TV Store Online My Little Pony Group Sleigh Ride Snowflakes Juniors Navy Sweatshirt Review and Valentine's Giveaway! #ComplimentaryProductReceived

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this complimentary product from TV Store Online in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The giveaway product is also provided complimentary to the winner. Affiliate links are in this posting. Thanks for supporting my blog.

TV Store Online is a great online store that has quality licensed merchandise from TV, movies, comic books, and 80's themes. There is stuff from Disney, Hasbro, Nintendo, Marvel, Harry Potter, Dr. Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. You can find a number of accessories, clothing, footwear, pajamas, robes, costumes, shirts, leggings, etc.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I am a Brony, a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that is outside the target demographic of little girls. Practically my whole family are into the animated TV series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or MLP FIM for short. We go to Seattle Washington almost every year to participate in Everfree Northwest, the MLP convention out there. Sometimes we even cosplay characters from the show.

 

Me wearing the MLP Group Sleigh Ride Snowflakes Juniors Navy Sweatshirt in Medium.

 

For this review I picked out a My Little Pony Group Sleigh Ride Snowflakes Juniors Navy Sweatshirt in a medium to review. The medium fit was just right. This officially licensed My Little Pony sweatshirt comes in S-2X in junior sizes. I love that this sweatshirt is super soft inside. It is navy blue and has fair isle patterned snowflakes printed on the background. It pictures Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy pulling a sleigh with Pinkie Pie, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Rarity also printed on it. I love that the whole mane six is featured on the front of the shirt. The sweatshirt is made from 60% Cotton and 40% Polyester. I cannot wait to wear this for Christmas holidays, to Christmas Ugly Sweater Parties, and to Everfree NW this year if they don't cancel it because of the Coronavirus (it was cancelled last year)!

I recommend TV Store Online for all your fan apparel needs for the entire family. You can even all match or be unique...it is all up to you. They have so many different items to choose from there is bound to be something that would be perfect for gifting. Valentine's Day is coming up and they have some fun Valentine's products also. Deluxe Face Masks are now available too!

 

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TV Store Online Pinkie Pie Hoodie Review and Spring Giveaway! #ComplimentaryProductReceived

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this complimentary product from TV Store Online in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The giveaway product is also provided complimenary to the winner.

TV Store Online is a great online store that has quality licensed merchandise from TV, movies, comic books, and 80's themes. There is stuff from Disney, Hasbro, Nintendo, Marvel, Harry Potter, Dr. Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. You can find a number of accessories, clothing, footwear, pajamas, robes, costumes, shirts, leggings, etc.

MLP FIM Pinkie Pie Hoodie. Super Cute!

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I am a Brony, a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that is outside the target demographic of little girls. Practically my whole family are into the animated TV series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or MLP FIM for short. We go to Seattle Washington every year to participate in Everfree Northwest, the MLP convention out there. Sometimes we even cosplay characters from the show. I have been wanting to get a Pinkie Pie Hoodie ever since the first convention because Pinkie Pie is my third favorite of the mane six ponies. I already have the Fluttershy hoodie and Twilight hoodie that is similar to this one.

MLP FIM Pinkie Pie Hoodie front.

For this review I picked out a Pinkie Pie Face Juniors Pink Costume Hoodie with Mane in Junior Women's XS to review. The XS fit me a bit snug. This hoodie usually comes in XS-2X in junior sizes, but all sizes are out of stock except for XS. I love that this hoodie is super soft inside and has pockets to keep my hands warm. It is pink which matches Pinkie Pie's actual color and has Pinkie Pie's cutie mark on one of the lower sides. The hooded sweatshirt is made from 80% Cotton and 20% Polyester. The draw string hood has adorable ears, and fuchsia mane that comes down the back. The zipper pull has the symbol from Pinkie Pie's cutie mark and her cute face on the chest. I cannot wait to wear this for Halloween and to Everfree NW this year if they don't cancel it because of the Coronavirus!

MLP FIM Pinkie Pie Hoodie back.

I recommend TV Store Online for all your fan apparel needs for the entire family. You can even all match or be unique...it is all up to you. They have so many different items to choose from there is bound to be something that would be perfect for gifting.

MLP FIM Pinkie Pie Hoodie has pockets and a cutie mark.

