :)  I also wanted to celebrate my 100,000 pageviews (although now it's almost 102,000...you guys are awesome!) with a giveaway for my readers.  The winner of the giveaway will receive 3 different prizes. :) Please read all the way to the bottom of the post so you don't miss an important update to the giveaway rules! 

First, Deb of Debonair Designs has graciously donated a PDF file pattern for her latest creation, "Archipelago".  This pattern will allow you to make an adorable hat and sweater set like the ones you see below:

You can see more details about this pattern and its variations HERE on the Debonair Designs blog.  Deb will also be listing these actual sweater sets on eBay, so keep an eye on her eBay store!

I also have a couple of small things to add.  First is this adorable doll-sized vanilla Pepsi can (it's actually lip gloss, but it looks really authentic). :)

Here's Hayden demonstrating how great this works with your dolls.

Note, the paper around the can wasn't scrunched at the top until I put the clear rubber band around it, so be careful with your rubber bands! :(

Finally, I'm offering this adorable Tangled Squinkies set. :)  The set includes Rapunzel, Flynn, Maximus, Pascal, a bracelet and it's little charm thingees that keep the Squinkies on, and 4 Squinkies bubbles.

Here's a closer look at Rapunzel.  I just wanted to note that the quality control on this round of Squinkies didn't seem to be that great.  This set was the best one I could find that had a good Flynn and a decent Rapunzel.  You'll notice that not all of her hair is yellow where it's supposed to be.  I just wanted to point this out so you weren't disappointed when she arrived.

Flynn, however, is absolutely adorable! :)

Maximus and Pascal are really cute, too, although there seems to be a discrepancy in their sizes.  That's either one giant chameleon, or one tiny horse! ;)

Okay, now for the boring stuff. ;)

1.  To enter this giveaway, please leave your name or username and your email address in the comments below.  I have comment moderation on, so no one will see your information but me. 

2.  You may enter the Giveaway until Friday, January 27th.  On Saturday, January 28th, I will put all of the entrants' names in a hat and draw the winner.

3.  If you're under 18, please get a parent's permission before entering.  I will have to get your mailing address, and I'd like to know ahead of time that your parents are okay with that! :)

4.  Sorry to all of my international readers, but I'd like to keep this contest within the USA, simply because of shipping costs.  I hope you understand. :(

5.  There will be 1 winner...all of the giveaway prizes are going to be given together.

6.  The winner of the Giveaway will be notified via email and on this blog.  They will have one week to respond and claim their prize.  If I don't hear from them by Saturday, February 4th, then another winner will be chosen.

7.  I will email the winner the pattern as a PDF file.  The Pepsi can and the Tangled Squinkies will be mailed via snail mail.

Also, just to let you know, those of you who participate in my Disney Tag will get an extra entry in the Giveaway drawing, just for participating.  But hurry!  While I don't have a limit on the tag, you will only get a free entry if you participate by Friday, January 27th!

UPDATE:  I've had some interest from one of my international readers in the pattern offered in this giveaway, since it doesn't have to be shipped.  So, here's what I've decided to do.  If you are outside of the US but are interested in the Debonair Designs PDF pattern, you may enter the giveaway.  However, I will not be able to ship the Squinkies and soda can to you, so you will be entering for the pattern ONLY.  If you are an international reader and enter the giveaway, please let me know in your comment!  If I draw the name of someone from outside of the US, I will then hold another drawing for the Squinkies and the soda can.  If someone from the US has their name drawn, they will win all 3 items. 


