Review – Our new canvas from Canvas Design

We have a new canvas! Woot!

We are allegedly a bit weird when it comes to pictures, frames and wall decorations etc… the only picture we actually have “on show” in the house is of Mark’s grandma… and this is only because we were given it as a gift, and she may come visit.

We do not like to “decorate” our house with pictures of ourselves, but we do not mind having “on show” something which will remind us of things we love, admire or simply like. We have a few paintings, a few movie related canvases but we still have a few empty walls which are waiting for something special.

When I was choosing the picture for a new canvas, I knew that it must be something special, something which will remind us of good times and something which will look fabulous on the wall.

In the end I went for a lighthouse, which was already featured on my blog in my Friday Who / What Am I? a few months back…

But enough about my choices and let’s talk about the canvas itself…

My canvas arrived a few days after placing the order. You actually get a 48h free delivery with your order (UK delivery I guess). It was huge, and I mean HUGE when the nice courier man brought it from the van; really it was huge, believe me… I became a bit worried as my math skills aren’t brilliant (Mark always reminds me of this) and I thought that I did my calculation wrong when using cm and inches… but then I started digging…

I took me about 10 minutes to finally get into it…

Unpacking it actually felt like I was on some sort of treasure hunt… layer after layer and still no canvas… but I would say it is a big plus because who would like to receive a damaged picture. Canvas Design made sure that there is zero chance of this happening by hiding it in several thick layers of bubble wrap and protective cardboard sleeves, which sits inside yet another protecting cardboard sleeve… all of this was then generously taped with lots of fragile signs all over it.

Once I finally unwrapped all the protective packaging materials, bubble wrap included, I was hit with the fresh smell of paint… what a great feeling… it was like a new piece of art was born in front of my eyes, or nose.

My new canvas is nothing like the one we already have in the house. It feels very solid, the wooden frame is thick and perfectly finished. There are corner wedges inside the frame, which help with maintaining the tension. All the edges look neat and there is nothing I could fault with it. Quality wise I give it 10 out of 10.

Simply put it- it has a perfect finish.

As I find out later, Canvas Design use 380gsm pure cotton canvases, this might be one of the reasons why it feels so solid.

The canvas came with a hanging kit supplied – yet another plus as you do not have to hunt around the house, garage, and loft to find something suitable in order to attach it to the wall. 10 minutes after it was out of all the wrapping it was already hanging on my wall (ok, I did have some wall space ready for it, so no drilling on my part required).

There it is…
my new canvas and original picture for comparison

Canvas Design offers few types of canvases:

• Square – from 6”x6” up to 40”x40”
• Landscape – from 10”x8” up to 40”x30”
• Portrait – from 8”x10” up to 30”x 40”
• Photo collage – from 8” x 8” up to 20”x 16”
• Custom size – from 6” up to 72”

Their prices start from as little as £7.99.

To sum it up, we are very pleased with new arrival. The canvas is beautiful and extremely well made. Next time we find a picture we think would make a perfect canvas or just need a new canvas for a wall Canvas Design will be our first stop.

And if you are thinking about ordering a canvas for yourself I happened to find two discount codes which you can use.

“disco15” will give you 15% off the value of your shopping cart total.

“93HEXWF35U” will give you 10% off (just in case the 15% off code stops working)

So what are your thoughts on canvases?

Are you a fan or are you a traditionalist and prefer a painted picture… or a print if you didn’t win the lottery lately?

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I received one canvas of my choice from Canvas Design for free for review purpose. All opinions are honest and my own.

Review – Instajunction.com – straight from your Instagram

With the internet and social media growing rapidly, there is always something new and exciting we have to keep up with. Same applies with companies… they have to change and evolve in order to stay competitive in the market or fall into decline… if they still won’t change then they run the risk of being replaced by new comers who will. One of these new comers is Instajunction.com.

Instajunction brings your social media closer to you; they allow you to create personalised items using pictures which you have already shared on your social media.

I was given £25 credit to use at the Instajunction website in order to check out the company and review their products. Usually I am not big on personalised items, mainly because it can take ages to get something just right and you have to go through 100’s of different steps before you can even dream about reaching the check-out. Instajunction is doing it different. Last week on Sunday I sat down and within 10 minutes I was done – my order was placed, paid for and a confirmation email all snuggled up in my inbox…

So how are they different?