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TV Store Online Halloween Costume Review and Giveaway!

Halloween is coming soon and if you celebrate, you probably have started looking for the best costumes for your family to wear. TV Store Online is a great online store that has quality licensed merchandise from TV, movies, comic books, and 80's themes. There is stuff from Disney, Hasbro, Nintendo, Marvel, Harry Potter, Dr. Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. You can find a number of accessories, clothing, footwear, pajamas, robes, costumes, shirts, leggings, etc. You can find so many great costumes at TV Store Online for this October 31st.

MLP FIM Twilight Sparkle Hoodie. Super Cute!

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I am a Brony, a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that is outside the target demographic of little girls. Practically my whole family are into the animated TV series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or MLP FIM for short. We go to Seattle Washington every year to participate in Everfree Northwest, the MLP convention out there. Sometimes we even cosplay characters from the show. I have been wanting to get a Twilight Sparkle Hoodie ever since the first convention because Twilight Sparkle is my second favorite of the mane six ponies. I already have the Fluttershy hoodie that is similar to this one.

MLP FIM Twilight Sparkle Hoodie front.

For this review I picked out a Twilight Sparkle Face Lilac Costume Hoodie with Mane & Horn in Junior Women's S to review. The small fit me just fine. This hoodie comes in XS-2X in junior sizes. I love that this hoodie is super soft inside and has pockets to keep my hands warm. It is lilac which matches Twilight's actual color and has Twilight's cutie mark on one of the lower sides. The hooded sweatshirt is made from 80% Cotton and 20% Polyester. The draw string hood has adorable ears, a lilac horn, and a pink and dark purple mane that comes down the back. I was a little disappointed that this hoodie is of the old version of Twilight Sparkle, not the princess version... so it doesn't have wings. The zipper pull has the symbol from Twilight's cutie mark and her cute face on the chest. I cannot wait to wear this for Halloween and to Everfree NW next year!

MLP FIM Twilight Sparkle Hoodie back, no wings.

I recommend TV Store Online for all your fan apparel needs and costumes for Halloween for the entire family. You can even all match or be unique...it is all up to you. They have so many different items to choose from there is bound to be something that would be perfect for gifting.

MLP FIM Twilight Sparkle Hoodie has pockets and a cutie mark.

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review. 

TV Store Online Hoodie Review and Giveaway!

TV Store Online is a great online store that has quality licensed merchandise from TV, movies, comic books, and 80's themes. There is stuff from Disney, Hasbro, Nintendo, Marvel, Harry Potter, Dr. Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. You can find a number of accessories, clothing, footwear, pajamas, robes, costumes, shirts, leggings, etc.

MLP FIM Fluttershy Hoodie. Super Cute!

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I am a Brony, a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that is outside the target demographic of little girls. Practically my whole family are into the animated TV series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or MLP FIM for short. We go to Seattle Washington every year to participate in Everfree Northwest, the MLP convention out there. Sometimes we even cosplay characters from the show. I have been wanting to get a Fluttershy Hoodie ever since the first convention because Fluttershy is my favorite of the mane six ponies.

MLP FIM Fluttershy Hoodie front.

For this review I picked out a Fluttershy Pegasus Face Butter Yellow Hoodie with Mane and Wings in Junior Women's XS to review. The XS fit me a bit snug. This hoodie comes in XS-2X in junior sizes. I love that this hoodie is super soft inside and has pockets to keep my hands warm. It is butter yellow which matches Fluttershy's actual color and has Fluttershy's cutie mark on one of the lower sides. The hooded sweatshirt is made from 80% Cotton and 20% Polyester. The draw string hood has adorable ears and a pink mane that comes down the back. This hoodie also has a pair of yellow wings on the back because Fluttershy is a pegasus pony. The zipper pull has one butterfly from Fluttershy's cutie mark and her sweet face on the chest. I cannot wait to wear this to Everfree NW next year!

MLP FIM Fluttershy Hoodie wings in the back.

I recommend TV Store Online for all your fan apparel needs for the entire family. You can even all match or be unique...it is all up to you. They have so many different items to choose from there is bound to be something that would be perfect for gifting.

MLP FIM Fluttershy Hoodie has pockets and a cutie mark.