I hope this helps! :)

Have fun entering, everyone!   And thanks again for being so amazing. :)

Disney Tag Blog Buttons...Sort of!! :}

Okay, after spending waaaayyyy too many hours of my life on these blog buttons, they are still not working properly.  So here's what you can do.  Copy your favorite picture below and save it to your computer.  Then go to your Design page on Blogger, click on "Add a Gadget", and choose "Picture".  There will be an option to add a link to the picture.  You can add this direct link to my Disney Tag post:  http://nevergrowupdollguide.blogspot.com/2012/01/disney-tag.html 

Add the picture and you should be good!  I'm sorry I have to do things this way, but it was just getting ridiculous.  Plus, my children really don't need to witness me having a mental breakdown. ;)

Hope this works for you.  If you have any questions or problems, just comment below and I'll see if I can help you. :)

Have fun and spread the word! :D

Disney Tag! :)

As promised, here's something to celebrate 100,000 page views:  a Disney Tag! :D

This tag is based on a literary tag I saw on Claire's Curiosity a while back.  I was actually working on my answers for the literary tag but never had the chance to finish them.  Then, when I was trying to figure out something special to do for my blog, I realized that doing a Disney variation of this tag would be perfect! :)

So, here's how it works.  You need to choose 10 Disney characters and put them in a numbered list.  They can be heroes, heroines, sidekicks, villains...whoever you want to choose.  They can be animated (either hand-drawn or computer animated) or live action characters.  And just a suggestion...it's a lot more fun if you have a wide variety of characters (the good, the bad, the ugly...). ;)  For the best results and the most fun, choose your characters BEFORE you look at the questions! :)

Now that you have a list of your 10 characters, here are the 10 questions (just insert each character's name in place of the appropriate number):

1.  If you had #1 and #7 over for dinner, what would you serve them and how would you entertain them?    


2.  #6 and #8 are going to sing a duet.  What is the title of the song they will sing? (It can be an actual song or one you make up)


3.  #2, #4, and #9 are on a quest.  What is the purpose of their quest, and who is the leader?


4.  Who would make a better librarian, #3 or #10?


5.  It's the final showdown of a Disney film.  #7 has to defeat #4.  How will he/she do it?


6.  #6 is holding a job interview.  The interviewees are #9, #3, and #8.  What is the job they are interviewing for, and who will get the position?


7.  In a sword fight between #1 and #5, who would win?


8.  In a musical number, what sort of dance would #10 perform while singing?  


9.  Who would make a better babysitter, #5 or #2?


10.  Once upon a time, in a faraway land, #9 dreamed of a different life than the one she/he had.  Meanwhile, in another part of the land, #7 and #5 were imprisoned and trying to escape.  They were in the clutches of the sinister #2, who refused to show any mercy.  


One day, #4 passed by the dungeon where #7 and #5 were held captive and heard their cries.  Moved with compassion, he/she vowed to not rest until he/she had done everything in his/her power to rescue them.  With that, #4 rushed off to get help.  


The first people (or characters) #4 came across were #1, #6, and #10, who were involved in a street faire.  #4 told the others of the plight of #7 and #5, and they were determined to help!  They decided to go to the nearest village to get the supplies they would need for such a rescue.


The nearest village was, of course, the village where #9 lived.  When he/she saw the others so hard at work, #9 asked what they were doing and was told of their quest.  Instantly, #9 broke into a spontaneous song, detailing that this was what he/she had been waiting for all of this time.  Then #9 joined in their rescue effort.


On their way back to the dungeon, they were confronted by #8, who had been hired by the villainous #2 to stop them.  Just when they thought all was lost, #3 appeared on the horizon...


What happens next? ;)  

Okay, you are all officially tagged! :)  There are 2 ways you can participate in this tag.  You can either post your answers on your own blog and leave a link to your post in the comments below, or you can just post your answers as a comment if you don't have a blog of your own.  If you have any questions, you can either comment on this post or email me at nevergrowup.beastsbelle@gmail.com. :)

I am in the process of working on some blog buttons to go with the tag.  I had some ready this morning, but after several hours of work and frustration which culminated in the loss of this ENTIRE POST, I decided that the blog buttons could wait for a while.  (So please participate in this blog party, because it was NOT fun getting it ready!!)  I guess you can learn something new even after 100,000 page views! :}

I have some other fun things planned, so be sure to check back!

I can't wait to see all of your answers to the tag! :)

Thank You for 100,000 Page Views (And More!)

We did it!  Thanks to all of you, I have officially reached over 100,000 page views!!  Thank you so much, everyone. :)

I have a couple of fun surprises planned for you, but I'm still working on a few last-minute details.  Keep your eyes peeled for a post later today! :)

Wow!

