Introduce Your Little Girl to the Fun & Music of The Beatrix Girls Pop-Stars Dolls!

Thank you to The Beatrix Girls for providing a prize pack for our giveaway prize and for sending an additional prize pack to me as a thank you for sharing these fashion dolls and their new music CD with my readers.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Brayden, the purple-haired lead guitarist and songwriter of the pop-star girl band The Beatrix Girls has already been welcomed into our home.  Our 7 year old daughter saw her in the tween clothing store Justice and knew that this doll was what she wanted to spend her birthday money on.  Now she looks forward to adding the other three 12" fashion dolls to her collection.

Each of The Beatrix Girls (Lark, Ainsley, Brayden, and Chantal) has her own personality.  They are all empowered, goal-oriented girls who know what they like and know who they are.  A fun way to introduce your little girl to The Beatrix Girls is to watch the short Beatrix Girls webisodes available on their website, www.thebeatrixgirls.com, like the one below . . .


In addition to Justice stores, you can find The Beatrix Girls dolls at Toys"R"Us, Walmart, Amazon.com, and other major toy retailers.  When you purchase a doll, be sure to look for the VIP pass on the packaging that has a code to join the Trixie Fan Club, which allows your little fan to download free MP3s from The Beatrix Girls and more.

Other fun ways to learn more about The Beatrix Girls . . . 

• Listen to clips of the original songs from The Beatrix Girls' new album Meet the Beatrix.
• Read the official Beatrix Girls Blog.
• Watch music videos and webisodes on The Beatrix Girls YouTube Channel.
• Checkout The Beatrix Girls on Instagram!

Enter to win a Beatrix Girls prize pack . . . 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Have Your Own Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Movie Premiere Party

Thank you to Monsters High for providing the prize pack for our reader giveaway and for sending us a prize pack as a thank you for sharing the Frights, Camera, Action! DVD and toys with our readers.  All opinions expressed are my own.

On March 25th, Monster High released a new movie on DVD that was much-anticipated by tweenage Monster High fans everywhere . . . Monster High Frights, Camera Action!  To add to the fun, a new line of Monster High dolls have been introduced bringing the fashion savvy ghoulish movie characters to life.

Are you planning a playdate, a sleepover, or a Monster High birthday party for your little girl?  How about setting up a movie premiere screening for your daughter and her friends?  All you'll need is the Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! DVD,  the Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Premiere Party Playset, and a few of your favorite new Monster High fashion dolls. My daughter's favorite dolls from the new line are Black Carpet Clawdeen Wolf, New Stars Elissabat, and Black Carpet Lagoona Blue.  My personal favorite is Black Carpet Draculaura.  That ghoul has got style!


Watch the Monster High trailer below to get a glimpse of Draculaura's and her friends' adventures in Hauntlywood as they search for the Vampire Queen . . . 

If you really want to make some fun memories, you could even have a dress-up and make-up session with your daughter and her guests to see what their best Monster High character-inspired Hauntlywood look is for walking down the Black Carpet during the movie premiere.  If I were my daughter's age, I would want purple hair like Elissabat's!  There are 8 new Monster High dolls in all.  Which one is your favorite?

You can look for everything you need for your own Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Movie Premiere Party at Target, Walmart, Toys"R"Us, and Amazon.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Hearts For Hearts Multicultural Collectible Dolls

As you may already know, I am a huge fan of educational toys.  I have found that not too man dolls fall into that category.  That is one of the things that makes these Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls unique.  Not only are these dolls from various countries around the world, each doll wears clothing and accessories that reflects her culture and comes with a mini biographical book for you to read with your little girl.  This book describes the doll's homeland, family, and her dreams.  Everything about this doll, from the packaging to the website are designed to teach young girls about how capable girls are and how each girl can change the world for the better.

Out of the six dolls from around the world currently available in the Hearts For Hearts Girls doll line, we received Rahel from Ethiopia and the Clogging with Dell Deluxe Fashion Set . . .

Rahel came fully outfitted in a bodysuit, a sarong, sandals, necklaces, and bracelets.  Also included with this doll were a mini book, a comb, and a Hearts For Hearts Girls bracelet.  Although the adjustable heart bracelet was meant for my daughter to wear, it was far too large for her.  She ended up deciding that it would make a better necklace for her doll instead.  The Deluxe Fashion Set we received, which fits all 6 dolls, came with a country-style dress, clogging shoes, a floral hair accessory, a pie, a thermos, and a jelly jar.


Some ways we used our Hearts For Hearts Girls doll to educate our daughter:

• We asked her what was different between her and her new doll.  (Straight vs. curly hair, light skin vs. dark, eye color, clothing, etc . . . )
• We asked her what she and her doll may have in common.  (Both have moms, likes wearing jewelry, likes to play, likes to learn, likes to draw, likes to eat pie, etc . . . )
• We showed her where our home is located on the globe and then showed her where Ethiopia is located.

If you like to give or receive gifts that give back to the world, you should put the Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls on the radar for anyone who might be shopping for your little girl this holiday and remember this doll line when you are shopping for others.  A portion of the purchase price from each doll sold gets donated to help provide things that should not be considered luxuries to girls around the world, such as food, books, and medical supplies.  This would also be a great toy to purchase and donate to Toys For Tots or another toy drive because it would double the benefit of your donation.

