My Monthly Disney buys, wouldn't you think my collection's complete

Since joining instagram I have become very fond of following fellow Disney people and their accounts so that I can see all of their cool items and merchandise. It's not only really fun as a Disney enthusiast, it also gives you lots of ideas for gifts, decor, places to buy these things, examples of prices etc... That's why I love sharing on this blog some of my monthly Disney finds, in the hope that some readers will come across some cool stuff they'd like to seek out and own. So with that in mind, here they are, I'm really happy with what I've came across these past few weeks Disney wise, I hope you like them too!

The very first thing I bought this month was a Disney water flask. I happened upon it one day while buying sweets in Mr. Price which is kind of like Target only I'm guessing with a lot less stock. What I like about this flask so much is that it is very subtle and people might not immediately see that it is Disney as it just has the little Mickey Mouse silhouette on it, so it would be an ideal flask for a Disney lover who's not too into the flashy stuff but still wants to show their a fan. It came in different colours but of course me being me I went for the girliest one, it cost €2.95 so it's not going to be as fancy as some of this filtering flasks and whatnot, but if you're just looking to hold some water or juice on the go, it's perfect.

There's a charity shop called Jack and Jill in my town which is in aid of children with brain injuries and it is probably the best charity shop in my town. Nine times out of ten it will always have something Disney to discover. One particular day that I went in to the shop they had a lot of Disney themed toys and luckily a beautiful Winnie the Pooh clock. It's such a unique find and I just had to have it for my nephew's pooh bear bedroom. It only cost €1! and works perfectly fine with a new battery. As I've said before in some of my blogs, charity/thrift stores/markets can be just filled with little Disney gems and definitely not for turning your nose up at.

I love my plushies, and Disney plushies I love even more. They're an extremely popular collector's item for fans and you can get them in almost all toy shops, online and of course at the Disney Stores. I have quite a few Disney store plushies but I came across a small Shere Khan Jungle Book plushie in my "this might interest you" section of Amazon. At only €10 including delivery it was a great little purchase as The Jungle Book is one of my all time favourite movies and Shere Khan is one of the best villains.

My amazing boyfriend is not only okay with my Disney addiction, he can also be a bit of an enabler, and I am more than delighted about that! Recently I had mentioned that I needed a new travel mug for coffee at work, and so he surprised me with this gorgeous Ariel travel mug. It's absolutely perfect for somebody who doesn't mind being flamboyant about their love for all things Disney (aka me!). It was a really sweet and thoughtful gift from him and it is extra cute because its got my favourite Princess on it. I believe he purchased it on Amazon and the price all depends on the sellers, I'm sure they feature the other princesses also.

Anybody from the UK and Ireland will recognize this next item. It was the collectible de jour for all us Disney fans in the past few months and it was like gold dust to come across at one point due to it's popularity. Just yesterday my sister, her partner, me nephew and I all made a trip to Dundrum shopping centre in Dublin which has one of the largest Penney's in the country, which is the retailer of the Chip Purse. Although I was hoping that I would see some Disney stuff there, I didn't expect to come across the one and only Chip Purse the second I walked in! It is just so darn adorable and such a cute little item, it's no wonder so many people wanted it. At only €5 it was a complete bargain and will be a great first Beauty and the Beast item for my collection.

The final thing I got this month Disney wise was also purchased in Penney's yesterday. It is this super cool The Little Mermaid night shirt that is in a man's pajamas style. It has a very 80s retro style logo and print on it and it seems super cosy. I probably won't get much wear out of it until winter but I cannot wait to rock it on a cold wintery night while sipping a hot chocolate and watching a Disney flick.

So there you have it, all in all I must say I am elated with my finds this month. I hope it helped with some suggestions/inspiration for people looking for places that sell Disney themed bits and bobs and if not I at least hope you enjoyed looking at my cute collection treasures.

