Some of My Beauty and the Beast Books

From the time I started my Beauty and the Beast collection in college, I was always on the lookout for unique versions of the story to fill my shelves.  In honor of the last day of the Fairy Tale Blog Party, I thought I'd share a few of them with you. :)  I have several Disney Beauty and the Beast books, including behind the scenes books, books that discuss the art, animation, or music of the film, some Disney B&tB comic books, and several picture and chapter books that depict the Disney version of the story.  For this post, though, I wanted to focus on my versions other than Disney.  Perhaps in a later post I'll share my Disney books. :)

#1:  "Penelope"

While I'll primarily be talking about books, I have just a couple of movies on my Beauty and the Beast shelf, too.  Most of you probably remember this little film that came out a few years ago.  It's never going to be a huge world-wide hit, and did have some drinking and magic in it, in case that bothers anyone.  While it's not my most favorite film of all time, I enjoyed it and found it very fascinating as a Beauty and the Beast-type story where the roles were reversed.  I also really enjoy James McAvoy's acting, and there's not a whole lot he's in that I feel comfortable watching, so having him play the romantic lead was an added bonus.

#2:  Cannon Movie Tales' "Beauty and the Beast"

I wasn't expecting much when I got this movie for around $4 at Walmart a while back.  And true, the acting is pretty corny and  the girl isn't the best singer in the world.  Still, there were a few unique moments in this version that made me glad I watched it.  The Beast's makeup was also very interesting in this one, and (I thought) quite well done for the 80s.

#3:  "Beastly" by Alex Flinn 

It's been a while since I've read this one, and I know there were some things in it that I didn't appreciate, such as some swearing at the beginning of the book and probably more that I'm not remembering.  However, it was LOADS better than its movie adaptation that just came out a year or so ago (the Beast was actually hairy in the book, which I preferred).  There were some neat plot twists at the end of the story that the movie completely left out.  Overall, I thought it was an interesting retelling.  It's still not an ultimate, but it was fun to see how the author brought the story to the modern world.  I especially enjoyed the online conversations among different fairy tale characters that took place between the regular chapters.  This isn't one I would fully recommend, so if you want a little more info about it, you can comment or email me. :) 

#4.  Treasury of Illustrated Classics' "Beauty and the Beast" 

This was a copy my mom found at a thrift store when we were on vacation.  I wasn't sure that I wanted to add it to my collection at first.  The illustrations weren't my favorite, and it was a very simplified version, as it was meant to be read by younger children.  As I flipped through it, though, I noticed that it was very similar to the original version by Madame le Prince de Beaumont.  Since it was only 99 cents, I decided to give it a try.  One of the things that's so funny to me about the original is that after the story we're all familiar with, the prince basically explains in great detail how he was enchanted, and then proceeds to tell the entire story over again from his perspective.  It makes me laugh because it goes against everything you'd be taught in a writing course.  And yet, I must confess that many Beauty and the Beast stories feel so abrupt in their ending.  You've spent all this time with "Beauty and the Beast", and just when you're trying to get used to the idea of "Beauty and the Prince", it's all over. ;)  There's got to be a happy medium somehow.

The Beast from this version is kind of like a weird sort of gorilla/bear mutation or something.

Beauty in one of the illustrations.  I wonder what happened to her bottom lip? ;)

#5.  Jim Henson's "The Story-Teller" 

I found this book on Amazon shortly after discovering the TV series it was based on.  What's interesting is that some of the stories are slightly different from their movie versions, even though the movies were made first.  I don't care for all of the stories.  I basically bought this for "Hans My Hedgehog" and "Sapsorrow" (although Jen, you might be interested to know that there is a story called "The Three Ravens" that is basically a retelling of "The Wild Swans").

Here's a picture of Hans from "Hans My Hedgehog" (like I said in an earlier post, it's very interesting seeing the Beast as a giant, grouchy hedgehog). :}  I have to say, all of the illustrations in this book are stunning and look very much like the original actors and actresses from the film versions.  

Here's a picture of the Princess.

While at its core "Sapsorrow" is essentially a combination of "Cinderella" and "Furball", it also is a "Beauty and the Beast" tale with the roles reversed, which is what I enjoyed about it.  (The prince is a real jerk, though...I don't know what made her fall in love with him.)  The only thing I didn't really care for was the part of the plot where, due to an accidental ring fitting, Sapsorrow was going to be forced to marry her father.  It was just a little weird to me, and I wish they would have come up with a different reason for her to run away. 

