Elsa Couture de Force Figurine by Enesco

This past December, we took a trip to Florida to visit my brother and sister-in-law and while we were there, we took the girls to the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.  I've always been a huge Disney fan, but going to Disney World sort of sparked my interested in collecting more Disney stuff!

Being able to take snowy photos was the only good thing about the freak snowstorm we got a few weeks ago. :)

The first of a new collection I've started are the Couture de Force line of figures by Enesco.
This particular figure is inspired by the character of Elsa from the movie Frozen. 

The first time I saw this figure was on the Disney Store online and she was (and still is) listed at $74.95.
I looked right past her because I did not want to pay that much money for a figurine I knew nothing about, no matter how pretty she was.

Then found her on Amazon for $37.50 which she is still listed at and I scooped her right up!

This Elsa figure is about 8 inches tall and made of stone resin. She has a pretty good weight to her and feels very well made.  She is so detailed and lovely that I don't even feel as though the photos do her justice.

She has beautiful carved details in her hair and lots of encrusted jewels and faux gems throughout her hair and dress.  She is not completely "movie accurate", but it's nice to see fancier interpretations of her classic, signature look. 

She is holding a large single snowflake in one hand.  Her other hand has a beautiful ring and both delicate wrists are decorated in shiny pearls.

She also wears a snowflake necklace and has 2 strands of dainty pearl straps draped over each shoulder. Here you can also see a bit more detail of her hair. 

The movement and textures of her dress are gorgeous! 

The cape section of her dress, I think, is made from some sort of hard acrylic.  Each shimmery snowflake is hand-painted on. I love that the cape looks like a shell of ice.

Her face looks a bit different from her animated character, but I like it even more. 

I didn't even notice the slight defect in her lip paint until I zoomed into this photo!

Overall, she is a lovely collectible figure and I'm really glad to have gotten her at that nice discounted price.  For now she sits on our bookshelf next to Cinderella who I hope to review as well.

Enesco.com has the newest figures out, which are GORGEOUS.  They are Disney princesses dressed in Art Deco inspired couture.  Here is a link to check them out!  How cute is Snow White??  It also looks like they have a few other versions of Elsa as well.

So far, I have seen these Disney Couture de Force figures in person at both Barnes and Noble as well as Hallmark.
Amazon.com had her listed at the best price (nearly 50% less) and they have many of the other characters listed at less than retail price as well.
Just as a disclosure, links leading to Amazon.com are affiliate links, but I wouldn't recommend them if they didn't have such a good price! :)

Thanks, as always for reading and have a nice weekend!
xo Farrah

Rainbow Brite Itty Bittys-Hallmark

Growing up, I loved the 80s cartoon called Rainbow Brite.  If you weren't a child in the 80s, you may not appreciate this post as much as others due to the nostalgia of this cartoon! 

Image from Wikipedia

Back in the 80s, Hallmark released a number of 12-inch and 18-inch dolls from this cartoon, followed by a few more releases throughout the years.  After I grew up, Rainbow Brite, sort of fell off the radar and I wasn't even aware of the relaunched dolls they did in 1996, 2003 and 2009.

Well, now that I have kids and I am launched back into the toy and doll world, they are back on the radar! 

You may imagine my surprise, when I walked into Hallmark at the mall to see Rainbow Brite Itty Bittys staring me in the face.
I had been aware of Itty Bittys prior when my husband bought a tiny Rapunzel for Pumpkin Pie's birthday, but didn't pay much attention to them at the time.
Well, since they now come in the form of my favorite 80s cartoon, I have a new appreciation for them!

For a detailed review of each character, please check out my video!
They have still to release the Color Kids called Shy Violet, Canary Yellow and Lala Orange as well as Spark Sprite (the yellow one).  There are a few other characters that have been on the show, which I hope they release eventually as well (Baby Brite, Moonglow, Stormy, etc).

I have heard that Shy Violet will be released in June as an online exclusive via the Hallmark website, though, so I am excited for her!

Image from Hallmark.com

Overall, they are a nice quality little plushie.  Although possibly a little overpriced at $6.95 a piece, I love them and am happy to have them in my very small (but growing) Rainbow Brite collection.
I think the nostalgic feeling is well worth it. :)

Here is a great website that talks more about the collectible dolls and merchandise they have come out with over the years. She's the person that told me about the Shy Violet exclusive!
She even dedicated an area of her house as the "Rainbow Museum".
I Love It. :)

I hope you enjoyed this 80s rainbow-y, colorful post for today and hope you enjoy the rest of your week!
xo Farrah

"March"ing through the end of Winter ;)

As life has it, I'm a little behind on posting my monthly update, but hey oh here we go.  :) 

I always think of March as "the brown month" as even though it seems like a "springy" month, here in the North East, it's still winter.   No signs of green at all except for our shirts on St. Patrick's Day. 

