Disney Store's Frozen Dolls: Anna and Elsa

I was in a Disney Store before Christmas, picking up a few present items, when I saw the Frozen display. Spurred on by reviews from fellow bloggers, I picked up the Anna doll. I normally don’t buy movie merchandise before seeing the movie, but the doll was so cute and detailed, with such a lively expression on her face, that I figured she’d be worth it even if I ended up hating the movie. I looked at the Elsa doll, but wasn’t as taken with her design, and the picture on the box made her look smug and smirky. So I left her on the shelf.

Then, of course, I saw Frozen like everyone else in America, and spent the movie thinking “Curses. I bought the wrong doll.” Because yes, Anna was the cute, spunky heroine, but Elsa was the awesome one with a strong character arc and the showstopping ballad and yes, sweet icebending powers. Again, like everyone else in America, I promptly ran back to the Disney Store to pick up the Elsa doll (and let’s be real, just about any other Elsa merch I could find).

And, like everyone else in America, I sat there staring at empty shelves and a bare website. For three months, I stalked the Disney Store website, checking every morning to see if there’d been a restock. Spurred on by Facebook chatter, I doubled my stalking as the DVD/Blu-ray release date drew near, and my patience finally paid off. On the Monday morning before the release date, Disney Store finally restocked their Frozen section, and I was able to get the Elsa doll for my daughter (the pre-Christmas Anna had already found its way to her), and an additional Anna & Elsa for myself.

And a good thing, too, because they were sold back out of nearly everything by Tuesday evening.

(For this review, boxed!Anna and Elsa will be played by my set, and unboxed!Anna and Elsa will be played by my daughter’s set.)

My sisters, in their boxes. I do like how their side-glancing eyes make them look at each other when side by side.

100th Post! And a mild divergence back into Monster High.

Hello all, and I hope you have had a good month since I last posted. :) Truth be told, not a lot has been going on, doll- or craft- wise, but things are starting to pick up.

Of course, this just happened to coincide with me getting laid off from my job. Not to worry - I was immediately offered a backup position with one of our affiliates - but this past week has been the most awkward week of my life. I'm training for my new job at the offices of my old job, so while I'm in the same building and around the same people, I'm in a new department, at a new desk, using a new computer, and soon I move to my new building halfway across the city. :(

I have been a Bad Jen and indulging in some retail therapy (so close to Christmas, bad me), so I'm here to talk about my newest doll addition!

Today we stopped by Target, and we wouldn't be us if we didn't take a gander around the toy aisles (have I mentioned how much I love being married to someone who still loves toys too?), and I got a pleasant surprise: the new Monster High line - Frights, Camera, Action! - and in particular, Miss Honey Swamp.

AG Columbus, Part II

This is the conclusion to my last post, detailing my haul from the new American Girl store at Easton Town Center in Columbus. For my reviews of Julie’s Bunny, the AG Store exclusive jeans, and the Silver Stripe Hoodie, please see my previous post here.

Onwards – to the new releases!

This was the first AG release in a while that had me really intrigued. Most of the time, AG releases a load of new products, and I see one or two things that look kind of neat, but “kind of neat” is the extent of my interest. This time, I had a few “omg I really actually want that” reactions! So, while at Easton, I picked up my two favorite items from the new releases.

This is the new Striped Hoodie Outfit ($30). It’s sold both individually and as part of the $90 Mix and Match combo pack. It contains a grey striped hoodie top, orange skinny pants, grey sneakers, pink hair ties, and a charm.

The hoodie. It’s a lightweight knit with a screenprinted design on front, and Velcro closure in the back.

This piece was the driving force in my decision to purchase this outfit. It was appealing to me personally (I would totally wear a human-sized version of this top), and I knew it fit Robin’s fashion aesthetic to a tee.

Sadly, it has one major flaw – like the Star Hoodie outfit, it’s a pain to get on. I've taken to just avoiding the fight and taking the head off a doll to get a shirt on.

Poor headless doll! - and poor messy, messy Dollcave.

The pants are not jeans, as I had originally thought. They’re more like a chino-style woven fabric, with a Velcro fly and an AG tag on the back waistband.

Despite the “skinny” label, they actually fit far better than the store-exclusive jeans. There’s a lot of give in the back.

There are also neat little dart seams at the knees.

The sneakers are pretty ordinary – gray canvas with stretchy pink laces.

I’m normally not enthused about hair accessories with AG outfits, but given how often Robin wears her hair in pigtails, I quickly realized it was a good idea to have a pair of matching bands in her favorite color.

