Blog POP! $150 Canvas N' Decor Giveaway

We received sample services for the purpose of this feature. Regardless, all photos and opinions contained below are original and copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2014.

Momma Told Me: A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words.

Some of you may or may not be aware that the past couple of months, leading into the holiday season have been a bit rough- Our family was separated when Sabrina and her family had to move to Texas this past October. As they lived quite literally across the street up until then, it's been tough to adjust to the distance with texts, emails, and chat. Thankfully, we had about a month's notice to prepare ourselves for the move, and planned on taking plenty of photos the day before they drove out. So, this year, one of the most important gifts on my list were photo canvas prints. Not only did I have several made for our own living room, but I am having many more done for gifts to be sent as well.

You may recall, last year, I used Canvas N' Decor to have one of my favorite photos from The Color Run printed. It arrived quickly and with beautiful, vivid, color, so I knew I wanted to return to them for my 3 piece focal point project in our living room. Canvas N' Decor (as it's known in the US), and Canvas And Decor (Canada) each have beautifully redesigned websites with intuitive shopping displays. You can truly envision your photo with edits and framing before placing your order.

One of the things I especially love about Canvas N' Decor (and I order about 10+ canvas gifts throughout the year) is the speed and care in which they process my orders. Our mail tends to arrive banged up and broken, so I especially appreciate the extra sturdy shipping boxes with reinforced plastic corner protectors and individual plastic wrapping. These simple packaging touches even extend the protection and life of my prints prior to hanging, when they are subject to multiple viewings and potential wall placement. I arrange mt canvases several times before we ever place holes in the wall and that's a lot of fingers on my canvas!

The pricing is also always competitive, with the current featured sale at 50% off all canvas prints when you use the discount code MYPHOTO50. Be sure to head on over an order now, with a 7-10 day lead time heading into the holidays, there's still time, but don't delay! During 'off season,' I'll see orders arrive in less than a week from initial purchase, so I am confident they will do everything to get those holiday gifts out with extra wrapping time. Of course, I'll be putting mine on the wall with a bow, instead of wrapping!

If you have some photos that may not be the highest quality or are on the more candid side, Canvas N' Decor can turn even Instagram snapshots into works of art with small size prints, or photo art styling. Customize your canvas with their online Photoshop inspired editor to turn photos into brilliant Pop Art pieces that really create a focal point in your home. You can even create a collage from several images to help tell a story, chronicle your family, or capture an event. I'm especially excited to announce the company will also be launching a Canvases For Charity program in 2015, where you will soon be able to decorate your home for a good cause! There's no doubt I miss Sabrina and family every day, but having them up on my wall in this photo tribute really does make the distance easier!

What Daughter Says: Turn your photos into memorable works of art with canvas prints.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a $150 Canvas N' Decor Gift Certificate! Enter below and click the banner above to be taken to the official event Giveaway LINKY!

Paint Your Life- Give A Lasting Gift This Holiday Season

This content was sponsored, in part, by Tomoson.com and Paint Yourself.

Momma Told Me: It's no work of art!

Momma and I would always have 'craft time,' during the afternoons on school vacation breaks. Since she dabbled in arts and crafts for profit, there was always some new technique or quirk idea she was trying to implement. One year she was painting walnut shells for Christmas necklaces and ornaments, the next she was buying gently used children's clothes and stuffing them for 'Time Out Dolls.' Naturally, I fancied myself a creative artist, just like Momma, and often borrowed the scraps of her materials to fashion copycat projects of my own, which I would promptly (and proudly) present to my parents on holidays as gifts. Momma's favorite phrase, quite lovingly, was always, "Well, it's no work of art, but I'll love it anyway!"

For a few years now I've wanted to have a nice, professional, photo taken of my father and I, for him to hang in his home. Most of the shots of us together are adorable, but poor quality, selfies taken at impromptu times. Last year Truffles (the cat) and I won a photo contest in which part of the grand prize was a professional photo session in our home. The photographer was kind enough to take some canidid shots of me and my father as well.

Now, I've always thought how bad ass legit it would be to have an oil painting of myself on the wall. It seems only villains in movies and soap operas, or mob wives, can afford the luxury of seeing themselves on canvas. So, when I learned of Paint Your Life photo to painting services, I was immediately intrigued. What a wonderful, and lasting, holiday gift this could be for my father this holiday season! Not only do they offer hand-painted works of ark from your own photos, or photo references, but there are multiple styles/mediums an sizes to fit your budget.

