A Great New Doll Line Fundraiser on Kickstarter

Earlier this month, I was contacted by Didier Pietri via email about his current Kickstarter fundraiser. The email got lost in the shuffle and I only discovered it today. I wanted to be sure to bring it to everybody's attention here because I think it's a great concept.

Didier and his friend Kristynn are working on a line of fashion dolls called "YouDolls". They are customizable dolls that are created and ordered online and delivered to your home. Girls can choose eye color, skin color, hair color and style, clothing, and accessories. They can even choose the background picture for their doll's packaging.

I watched the introductory video on the Kickstarter page with my three girls, and they were all really excited about it (they even took some money out of their Disneyland fund to donate). It seemed like the type of thing a lot of you might be interested in, too.

The Kickstarter campaign only has three more days left, so be sure to check it out soon. I'm thrilled to see that they have officially made their goal. This morning they were still about a thousand dollars short. I'm so happy that they'll be getting their funding. :)

You can see the YouDolls Kickstarter page HERE. :)

Thirteen Years

Thirteen years ago today, I married my high school sweetheart. It seems unreal that it's actually been that long. But each year has made me more thankful for the incredible man I married. He's kind and patient, even when I'm being bratty. He puts up with my crazy collections. He listens to me ramble on about the plot and characters from my book and gives valuable insight. He thinks I'm beautiful (silly, delusional man). ;) He loves our girls and enjoys spending time with them. He works crazy hours to provide for us, sticking with a job for nine years before beginning his full time training. He encourages me spiritually and has made me a better person through his godly influence. He is my hero in every way and my best friend. I love you, honey! :D

Me and my man. (And yes, I did go barefoot for my wedding. Best. Decision. Ever.) ;)

Our first outing together as "just friends" (I was fourteen, he was seventeen).

Our (almost) 1 year anniversary. ;) 

Our 5th Anniversary

Last December (sorry it's such a small picture...I had to crop the girls out of the shot). 

We won't be celebrating our anniversary until Saturday (it's Hubby's only day off), but when we do, I'll try to get a few pics. :)

Season 5 Zelfs on Toysrus.com!!

Hey guys! Just a quick post before I head off to church. I just happened to check Toysrus.com this morning, and they have the Season 5 Zelfs up on their website!! :D A few of them are out of stock, but a lot of them are still available. You can see all of the Zelfs HERE. The Season 5 ones are mixed in with the Season 4, so you'll need to browse both of the first two pages.

If you're interested in these, I would order them as soon as possible. They tend to disappear rather quickly. Mom and I just ordered together. I can't wait to share our new Zelfs here on the blog! :D

Happy Shopping, everyone! More to come! :)

A Quick Hello

Hey guys! Just wanted to give you a quick update. I have several posts in the works and have some comment responses to work on, but I probably won't get to them until sometime next week. The temperature has spiked well over 100 degrees again for a few days, so we've escaped our house with our poor little swamp cooler that can't keep up and are staying with my mom and dad. They have a computer, but it's got a huge screen and gives me a headache when I stay on it for too long. ;)

I also will be spending most of the weekend at a college reunion, which should be lots of fun. I'm looking forward to catching up with some of my former fellow students and professors. :)

Just wanted to let you guys know I'm still alive. ;) My Disney Store order with the new Classic dolls is scheduled to arrive this coming Tuesday, so you can be sure I'll have a review post up sometime next week. :D I ended up ordering Belle, Rapunzel, Eugene, and the Beast. I'm just too curious about whether or not he transforms to pass him up. Plus, I did some doll restringing for a friend from the doll club, so I had the funds. ;)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :)

New Classic Disney Dolls Are Here! :D

Hey guys! I had another post in mind for today, but this one takes top priority. ;) The newest lineup of the Disney Store Classic Dolls has arrived, and I couldn't wait to share it with you!