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Prize: A Shirt or Hoodie of your choice from TV Store Online
Who Can Enter: 18+, USA and Canada Only

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

PretendWear Color 'n Wash Ribbon Princess and Deluxe Fairy Princess Dresses Review

My girls coloring their PretendWear dresses with the paint daubers.

My daughters love to pretend all sorts of things and they love craft projects, especially when the craft involves coloring. PretendWear Color 'n Wash are costumes that your kids can color with the washable paint daubers that they come with. These costumes are made of dupont soft structure™ material that won't fray and are a child's one-size-fits-all so kids of all sizes from age 3-8 can wear these. The coloring book type designs on the outfits are outlined in permanent black ink so they won't wash out and so they can be colored, worn, washed, and colored over and over again. They are machine washable or can be washed by hand. These costumes come in all kinds of styles to choose from for both boys and girls. On the PretendWear Website you can find princesses, mermaids, fairies, pirates, superheros, butterflies, etc. They come in whole costumes like: dresses and jumpsuits to partials like: skirts, aprons, and capes.

PretendWear Ribbon Princess and Deluxe Fairy Princess. The backs of the dresses are colorable too!

My daughters got to test out the Ribbon Princess and Deluxe Fairy Princess dresses. These wearable dresses both are very customizable, re-designable, and so adorable! Teela picked the Ribbon Princess and Zari picked the Deluxe Fairy Princess to paint/color. We also received large paint daubers in yellow, pink, purple, and green to use to color the dresses with. The dresses both say on the website that they usually come with 3 paint daubers each. You can also get other washable: daubers, markers, glitter paint, etc. on their website to decorate the costumes with. Both Teela and Zari had so much fun making their dresses colorful. After they had painted one side of the dresses they patiently waited while it dried. It didn't take very long before the front was dry, but my girls wanted to wear them right away. So, before they colored the backside of the dresses I got some cute pictures of them modeling them for me. My favorite dress is the fairy princess because I love the petal sleeves and leaf skirt! They both turned out so nice. My girls are going to have endless fun with these!

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PretendWear Color 'n Wash costumes can be purchased on their website for $14.95-$24.95. You can also get capes for your child's stuffed animals for $6.95 that can also be colored and washed. The paint daubers are $2.49 each.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received this product for free to facilitate this review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

Costume SuperCenter Renaissance Court Lady Costume Review

I received this costume for free to facilitate this review.

I have always loved dressing up. Even as I get older I love cosplay (costume play). It is still fun to role-play. I always loved acting and was in a number of school plays (some musicals) as a child. I love the theater and used to go see plays all the time when I was in college. I miss it, but with small kids It is difficult to go see them. The next best thing to going to the theater and seeing others acting is dressing up and going to fairs or conventions where others are also dressed up too.

I love Renaissance fairs and it is so much fun to partake in the festivities while dressing up. Through Costume SuperCenter I got to pick out a costume for free to facilitate this review. I decided upon the Blue Velvet Court Lady / Renaissance Maiden Costume they had. I chose the size small/medium 2-8 (the smallest they had in women's sizes) because I am very petite.

This costume comes with a dress and headpiece. The gown is long and velvety. The bodice part of the gown has gold metallic printed swirls on blue velvet with a scalloped edged gold metallic cord trim. This same gold metallic printed swirl pattern accents the long bell sleeves at the wrist and just below the elbow. The sleeves are also puffed above the elbow. The waistline is embellished with the same scalloped edged gold metallic cord trim that you can tie around the back. The circlet headpiece is made of the same blue velvet fabric and gold trim as the gown with a sheer black veil on the back of it.

This costume is modeled after clothing ladies of the Royal Court wore. A person of the Royal Court was a personal assistant who tended to the needs of kings, princes, queens, princesses or high ranking noble-person. The Ladies of the Court would attend to the needs of a queen, princess, or high ranking noblewoman.

