LEGO Store Mini Model Build - Witch (Oct 1)

The LEGO store is hosting their monthly mini model build tomorrow, October 1st, where kids can learn how to build a LEGO witch model and take it home for free. The event starts at 5pm and quantities are limited to approximately 250 per store. The offer is good only while supplies last. Make sure to go early as there are always huge line ups! One model per child, ages 6-14 only.

Free Shipping with Paypal (Sept 24 - Oct 11)

Paypal is offering to pay for your shipping when you shop from any popular Canadian and US online retailers from now until October 11th! This is a great time to do some pre-Christmas shopping! For a list of participating retailers, check here. Just use promo code PPFREESHIPPING.

Interior Design Show West 2013

The Interior Design Show West happened last weekend at the Vancouver Convention Centre and I went down to check things out. It's always fun to see the new and creative designs on display!

A few of the showrooms. There were definitely some over the top designs that aren't very practical but was very cool to look at, like the forest design!

Students were asked to design a grand piano that blended in with the room. It was very cute to see these model pianos!

Some more creative artwork.

Some cute dressers, and a living wall.

The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition Coming Out on Blu-ray Combo October 1!

One of my favourite Disney movie's is being re-released as a Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD/Digital copy combo pack - The Little Mermaid! Coming out on October 1st, fans young and old can experience one of the most celebrated animated films of all time. Venture under the sea with Ariel, a mermaid princess and her friends Sebastian and Flounder. Ariel longs to be part of the human world but has to strike a bargain with the sneaky sea with, Ursula.

There are over 3 hours of bonus features, including:

- Music Video - "Part of Your World" by Carly Rae Jepsen
- Crab-E-OKE Sing-Along
- Deleted Character - Harold the Merman
- Music In Movies
- Under the Scene
- Jodi Benson's Voyage to New Fanatasyland
- Behind the Scenes with Today's Top Disney Animators
- Plus much more!

Disney is also releasing a Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack so you can experience Ariel's underwater adventures like never before! This Combo Pack will include the Blu-ray 3D, a Blu-ray, a DVD, a Digital Copy, plus a 10 Music Track Download.

This is one of the Disney classics that I can watch over and over. The songs are fun to sing-along to (I still do!) and I'm very excited to add this movie to my collection.

Disclaimer: The product mentioned above was provided by the company for review. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals and Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.

Chill Winston Restaurant and Lounge - Kangaroo, anyone?

Located in the heart of Gastown, Chill Winston is a restaurant and lounge that serves some interesting things on the menu. It's a great place to grab dinner or a snack before heading to Guilt and Co, the pub below the restaurant, for some board games. J and I went there specifically for one item on the menu - the kangaroo. Ever since trying kangaroo tartare at the EPIC festival, J has been wanting to have more. We decided to go for a few appetizers and just share all the dishes.  

Crab cakes with peach chutney ($16). These were made with Dungeness crab and were delicious!

Bison Rillette ($12) - A cold dish, the bison is shredded to make it easier to spread onto bread. The sweet mustard seed sauce really complimented the bison.

Kangaroo ($16) - Kangaroo steak and kangaroo carpaccio underneath, with a small salad. Kangaroo has a very gamey taste, so avoid if you're not a fan. Kangaroo definitely tastes better raw!

Bone Marrow ($14.75) - Roasted beef bones served with onion relish and crispy shallots, mustard seed sauce and apricot jam.

The bone marrow was the only thing I wasn't expecting. I have had bone marrow before, but this looked just like fat. It spread out as a white fatty goop.

Everything was quite delicious, though a bit pricey. It was expected from a place in Gastown though! I was very disappointed in the bone marrow. I hope to try some of the other dishes next time I visit!

LEGO Store Grand Opening at Surrey Guildford Town Centre

With me coming out of the dark ages of LEGO collecting recently, I just had to visit the LEGO store during the grand opening weekend at the Surrey Guildford Town Centre last week. There was a different exclusive gift with purchase every day of the grand opening celebrations. Friday was a LEGO t-shirt, Saturday was the LEGO brand retail store set and Sunday was a minifigure pack.

J and I went early Saturday morning, and arrived about 30 minutes after the store opened. We were greeted with a line an hour long to get into the store, and peering in the store, there was another line winding around the store to pay for purchases. The exclusive retail store set was limited to the first 300 customers to spend $75 or more, and I was crossing my fingers that they did not run out before I got to the till!

I was able to get my hands on the exclusive set! The store was much like the one at Oakridge Mall, with all shelves packed with LEGO sets sorted by theme, and a pick-a-brick wall behind the cash. There were small stations where kids could play with LEGO, as well as a build-your-own minifigure station.

