{Full Disclosure: I received a free 8″ x 12″ canvas print to review. All opinions are 100% my own. There are also affiliate links.}

Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m really big on making our house feel like a home, complete with lots of pictures of our family and other personal keepsakes.  I don’t want our home to feel like you’ve just walked into a stuffy office lobby….nope, I want our decor to be personalized and special to our family, not generic, starving-artist-sale finds.

That’s why I was so happy when the folks over at Canvas Champ reached out to me and offered a free canvas print to review.  I love adding new photos to our collection, and I certainly have tons that I’ve been wanting to display ever since my little boy arrived nearly two years ago (gahhhh, has it really been that long?!?).

I’ve also been eager to add canvas prints to our collection, however, if you’ve ever looked into them before, they often don’t come cheap.  Canvas Champ claims to offer the “best and cheapest decor prints online,” so I was very much looking forward to seeing what they have to offer!

 

Canvas Champ Product Review & GIVEAWAY!

Here, I’ll share my thoughts on the quality of the print I received, but the best part of this post is……I’m having another GIVEAWAY!!  Yep, the Canvas Champ folks are graciously offering all my lovely readers a chance to win a free 16″ x 20″ canvas print!  Keep reading for your chance to enter!

 

So, what is Canvas Champ & what are they all about?

To be honest, I had never heard of Canvas Champ prior to being contacted by them.  After receiving their email, I of course headed on over to their website to check them out.

They offer not only a variety of canvas prints, but also peel & stick items, metal and acrylic prints, as well as photo boards and canvas banners.

The thing that stuck out most to me, however, was how affordable their products are…..like waaaaay cheaper than I’ve ever seen canvas prints for sale…..they start at just $10!

But this also concerned me a bit….like the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for,” so cheaper prices would have to mean cheaper quality, right??  This is what I was about to find out!

Another cool thing I learned is that Canvas Champ also provides a 100% Quality Guarantee, so if you’re not completely satisfied with your purchase, they’ll make it right.  They also have a 100% Lowest Price Guarantee and will not only match a competitor’s price, but also give you an additional 10% off.  Not too shabby!

 

My Image

Here’s the file I sent to Canvas Champ to be printed on my canvas.  It’s a family photo of the three of us back in October 2013 when Rowan was a tiny little four-month-old.  That sweet chubby face, denim overalls, and budding faux-hawk just make me all warm and fuzzy inside. :)

 

The Package

I’ve never purchased a canvas print, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect when the package arrived (which, by the way, was only a couple days after I submitted my image…hooray for super fast shipping!).

It arrived very securely packaged in a cardboard box that was tightly wrapped in craft paper and again in tape.

 

My Canvas Print

Here’s what my canvas print looks like.  It’s kinda hard taking a picture of a picture and getting a true representation of it (and I know the lighting and angle isn’t the best).  The pics below certainly don’t do the canvas print justice.  It looks good here, and in person it looks even better!

The size I received is an 8″ x 12″ (and it’s just under 1″ in thickness).  I was very impressed with this canvas print, especially since it was my first experience with one.  The image is very crisp with all the detail of the original digital file.  The colors are very true as well….the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights are all accurately depicted for the most part.  My only minor criticism here is that Rowan’s eyes are a little dark, but that’s just me being hyper-critical.

 

The Back

Here’s a view of the back of the print.  One of the things that impressed me most about this was the solid sheet of wood placed between the canvas and the wood frame, which you can see here.  I was expecting a canvas like you buy at a craft store…you know, where it’s just the canvas stretched around the open frame, so the canvas is flexible across the center and therefore susceptible to being stretched and/or damaged?  That won’t happen with this.

This canvas is left as the default open-back, but you can also buy a $9.99 upgrade to have it enclosed with a dust cover backing. I would probably select that option if I were buying one of these as a gift (or at least do a DIY version!)….it just makes the whole item look cleaner and more professional.  For us though, an open back is fine.

You can also see they provide a metal bracket and screw to display the canvas on a wall.  I think I would have preferred they not include this bracket though because it does not allow for the print to hang flush against the wall.  We’ll probably end up unscrewing the bracket and just the wooden frame to hang it since the back is open.

 

The Edges

The canvas is nicely stretched over the wooden frame with intact corners.  One thing that surprised me, however, was the mirrored edge that my print came with.  Like I mentioned previously, I’ve never ordered a canvas print before, so I didn’t realize this was even an option….I thought they just stretch the whole image across and around the frame.  Silly me!

I would have preferred this not have a mirrored edge….I think it looks like there’s another person on each side who have been chopped off!

Since this was provided to me for free, I didn’t go through the online ordering process myself.  Had I done so, I would have easily been able to choose a different option for the edges, such as wrapping the image around or even printing a solid color.  Live and learn.

I’m sure for some images, a mirrored edge would look lovely.  It’s all personal preference, too, so some people may love this look on their final canvas prints.

I’ve since gone in and done a practice order through Canvas Champ’s website and it is very easy to navigate and user-friendly, and they have lots of customization options available regarding all aspects of the print, including edges, dimensions,  thicknesses, open/closed backing, hanging options, frames, and color finishing.

 

My Final Review

So here are my overall thoughts:

• Very fast shipping & packaged nicely.
• High-quality print with a crisp image and bright, accurate colors.
• Solid construction and frame that provides nice stability and protection.
• I could go without the mirrored edge, but they have other options available.
• If I buy one as a gift, I’ll purchase the upgrade for a dust cover backing.
• I’ll probably remove the provided metal bracket and hang it using just the frame instead so it’s flush against the wall.

Overall, I’m very impressed with this gallery wrapped canvas print.  It is something I will be proud to display and I will definitely use Canvas Champ again in the future….so, in this instance, you get MORE than what you pay for!

You can find out more about Canvas Champ on their website, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, & Google+.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Now it’s YOUR chance to snag a free canvas print!  I along with the lovely folks over at Canvas Champ am offering up one FREE 16″ x 20″ thin gallery wrapped canvas print (that’s over a $30 value!) for a lucky reader….and it could be you!

TO ENTER: Just complete the entries in the Rafflecopter widget below or at this link.  You have *eight* potential entries, which means a lot of winning power….oh, and you can get two additional entries everyday, so come back each day for more chances to win!

{The Fine Print: This giveaway runs from today through Monday, April 6th at 12:00a Eastern and is open to anyone with a U.S. or Canada mailing address (sorry, no P.O. boxes though). Winner will be randomly chosen via Rafflecopter and winning entry will be verified for completeness. If the entry is not complete, it will be voided and a new winner will be selected. Winner will be notified via email and has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Where The Smiles Have Been is not responsible for unfulfilled prize winnings. All social media platforms are not in any way associated with this giveaway and are hereby released of any liability.}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed what you saw and will visit again!