This costume is very comfortable to wear and easy to get on. I love the soft velvety material. The bodice is not scratchy like most costumes I have tried. The sleeves do hang down and sometimes get in the way of things. Since I am short in stature the skirt of the dress is very long and for me it hits the ground with a little fabric to spare, so while walking I will have to hike my skirt up so it won't drag on the ground. I don't want to trip over it or get it dirty, so maybe I will hem it instead. For washing this costume has to be hand washed separately in cold water. It also says to use only non-chlorine bleach when needed, line dry, and do not iron. Some if the seams of this weren't properly sewn so there are places where this costume has the fabric poking through the seam where it shouldn't be. I had to also clip strings that were hanging so they wouldn't snag. If you look closely at the third picture of me on this post you can see this under my arm on the bodice seam. I am not sure how comfortable this will be to wear in heat as it is 100% polyester and the fabric might not breathe well, but I am willing to try it out during summer months as well. I love that the bodice is very modest and isn't too showy. I love the embellishments and gold swirls. The circlet is cute and fits nicely on the top of my head.

All in all this Renaissance Costume is great if you need something for Renaissance fairs, Halloween, or a theatrical performance.

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

My #DisneySide @Home Celebration Party

I received free products to facilitate my party from Disney Parks and MomSelect. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post.

We had our second #DisneySide @Home Celebration Party on February 21th, 2015. We planned and prepped and finally it was the day. We put up the decorations and prepared the food. Then we partied! We had so much fun showing our #DisneySide!

#DisneySide Costume Party. We have a lot of Disney Fairies and two Disney Princesses. Show me your Goofy Faces!

We had a #DisneySide Themed Valentine's costume party. We had some really adorable Disney Fairies show up, plus an Anna and Elsa. We love playing dress up! Each girl also brought Disney themed Valentine's Cards that we exchanged.

Pin the Smile on Minnie Mouse.

The first game we played was a "Pin The Smile on Minnie Mouse" Game. I made the detachable bow freehand last year from a piece of cardboard and paint I had lying around the house. This year they provided a large poster for "Pin the Smile" on Mickey Mouse, but we wanted to make it Minnie instead. I used the bow from last year and my son, Jaedan, painted on eyelashes with a black sharpie. This game was a guest favorite. The kids wanted to play to get their turn at pinning the smile on Minnie Mouse over and over again. I am so glad they liked it so much. Then we did a Disney Character word find/search.

Disney Character Word Search.

#DisneySide Party Food and Drink.

We had some very yummy party food and drinks that I made for the celebration. I made the Duff Goldman Tie Dye Cake in the Wilton Mickey Mouse cake pan that was provided this year. We also made Mickey Mouse and Valentine's cutout sugar cookies to decorate with the frosting and sprinkles and displayed them on the cupcake stand that was provided. A veggie platter and pretzels to dip in onion dip made everything a little more healthy. I picked up some Donald Duck Orange Juice and some Disney Fairies and Princesses Fruit Snacks from the store to show our #DisneySide.

Cookie decorating fun sprinkled with love and pixie dust.

We had so much fun decorating the cutout sugar cookies! They were each sprinkled with love and pixie dust (sprinkles). The cookies turned out to be all Mickey Mousterpieces and even better to eat!

Disney Princess Nail Salon.

We also had a Disney Princess nail salon where we painted each girls nails. The parents that stayed helped with the nail salon. The little girls had a lot of fun picking out the colors they wanted and some even got alternating colors and fancy patterns.

#DisneySide Party Grand Prize Winner, Lilliana.

While they waited for their nails to dry I handed out the last of the take home prizes and gift bags to the guests. I picked a name for the grand prize, the Disney Palace Pet, and made a little girls day because she had apparently never won anything before. I also told the parents about the HP Photo Card Packs and MyPrintly, a HP website where you can create DIY projects and print them to share. We also talked about Disney Parks and why we love them so much!

The #DisneySide @Home Celebration Party turned out to be a hit! Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Thank you Disney Parks for giving me the opportunity to do this again! Also thanks to the other sponsors: HP, Twinings Tea, Soy Vay, Beyond Meat, Duff Goldman, Wilton, All, Wisk, and Crayola.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: This post is in conjunction with Disney Parks and MomSelect. I received a party pack complimentary to throw a #DisneySide @Home Celebration to promote Disney's campaign "Show Your #DisneySide". My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for this post. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else.

Wordless Wednesday Halloween 2014

My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Princess Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie

Without wigs at the party

Ranger Jaedan with captured bag of candy.

Delbin was manning one of the activities at the party.

