My only issue with Canva is that there isn’t a “review this product” or “review this order” feature. Or at least not one that is easy to find. I tried to find a way to leave them a review on google but couldn’t figure it out, so here I am! 🤷♀️
I used Canva once in 2020 to update a preschool newsletter. I didn’t really have any clue what I was doing or how to move anything around, so I just replaced the text and photos in the locations they were already in.
On March 16, I decided to use Canva to make a slideshow for my new mental health prescriber. She loved it! It was super easy to make using their templates. I also used Canva to make new business cards, labels, and a banner for my mom’s business. That’s not even what I’m here to review today, though.
If you follow me on socials, you may have noticed that I’ve been talking about Andy Grammer a lot lately and the MASSIVE impact that going to his concert had on me. He didn’t sell merch at the concert and I really wanted something to commemorate it, so I decided I’d try my hand at making a poster on Canva. I had to google how to do a couple of things, but it was relatively easy to figure out. I ordered two 18×24 posters- one to hang on my wall and one to try to pass along to Andy at his Asheville show coming up in July. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out. Even though I was in the front row and my photos looked crisp on my phone, I was concerned the image and text on the posters may be blurry. Particularly because they only cost $11 each and I’ve found the adage “you get what you pay for” to be very true when printing images.
Imagine my surprise when they arrived today looking STUNNING. I had already purchased a frame from my local Michael’s for about $15. I’ve got the command picture hanger on the wall (I have to wait I think 24 hours before actually hanging the poster for best results). I cannot wait to hang this poster up!
For $26- I have a custom, framed poster from a concert that was one of the most important events I’ve ever gone to in my life. I put the other poster in a mailing tube already to keep it safe. I don’t have photos of the poster outside of the frame. I do, however, have the image I used to print to poster. There are some photos at the bottom.
Basically, I just want y’all to know that Canva is AWESOME and I would definitely recommend them- not just for your design needs but for your printing needs as well. It’s easy to use for design (and easy to google the aspects that are slightly more complex) and the quality of the printing is excellent.
The poster I created as a digital file.Poster as printedPoster as printed
My health insurance company notified me that there is a portal where I can get discounts on certain items. I went to check it out and saw this bag that I thought would be PERFECT for my Glencoe hike. It’s water resistant, made out of ocean impact plastic (so it’s environmentally conscious, which is important to me), it’s a great size (17-24” expandable x 13” x 16”), and it’s available in all sorts of cool colors. I have not received any compensation or perks for writing this review. I just wanted to share my honest opinion.
I was disappointed when I saw they were $149 because that was way out of my price range. After clicking through different colors, I found a PURPLE one (my favorite color!) on sale for $74! With my BCBS discount code, it came to $55.50 with taxes and shipping, which I must tell you is a STEAL for this bag.
I was so upset when UPS told me the package was lost because the sale was over, the color I purchased was out of stock, and I had already used my one time discount code. I opened an investigation with UPS yesterday or the day before and the package magically arrived today!
GOT BAG rolltop lite in blackGOT BAG rolltop lite in jellyfish
I was worried that I would hate the texture due to it being made of recycled plastic, but the material actually feels very nice and not rubbery at all. Because it’s a rolltop and is water resistant, I feel really good about using it as my day pack in rainy Scotland. The back is padded for extra comfort and there is a detachable sleeve that fits up to a 15” laptop or tablet.
I want to use it as my personal item for my flight, so I did a test run to see if I could fit everything I need in it. I also added my iPad case (I was using my iPad to film) to make sure it would fit somewhere. I will have room to spare!
Here is a link to a video of me fitting all my stuff in the bag! I’ll try to also embed the video. It was taking too long 😂:
I haven’t carried this around for a long time yet, so I can’t speak to comfort over time, but it’s very comfortable for short durations and I will update with more info after taking it on a hike. I would say that even at $149, this bag would be worth it. I’m so glad I was able to get mine so cheap so that I know about the quality of the bag and can plan in the future if I want to purchase the full size rolltop for $159 (only $10 more!). I didn’t want the full size for myself at this time because I wanted to be able to use this as my personal item when I travel to Scotland. I’m so grateful I was able to purchase something more sustainable than a cheap daypack from Amazon!