Robin in the full outfit:

Robs quickly set to work enforcing her own style on the outfit (first move: no pants. I don’t understand why it is that my biggest tomboy avoids pants like the plague, but whatevs).

I paired the Striped Hoodie top with the skirt from the Cozy Plaid outfit. This is actually a really cute look.

My girls in their new togs:

I save the best for last – the Science Lab set!

In the box.

The set comes with a lab apron:

Robin is begging me to replace the Innerstar U logo with the logo for Tesladyne Industries.

Microscope:

Safety goggles:

Test tubes and rack:

The “chemicals” in the test tubes are just pieces of translucent plastic.

Microscope slides:

Easily the most disappointing piece – opaque plastic with a printed label. They could have at least made them translucent, or out actual specimen pictures on. I long for more realism!

Science book:

The Pie just thought this was the coolest thing ever. “Ohh, look Mommy, it has pictures of all the ANIMALS!”

Bonus fun fact: One of the NASA consultants on the author page was a teacher at my middle school. Small world!

I dragged Robin’s desk over to set everything up:

Overall: This set is full of the tiny, fun pieces I love in an accessory set. The microscope is a wee bit smaller than scale, but not so much that it bugs me. The safety goggles are a cute touch, and I like the detailing on the test tubes. The science book, like all AG books, is very nice. The slides are iffy at best, but I do understand that a translucent set would be a nightmare of lost pieces. I would have preferred a lab coat over an apron, but I know students generally don’t get to wear the fancy coats. :D

In general, I’m really pleased with my purchases. Yes, I didn't get a doll, but time and budget constraints were too much to justify a doll purchase. (In that way, I’m glad I was a bit rushed – I’m sure, if I’d have had the time to look around, I’d have fallen in love with some doll or another!) There was a bit more than personal preference to my main choices – I really appreciate that AG offered up some non-pastel clothes and some nerdy accessories (a mix-and-match set and science kit? How much time does AG R&D spend on the Playthings forum?), and I wanted to support those offerings with my hard-earned birthday cash.

So, hopefully I will have a more favorable report of AG Columbus in the future, but I’m very happy with my modest haul!

AG Columbus, Part I

Last Friday, we were en route to a family wedding in Cleveland, and made a small detour to Easton Town Center for lunch and a visit to the American Girl store in Columbus.

Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of the store from my trip. It was very crowded, and my husband was already cranky about being in the middle of the 4-hour trip from our house to Cleveland, so my first experience in an AG store was pretty short. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to go up there again soon, or I can turn on the puppy eyes and ask for another detour at Thanksgiving!

I can’t say AG Columbus is the best store ever – the store layout isn't great. There are a lot of display racks sitting out in the middle of the store that break up the walking paths, some paths that lead to dead ends, and it generally took a while to find the things I was looking for. This is not a store where you come in knowing what you want, grab it, pay, and leave. This is a store where they want you to amble around, look at all the cute displays, then spend three times as much as you’d planned!

Also – and this is just my brand of crazy – I hang out with adult collectors way too much, because I was not prepared for the sheer amounts of KIDS around. As much as I act like a 12-year-old, I really don’t get along with children, aside from my own! (I’m so OLD. I feel like I should just grab a cane to shake and tell the durn hoodlum kids to get offa my lawn.) Between kids darting in front of me, kids running into my legs because they weren't looking where they were going, and kids just being loud and OMG I HAVE THAT ONE AND I WANT THIS ONE AND MOMMY I WANT, I wasn't all that sad to be going.

ANYWAY, enough of my geriatric ranting. Robin was with me (of course – she demands to go along on anything resembling an adventure), and here she is showing off some of the new gear:

Pullip Customizing Bonanza!

Okay, I KNOW I said that I was going to slow down on the buying and appreciate my collection.

I KNOW.

But, like I said in the Cecile post, I am easily snared by a good bargain. So when Beastsbelle of the adorable Never Grow Up blog posted a picture of the beautiful Pullip Peter Pan she found – for $40 – at Tuesday Morning, I couldn’t let that pass without at least investigating.

I went to two Tuesday Morning stores in two days (ah, the advantages of living in a metropolitan area), and found not only the Peter Pan Pullip, but the Taeyang Captain Hook! They both came home to join my customization to-do list.

Christmas Catchup!

Aiiieee, why is it so hard to put together a post? Photos to take, then edit, then upload, text to write, HTML to code...Anyway, I'm finally making headway.