One of the most exciting things about this year's selection is that some of the prince dolls finally got some significant changes. And for those of you who really wanted those awesome limited edition dolls and couldn't afford them, now you can get some of the same face molds in the Classic Dolls! :D

But I'm getting ahead of myself. :}

Here are the new dolls for this year:

Beast (original image HERE)

Of course, I'm going to start with my favorites. ;) Here is the Beast doll for this year. As you can see, he has the legs, paws, and the head of the limited edition Beast doll. The weird thing is, in his description, it still says you can take the head off and reveal the prince underneath. My question is, can you really hide a prince in those legs? Is it just a Prince head on a Beast body? Did they just forget to change the description? I'm tempted to get this guy just because he's new and different, but I REALLY don't want a doll that has the same empty, crazy neck as the limited edition doll. What do you guys think? Should I risk it? I guess I could just keep him as a Beast... 

Belle (original image HERE) 

I am SOOO excited about this doll!! At last we have a Belle doll that doesn't look angry! :D This is the first time in several years that I'm genuinely excited about bringing home the newest Disney Store Belle doll for my lineup. :) Her face is so sweet. 

Eugene (original image HERE)

I think this is the other doll I'm the most excited about. :D I loved the face sculpt on the limited edition Eugene doll. (Yes, I know they still call him Flynn at the Disney Store, but that irritates me. His name is Eugene!!) Now I can take a doll with the same face mold home without spending a ton of money. :) I love that the Prince dolls have more definition to their hair this time around.

Rapunzel (original image HERE)

I LOVE Rapunzel this year, too! Kudos to the Disney Store for giving her a super detailed dress and a sweet new face. It looks to me like they painted her face similarly to the limited edition Rapunzel doll. What do you guys think?

My one hope is that the Disney Store didn't skimp on her hair like last year. I hope she has the same thick, luxurious hair of the earlier dolls. I'll soon find out! :D

Aladdin (original image HERE)

Here is the new Aladdin, also in the new face sculpt from his limited edition counterpart. I think he looks great...although perhaps a bit too serious. It's fun that he got a makeover the year his movie will be released on Blu-ray, too. ;) 

Princess Jasmine (original image HERE)

As far as I can tell, Jasmine appears to have the exact same face mold but a modified outfit. She's got a very pretty face. :)

Prince Eric (original image HERE)

Prince Eric seems to have his LE face sculpt, too. I'm pretty sure he's in a different outfit as well, or at least it has slightly different coloring. I feel bad...I normally don't pay much attention to the prince dolls because they're always the same, so I don't really know for sure how different they are. Those of you who collect the other dolls will know just by looking, though. ;) 

Ariel (original image HERE) 

Ariel looks exactly the same to me, but I'm sure there are subtle differences. Most of the princess dolls seem to have slight changes to their face paint, so maybe Ariel does as well.

Prince Phillip (original image HERE)

Prince Phillip has his new LE face sculpt and a new outfit. Honestly, I kind of preferred his old face sculpt, but again, for those of you out there who loved his limited edition doll, now you have a chance to at least have the same face sculpt. :)

Aurora (original image HERE) 

Aurora seems pretty much unchanged as well, aside from a new dress. Still very pretty, though.

Prince Charming (original image HERE)

Prince Charming has his LE face sculpt. It also appears that he's had some updates to his outfit. Again, not my favorite doll, but I'm thankful they're giving Prince Charming fans a chance to have a new mold.

Cinderella (original image HERE) 

Cinderella also appears to have the short end of the stick on the whole update process. She has a modified dress, but honestly, it looks a little plain compared to some of the others she's had. It makes me wish I'd picked up last year's version for Little Gal.

Prince Naveen (original image HERE)

Naveen is another doll who ended up with a slightly modified face sculpt. In this case, though, I wish they'd stuck with the original. I felt that the LE Naveen doll's eyes looked too small and beady, especially when he was next to Tiana. I loved the older Naveen's large eyes. Now I'm wishing I'd grabbed him when he was $6. :( Oh well...maybe he'll turn up at Goodwill sometime.

Tiana (original image HERE) 

On the other hand, I love this year's Tiana. I'm so happy that they put her in her blue dress. This is my favorite of her movie dresses. :) It's too bad they didn't put Naveen in his newsboy cap, vest, and slacks to match. That would have been really fun. :)

Captain John Smith (original image HERE) 

I'm pretty sure this is also John Smith's LE face sculpt. 

Pocahontas (original image HERE)

Pocahontas is another doll that seems virtually unchanged, aside from a few subtle differences in her face paint. I wish they'd found ways to update each doll so that every collector would have something to be excited about.

