Rave & Review

Ready, Set, GLOW! with our Glidden Disney paint makeover

When we finally moved my son to his own room, it was a big blank beige box and I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do to really make it his.  Ideally, it would be something fun that really reflects who he is, but also something more mature that he can grow into so we won’t have to redecorate every few years. 

We ended up deciding on a “vintage world traveler” room and it really couldn’t fit our train/car/bus enthusiast any better.  With maps, compasses, airplanes, trains, cars, and vintage suitcases to complete the look, I thought we were done decorating… but then I was introduced to Disney paint from Glidden. 

When I heard that I was getting a chance to review these special paints {they come in glitter, metallic, and more} that are available at Walmart, I was thrilled.  And, then I heard that Glidden makes a glow in the dark paint, and I was beyond excited.  All of a sudden, I had a whole new vision for the room.

I called in Kerri, AKA The Maven of Social Media, and we went on a mission to find the Glidden Disney Ready Set GLOW paint together at a local Walmart.  At first, we thought the paint was gone and we were ready to try another store, but we searched all the rows of paint cans one by one and found one way in the back that was just hidden on the shelf.  SCORE! 

Then, because I had a brilliant idea of some décor I wanted to add to his room, we went into the toy section and found some Toy Story figures and goodies that would make his room amazing.  And, how could these not look amazing in a little boy's room? 
Once we were through shopping, I couldn’t wait to get started.  I called in my niece for the afternoon and we made a plan of how we could make the room transformation.  Really, there was no question what we were planning to do as soon as she saw the supplies: we were making a Buzz Lightyear themed room.   

You see, I have always wanted a glow in the dark galaxy on my ceiling and I knew this was the perfect chance to make it a reality.  Add in a Disney twist that my son would love, and I knew this was the perfect theme for our little guy that would also grow with him. 

When you think glow in the dark stars, what do you think?  Stickers?  When I was young, I had the awful stick-on glow in the dark stars I’m sure you’re familiar with, but they never really satisfied my desire for a pseudo night sky that I could watch while I drifted off to sleep.  I knew that with a little bit of work I would be able to create that beautiful night sky I always dreamed of and make my son’s room arguably the coolest in the house. 

But, being that his room is full of real maps, nautical charts, and vintage treasures, I wasn’t content to just splash some glow in the dark paint up on the ceiling and call it good.  Nope, I wanted it to be as astronomically correct as possible.  In fact, I wanted it to be something that the kiddos could learn from and have his room be the way I will teach them all the constellations we can see outside at night. 

As daunting of a task as I thought it might be to create a night sky as accurately as possible with paint, I was bound and determined to make it happen.  We started by using an iPhone app that shows your position in relation to the stars so that when you turn the phone you can see precisely where the constellations are in the night sky. 

By using the app and a night sky field guide, we were able to mark the major constellations we wanted to feature using tiny bits of tape so that we could see them as we painted around them.  Once the star groupings were as we wanted, we started filling in the major stars around them pretty liberally.  Using dabs of paint that ranged between that of a pencil eraser all the way to ones the size of the tip of a ball point pen, we designated the brightest stars in the sky and fainter ones. 

Tip: It helps to periodically turn the lights off while you’re painting with glow in the dark paint so you can really get a feel for the room, but since we were painting in the early afternoon, we still had way too much light coming through the window to see the tiny stars we were painting.  To compensate, we threw some darkening shades up for the time being and then we could see a little bit better.  If we had been able to, it might have been better to do the painting at night instead when you can really see what you’re doing. 

After we finished with the fainter stars in the sky, we were ready to peel the tape and make much larger dabs to designate the constellations properly {we used an asterisk design to designate these stars and make them more prominent than the other non-constellation formations}.  Tip: We found the process of peeling tape and painting was easiest if you only peel half of the tape off and make your paint mark, otherwise your eyes kind of go cross-eyed trying to find the exact spot the tape used to be.  

Once the constellations were finished, the room was complete.  Since the paint was only on the ceiling and out of reach and since the paint has no fumes, we were able to put our son down to bed as soon as the room was finished.  And, his reaction when he saw his galaxy was priceless. 

Almost as good was his reaction when he saw his new friends who had come to stay in his room as part of his “Buzz and Woody Movie” room makeover.  I even painted him a little surprise in a constellation-esque message.  The message is a little hard to capture on film as it’s really meant to be viewed with the naked eye, but hopefully it translates well.

Can you read what it says? 

Points if you guessed “to infinity and beyond”, which is Buzz’s catch phrase in the movie.  I thought this would be a good message to my son that literally says the sky is the limit in the goals in which he sets for himself.  And, if the message from mom isn’t “cool” in a decade or two, it’s tiny enough that a small poster {or map} would hide it nicely and it won’t be too embarrassing at sleepovers. 

But, for the next few years, I think it ties in nicely with his new Toy Story decorations.  We're really just missing a Buzz Lightyear figure {all of our local stores were out of Buzz} and our Toy Story room will be complete.  Oh, and, amazing, if I do say so myself.   

Since we were so proud of the Ready Set GLOW makeover, we decided to have some friends over to see the room reveal.  It really is amazing how we took a plain blue room and made it something truly special with a tiny bit of paint in just over an hour, and I was excited to show it off with some Buzz and Woody themed games, prizes and giveaways.

We set up a prize and favors station by the food.

A bounce station with the words "to infinity and beyond" written in chalk on the trampoline surface.

A bubble station.

And, most importantly, a glow station {we used a window-less closet I had painted with stars since it was still so light outside.  This way guests could get a real feel for what the room looks like in pitch black}. 

In the glow station the kids had glow sticks and glow masks we picked up during our Walmart trip that they played with under the cover of the starry sky.  Obviously, the glow station was the coolest.  The three younger girls didn't want to leave the closet all afternoon and they kept runnning in and out with the Toy Story characters.

