Product Review: Photowall*

If you're like me, you have photos of just about everything. I have more photos of Forrest than I truly care to admit to (it's numbering in the 10,000 range, ok?) and I have a lot of them printed. I am a little obsessed with creating collages of all kinds. I love being able to see photos throughout my house; I think it makes a house feel really warm and lovely to have photos everywhere. Plus, I just like showing off our cute little family!

So when I was approached by Photowall to review a product from their website, I jumped at the chance. 

Photowall is a Swedish-run website that produces wallpaper and canvas prints. They have hundreds of designs available, plus you can upload your own photos and have a canvas printed with that photo! There are lots of websites that do this and I have used them before--but I'll be honest, Photowall is the highest quality canvas I've ever received!

It took me what felt like forever to choose an image for my canvas! I originally wanted to have a family portrait printed, but I couldn't decide on one, many of my photos (being from my iPhone) were just a bit too low resolution, and I really hemmed and hawed. Then I started browsing Photowall's catalogue of available prints and realized there were so many options! I almost got a floral design; I almost got a print of Portland, OR's skyline; and then, I found this one. 

It's a grove of aspens with yellow leaves. As we all are probably aware of at this point, I love Autumn--and I have a grey painted wall in my living room. I love grey and yellow together; my kitchen is grey and yellow themed. So it seemed perfect to get this canvas and do a little redesign in my living room. 

Ordering was super easy; you choose your print, or upload a photo, choose your sign, pay, and that's it! Shipping was super fast too. I ordered this on a weekend, I believe, and it arrived on the following Friday. 

When it arrived, my husband said, "this is way too small for a canvas!" That's because Photowall ships with everything for you to stretch your canvas yourself. You have a roll of canvas and a few pieces of wood for the frame, plus screws to secure it together and a hanger for mounting on the wall. Putting it together was super easy and the instructions were very clear. It was also really fun! 

In the future, I think I would go bigger; I got the smallest size canvas, as I just wasn't sure how it would look in the space (it's a little less than 16 inches). I definitely wish I had gone 24 inches or larger, I think it would work just as well! But I really love how it looks and I feel like I'm slowly but surely sprucing up our living room to look like grown ups (and not just a toddler) live here. 

If you'd like to try Photowall, just visit their website here and use my code MichelleLockeCampaign2018 for 20% off your order. My code is only available until the end of April, so order soon! 

*Disclaimer: As always, the asterisk (*) in the title of this post denotes that I received product from Photowall in exchange for a review. However, all thoughts and opinions remain my own. I really love Photowall and hope you will too! 

3 Ways to Spruce Up Your House for Autumn

Every year, I take on a few Autumn crafts. Mainly, it's just fun to make something to decorate your house with. I keep a collection of potential crafts throughout the year and then once Autumn roles around, I pick my favorites. 

This year, I'm sticking to some kid-friendly crafts so Forrest can help me with them. However, here are 3 that I'm going to take on in the evenings sans Forrest! 

1. Paper Leaf Wall Hanging

This is so cute! It uses watercolor paper (perfect for older kids to take on) and then a cutting machine to create them. However, I really think you could just use a larger leaf pattern and cut them out by hand. Click here. 

2. Autumn Candle DIY

This is a super easy craft! You can buy the supplies for it at the dollar store too, which is really cool, and it would make a great Thanksgiving centerpiece. Click here. 

3. Autumn Embroidery DIY

I'm really into embroidery lately and this craft would definitely be a little bit more of a challenge for me! It's so cute and would be perfect for the entirety of Fall and Winter. Click here. 

Things I Love: Seasonal Scents

A few weeks ago, I posted a thread on Twitter about the scents I like in my home during specific seasons. I, luckily, live in a place with 4 distinct seasons and for that reason, I'm very particular about home decor and smells during those seasons. I get very caught up in the whimsy of changing seasons and what each one represents. If you want to see my original Twitter thread, click here. (And share your favorite scents with me there too! Why not!?) 

I thought it would be fun to do a round up of my favorite candles, air filters, and more to help bring these seasonal scents home. Here they are. 

Summer

My favorite scents in the summer are fruity, citrusy smells: lemon and orange, specifically, but also pineapple and coconut, as well as mint, eucalyptus (very clean), and even something kind of smoky, like a musk or bergamot. 

• This candle from Anthropologie smells like green apples, lemon, basil, grapefruit, and ginger. It's spicy, earthy, and sweet. 
• The Peach candle from Produce Candles is the perfect summer scent: peaches and lemon with a decidedly earthy, herby scent as well. 
• My favorite air fresheners are Bath & Body Works Wallflowers; I especially love the Tiki Beach scent for it's sweet coconut and sharp tangerine smell. 

Fall

Fall is my favorite season and, therefore, contains my favorite scents: flannel shirts, crunchy leaves, foggy early air, cinnamon, caramel, sandalwood, and bergamot. Deeper, rich, spicy scents alongside smoother, sweeter ones. 

• From Yankee Candles, the Crisp Fall Night scent is absolutely perfect: grapefruit, lavendar, maple, and cedar combine to create a scent that is almost exactly like a bonfire. 
• This list would not be complete without my favorite scent of all time: Bourbon Sea Salt Caramel from Bath & Body Works. 
• My other all-time favorite scent? The Sweater Weather Candle. 

Winter

Winter is my second favorite season, so, obviously, these are my second favorite scents. Because I celebrate Christmas, a lot of my scent memory comes from Christmas. That means, evergreen trees, pine needles, cloves and ginger, coffee, cinnamon rolls, and the smell of wrapping paper. One of my friends on Twitter pointed out one of the smells of Winter: that smell when you first turn the heating on in your car or house after a long time. It's that dusty, dry, warm smell. It's so distinctly wintery. 

• From Yankee Candle, the Winter Glow candle is so perfect. Oranges, rosemary, cedar, amber, and spruce combine to give that perfect light, winter smell.  
• Another Yankee: Soft Blanket has bergamot, blackberry, vanilla, rose, amber, and musk for that perfect mix of sweet and subtle. Great for a classy party. 
• From Archipelago, the Black Forest Diffuser is a perfect moody winter scent. It combines black currant, ebony wood, and douglas fir tree for a luxurious, cozy smell. 

Spring

Spring is not my favorite season. It's very ho-hum for me. However, there are still some scents I love, that make me think of Spring and Spring only. I always think of lemon soap (different from lemons!), roses, linen, rain, and the smell of wet roads. 

• From Archipelago, the Magnolia Diffuser has the perfect smell of a magnolia flower tree. It's also very classy looking and perfect for hiding up on a shelf. 
• From H&M (really), the No. 9 Tulip candle is a light, sweet, floral scent--very reminiscent of the Tulip Festival in Oregon every year! 
• The Mineral Springs candle from Bath & Body Works is a really unexpectedly amazing smell: mineral water, water lily, and a dash of lime. It's fresh without being over scented.