I'm overwhelmed, everyone!  120 followers and over 99,000 page views?  I honestly never thought I'd come this far.  Thank you for making this possible! :)

I just wanted to let you know that I have something special planned for when I hit 100,000 page views, so keep them coming! :)

I also wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten about some of my promised posts, such as Bollywood Reviews #2, a post about being a stay-at-home-mom for Claire, and a post about your future mate for Alisa.  They're in the works!!  These ones take a little more effort than my regular review posts.  I've been struggling with my Bollywood Reviews post because we no longer have Netflix, which is where I watch most of my Bollywood movies.  As a result, this post will probably not be as detailed as the last one.  And sorry if I've already mentioned this in a previous post.  I have a bad habit of being unintentionally repetitive! :}

I have some great ideas for other upcoming posts too, and I'm also going to be involved in a couple of doll photo contests...man, I'd better get my rear in gear!!  ;)

Anyway, thanks again for all of your lovely comments, emails, and page views.  I really appreciate all of you. :)

Fun New Disney Squinkies Coming Soon! :)

I was in Target last week and noticed some really fun upcoming Disney Squinkies in their display case.  I haven't seen any of these for sale in stores yet, but I'm really excited! :)

First off, they've made new Squinkies in the Cinderella and Ariel series:

Cinderella's series includes another Prince Charming, Cinderella in her pink ripped dress and blue dress, the Stepmother and Stepsisters, a horse, and the coach and castle for the Squinkies to sit on.

Ariel's new set includes Ariel in mermaid form and in a purple dress (I suppose it's supposed to be the dress her father makes for her when he turns her human again at the end of the movie, but I'm not 100% sure), Prince Eric, Attina, King Triton, and a sea snail.  It also has a seashell, a boat, and Ariel's Grotto that are all little things for the Squinkies to sit in.

Now for the ones I'm the most excited about! :)

First off, they've made a new Belle bracelet that includes the Prince! :)  He's a little too blonde, but I'll live. ;)

As you can see, the set includes Belle, the Prince, Mrs. Potts, and Chip. :)

Okay Tangled fans, this next one's for you! :)

Eep!  Tangled Squinkies! :)  I saw Flynn and Rapunzel in the display case in the store, and they were ADORABLE!  The nice thing about these being a bracelet set is that they should only be about $5.  These will SO be coming home with me. :)  Although, I have to admit, Pascal looks a little creepy! :{

Hayden's favorite Disney Princess is Jasmine (from Aladdin), so she's super excited about these next two sets:

The bracelet set comes with the Genie, Aladdin in his Prince Ali outfit, Jasmine, and the Sultan.  

There's also a larger set that comes with 2 different Jasmines, Aladdin in his street clothes, Abu as a monkey and an elephant, Genie, Rajah, the Magic Carpet, and Jasmine's bed.  

I'd love to grab a set of these for Hayden, but I'm not sure which one to do.  I'll probably start out with the bracelet set because it's cheaper, but I'd also love to have Abu and Rajah.  I guess I'll just have to wait and see. :)

There are also some new regular Squinkies, new Hello Kitty Squinkies, and Squinkies Zinkies, a special variation of Squinkies that are super small (they even come with a pair of plastic tweezers to pick them up!).  You can see all of them at the Squinkies.com website HERE.  

So, which ones are your favorites? 

Thrift Store Find!!! :D

Today, I happened to pop into my favorite thrift store and found a bag of doll-sized clothes marked at $2.50.  The clothes were really crammed into the bag and it was stapled shut, so I couldn't see everything that was in there.  I did notice one of the little paper American Girl magazines that comes with the My AG dolls and what looked like a bike helmet marked "American Girl", so I figured the clothing should be around the right size.  Toys were 25% off today, so I spent $1.88 total.