We had such an overwhelming reaction to the room makeover that we’re now planning on painting even more ceilings with the Ready Set GLOW paint over the next few months.  Since my daughter is super jealous of her brother’s galaxy, we’re going to start in her room next and then move on to our niece’s and nephew’s rooms and then help our friends and neighbors do it in their son’s room as well.  And, one lucky guest at our party got to go home with a Walmart gift card so they could buy some Glidden Disney paint and try it out for themselves! 

Want to try out one of the many Disney Glidden Paints?  They have many themes available that are adorable if you are starting from scratch decorating as well as adding supplemental paints like we did to make a room really stand out!  Find out more at DisneyPaint.com

Compensation and products for review were provided by Glidden.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Glidden.

DIY No-Sew Tutu Flower Girl Dress {Tutorial}

Planning a wedding and thinking about a tutu flower girl dress?  These little beauties came about as a necessity as we were trying to clothe 4 flower girls for my cousin’s wedding and not finding anything that had the style or price tag we were hoping for.  I had never made a tutu before, so admittedly I was a bit over my head trying to make 4 in a short amount of time. But, even with a tight timeline, I think they turned out pretty cute. 

And, apparently you guys agree, because I had such an overwhelming plea for a DIY tutorial post that I have gone back and written down each step as best as I can so I could share with you.  Keep in mind that these dresses can be customized many, many ways and that it’s really hard to mess this style up – so have fun with it and don’t worry too much about the details – trust me!

Here’s what I needed for each dress:
1 elastic headband
5+ yards of 60” width tulle in 1 or 2 colors – extra tulle just makes it poofier!
1 flake flower bloom
1 pin backing
1 tank top
1 pair of capri leggings
Scissors
Hot glue gun {to attach flower to pin}

{I apologize for all the small pictures in this post - it was hard to fit all the little steps in and show them properly. If you need to see closer up, you can click on any picture in this post to make it larger}

Start with a multi-hole elastic headband {you can find these at $1 stores, craft stores, and more}.  If you are making it for a thinner toddler as I was, you will need to cut it and tie a knot in it or sew it smaller as it will stretch a lot as you tie the tulle around it.  When you pull it taut it should be a few inches bigger than your little one’s waist.   Alternately, you can buy the headband elastic at most fabric stores and you can simply cut it and tie it up. 

Next, you cut up your tulle into strips.  You can buy the tulle on a 5” or 6” roll, which is more expensive, but ultimately would save time as you only need to cut each strip width-wise {and even faster if you follow this tutorial}.  I bought the tulle on a bolt and it actually worked perfect because the 60” width was folded in half before being put on the bolt so I just had to cut 30” to make each 60" strip.  If you really want to save time you can fold the tulle in half again so you only have to cut 15” to make each strip.  

My other big time saver was that I realized I could use the boards of my wood floors as a cutting surface to give me a straighter line while cutting the tulle into 4 ½” strips.  While messy strips wouldn’t really be an issue since they would blend in with the dress, I still wanted the strips somewhat uniform and the floorboards worked perfect.  Also, instead of cutting all the tulle up at first and ending up with a messy pile of strips, I preferred to cut maybe 20 strips at a time and then cut more as I needed them. 

Now you’re all ready to add the tulle to the headband.  This works easiest if you have some sort of dress form, stool, or tube to place your elastic on.  I didn’t have any of the above, so I improvised and used my thigh as the “mannequin” and it actually worked quite nice.  To tie the tulle on, you fold the tulle in half and place the middle fold under the elastic band and through one of the bottom holes of the headband, making a loop.  Pull the tail of the tulle through the loop and secure into a knot and you have your first piece done.  
Work your way around the headband using this same tie method until you meet up with your first tied piece, alternating colors if you'd like.  For the second layer, I simply shifted each color over one and did the top row like my first, creating a checker board type effect.  You can either use this method or you can use two different colors for each layer to give a stronger color and a complementary layer - the great thing about this tutu is you really can’t make a mistake!

Once the tutu has two {or more} layers and you are happy with the poofiness of your skirt, you can do all the finishing touches.  Since my dresses were for a wedding and I didn’t want the elastic of the headband to show at all, I took two extra strips of the blue tulle and simply wrapped it around the headband in between the tulle strips I tied and then secured it with a knot around the headband.  If you don’t mind the headband showing you can skip this step, but I thought it gave a more finished look to cover it. 

A few days of working through nap time and I had completed the main parts of each of the tutus and just had the details to figure out.  Once I realized that the tulle might be scratchy against the kiddos skin, I knew they needed an under layer and then the question was what would still look nice for the wedding while being comfortable for 4-5-year-olds to move and dance.

I decided a spaghetti strap would be best, but in searching for tank tops or slips in either blue or ivory I wasn’t finding much I liked.  So, instead of wasting my time sewing one up, I went to the kids department and got some basic white undershirts and capri leggings and then dyed them navy blue myself.  If you’re lucky enough to find a decent tank top and capri that match your tulle, you can simply use those and save yourself some serious time. 

Once you have your tank top, it’s time to tie it to your tutu to make a dress.  Since the tulle skirt is lightweight and easy to hold up, it really only needs to be secured to the tank top using more tulle.  I cut a strip of tulle into 4 equal pieces to tie the skirt to the tank top straps with a simple knot {leave a little bit of room in the loop for the next step}, but you could use a bow or any flourish you would like... or you could {gasp!} sew it using a few simple stitches. 

Now that the tank top is tied on, it’s just a matter of blending it into the dress, which you can do with just a few more strips of, you guessed it, tulle.  To help hide the tank top from peeking out the top of the tutu, I used a double thick strip of tulle and looped it through the 4 ties connected to the tank top to make a “sash”. I then completed the sash by tying it into a big bow in the back for a more finished look. 

All that was left after the tank top was attached and hidden to my liking was pinning a flower to the front of the dress through the tutu itself, the tulle sash, and the tank top to keep the layers together in the front.  Since the orange color of the wedding with kind of unique, I ended up buying four fake blooms that matched their colors and hot gluing them to pin backs to make my own brooches, but you can buy premade flower brooches for this step as well.

