Computer Issues

Hey guys!  Just wanted to let you know that we're having some computer issues over here, so I may not be on here very much for the next few days while Hubby sorts it out.  Apparently our computer decided that it didn't want to be the only one in the house without a virus. ;)

Unfortunately, this also means that the official wrap up of Belle's Bulletins will have to be delayed yet again. :{  There are still about four posts waiting in the wings, but our computer is so slow that typing posts is not very easy right now.  Sorry, everyone.

I should be back within a few days, providing we figure everything out. :}  Talk to you then.

300 Followers!!! :D

Wow, I can hardly believe it!!  I've officially hit 300 followers on this blog!  Thank you to Sophie Amelie Moreau for being my 300th follower (love your blog, too!). ;)

I never could have imagined a little over three years ago that this blog would come so far.  Thank you to all of you for reading and/or following, for leaving such fun comments, and for showing me so much support through the years.  You guys are amazing!! :D

A Sale and Some Ever After High News

Hi everyone!  Just a quick post today. :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday.  Can you believe we're already officially in the Christmas season?  Yikes!!  I'm more behind in my preparations this year than I've been in a long time.  I'd better get busy! :}

Anyway, I just wanted to post a few things for those of you, like myself, who do everything to avoid setting a foot in any stores on Black Friday. ;)

First off, Disneystore.com has a great sale ending tonight on select items.  You can save up to 50% off with the extra 20% discount they are offering.  Apply the code THANKS at the checkout.  Some of the items included in the sale are the classic Disney Princess dolls (sorry, no Frozen dolls on sale yet!), the 2nd wave DAC Princess dolls, and the Animator's Collection "It's a Small World" dolls.  You can see all of the sale items HERE.

Also, for those of you who are into the Ever After High line, Cerise Hood and Blondie Locks are currently on Target.com for $21.99 each (click their names to see them).  You can also get Raven Queen's Vanity.  The site has pictures of the "Getting Fairest" EAH dolls and Apple White's Fainting Couch, but those are only available in stores at the moment.  To see all of the Ever After High items at Target, click HERE.

Another quick note for My Little Pony fans.  The Build-a-Bear Workshop Fluttershy pony is now available at their website (you can see the basic Fluttershy HERE, the Sweet Smiles Fluttershy HERE, and the Fluttershy sounds you can add HERE ).  This is great for those of us without a BABW nearby, or again, for those of us who don't want to brave the crowds. ;)

I think that's about all for now.  Happy shopping, everyone! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! :)  I hope you have a wonderful day spending time with your loved ones.  Don't forget to take a time in the bustle of the day to think about the things you are thankful for.

Here are a few of the things I'm thankful for today:

        1. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
        2. A husband who is alive and well. :}
        3. My three daughters, who can be so much work but bring me so much joy.
        4. The rest of my family and my friends.
        5. A wonderful church family.
        6. The incredible people in my doll club and my writer's group.  I'm so thankful to have two such                     great groups in such a small town.
        7. A home.
        8. Needs that are provided for.
        9. The freedom to worship as we choose.
      10. Christmas is coming!! :D
     
I could go on, but I think I'll stop at ten. :)  Have a wonderful day!  I'll have another post up tomorrow. :)    

Frozen Movie Review

Something amazing happened last night...I got to see "Frozen" in my local theater!! :D  

(Sorry about the "meh" quality of the pictures...I just had my cell phone with me.)

I happened to notice while browsing the Internet that there were two evening showings, one at 7:00 and one at 9:25 (both were in 2D...I didn't bother about the 3D showings since I don't care for 3D).  I knew that the earlier showing would be pushing it with Hubby's schedule, but I called to see how he was doing and whether he thought he'd be home in time to watch the girls so I could make the second showing.  He wasn't sure.  

