Turning a Memory into a piece of Art is easy with Paint a Moment, I found my moment of calm during this collaboration

This October I have been gifted an opportunity, to make a photograph of mine into a piece of art. The photograph I chose was a macro image of some forget-me-not flowers that I had taken. I planted these flowers in my garden after I lost my final grandparent in tribute to her memory. The flowers mean a lot to me, and when the kind founder of Paint a Moment contacted me about a product review, I knew I wanted to turn something significant in my life into a painted piece of art.

Do you know what’s incredible? Watching your memory, and in my case my photographic art, take shape by my own hands, with every brush stroke and every paint pot change. Let me tell you why these pieces make the most incredible gifts, either for people in your life or as a present to yourself. Because making art is always calming and gratifying, but to watch your important things; such as your pets or people in your world come to life on the canvas, that is something else entirely. It is a wonderful feeling to watch the art develop over the days in which you paint it, you are giving a moment life, to keep it forever once you’re done.

Here is a photograph showing my original flowers image side by side with the canvas that I have received from Paint A Moment. As you can see it is intricate with many different shades and it will have areas that will require a delicate hand and a gentle touch. I recall saying to myself “I am sure this will keep me busy during my baby’s nap times for the coming weeks”. And boy did it! It took me roughly 30 hours to complete over the course of ten days. I will show you the finished canvas at the end of this article so please keep reading, let’s hear more about Paint A Moment now before I give my review.

Once you have chosen your picture Paint a Moment provide every paint that you will need, and also stickers so that you can label the paint pots according to the numbers on your printed picture. I received 3 brushes as well, different thicknesses so that I can tackle every aspect of my canvas. As you can see in my image below the pots have come in an awesome tray to keep things neat and tidy as well as the various stickers and a reference image of my photograph.

I found the painting was easy, by following the lines and the numbers. Not having to mix any paints was also a blessing, all the things that I needed were included, and I could just pick up the paintbrush when my baby was napping and paint a little. I would usually choose the largest amount of colour from the numbers I had remaining. So that way I could watch the painting come to life, one colour at a time. As I said above it took me ten days, roughly 30 hours. That was because it was very stop start, looking after my children between painting moments.

Speaking of moments, I wanted to include a quote from Paint A Moment founder Marcus in my review, here is what he has said about his business and the art they create.

“I wanted to make something that gets people off their phones for an evening (or longer) and leaves them with a painting of something they actually love: their dog, their nan’s house, a place they have been to. You don’t need to be able to paint, you just need a photo, a bit of patience and a moment to yourself”.

If you or someone you know could do with some grounding and relaxing artwork to complete, perhaps for someone too invested in their phone, then why not consider a piece as a gift. I think it’s the perfect thing for all because you don’t need to be able to paint to do paint by numbers work. When I agreed to this collaboration I checked out the shop on the Paint a Moment website, and they have three stages for painters of all levels and difficulties. It can be for anyone to enjoy.

A paint kit starts from £21.99 and you can choose if you want to add any additional things to that which incur costs such as a frame and extra paints. Paint a Moment have Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced kits available. As well as the custom kits of your own images too which is what mine has been.

Paint a Moment use stock images so that people can buy some of the art that is ready to paint in the levels of difficulty that I have mentioned above. I do feel the custom pieces that are available should be shouted about due to the quality they are able to achieve from someone’s photography, like my own. Their pictures are all stunning, ready to go and custom – because I checked out the reviews too. So many satisfied customers just like me. Why not check it out for yourself – once you have finished reading my article though! I’m sure you want to see how my canvas turned out don’t you… let’s continue…

The link to the Paint A Moment Shop is HERE

During the time I have spent painting my canvas, I have felt calmer than usual, and I have been able to reflect on my thoughts more whilst painting, more than I have ever been able to do while using some sort of a screen. I class myself as a creative person, mainly as a photographer, but I have painted many things over the years. To pick up some brushes again for the first time in a number of years was both satisfying and compelling, it has made me want to paint more. I am sad my canvas is complete, now I need another project to do. And you know what? The best thing about a hobby like this is that you can take your time, it isn’t a race or a necessity to complete it immediately after starting.

Here is my final finished canvas, are you ready? I am really happy with how it has turned out.

Overall I have been hugely impressed by this product, the company and the entire experience, and I rate this product a 5 stars across the board. I will now elaborate on each score below.

