10 Minute Craft ~ Stenciled Dog Toy Box

Since the start of the year, home organization has been my #1 priority. I've been going through my house, room by room, scrubbing everything down and decluttering. Most of the junk has made its way to the basement where I'll spend a few days sorting through what we'll keep for later use, what we'll pass on to family and friends, and what we'll be donating to charity.

I'm trying to live a live free of clutter, so I've spent a small fortune at the hardware store on shelving and bins to help me keep everything tucked away, yet easy to access. I'll buy cheap storage solutions for the stuff that's tucked into cabinets and closets, but for the stuff that's within every day view, I'll spend a little more for nice baskets and containers. Since my dogs were puppies, I've always stored their toys in plastic dollar store containers, and even though they are not chewers, they do think the containers that hold their toys are chew toys.

We thought we'd try a metal basket after the destruction of several of those cheap plastic bins. See how well that turned out?

I was sick of looking at that twisted metal bin, so I went to Michael's to see if they had any cute, yet cheap solutions. There I picked up this wooden crate for about $3.50 after sales and coupons. It was kind of boring to look at, but I knew I could spruce it up rather quickly with a few stencils cut out from my Silhouette Cameo.

It only took me a few minutes to type up some font and add a paw print to the design. I cut out 2 more paw prints for the sides of the bucket and I was as good as done.

If you have a steady hand and are good with paint, this can easily be made without vinyl. I do not have an artistic bone in my body, so I had to work with what's easy for me. 

If you don't have a cutting machine, or you don't want to mess with paints, you could also hand cut the designs yourself from a sheet of vinyl.

Here's hoping that my dogs don't have a taste for wood and this bucket actually sticks around for a while! Either way, at least it was cheap and easy to decorate :)

Have you done any home organization this year?

Chet the Cat Play Sets Review & Giveaway!

Even though my daughter is getting older, she still adores role playing games, and any toy that can let her imagination run free is always a hit with her. We bought a play kitchen over 10 years ago, and it was the best purchase we ever made! Not only did my first daughter get a good run with it, my 9 year old daughter still plays with it several times a week. We also have many nieces and nephews that visit, and they always spend hours playing with the toy kitchen and play food. What kid doesn’t love pretending to whip up yummy food and serve it to their loved ones? Just like any good cook, little chefs need the proper kitchen utensils in order to pull together a fantastic meal. That’s where Chet the Cat and Friends Play Sets come in to help!

Chet the Cat and Friends play sets will get your child’s creative juices flowing. With 3 sets currently available- Yummy Adventures Cooking Set, Yummy Adventures Dish Set, and Yummy Adventures Baking Set- and 40 pieces combined, children will be taken on a cooking adventure! 

Meet Chet the Cat and Friends! Chet inspires children to join his friends in the kitchen and at the table —no reservations required! Each melamine set is food-grade, dishwasher-safe, and long-lasting. Chet invites boys and girls to step into the world of make believe as they cook and eat with Parfait Poodle, Ready Rabbit, and Marv the Parrot. The storybook-style illustrations of this engaging baking set are sure to bring delight & fun to any bakery, kitchen or restaurant party pretend play! Download their charming and colorful storybook-style Chet the Cat™ and Friends placemats. 

 

Chet the Cat and Friends Dish Set comes with 24 pieces

4 Plates (5.5”), 4 bowls (4.25” x 2.5”), 4 forks (4”), 4 spoons (4”), and 4 knives (4”).

It has a retail value of $29.99

 

Chet the Cat and Friends Cooking Set is a 7 piece set:

1 stock pot with Lid (4.75” x 2.5”), 1 large frying pan (9”), 1 small frying pan (7”), 1 solid spoon (6.5”), 1 slotted spoon (6.5”), and 1 spatula (6.5”).

The Cooking Set has a retail value of $21.99.

 

 

The Baking Set comes with 9 pieces:

1 rolling pin, 1 mixing bowl (4.8” x 3”), 1 pie pan (6” x 1”), 3 measuring cups, 1 mixing spoon (6.5”), 1 spatula (6.5”), and 1 cookie sheet (8.5” x 5.5”)

The Baking Set has a retail value of $21.99

How cute are these little measuring cups!?

Each piece features fun, whimsical artwork of Chet the Cat and his friends, designed by Artist Michael Slack, whose character designs and fine art have been featured in books, magazines, and on television.

