December 2016 - Rave & Review

Happy Holidays from Rave & Review!

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Christmas and are planning some fun while ringing in the New Year. This is my favorite time of year and I love that everything is pretty magical with these three. This year, Santa brought the kids some toys they have wanted for months: A Playmobil Police … Read more

Lea Clark, American Girl’s 2016 Girl of the Year, says goodbye soon!

Remember how we were super excited to announce Lea Clark’s arrival this January as the 2016 Girl of the Year? This is just a gentle reminder that you only have until 12/31/2016 to get any Lea items before she’s gone for good! You can bring home Lea and see why she stole all of our … Read more

Preserving memories made easy with Hammacher Schlemmer’s Photo Album Scanner

Every time I visit with my mom, I am given a stack of photo albums my mom has unearthed with the instruction to scan our old family images to share with my siblings. The problem is, I never have my computer with me, let alone my scanner/copier. So, I end up either taking the whole album with me in order to pull it apart to scan, or we take the album apart and I end up leaving with sandwich baggies full of pictures, some of which are ruined during the removal process. Obviously, neither of these methods is ideal.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could scan those old pictures while you're taking a walk down memory lane? Imagine flipping through an old photo album, finding a priceless gem, and then scanning it to save it electronically – all without ever taking it out of the photo album. Dream no more, because Hammacher Schlemmer has made it not only possible, but also a ton of fun. Their new Rapid Photo Album Scanner that is exclusive to Hammacher Schlemmer does just what I've always dreamed of and converts all those old photographs into digital images in just seconds,allowing you to reminisce and relive old memories while saving them easily for future use.

Seattle Premium Outlets last-minute gift guide

Are you worried there isn't enough time left to pick up thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list? Never fear, Seattle Premium Outlets is here to help and no one will ever have to know that you shopped last minute!

I'm sharing with you our gift guide for every age on your list. Every item was found at Seattle Premium Outlets this past week and is perfect for gifting this holiday season. Flannel: Eddie Bauer, Boot Cuffs and Socks: Timberland, Bracelet and Bag: Coach OutletFlannel: (r) Eddie Bauer (l) Timberland, Socks: TimberlandPajama Pants for Women: Hanna, Pajamas for Baby: HannaStar Wars Shirt and Bow: Hot Topic

Festive and fun last-minute shopping for everyone on your list at Seattle Premium Outlets

Can you believe Christmas is less than a week away? It seemed like I had things under control and then late last week I checked I still had a dozen of presents left to buy and the days were flying by. Instead of stressing out, I decided to take an afternoon off and head up to Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip, WA for a day of shopping, meeting up with friends, and ultimately, crossing off my list once and for all. Baby and I set off on an epic shopping trip that started with meeting up for coffee with a long-lost friend, and then ended with her falling asleep clutching an empty Coach shopping bag, a Tigger bracelet, a handful of stickers, and a notebook – all of which were given to her on our shopping trip for being such a delight. We stopped by guest services where we were greeted with beautiful holiday decorations on the fireplaces flanking the food court. This is where you can pick up mall gift cards as well as shop their huge selection of restaurant, store, and experience gift cards at the gift card kiosk.

What I wish I knew going into Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Lucasfilm’s highly anticipated, first-ever standalone Star Wars adventure, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY is in theaters today! So, I bet you’re wondering what the probability is that you will like Rogue One? It’s high. Very high.

In an effort to be surprised by the film and not have it ruined by spoilers or fan theories, I have stayed away from social media for the past few days after the LA premiere. Waiting until I got a chance to see it this week at a prescreening in Seattle was torture, but I’m happy to say that I went in knowing absolutely nothing about the film other than the character’s names {which I couldn’t shield myself from since they are fully saturating the toy department and have been for weeks}. That being said, I do wish there were a couple of things I did know going into watching Rogue One, and they are as follows:

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.

The perfect gift for the impossible to buy for: Snake River Farms steaks

Everyone has that one {or four, or five} people on their holiday list that are impossible to buy for, and you spend all month running around searching for something – anything – before you give up and buy them a gift card. How about this year you do something different and give them a gift they truly want, and something to look forward to opening and enjoying?

That gift is American Wagyu beef from Snake River Farms. Used by some of the country's most renowned chefs like Thomas Keller, Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina, as well as at popular spots nationwide, a gift from Snake River Farms is sure to impress even the toughest critic. Founded in 1999, Snake River Farms has been passionate about delivering the finest foods directly to consumers to bring you world class restaurant quality in the comfort of home.We got to try a few American Wagyu steaks from their Steak Flight gift set this month and I can tell you, they are like nothing else I’ve ever eaten. Fancy steakhouses aren’t in the cards for us right now, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a quality steak just as much as I used to. In order to enjoy a quality steak, Hubby and I didn’t have to don fancy clothes, get a sitter, and then make the trek to an expensive restaurant to enjoy a meal that is truly decadent and memorable.

Playing and learning with American Girl: Melody’s microphone and piano playsets

After spending so much time this year learning about the new BeForever character, Melody Ellison, I wanted to get the kids something special this year to celebrate. With so many awesome choices in the Melody collection, I debated for a bit whether I wanted to go with one of her playsets or an outfit or two.In the end, I decided that adding to our Melody collection with a toy they could play with was the way to go. I chose Melody’s Microphone Set paired with Melody’s Electric Piano because the kids were specifically drawn to them at the Seattle American Girl store after they realized that they actually really work.

The ultimate in versatility with the SOLO Velocity 17.3″ backpack to duffel

We’re on the go a lot around here. Whether it’s sightseeing around town, on vacation, or simply just during our day to day routines, we find ourselves packing a bag for our days out on the regular. Often filled with snacks, necessities, extra clothing, and all the gear needed for baby, but sometimes filled with technology for work, our needs change all the time and we need a bag that can adapt with us. We found the SOLO Velocity 17.3″ Backpack and I knew we had found the perfect hybrid bag that can go from work to travel and back again. It has a padded back and backpack straps that make it comfortable to carry all day while out and about. Since the compact backpack converts to a duffel and has a fully padded 15.6” compartment that can hold a laptop, tablet, or any small peripherals, it makes it the perfect bag for just about anything you can throw at it.