Product Quality 5✩
Delivery 5✩
Product Design 5✩
Ease of Use 5✩

Unique Value 5✩
Professionalism 5✩

Product Quality is hugely important when creating something yourself at home, from the paints and the individual pots, to the brushes and the canvas. I have been impressed by all of it. The paint pots come with stickers and are labelled too so there is no guesswork, you have absolutely everything you require in order to complete your art work and it’s laid out simply enough to follow.
Delivery was great, the canvas comes rolled, and you have all the items you need in one box, no messing around with multiple deliveries. I was impressed also by the timeframe of ordering with my own photograph, within a few days the printed canvas arrived with all I needed to get started.
The Product Design for this kit was excellent, even the foam that the paints arrive in means you don’t need any other products or art supplies, all that you need from start to finish is provided. The canvas itself is high quality and printed very clearly so that you can see the numbers you need and match them with the paint pots. For anyone new to a paint-by-numbers type of art, you would not feel any anxiety because you have everything you need plus its all simple to follow.
Leading on to Ease of Use now, as I just stated you have everything, all you need now is a flat surface and some free time in which to paint. Because the colours are made up specifically for your artwork, you do not need to go hunting for other colours, it’s all there ready for whenever you have a spare minute to do some painting. I worked by doing the larger areas first and then moved on to the more intricate parts of my photo which worked well for me.
The Unique Value of having a custom image created into art is excellent, and you cannot put a price on somebody’s memories and important imagery, so to immortalise that in canvas art to such a high standard is exceptional.
Finally the Professionalism of the website, the team and especially the founder of this company, proves why it is a good idea to support small UK business when you can. They make sure that you have the best experience and receive the best quality of product so that you can turn your art into a memory in itself, the experience of watching it come to life by your own hands is something that cannot be replicated by simply buying a ready made piece. By creating your own art work from a photograph, you are getting a unique item made for you and then completed by you.

Here is a triptych showing my photograph, the canvas plain ready for painting, and the finished piece when I had completed painting it. Other than perhaps learning to blend the edges of the colours more for the background, I am pleased with how this turned out.

As a keen creative I have been really excited by this collaboration and have thoroughly enjoyed painting my very own canvas, I would love to do another one someday soon.

I really appreciate you coming to my website today, thank you for visiting and reading this piece, and I hope you have a great day and come back again soon.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Please check out my social media for more product reviews and follow me for more content! Some reviews I only post to my Instagram especially videos, I am a busy parent but I try and write several new articles a month depending upon the content I have available. So please check my socials out if you have an account, search #severnsabrina or click the links below;
Sabrina on Instagram Severn_Sabrina
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In order to keep in touch with offers and new kits from Paint A Moment, their accounts to follow for social media include:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paint.a.moment

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@paintamoment

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paintamoment

Thank you to Paint A Moment for this opportunity, I have completely adored the whole experience and I would definitely purchase from your company for gifts for my loved ones in the future. Now I just have to choose which pictures to order!

Secret Scent Box is the ideal Gift this Christmas with Designer Fragrances and handy Atomisers Perfect for trying new scents and for people who like to smell good on the go

This November I have been lucky enough to collaborate with Secret Scent Box again, and if you haven’t heard of them I’m going to explain how amazing their subscription boxes are and why you should check them out this festive season. Either to treat yourself or as a gift for a loved one, it’s a wonderful way in which to try new fragrances.

Secret Scent Boxes are the ideal Christmas gifts for the people in your life who enjoy designer fragrances and smelling fabulous. The best thing about this subscription is the fact that there are hundreds of scents to choose from, and Secret Scent Box ensure you get handy sized atomisers which give a minimum of 30 days of the chosen fragrances. They are perfect for people who like to change up the way they smell, without needing to fork out hundreds of pounds for a full size perfume bottle that they may tire of wearing after a month or two. This way, you can try new brands, rate them and then next month try a new perfume all over again. It’s a great way to try many different designers.

More about Secret Scent Box

Secret Scent Box is a London based company. Website LINK
Cost of Subscription Box: £15 (1 month) / £14 (6 months) / £13 (12 months)

Choose your plan for your scent box, it is posted as letterbox size and you receive 3 x 3ml atomisers of fragrance to use over the next 30 days. With 100% authentic brands of fragrances and 3 accompanying cards which explain the notes. Designer scents include Prada, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Boss, Armani, Jimmy Choo and many others. You get free shipping and can cancel anytime. Choose between men’s or women’s perfumes. Secret Scent Box is all about discovering something new in the world of fragrances.