The day of, I simply laid out the skirts so the girls could step into them and pull them up over the matching capris and then slip their arms into the tank top straps.  I then “combed” the tulle with my fingers to smooth them out a bit, and the girls were ready for shoes, hair, and fancy shoes.    

The finished dresses were about 31-32” long and hit about mid-shin on my 4-5 year old flower girls I was fitting.  I was a bit worried they would fall apart with 4 active preschoolers wearing them for hours before the ceremony even started, but they actually held up really well throughout the {long} night of partying. 

To make sure the tulle wasn’t crazy for the walk down the aisle, I was in charge of sending the girls down and I just made sure I combed each dress once before their send-off.  And, if I do say so myself, they were some adorable flower girls!  And, no, I'm not biased or anything because one is my daughter and two girls are nieces.  Nope, not biased at all!
All throughout the night I had people from both the bride and groom’s families asking about where I had gotten the amazing dresses and complimenting the girls. 
But, the true measure of success is the fact that all of the girls asked me numerous times if they got to keep the dresses to wear over and over again.  The looks on their faces when I said yes made all the hours of tying tulle, cutting fabrics, dyeing my sink blue, and stressing about little details more than worth it in the end!   

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and are able to use my loose instructions to make your own fancy, frilly dress for your little one.  If you feel I've left out a step or you would like more detail, please let me know!

This post is not sponsored in any way, it's merely some help for everyone out there who would love to make a tutu flower girl dress!

Rainy day fun with imagine i CAN Knitting Beginnings from Manhattan Toy {Giveaway}

My daughter is constantly picking up crocheted and knit items she finds and asking me if I could possibly “yarn this” for her myself.  As much as I agree that whatever knit scarf/hat/owl/monkey that she holds up is cute, what she doesn’t understand is that I have never created anything out of yarn that I have been proud of. 

It’s not that I haven’t tried – it’s just that I never seem to get the hang of crocheting, and I am petrified to even try knitting.  Once upon a time I had this plan that I would learn how to do both by watching my grandmas making their various blankets/pot holders/dish scrubbies that they make, but I quickly realized I was out of my league as they usually lost me by the second step.

Obviously, what I need to do is take it a little slower, which is where the “learn to knit” set from Manhattan Toy comes in.  They sent me their imagine i CAN Knitting Beginnings set and I was incredibly excited to get it open.  The kit first caught my eye by how simply adorable it is and the fact that it is housed in its own retro-style lunchbox tin for easy storing and traveling, which I love.  But, once I opened it up, I knew it was going to be hours and hours of fun for me and my daughter.

Inside the kit is detailed instructions on how to get started as well as 5 colorful spools of yarn, 4 wooden knitting needles, French knitter with stick, 2 pom-pom makers, scissors, crochet hook with wooden handle, measuring tape, 3 sewing needles, felt sewing kit to store the smaller accessories, and then the tin to keep everything neat and organized. 

The learn to knit kit is recommended for ages 8+, which means it’s a bit advanced for my daughter.  But, I love this because that means it will be something that she can grow with and it will be something that is still fun for me.  I figure that even better than having mama “yarn” something for her would be actually learning how to knit with her and making something together. 

Since she can’t read on her own, she’s going to need my help a lot at first while she gets the hang of it.  But I’m hoping that this can be a really great hand-eye coordination task we can work on this summer when we’re looking for a fun and quiet activity to do together.  So, on rainy days we can spend our time learning simple stitches, making pom-poms, and eventually learning the elusive art of knitting together. 

The Knitting Beginnings set is part of the new imagine i CAN series from Manhattan Toy that features 28 arts and crafts, DIY, role play and playsets that kids can do on their own.  And, just like the Knitting Beginnings set, most of these sets come in adorable tins that make them perfect for home or away.  Whether your child is into castles, fairies, bugs, or rocks, there is an imagine i CAN kit that is perfect for them – and, at $20 and under per kit, they have a great price point to match.

Check out the full line of imagine i CAN sets at Manhattan Toy and visit their YouTube page to see children playing with all of these adorable kits.  You can find out more at manhattantoy.com.

How would you like to try out one of these kits for yourself?  Well, you’re in luck, because I’m giving away one to a lucky reader!

One lucky Rave & Review reader will win an imagine i CAN set of their choice!

To Enter: visit manhattantoy.com and comment below with what kit you would love if you win {mandatory}

And, as always, there are extra entries available! {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Post on your Facebook wall about this awesome imagine i CAN from Manhattan Toy giveaway {bit.ly/14xqT2j} with extra credit if you tag Manhattan Toy and Rave & Review

2 Extra Entries {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, follow on Pinterest, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Retweet this tweet

1 Extra Entry - Like @RaveAndReview and @ManhattanToy on Twitter

4 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus. Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry - Comment love on any post, just leave a comment here as well.

On April 19th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  US only.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congrats to:

Suzie Williams said...I like the Imagine I Can Crafty Eraser Creations.

A big thank you to Manhattan Toy for sending a Knitting Beginnings set to facilitate this review and for offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers. As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

DIY Easter Terrarium with ProFlowers {Review & Coupon Code}

I got hooked on terrariums when I was given a small present from Twig at BlogHer in 2011.  Since then I have been dying to learn how to make one on my own but didn’t even know where to start.  It turns out I didn’t have to look far, because ProFlowers has their own DIY terrarium kit that comes with everything you need to get started.  Awesome, right?

As soon as I saw the Going for a Ride Moss Terrarium on the ProFlowers site, I knew I had to have it.  The picket fence, the bike, the reindeer moss – I loved it all!  But, as much as I simply adored the items included in the kit, I had even greater plans for the terrarium and began to collect fun spring-themed goodies to make myself a scene that would be perfect as an Easter centerpiece. 