By 8:30 PM, the online site showed that all of the tickets were sold out. :(  Hubby got home about twenty minutes later.  Since there were still about forty minutes before the show started, and since the theater was only about a mile away, I decided to go just in case.  I thought that maybe someone might have cancelled their ticket, or maybe someone wouldn't show up.  I knew I was grasping at straws, but I figured it was worth a shot. ;)

Imagine my surprise when I discovered I was the first one to purchase a ticket for that showing!!  (Obviously I need to ignore the ticket status on the website!) ;)  Here's what the theater looked like when I stepped in: 

There ended up being about twenty people there by the time the movie started.  It was great...enough people that I wasn't alone but not so many that it was distracting.  :)  

As you know, these past few weeks have been pretty crummy.  Having the chance to get out of the house for a bit, not having the continuous chorus of coughing children around me, and being able to see a movie I've been waiting to see for months made a HUGE difference.  I feel like I can cope with whatever this week brings now. ;)

Oh, and before I get into the review itself, as a fun little addition to this post, Disneystore.com is offering free shipping today only in honor of Frozen.  Just purchase at least one item from their Frozen merchandise and use promo code FROZEN.  You can see all of their Frozen items HERE.  

Okay, on to the review!!

I'd like to start with a little disclaimer, though.  Normally, I try to keep my movie reviews fairly spoiler-free.  That's not going to be the case this time.  Many of the points I want to discuss involve spoilers.  I will give warnings before any major spoilers, but if you're the type that doesn't like to know anything before the movie, you need to stop right here.  Here's a condensed review for you:  The movie was awesome...go see it now!!  That's all you need to know. ;)  If you want a few more details about content and such, you can read pluggedin.com's review HERE.  

So, what did I think of "Frozen"?  Let me just say that it completely lived up to my expectations in every way.  It. was. amazing. :D  I'd put it right up there with "Beauty and the Beast" and "Tangled", and as you know, that's saying a lot. ;)

The Story:

  The story of Frozen is, essentially, a story about the relationship between two sisters.  Elsa and Anna are very close as children, but due to an unfortunate accident, Elsa is kept apart from Anna, and they grow up in solitude.  I think everyone knows by now that Elsa has magical ice-making powers. :}  Because of the aforementioned accident, Elsa fears her powers and what they can do.  When her abilities are discovered on her coronation day, she flees from the kingdom, believing that the safest thing for her subjects is for her to be away from everyone else.  The rest of the story details Anna's quest to find her sister and return her to the kingdom.  Well, that's the very basic story...there's so much more:  love, family, sacrifice, comedy...you get the idea. ;) 

Okay, this is the section you're definitely going to want to skip if you don't like spoilers.  However, if you're like me and don't like having unexpected twists with characters thrown at you during a movie, you might consider reading it. ;)

The Characters:

   Frozen is full of colorful, well-rounded characters.  The voice actors chosen to portray them did a fabulous job giving them life and believability.  

      Elsa:  The older sister of the two princesses, Elsa keeps her distance from her younger sister, Anna.  What Anna doesn't realize is that Elsa stays away because she is trying to protect her.  Elsa is deeply burdened by the abilities she was born with.  She lives in constant fear of discovery and of what her powers might do.  Her fear keeps her trapped and isolated from everyone else.  Beneath it all, though, she is a sweet, noble person who deeply cares for her little sister and her kingdom.

     Anna:  Anna is the energetic, quirky younger princess.  She loves and looks up to her older sister Elsa, and remembers the fun they had as children with bittersweet longing.  More than anything, she wants her sister's approval and love.  She also longs to see the world and to escape from the solitude of the castle.  Anna is optimistic and willing to do anything to be reunited with her sister.  Through her love and bravery, she becomes a true heroine by the end of the film.

