design Archives - Rave & Review

American Girl debuts Create Your Own dolls and accessories this July

Having blond hair and blue eyes as a child meant that just about every doll looked kinda like me. I never had to search the toy shelves or special order a doll just to find one that I could relate to, and I never really realized how lucky that made me until I was out … Read more

CYBEX Gold Line: designed to adapt with your little one

This post was sponsored by CYBEX as part of a Blog Blast Activation for Influence Central.

Even before I was pregnant for the first time, I knew how important choosing the right stroller and car seat were going to be for our on-the-go lifestyle. I began to watch other parents maneuver strollers around town and while traveling and I watched them conquer subways, cobblestones, and shopping malls. Seeing strollers in so many different types of situations gave me strong ideas about what my future babies were going to be riding in. And, even though my opinions on nearly every aspect of parenting has evolved as I became a mom, and then as a mom of two, and now as a mom of three, my opinions on strollers and car seats has changed very little.

Educational fun with the SmartMax Mega Ball Run

I can’t even tell you how many times I have refused or returned a self-contained pre-made ball run that has been given to my kids. It’s not that I’m against kids learning about gravity and momentum by way of a ball run, it’s just that I can’t justify the space that they require for the momentary fun of dropping a ball down a chute a few times before the kids get bored.But, when I was told about the SmartMax Mega Ball Run, I realized that someone finally got it. By adding in the fun of a construction toy and the power of magnets, SmartMax allows you to build your own ball run over and over again to enhance the play value and keep the kids busy for hours.

A whole new way to have fun while building with Geomag Toys

If I was describing the differences between my toys growing up and the toys my kids love, the biggest differences wouldn't be what you would probably expect. It isn’t technology, computers, or gadgets that set them apart. No, the biggest difference I see is the intelligence in the design of toys these days that takes learning toys to a whole new level.

Instead of basic blocks like I used to play with, now children's building tools are more advanced and so much cooler. Just look at Geomag, the maker of awesome magnetic construction toys that have been huge in Europe for years and are just now re-entering the US market. Using super strong magnets within magnetic rods and non-magnetic spheres as well as accessories, the Geomag sets allow you to build not just up, but also out, around, and within so you can build so much more than ever before. Because the magnets hold your design in place, you don’t have to worry about a strong gust of wind knocking everything down and can build in all directions until you have created your masterpiece.

Mix and match fun with custom Modarri cars {& discount code}

We discovered Modarri cars last year, and we quickly became obsessed. Basically, they are everything my son loves.
Fixing things: check
Racing: check
Designing stuff: check
Things with wheels: check So, what are Modarri cars? They are build-it-yourself custom cars that you can mix and match and customize to your heart’s content.

Each car even comes complete with a special hex tool so you can break down each car into its multiple parts: a chassis, hood and windshield, seat pan, seat, fenders and frame, and wheels with front and rear suspension. And, each of those parts can be used with other Modarri car models so you can build and rebuild as often as you like to create whatever car strikes your fancy.

Make any day magical with Pacific Play Tents

If I were designing the perfect childhood toy, it would have two major components. First, it would inspire imaginations to encourage make believe and storytelling. Second, it would be open-ended so it could be played with in numerous ways, which means it would be played with often and be a beloved toy for years.

Take the Painting Teepee from Pacific Play Tents for example. This clearly isn’t just a high quality teepee, it’s a childhood haven. As you can see, it's the kiddos fort.

Build & Imagine with Malia’s Beach House

My daughter loves to build. Whether we’re talking bricks, blocks, or random items she’s squirreled away just for her building purposes, she’s all about it. And, while she’s really good at following directions and building pre-designed buildings and objects, I’ve noticed that she really prefers building toys where she can be the designer. That’s where Build & Imagine sets come in.

Build & Imagine is a brand new line of magnetic construction sets that inspire kids to build whatever they would like. Their unique magnetic dual-sided building panels make it easy for even kids as young as 4 to create structures that they can play with using their included accessories and magnetic dolls.By putting your child in the role of designer and architect, you are giving them the keys to all sorts of imaginative play. They can decide what panels to utilize in their design, which rooms they want to create, and they can even decorate and play when they are done building.

Our love of GoldieBlox begins!

Anyone who knows my kids knows all about their deep desire to understand how things work. They are rarely content with a simple explanation of the facts and instead require an in-depth analysis of everything that perplexes them. It is likely this knowledge that led many close friends and family members to reach out via phone calls, my inbox, and various messaging systems with a suggestion of a brand they knew my kiddos would flip for: GoldieBlox One click to the GoldieBlox homepage and I was instantly smitten. This wasn’t just a toy my kids would love, this was a toy that I would have designed for them if only I knew how. It includes all of their absolute favorite things: building things, imaginative play, and figuring out how things work in a really fun way that the whole family can get involved in.

For those of you who have been emailing over the past year begging me to get the GoldieBlox toys for my kids, I say thank you. You will be very happy to know it was literally love upon first #unbloxing and even though they have only been playing with their own GoldieBlox toys for the past few weeks, they are just as enthralled with them as you probably guessed.

If you want to see how excited we are about GoldieBlox, you should go ahead and watch this video:

For those of you who haven’t heard about GoldieBlox or seen their adorable Super Bowl commercial, you are probably wondering what makes this building toy different, and the short answer is: a lot.

Make yourself a home with Lundby {SMÅLAND Swedish dollhouse review}

I feel like I should win some sort of award for the fact that I still haven’t shown my daughter her new Lundby house she’s going to be opening on Christmas. It’s been an exercise in self-control to keep it hidden away in my office {which actually isn’t all that “hidden”, but that’s a whole other issue} even though I pass it numerous times a day.

Everyone is posting things on social media stressing about how there’s only 43 days until Christmas and all I can think is how on Earth am I going to be able to wait that long?

And, then when a new shipment of miniatures arrived the other day with a Lundby family and two packages to complete her Lundby kitchen and dining room, I realized this was going to be an even bigger task than I imagined.

Design your own jewelry with Pictures on Gold

Holiday Gift Guide – Day 1

I’m a sucker for personalized anything. Maybe it’s something deep rooted in my past from having a somewhat unusual name in the 80s, or maybe it’s just that personalized gifts these days are just so cool. Whatever the reason, I spend most of my holiday budget on personalized items like those from Pictures on Gold.

Pictures on Gold is just what it sounds like: jewelry that can be engraved with whatever pictures you desire. From clip art to special pictures to personalized messages, Pictures on Gold can custom create anything you dream up. The interactive “Build Your Own Locket” application on the PicturesOnGold.com website lets you do just that and allows you to control every single detail.

But, not only that, they also show you each step of the way what your item will look like. Drop in some clip art from the Pictures on Gold files and you can rotate it, enlarge it, and move it around your jewelry.