Li Shang (original image HERE)

Shang also has his new face sculpt. This would be exciting for Oldest Gal, except for the fact that she decided she didn't want to have a Mulan collection after all. ;) She had always loved the Mulan dolls, but she just saw the movie for the first time this year. While she really enjoyed it, she decided it wasn't her very favorite. She actually told me that she's not sure she has a favorite princess, which I told her was absolutely fine. 

Her current fave is Disgust from Inside Out. ;)

Mulan (original image HERE)

Mulan is another doll that seems to have no changes whatsoever. Kind of a bummer for Mulan fans. :(

The Prince (original image HERE)

Snow White's Prince has a new face sculpt, too. I have to say, while the sculpt itself is nice, this really doesn't look like Snow White's prince to me. He's a bit too angular in his face. Snow White's prince had a very soft face. What do you guys think?

Snow White (original image HERE)

Snow White doesn't appear to have all that many changes either, aside from an updated dress (which I do prefer to last year's). 

Merida (original image HERE) 

And finally, we come to Merida. Poor girl. Someone must have hogtied her and forced her to wear mascara. ;) She seems a lot more made up than previous versions. My favorite Merida doll is still the original one that was released when the movie came out, without glitter and with her cool bow and arrows. ;)

There are no Frozen dolls listed in the "what's new" section, but the regular Frozen dolls are listed as "Classic Dolls". They still appear to have their movie-themed packaging rather than the more generic Classic line packaging. You can see them HERE. 

The Classic Dolls are $16.95 each, which is a bit more than I prefer to pay. However, they are currently part of the "buy 2 for $10" promotion, which is much nicer. 

I'm thrilled that the Disney Store decided to pay attention to the prince dolls this time around. It's smart marketing, too. I haven't been motivated to buy a prince doll for years since they always looked the same. But that's changed this year. ;)

I will definitely be purchasing Belle and Rapunzel, in keeping with tradition. ;) Especially since they're so darling this year. Eugene will have to come home with me too. I'm still waffling on the Beast. I'm super curious to see if he really still is a prince underneath or if he's just a Beast doll.

Middle Gal likes Snow White, Snow White's Prince, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Belle the best. Little Gal likes Aladdin, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Prince Charming. Oldest Gal is at her first day of camp, so she wasn't able to share her opinions. ;)

What are your thoughts on the new releases? Are you excited? Disappointed? Will any of them be coming home with you?

You can check out all of the new arrivals from the Disney Store HERE. 

I didn't mention all of the new Classic Dolls last year, but if you'd like to check out last year's post and do some comparing, you can see it HERE. 

More blogging fun to come! :)

Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out" Mini Review and Random News from my Week ;)

Today, I took my girls to a movie on opening day for the first time. Mom and Mimi came, too. As you've guessed from the title, Inside Out, the latest animated masterpiece from Disney and Pixar, was released in theaters today. After reading the picture book at Barnes and Noble and reading the review on the Plugged In website, I decided it would be a fun one to watch with the girls.

Sadness was my favorite character. :) (Image found HERE)

Pixar did not disappoint. Inside Out was an incredible movie! I don't want to go into too many details and spoil it for all of you, but I would highly recommend this movie, especially if you have girls and wish to understand the mysterious inner workings of their minds. ;)

Like the Pixar films before it, the movie has plenty of laughs and poignancy. But even more important is the underlying message. In Inside Out, we are reminded that both joy and sadness are important for our development emotionally and have a place together as we experience life and make memories.

For those of you with young or emotionally sensitive children, be aware that there are some pretty emotionally intense scenes in this movie. The whole overall theme is loss, change, and how we cope with it. These topics are dealt with sensitively, but they definitely pack an emotional punch. Mom, Mimi and I were all in tears throughout various parts of the movie. My daughters did fine. ;) On the other hand, there were also several laugh-out-loud funny moments that helped balance out the heavier parts.

I also feel that, while children will get enjoyment out of this movie, adults will come away with a whole lot more on a deeper level. A lot of the overall themes may go over children's heads, especially the very young. But it's one of those movies that everyone in the family can find something to enjoy. It also can lead to some great discussions about emotions, how we communicate, and how we deal with change and loss. Just watch it. You won't regret it. ;)

If you'd like more specifics on content, be sure to check out Plugged In's review HERE.