Here's poor Sapsorrow, also known as "Straggletag".  Her makeup in the film was pretty amazing.

A happy ending for Sapsorrow and the Prince.

#6:  "Beauty and the Beast" by Max Eilenberg; Illustrated by Angela Barrett 

This book was one of my more recent finds.  I loved the unique illustrations in this one.  It's a longer retelling than most of the picture books versions, and unique enough between the story and the illustrations that I really wanted it for my collection.

Beauty's father first arriving at the Beast's castle.

This Beast is quite hairy and almost catlike, with some wolf or bear thrown in...and check out that tail!

Beauty first meets the Beast.

I love the emotion in this illustration.

#7:  "Beauty and the Beast" by Marianna Mayer; Illustrated by Mercer Mayer 

I grew up on the Little Critter books, as well as Professor Wormbog and Herbert the Timid Dragon, so I was already a big fan of Mercer Mayer's illustrations.  When I found his version of "Beauty and the Beast", though, I was blown away by the beauty and depth of his artwork.

There is so much depth and attention to detail.

Even his color palette makes you think of a fairy tale with its elegant, rich, brown tones.

I just love looking through it to see the pictures and discover new details I never noticed before.

Beauty meets the Prince.  To me, this illustration is always really important to a story.  If the prince is disappointing, it colors the rest of the book for me.  (Honestly, it took me a long time to get used to the prince at the end of the Disney version.) ;)

#8:  "Beauty and the Beast" by Jan Brett 

While I prefer brunettes in the role of "Beauty" and normally don't care for versions where the Beast is portrayed as some sort of wild boar or warthog, the sheer loveliness of Jan Brett's illustrations in this book won me over.  She has such an incredible eye for detail, and I love her amazing depictions of animals.  

I actually got to meet Jan Brett at a book signing once.  I brought some of my illustrations with me to show her, and turned into a complete babbling idiot (why oh why couldn't I have been smooth and amazing while talking to her?).  She was very gracious and took the time to talk to each individual, even though there were so many of us there.  I'm wishing I'd had the foresight to bring this book with me to sign.  Instead, I purchased a book from the store that she signed.  I still have it somewhere.  

I love the richness of the clothing and all of the little details that make her work come alive.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this version was the fact that on several of the pages, there were tapestries in the background showing the enchanted characters in their human form.  It was a fun little extra.  And I must say, I love Beauty's gown in this picture. :)

In this version, all of the Beast's servants are animals (and once again, you can see the tapestry in the background, showing them in their human form).

I love Beauty's hair in this picture.

The Beast...nasty...what's that on his tusks?  When was the last time he brushed?  See, I sooo would not have been able to break the spell. ;)

And here's the transformation picture at the end.  Not my favorite Prince, but he'll do.  ;)

#9:  "The Lady and the Lion" by Laurel Long and Jacqueline K. Ogburn; Illustrated by Laurel Long 

This book is basically a version of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" with a Lion as the enchanted Prince instead of a Polar Bear.  I love the beautiful artwork it has.  The other thing I've always enjoyed about this tale is how the heroine has to prove her loyalty and love after making a grave error.  It kind of reminds me of Marguerite in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (I'm thinking of the book version), when she follows Percy in secret after realizing that she's betrayed him.

The illustrations in this version are full of vibrant colors that have a Middle Eastern or Oriental flair.

The Lady and the Lion.

The Lion is really a Prince under an evil spell (surprise, surprise!). ;) 

The witch who destroys their happiness...for a time.

#10:  "Beauty" by Robin McKinley 

I know I already mentioned this version in my blog party answers, but I just had to give it another shout out here.  This is, hands down, one of my very favorite versions of the story.  I love her writing style and the fact that "Beauty" isn't the typical beautiful, perfect one.  I also love the fact that Beauty's family is so loving in this version.  And I love Greatheart the horse, too. :)  The Beast is such a wonderful, sympathetic character in this one.  I felt that McKinley did a great job in bringing more to him than most versions do.  If you're a Beauty and the Beast fan, just find yourself a copy.  You won't regret it! :)

And, since it happens to be on my shelf with my other versions, I thought I'd share a few more illustrations from my Beauty and the Beast story with you.  As I've said in earlier posts, please do not use these or post them elsewhere without my permission.  These pictures represent hours of work.

"The Beast" proposes to "Beauty" for the first time.

The only thing that irks me about this illustration is the fact that "Beauty's" fork appears to be in the "Beast's" mouth.  I didn't notice this until it was too late to change it. :}

Sharing a dance.