Just Pretend Kids Tutu and Fairy Wings Review and Giveaway

Just Pretend Kids Monarch Butterfly Tutu and Fairy Wings in Wrap

I received this costume for free to facilitate this review. I was also given an opportunity to do a giveaway for my readers for free as well.

Halloween is around the corner and the hunt for great costumes is on. Just Pretend Kids has an adorable collection of tutus, fairy wings, bodysuits, wands, headdresses, headbands, hairpieces, tights, legwarmers, and other accessories to complete the look that are a must have for any little girl. They also come in a range of different designs: from fruit to insects to flowers to mermaids to fairies, you have a great selection to pick from. They not only have those items, but they also have many other costumes like: furry animals, princesses, queens, mermaids, brides, witches, etc. Just Pretend Kids has infant romper costume sizes in 0-6 months to 6-12 months, toddler sizes in animal costumes for 1T-2T and 3T-4T, toddler sizes in fairy costumes for 2T-3T and 4T-5T; and kids sizes from size 2, 4, 6 and 8 in some costumes. They also have whole themed party boxes with a costume to match that come with everything you need to host a wonderful party - from invitations to tableware and decorations too.

My daughters love to dress up regardless of whether it is Halloween or not. They love to pretend that they are someone or something else. I think their imagination is wonderful. I love watching them play.

3 year old Zari wearing the tutu and wings.

We received the Monarch Butterfly Collection tutu and wings to try out and the packaging was well thought out. Inside the box the wings were separately wrapped inside their own bag so that they would not snag on anything. Then they were placed in a larger bag with the tutu. As soon as I opened the package and showed my daughters they wanted to try on the lovely costume.

The tutu and wings are perfect from the back.

The Monarch Butterfly Collection Tutu is a lovely bright orange tulle skirt with a black bow, orange butterfly, black pom pom, and orange polka dotted black ribbon embellishments. The skirt has an elastic waist so it fits both my daughters well. My daughters both had fun twirling in it.

6 year old Teela wearing the tutu and wings.

The Monarch Butterfly Collection Wings are the black and orange color of the Monarchs' and bejeweled with orange jewels and glitter. On closer inspection the black sparkly paint on the wings was a bit smudged on the left wing and some was where it wasn't supposed to be when you see them from the front. We had to adjust the bands that go around the girls' arms so that the wings would stay in place and fit better. My daughters were happy enough with these new wings though. With them their imagination took flight.

From the front you can see the black paint on the left wing.

You can get the whole Monarch Butterfly look with Just Pretend Kids. They have Monarch Butterfly Collection Boppy, Monarch Butterfly Collection Wand, Monarch Butterfly Wand, Monarch Butterfly Collection Tights, Monarch Butterfly Legwarmers, Monarch Butterfly Headpiece, Monarch Butterfly Collection Bodysuit, Monarch Butterfly Alex Bodysuit, Monarch Butterfly Ruffled Tutu, Monarch Butterfly Collection Tutu, and Monarch Butterfly Collection Wings.

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Prize: Win Just Pretend Kids Tutu and Fairy Wings (winners choice).

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DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review and an opportunity to giveaway some free too. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

My #DisneySide @Home Celebration Party

I received free products to facilitate my party from Disney Parks and MomSelect. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this post.

We had our very first #DisneySide @Home Celebration Party on February 15th, 2014. We planned and prepped and finally it was the day. We put up the decorations and prepared the food. Then we partied! We had so much fun showing our #DisneySide!

#DisneySide Costume Party

We had a #DisneySide Themed costume party. We had some really adorable Disney Princesses show up. We love playing dressup!

Teela playing the Pin The Bow on Minnie Mouse Game

The first game we played was a Pin The Bow on Minnie Mouse Game. I made this from a piece of cardboard and paint I had lying around the house. I just traced a large bowl for the face and the top of a 40 oz soda cup for the ears. Then I made the detachable bow freehand, painted it red, let the red dry, then painted the polka-dots with the opposite end of the small paintbrush I was using.

This game was a guest favorite. The kids wanted to play to get their turn at pinning the bow on Minnie Mouse over and over again. I am so glad they liked it so much.

