Monday, July 15, 2013

Custom Rug - Cafe Press Review





I know, its been a while but life has a way of throwing your curve balls.  I have been trying to get this custom rug review up for a while and am excited to show you the final result.  If you remember, a while back a representative from CafePress offered me the chance to design one of my own products from their DIY line and I opted for a customized rug.  


Here was the design I came up with.  Something bold.  Something graphic.  The process for ordering was quite simple.  They told me how big my file needed to be and then I simply uploaded my custom design.  I was able to see where the edges would be bound on the design as well.  Then after finalizing my design I hit the order button.  You can create you designs on their website or like me, create the design in Photoshop and just upload a jpg file.  


I didn't have any problems with upload or ordering and my rug showed up a couple days later.  Seriously, these guys were quick.


Now as you can expect with this sort of item the design was printed on top of the fibers meaning that this is not the kind of rug where each strand of fiber is dyed all the way through.  The design is simply printed on top.  This makes it perfect for spaces such as dorm rooms or kids rooms where you want something custom but don't want to pay an arm and a leg.  I do have this rug in my living room for now, it just worked so well with my furniture.  Make sure and take your shoes off in the area in which you place this rug.  If you live in an area such as the Arizona where red rock dust is everywhere the dust will stain the rug quite easily I'm sure.  The trick to keeping any rug looking fantastic is to treat it with respect:)  *Note:  This is not your high quality rug that will last for years and years.  I personally would use it in LOW traffic areas or a semi temporary solution.  It is what you would expect of an inexpensive custom rug.*  If you are like me and want to change the feel of your living room every other year than it could be a viable solution.  We move a lot :)


One little secret I learned about CafePress is that every so often they have random "Flash Sales" where most or all of their products will be 25%-50% off the original price.  You just have to check the site frequently to catch these sales.  In the future I would be interested in trying to design a shirt.  Like I said the turn around from the time you order is quick so it would be great for team shirts and they offer discounts for larger orders.

The products they have vary from custom graduation invitations and announcements to shower curtains.  They cater to the individual needs as well as those of the business person with items such as business cards and cases.

Finally, if you love your design enough and think others would to, CafePress has the option for you to partner with their store and sell your item.  How cool is that.

I would give this company two thumbs up.  They are easy to work with and have lots of products to offer to make you life and home personalized to you.

*Please note I did receive this rug as compensation for this post but the opinions expressed are solely my own.*

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Pintastic Tuesday - Link Party #33


Yes Pintastic Tuesday is up a little late but it is still Tuesday and we have lots of pin worthy features to take a look at.  In my defense though I spent the day looking for the supplies to make an ultra command center, a project that has taken a bit longer than I planned but it is going to be fantastic!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Pintastic Tuesday - Link Party #32


I hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  I spent mine with friends, family, and some beautiful weather.  I'm getting excited for spring and am on the hunt for some project inspiration.  So let's get partying :)

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Design Your Own Rug - Cafe Press


Have you ever been perusing Pinterest and looking through the various pins and thought you would like to design your own rug?  I know I have and there are so many great ideas out there.  I was beyond ecstatic when someone from CafePress contacted me about doing a review for one of their personalized products.  When I discovered you could design your own rug I was hooked but alas I 'm getting a little ahead of myself.

For those of you who aren't familiar with CafePress they offer customized products in conjunction with letting you sell your own customized products on their site.  It really is pretty sweet.

The range of products you can customize is pretty wide.  You can start out with your basics.  Design your own t-shirt.  The have v-necks, tank tops, raglan style, and even maternity shirts.  One of my all time favorite items of clothing are hoodies.  A person can never have too many hoodies, at least in my opinion.  My husband might think otherwise as he starts to loose space in our closet.

As Mother's and Father's Day approaches you may want to check out their other personalized products.  Their prices are pretty decent and so far I have been impressed with the contact I'm working with.

It doesn't just stop at clothing and dishware.  You can personalize your own shower curtains, blankets, i-phone cases and of course rugs.  


I gathered a bunch of photos for some inspiration and started designing away.  Rugs are a great way to bring pattern into your home and I love pattern.  Right now I'm really into fresh and clean neutral rooms with pops of color and pattern.  If you can't tell, herringbone patterns have always been a favorite of mine.

When I first started the design process I thought I would go with a neutral gray, it would go with everything.  Of course I would add my color through my accessories.


Then I was looking through photos and decided I liked the stark contrast of black and white rugs and came up with this ombre herringbone rug.  I love both concepts.  You have to imagine this pattern at a large scale as it would be a 3 x 5 rug.

I think I will play around a little bit more with a larger print and if I can decide for sure which room I want it in, perhaps I will even add some fun colors.

What do you think?  How would you design your own rug?  I'm so excited to submit my design and see how the final product turns out.  Stay tuned!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Pintastic Tuesday - Link Party 31


Welcome to Pintastic Tuesday.  Can you believe March is almost either?  Ya me neither.  Regardless, we have lots to party about with some more great projects and recipes this week.  I just love everyone's different styles and ideas.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Pintastic Tuesday - Link Party #30


I know, I'm lame.  I totally missed my own party last week.  I apologize.  My sister came to visit for a week and a half and now we have more family in town and I work from home... I just plum forgot.  That just means this week's party will be twice as awesome.
   

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

St. Patrick's Day Craft


This St. Patrick's Day craft started out so simple, until I tried to spray paint a picture frame white.  Apparently I need to consult Pinterest on that one to learn the tricks of the trade on that one.  Thus, the project got put on hold, over and over again even though it REALLY should only take about 1/2 an hour.  Other than the picture frame, the supplies for this St. Patrick's Day craft are minimal.