By signing up for their newsletter you will get 10% off your first box.

Overall I think Secret Scent Box is a wonderful way to try out designer fragrances without spending tons of money on full sized products. The convenience of the box coming through your letterbox each month, with the 3 x 3ml atomisers that are the perfect size for both travel and handbags is a bonus too. I think the cards that depict the notes of each fragrance is really interesting as well, I often notice that I’m drawn to some notes with various fragrances I like. I never would have known this without Secret Scent Box’s attention to detail by providing the cards for each designer scent.

I would rate my overall experience with Secret Scent Box a 5✩

Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope you have enjoyed reading all about my experience with Secret Scent Box.

I hope to see you here again soon for another of my reviews.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Please check out my social media for more product reviews too!
Sabrina on Instagram Severn_Sabrina
Sabrina on Facebook Severn Wishes Blog

If you are looking for the ideal Stationery Gift this Season then why not check out the Gift Company Journal Sets

Hello and Welcome to another of my Product Review Collaborations! This month I am ecstatic to be working with Gift Company again, as I review their wonderful Journal Stationery Gift Sets.

I am thrilled to be bringing you this collaboration with Gift Company this November, I have been asked to review some of their incredible value Gift Sets! Each set of products has been sent to me in order for me to complete this honest testing and review. I wanted something versatile and unisex and this was what we decided upon.

On the Gift Company website there are four sets to choose from, they include a Robin, Cat, pair of Giraffes and a Bee. I chose the three sets that contained exactly the same items so that I could compare their design and quality. Overall I have been very impressed with them, so let’s take a look at what’s inside each of the decorative display boxes for this stationery set.

Here are some of my photographs to show the quality of the stationery up close.

The gift set is very well presented inside the box which is also decorated front and back with the design that you chose.

Each of the Journal Gift Sets contains:
1 x Journal (with blank date headers to fill in as you please)
A Selection of Cards and Envelopes both personalised with set picture

1 x Shopping List Notepad with a Magnetic Back
1 x Notebook on a Ring Bound Coil
1 x Decorative Bookmark with black tassel
1 x Black Ballpoint Pen


Cat Journal Gift Set LINK
Robin Journal Gift Set LINK
Giraffe Journal Gift Set LINK

Shopping List and Pen
Notebook

My Honest Opinion

Overall these Gift Sets are of extremely high quality, the way the set is designed means that you receive the decorative box as well as the six individual items inside it. A set has every product made to a high standard, be it the manufacturing and final finish of the product, as well as the paper within them, it’s a decent thickness of all the paper products. The image that you decide upon for your set is bright throughout the products and the font on the quotes is easy to read and is clearly defined.

You could choose to gift the set as is, or you could split the set up and divide it into smaller gifts, you can give the journal and pen to one person for example. While offering the cards and envelopes to another loved one. Perhaps you have a family member who always does the food shopping, this list would be perfect for them. Is there an avid reader in your family as well, because this decorative bookmark would be a great addition in their Christmas box.


Considering you get six high quality items and a decorative box for only £10, I think it is definitely great value for your money. If you are on a budget this year, I would consider purchasing two gift sets and dividing the items between four or more different people. You could even buy a gift set and a pack of pens and give every item to a loved one, along with a pen.

You wouldn’t have to gift this set for Christmas though, it’s a perfectly acceptable gift for a variety of occasions such as a Birthday or an Anniversary too.
Do you know someone who is going off to University? Or somebody who recently started a new job? A gift like this might be both useful and very well received by people who will need to use stationery items such as these.

I personally love being organised and using stationery definitely helps me to do just that. If you know of someone in your life that does the same thing, then this gift would be perfect for them. And finally as a parent, you can never have enough notebooks and a journal to keep your year ahead organised.

Cards and Envelopes
Shopping List

My Review Scores

Functionality 5✩

Product Design 5✩
Versatility 5✩
Product Quality
 5✩
Value for Money 5✩
Universal 5✩

Journal Cover
Journal Inside
Bookmark

Thank you to Gift Company for the chance to do this review, it’s great to be working with you again.

