crafty Archives - Rave & Review

DIY kids cape from an old prom dress

Have an old prom dress hanging around? Why not turn it into an awesome fancy cape for your little one {or for yourself, if you're looking to make a capelet}? I had honestly thought I purged all my old prom dresses when we moved into this house, but I discovered them tucked away in my daughter's walk-in closet while we were doing our winter cleaning. Since she has the only floor length hanging bars in the house, I remembered I had stashed a few of my nice dresses and my wedding dress in there, but I hadn't realized that there were some prom dresses mixed in.

I donated two of the prom dresses, but one of them was so out of date that it was just begging for a little DIY inspiration. I knew immediately that it would make the perfect dressy cape for my kiddos to play pretend in and the layers would add a level of drama that the kiddos would adore.

Of note: I don't claim to be the best seamstress around, and my sewing skills are basically limited to alterations and simple decor items, but even I could see the potential hidden in this 90's-style strappy number. While your DIY will depend a lot on what kind of material and length of gown you are working with, hopefully you can use this as a rough guide for a simple sewing project. Ready to get started? Great!

The perfect Christmas gift: The new and improved Lundby Dollhouse

As parents, we categorize toys into four main groups:

novelty toys that are fun for a bit and then get abandoned within hours
toys that kids play with for days and then ditch before they have even been in the house a month
toys that don’t get played with every day but are still returned to month after month
and, finally, those special toys that are an essential part of play nearly every single day, year after year.

As you can imagine, there are lots and lots of toys that fall in those first two groups, and not so many that fit in the third group. As for that fourth group? It’s like a rare unicorn and you never know when, or where, you will find it. For us, the Lundby dollhouse is one of a handful of toys that squarely fit in that fourth group without ever wavering. From the moment the kids opened the Lundby dollhouse all those years ago, they were hooked. And then, with all the redecorating, DIYs, and crafting we have done on it throughout the years, the Lundby dollhouse just kept getting more and more beloved as we all added our personal touch to the house. So, when we got home from Boston and were greeted with a huge package from Lundby that contained a brand new Lundby dollhouse, the sideboard/TV set, and the awesome Lundby remote, it was declared as the best.day.ever. Ever since we saw a sneak peek of the newest Lundby items on social media and got wind of the remote, I was dying to try it out.

DIY miniature pot rack from champagne muselet for Lundby dollhouses

A muselet (French: myz.le) is a wire cage that fits over the cork of a bottle of champagne, sparkling wine, or beer to prevent the cork from emerging under the pressure of the carbonated contents.

We ended up with a muselet from a local hard cider a few months back, and after it was removed from the bottle, I set it in my windowsill while I debated what I could make it into. I've seen cute little chairs for fairy gardens made out of muselet and I considered making my own. But, then one day I decided my Lundby dollhouse needed a pot rack and went looking for supplies and found the muselet just waiting to become a lighted pot rack for the house.

Want to make your own miniature pot rack for your dollhouse? It's super easy, doesn't require many supplies, and the end result is really adorable!

A sensory adventure with SentoSphere art and learning kits

This is going to come as a shock to anyone who knows how close my daughter and I are, but a few months ago I found it hard to bond with my sweet little girl. We spent most of the day together but sometimes it felt like we were so similar that we were constantly at odds. With the start of school and the addition of ballet and playdates there was a lot of hurry up and clean up and eat up and we’ve got to go, but not a whole lot of time to just sit and talk and enjoy each other. I realized I had to do something fast or this school year was going to be pretty awful for both of us, but I wasn’t sure what. It was then that I tried crafts and I realized that was going to be our saving grace. Crafting gave us a time to slow down, to relax, and for some reason, it made my girl open up. Crafting time told her she had my undivided attention – and she was going to make the most of it.

For that reason I am constantly on the lookout for crafts that we can do together, and I’ve found the perfect company to help me keep us both happy and connected. SentoSphere started in France creating high quality artistic and educational games, kits and toys but are now selling most of their lines in the States. Sure, we still do coloring books and doodling on some days, but other days we want something with a real wow factor, and that’s when we turn to SentoSphere.

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 … Read more

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 … Read more

Personalized Baby Block from Craft-E-Family

Ultimate Holiday GIft Guide: Day 7 It seems like everyone around me is having babies right now, so it’s perfect timing that I have just found the perfect present for new babies. That present is the Personalized Baby Block from Craft-E-Family which is just the right amount of sentimental keepsake paired with classic good looks, … Read more