                                            *********************************

In other news, I thought I'd share a few photos from my week. :)

On Monday, I went to Mimi's and helped her with a few of her doll displays. Here's how they turned out:

Here's the kitchen display with her Lalaloopsy shelves overhead (which I hung myself). ;) 

Piper (#25)

Sicily Rose (#22)

Details of the table.

An adorable lemonade set.

The hutch.

The colorful kitchen shelves. :)

A closer look at the Lalaloopsy shelves.

Mimi's international doll display. :)

After working on my mom's doll rooms and my aunt's doll displays, I decided it was time to tackle my own. ;) That was Tuesday's project. 

I haven't arranged or dusted them since before Christmas (at least!). Also, we're in the process of rearranging my daughter's rooms, giving Oldest Gal her own room again. I told her that when we did so, I would let her use my top doll room. I figured now was as good a time as any to empty the room and figure out what I was going to do.  

Here's what they looked like when I started.

I love the way the top room was arranged, but it was so high up that it was almost impossible to see from the floor.

The middle room was a kind of game room/bedroom of sorts.

The bottom room was a bedroom with two beds. 

Here's what they look like now (except there are more things in the storage area underneath). ;) 

The top room was replaced by a display. I find that I actually prefer things this way. I was able to use some of my taller furniture and build things up behind the dolls. It was always really hard to see into that top room. Now it's much more open and visible. Tess (Gotz Little Sisters doll), Ella (Gotz Precious Day Elisabeth doll), Lucy (Gotz 16" doll), and Hailey (rewigged Gotz Precious Day Elisabeth doll) seem to like their new arrangement. ;)

The middle room has become a bedroom again for Emma (#41, on the bed), Hayden (#55, sitting on the floor), and Charlie (renamed GOTY Mia doll). I like its simplified look and all of the fun posters on the walls. :)

The bottom room is now a game room/sitting room for the remaining girls. Here we have Ava (renamed GOTY Jess doll), Maggie (Madame Alexander doll), Anjali (#47), Alice (#25), Rachel (renamed AG Julie) and Jenna (renamed AG Rebecca). I was pleased with the fact that I was able to fit six dolls in the room without making it look too crowded. :) 

On Wednesday, the girls and I took a rather last-minute day trip with my mom for a Toys R Us run. ;)

As is our normal tradition, we had lunch at In-N-Out...

...and dessert at Krispy Kreme. (Sorry you can't see the full sign...Dorothy Doe was NOT cooperating). ;) 

We had our usual fun watching the conveyor belt inside...

...and taking pictures of our toys in the "Doughnuts" words. ;) The doll next to Dorothy Doe is one that Middle Gal made out of pipe cleaners and yarn. 

The gals all had an original glazed donut and were kind enough to share with their friends:

Oldest Gal shared with her Tokidoki Unicorno...

...Middle Gal shared with her homemade doll...

...and Little Gal shared with Jane. 

Dorothy Doe got to share some of my donut, too. ;)  

I forgot to get a picture outside of Toys R Us, but we had a great time there. We also went to the local Target. Everyone found something fun to bring home.

Oldest Gal got a Frozen Fash'ems (she ended up with Kristoff, the one she wanted!).

All of the girls found these fun new toys called "MoonBeams". I'm hoping to get a review up soon. I couldn't find any sort of website on them online, but they're super cute and very reasonably priced. The girls have had loads of fun playing with them.

We also got Shopkins MicroLites from Target. :)

And since the Zelfs were on sale for $4.99 each (for either medium OR super), I decided to bring a couple more home for my collection. ;) 

We found some other goodies too, but I didn't get pictures of everything. :)

The rest of the week was spent at piano lessons for Middle Gal, picking up some dolls to restring for a fellow doll club member, at a playdate with friends this morning, and at the movie theater this afternoon. Whew! It was definitely a full week. ;) 

I think that's about all for now. Next week, I have jury duty, so things may be a bit quiet here on the blog. I hope to get some good writing done while I'm waiting around the courthouse to see if I've been selected, though. ;)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :)