Personalizing Your Home With A Custom Canvas Print: Canvas Factory Review and Giveaway

In 2018, I lost my beloved furbaby, Peter.  His birthday is in August and if he had lived, he would be turning 13.  I really wanted to find some way to commemorate him so when Canvas Factory reached out to me, I was thrilled.  Canvas Factory is an online site where you can upload a favourite photo and have it transformed into a canvas print, ready to hang up in your home.  I took my time sifting through countless photos of Peter to choose the one that really captured the essence of his personality.  After I had made my choice, I went to Canvas Factory’s website.  Their website is incredibly user friendly and walks you through each step of creating your own custom canvas print.

1. Size – You can choose your dimensions from a wide variety of shapes and sizes. I selected a 50 cm x 40 cm (20″ x 16″) print.
2. Select Photo – I uploaded the photo I wanted to use to their site. I was able to adjust the photo to have the image where I wanted it on the canvas.
3. Wrap Style – You can choose how the edge of the canvas border will look. You can have the image wrap around the edge of the border (Gallery Wrap), mirror the image (Mirror Wrap), or choose a colour that complements the image on the edges (Colour Wrap). I chose white on the edges as the main background colour of my photo is white.
4. Effect – You are able to change the look of the image for your print. You also have the option to add text to make your print extra special. I chose not to add text as Peter is lying on a book with its spine facing outwards.  I felt that any more text would have made the print look too busy.
5. Checkout – I made arrangements to have my canvas print shipped to my door. I also received my invoice via email that notified me that my canvas had been produced and had been shipped.  I received a final email to tell me that the print had been delivered.  Yay!
6. Delivery- This took approximately 10 business days from the time I placed my order.

As I was waiting for my print to arrive, I was filled with excitement and oddly, trepidation.  Peter was a huge part of my life for years and his passing left an indescribable void of pain and loss.  I wanted to celebrate his life in a meaningful way.   I need not have worried.  The parcel arrived securely packaged in a sturdy cardboard box.  When I pulled out the print, I saw that it was shrink wrapped in plastic with cardboard corners.

I cannot describe the rush of happiness I felt, gazing upon my canvas print.  The quality is excellent.  I was worried that the photo would look grainy and out of focus when enlarged but the fine details of the photo are still present.  The texture of the canvas actually gives his fur a very lifelike quality.

I hung the print above a dresser that sits in a corner of my bedroom.  Now, every morning Peter's handsome face greets me as I get ready to start my day.
Having a photo that is special to you transformed into a canvas print is a wonderful way to add art to your home that is significant and personal.

Whether it is to capture a special event like a wedding or graduation, remember a significant time in your life or just to express your artistic talents, hanging up a canvas print is a marvelous way to personalize your home.

CANVAS FACTORY GIVEAWAY

And now for the Giveaway!  Canvas Factory has generously offered a custom canvas print to a L’Heure Bleue At Home reader.  The winner of the giveaway will be given a special code so that they can redeem a 50 cm x 40 cm (20″ x 16″) print OR a 45 cm x 30 cm (18″ x 12″) print.

Make sure you are a subscriber and leave a comment telling me where in your home you would hang your Canvas Factory print.

The giveaway is only open to U.S. and Canadian residents and ends at 11:59 EDT on August 19, 2019.  Good luck!

Rules: Open to Canadian and US residents 18 +. You have 48 hours to reply by email once you are notified as the winner. If you don’t, we will draw another entry. Void where prohibited by law. Prize is non-transferable. No substitution or cash equivalent of prizes is permitted.  L’Heure Bleue At Home is not responsible for prize fulfillment and for the delivery/shipment of the prize(s) mentioned above.  One entry per person.  GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.

Christopher M was the winner in the Giveaway.  Keep reading for more fantastic Giveaways in the near future!
This is a sponsored post.
Linking up with DIY by Design and Between Naps on the Porch.

The Weekly Roundup: Harney & Sons Master Tea Blenders Haul

My personal life has taken a battering recently.  To cheer me up, my stepmother and father sent me the most lovely care package from Harney & Sons.  First of all, let me just say that the delivery was lightning fast. They have sent me care packages from Harney & Sons before (which I wrote about here) but delivery time for this one set a record.  I think it arrived the next day which is bonkers considering my parents live in Las Vegas and I am in Toronto, Canada.