Thank goodness the DIY terrarium kit shipped super fast and I only had to wait 1 day before it was delivered right to my door.  I was so excited to dig right in {literally}, that I had the whole kit together within 20 minutes of receiving the package – and that’s including the time it took to photograph each step!

Thankfully, the included step by step instructions made creating a little terrarium world seem as easy as cooking from a box.  Each step was clearly written out and easy to understand, and everything coordinated with the clearly labeled individual bags of supplies, making it simple to put together quickly and easily. 

For those of you worried about mess, you will be happy to note that the kit is actually really well packed and easy to dump directly into the glass container without much spilling or requiring a bunch of extra supplies {other than a small dish with water}.  This made it easy to whip out during naptime without worrying about little hands spreading charcoal and mossy layers throughout the house. 

But, because I knew they would adore putting the kit together as well, I saved the fun part for them to help with – the decorating.  Once they were awake, we placed the red bicycle on the grassy knoll I created using the different types of moss and added some special rocks they had collected, including a special one that said "LOVE" and then sat back and admired our creation. 

But, then we decided it wasn’t spring-y enough for our tastes, so we added some Easter ornaments we already had, complete with flowers in the bike baskets and hearts and glitter.   My plan is to add some mini Easter eggs on the day of, as well as a special little bunny right by the love rock for a real Easter feel. 

After having the terrarium displayed for the past few weeks, I love it more and more every time I see it.  I love the Easter accessories we added in the glass container, but I’m also really looking forward to decorating it for each season. 

I’m thinking of getting some mini train people and making my own small kites they can fly, maybe some fake balloons for my daughter’s birthday, and then adding some fake autumn leaves in the fall, white moss for winter, etc.  I will love looking at the lush green moss even when all my houseplants shrivel up, and it will be nice to have around during the freezing temps as a little bit of summer right on my tabletop.   

If you are looking at creating your own DIY terrarium you can decorate and enjoy, you should definitely check out ProFlowers and get started without going from garden store to garden store gathering supplies.  Making our little Easter world was incredibly easy, mostly mess free, and most of all, a fun activity to remind us spring is on the way. 

And, now you can get this awesome terrarium and many other Easter decorations at 20%-50% off, with free shipping, or as a BOGO50% using these ProFlowers coupon codes. 

A big thank you to ProFlowers for sending the DIY terrarium kit to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

Campbell's Skillet Sauces make a quick and delicious 15 minute dinner

Once upon a time, hubby and I used to enjoy cooking elaborate dinners together just to use as many fancy kitchen gadgets as possible.  Now, I’m known as “One Pan Leanne” and 75% of the meals I prepare use only one big dish, or at the most, two.  This isn’t to say that I’ve become a lazy cook or that my meals are boring, I simply put a lot of energy into planning so I can make the most delicious meal I can using the least amount of dishes possible.

Because, really, there’s nothing I hate more than excess dishes these days.  With a sinkful of dishes after breakfast, lunch, and snack time, the last thing I want to do is create extra work for myself using specialized cookware when a simple all-purpose pan and spatula will work just fine.  So, anything that helps me cut out a few steps and save a few pans from needing scrubbed is a very, very good thing.

For this reason, I love Campbell’s new Skillet Sauces that take all the work out of preparing gourmet meals.  Instead of mixing bowls and measuring spoons and cups, all the ingredients are included in one easy packet and you only need to add your protein to make a complete meal. 

Last weekend, we all walked to Albertson’s to get some fresh air and groceries and found 4 varieties of the new Campbell’s Skillet Sauces in the soup aisle.  Not only were we excited about four new delicious sauces to try, we were thrilled to find that our store had a shelf display with an awesome $2 off coupon for any fresh chicken, beef, or shrimp that got us excited about trying something new and making a special weeknight “date night”.

Really, the hardest part was deciding what flavor to choose, so we didn’t.  We added all 4 they carried – Creamy Chipotle, Toasted Sesame, Marsala, and Scampi {they were out of Thai Green Curry and Fire Roasted Tomato} – to our cart and headed over to the meat department to check out what we could get with our $2 off coupon. 

Once we were done shopping, we headed to check out and while we were ringing up, the cashier saw our cart and started raving about how great the Campbell’s Skillet Sauces were.  After that, we were even more excited to get our bags home and start cooking so all that was left was planning a few “date nights” so we could try them out. 

Luckily, we didn't have to wait long to try them out as we got a opportunity for a "date night" the very next evening and create our #Dinnerin15.  Here’s what we came up with the first night using the Creamy Chipotle Campbell’s Skillet Sauce:

We grilled up some leftover turkey, roasted peppers and onions, and then added the Creamy Chipotle Skillet Sauce.  As a side, we added some stir fry noodles, poured some wine, and dinner was served.

As much as I was excited about the sauce itself, I wasn’t sure the meal was going to all “work” together. We had taken some liberties changing the recipe last minute and we were just kind of throwing in things without knowing what the sauce tasted like, but the result was incredibly delicious. 

The turkey ended up shredding in the sauce as it cooked, kind of like pulled pork, but it tasted amazing that way and I would highly recommend trying it if you have turkey.  The Chipotle itself had a little bit of a kick, but it wasn’t too hot by any means, even for kiddos.  When served with roasted peppers and onions over noodles, the mix of flavors was perfect and it really tasted like I had spent hours cooking when the truth is I whipped it up in about 10 minutes total.     

The next date night, we created this with the Scampi Campbell’s Skillet Sauce:

The only change we made to the recipe was adding some fresh red, orange and yellow peppers at the beginning of cooking, and I think it was a really good choice.  I'm normally a bit scared of cooking shrimp, so the Scampi Skillet Sauce was the perfect solution as it gave me a foolproof sauce to build upon, and I think I've somewhat overcome my fear. 

We served the shrimp scampi over plain spaghetti noodles and the result was perfection.  By adding in a French baguette and some wine, date night was on.  And, it was delicious.

You can see more about the meals we created by checking out our Google+ album here.