I had a lot of fun doing this one.

I was especially pleased with how her dress turned out in this photo.  I spent weeks pouring through bridal magazines, looking for inspiration and piecing dresses together.

"The Beast" transformed.  Some fun trivia about this picture:  I drew the prince in a cape because I really detest trying to draw proper proportions on men's arms and shoulders (so basically, I'm lazy). ;)  Afterwards, though, I realized that in the previous picture, "Beast" had a sleeveless shirt and no cape.  So then I had to go back and add to the narrative to explain how he ended up with the cape. ;)   

"Beauty's" chin ended up a little bit bigger than I would have liked in this one, but oh well.  I guess I can't be too picky. ;) 

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Perhaps it will inspire you to dust off some of your old childhood fairy tale books, or even look for new versions at the store.  Everyone can use a good fairy tale fix now and then. ;)

Remember, today is the last day to participate in the Fairy Tale Blog Party.  I'll be doing a drawing tomorrow to see who gets my "Fairy Tale Faces" artwork.  Thanks so much to everyone who's taken part already. :)

Just a Reminder...

Just wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow is the last day to participate in my Fairy Tale Blog Party (click HERE to go to the post).  Also, Thursday is the last day to enter my 2 Year Blogoversary Giveaway (click HERE to see the original post).  Thank you to everyone who has participated so far!  At this point, there are 18 entries for the 2 year giveaway, and we've had 6 people (aside from myself) participate in the blog party.  I can't wait to see the results! :D

Lots of eBay Listings Up

Hey guys!  Just wanted to let you know that I have 16 eBay listings up, ending next Sunday afternoon.  There are some Disney dolls, some BFC Inks (2 Kaitlins, Aleisha, Gianna, and CJ-the boy doll), two Ashton Drake baby dolls, a My Twinn Cuddly Sisters Mei Mei, one of my Liv dolls, a Moxie Teenz Arizona doll, and some My Little Pony stuff.

Basically, I did a lot of impulse shopping this past month (although some of the things I'm listing I've had set aside to resell for a while).  I've had my fun, and now I need to pay for it...or something like that (why am I suddenly thinking of Pinnochio?). ;)  Anyway, I wanted to let you know because I thought some of you might be interested.

The BFC Inks were the hardest to part with, but I have way too many and I originally bought some of them for the purpose of reselling...or so I told myself. ;)  So now I'm making myself follow through.

Some of the dolls have blog reviews in draft right now, so I'm hoping to get some of those posted this week (amidst the conclusion of my Blogoversary stuff) so that you guys can see a little more info on the things I'm selling.

Here's a link to my eBay items:  http://www.ebay.com/sch/kaynesrose/m.html?hash=item232073190a&item=150868269322&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&_trksid=p4340.l2562

Happy shopping! ;)

P.S.  I ended up having to end a listing early (the BFC Ink lot with Kaitlin and Addison).  Earlier on, Oldest Gal had been interested in purchasing her from me, but recently she'd talked about saving up for two Hearts 4 Hearts Girls instead.  So, since she seemed to not be interested in Addison anymore, I listed her.  Turns out that Oldest Gal was okay without an Addison as long as there was one in the house.  When she found out that Addison was being sold, she dissolved into a puddle of tears and wept dramatically on her bed in true Disney Princess fashion. ;)  She wasn't throwing a fit...it was more like she was crushed and heartbroken.  (Come on gals, you remember doing the same thing when you were younger, don't you?  Hey, on a bad enough day, I've been known to do it at age 30!) ;)

So I could have just said "tough potatoes" and let her get on with life.  But honestly, the only reason I listed Addison was because I was no longer interested in her and Oldest Gal didn't appear to be either.  My original plan had been to keep her until Oldest Gal could afford her.

Since there weren't any bids on that lot yet, I swapped Gianna for Addison and added a few things.  I hate doing that, because I know it's frustrating to my bidders.  But in this case, I felt it was the right thing to do.