     Kristoff:  Kristoff is a mountain man who sells ice and has a reindeer for a best friend.  While he starts off grumpy and reluctant to help Anna in her quest to find her sister, he grows to appreciate Anna's spunk and determination.  He has a rather strange habit of talking to his reindeer (and providing his reindeer's voice).  In spite of his oddities, we grow to love this guy with a gruff exterior who's really just a big softie. ;)  

     Hans:  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Oh, Hans...why?!?  This seemingly sweet and handsome prince has something else up his sleeve.  So this is the huge twist in the plot that I've been keeping inside for the past month or so.  Some of you might remember how excited I was when I found out that Santino Fontana, who is currently playing the prince in the Broadway adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella", was playing Hans.  Well, just a day after I discovered this bit of information and got all excited, I found out that Hans SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER was the villain. :(  While I appreciate the break from the traditional "love at first sight and then everything is hunky-dory" plot, I wish they hadn't gone so far as to make Hans evil.  He seemed so sweet and sincere throughout the whole movie up until the transition point.  It was so hard to believe he was completely lying through his teeth the entire time.  This is the type of thing that would have really upset me and possibly ruined the movie for me if I hadn't found out about it ahead of time.  I would have hated "Love is an Open Door".  Thankfully, since I knew ahead of time about Hans, I was prepared and was able to enjoy the movie without getting too attached to him. :}  I know not everyone is like that, but I certainly am! END OF SPOILER 

     Olaf:  I'm sure everyone knows who Olaf is by now, with all of the marketing. ;)  But for those of you who don't know, Olaf is a magical talking snowman that can fall into pieces and recover from just about anything.  I wasn't sure if I would like this character when I first saw him featured in the commercials and trailers.  He seemed a bit goofy and uninteresting, simply there for comic relief.  But here's the deal.  This guy is actually pretty hilarious...and what makes him even more endearing is that he's so much more than a random source of comic relief.  He ends up having some real depth to his character...in a completely clueless, lovable sort of way. ;)

     Sven:  Sven is Kristoff's trusty sidekick and faithful friend.  He is similar to Maximus from "Tangled" in that he doesn't speak (except when Kristoff speaks for him), but his facial expressions and physical acting let you know exactly what he's thinking.  He makes you want a pet reindeer of your own. ;)

   

The Animation:

   I couldn't get over how absolutely beautiful the animation was on this movie, from the gorgeous landscapes, to Elsa's stunning ice palace, to the intricate details of the snowflakes in the sky.  The facial expressions and movement on the characters were perfect, too.  Disney keeps getting better and better. :)    

The Music:

   All sorts of people have been raving about the music, and I absolutely have to agree with them.  The songs move the story forward beautifully.  All of the actors have excellent singing voices.  I have to say, that was one drawback for me on Tangled...no offense to Mandy Moore fans.  Mandy had a sweet voice, but in my opinion, she didn't have the power, quality, or breath control of Idina Menzel or Kristen Bell in this movie.  The entire soundtrack, both score and songs, is wonderful...the type of old-school Disney songs that will be stuck in your head for weeks. ;)    My four very favorite songs were "Do You Want to Build a Snowman", "For the First Time in Forever", "Let it Go", and "Love is an Open Door".  

   "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" is a heartfelt, poignant song sung by Anna.  It shows Anna's progression through the years, from a little girl to a young woman.  Aside from being lovely, at times humorous, and wistful, it does an excellent job of moving the story forward in a way that grips your heart like only music can.  

   "For the First Time in Forever" is sung by Anna, and Elsa joins her towards the end of the song.  This is Anna's "I Want" song, so popular to the Disney musical, and expresses her excitement about the fact that she's finally going to meet people and have the perfect day. By contrast, Elsa sings of her nervousness about her coronation and whether she'll be discovered.