#DisneySide Bingo: Teela and Delbin

Then we played #DisneySide Bingo. I had the younger kids pair up with an older kid so that they could help them with the reading and finding of the correct pictures. Everybody won a prize to take home.

#DisneySide Bingo: A few of our guest players

Here are some more players of the #DisneySide Bingo having a Goofy time :)

#DisneySide @Home Celebration Party Food

We had some very yummy party food and drinks that I made for the celebration. We had: Hot Diggity Dogs, Mickey Mouse Shaped Finger Sandwiches,  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Muffins, red Jello, and Kiwi Strawberry Soda. It was all very yummy.

I did make the mistake of not cutting the water in half for the jello so it didn't set up enough for cutting it out into shapes like I wanted. I wanted to make Jello Jigglers in the Mickey Mouse cookie cutter shapes. I will know next time to cut the water in half so it won't be as watery.

At the end I handed out the last of the take home prizes to the guests and also told the parents about the HP Photo Card Packs and TwoSmiles, a HP website where you can print-at-home personalized greeting cards with gift cards in them. We also talked about Disney Parks and why we love them so much!

The #DisneySide @Home Celebration Party turned out to be a hit! Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Thank you Disney Parks for giving me the opportunity to do this!

My girls and I showing our #DisneySide :)

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: This post is in conjunction with Disney Parks and MomSelect. I received a party pack complimentary to throw a #DisneySide @Home Celebration to promote Disney's new campaign "Show Your #DisneySide". My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for this post. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else.

Costume Discounters Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume Review

Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume

I received this costume for free to facilitate this review.

I admit that I still haven't seen the movie Snow White and the Huntsman. It is on my list of ones I want to see eventually. However, when I saw the Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume at Costume Discounters I had to have it. For one thing the costume is modest, great for autumn weather, and very fierce looking. I love that it comes with everything minus the sword and shield. The costume is fairly complete and comes with: tunic, chest piece, shoulder piece, gauntlets, shin guards, and pants w/ attached skirt and boot tops.

Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume with homemade sword and shield.

My son, Jaedan, made this shield and sword in Boyscouts. It looked the part so I had to borrow it for the photo shoot. When I suited up I felt like I was prepared to overthrow the evil queen and go to battle :)

Snow White and the Huntsman Armor Costume: closeup of the tunic top.

I love that the tunic top looks like protective chainmaille from afar. The gauntlets and chest and shoulder pieces are made of a soft foam material that has a shiny silver covering. I loved how the costume looked on me, but I probably should have picked the tween size because of my petite build instead of the adult woman size because it was a bit baggy in places around the pants. It is not that flattering from the back, either. Also, the Velcro likes to attach to the fabric and pull it. Still it is a great costume for a Renaissance fair or Halloween!

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: I received product for free to facilitate my review. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this review.

The 2nd Annual Rose City Comic Con #RCCC and Some Tips

My modest take on Poison Ivy at Rose City Comic Con

Saturday September 21st and Sunday September 22nd we were all invited out to go to the Rose City Comic Con. We made the first day a family event and the second day my husband and I spent the day as a Mommy and Daddy day. We saw: vendors with their merchandise, exhibitors with their memorabilia, artists, special guests, celebrity guests, voice talent, gaming guests, live entertainment and panels, gamers and cosplayers. This comic and sci-fi/fantasy convention was definitely a mash-up of all things geeky and nerdy.

We received the final details very last minute so the night before my family got their costumes ready. I just dressed the girls up as Disney Princesses and they wanted to be twins so they were both Belle. As for the rest, my husband took me to the local Goodwill to see what I could find.

Batman Delbin and his getaway vehicle.

I found an awesome hooded back cape and a Batman costume for Delbin and was trying to find a Iron Man costume for Jaedan, but had no luck. I really didn't want to pay full price for one. Jaedan ended up making his costume out of a jumble of Steampunk looking parts to make a Iron Man arm to try and recreate this look. He had a round LED push light he used for the arc light reactor in the center of his chest and he cut the bottom of a aluminum pop can off to use as the hand repulsor. He also drew his Robert Downey Jr./Tony Stark beard and mustache on by hand. (Sorry I don't have a picture of Jaedan in costume, he is camera shy and had some slight costume malfunctions when he got to comic con.)