Our daughter loves Rahel and has no idea that she is a learning toy.  I think she would love to collect all the dolls in this series, which includes Rahel from Ethiopia, Nahji from India, Lilian from Belarus, Tipi from Laos, Dell from the U.S., and Consuelo from Mexico.  You can purchase Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls and the Deluxe Fashion Sets from Playmates Toys, Target, Walmart, Amazon.com, and other major toy retailers.  Each doll retails for approximately $29.99 and each outfit retails for $12.99 to $17.99.  Also visit Hearts4HeartsGirls.com to learn more about the mission and for fun games and activities.

The Hearts For Hearts Girls doll, Deluxe Fashion Set, contest prize, and information have been provided by Playmates Toys through MyBlogSpark.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive one Hearts For Hearts Girls Doll and one Deluxe Fashion Set (Both items will be chosen at random for you).

Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Take a look at the 6 Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls. Then leave a comment telling me the name of the doll whose life you think your daughter would love to learn more about. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1)  For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.


2)  For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3)  For 1 extra entry, "Like" the 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires Facebook page, then leave a separate comment here with the link to your Facebook profile.

4)  For 1 extra entry, "Like" Hearts For Hearts Girls on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.


5)  Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

6)  Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post AND using the hashtag #MyBlogSpark. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

7)  Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

8)  Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, November 7th, 2011 at 10:00pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Review: Disney TANGLED Rapunzel BRAIDING FRIENDS Hair Braider Doll

Since our family attended the screening of the Disney movie Tangled in November, our daughter has been mesmerized by the Rapunzel Braiding Friends Hair Braider doll by Mattel every time she saw the commercial air on television.  Little did she know that Mattel sent one for her in plenty of time for her 4th birthday in January.  Out of the many gifts she received that day, this doll was the very first toy she asked to be opened.  When I did open it for her, I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that this toy was designed to be battery-free!

I must say that this toy has many parts and it was not easy to remove from the packaging.  It is the price we pay for having everything to remain looking so perfect while in the box.  I just wanted to warn you in case your child is usually less than patient.

Overall, this toys is well-designed to be user-friendly for a child.  Without any assistance, the braider creates braids in the doll's hair that is looser near the top and tighter towards the bottom.  Rapunzel comes with hair that is pre-bundled into two sets of 3 strands, which are held together by mini elastics.  Each strand is looped through a plastic piece that plugs into the flowers held by the rabbit, raccoon, and squirrel, who are built into the hair braider doll stand.

Once the strands have been plugged in, your child can turn the crank to magically make the woodland animals intertwine the strands into a braid.  If you desire a more even braid, then you will have to work the braid upward with your fingers to make the pattern tighter towards the top of Rapunzel's head.

Both my daughter and I were very pleased with the Rapunzel Braiding Friends Hair Braider doll.  Her dress is exquisite and her long hair is beautiful.  The doll comes with a hairbrush to help keep Rapunzel's hair "untangled", 3 plastic hair clips, and extra mini elastics.  Another thing I have to point out is that Rapunzel's shoes were not easy to get on her feet, so there is very little worry of them falling off and becoming lost.

If your little girl is highly anticipating the release of the film Tangled on Blu-ray/DVD at the end of March, this doll would be a wonderful gift to accompany that movie.  You can find her at the Mattel Shop, Amazon.com, Toys "R" Us, and other major toy retailers.


Thank you to Mattel for sending us a complimentary product sample to base this review upon.

Review: Disney Deluxe Snow White Doll and Wardrobe Play Set

Not too long ago, I wrote a post about when my nearly 3yr old daughter might be ready for her first fashion doll. Well, since the opportunity presented itself, we decided to give a test run.

After recently viewing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition on DVD, my little princess was delighted to see the beautiful Snow White right in front of her in her own home. To make it even sweeter, this Disney Deluxe Snow White and Wardrobe Play Set comes with two additional outfits.

Between the princess, peasant, and wedding gowns, my daughter's favorite is the princess gown. Not only is that the dress she remembers from the Disney film, but it also has a colorful jeweled bodice and an exquisite golden skirt. I personally think that Snow White looks regal even in the modest peasant dress. Although this play set comes with three outfits, there are only two pairs of shoes. I would have loved to have seen a third pair of shoes included to accompany the wedding gown.

Although my daughter treats her Snow White doll as precious while she is playing with her, she will often leave her behind when her attention is drawn elsewhere and will not think to put the doll somewhere safe. For this reason, I've kept the extra outfits, cape, head band, and both pairs of shoes in the box. I should have thought to also put the head band the doll was wearing into the box because sadly it has gone missing.

I definitely think this Snow White doll would be a cherished gift, whether it's for a little girl who will enjoy years of playing with her or for a collector who may enjoy the doll kept pristine in her box. If you are purchasing for a collector, these Disney Doll and Wardrobe Play Sets are also available for several other Disney Princesses, including Belle, Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, and the new Tiana. You can track them down at the Disney Store and on Amazon.com .

Thank to Disney Consumer Products for providing a toy sample for this review.

Waiting For My Daughter to Be Old Enough for Barbies

When I was a little girl, I never had a genuine Barbie doll of my own. That is why I've always had a fascination for them, especially the couture dolls. They just seem so beautiful and exquisite.


Eventually, I began to start a collection of Barbies. I had a small collection by the time our first son was born, but I stopped adding to it because I could not see spending the money when we had another mouth to feed. Then the twins came along, one of which was a girl, so now I am patiently waiting for our daughter Makenzie to be old enough to play with Barbie dolls.


My daughter is now nearly 3 yrs old. I will have to wait until she can care for a doll properly before I start her on Barbies. This may not happen for another year or two, but I can still imagine her little face lighting up when she sees a beautiful doll like this 2009 Holiday Barbie under the tree on Christmas morning. I suppose I just need to continue to be patient.