Even though our date nights were days ago, both hubby and I are still talking about how amazing our Campbell’s creations were.  Since we ended up at another Albertson’s later in the week to pick up a few grocery necessities, we actually picked up the Campbell’s Skillet Sauce Thai Green Curry as well to take advantage of the amazing $2 off coupon again.  It’s not often that you can get deals on meat and seafood, so a $2 off coupon is like gold to me and I didn’t want to pass it up. 

And, after seeing how versatile the Campbell’s Skillet Sauces are for making a quick dinner something special, they have now become my go-to meal inspiration.  I will definitely keep a variety of Skillet Sauce flavors on hand for impromptu date nights and easy weeknight dinners.  You really can’t beat a good one pan meal with minimal cleanup that has us raving about it days later!  

Need more inspiration for cooking with Campbell's?  Check out their recipe section at Campbell's Kitchen for cooking tips, ideas for entertaining a crowd, and recommendations for when you just don't feel like meal planning.

You can also connect with Campbell's Skillet Sauces on Facebook for a coupon you can use to make them even more affordable and be sure to check for the awesome $2 off meat and seafood coupon at your local store. 

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Campbell’s.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours. #cbias #SocialFabric

My Wonderful Walls: Forest Friends Wall Mural Stencil Kit {Review, Discount & Giveaway}

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was insistent that we finish the nursery before she arrived.  I spent hours moving around furniture, planning the décor, and finally, painting a mural in her room with my sister.  Unfortunately, my daughter arrived over 3 weeks early and we barely had time to get the mural started before my sister had to leave for Spain a few weeks later. 

When she returned from Spain 8 months later, I had a 9 month old and our creative time was very limited, so we never actually fully finished the forest mural we had intended and instead had more of a bare landscape with two large trees.  And, while it was beautiful, it always looked like it wasn’t quite finished. 

I had always pictured forest animals frolicking under the trees, birds soaring through the skies, and cattails swaying in the breeze, and was hoping to one day make that happen.  But, with two little ones under 4, I’m sure you can imagine how much time I have for painting murals, so I was thrilled to find out My Wonderful Walls was going to give me the push I needed to make my finished wall mural a reality. 

With their easy wall mural stencil kits, you can simply stick, paint, and then reuse their self-adhesive stencils over and over again to create beautiful murals quickly and easily.  Since all that’s left in our mural are the details, I knew the My Wonderful Walls was the perfect solution to finishing the room up before my daughter moves out for college in 15 years. 

After perusing all the many stencil kits, I finally decided on the Forest Friends Wall Mural Stencil Kit from My Wonderful Walls.  Not only did it have all the animals and details I had been hoping to add to our mural, it also had many more I hadn’t even thought of, but was excited to add to the room.  Just look at all these adorable animals and more that could make our mural amazing: 

After I chose the perfect stencil kit, I was really thrilled to see that they offered paint options as well so you can order literally everything you need right from the site.  As someone who has done numerous murals before, I always feel like we’re missing vital colors when it’s time to paint, so I love that you can order all the various shades and hues with one easy click and know you have everything you need ahead of time.  After taking a day to decide between the girl colors or the boy colors in my daughter’s room, we finally chose the girl paints and I placed my order.

Once the kit arrived, I couldn’t wait to get started.  The only hangup was that we are currently moving our daughter to her first “real” bed and getting her mattress off the floor, and I didn’t want all my hard work hidden behind the big four poster bed frame we are restoring, so I decided I would start on her opposite wall instead where her smaller tree is located.  Since this area is in between the door and the closet it’s a nice open spot that I know won’t get covered in furniture, so I decided this would be where many of the forest friends lived on her wall so they would be visible.  

I quickly looked over the kit instructions, selected a stencil I loved, and merely stuck it to the wall, paying close attention that all the edges were firmly pressed down so paint wouldn’t sneak underneath.  Since our walls are textured, I was worried the self-adhesive stencils wouldn’t stick that well, but was pleasantly surprised.  Once I was sure it was stuck down good, all that was left was the fun part – painting!

And, that’s where My Wonderful Walls truly thought of everything.  Everyone knows that the character of a painted animal lies almost entirely in the eyes, but in most stencils, you are left filling in all the details blindly, positioning the eyes where you think they look best and then just going for it, but with My Wonderful Walls, they even made this process as simple as possible with their special transfer paper that you merely trace onto your walls so you get the eyes exactly as they were intended.

Once you get all the details exactly as you want, you simply lift off the stencil and then you can reuse that again and again around the room, helping to make quick work of any mural.  And, again, as someone who paints murals for others, I really appreciate how much time and energy this saved me as I didn’t have to dream up each character in her forest and then research pictures online, draw it out on the wall, and then start painting – it was just as simple as sticking the adhesive and painting. 

In just a few short hours, we went from bland to magical and I had forest friends hiding around the base of our tree and playing in the meadows around the door.  Side note: this set actually comes with a tree so even if you have zero artistic ability, you can still create an amazing mural that you can be proud of.  Since I was using an existing tree and shelving system, I only needed a few animals and accessories to make it look complete, but I could have easily gone crazy and done the whole kit and it would have looked adorable.

Worried that you don’t even have enough artistic ability for stenciling or decorating a room that you can’t paint?  You will be happy to know that My Wonderful Walls has a whole line of self-adhesive vinyl wall decals you can merely peel and stick around your room.   

Whether you’re decorating a nursery or simply sprucing up a bedroom or playroom with a little color, My Wonderful Walls is the place to go for quality wall decals, stencils and wall art. You can shop by category or theme and there are great tips and videos on how to use the decals and stencil kits. When you're ready to buy, remember to use the code NGJ713 at check out for 15% off your order! 

And, a lucky Noise Girls fan will have a chance to win one of four room packages valued at up to $169.99 each during the My Wonderful Walls Giveaway Event! 



