canvassing

okay, so a disclaimer - today's post includes a review of a product that i got to try out for free.  and we all know how much i love me some freebies.  heh.

anyway, i'd decided a while ago that our father's day present to the hub would be something super simple - a canvas print from the photo shoot i won from my friend courtney.  of course, in my procrastinating way, i didn't get around to actually choosing a shot until just a couple of weeks before father's day.  heh.

and then i got an unexpected bonus, like a present from heaven:  i was contacted by a rep from easy canvas prints to see if i was interested in a free canvas in exchange for a product review.  um, sah-weet!  i uploaded my file and picked out all of the details - size, orientation, wraparound option - and sent it in.  i got an order confirmation within a day, and even better - the estimated delivery date was less than a week away.

i was really pleased with the finished product, which i ended up having to stash away somewhere for about a week and a half.  but hey - better early than late, right?  so not my style.





and so even though i got mine for free, if you find yourself in need of a canvas print, you should totally use easy canvas prints.  they've got a special going on right now, too - 25% off and free shipping.  i checked out other places online and found that they were pretty comparable, and because one canvas isn't enough, i'll likely be ordering more soon.  i kind of want to make a cool collage on one of our walls, and this is a good start.

i'd seen a link to a super cute father's day in a post by my friend nanette, and i knew right away that it was the perfect one for the hub.  it would actually have been more appropriate on his birthday, but this would do.

but i knew i was off to a rocky start when i finally got everything printed and ready to assemble and ended up with this:




and sure enough, i was right.  i started cutting out the flaps, and on the third one my hand slipped and cut out a noticeable chunk of cardstock.  damn.




not to mention, the hub came home unexpectedly as i was in the middle of this process and i had to scramble to get everything put away without him seeing any of it.  geez.  i ended up having to reprint and cut the images out again and started from scratch.  luckily, i managed to get through the second take without any mishaps, and i was pleased with my results.




see the little silver "button" at the bottom?  i had to dig through mounds of scrapbooking supplies to find that stinking metallic pen.  and i wanted my circle to be perfect, so i busted out my cookie cutters and found the perfect one to use as a template.  yay for me!

not wanting to make the trek out to pasadena for paper source and their fabulous envelopes, i made my own.




final touches - i added the date to the back of the card and printed out a label with "iDad" in the perfect apple-y font.  and voila - we were all ready for father's day.




the bean was excited to give her daddy his present (and help him open it).

she had a little trouble coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't a real iPad.




and for dinner that night, i made a second attempt at that braised short rib ragu with pappardelle.  it's a super duper long process, even though i decided not to heat up the house for 3 hours and threw it into the slow cooker instead.  but it was worth it - the house smelled fantastic all day long, and it was rich and delicious.




a lovely end to a nice, relaxing father's day.