Another Christmas has come and gone at Casa Nachos. This was probably the most doll-tastic Christmas I’ve had yet! I had a lot of stuff that I’d bought on sale and stashed away, and then my husband provided a few surprises as well! (I knew he was a keeper!)

Meet Marie-Grace!

When Cecile and Marie-Grace went on sale in the Jill's Steals and Deals offer, I knew I wanted Cecile, and Marie-Grace tagged along because I knew I'd kick myself for not snapping her up at that price.

Marie-Grace has stayed in her box, because two dolls at once was a bit too overwhelming, but I did take some snapshots before putting her back into storage.

Tour: The New Dollcave!

Behold, the new Dollcave!

Well, Hobbycave, really, as I share the room with the computer and other stuff. But one big ol' corner is all mine!



The New Dollcave in all its glory. Yes, the walls are orange.

The AG Section: Team Modern:



I ended up packing away the IKEA bed I got last Christmas. It's cute, but so huge - with it gone, I could open up the wardrobe and keep Robin's desk in the Team Modern section.

Lucy's desk:





The goldfish from Saturday Crafternoon Adventures did not survive the moving process (his gel water de-gelled in the June heat), and he has been replaced by Mr. Nibbles, Lucy's pet mouse.

Mr Nibbles is a Safari Ltd Good Luck Minis white mouse (follow that link for a place where you can see the whole line and purchase). He was 50 cents at the Good Zoo gift shop at Oglebay Resort, WV.

His cage is a 99-cent plastic container from Michael's. His water bottle is one of these glass dollhouse jars from Hobby Lobby. His cedar chips are shavings from my pencil sharpener!



The bookcase between the desks, complete with toys, books, and Lucy's art stuff.



Robin's desk, complete with Terry Pratchett book, Dalek poster, and homemade, out-of-scale iPhone.

Team Historical:



Team Historical sits atop an old bookcase full of art/craft supplies.



Felicity, looking lovely in her summer gown, with her Windsor chair and accessories.



I finally found a suitable jacquard ribbon to serve as her sash, thanks to trimgoddess on Etsy.



The Walker sisters, Addy and Addy, enjoy pie on their brand-spanking-new table and chair set from The Queen's Treasures.

I bought this set from their Factory Seconds selection (just look under "Going, Going, Gone"). If it hadn't had FACTORY SECOND slathered all over the web page, I'd have never known - the nicks and imperfections are minimal. Best part? $29.99 instead of $69.99, and free shipping to boot!

Moving up in the world, the Small Doll Section:



The best thing about home ownership is having my very own, non-coin-operated laundry machines. The second-best is being able to put up shelves without risking your deposit.



Left side: Russian nesting dolls from a friend, Colette, Penny, and the Lagoona twins.



Right side - Penny and the Lagoona twins are joined by Pullip Rapunzel and my Treasured Childhood Ariel.

So, that's the new Dollcave! It's already been de-organized by a new sewing project - hopefully I'll check back in soon with a summer dress for The Addys!

Two Springfield Collection Reviews

This week I picked up two Springfield Collection outfits from local craft stores, one for my girls and one for The Pie's Doll.

First, the Purple Party Dress for Doll, found at JoAnn's:



The outfit consists of a floor-length purple gown with golden "sparkle" accents, black patent flats (the same ones you can buy separately), a ribbon choker with a rhinestone, and fur-trimmed long gloves.

The gown is quite nice - the bodice and underskirt are a royal purple satiny fabric, with a sheer purple overskirt.



A closer look at the sparkles - they're just printed on the overskirt.



The choker isn't great - it just barely fits around Doll's neck, and Doll is skinnier than an AG. The biggest fail is the gloves - the glove fabric is nice and stretchy, and fits perfectly. The fur trim does not - I had to carefully cut a notch into the trim to fit it over Doll's hands.

Still, a pretty dress and serviceable shoes for $9.99 - and less if you use a coupon (I had one for 40% off.) I give it a solid B+, and The Pie loves that her doll looks like a princess. :D

For my girls, I got the purple argyle shirt and denim skirt set:



The denim skirt was a nice surprise - I was expecting it to be much flimsier. It has a simple velcro tab at the fly, and fits Lucy (albeit a bit snugly in places).

The shirt was my main reason for picking this up, and while it fits and looks cute...



Only a partial opening in the back, with a small velcro tab. What a PAIN to get on.



A closer look at the argyle print.



And Lucy finishes the outfit with her denim jacket.

This outfit is very cute, and the basic pieces make for good mix-and-match potential, so it gets an A-. It's $7.99 at Michael's, but (as always) get on the mailing list for those 40% coupons!