With Paint Your Life you can really control the work of art you commission. Real artists will transform your image into a replica on canvas, alter specific aspects at your request (I had my hair requests at my natural brunette color,) and even choose from oil, watercolor, charcoal, and more! Take several reference shots and an artist can piece together a new image for a 'family reunion,' have a black and white image brought to life in color, or even take that favorite landscape photo from your recent vacation and turn it into a living work of art! You choose exactly how you want the painting arranged, and any sample photos go through your approval before the artist begins their work.

I simply cannot wait to see how my gift for my father turns out- I know he will truly treasure it, and it will quickly become a timeless memento in our family. There's still enough time for you to commission a piece of art (big or small, pet, people, or landscape,) with approximately a 2 week lead from order to completion. Head on over to Paint Your Life today- just look at their amazing testimonials! Take 20% of your order with a limited time discount code: TNP13. Reserve your work of art with a deposit, pay only when you are satisfied with the draft; satisfaction guaranteed!

Do you have a photo you'd love to see on canvas? Who o you know who might love this most?

What Daughter Says: I may not be an artist, but Paint Your Life makes it possible to show my love through a real work of art!

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.

Blog POP! Easy Canvas Prints 24" x 36" Photo Canvas Giveaway~ 4/27

Hop along to all of the great Blog POP! Spring Fling giveaway on the official LINKY here!

Momma Told Me: Keep it colorful.

Somewhere around March of every year I begin shuffling through all of the photos from the previous year. With the emergence of digital consumer photography it's easier than ever to chronicle memories, but also harder than ever to choose a select for for printing and framing. I'll admit, I have a hard time deciding which photo I like best out of the 100+ from any given event- so I usually 'enjoy' them by cycling them through my desktop wallpaper. After all they're digital, they're not going anywhere, right? But then I look around our condo at the bare, albeit minimalistic modern style walls and get a little sad. If only my walls were as colorful as my life, and the photos that chronicled them.

Thankfully we're decades past having to send film away for evaluation and paying an arm and a leg to find out the photo quality wasn't all that great- but you're being billed for the 20" x 16" print anyway. In fact, with the number of online services, like Easy Canvas Prints, offering expedited processing and careful shipping- it's easier than ever to enjoy a professional quality canvas print in your own home. No more bringing a rolled canvas to the framing store to be mounted, no more messing with cumbersome hardware and putting your knee through the print during installation- photos are printed from your computer and sent to your door ready to mount.

Now, despite my bare walls I have been buying photo canvas gifts for friends and family for almost five years. The most expensive of which was a near $500 contraption known as a triptych that sits in my father's living room, spanning near 6 feet in length. I've also commissioned several small canvas prints for more cluttered walls and intimate spaces. We've done Walmart and Walgreens photo, and I've used at least 7 different online processors. They all seem to have their ups and downs (though the in person options usually feature rude employees and sub-par quality at a dirt cheap price.) I've come to find ordering canvas prints online is usually most efficient. Not only do most major sites like Easy Canvas Prints offer competitive pricing, but they deal exclusively in photo printing, making their speed and quality far superior compared to companies that 'happen to offer' the services for convenience.

So, during our most recent order I commissioned a  16" x 20" canvas print of one of my favorite photos from the 2013 Color Run in Ventura, CA. I chose it for it's myriad of vibrant colors, and extensive detail. I figured it would be a good test of the printing options available at Easy Canvas Prints. Their rates were really affordable, and I was surprised to see my canvas arrive on my doorstep two days from it's production notice. When I opened it up I was happy to see the hardware installed and the range of color as vibrant as the original photo itself. No detail seems to have been lost at all!

With all of the blog conferences and special events coming up this year I am sure to have a new folder of favorite photos to weed through, and more canvas photo prints to order. I especially love how lightweight these photos are, over traditional frames with glass. They are easy to swap out, so I can move them throughout my home ad my decor or the season changes, which is especially nice!

What Daughter Says: If your walls are a little bare maybe it's time to look into a little personal wall art, with a photo canvas print.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a 24" x 36" canvas print from Easy Canvas Prints, a $146 value!

Hop along to all of the great Blog POP! Spring Fling giveaway on the official LINKY here!