Anyway, just thought I'd offer a bit of explanation for the change in the listing. :}

Fairy Tale Blog Party: My Answers :)

Okay, it's my turn to answer my own blog party questions.  Thank you to everyone who has participated so far.  It's been really fun seeing your answers. :)

1.  What is your favorite fairy tale and why?
         Hee hee...I bet you guys can't guess this one. ;)  Beauty and the Beast, of course!  I love it for it's message of looking beyond appearances and not judging a book by its cover.  Another of my favorites is "King Hawksbeak", also known as "The Beggar-Man's Bride", a story that is similar to "The Taming of the Shrew" and most likely not a story that would be loved by feminists. ;)  I really appreciate the growth that the Princess experiences in the tale, even though it is through her own humiliation that she has to learn how haughty she was before.  I also like "Furball" (she just happens to be the character on the top right of my "Fairy Tale Faces" collage above). :)  No real specific reason on this one except I just enjoy it and it appeals to me.  As a girl I loved pretty much any fairy tale involving a princess or romance. ;)  

2.  List your 4 favorite fairy tale heroes or heroines and why you like them.
          Why did I come up with this question?  It's too hard to decide! ;)  I suppose I'd have to say Beauty from "Beauty and the Beast" for her bravery and her love for her father...and honestly, I'm running out of ideas and I just want to get this published, so I'm going to stick with that.  (Hey, I had lots of extras on some of the other questions...and besides, I said it was okay to cheat!) ;)

3.  Who in your opinion is the most threatening fairy tale villain?
           I'd say it's a tie between Snow White's evil stepmother the Queen and the bad fairy in Sleeping Beauty who casts the spell on her.  Both of them are so vengeful and creepy!!

4.  If applicable, share something about a favorite fairy tale book you had as a child.  What made it so special?
          We had a set of books that had all sorts of stories in them, including many fairy tales.  I think it was called the "Junior Classics", or something like that.  I used to read those over and over again.  I loved the illustrations and the fact that there were so many stories to choose from.
           As an adult, I found a really fun picture book of fairy tales that had a lot of old-fashioned illustrations. It is now one of my oldest daughter's favorite books.

5.  In your opinion, what makes a good fairy tale?
            I love fairy tales that tell of courage, integrity, loyalty, and perseverance, all qualities that we are slowly backing away from as a society.  I also love fairy tales that teach a lesson or have something I can come away with and think about in my own life.  Because most fairy tales are morality tales, there are usually truths in them that can have spiritual applications, which I love.  There's something about a story that can drive a truth home more than just having someone say it, at least for me.
            However, many fairy tales have very one-dimensional characters.  The pure, lovely heroine.  The handsome, brave prince.  The evil villain.  Some of my favorite fairy tale adaptations are those that turn these stilted, cliched characters into well-rounded, fully dimensional characters.  The flawed hero or heroine, who in spite of their faults, chooses to do what is right when it is vital to the story (or perhaps makes a wrong decision at a crucial moment and then has to set things right).  Then there's the sympathetic villain.  Sometimes understanding how they got to where they are helps us understand them.  There is true evil in this world, and all of us are capable of it.  The more we give into our naturally evil bent, the more it poisons our hearts and affects our actions.  However, according to the Bible, Christ died for the sins of EVERYONE.  No one is without the potential for redemption.  I think that when an author is able to get these truths across in their story (either intentionally or unintentionally), it gives the story a depth, humanity, and relatability that some of the basic fairy tales are lacking.  (Besides, I spent way to many years trying to be as "perfect" as some of the princesses.  Let me tell ya, it's just not possible for mere mortals.) ;)

6.  Who is your favorite fairy tale illustrator?
             This one's another toughie.  I'd have to say that the two at the top of the list are K.Y. Craft and Jan Brett.  [Side Note: after reading Jen's post at Dolls and Nachos, I was reminded of my love for Mercer Mayer's version of "Beauty and the Beast"...and apparently he's done other fairy tales, too!  Then, while I was researching some of his stuff, I reconnected with one of my other favorite fairy tale illustrators, Trina Schart Hyman.  Both have a beautiful, other-worldly quality to their illustrations.]

7.  What is your favorite re-telling of a classic fairy tale and why?
              Okay, I'm totally cheating on this one and doing several. ;)  First off, the obvious ones:  Disney's versions of "Beauty and the Beast" and "Rapunzel" are amazing.  But there are so many others I love!  Here are just a few:
               -"The Fairy's Return and other Stories" by Gail Carson Levine
               This collection of short stories, written by the same author who wrote "Ella Enchanted" (which was way better than its movie adaptation, by the way!), is always enjoyable.  I love it because of the way it turns the fairy tales we know and love on their ear in a loving but humorous way.  She brings up questions about the original fairy tales that make you think, "Oh yeah, maybe it would happen that way!"  Included in the book are her adaptations of "Toads and Diamonds" ("The Fairy's Mistake") and "Sleeping Beauty" ("Sonora and the Long Sleep"), among others.