What you see in the photo is just the top layer of goodies.   My parents must think I am losing my mind (which wouldn't be too far from the truth, let's be honest)  as the box was massive and filled to the brim.  Harney & Sons has an incredibly comprehensive selection of teas.  My stepmother adores this tea company and with good reason.  The "silken" tea sachets are of fine nylon.  Just putting these wonderful sachets into a cup or teapot is an uplifting experience.  Right now I am obsessing over the Japanese Sencha as I love to have a cup of this delicate green tea before my morning meditation practice.

Harney & Sons also carry a selection of delicious treats, perfect to have along with a cuppa.  Pictured above are Raspberry Jam Drop cookies from Unna Bakery.  I was also sent Tate's Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies which are the best store bought chocolate chip cookies I have ever had, period.  I can't wait to try the Matcha Tea Shortbread cookies.

Of course, what would life be without Earl Grey tea and its heady scent of bergamot?  What I love is that if I am curious about a tea, I can get a small sampler size to see if I like it.  The round tin above contains 5 sachets.
I have turned my friends and my sister on to Harney & Sons and now they are fans as well.  I think they have a sale on right now so this is a good time to stock up.
Are you a tea connoisseur?  Do you have a favourite tea?

I will be hosting an AMAZING GIVEAWAY soon!  Make sure you are subscribed so that you can enter as soon as it goes live.
This is not a sponsored post.

Catching Up Plus a Sorta Kinda Giveaway

I'm back!  The radio silence here has gone on far too long, I know.  I think blogging is like everything else in life.  If you stop, even for a little while,  it gets easier and easier to put it off for another day and then another day.  On top of my natural tendency towards procrastination, my mother had spinal surgery in a city that is a 2 hour drive away.  After I come home from my daily visit to the hospital,  all I want to do is crawl into bed. Do any of you lifelong bloggers have any words of advice on keeping up a consistent blogging rhythm? Funnily enough, being away from home so much means that I have become a much better housekeeper.  Let me explain.  It has always been a quirk of mine that I like my home to be tidy with all the chores done before I leave home for the day or if I'm going away on vacation.  The home doesn't have to be spotless but I do like the dishes done and things put away.  It is such a nice feeling to come back home knowing that there isn't a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink waiting for me.  Are you like me in this regard?  This leads me to my "sorta kinda" giveaway.  If you are a regular reader, you know that I love thrifting.  The problem is that my home is small.  I'm in a condo which means I can't have a garage sale or a yard sale to make space in my bulging cupboards.  If I do a donation at a thrift store, I just know I will be tempted to step inside and take a peek around (hee hee!!).  My improved housekeeping means I have been doing some organizing in my cupboards and am prepared to move some vintage things on to a new home.  It is a "sorta kinda" giveaway as they are free as long as you pay for shipping.  Here is a pair of Federal Glass Fridgies up for grabs.

VINTAGE FEDERAL GLASS SUNFLOWER MILK GLASS PAIR OF REFRIGERATOR DISHES WITH LIDS

Matching pair of vintage Federal Glass milk glass refrigerator dishes with lids.  Dishes have a tan design of abstract sunflowers or flowers front and back.  One of the dishes has 2 chips on the inner edges (one near each handle).  The other dish has one small fleabite on the inner edge near a handle. Clean interiors.  Bottoms are marked with the Federal Glass insignia and “Heat Proof USA.”  Lids are in excellent condition.  Approximate dimensions:  2.6” or 6.5 cm high (with the lids); 4.6” or 11.75 cm length (including the handles).   Just leave a comment with your location if you want them and I'll contact you with shipping and Paypal details.

Stay tuned as there will be more vintage goodies up for grabs!

I'm linking up with Sir Thrift A Lot, The Thrifty Groove, A Living Space, and Remnant.

Playing with Colour & Pattern in the Menswear Department Plus Blogiversary Giveaway Winners

Are you a colour and pattern scaredy-cat?  I am!  There are lots of tips and suggestions out there on how to incorporate colour and pattern into one's decor scheme.  But, if you are like me, it all goes out the window in a huge incoherent mess when you are standing in the decor department staring at shelves of cushions.  Then, when I was out browsing in the menswear department of Banana Republic with Monsieur, it occurred to me that inspiration was right in front of me.  Trying to pair a tie with a shirt verges on the realm of a mystical science but there is method to the madness.  Let's take a look at how they style their mannequins.

Do you see how the striped tie is layered on top of the plaid shirt?  It seems like a bold move but  because both are in the same colourway, it looks chic, classic, almost conservative.  Here's another example,

Above, Banana Republic has layered a lilac polka dot tie on top of a lilac gingham shirt and a solid lilac sweater.  Again because it is all in the same colourway, the polka dots and gingham play off each other and works wonderfully.  What do you think?  Below is an example of using bright and dark colours against each other to make the bright colour really pop.

