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What do I really think of my own products?
My samples are in and spoiler alert: I'm obsessed!
Katie Moody
July 15, 2025
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I was excited and a little bit anxious to receive a sampling of my products. My biggest concern was the quality of the image on the items. I thought the settings in my design program was optimized for printing. Turns out I was wrong. You may have seen in one of my recent newsletters where I talked about how I messed up without even knowing it. Long story short, a setting in my drawing program was auto populated to the digital setting. Being new to the program, I had no idea this setting existed until I started researching how to get clearer images. I updated the setting on my patterns, but still had to redraw a majority of them. These items were purchased with the old quality, so I’ll have a section on that separately below to talk about it.
I am going to have an overall rating for each item on a 1-5 scale. 1 being I do not recommend and 5 being everyone needs this right now. If you’re wanting to see more of what I am looking for in these reviews, check out my These are a Few of My Favorite Things blog where I detail exactly what I am looking for on each item I purchased or want to purchase!
Anyways, lets move on to what we’re really here for: Product Reviews!
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The products I ordered from RedBubble.
RedBubble Products
I am looking at the paper type and the over all quality/feel of the journal. I need the spiral part to be fully smooth and not sharp on any edges. I am VERY particular about my journals and planners so if I seem a bit hard in my review, it’s because I am passionate about journals and planners for some strange reason. (I’m going to blame it on me being a Type A Virgo)
Overall Rating: 3.5
What I Like:
The cover is glossy, smooth, and appears to be a thick cardstock type paper.
The grid paper is a smooth texture, has good coloring overall (ie it’s a crisp white and not an off white), and is not too thin. I was able to use my colored gel pens on the paper without it bleeding through to the other side.
The spiral is a fully smooth spiral. It does not have any sharp edges or separations that may cause the paper to catch or slide off.
What I am not a Fan of:
For me, it’s too thin. It’s about 65 pages total, so 130 if you use front and back. When I’m looking for a journal, I want at least 100 pages so I have room for mistakes or things I discontinue writing.
The design is only on one side. I offer journals on my website, too, and they have the design on both the front and the back. This journal has a plain black piece of thick cardstock as the back, and I was not impressed.
The journal comes with a two-sided pocket folder page, but it is placed in the back of the journal. If I were to utilize this, I would have to remove whatever is in the pocket in order for my writing on the pages to be smooth.
Graphics: As I mentioned above, these items were purchased before I did the image refresh on them. I am planning on reordering some products to be able to do a visual comparison on them. I will be reordering this journal but probably from my website, so I can do a multifaceted comparison.
Overall the graphic is good, not great. The colors are vibrant, and all the little details of the pattern show up splendidly. I do think the biggest problem I have with the graphics is from my own mistake. I want the picture to be more crisp and defined, so I will see on my reorder if that is now fixed.
I am looking to see how the design looks printed on the mug. I want to make sure that it is printed clearly, with no blurry edges.
Overall Rating: 4
What I Like:
The quality of the print. The design is printed directly onto the mug, so it is dishwasher and microwave safe.
The colors are vibrant, and the tiny details show up well.
The quality of the mug is also very good. It is a standard ceramic white mug and has a good weight to it.
What I am not a Fan of:
The size, but that’s a me problem. I knew RedBubble only offered one size which is 11.5 ounces. My website offers 3 sizes: 11.5, 15, and 20, so on the reorder, I will be ordering from there.
Graphics:
Much like the journal, they are good, not great. The lines are not as crisp as I would like, but after the image refresh, I’m hoping that is improved. I am definitely looking forward to reordering and finding out!
I ordered the matte and glossy style stickers. The main thing I am wanting to know is how the type of sticker looks with the specific designs.
Overall Rating: 4
What I Like:
The colors printed on the stickers are perfect. I know color can vary when looking at a digital image and printing it onto a product, but the color on these is perfect.
The matte stickers were not a dull matte; it actually has a slight gloss to it, which I was pleased with. In the past, I have seen matte stickers look like it dulls the color of the image, but these were perfect.
What I am not a Fan of:
The stickers came on a sheet instead of being individually cut like I pictured them. In order for me to take pictures, I cut the stickers out of the sheet individually.
Graphics: These stickers turned out well for not being apart of the image refresh. I noticed some of the first ones that I did appear to be a little blurry, but they have been redone. I will be reordering to make sure they are more crisp!
The products I ordered from my website.