                -"Beauty" by Robin McKinley
                This is one of my all-time favorite adaptations of Beauty and the Beast.  I love everything about it. I discovered it in college while taking a Children's Literature course, and have had a copy ever since. :)

                -"Hans My Hedgehog" from Jim Henson's "The Storyteller" series.
                This was an old TV series from I believe the 80s or 90s, featuring Jim Henson's creations.  I didn't care for all of the tales, but I found "Hans My Hedgehog" very interesting.  It incorporated elements from "Beauty and the Beast", "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon", "Noble-Hearted Kate", and even the story of Jephthah's vow from the Bible (found in Judges chapter 11).  It was also very interesting to see the beast as a giant, cranky hedgehog. ;)

                -"Fanny's Dream" by Caralyn Buehner
                This is a light-hearted children's book that is rather a spoof of "Cinderella".  Fanny is a sweet but plain farm girl who dreams of meeting her fairy godmother and marrying a prince.  One night, while waiting for her fairy godmother, she is visited by Heber Jensen, a sweet but plain farm boy who wants to marry her.  What does Fanny decide to do with her life?  You'll have to read the book to find out! ;)

                -"Skin Deep"-Episode 12 from "Once Upon a Time"
                Duh, you guys already know this, but I had to include it.  Aside from the parts that didn't deal with Rumpelstiltskin and Belle's characters, I really enjoyed this retelling of Beauty and the Beast for its creativity and unique twist.

                There are a lot more, but I really shouldn't fill up the whole post with my answers to this one question. ;)

8.  Which fairy tale character is the most like you?
          Hmm...depends on the day.  I'd say probably Disney's Belle on good days and Disney's Mother Gothel on bad days. ;)  As far as generic fairy tales, it's hard to say because they're so one dimensional and perfect (sorry guys, I didn't realize how hard this question was until I tried to answer it myself!). ;)

9.  If you could choose to be any fairy tale character, who would you be and why?
          Probably Beauty or Cinderella.  Beauty because I love her story so much...although I don't know that I could have been brave enough to break the spell.  Cinderella because I would love to have the whole "Fairy Godmother Treatment". ;)  I wouldn't enjoy the emotional abuse and the workload she had in the other parts of the story, though. :(

10.  If you could have one wish, what would it be?
           a.  that a fairy godmother would come along, give you a dazzling outfit and shoes, and whisk you away to a royal ball.
           b.  that you could fly
           c.  that you would discover an enchanted world outside of our own
           d.  that you would be able to go on a grand adventure

            Definitely b.  I've always wanted to fly.  I've even dreamed about it!  Of course, c would be a close second.  As a girl, I always hoped that maybe one day I'd find a wardrobe like Lucy's that would lead me to Narnia. ;)

11.  If you could find out anything about your favorite fairy tale character outside of the pages of his/her story, what would you want to know?
            For pretty much any character, I'd want to know what happened after the story was over.

BONUS QUESTION:
12.  Share a picture of one of your dolls dressed as a fairy tale character. :)
                   

 Coming soon...I hope! :}  But hey, it is a bonus question, after all. ;)                         

I hope all of you are having as much fun answering these questions as I just did. :)  If you'd like to join yourself, you can see the original post HERE.  Spread the word...tell your friends.  I'd love to have a lot of participants. :)
       

2 Year Blogoversary Giveaways :D

Okay, it's the moment you've all been waiting for:  it's time to announce the giveaways for Never Grow Up's 2 Year Blogoversary!  Yay!! :D

I have several items I'll be giving away this time around, and for the sake of simplicity, I've decided to do things a little differently than I normally do.  

I'm going to list all of the different giveaway items in this one post.  If you're interested in participating in the giveaways, simply leave a comment at the end of this post with your name or username and an email address where I can contact you.  As usual, comment moderation will be on, so no one will see your email address but me.  And as always, if you are under 18, please get your parents' permission before entering, as I'll have to get your mailing address later on.

Here's the part that's different.  Because of the number of items I'm giving away, I'm not going to have you specify which giveaway you'd like to participate in.  Instead, when you comment on this post, you'll automatically be entered in all of the giveaways mentioned in the post.  Sorry to do it that way, but I think it would be much more complicated on my end to try to keep everything straight if I tried to get the right people entered into the right giveaway.  I know from past experience that things can be a little crazy with giveaways anyway. :}  I hope you guys understand.  