Afterwards we headed over to the atrium where a LEGO master builder was working on building a giant Hulk figure! There were trivia questions being asked with great LEGO sets as the prizes! J and I built 5 blocks each to contribute to the Hulk statue!

A miniature version of the Hulk that was being built.

Tons of green bricks!

Completed blocks.

Everyone working hard at helping out with the Hulk.

There are a lot of LEGO fans in Surrey, and from what I heard, this grand opening was a huge success! Fingers crossed that there will be a LEGO store that opens up at Metrotown? Happy building, everyone!

Lego Bricktober at Toys"R"Us

October is Bricktober month at Toys "R" Us, with tons of great Lego instore gift with purchases each week plus other exciting events!

Sept 27, 2013
Free Minifigure Vintage Collection 5 Pack (Vol 1) with a purchase of $75 or more of any Lego building sets

PLUS free Lego City Seaplane with a $30 or more purchase of Lego sets

Oct 19, 2013
Minifigure Trade In Event - bring in any Lego minifigure and trade it in for another one with a sales associate! Limit one trade per person, while supplies last.

Oct 26, 2013
Superman Make N' Take Event (11am - 1pm) - Build your very own Lego Superman Shield! Minimum of 100 per store, while supplies last.

There are other great in-store events happening all month. Check out the details and the full list of events here.

Vancouver Lego Games 50% off Admission Groupon

The Vancouver Lego Games is coming soon in October, and you can grab spectator admission passes for half off with this Groupon.

Happening October 26 at the Langley Events Centre, competitors will showcase their original designs and compete the prizes as well as a Viewer's Choice Award. There is also a Ready, Set, Build competition where participants have one hour to build a Lego model in response to a given theme. The Vancouver Lego Games is great for fans of Lego of all ages.

All proceeds from the sales of admission passes will go to The Lego Foundation and Love Global Foundation. For more information about the Vancouver Lego Games, check out their website here.

Toys R Us Playday - Free In-store Activities (Sept 14)

To kick off the start of the new school year, Toys R Us is hosting a Play Day - a fun-filled event with tons of make n' takes, games and giveaways! This will be happening in participating stores (Toys R Us Express excluded) this Saturday, September 14 from 11am to 1pm.

Some of the activities include:
• Build with Mega Bloks: Glam Style Barbie or Hot Wheels Rip Cord Racer
• Make a Mini Glitter Globe
• Moshi Monsters In-store Scavenger Hunt
• Test your skill with Hasbro’s Nerf Rebelle, B-Daman Break Bomber and Beyblade Octagon Showdown
• Crayola Extreme Coloring
• Monster High Make A Bag
• Test your skills with NHL rod hockey

Look for your closest Toys R Us here.

Scandal - The Complete 2nd Season Now Out on DVD

Scandal, the complete second season is now available on DVD!

Scandal is created by Shonda Rhimes (the creator of Grey's Anatomy) and is a political thriller television series starring Kerry Washington. It's a fast-paced show that will have you hooked after the first episode. Season 1 debuted on ABC in April 2012, with an 8-episode arc.

Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is a "fixer", and runs a crisis management firm, Pope & Associates, and focuses on their staff as well as staff at the White House.

Season 2 picks up a few months after the end of season 1. Quinn's identity is exposed, Huck's dark past is delved into and Olivia's secrets are uncovered. Relive all 22 episodes of this explosive second season of Scandal, including exclusive, never-before-seen bonus features in this 5-disc set, that includes deleted scenes, outtakes, an extended finale, featurettes and more.

Watch as Olivia's "Gladiators in suits" heat up the boardroom and the bedroom in season 2 of Scandal!

Disclaimer: The product mentioned above was provided by the company for review. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals and Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.

Disney's Super Buddies Blu-Ray & DVD Review

Disney's adorable Buddies are back in an all-new action packed movie, Super Buddies. Their newest adventure takes the group of adorable talking puppies - Budderball, B-Dawg, Rosebud, Mudbed and Buddha on a quest to save the earth from aliens. On a ordinary day at Fernfield Fams, the puppies discover mysterious rings that grant them each a unique super power. The buddies then become caped crusaders, using their amazing abilities to rescue the planet from a shape-shifting bully, all the while trying to maintain their secret identities.

A great movie for the whole family, Super Buddies is action packed and filled with hilarious moments, with great new characters. It's a must have for fans of the "Buddies" series! Super Buddies is out in stores now on Blu-ray and DVD combo pack.

Disclaimer: The product mentioned above was provided by the company for review. The opinions expressed in this post are those of Savvy Shopping, Deals and Reviews and have not been influenced in any other way.