Beauty: Rainbow Connection

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

IMG_3918

IMG_3922

I seriously can't stop staring at my nails. They are amazing and it's all thanks to OPI putting out a line for the new Muppets movie. This is Rainbow Connection. It's full of multi color small round, medium hex and large hex glitter. It took three heavier coats to fill it out, but it's totally worth it. Just look at it! Indoors the silver glitter really pops, while in natural light the blue/green glitter stands out. It is a rainbow in a bottle.

Seriously...go get this if you can. It's flying off shelves and it's easy to see why!

Review: Canvas4Life

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Canvas4Life asking if I'd be interested in reviewing a canvas print from them. I, of course, jumped on the chance because Nate and I have been wanting to put some of our engagement and wedding photos on to canvas. Then life got ahead of us, as always, so it never happened.

Doing this meant that we had to find the perfect picture to use. That's no simple task when you have 200+ engagement photos and 600+ wedding photos. Lets just say it took awhile to narrow down. Once we figured out our top choices it was beyond simple to upload the photo(s) onto Canvas4Life's site. On their front page they direct you to get started by choosing a photo off of your computer. While it's uploading they also check the quality of the photos. I was using our very large original files and it took less than a minute for it to upload.

Once you get to the next page, the fun starts! It's where you get to decide on the size of canvas that you want. We went with a 16" x 20" canvas, which is a great size. I really like that they have a "mock" living room with a sofa...so you can get a visual idea of how large the photo will actually be. Us visual people really like that! After you pick your size you then move onto choosing between color, black and white or sepia. Granted if you're doing a black and white photo then this step really doesn't matter. Then it's onto canvas finishes...canvas depth...edge bleeding...and then BAM you're done (minus the whole paying part).

Oh and bonus...shipping is FREE if you choose Supersaver!

So now that we all know that the process is super simple and wonderful let's move on to the photo itself. We ended up choosing a photo from our engagement session. I wanted to do a color photo as a test, because let's face it... sometimes color photos lose their brilliance when printed.


This has always been one of our favorite photos, but it never made it to print. Probably because all of our engagement photos are our favorite! It's adorable... plus I'd say it fits the criteria of bright colors.

My order was processed on October 5 and the next day (Oct 6) I got a shipping notice. Yep that's right...in a matter of one day I went from a placed order to a shipped order. Holy wow! And if that's not great...within a week I had my new canvas print in my hot little hands!

The canvas was shipped in a flat box and protected by bubble wrap, which was far more than I expected! Once we got rid of the packaging there was a beautiful canvas starring back at Nate and I. We are both very impressed with the quality. And the color... oh the color. No issues there at all. Our beautiful, bright photo was perfectly conveyed onto canvas!

My only complaint is that we got our photo uncoated, which is totally OUR fault. The uncoated canvas really does not do well with the oils on your hands...which I learned quickly after I tried to wipe a bit of dust off of it. But, again, it was our choice to get it uncoated and if we had to do it again, we'd get the coating. So by no means is that the fault of the company.

Okay...enough talking...here's some photos of our new canvas painting!

DSCN1685
Canvas on our wall

DSCN1687
The bleeding of the photo around the edges

DSCN1688
Back of the canvas

DSCN1689
Reinforced corners

DSCN1690
Angled to show the matte-ness of the uncoated canvas


Beautiful huh!?

Here's the specs on our canvas:

~16" x 20"
~0.75" depth
~Bleed on edges
~Uncoated (we'd go with the matte coating next time)
~PhotoPerfect (allows them to make sure that the photo is perfectly placed on canvas)

I can easily see us getting more canvases done from Canvas4Life. We have a handful of photos that we want on canvas and with their prices I wouldn't feel awful getting more than one!

And because Canvas4Life is so wonderful they are offering you... my totally awesome readers a 10% discount! Yep...you read that right! If you're anything like me you have a photo (or twelve) that you want to be made into a canvas. So go go make one and get 10% off. Just type in thingaboutdaisies into the promo code section.

Go...do it...you'll be happy you did!


FTC Disclaimer: I was sent this photo canvas by Canvas4Life for review. My review is my personal and honest opinion about the product and I am not being compensated to write it.