Allison recently tested out all 3 sets, and what a grand time she had! My family loves to bond over each other’s interests, and playing “chef” is something my daughter loves to do. We sat down last weekend for the grand opening of her restaurant. We loved watching how animated she became when she got to play restaurant owner, waitress, and cook all at the same time. And while she was super terrible at all 3 jobs (seriously, I’m her mother and wouldn’t hire her haha!), we were rolling in fits of giggles at all of her mistakes. Order some fries and fries you shall get:

What we loved about the pieces was that they were the perfect size for small hands. Made of durable melamine, they are not going to break or crack easily if dropped or played with roughly. The pictures on each dish are bright and colorful, which makes it more fun to engage with each piece! My daughter used each piece with her pretend food, but she also brought the sets into the kitchen and had a blast dicing cheese (with mom’s help of course), filling the bowls with fruit, and eating out of them. The dishes are made with 100% food grade melamine, so they are safe to use with real human food too! We did run them through the dishwasher (top rack) and they still looked good as new. The sets are NOT microwave, stovetop, or oven save though.

Chet the Cat and Friends Play Sets are intended for ages 3+, but I’ll tell you that even at age 9, I see the sets holding my daughter’s interest for a few more years to come!

  

If you are interested in purchasing Chet the Cat and Friends Play Sets, they are sold exclusively though Amazon and Educational Insights.

WIN IT!

One lucky Theresa’s Mixed Nuts reader is going to win all 3 Chet the Cat and Friends Play Sets! The giveaway is open to residents of US and Canada, 18+. No PO Boxes will be accepted. The giveaway will run through 11/18. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected. *All entries are verified. Please make sure you are properly completing each task you claim an entry for!* Please enter on the Rafflecopter form below.

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*Disclosure- I received the above mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

Fairy Tale High Dolls Review

Like most children, as my daughter gets older, her taste in toys change. She is going to be 10 soon, so she is at an age where traditional dolls are on the way out, but she doesn’t want to give up doll play completely. She still believes in fairy tales, princesses and happy endings, so the toys she looks for in that genre need to be age appropriate where she can still believe in the magic of fairy tales, but through role play, can express herself as a growing girl. S-K Victory has just launched a new line of dolls called Fairy Tale High, that let her do just that.

About Fairy Tale High Dolls

Enter the magical world of Fairy Tale High®, a place where magic happens and beloved fairy tale characters come together for the first time ever in a modern-day high school setting. Toting the latest accessories and sporting designer fashions and hip hairstyles, teenage fairy tale dolls are brought to life as they might have been before they became fairy tale princesses. Fairy Tale High features a collection of beautifully designed fashion dolls, along with a series of webisodes and eBooks found for free at www.fairytalehigh.com, that showcase each character’s  teenage story, revealing the qualities that will eventually make them princesses and the not-so-perfect flaws that trip them up along the way. As students in a performing arts high school, these hip and trendy teenage characters develop their talents and learn new ones as they study music, dance, art, and acting while dealing with romances, jealousies and personal challenges along the way. With guest appearances by classic heroines and villains like Victoria, the Wicked Witch of the West; Pinocchio, who cannot tell a truth; and many others, Fairy Tale High is for the princess-loving girl who is looking for one she can relate to.

Dolls in the line include:

Belle, Little Mermaid, Alice, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Tinkerbell.

My daughter recently received 3 Fairy Tale High Dolls for review.

 

I honestly wasn’t sure if these dolls were going to appeal to her as they didn’t fit the traditional princess look she normally likes. However, when she first laid eyes on them she loudly exclaimed, “These dolls are AWESOME!” 

 
Teen Tink is the most eccentric looking of the 3. With her bright green streaked hair and flashy neon outfit, she’s definitely a fun one! Her accessories include a cute butterfly hair bow and a set of detachable wings. 

 

 

Teen Beauty is super cute with her fashionable outfit and accessories that include bracelets and a tiara! Her hot pink hair streaks add just a touch of rebel to the doll, which really appealed to my daughter.

Teen Rapunzel was by far my daughter’s favorite. With her long, flowing hair, my daughter spent a lot of time playing with her locks alone! While Rapunzel didn’t come with any extra jewelry or attachments like the other two, she was still the most played with doll. 

The dolls have seen a lot of play over the past few weeks. They have so far stood the test of my daughter’s rough play with them. She has flung them around, tossed them across the room, and dropped them a few times. What do you expect when Teen Tink is the only one with wings and insists on giving her best friends rides while she is learning to fly and navigate the skies all at the same time?

The dolls are definitely durable, and I like that the creases in the joints are all bendable. It makes posing the dolls much easier, especially for little hands. I do want to point out that these dolls are a tad bit bigger than other dolls similar to these, so they did not fit in her doll cars or other clothes she currently owns. 

Adding to the fun, little girls can log on to www.fairytalehigh.com and watch exciting webisodes, as well as read each doll’s e-book story! 

The new Fairy Tale High dolls are by far Allison’s new favorite toy, and the other 4 dolls have shot straight to the top of her holiday wish list for this year. Overall, I am very pleased with them, and I would definitely recommend them for any little girl who loves doll play.

Fairy Tale High Dolls have a retail price of $17.99, and can be purchased at Toys R Us, Walmart, and online retailers. 
 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.