I was also scouting out my costume. I love cosplay and I wanted to be Poison Ivy. I wanted this costume to be a homage to my first Halloween with my husband. He was Batman and I was Poison Ivy. We threw our costumes together from thrift store finds back then also. His mask was made from a ski mask he had and black duct tape and cardboard. My hair was spray painted red. We never got a picture and I wish we had because it was awesome! My husband didn't dress up unfortunately though this time around. He didn't want to steel Delbin's thunder. This time I found a red wig and used fake ivy to wrap around me. The rest of my costume was makeup I had and clothing from my closet. The look I wanted to achieve was a more modest version of the seductive villain.

My ultimate goals in going to the Rose City Comic Con was to see the venders there, take lots of pictures of people in costume and go see The Doubleclicks perform. I was also looking for Doctor Who and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic memorabilia.

My husband checking out MLP art from Katie Cook and Andy Price.

What's this? Laura Croft with a Llama on her head??

Some very colorful people.

Arrrrrr!

Here are things about our visit I would change if I had a time traveling device:

• Know Where To Park: We spent the first moments after we arrived to the convention center trying to find parking. My husband was not too happy going around in circles.
• Plan What You Want To Do and See: I didn't even get the schedule out at all on the first day and they had some cool sounding panels that were also kiddo friendly that we completely missed out on. Also, there was the whole layout and map of all the tables for the vendors so I could have easily mapped everything all out.
• Make a Meeting Place: I was so caught up in the moment of everything that I lost track of my husband. Thankfully all my kids were still with me, but we spent hours trying to find each other because we didn't have a place to meet if we got lost from each other. Also, I didn't know that you could page people at the front desk and that would have also saved us some time. My other blogging friends that were there had trouble with their cell phones inside the building so we weren't able to meet up with most of them because we didn't set up a time and place to meet ahead of time.
• Bring a Bag: I thought that this, like other conventions I had been before supplied you with a bag to put handouts in that you would be getting. I was very wrong. I kept on saying to the vendors that I needed a something to hold all the awesome stuff I was getting. One of them finally gave me a comic slipcover bag to put some of it in. I kept on seeing RCCC tote bags, but didn't know where to get them and I found out later that they were an extra $5 to purchase at the RCCC Merch Booth.
• Bring Food and Drinks If You Can: We didn't know the policy on whether or not bringing your own food or drink was acceptable practice, so we left ours home. Concession stands and vending machines selling food and drink there were quite expensive! So knowing if we could have brought some ahead of time might have saved us some money and whiny children.
• Don't Forget a Camera AND Extra Batteries: This is actually something I didn't forget this time, but in the past I have forgotten and saw so many opportunities for pictures that presented themselves. The extra batteries are so important too because I know of so many times that my camera ran out of juice and I didn't have a spare. 
• Don't Forget Your Cell Phone AND Charger: My other blogging friends that were there had trouble with their cell phones inside the building. Signals were lost, batteries died, etc. Sometimes technology just doesn't work as well as we would like, but a cell phone could still come in handy. If you have a fancy phone or tablet with high res camera and games (I do not) you can entertain your kids when things get boring for them while sitting at panels, etc.
• Cosplaying Can Get Tricky: Seeing all the people dressed in costume was really fun for me, but some of the costumes were a little bit scary for my youngest who is almost 3. She was very intimidated by some and wasn't sure what to think. If I could go back I would have talked to her ahead of time about cosplay and how the people are just dressed up to have fun. Also, my oldest that was in the Batman costume got really hot while he was dressed up and was walking around in a mask he couldn't see very well in. Jaedan, who made his costume from scratch, had some technical difficulties and costume malfunctions with it too. So, I think more practical costumes are in order for next year.
• Know About All Kid-Friendly Things: If you are bringing kids then the key to any event is to keep them occupied and not bore them to the core. We saw so many things in the schedule after the fact that we totally missed that were also kiddo friendly. I am sure if we had planned our day out with the kids ahead of time that we could have stifled some of the whining that proceeded.
• Bring Enough Cash: Not all of the vendors took credit cards as we found out to our dismay when all our cash we brought ran out. We saw a lot of neat things we wanted to purchase while we were there at the con. There may have been a cash machine somewhere in the building, but those usually ding you with unwanted fees.