   "Let it Go" is the song that was released by Disney earlier, and is Elsa's power ballad.  I love Idina's take on this song.  To be honest, if I was choosing a singer to listen to on a regular basis, I would be more likely to choose someone with a softer, purer tone like Kristen Bell.  However, for this particular type of song, Idina has the type of voice that really makes it work.  She can belt something out with amazing power and yet still convey all of the conflicted emotions of her character.  "Let it Go" is what Elsa sings after fleeing her coronation, and is her "this is who I am and I'm not going to hide it anymore" song.  SPOILER   SPOILER   SPOILER  When taken by itself, it sounds rather selfish, even though most of us have probably had a time in our life when we felt like we couldn't be ourselves and were tired of pretending to make other people like or accept us.  However, when the song is put in the context of the movie, we see its real brilliance.  Elsa comes to realize that she isn't truly free or happy by running away from her problems, throwing off her restraints, and isolating herself from everyone else.  It is only when she allows Anna's love to come back into her life and finds a way to use her power healthily that she finds true freedom.  END OF SPOILER

  "Love is an Open Door" is just a super fun, upbeat love song between Hans and Anna.  It's a typical, love-at-first-sight situation, but this couple is anything but typical.  They're both cute and quirky.  You can't help but smile when you hear this song. :)  Besides, it's Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana singing.  What's not to like? ;)  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Of course, I would have enjoyed this song a lot more if the ending of the movie was a little different. :{  END OF SPOILER

  Really, I could say something about every song ("Fixer Upper" and "Frozen Heart" are both wonderful, and "In Summer" is hilarious), but then this post would be a lot longer. ;)  If you're interested in checking out the soundtrack for yourself, you can purchase it in stores or on Amazon.  It's also available for download on iTunes and is on Rhapsody.com as well (I'm listening to the soundtrack on Rhapsody as I type). :)

One of the great things about the soundtrack is that it has some deleted songs with introductions from the song writers (my favorite was the deleted song for Jonathan Groff). :}  There are also several score demos, as well as karaoke tracks for "Let it Go" (both Idina and Demi Levato's versions), "For the First Time in Forever", "Love is an Open Door", and "In Summer".

Objectionable Content:

   There really wasn't much I had to object to in this movie.  All I can think of is a reference to "tinkling in the woods" in one of the songs and two uses of the word "butt".  (I realize this word is not a big deal for most people, but in my house growing up, "butt" was a big no-no word, and I still don't really like it.) :}  Anna mentions in one song that she's not sure if she's elated or gassy.  Kristoff makes the claim that all men pick their noses and eat their boogers (even princes), and there is a humorous disclaimer from the Disney company about this in the credits.  Anna also gets hit in the face with Kristoff's spit when he's spit-shining his sled (most of us saw this clip in the trailers).  In a clumsy moment, Hans and Anna fall on top of each other.  It is not done in a sensual way, you just feel their embarrassment at the awkward situation.  And honestly, that's it.  Depending on your type of humor, most of the objectionable things might not even be objectionable at all.  Certainly nothing like "Shrek" or some of the other animated films that rely on adult or crude humor to get their laughs. 

For those of you who have more sensitive kiddos, there are a few intense chase scenes, one with wolves and one with an over-sized, scary snowman.  They're not overdone in the scary department, but it would still be enough to freak out my five-year-old. ;) 

  

This is another major spoilery section, so you might want to skip this part, too. :}  Sorry to do this, but in order to share what I want to share, I have to go into a little detail.

The Message:

    I think what I loved the most about this movie were the beautiful, simple messages it portrayed.  It really has a genuine, down-to-earth feel to it, but the things it teaches are lessons we can all take to heart.  

    SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER  First off, contrary to the typical animated Disney story line, this movie puts aside the "love at first sight" tradition and instead opts for a more realistic approach to love.  In this story, the handsome prince who instantly sweeps Anna off her feet and asks her to marry him is actually NOT the charming stranger he appears to be.  Meanwhile, Kristoff, who is not conventionally handsome, with his stockier build and rather large nose, ends up being the one who shows Anna true love.  