I had a few other stops to make (plus, someone was getting arrested in the parking lot as I came out of the store...I decided not to stick around!), so I waited a while before opening the bag.  My first chance to do so was in the parking lot of the local library.  My youngest daughter needed a snack before we went in, so I let her munch while I dug through my loot to see what I'd ended up with. :)

There were several Battat clothing pieces, 2 American Girl helmets, 7 American Girl hangers, and a few really cute handmade doll outfits.  One appeared to be a replica of Elizabeth's riding outfit.  I started getting really excited when I pulled out a beautiful handmade colonial-style white dress and matching handbag that looked like something off of Etsy. :)  And I almost started hyperventilating when I pulled out...Ruthie's Christmas Dress!!! :D

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good haul for $1.88. :)

Here are some pics of everything:

And here's the official complete list of everything that came in the bag:

1.  A handmade floral print dress with matching bloomers

2.  A handmade colonial dress and handbag

3.  Ruthie's Christmas dress from AG

4.  A handmade replica of Elizabeth's riding outfit (jacket and skirt)

5.  A handmade blue gingham jumper

6.  An unmarked long-sleeved white shirt

7.  A Battat tagged leather purse

8.  A leather satchel

9.  A mini AG catalog

10.  Seven AG hangers

11.  An unmarked t-shirt that reads: "Naples, Florida"

12.  Two short-sleeved Battat shirts

13.  Two Battat skirts

14.  One pair of handmade cutoff denim shorts

15.  One long-sleeved Battat shirt

16.  American Girl of the Year 2006 Jess's Scooter helmet (reddish-pink)

17.  American Girl Just Like You Island Scooter Helmet from 2007 (green)

18.  An unmarked bathing suit that appears to be too short and too wide for an AG doll

Here's a closer look at the purse and satchel.  Both have Velcro closure.

This is the handmade floral print dress.  It's really cute, especially with the matching bloomers.

Ruthie's dress!!! :D

Here's the lovely colonial dress.  

This is the jacket part of the replica of Elizabeth's riding set. 

Jess's helmet

Island Scooter helmet

A closer look at some of the other pieces (sorry they're sideways!)

Finally, one that uploaded correctly! :)

Of course, it's always more fun to see the clothes actually on a doll, so Hayden's here to oblige us. ;)

This is the floral print dress again.  Isn't it cute?

I love the detail on the bodice.

A peek at the matching bloomers (sorry, Hayden!).  This dress was not tagged, so I'm assuming it was purchased at a craft fair or made by a family member.

Here is Ruthie's Christmas dress.  I cannot get over how ADORABLE this is on Hayden!!!  I mean, it was nice before, but it looks great on her!

A closer look at the detail on the collar.

This reminds me a bit of some of the dresses I wore as a little girl, when my mom used to make all of my school dresses.

And here is the stunningly beautiful colonial dress.  This is nicely made and looks gorgeous on Hayden too!

I think white is definitely a good color for her! :)

Some of the incredible detail on this dress.  I'm sure I would have paid at least $25 for this on Etsy!

Here's a closer look at the pretty matching handbag. 

Finally, here we have the replica of Elizabeth's riding outfit.  I actually didn't connect that the skirt went with it until I was trying it on Hayden.  Then I realized that the lace trim on both pieces matched.  This outfit and the colonial outfit were both tagged "The Doll Clothes Store, Silverton, OR".  I looked them up online and found their official website.  You can view it HERE.  It looks like the colonial dress is no longer available, but this one is still there.  Apparently, it originally had a pink over skirt to match the jacket, just like Elizabeth's original outfit from American Girl.  

I know some people don't care for handmade items meant to look like the originals from American Girl, but I personally don't have a problem with them, as long as they are advertised as replicas and not originals.  I love finding dresses that look like the real deal that are much more affordable!  From what I've seen of the clothes I got in this lot, the products from The Doll Clothes Store appear to be well-made using good quality material.  

Okay, that's enough of that...moving on! ;)

I was a little disappointed by the length of the sleeves on this.  It almost looks like Hayden is trying on her older sister's jacket that she hasn't quite grown into yet. ;)  

The black ribbon is also frayed on one side, so I will probably try to replace it.  One exciting thing about this is that I was able to find a used Elizabeth doll on Craigslist that I've set aside for my oldest daughter's birthday in April.  I think this riding outfit will go with her just perfectly. :)