Teela and Zari in front of the '66 Batmobile. Teela has her Vanna White pose down pat ;)

Teela with R2D2 and R4 from Star Wars

Kids Area with more Disney Princesses!

The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers and Princess Teela have saved the day!

Stuff we enjoyed while we were at RCCC:

• Cosplayers: There was such a diverse lineup of characters. We saw superheroes, super villains, Steampunk, and characters from anime, manga, fantasy, sci-fi, books, movies, TV, games, and comics. My favorites were: Dr. Who, Tardis, MLP, Princess Zelda, Link, and San from Princess Mononoke.
• Kids Area: RCCC had a Kids Area that the littles enjoyed. They especially enjoyed the Little Engineers Table where they had remote control machines, robots and vehicles & LEGO simple machines to manipulate. The Kids Area also had Disney Princesses that did balloon animals/sculptures, face painting and story time for a small fee. There was also Super Hero Puppet Theater, Comics4Kids, The Alter Egos Society, and an animal petting zoo. I wish they had more for kids available for free.
• Panels: We only had time to go to one panel, The Doubleclicks. They were such a fun geeky musical group. I highly recommend going to see them! They are local to Portland too! I wanted to see and experience other panels, but didn't get to. Thankfully some of the panels you can see online for free on FlipOn.tv, but if you want to watch them all you have to pay $11.95 for the full archive. I watched the Female Comic Creators panel after the con.
• Vendors, Exhibitors and Artists: I saw so many neat things to buy and look at while I was there. My favorites included, but weren't limited to: Sock Dreams (gorgeous socks and accessories), Glow Sabers & More (had a demo unit of their marshmallow shooters for kids and others to try), Geekographs (etched metal fan art), Dark Horse Comics (had a lot of cool free stuff at their table), Espionage Cosmetics, Sabor Forge (awesome very authentic looking custom Lightsabers), Steam Baby (Steampunk awesomeness!), Yes Anime (super alloy collectable figures), Two-Faced Creations (fursuit and cosplay items), Charlie Donkin Art (really intricate and detailed fan art), Benjamin Dewey's Tragedy Series (great tragic comedy with short comics), Chooseomatic Books (Choose Your Own Adventure Books), Andy Price and Katie Cook (partners in crime in the MLP FIM from IDW), Eco Chernik (Exotic Fine Art I love the style of), Plays With Toys (Fun Toy Figurine Photography of Heather E. Ray), Erin Middendorf (Pottery Art I love), PicturePurrfect (I bought some cool MLP buttons from them and they also have prints, plushies, key chains, commissions and more!), Christa D. (She has an awesome Rainbow Dash sculpture that she made and other illustration art.), Cute Glass (Very cute fused glass chibi sculptures), Sara Richard (Love her MLP artwork she did for some comic book covers!), Cutie Bytes (Love their MLP necklaces and I also saw them at Everfree NW!), Bricks & Minifigs (Neat store in Beaverton and other places around the world that buys, sells and trades LEGO blocks and people), Project London (Special Effects Rich sci-fi movie that is all done independently with open source 3D! We bought the DVD and got it signed by one of the executive producers.), THG Props (props, replicas and restorations), and so much more!!!
• Other Stuff Worth Seeing: Old school video arcade, '66 Batmobile and Robin's motorbike, R2D2 and R4 replicas, guest stars.

The Doubleclicks performing their geektastic songs.

Yes, even Poison Ivy dresses as a Pirate if it is for charity! It's a pirates life for me.

It's not everyday you see Merida playing an arcade game.

Holy Collectables Batman!

This is a fun group: Tardis, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Steampunk

I probably left out so many awesome things we saw while we were there because well I really didn't want this to turn out to become a book...or even a graphic novel, LOL!

If you are ever in the Portland area next September 20th and 21st I hope to see you at the 2014 Rose City Comic Con! Also go follow them on Twitter and Facebook for all their updates.

DISCLOSURE/DISCLAIMER: Since I am in the Cascadia Connect group of bloggers I became aware of this event and was given free tickets for my family to go. Thanks to Pepper, the Rose City Comic Con and others involved for this opportunity. My thoughts are mine and my family's own opinion and have not been altered by anyone else. I did not receive any other compensation for doing this promotion.