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A big thank you to the Noise Girls and to My Wonderful Walls for sending their Wall Mural Stencil Kit to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

Christmas Cheer from Rave Central {Handmade Ornaments}

I know I say it every year, but I really can't believe the holidays are here again.  I'm not sure how they sneak up on me every. single. year, but they do.  Maybe it's the long hours on the holiday gift guide, maybe it's the kiddos ages, or maybe it's that I take on a little too much every holiday season, but whatever it is, it makes December just fly by. 

This year, I barely had time for one of my absolute favorite parts of the holiday season, but I finally found time to get to it this week and I'm so glad I did.  As you may remember from previous posts, I have been making my own ornaments with my family every year for the past decade, churning out Christmas Cheer at an alarming rate.

Unfortunately, our Christmas Cheer is also nearly impossible for me to part with, which means my Christmas bins runneth over each and every December.  So, this year I decided to make ornaments for other people instead of only doing them for my immediate family and I think it made making Christmas Cheer even more fun. 

I sent some ornaments to some faraway blogging friends, some local friends, some family, a few wonderful PR reps that I've worked with over the past year, and even managed to sneak in two special ornaments for the kiddos...whew!

Recognize this little guy?  That's right, it's Ryan, our Elf Magic buddy.  Since the kiddos are so into Elfcapades this year, I thought it would be fitting to add this little guy to our tree.

Being able to create ornaments that represent something special for their recipient is really fun and I spend most of my time thinking about what I'm going to create for each person that will make them smile every time they place it on the tree.  While I still found it a bit hard to part with the finished pieces, I know that they will be loved and that makes letting them go very worth it. 

If you would like to start this tradition, you can pick up oven baked clay at just about any craft store.  We’ve started adding beads, marbles, small metal do-dads, and other accessories to our ornaments a few years back and I really like including materials that you don’t pick up and think “ornament” automatically.  Every year we usually pick up one or two items at the craft store when we replenish our clay collection and that’s what helps kick-start the creative process.

Here's some clay stockings I made for a friend's kids that are modeled after their actual stockings and filled with miniature versions of their favorite toys.  Now, tell me this isn't adorable.

The one great thing about making your own ornaments is that really, anything goes.  You can create ornaments from inside jokes, places you've been, toys your kids love, or you can go traditional and do a few of Santa himself.  While my favorites I've made are the really quirky ones, like the clay version of a dollar store toys my daughter loved or the Nannerpus from the old Denny's commercials, they all have a special place in my heart. 

One side note: The traditional clay compound is a brand called FIMO, but I found that the softer and more pliable Sculpey is easier to work with.  There are also many generic forms of oven baked clay to choose from, so you can often find it on sale during the year.  If you are creating with kiddos {and you should! They love it!} the more pliable clay is also better for them to work with because it doesn’t crumble as easily.  While my 4 year old has a little trouble getting started with the hard clays, once she's going, there's no stopping her.

Merry Christmas from everyone here at Rave Central!

Holiday Gifts for the DIY'er from Dremel {Dremel Saw-Max Review}

It seems like everyone these days is a DIY’er.  With the advent of Pinterest with detailed and pictorial instructions, it has become incredibly easy to redo an entry way, create a one-of-a-kind art installation, or even to renovate an entire house.  Where we used to lament our lack of built-ins or architectural interest, now we merely add our own easier than ever before.

But, while I’m a big advocate of DIY’ing, I do have small children and can’t have my entry way, art installations or house renovations taking over our entire house.  This means I’m always looking for options that cut my project time, minimize cleanup, and don’t require a whole workshop full of power tools while the project is in process.  For all these reasons and more, I love Dremel tools.

Since the only time I have for DIY’ing is during the 2-3 hour nap window, I need quick and efficient ways to get projects done, and for me, that’s Dremel’s biggest plus.  Being able to quickly grab the tools I need, have tools that can handle multiple tasks, and offer the easiest cleanup possible is paramount, which means I never reach for anything other than our Dremel Multi-Max or Dremel Saw-Max. 

But, if I’m being honest, I’m incredibly scared of power tools and the Dremel tools are all I can handle in terms of size and power.  If I need anything more intense than these, I’m calling in backup as there’s no way I’m using a full-size circular saw or jigsaw.  Luckily, Dremel tools can handle almost anything and they can do just about any DIY project Pinterest or I can dream up.

But, Dremel tools aren’t just for casual crafters like myself, these are serious tools that can make short work of many projects and renovations, large or small.  Even hubby who is all decked out with traditional full size tools adores our Dremel tools and reaches for those first.

You may remember how we raved in our Dremel Multi-Max review about how great it is for doing plunge cuts as well as cutting precise shapes including square corners in all sorts of materials.  We’ve used it for all sorts of projects around the house in the past year and a half and it’s still the most grabbed tool we own.  Because we love it so much, we were hoping to expand our Dremel collection and try out either the Dremel Trio or the Saw-Max this year, especially now that we have a list of to-dos that require tools we were lacking.   

So, when the Dremel Saw-Max arrived last month, we were thrilled and couldn’t wait to get started on some of our pins on Pinterest.  And, just look at this beautiful tool – who wouldn’t want to do some DIY projects armed with this?    

The Dremel Saw-Max is a scaled-down circular saw that is much better for doing traditional long, straight cuts while allowing for greater control and precision.  Since it is about a third the size of a standard circular saw, it is much more portable and easy to use either indoors or out without immediately turning the room into a construction zone. 

I immediately felt comfortable using the Saw-Max, even one handed, and was able to tackle small cuts on my own during our last project.  Since I won’t touch our full size saw and have to ask for help to finish even a simple project, having the Saw-Max makes me feel unstoppable and it has greatly increased the projects I’m willing to take on.

Because the Saw-Max uses a 3” blade, it really excels at smaller jobs and trim work, which is perfect for most of the projects around our house and most of my craft projects.  While it’s compact enough for small art projects that require greater attention to detail, I also love that it can still tackle big jobs like cutting flooring or building furniture.  And, with the adjustable base plate that allows you to set the depth of the cut in seconds and without tools, it allows you to create different size cuts in various materials quickly and easily which makes it a great all-purpose power tool for bigger renovations. 

