This giveaway is now closed – congratulations, fawndear!
Team Mom recently sent me two packs of Bella Sara Royalty trading cards to review, much to Emma’s delight. Here are my thoughts, and a giveaway!
Each pack comes with five trading cards, one ticket card (with a code for use in the accompanying online game), one tattoo card, and one sticker card. The cards have fantasy-style drawings of magical horses with inspirational messages underneath. The drawings are detailed and carefully done, and I like the positive focus of both the cards and the accompanying online game. The cards are designed for children aged 5 and older, but both of my children enjoyed playing/fighting over the cards and the accompanying stickers (I didn’t show them the sheet of tattoos).
I signed up for an online account to check out the online game. There is one section where you take care of a magical horse, and both Emma and Johnny found this very fun. I think this part of the site would get old quickly, however, because you do the same thing for each horse over and over (feed, groom, clean, soothe – very similar to what you would do for a real live horse). The website loaded very slowly on our computer. Our internet connection is not especially fast, but it is cable and most websites load more quickly. We tried to play around with other aspects of the online game, but it was sometimes confusing – and that, combined with the slowness of of site in general, made it a frustrating experience.
While these cards are marketed to children starting at age 5, I think the games are more suitable for children aged 8 and up. The inspirational messages on the cards are quite abstract, such as “Look beneath the surface and find your inner power”, and playing the online game seemed to require a fair amount of reading.
Now for the giveaway:
If you’d like a chance to win a Bella Sara prize pack containing one pack from the Royalty collection, one from the Miniatures collection, and one from the Treasures collection, leave a comment on this post saying why you’d like to win or who you would give the prize pack to. You can earn extra entries by following this blog, tweeting about the giveaway (be sure to leave a link to your tweet), and blogging about the giveaway. The deadline to enter the giveaway is 9pm EST June 14th (this Sunday). Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. Winners must respond within 24 hours, and you must live in the United States to be eligible to win.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
The picture of the horse was enough for me to enter! Our life is filled with cards my kids are constantly looking at! Plus, my Emma would adore such a thing- fun fun fun!
These are way too advanced for sunnyboy but I love how you gave a really detailed and informative review.
this sounds like something that my oldest dd would love! She loves horses and I have been looking for something for her to do online.
These, like the pack of Hannah Montana cards we got in our Easter basket this year, would probably end up all over the car floor.
I used one yesterday to spit out my gum into.
They are good for five minutes of fun for a five year old, I agree. Maybe when she's ten?
My three darling daughter would go ga-ga for these cards. We've just started reading the books and they love them (a little obessively) but all in good fun. They are now desprately trying to figure out where in our yard we could keep our own horse. Snort – like that's gonna happen. But I'm sure winning this contest would make them happy none-the-less.
I would love to win these for my daughter. She's 10 and LOVES this kind of stuff! I blogged about this giveaway on my sidebar…http://hollymcstaypaul.blogspot.com/. I tweeted about this giveaway…http://twitter.com/hollympaul. I am already a follower! Thanks MaryAnne!! :)
Based on your review, I would say the cards are too advanced for my girls, but they would make a great gift for some of our "older friends," especially the neighbor girl who likes to come help me.