Life: Falling for fall

Fall is here...100%!

The colors are amazing. I must say that living in the midwest is wonderful, especially for a fall lover like me. Nate and I have been enjoying the weather like crazy. We're making the most of it by going out and exploring, which we did a lot of when our friend was in town.

I'll just let some photos do the talking.

IMG_3817
Hay ride through a local corn maze.

IMG_3832
Pumpkins straight from the patch.

IMG_3839
Our haul.

IMG_3876
IMG_3877
IMG_3879
IMG_3884
The beautiful old cobble stone sidewalks in the German district in Columbus, OH.

IMG_20110916_150610
IMG_20110916_151041
IMG_20110916_151504
Piles of pumpkins, gords and squash!

IMG_2678
Fall trees.


Fall skies...one of my many favorite things about the season!


I hope everyone is enjoying their fall so far. We're getting every last drop out of it here, as it will be our last one before we move. Granted the falls where we are going aren't bad either...just different.

Happy Fall y'all!

Life: Baby shower in a box

A few weeks ago I finally sent out my "baby shower" in a box to my friend Cassie over at Understated. We live nowhere near each other and there is no way I could have been a part of her baby shower, but I wanted to do something for her and her family.

I had been working on the idea about the same time as the other baby shower I threw, if not longer. Everywhere I went I was on the look out for all things baby and nautical (Cassie is doing an adorable nautical/maps theme). As I slowly gathered stuff I tired to figure out a way to send the items. I wanted it to be cute and something that could be used if she had the desire to. That's when I came up with an old suitcase. One of my local thrift stores always had great vintage cases and I knew that I would be able to find one...or three. Yep I went through two other suitcases before I found the perfect one.

After I gathered clothing, toys and the suitcase I started making things as well as painting the suitcase. Once I was done I wrapped everything in map tissue paper and sent it off!

IMG_3793

IMG_3794

IMG_3782

IMG_3784


What was in it:

~Hand painted/stamped vintage suitcase
~Boppy and boppy cover (firm believer of getting at lease one thing off of the registry)
~A small dipper bag w/attached changing pad
~A Sophie the Giraffe Classic Teether
~Striped blanket with giraffe appliqué
~Cream blanket (that I almost kept for myself)
~Melted crayon art in baby room colors
~Letter R painted in gray chalk board paint
~Letter R with map (the map is of where they live)
~Outlet covers (it's the simple things that are often forgotten)
~Nautical onesies
~Map note cards (can be used as thank you's)
~Awesome little button down shirt and khakis
~Blue Hat, Green Hat book picked out by Nate (Found him giggling while reading this)
~"Hello Baby" banner


I am so happy with how it turned out and that I was able to do this for Cassie and her husband. It was so much fun putting it together, I love hunting for gifts for friends. There is something so wonderful about having such a genuinely great friend and getting to do something special for them even though many states separate us.

I know Cassie is so very close to welcoming their little one into the world and I wish them nothing but happiness and smiles on their upcoming day.

Life: A very un-merry birthday

28

That's how old I am as of yesterday. This age doesn't bother me at all. Even knowing that my foot is already in the door to 30, I am not freaking out. At most I wonder where time has gone, because...uh wasn't I just 21!?

Over the years I have started enjoying my birthday less and less. Be it because of the lack of festivities or because bad juju just seems to pop up on or around the day, I find myself wanting to celebrate it less and less. It's almost easier to not do anything for it.

Which sucks, because I absolutely love September. It is my all time favorite month. I love that we're on the cusp of seasons. I love cold weather and everything that goes with it and September is the gateway month for it all. But every year September and I have a rocky start as my birthday inches closer.

This year was no different.

I don't want to not celebrate my birthday, but sometimes I wonder if that's the best idea. Maybe down the road I will change my tune and my birthday and I will get along better. Maybe I'll look forward to it. Who knows. But at least for now my birthday is over.

Even though it was just another day in my books, I was able to spend it with my wonderful husband. So wonderful in fact, that he made me Merry Unbirthday cupcakes to celebrate that today was, in fact, not my birthday.

I'm going to go have another cupcake and bask in all of this wonderful merry unbirthday-ness. That sounds like a great plan as September and I get back on track.