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Review of As Old As Time: A Twisted Tale by Liz Braswell

Ever since reading Fairest of All by Serena Valentino, I had longed to read a similar type of book but that was better written and with a more interesting story So, thankfully, I came across Liz Braswell's Twisted Tale Disney series on amazon. The premise of the books looked very interesting and they seemed to be more aimed for teenagers on up (even though I'm 26 that didn't stop me!) I immediately decided to purchase the third book in the series first as it's the one with the premise I was most interested in. That book is As Old As time, which as you can probably guess is about the Beast and Belle, and of course, with a little twist in the tale. The book cost me €8.00 including delivery which was excellent! Not only because it would be very difficult to find in a book shop near me, but also because even if I did, it would probably cost between €15-20.00! The cover of the book is paperback, and I really do like the design and font used for the title. There is a hardback one available which has an amazing cover so if anybody is getting this as a collector's item, I would highly recommend splashing out and hunting for that one. The condition of the book was brand new and it even came with a little paperback book mark. It is a good long read at about 485 pages, however the text is medium sized as are most young adult books so it doesn't take too long to get through.

Now, onto the book itself. The premise of the story as it states on the front cover is "What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast?". When I first saw that it really intrigued me. The story itself begins on the night that the Enchantress (now whom we know as Belle's mother) places the curse on the Beast and all the people in his castle. We are then taken back to when Belle's father Maurice met the enchantress and how they came to fall in love and give birth to their daughter. We also get to see how Belle's mother came to curse the young prince and all of the lovable objects in his castle. This part of the book, part one, is probably my least favourite of the entire story. Ironically, the aspect that I found so intriguing in the premise, i.e. Belle's mother being the enchantress, was actually not all that interesting to read about. That is, her back story is just a bit too long and wishy washy for me.

The second part of the book which I would consider to have a sort of mystery vibe to it was my favourite and the most enjoyable to read. I won't give too much away but mainly it focuses on the Beast and Belle and how they came to get to know each other. It is also the section in which what I consider to be the real twist occurs. As a side note, I read this book out loud to my boyfriend as he played a video game and he found this to be the best section of the story also, so there's second opinion for you! I really was fond of how Belle's character was portrayed in this also. She was given a bit more of a realistic personality while still having the same sweetness and likability as she had in the animated classic. The Beast is also given a more multidimensional personality. The lovely way in which he behaves in the ballroom scene of the film and his sweetness is brought out more as well as the darker more beastly sides to his curse.

The third section of this book is also quite good but I have to say, not at all suitable for younger kids to read. There are elements of torture, violence, mental health issues etc... very heavy stuff for anybody younger than at least 15 to be ready in my opinion. I did appreciate the way they took the story and the ending that is what given, although I do really wish the author would have tightened it up just a touch as it did feel, as the beginning did, a little drawn out.

Ultimately this was an extremely enjoyable read for me as a Disney fan and actually I have to say as a lover of Mystery/Thriller novels. As I previously said there are some elements of violence and slightly adult oriented subject matters so I wouldn't exactly be rushing to purchase this for a child as a gift or anything but maybe that's just my age showing and I'm being a bit too Mrs. Potts like about it! There are two other books in this series, one is about Sleeping Beauty and the other Aladdin. I actually cannot wait to settle down with a cup of tea and get stuck into those two soon, because as Walt said, "There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on treasure island".

My Very Own Disney World

My Very Own Disney World!

Hi! My name's Sinead and I am a 25 year old Irish Disney fanatic! I love ALL things Disney, from the music, to novelty items, to Disneyland and of course Disney Films! I have been a Disney fanatic since I was a little chubby child and I have only become more interested and devoted a fan as the years have gone by. I decided to do this blog mainly to share some interesting things I have bought, received, come across over the years that are Disney related. I'm pretty much doing this to entertain myself first and foremost, but also I'd like to think that maybe some fellow Disney fans will come upon some of my posts and find them a little bit interesting. So, if you're that kind of person and would like to read my blog to pass the time, Be My Guest!