I bet you’re wondering how a 3” blade can tackle large jobs?  Well that is where the smart accessories come in.  The 2x4 cutting guide is a simple plastic guide that you clamp over the board you want to cut and then simply run the saw along the top and bottom of the board for a nice straight cut.  The straight edge guide is another great tool that attaches to the side of the Saw-Max and lets you cut a precise straight line.  But the one accessory that is on top of our list to get is the miter guide, which allows you to do precise angle and bevel cuts for really detailed trim work. 

If that’s not enough for you, there is also a multi-purpose flush cut blade that puts the blade right up to the edge of the saw, and my personal favorite, the dust port adapter so I can hook a vacuum right to the saw to clean up the mess as we go along. Pretty awesome, right? 

With the confidence I have gained using my Dremel tools there are sure to be a lot of formerly intimidating projects finished up at our house soon, and maybe in the future we will add the Dremel Trio and tackle even more. Come back next year to see us tackle our biggest DIY to date, the front entryway that we'd like to function more like a mudroom. 

If you have a long to do list at your house as well, be sure to check out all the tools from Dremel and you might be surprised at what you can accomplish too.  And, if you've got a Pinterest pinner or a handyman on your list, you will definitely appreciate the following Dremel Gift Guide: 

Gifts from Dremel for the Pinterest Pinner-
•         Dremel 8220 12V Rotary Tool ($99-$139) – Take on nearly any project with this new rotary tool. From hobbies like jewelry-making or glass-engraving, to tackling household repairs, the Dremel 8220 cordless rotary tool provides versatility and precision for projects large and small.
•         Dremel Trio™ ($99) – Thanks to the resurgence of the Shabby Chic design trend, refinishing and distressing furniture pieces has become a popular hobby. For those on your list who have a knack for breathing new life into furniture and décor, the Dremel Trio will allow them to tackle multiple materials and planes without switching tools.

Gifts from Dremel for the Home Handyman-
•         Dremel Multi-Max™ MM20 ($99) – Repair. Remodel. Restore. The Dremel Multi-Max MM20 offers do-it-yourselfers and pros a versatile and effective multitasking tool. The Multi-Max can cut into a variety of materials including stone, sheet metal and cement with precision, power and ease, so users can tackle an array of applications quickly and comfortably.
•         Dremel Saw-Max™ ($129) – Making cuts with a saw can be a daunting task, but at one-third the size and weight of a traditional circular saw, the Dremel Saw-Max allows users to make smooth cuts on a variety of materials with easy, one-handed operation.

Stocking Stuffers from Dremel-
•         Dremel EZ Twist Nose Cap ($6.99) – A must-have for anyone with a Dremel rotary tool, the EZ Twist Nose Cap makes changing accessories on a Dremel rotary tool faster and easier.
•         Dremel Multi-Max Drywall Jab Saw Accessory ($9.99) – Designed to be the fastest-cutting drywall blade available, the Drywall Jab Saw is the only oscillating blade that makes both straight and curved cuts in drywall, ideal for cutting out electrical boxes and recessed lighting.
•         Dremel Multi-Max Multi-Knife Accessory ($14.99) – Quickly and easily cut carpet, vinyl, boxes, shingles, foam, insulation and plastic with the Dremel Multi-Knife. Two cutting edges allow users to cut in either direction; the inside-facing edge is designed for cuts requiring a pulling motion and the outside-facing edge is designed for cuts requiring a pushing motion.
•         Dremel Saw-Max Cutting Kit ($39.99) – Includes seven Saw-Max wheels, including diamond and carbide wheels,  to cut tile, drywall, wood, plastic, metal, cement, brick and more.

A big thank you to Dremel for sending the Saw-Max to facilitate this review.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

3D Coloring Magic with Magna Color

I have always adored crafts and looked forward to any opportunity that I could get creative, but with two little ones running around, sometimes my patience for the messier crafting varieties isn’t quite what it used to be.  While I still encourage my kids to create art and enjoy seeing their masterpieces take shape, sometimes I wish they had never heard of magic markers and glue.

Fortunately, I ended up with two kids who also can’t resist a craft project and love getting creative.  Unfortunately, they don’t care a bit if it’s absurdly messy.  In fact, they are all for making messes and prefer their art to be as messy as humanly possible. 

So, what’s a mom to do when she’s got a million things to do before guests arrive and holiday celebrations commence?  She whips out the Magna Color from Tech 4 Kids, which may not be messy, but is still a huge hit with the kiddos.     

Magna Color is a smart little art kit that lets you create your own 3D art with pens filled with little metal discs instead of ink.  When placed over the magnetic top of the Magna Color, the pens drop little circular metal pieces in different sizes and colors that can be used for open-ended creative play or with their included stencil sheets.  When your masterpiece is done, you can check out your amazing work with the included 3D glasses to make your creation come to life. 

The first few times we used the Magna Color 3D was a bit of trial and error, but once we read the detailed instructions and figured out what all of the components do, we were off and creating on our own.  The design is actually quite ingenious and really simple once you get the gist and soon even my four year old was able to do it no problem. 

Basically, you draw with the Magna Color pens on the magnet pad however you would like.  Whether you draw directly on the board or you use the included stencils, the cool thing about creating with the magnets is that it’s never permanent.  You can move the metal dots even after they have been placed on the Magna Color pad simply by sliding them with your fingers or you can even stack the dots on top of each other for even more color fun. 

Then, when you want to start over again, cleaning up is almost as fun as coloring.  There’s no reason to pre-sort colors, you simply use the included sweeper to push the dots to the top center of the Magna Color and they disappear into the pad.  Once all the dots are off the magnet pad, you turn it over to see the dots all visible through the clear back window.

This is where the Magna Color dots magically sort themselves by size and color with just a few shakes as they sift to the correct color row.  Once all the colors are in their correct rows, you connect the Magna Color pens and tilt the board so the dots funnel down into the pen and you’re ready to create another masterpiece.  