     

     STILL PART OF THE SPOILER The movie demonstrates the fact that the truest love is seeking the best for the other person (Olaf actually states this basic idea when talking to Anna), and is cultivated through friendship and over time, not the warm, fuzzy "connection" you make with someone at first sight.  Granted, Kristoff and Anna pretty much learn to love each other in a day, but I appreciated the fact that they don't get married at the end of the film.  Much like Tangled, it allows you to imagine how their relationship will grow and develop over time. :)  I think this is an excellent message for the kiddos (and single girls) watching this movie.  As fun as it is to watch movies like "Cinderella" and "Sleeping Beauty", it's so important to keep in tune with reality and the dangers of immediately giving your heart to someone you don't truly know.  I also appreciated the fact that the movie specifically mentions (in the song "Fixer Upper") that people don't usually change (striking down the idea of "I'll marry him and change him"), but that showing love to someone can help bring out their best.  END OF (THIS) SPOILER

   The other thing I love about this movie is that the "true love" that is emphasized in the movie is NOT the love between a man and a woman, but the love between sisters.  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Anna selflessly sacrifices herself to save her sister, and through this action, she breaks a spell and also frees her sister from the fear that holds her captive.  END OF SPOILER

   This message leads right into the next one.  There will be some *gasp* spiritual application here.  You've been warned. ;)  Throughout the film, we see how Elsa is completely controlled by her fear.  She lives with the constant dread that she will harm someone with her abilities.  Every time she gets worried or lets her emotions get the best of her, her ice gets even more out of control.  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER It is only after Anna's love breaks a spell and Olaf mentions "Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart" , that Elsa realizes her love for Anna can help her control her powers.  SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER  

This instantly brought to mind the first part of I John 4:18:  "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear..."  In the context of the chapter, this verse is talking about Christ's love for us, and how when we abide in that love, we can live without fear of His judgement and can also reach out to others with the love of Christ.  Still, I think there is something that can be applied here.  

In our world, there is a lot to be fearful about.  It would be easy to curl up into a fetal position and let our worries and fears completely consume us.  It is only through "letting go" of those fears, ;) trusting and resting in God's love for us, and opening our hearts to love from those around us that we can finally be free. :)

As you can probably tell, I LOVED this movie and would highly recommend it.  Just go see it...you won't regret it. ;) 

And it's official:  I have a third favorite Disney movie. ;)  How about the rest of you?  Has anyone else had a chance to see Frozen?  What did you think?   

P.S.  If you're not a fan of spoilers, I would suggest not reading the comments on this post, as I can't add spoiler warnings to other people's comments. :}

Giveaway from PepperJack Trends on Etsy

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

At last I've found a moment to sit and take care of this post!  Thanks so much for being so patient, everyone.  We're all still really under the weather over here, so posting will probably be a little slow for a while. :}

Today, I'd like to share a review and giveaway with you.  Chloe of PepperJack Trends was kind enough to donate two doll skirts for review and giveaway.  

Here is the skirt that will be offered for giveaway.  It is a sweet and simple red skirt with a white floral pattern.  The skirt fits American Girl dolls and other compatible 18 inch dolls.

It has an elastic waist and slides on and off (no Velcro closure).

A closer look at the stitching...

...and the material. :) 

Chloe sent me another skirt as well, which I am keeping for my collection.  I love the pattern on this one.

It has a bit of a twist in the elastic at the waist, which is why I'm not using it for the giveaway, but it still looks nice on Emma. :)

These skirts are fun and pretty, and have great possibilities for mixing and matching.  PepperJack Trends has several skirts to choose from at their Etsy shop, which you can see HERE.  

For those of you interested in participating in the giveaway for the red floral skirt, here's how to enter:

1.  This contest is open to readers within the United States.

2.  If you are under 18, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as I'll have to get your mailing address.

3.  To enter, simply leave a comment on this post with your name or username and email address.  Comments with email addresses will not be published.

4.  The contest will be open for entries until Tuesday, December 3rd.  On Wednesday, December 4th, the winner will be chosen in a random drawing.  The winner will be notified via email and will have one week to respond with a mailing address.  If I have not heard from the winner by Wednesday, December 11th, a new winner will be selected.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. :)

Post Tomorrow

Sorry everyone, I didn't get the the giveaway post today like I hoped.  We're still really low with colds over here (I've caught another one from nights of staying up with coughing kiddos).  I hope to have the post up tomorrow.

