GIVEAWAY – Capturing the Memories with CanvasChamp
I was recently approached by CanvasChamp about my slight obsession with photography, asking whether I ever put my images into a physical form as well as in their thousands in digital form on my camera, phone or other electronic devices. The answer sadly was that this is rare – and something I know that I have got to change!!
I have always been a little obsessive when it comes to taking photographs, and I’d like to say this is in part, something that I inherited from my Mother. Even in the days before digital photography, we never went anywhere as a family without my Mum having her camera in tow, and as a result of this, and her commitment to printing and arranging her images in albums, I now have a wealth of photos I can sit and flick through, from every single year of my childhood.
From the minute I found out I was pregnant with Erin, I started capturing the memories – my bump rapidly increasing in size as the weeks and months passed, our preparations for our babies arrival, the baby shower, the nursery, I even took photographs during the birth (from the head end to be clear!). When our first born arrived, the number of photographs taken rapidly increased. I had been told so many times “the days pass so quickly” that I wanted to ensure that I didn’t forget a thing, from the size of her tiny little feet, to the way she would wrap her little hand around my finger as if she never wanted me to leave her sight. It’s scary but you really do forget just how small they were, and how fast they seem to grow up, and so these images, these memories, mean the absolute world.
The one thing I am sad about is that I rarely have time to actually do anything with these photos. I started with great intentions, printing off a number of images and creating an album of Erin’s first 6 months with little notes to record every milestone, every key moment in her life. I planned to keep on doing it, but then as the teething started and the toddling days arrived, I began to appreciate just how much easier things are in those early newborn days when their curiosity levels are lower and they don’t have the ability to move very far! Before you know it, you need eyes in the back of your head and reflexes of a ninja, and as such, my organisation went out the window and was replaced with the juggling of many different plates.
Now as a Mum of two, I probably have around 30,000 images recording the first 5 years of Erin’s and first 2 of Neve’s life, and yet they are all electronic; with no order, no organisation and no process. They are saved in multiple places so that god forbid I lose a phone or my laptop gets stolen I can be safe in the knowledge that my memories are safe; but they are not visible. We do not enjoy them as regularly as we should.
When CanvasChamp got in touch and asked if we’d like to review their canvas prints, my immediate response was yes. Just a few weeks before I had taken a photo of the girls as part of my Boots Mini Club clothing review, and I was really chuffed to bits when I captured a natural un posed moment of affection between my daughters as they sat on a chair in their party dresses. I was doing my usual attempt at getting two to look at the camera at the same time, making silly noises, saying cheese and generally prancing around like a loon to try and hold their attention when Erin simply leaned over and gave Neve a big sloppy smacker on the cheek. A lucky shot perhaps but I love it, and it totally melts my heart. Erin’s perfect curls and Neves saucer like eyes staring straight into the lens. When I sent it to Mike he said it reminded him of a Fleetwood Mac style album cover, and that we should get it printed and displayed, so turning it into a canvas felt like my chance to show the image in all it’s glory.
CanvasChamp offer a variety of different sized canvases from traditional canvas prints, split canvas prints, panoramic and even hexagonal canvas prints, with prices being incredibly reasonable and heavily discounted from what you might pay on the high street. With traditional canvas prints available in a variety of sizes from a small 8″ x 8″ to a large 16″ x 20″ you can select the enlargement size based on your preference and how you want it displayed in your room.
Your chosen images can be added straight from your computer or uploaded from your Facebook and Instagram feeds if you prefer, and using the CanvasChamp easy creation tool, you can see a mock up of exactly how your canvas print will look as you work through the options on screen. For the sides of the canvas itself, there are various different options from wrapping (where the image is stretched and extended to pan over the sides of the frame), Colour wrap (where the sides are produced in a complementary colour to your image) or Mirror Wrap (where the sides become a mirror version of your central image).
The canvas arrived quickly and well packaged and I was chuffed to bits when we unpackaged our chosen image. The canvas is a high quality, the colours were bright and clear, and the canvas securely held in place on the back.
Here’s some photos of our canvas on display – I absolutely love it. With the grey background it has a really hazy dreamy feel about it, and in our spare room is a really striking piece that really catches your eye. I am looking forward to getting this hung on the wall as soon as I can nag Mike enough to do it!
From now on I have promised myself that I will make a real effort to print more of the images I take so that we can actually enjoy them in our home. Whether it be prints for an album, a basic enlargement or additional canvas prints to display in our home, it is time we started celebrating our memories and keeping them fresh in our minds.
Want to win a canvas print of your own? Thanks to CanvasChamp we have one large 16″ x 20″ canvas to give away as per the image above (no lamination). To enter, use the gleam app below. Giveaway opens 13/8/18 and closes 11.59pm on Sunday 26th August 2018. Uk Entries only. Our standard giveaway terms and conditions and privacy policy applies. By entering this giveaway you are deemed to have accepted the terms held within. GOOD LUCK!!!