Now, let's go for a virtual walk in the mall and check out how the menswear department in J. Crew styles their mannequins.  See how on the left mannequin, there is a purple paisley handkerchief (or pocket pouf) tucked into the breast pocket which is playing off the purple gingham shirt?

Here is another J. Crew mannequin.  Monsieur wouldn't be caught dead in these Post-It note yellow pants and, if he ever did wear them, I would cross the street and pretend I didn't know him.  But, you can see that J. Crew is using the same strategy of making a bright colour pop even more by pairing it with a dark jacket.

I decided to foof my nightstand (which is a work in progress) with my takeaways from the menswear department.  I had recently thrifted a watercolour painting and a very large brass pineapple which I was just dying to display somewhere.

It is the first time I've ever bought original artwork and I was so nervous about it. But, looking at the watercolour just makes me happy as there is such a peacefulness about it.  And it reminds me of the Canadian wilderness. 

I like how the gold glamminess (is that a word in the decor world?) of the crazy pineapple plays off the gold tones in the painting and in the frame.  It is just so Hollywood Regency.  The blue egg crate pulls out the blue sky in the painting.  Plus it is very useful for holding jewelry.  I haven't been able to identify the artist as the signature is a little blurred.  If you have any information, please let me know.

I'm a very visual person and having the mannequins in front of me providing visual cues really helped give me lots of inspiration.  Who'd have thought there could be so much to learn in the menswear department for those of us who don't wear ties?  I'm working on the lamp so there will be more photos to come.

Now, let's move on to the Blogiverary Giveaway winners!  I did the draw using a vintage pink Pyrex bowl (as one does).

First prize winner of the Austrian kitchen set is:

Congratulations Six Balloons!

Second prize winner of the vintage handkerchiefs and vintage Boucher brooch is:

Congratulations Jill from A Little Bit of Everything!

Please contact me with your address so I can get your prize in the mail.

Thank you to all those who entered.  I had so much fun putting together the prizes that I'm definitely going to do more in the future.  So watch this space for more Giveaway fun! 

I'm linking up with A Stroll Thru Life,  Young Heart Old Soul, Cottage Wishes, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, A Thrifty Groove, The Joyful Thrifter, A Living Space, Faith Grace and Crafts, My Romantic Home,  The Charm of Home.

Blogiversary Giveaway

Do you find that life slips by in a blurry stream and that days just meld into each other?  I don't really keep track of the passing of time.  I used to keep a journal as a child but stopped in adulthood.  Do you journal or scrapbook?  I've come to realize that blogging has become a wonderful substitute for journaling.  It's such a great avenue to record certain events in my life and fulfills a lot of creative outlets.  Recently, out of curiosity, I checked to see how long I've been blogging.  I was absolutely staggered to find that I've been doing it for a little over 2 years! 2 years!  If you've been reading my blog, you'll notice that I've changed the design a bit.  After 2 years, I was feeling the need for a new look.  So to celebrate the new look and the passing of 2 years, I think a blogiversary giveaway is in order, don't you?  And because I talk a lot about using vintage in the home, of course the giveaway has to feature vintage goodness.  First up is what I'm calling a medley of Austrian kitchenalia.  The winner will receive an Austrian wall hanging featuring a recipe for apple strudel with a border featuring peasant/folk art/country life, an Austrian oven mitt with a recipe for Farmer's Feast on the back, and 3 cloth coasters.

Second prize is a collection of 6 vintage handkerchiefs tied with a chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon and pinned together with a vintage Boucher bow ribbon brooch.  Boucher was a Canadian costume jewelry company which I think is appropriate as I'm based in Canada.

All the hankies have some sort of white detail such as embroidery or trim.  To enter the giveaway, leave a comment.  Which prize is your favourite?  Like L'Heure Bleue At Home on Facebook for an extra entry.  Just come back to the blog and leave another comment letting me know that it's your second entry.  I'll keep the giveaway open until Sunday April 7, 2013, Midnight EST.  And yes, the giveaway is open internationally.  Here's to another 2 years!

This Giveaway Contest is now closed.

I'm linking up with Sir Thrift A Lot, Apron Thrift Girl, Young Heart Old Soul, The Thrifty Groove, A Living Space, Faith Grace and Crafts, The Charm of Home, My Romantic Home.