In case you didn’t catch all that, check out this video showing how the board and pens work together to better understand the concept.  Just like a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes a video is worth a few million. 

As you can see, the act of cleaning up is clearly not a chore, and my four year old would argue it’s the best part of the Magna Color.  While she really likes creating pictures free-hand or with the stencils, she looks forward to cleaning them up afterwards and will sometimes dump out the pens just so she can watch them sort as she shakes the board.  Now, if only she could be this excited about cleaning up after all her other art projects.

Want to purchase a 3D Magna Color for a little artist in your life?  Check out Toys “R” Us, Walmart, Mastermind Toys, and more.  You can also buy replacement stencil packs and extra pen colors to expand your creativity even more.

What’s in the box:
Special designed magnetic drawing studio with screen sweeper
4 Design stencils
4 Unique colored pens
160 Pcs of 3D magic dots in 4 different colors
1 Pair 3D Ultra Vision glasses

Be sure and connect with Magna Color 3D via Tech 4 Kids on Twitter and Facebook for more information and to see their full product lines.

Replacement Pen-  A small quantity of product shipped this past summer included malfunctioning pens.  As a company dedicated to high quality product, Tech 4 Kids, the manufacturers of Magna Color, would like anyone with malfunctioning pens to contact them at the following email: toys@tech4kids.com for a set of free replacement pens and dots.

A big thank you to Tech 4 Kids for sending their Magna Color 3D to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

DIY Embroidery Hoop Hair Clip Holder (Tutorial}

I think I had 5 clips the entire time I was growing up.  My daughter has dozens.  While they are admittedly adorable, they also drive me crazy when I can’t find the one I’m looking for or when one lands on the floor and gets stepped on. 

So, a few years ago we got a single ribbon bow holder, which we love, and it holds many of the bigger bows nicely.  But pretty soon we grew out of that one and needed another, so we got a second, which we also love, and then we filled that one up in no time. 

In a cute little boutique near us they had a hair clip display done with ribbons crisscrossing a frame and it was then I decided I would simply make a bow holder myself that could hold more than a dozen clips at a time.  But, then I got to brainstorming and that’s when the DIY Embroidery Hoop Hair Clip Holder was born. 

Things you will need:
Embroidery hoop, any size
Fabric for backing that can cover your hoop and have a few inches of excess fabric around all the edges
Assorted ribbon
Fabric glue
Hot glue gun
Paint (optional)
Staple gun

I personally love embroidery hoops and have been dying to use one in a project ever since I saw Mandy from The Haps do Harper’s room reveal.  I did a little happy dance when I finally figured out how I could use one and where I would put it once it was finished, and then I did another one when our local fabric store had hoops on sale that same week.  Fate, I tell you. 

I picked the largest one they had, mostly because I’m hoping that I won’t have to make another one in just a few weeks, but you could really do this in any size.  It would actually be cute to do a few smaller hoops with different fabrics and ribbons as sort of an art fixture, but I will leave that for when we outgrow this one. 

After you have your hoop and supplies, the next step is assembling.  But, if you would like to paint your hoop, you should do so now.  I obviously skipped this step, but will definitely paint my next one.  Instead, I was so excited to get the project going that I just started assembling and then it was too late.  Don’t do what I did, kids.

Once your hoop is ready, you simply put your fabric in the embroidery hoop, pulling as taut as possible.  I worked at this step for a long time until it was perfectly stretched from every angle, but I’m not convinced it was entirely necessary and in retrospect, ironing would have been faster.  But, I would basically do anything to avoid ironing.  Clearly.

Once your fabric is taut, you simply trim your fabric around the hoop leaving approximately an inch of fabric.  Then you flip your hoop over and line the inside of the hoop with fabric glue or hot glue.  This is best to do a few inches at a time as the glue dries fast and it needs to hold tight. 

I used fabric glue and found that it worked quite well, but traditionally hot glue would have been used.  Whichever method you go with, know that you will get glue on your fingers.  In fact, I still have glue on my fingers.

Once the glue dries fully, you can carefully take the outer hoop off and add ribbon.  When you are cutting your ribbon, be sure and leave quite a bit overhanging as it will need to wrap around the hoop as well.  I decided to place my ribbons randomly over the hoop at different increments so I could accommodate clips of all sizes, but you could always measure if random bothers you.  As for me?  Random is how I live life.

Once you’re happy with placement, you can simply replace the outer hoop and then pull the ribbons taut. I started with my hoop loose for this step and then tightened the screw on the outer hoop to make sure they were as tight as possible and then repulled all of my ribbons again.  Once you’re sure they can’t get any tighter, you simply glue the ends of the ribbon to the inside of the hoop as you did the fabric earlier. 

Once my glue was dry I was still nervous it would pull out with even a tiny bit of force, so I convinced hubby to staple the ribbon ends to the hoop from the inside.  After that, my project was pretty much done, I just tied a ribbon to the top for color and then I tied a longer string to the inner screw of the hoop for hanging. 

The bow clip holder is going on the back of my daughter’s room {yay for unused wall space!} and I didn’t want to put a nail hole in the door, so I used a simple Command Hook and called it good.  Since I was putting it on a door, my biggest concern was that the hoop would hit the door each time it was opened or closed, but I’m happy to report that it doesn’t hit at all.

Because it’s hanging pretty loose off the ribbon and because the whole hoop, even full of ribbons, is so incredibly light, it almost catches air as the door is closed and lands without a sound.  I was really happy about that because it meant I didn’t have to felt the edges like I thought I would. 

I still am working on a few things with my design and figuring out a way to add loops to store headbands underneath the hoop, but overall I'm happy with the hair clip holder and think it adds a bit of fun to an otherwise overlooked area of her room.  So, there you have it, a hair bow solution that cost me less than $4 to complete because I already had the fabric, the ribbon, the staples and the glue.  Can’t beat that, right?