Reviews by thebrowns

thebrowns says "Quality album at a decent price, and available in lots of colors" about Close To My Heart My Legacy Linen Albums 12 x 12

thebrowns — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:04:38 GMT

These albums are so good, they automatically drew me to the rest of the company's products. I had been looking for a good quality 12 x 12 album that was top loading and would lay flat, when someone on the internet introduced me to these albums. Upon receiving the first one I was immediately drawn to the quality, nice colors, and ease of use. I knew if their albums were good, I wanted to try their other products too!

The 12 x 12 albums feature 3 posts (not 2 like some you buy in the stores), and the sheet protectors have an extra little "blank" strip at the center so the pages lay flat. They come in about a dozen colors and retail for $27.95. (And the colors coordinate with their scrapbook paper & ink colors).

The only thing I don't like, this being a fabric album, is that you have to buy the album protector separately. Luckily, they are only $2.95, but I wish they just came with it.
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thebrowns says "Reach further than you ever imagined, ata ny angle!" about Close To My Heart Pivot Point Stapler

thebrowns — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:51:43 GMT

LOVE this stapler for all kinds of crafts! Only 5 1/2" long, but will reach anywhere you want on a 12 x 12 scrapbook page, or other paper crafts. The portion that holds the staples rotates 360 degrees and locks at 8 angles for unlimited stapling potential. It uses standard size (no. 24) staples, so you can use any color you can find, even the little sets in the dollaar store.

I have used this stapler for scrapbook pages, cards, adhering my handmade designs to gift bags, and more. I especially love that I can put the base straight down the edge of a project (like the inside of a gift bag), turn the staple portion, and voila! my staple come out at a perfect angle to hold down the corner of my item.

At $12.95 retail, it costs about the same as a good stapler from the office store, but does so much more!
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thebrowns says "Very entertaining movie for all ages" about Howl's Moving Castle

thebrowns — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:39:05 GMT

Loved this movie! And I'm not even a big anime watcher. This just appeared on our Netflix recommendations list & my husband added it to our list.

This movie is not for people who dislike mentions of witchcraft and/or the supernatural.

We watched this with our kids and we were almost as into it as they were. A very clever story, and pay attention to how the old woman changes bit by bit through the story. Just excellent! There is so much attention to detail in this film; and the color is very rich.

Very fun story about a young girl cursed by a witch who finds her way to a "castle" that walks around, with the help of a turnip-headed scarecrow, and how she helps a "hero" break his own curse.
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thebrowns says "Like Bingo, only a lot more fun!" about Discovery Toys Zingo!

thebrowns — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:24:21 GMT

This is one of the best kids games made today! I don't normally like to get down & play games because either the kids can't follow the rules, or the game takes forever, or all the kids can't all play it together. This game is completely different. Our kids are 2, 4, & 6 and they can play this game completely by themselves; even my 2 year old likes to shout out "cake" when that tile appears.

The tiles feed from a little dispenser that puts out 2 tiles at a time. The "caller" says the names of the pictures (easy even for non-readers!) and the first person who yells that they have that picture puts the tile on their bingo card. It's easiest at our house if we just play "fill the card", so the games are a little longer, but they're still very quick.

I even like to get down and play this game. Sometimes I'm the caller and sometimes not. It's easy to get excited when everyone is yelling "star" or "duck" trying to be the first to get their tile. As a bonus, it's even helping our......

thebrowns says "Best all-around toy for any age and/or gender!" about Fisher-Price Geo-Trax Train system

thebrowns — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:10:47 GMT

Love, love, love these trains. I was hesitant when my husband first showed them to me, but it was nice to start out with a couple of smaller sets. We have added on bit by bit, and now have enough track to take over an entire room, at least 4 engines with controllers, and more.

We have even had about a dozen kids ages 1 to 12+ playing with the trains at one time. It was great! The really little ones like the things they can push on their own, the big ones help set up the tracks in complex arrangements, and even my 2 year old can run a train with a remote! Everyone gets involved, even the girls. In fact, our two girls each have their "own" engine; this is just about the only thing my 3 kids can all play with together and not fight over something!...