To start, working with Carrie at CAK Creations was SUCH a positive experience. I had found some bags I wanted to use and asked each of the people attending the concert with me what their favorite Taylor Swift lyric was. Carrie was able to custom create each of the vinyl lyric stickers I wanted. She matched the fonts of the lyrics to the album they were from and we collaborated to select colors for each sticker. She used permanent vinyl and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out! Before she shipped them, I asked if it was possible for her to recreate the Eras Tour logo as a sticker as well and she was able to. After she had made all of my beautiful stickers, she shipped them in an awesome silver holographic mailer and they arrived within a couple days. Shipping was really fast and they were very safely packaged between two pieces of cardboard within the bubble mailer.
There will be lots of photos below and I want to make extra sure you have access to Carrie’s site, so I’m going to link it again here: https://cakcreationsco.company.site/products/
If I were to give CAK Creations/Carrie a rating, it would be 10/10! She was a dream to work with, her products are well made and look great, and she made the collaboration process very fun. Her stuff is also very reasonably priced! This is not an ad, I have not received anything in exchange for my honest review, and I do not know Carrie personally. She was just that wonderful to work with!
I am going to the Nissan Stadium in Nashville and their bag policy is that you can have a clear bag up to 12 inches x 12 inches x 6 inches.
I bought four of these clear bags from Walmart for $10.99 each plus shipping (https://www.walmart.com/ip/342498896) They are 8.27 inches x 8.27 inches by 2.95 inches:
Now you’re going to see the awesome stickers Carrie created! Here is the logo sticker:
For each bag, I’m putting the large The Eras Tour sticker on the back, then putting a lyric sticker underneath the flap in the front!
This is what the lyrics stickers look like. The grid is the transfer tape and will not be on the final products! There are only four of us going and four bags, but I just couldn’t pick my favorite lyrics so I ordered several extras!
Here is what I did for each bag (with guidance from Carrie, who is AMAZING):
Step 1: Open each bag so the back will be the right shape. The bags were kind of pressed together for shipping by the third party retailer from Walmart.
Step 2: Slide a piece of cardboard into the bag. This will help stabilize the bag and will make it easier to attach the stickers.
Step 3: Wipe the area where the sticker is going to go with isopropyl alcohol. ALLOW IT TO DRY COMPLETELY.
Step 4: Peel the backing off of the Eras Tour logo stickers.
Step 5: Line the sticker up with the edges of the bag and try to get it as straight as possible.
Step 6: Gently place the sticker. I started at the bottom then slowly moved up the sticker. I then just kind of ran my debit card up and down on the Eras Tour sticker to make sure it was on the bag well.
Step 7: At this point I realized it would be smart and make my life easier to cut a piece of cardboard for the front pocket of the bag also. So I did that and placed it in the pocket. I removed the big cardboard piece from the main pocket of the bag just in case that would somehow interfere.
Step 8: Repeat step 3 on the front of the bag under the flap. Wipe the area where the sticker is going to go with isopropyl alcohol. ALLOW IT TO DRY COMPLETELY.
Step 9: Place the vinyl lyrics sticker on a hard flat object. Rub a credit card/debit card/ something similar over the top of the transfer tape to ensure the letters are all on the transfer tape.
Step 10: SLOWLY peel the transfer tape and vinyl sticker off of the backing paper. Start from a corner and ensure each letter is on the transfer tape before moving on.
Step 11: Place the vinyl lyrics sticker as close to the center as you can (or wherever you would like for it to be placed.).
Step 12: Run your credit card/debit card/ something similar over the transfer tape, taking care with each letter to make sure it is attaching to the bag.
Step 13: Starting from a corner, gently peel the transfer tape off of the vinyl lyrics sticker, ensuring each letter is being left behind on the bag.
Step 14: Remove the cardboard from the inside pocket and take a photo to show people!
Repeat with other bags and stickers until you have attached all the stickers you want on your bags. Wait 72 hours before using the bag or moving it around too much so the adhesive has time to set!
Some of you may say, “those bags look like they were made by an amateur!” To that, I would say, “well yeah, I don’t exactly have a ton of experience applying vinyl stickers to stadium bags.” Carrie did not place the vinyls for me. She just created and mailed me the stickers. If you hate them, that’s cool, but I don’t really need to hear about it because I tried my best!
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” 