First thing  – they offer a slightly different product range compared to many other companies. Wrapping paper, sticker books or posters are all within your grasp.

Secondly – there is no need for an account. You can simply log on with your Instagram account and you are in. Once in all your pictures you have uploaded are visible and you can just pick whichever one you want to add to your purchase. No time wasted making an account, filling endless forms, refilling them again because you made one little mistake and it caused an error and then waiting for someone or something to send you a confirmation email. With Instajunction one click of the button and you are ready.

Finally the website is easy to use and extremely user friendly. I love the internet and I spend a lot of time messing around but sometimes I simply get lost while trying to order something. There are no worries of that happening when using Instajunction.

The ordering process has just 3 easy steps – chose the product you like – pick your pictures directly from your social media account – pay for your order. Then sit back and relax… and within the next 3-5 days your postie will knock on your door with a nice package for you.

So what did I order?

I actually wanted to get a Luxury Aluminium Plate but one is just not enough and I couldn’t really afford 4 of them 😦 so I settled for my 2^nd choice from the product range.  I ordered a set of 4 coasters as we use them every day and a set of 2 key-rings.

Here is my parcel on arrival

I placed my order on Sunday evening and it arrived on my doorstep on Friday. Well packed in a “please do not bend” envelope. Every component of my order was in a separate polythene bag plus a detailed invoice with my chosen products and pictures included.

Our New Coasters

What do you get?

A set of 4 hi-gloss finished photos on wooden coasters, measuring 9cm x 9cm. Their quality is astonishing. They are quite chunky and feel heavy compared to the other coasters we have already in the house.  I have long nails so in a moment of boredom I tried to pick the top layer off to see how robust they are… no luck there… nothing sticking out or getting unglued. I took the Ode coaster and washed it… this also didn’t do any damage… When the Ode coaster had dried out it looked like new again 🙂 I also noticed that they make sounds… ok, I know coasters do not talk… I am not losing my mind… yet… but the top layer is a plastic-like material so when you place your glass on top, you can hear it landing with this sound that is not the usual bump sound you would expect.  I like it.

Price – RRP £14.99

I had a quick online research session and found the price to be competitive. These coasters are definitely not the cheapest out there, but also not on the high end of the price spectrum. Now that I know the quality of the product I would be more than happy to pay a few extra £s for them.

Our New Keyrings

What do you get?

Two plastic key-rings measuring 5.8 x 5.8cm, that can have prints on both sides of the fob. They feel good in your hand and you can tell that you are holding something solid. They aren’t too light and for sure don’t feel flimsy. The plastic clip holding the key ring fob is removable, so if you have another plan for your small plastic picture, you can remove it from the ring without fear of damaging the key-ring itself or the picture. Worth noticing is the fact that the whole picture part of the key-ring is in fact a single piece… this is not some picture sliding under a piece of plastic malarkey, no sir, this key-ring is solid. The plastic itself is very hard, it doesn’t bend at all… it also doesn’t break when dropped… yes, I am like a child but I just had to test it, on concrete from a height 🙂

Price – RRP £9.99

This is actually a very good price, especially given that you can design both sides of it. You can have a picture on one side and a personal note on the other, or anything your heart desires – just remember that you will have to make a note earlier and take a picture of it.

So what do I think?

I love it! It is fast and you can get an awesome gift at a good price. I can see Instajunction being very handy around Christmas time – they are perfect for creating unique gifts. We are thinking: wall calendar for Nan Flo, as she loves pictures and we can make something special for her, which she will cherish the whole of next year; sticker book for kids so they can share pictures from their play dates in a totally different form, I bet it will bring them much more joy than a standard printed picture; set of vinyls for my sis, they are redecorating and I am sure she will love some of her pictures on the wall…

What do you think? Would you use a company which allows you to create products using pictures from your Instagram account?

Oh, and I almost forgot… I have a 25% discount code which I can share with my friends. Code is FRIEND25BM and it must be used before 8/12/2013.

Or if you miss this deadline I also have 15% discount code FR10BT6X which is valid until 31/12/2013. They are both multi-use.

Happy snapping!

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I received £25 credit from Instajunction via FuelMyBlog for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.

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• Instajunction: Make the most of your Instagram photos (digital-diva.co.uk)
• Review: Instajunction Brings Instagram To Life (fivesafellowship.com)