So, a few more boring details.  You will have until THURSDAY, AUGUST 2ND to comment on this post and enter these giveaways.  On Friday, August 3rd, I will put all of your names in a hat and draw names until a winner has been chosen for each of the prizes.  I will then contact the winners via email, and they will have 3 days to contact me, confirming that they got my email and giving me their mailing address.  If I haven't heard from the winners by Monday, August 6th, then new winners will be chosen.  I know I normally give a little more response time than that, but August 6th is Tess and Maggie's 2nd Blogoversary, and I'd prefer to not have the two celebrations overlapping too much! :}

Also, I'm very sorry, but I'm not able to do International shipping at this time, so this contest is open to US residents only. 

If you have any further questions, feel free to leave them in a comment on this post or email me at nevergrowup.beastsbelle @gmail.com.  

Okay, now that we got all that out of the way, it's time to show off the prizes! :)  

Giveaway #1:  A Disney Princess Reusable Shopping Bag

This lovely reusable shopping bag is directly from the Disney Store.  It still has its original tags attached.  I purchased this on my recent vacation with the giveaway in mind.  One of the things that's so cool about it is that it features the princesses with their new looks. :)  FYI, there is a small amount of grey on the handles, because I held it with some of the regular Disney shopping bags, and the ink from the plastic bags bled a bit on the handles.  :(  But it was only used to hold my newest Disney Store Belle doll as I walked through the mall, and then was packed safely away in my suitcase. :)

Giveaway #2:  Thomas Kinkade Doll-Sized Art (Postcard and Magnet)

Many of you know that the talented "Painter of Light", Thomas Kinkade, passed away earlier this year.  He was in the middle of working on a series of Disney paintings, called the Disney Dreams Collection, and "Sleeping Beauty" was one of his last (sadly, he never got to "Tangled" or "Aladdin", but he did many other wonderful depictions of beloved Disney films, such as "Bambi").

This Bambi postcard, entitled "Bambi's First Year", is one of the promotional postcards produced by the Thomas Kinkade gallery.  I purchased it secondhand off of eBay a little over a year ago.  

A closer look at some of the artwork.

The message on the back of the postcard (you can click on it to make it bigger).

It makes a great doll-sized poster. :)

  The winner of this giveaway will also receive this adorable magnet, made by eBay seller piney94.  It's a pint-sized replica of the original painting, and will come to you in this protective sleeve.

It makes very cool doll-sized artwork, too. :)

A closer view.

Giveaway #3:  A Disney Store Mini Plush Snow White Doll

Also purchased at the Disney Store during my vacation, this sweet little doll still has her original tags and is waiting for a new home.  (Funny story about this:  I was actually planning on getting a mini plush Rapunzel doll for the giveaway, since I'm not a huge Snow White fan.  But Middle Gal, who is a Snow White fan, decided to get a Rapunzel instead...go figure...and just happened to get the very last mini plush Rapunzel in the whole store! ;)  I decided to do a Belle next, but I didn't really care for the way her face or hair looked.  Snow White had the best face out of all of the other princesses, so she's the one I ended up with.) ;)

A close-up of her face.

As I mentioned before, she's one of the mini dolls, so she's about 12" high.  Here's a comparison pic of her next to Emma so you can get an idea of her size:

(P.S.  Does this answer your earlier question, Laurie?) ;)

Giveaway #4:  An 18" Doll-Sized Jacket with 6 American Girl Stickers

This pretty blue jacket is from the Springfield Collection at Michael's and is the same one I've used for some of my photo shoots in the past.  

Here's a picture of Emma modeling my own Springfield jacket:

I also used it in this picture of Hayden, which is one of my absolute favorite pictures of her! :)

Also included in this giveaway are 6 American Girl craft stickers, also sold at Michael's:

Giveaway #5:  Random 18" Doll-Sized Goodies

Here are some fun little items for your American Girl or other similarly-sized dolls.

A doll-sized fish tank...

...a chocolate bar eraser...

...an ice cream cone eraser...

...a little mini stapler with staples included...

(just the right size for dolls)

...a Twilight Sparkle My Little Pony from the blind bag series...

(complete with her collector's card)

...a little compact purse...

(just right for all of that loose change)

(except for the fact that's actually lip gloss) ;)

...and finally, a Disney Princess tin for holding all of your doll's special treasures.

A few more views: 

So there you have it!  Remember, commenting will put you in the running for every single giveaway.  You have all week leave your comments.  Talk to you soon, and...

"...have fun entering, everyone!" ;)