I also want to apologize for the photos as I took mostly all of them with my iPhone instead of using my good camera.  I have been a little unmotivated to do any photography this past winter so I've been finding my phone much more convenient. :)  

The cows  have seemed quite happy with the lack of snow we've had.  They are so cute as they skip around with each other.  My uncle has a few separate pens that only the little ones can fit through and often times I see many of the calves all snuggled together taking their naps. 

The bulls reside in a separate pasture anxiously awaiting the time when they rejoin the herd for breeding season. 

The robins have migrated back and are everywhere! I love going outside now and hearing so many different birds again.  Quite a few stay here for the winter, but it's nice to see the other ones come back. 

My sister and I celebrated our birthday this month and we ended up having a wonderful day getting massages, having brunch and then meeting some friends out for dinner at this really cool place that has a ton of different specialty beers and cider.  My husband and I NEVER go out (our own fault!) and it's so nice to sit in a restaurant, drink some booze and talk to adults.  I had the best time!! 

These were my tester flights...all delicious!  

The following day was my actual birthday, so I made everyone go on a quick hike to our favorite waterfalls.  Unfortunately it was very icy and Pumpkin Pie and Hubby had a pretty scary fall so we decided not to risk going too much closer to the falls. 

So we went home and watched Star Wars.  The original one. :) 

This winter, I've tried to make a commitment to read one novel a month.  I used to read constantly!  I always had a book going and one lined up as soon as I finished, but I've gotten so out of it these past few years.  I think once I got an iPad and discovered blogs, they took over my normal "for-fun" reading. 

Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice 

 This book I had gotten a couple of Christmas's ago, and I have always been a Brady fan so picked it up and read it pretty quickly.  I was shocked by how honest she was about the struggles she had to overcome!  Maureen McCormick had a very difficult life after her stint on The Brady Bunch and I thought it was a good, easy read, that at times I couldn't put down.  I really enjoyed it, even though it sort of distorted my image of Marcia Brady.  I love behind-the-scenes things anyway though, so it was bittersweet. :) 

Another craft I've gotten into this winter is cross-stitch!  I used to do these all the time when I was younger so when I came across some cute photos on Instagram of some Care Bear cross-stitch, I knew I had to get some of these pattern books.  When I googled it on eBay I found some others that I couldn't resist! 

Here is the first one I did, which is Twink from Rainbow Brite.  This is Pumpkin Pie's favorite sprite so he will hang in the girls room. :)  I had forgotten how relaxing and therapeutic cross-stitch was! 

Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman: The Complete Series  

Another guilty please I indulged in while I was cross-stitching in the evening was watching Season One of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.  My brother got me the DVD set for Christmas and I used to LOVE this show.  I loved the fact that it was set in the 1840s, had a western feel and is so wholesome. This is just what my brain needs right now at the end of the day, lol.  Now that I am a nurse, I can understand and appreciate the medical aspect of Jane Seymour's character as well! 

Plus, I am just as much in love with Sully as I was when I was 14 so that also makes it fun (swoon)! 

Here's the 2nd cross-stitch project I started and finished. 

I'm a month behind.  

Paint by Numbers Paint Set - Mountain Chalet by Reeves 

I also received this gorgeous paint by numbers kit for my birthday which I hope to get into soon! 

By mid-March, it was still pretty brown out, but things were starting to grow! 

In mid-March, I did my first "mail day" video if you are interested in seeing some doll/toy related treats I got for myself for my birthday!

Easter was a lovely day and the girls had such a great time coloring eggs.  They were absolutely thrilled to get candy and it was one of the simplest Easter baskets they've every gotten, yet they were completely delighted just the same. :) SCORE.
It's always so fun to dress up little girls in their Easter dresses (at least it is for me!)

Feeling the warmth of the sun is priceless! 

On our Easter Sunday walk, we came across this perfect "mud heart".  Ever since my Dad passed away in 2012, I have associated "hearts in nature" to be a sign that he is close-by. :)

On that note, things are starting to perk up and come to life around here! I hope I have more flowers and blossoms to show you in my next monthly post.

Thanks for sharing in some of our family's adventures this past month.  Love to you all. 

xo Farrah :)