Talk to you soon...

Zelfs Green House Review, (Plus Medium Flamy and Elfa, My Little Pony Sale, Doctor Who, and some other randomness) :)

Hi everyone!  Sorry you've had to wait so long to hear from me.  Between Hubby's car accident, two kiddos who still have serious colds, and having my art class switched to Fridays, I haven't had much time or inclination to write. :}

I wanted to thank all of you for your sweet comments.  It's so nice to know that you are praying for us and care so much. :)  Hubby is doing very well aside from his bruised eye, and was even able to go right back to work the next day.  The accident has given him a huge appreciation for life and family.

In the interest of being completely transparent (lest you think I'm some super Christian or something), I was really struggling these past few days.  Today is the first day I actually feel "normal" (getting to sleep in probably helped my outlook a bit). :}  I didn't realize how much the accident and what "might have been" was affecting me until I had a complete meltdown over a plugged toilet on Thursday afternoon. :}  I felt guilty at first.  I mean, Hubby's okay!  Things could have been so much worse.  I suppose I kept getting stuck thinking about what could have been.  It terrified me.  The fact that we are now down to one car and can't really afford another one, but can't possible function with one car because of our differing schedules doesn't help, either.  

Since Thursday, I've had a few good cries, a few good naps, a lot of prayer, and some long talks with Hubby about what we can change to help prevent this from happening again.  I would definitely appreciate prayer from those of you who are my sisters and brothers in Christ as we try to find a car and decide what our future plans are.

Next week is Thanksgiving break, so we plan to just relax and stay home (except for Hubby, who will be working).  Little Gal is getting over a cold/eye infection and Middle Gal is getting over an ear infection, so hopefully a week of rest will help with their recovery.  I also hope to get to work on some blog posts.  I have a review and giveaway from PepperJack Trends, a review of a Batman Taeyang doll, probably something about Frozen (just four more days 'til it's in theaters!), and more. :}

By the way, Happy 50th to all Whovians out there. ;)  It's driving me crazy wondering how long I'll have to wait to see today's special episode, "The Day of the Doctor".  (David Tennant is back...yay!!) :D

Today also marks the premiere of Season 4 of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic.  I don't have the Hub channel, so I'll have to wait to watch that until it comes up online.  Sigh.  Waiting is not my favorite thing. ;)

For all of you MLP fans out there, though, there are a ton of My Little Pony items for sale at zulily.com right now.  There are Funko Pop figures, clothing, jewelry, and more, all at great prices.  Things go really fast on that site, so you'll want to check it out soon.  You can see all of the My Little Pony items HERE. 

And now, on to the original post I intended to share with you. :}  After payday on the 15th, I was able to take advantage of the great sale on the Zelfs merchandise at Toysrus.com.  I ordered one of the Green House Tea House sets (which was $10 off) and two medium Zelfs (which were buy 1, get 1 free).  

And just so you know, while the Green House play set is no longer on sale, the medium Zelfs are still buy 1, get 1 free.  I believe the sale ends today, though.  You can see all of the Zelf merchandise at Toysrus.com HERE. 

Here is the Green House set.  I was very excited to get this since it included many of my favorite Lil' Zelfs.  To get this many and know what I was getting at a little over a dollar a Zelf was great!

A few package details:

All of the Zelfs in the packaging (I'll go over them in detail in a bit):

The back of the package...

...and a few details:

The box opened pretty easily, and the Lil' Zelfs were packaged in two different layers of clear plastic.

Most of them I was able to simply pop out with a little work.

By the end of the package, though, I decided to use scissors to assist me, especially on the Zelfs with wings.  I didn't want to break off their wings while trying to get them out! :}

The set came with the same leaflet we've seen before for the Lil' Zelfs.  It did not include a checklist for the "glow-tastic" Zelfs:

As the box said, there were four different types of Lil' Zelfs included.  I thought it would be helpful to see them side by side.  We have, in order, the "Glitter-ific", "Pearly", "Standard", and "Glow-tastic":

The Glow-tastic Lil' Zelfs have only been released in this particular set (so far).  It was very easy to get them to glow...