For anyone who isn’t aware of Gift Company, they are a long standing British based company with shops across the country, as well as their website which houses a wide range of Gifts and Furniture too.

If you would like to know more you can find Gift Company at the following links and on social media.

Gift Company Website
Gift Company Facebook
Gift Company Instagram


You can also watch my Review Video as I show the products off, and that can be
viewed on my Instagram channel by clicking the image below.

Thank you for visiting Severn Wishes Blog today and reading my collaboration review.

Have a wonderful final few days of November 2022!

✩ Sabrina ✩

The Woodland Gift Company Rainbow Flower Earrings Review

I recently made a purchase from The Woodland Gift Company, who I have been following on Facebook for quite some time. I have chosen to support small businesses where possible during this difficult time. Plus they had some gorgeous earrings! I was looking for something Rainbow related, but when I saw these I just fell in love with them.

The stunning Rainbow Coloured Sterling Silver Flowers really stand out. They are beautiful and good quality.

They arrived in lovely packaging and the little extra additions of the string and the paper rose, it just made the experience extra special.

Overall I would say I’m very happy with my purchase, the service was 5 star and the delivery was good too despite the current restrictions. I would definitely purchase from the company again after this good experience.

The earrings are unique, excellent quality with the 925 silver mark on the back. They are lightweight and the perfect size for my ears. They don’t get in the way of my gradual lobe piercings (which I thought they might). I would highly recommend them. And The Woodland Gift Company are giving some money to charity for every pair purchased as well.

If you would like to see more products from this company you can find their current stock
and choices on their website The Woodland Gift Company

And if you’d like to follow them on social media then here is their Facebook

I bought these particular Earrings in the Spring of 2020.

Thank you for reading this review today, I hope you have enjoyed it. If you would like to see more Rainbow related products click the tab category Rainbow on my home page. Have a lovely day!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Review of a Gift Purchase from Paper Lace & Love

I was recently asked to become a godparent, and not only was I honoured to do so, but I then wanted my godson to have something special to keep and remember the day forever by. I have been waiting to share this post with you all but I wanted all of the family to see the present I gave, before I shared it on my blog. Now that I am able to I’m going to show you the gift that I commissioned and was so pleased with!

After searching the internet and the pages of social media, I decided to go with a company who could fulfill my wishes to personalise a design to be in keeping with the day. I knew the sort of gift that I wanted made, but I had to find someone who would do a design that would fit my purpose.

This wonderful company is run by Caitlin and is called Paper Lace & Love. Specalising in Handmade Papercuts, that are then framed and personalised by her for your own unique circumstances.

I wanted a Christening gift to be specifically made with both my godson’s name and the date he was Christened on it. I was so impressed with the level of detail and also the professionalism of Caitlin for making the changes I requested with no questions or problems. I was more than happy to pay the extra for the alternatives and was very pleased with the final design.

Paper Lace and Love
The parcel arrived on the day it was meant to, and the packaging was both professional and appropriate for keeping the item intact. Wrapped up in bubble wrap and tissue paper, the final look of the frame was excellent.

Here is the gift, professionally framed and about to be re-wrapped by myself to become the present. I chose a blue background, blue for a boy, but Paper Lace & Love stock a variety of styles and colours you can choose from. Caitlin is more than happy to find things for people to make it special and unique to their situations.

Paper Lace and Love One
As you can see in the next image, the level of detail is incredible, and I am in awe of Caitlin’s talent for paper cutting. She must have a high level of patience and a great degree of creativity to make such beautiful pieces.

Paper Lace and Love Two
My chosen gift was well received and will hopefully be loved by all as my little godson Lewis grows up. A wonderful and creative way of remembering a special day for a very special boy.

I cannot thank Caitlin enough for fitting me into a busy schedule, sending my gift to me within plenty of time, and for making the commission fit my needs exactly. I recommend her business highly, and would purchase from her again in the future if I ever need gifts of this sort.

I really hope you have enjoyed my review, and I will leave some links at the bottom of this post for those who wish to look at the other paper cuts available for purchase by Paper Lace & Love.

Paper Lace and Love Three
Thank you for reading this review today.

✩ Sabrina ✩

You can find the Paper Lace & Love shop on Etsy here https://www.etsy.com/shop/paperlaceandlove and on Facebook as well https://www.facebook.com/paperlaceandlove/