gift Archives - Rave & Review

Gifts that give back this holiday season from World Vision

Do you want to make a difference this Christmas? Give with the help of World Vision and you will know that your contribution is going towards making a difference where it is needed most. You can buy a goat and chickens, medicines, bed nets, or even clean water by making a simple donation in your … Read more

The tradition of a Corolle Christmas continues

I’ve been thinking a lot about traditions these days. With my kids we’ve had 8 Corolle Christmases now, and I had at least a half dozen Corolle Christmases growing up. That’s 14+ years of Corolle dolls and accessories under the tree as the present that wows, and I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful. You … Read more

The perfect personalized presents from Bunnies by the Bay

The first time I heard about Bunnies by the Bay was when I was pregnant with my first child. The grandparents brought her over some maryjanes made by Bunnies by the Bay that happened to be named the same first and middle name we had chosen. They had found them in their travels to Anacortes, WA and knew we just had to have them.

Since then, they have surprised all of my kids with gifts from Bunnies by the Bay for birthdays, holidays, and just because. So, when we decided bunnies were going to be our third child’s theme, it was just a given that Bunnies by the Bay would be how we filled her toy box and her special shelf in her room. Her Bunnies by the Bay obsession has only grown as she has gotten older, and now almost all of her cherished friends are from their extensive line of adorable plush toys. They really do carry some of the absolute cutest stuffed toys, lovies, blankets, accessories, clothing, and baby gifts for newborn on up. Every time she gets a box that looks like this, it's cause for celebration.

Get her before she’s gone: American Girl Grace collection is 30% off in-store!

Do you have an American Girl fan on your list? Chances are they would love to open up Grace Thomas Girl of the Year doll and accessories this Christmas. Remember how we were super excited to announce her arrival last January as the 2015 Girl of the Year? This is just a gentle reminder that you only have until 12/31/2015 to get any Grace items before she’s gone for good! Many of her really popular items are already gone, so don’t wait too long if you’re planning on purchasing.

And, want to know something really, really cool? If you live near an American Girl store, you can get 30% off the Grace collection now, including the doll! How awesome is that?

Create a Mickey-inspired Disney Baby basket

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MagicBabyMoments #CollectiveBias There has been a big baby boom recently, and just in our family alone we have welcomed 4 babies in the past year. But, while all babies are celebrated, only first babies get a big baby shower with extended family and friends, second {and third, and fourth} babies get what is known as a Meet & Greet.

Never heard of a Meet & Greet? It’s basically the answer for the non-baby shower that takes place after the baby is born to celebrate each birth and to introduce them to the family. Where baby showers focus more on the pregnant woman and showering the parents to be with presents, the Meet & Greet is more about the baby.

But, that doesn’t mean there can’t be a present or two. It’s for these occasions that I love the welcome baby basket. Instead of bathtubs and baby gear that the parents likely got with the first baby, the baby basket is more about items that often need replaced after each child like sippy cups, baby care kits, bibs, utensils and blankets. Of course, there has to be one or two fun things for the baby, too, like the awesome Disney Baby Winnie the Pooh Cloud B lamp and a blanket.

Great gifts for Dads and Grads from AT&T

When it comes to gifts for dad, you really can’t beat awesome tech accessories, and you can find all sorts of great tech gifts at AT&T. This June AT&T retail stores are offering a variety of gadgets under $100 that make great gift ideas for Father’s Day and Graduation that we adore, and I’m sure your dad or grad would as well.

One of our favorite items on the gift guide is the Braven BRV-1 speaker. We got one of these awesome Braven speakers from AT&T earlier this year and we absolutely adore it. It can go anywhere, do anything, and it sounds amazing. It’s rugged enough for camping and can even handle damp conditions. You can check out our full review here.

Relax, Hammacher Schlemmer has you covered this holiday season

Every year I look forward to the Hammacher Schlemmer holiday gift guide. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Hammacher Schlemmer is America's longest running catalog, and their aim is to offer the Best, the Only, and the Unexpected since 1848. Each year their gift guide is filled with all sorts of new items that range from ultra-practical (The Only Automatic Cordless Tire Inflator) to novelty (The Talking and Dancing Disco Robot) and everything in between.

Are you looking for unique gifts that your recipient won’t ever forget? How about the Personalized Bobblehead, or maybe the 3D Writing Pen? You can shop by recipient or just browse their full guide for unique gifts for everyone on your list. Whether your recipient is incredibly hard to shop for or someone who gives you a specific wish list, you are sure to find the perfect present to wrap up for the holidays.

Create your holiday look effortlessly with the KISS InstaWave automatic curler

I love a good curly hairstyle every once in a while, especially this time of year with holiday parties and birthdays galore, but I swear that every year I get worse and worse at styling a good curly ‘do. I’m fine for the first few curls and then out of nowhere I clip the iron and accidentally turn it the wrong way. Anyone who has ever done this knows that you then end up with that awful crimped piece at the bottom where the clip was holding that no amount of recurling can ever fix. That, my friends, is pretty much my signature “curly” look.

Or, at least it was. I was recently introduced to the KISS InstaWave and it’s changed the way I style hair forever. Not only is it clipless so there’s no chance of ending up with crimped hair, it’s also automatic so all I need to do is rest the hair on the barrel and press a button. There’s literally no way to mess up your hair!

New mom must-have: Corolle first dolls for babies

Do you have a baby in your life? There’s definitely something in the water because there are so many babies expected in the next few months. With my own babe’s arrival creeping closer and closer, I’m starting to think of everything that needs to be done to prepare for adding a baby to the family and I’ve already got quite a few things in the works.

Just like when we went from one child to two, we’re planning on doing a gift from the baby to the older siblings, but with one main difference. This time, the baby will get a present, too. Last time, my daughter opened a Corolle Emma doll at the hospital with a baby bath, but we didn’t even think about getting the new baby a gift like we should have.

Educational and fun toys from Museum Tour

Toys these days are just so cool. Sure, you can still find cheap, plastic junk at just about every big toy store, but there are also a handful of companies still making classic toys and gifts that will delight for decades. The problem is finding those companies is a full time job. Thank goodness I can turn to Museum Tour to find those companies without having to search high and low.

The Museum Tour catalog and website were created by a former museum director and educator in order to help take learning beyond the museum and science center walls. With items chosen to help parents teach their children essential life skills at home, the Museum Tour collection of products includes many previously hard-to-find items and learning toys.

Museum Tour believes that children will want to learn if presented with toys that have been created with both education and fun in mind so they have packed the pages of their catalog with the best of the best in terms of high quality learning toys.

I don’t know about you, but I get overwhelmed when shopping for kids toys, wondering what’s just going to collect dust in the bottom of a toy bin. When I found Museum Tour, it was as if I had curated the catalog myself and I was in heaven with page after page of the good stuff. It’s got the classic, the unique, and the toys that really wow.