...but a bit harder to capture on film. ;)  Angelala was a lot brighter in person than she looks in this picture.

Here are the specific Lil' Zelfs that came in the set:

Pearly:

Vampula, Angelala, Pega Sue, Elfa

Glitter-ific:

Buttershy, Spellinda, Mermalade, Pega Sue

Standard:

Buttershy, Spellinda, Flamy, Lunanne, Vampula

Glow-tastic:

Angelala, Lunanne, Flamy, Elfa, Mermalade

Here are all of the Lil' Zelfs together.  To the best of my knowledge, the only Zelfs not included in this set were Miss Clover, Howelette, and Lil' D.

And here's a closer look at each of them:

Glow-tastic Mermalade, Lunanne, and Elfa

Standard Flamy and Buttershy; Glitter-ific Pega Sue

Standard Lunanne

Glow-tastic Flamy, Pearly Pega Sue, Glitter-ific Mermalade, Pearly Vampula

Pearly Vampula (again), Pearly Elfa, Glow-tastic Angelala, Standard Vampula

Elfa, Angelala and Vampula again, plus Standard Spellinda

Pearly Angelala, Glitter-ific Spellinda and Buttershy

This is a great set, especially if you have specific Lil' Zelfs you want that are included.  The glow-in-the-dark Zelfs are really fun.  Each of my girls chose one and have played with them nonstop since. :)

These would also make great stocking stuffers or gift toppers for Christmas. :)  I'm going to use them for my doll photo stories (the Lil' Zelfs are the perfect size for the 18" dolls). :)

The Green House set is back to its regular price now, $29.99.  It's not as good of a deal as the $19.99 I paid, but it still works out to around $1.67 a Zelf before tax and shipping.  Considering you pay $2.97 for each (and that's for an unknown Zelf), it's not a bad price.

Since I was already ordering the Zelf Green House, I also decided to take advantage of the buy 1, get 1 free offer.  I've pretty much given up on ever finding a Miss Clover Zelf.  Since Elfa has similar coloring and the same mold (and is just plain adorable!), I decided to add her to my collection as my stand-in for Miss Clover.  I decided to choose Flamy as my free Zelf.  I'd been wanting to try her out since she shared a mold with Mermalade. :)

The back of both packages are the same.

Here's a closer look at Flamy's package.  Her Zelf power is "protection".

Elfa's Zelf power is "laughter".

Here are my two newest Zelfies! :)

I know we've already seen Middle Gal's Elfa, but I couldn't resist taking a few more pictures.  I love her mischievous little expression. :)

Her feet are green on the bottom...

...and she has a lot of great detail on her body.

She's completely plain on the back except for the green on her feet and a little green "Z" on her buns.

Here is adorable Flamy, a dragon Zelf.

She has the same ears and "fin" details on her arms (although in this case, I suppose they'd be considered spikes instead).  She also has scales painted on her body.

There are scales all over her back and what looks like a little bat on her buns.

Such a sweet face. :)  You can see she has little fangs on her upper lip.

Unfortunately, my Flamy came with a neck issue.  Her head is on unevenly.  I debated returning her, but I realized that by the time I either sent her back and paid return shipping, or drove to the nearest store and paid the gas to get there, my "free" Zelf wouldn't be free anymore. ;)  Besides, her head still turns okay, and the little sideways tilt is kind of cute. :) 

Here's a picture of Flamy and Mermalade together so you can see their identical molds. :)

And speaking of Mermalade, I've accumulated quite the Mermalade collection after getting the Green House play set.  Since Mermalade is my very favorite, I thought it would be fun to have one of each of the Mermalade Zelfs that have been made.  So at some point, I'd love to find the Standard and Pearly Lil' Mermalades. :)

Hope you enjoyed the random blather and double review. :}  I'll be back Monday with a review and giveaway. :)