"I Love Princesses"..."I Know"...

I'M TOO OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may have heard about Disney's limited-time merchandising...I'm going with "experience", here...where you could purchase a figurine of your likeness frozen in Carbonite? It was launched during Star Wars Weekend, and much to Thomas' weeping and gnashing of teeth, we missed it. Well, now the personalized action figure opportunity is back, only slightly different.

Photo Credit (This and All): Disney Parks Blog

Yes, you can now be a Disney Princess! At least, you can be one if you're between 3 and 12 years-old and have a parent or legal guardian's permission. I'M TOO OLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The "D-Tech" process takes about ten minutes, and the princess of choice will be personalized to match the child's hair and skin color, as well as bear the child's likeness. In 5-7 weeks, the 7-inch figure will arrive at your door. Pricing runs $99.95 plus $15.95 shipping, with additional 7-inch figures running $74.95, and 3-inch figures priced at $39.95. A silver charm bracelet is included with each purchase.

Admittedly, the finished product can be a little...I don't want to say "creepy", but that's the only word I can come up with. I don't know what it is, but I find them just a bit off-putting. I still want one--don't get me wrong--but I think it's just seeing a child's face on an adult's body that's throwing me. I also don't understand the age restriction. There wasn't a max age for the Carbonite figure. Why one for princesses? I know some 13 and 14 year-olds who would go bonkers for these! Plus, an adult face on an adult body makes more sense. I think Disney is missing out on a very important demographic here. Plus, think of all the Mother/Daughter sales they could be making! The mind boggles.

What do you think? Creepy or Cute? What about the age limit? Leave your comments below!

Buy or DIY? Halloween Spider Headband

Yes, I realize it's only August, and the beginning of the month, at that, but over the weekend I saw that Michael's already had some Halloween merchandise out, and there was a spider headband too cute to pass up!

Way cuter than a witch's hat, any day.

The headband isn't available on the website (actually, nothing is. You have to go to a brick and mortar store to make any purchases), but I wanted to share it with you, in the event you have a Michael's nearby, or are crafty and want to DIY your own.

It's like a fascinator, but on a headband. It's cocked to one side.

It doesn't appear to be a difficult project, if you choose to make one. The base is just your basic, black satin headband. It looks like some sequinned tulle was either stitched or glued on to the band, then topped with a black organza bow and a beaded spider. The spider might be a challenge to replicate, but that could just be your excuse to get really creative and come up with your own design! Maybe you could go crazy with curling ribbon? How about some grinning felt pumpkins? Or, you could use the basic design to come up with something not even remotely Halloween-y. I can see this becoming a glamorous, feather and crystal covered evening accessory, without having to spend too much money or exert too much effort.

Close-up of the construction. Sequinned tulle, ribbon, ornament. Easy peasy.

However, if you're like me and burn yourself everytime you think of plugging in a glue gun, the Michael's I visited carried these in the lime I got, red, and hot pink. They also had variations with skulls and pumpkins, and all were $9.99. I used a 40% off coupon to snag my headband for around $6.00. I think it'll look really sweet with my Little Mermaid t-shirt for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Happy Haunting!

Creepy, Kooky Cuties

This past Saturday night's episode of Doctor Who was written by none other than the uber-talented Neil Gaiman. I was already a fan of his without even knowing it--I have a Coraline doll on my shelf. Never thought to ask who created her--but after the perfection that was this episode, I'm going to have to look up all of his work.

One thing I have noticed about his style, just in the little bit I've consciously taken in, is that he finds beauty in the odd and creepy. The entire episode was very dark and eerie, but also a visual candy store. There's very little I can say without spoilers, but this had to have been a treat for the costume and art departments.

With the thought of finding beauty in the creepy, I took a little trip to one of my favorite online stores, Plasticland, to do a little quirky hunting.

Photo Credit (this and all): Plasticland

I'm not a big fan of skulls. Yeah, I know, I just made a movie with a talking skeleton (who now resides in my closet. How apropos?), but I've never been a big fan of them...until this came along. The flowers for eyes, the subdued cobweb detailing...I kind of want one. Granted, it's ridiculously expensive for a vinyl wallet, but it could be a fun splurge if we ever sell this blasted film. $32, Plasticland.

How could I not mention the matching purse? This 13"x9"x6" satchel is made from vegan-friendly, pebble-textured vinyl. How precious are the little hearts inside the crossbones?! The rose motif adds a celebratory Dia de los Muertos vibe. This is currently out of stock, but more should be in around mid-June. $59, Plasticland.

There are tons more creepy, adorable, funny, and retro-fabulous items on the site. If you're feeling a little down, take a trip over there. It's a guaranteed pick me up.