My Website Products
The first thing I am looking for is to make sure there are no imperfections where the patterns tile together. The second thing I am looking for is how the lid is assembled. I have had cheaply made tumblers in the past where the lids broke relatively quickly, and given the price of these, I want to make sure they have sturdy lids.
Overall Rating: 4.5
What I Like:
There was no line where the two tiles of the pattern join, which I was very thankful. If there was, I would have had to scrap all of these tumblers and find one that was not my first choice.
The lid. I didn’t know it was possible to be so excited by a lid to a tumbler, but it’s my favorite one that I own. Is it perfect? No, but it’s close. While it is a regular plastic lid like I have on a couple other tumblers, this one has a beveled lip making it easier to drink from. I have drank both hot and cold drinks from this cup, and it was perfect. Some tumblers I own drip after taking a sip, or I struggle with the vent hole. Not on this cup!
What I am not a Fan of:
I am not a fan of stainless steel straws, which is a me thing, but I know a lot of people prefer them, which is why I wanted to stick with this tumbler.
I may have dodged the seam of the pattern tiles, but I did not escape where they meet on the edges going around the cup. It’s not a huge deal for me because the pattern still lines up, but I am going to see if that is a me problem or a printing problem.
Graphics: The pattern I chose was one of my first ones done. It went through multiple image resizings, and I think that’s why it is a little blurry. It’s not as crisp as I’d like, but the colors look perfect. I will be ordering another one with the updated image to compare the two.
Since my hair is very thick, I am checking to make sure there is enough comfortable elasticity to hold my hair in a ponytail. I am also evaluating how the pattern is printed and how the material feels.
Overall Rating: 3.5
What I Like:
The bow is super cute when I wear it.
The elastic is stretchy and has a good amount of elasticity to fit around thick hair comfortably.
What I am not a Fan of:
The material of the scrunchie is not my favorite. I was picturing a soft cloth, but it is more of a scratchy nylon material.
It holds my hair well, but I notice after I move around more, it starts to slip from my hair. I can only wrap it around my ponytail twice so I am thinking the material makes it easier to slip.
The pattern colors didn’t all show up, which was disappointing.
Graphics: The graphics turned out good, not great, and I don’t think it was a me thing. The colorful parts of the scrunchie showed up very well. The light blue stripe background however, did not. It was barely noticeable. I am thinking this is because of the color blue used on the pattern, but I am going to reach out to my website host to trouble shoot it.
First and foremost, I am looking at the quality of the bathing suit to make sure it is worth the price. I will be also looking at the quality of the pattern printed on the bathing suit. Secondly, I am looking at the cut and style of the bathing suit. I am a petite person, so a majority of the time bathing suits without adjustment straps, don’t work for me.
Overall Rating: 4
What I Like:
The colors are vibrant and the pattern looks amazing on the bathing suit.
The material is soft and the elastic isn’t suffocating or restrictive.
I was hesitant to try it on (I know that sounds weird), but I have had so much disappointment in the past with bathing suits, and clothes in general, not fitting that I reverted back to that mindset of “get ready to be disappointed.” I was SO excited when I put it on and it fit perfectly! I do understand that may not be the case for everyone since all body types are different, but it was a big win for me.
What I am not a Fan of:
I wish the top had adjustment pieces. Right now, it is all one strap, which I know in the past has not worked for me. I would like the option of tightening and loosening the top.
Graphics: The pattern turned out perfectly on this product. I am not sure what the technical differences are between printing on clothing and printing on products, like tumblers and journals, but I spotted no issues.
I am looking at the quality of the t-shirt, the printing of the design, and how the t-shirt feels overall.
Overall Rating: 4
What I Like:
I love how the design turned out. I’ll say more in the graphics section, but it looked perfect to me.
The tee was comfy for all day wear. It was a heavier material, but it didn’t make me feel warmer on a hot summer day.
What I am not a Fan of:
The majority of my daily wardrobe is Bella+Canvas tees, so I thought I knew what to expect. It turns out, these tees are a different style than what I usually wear. I ordered a Medium and it was longer and more narrow than what I am used to. I am 4’ 11” so for me to feel the narrowness of the shirt was a little off-putting. I didn’t care for the extra length either since I already size up for a comfy fit. I would say a Small would be better for me, but I’m afraid the narrowness would feel suffocating.
Graphics: The graphics turned out perfectly! The colors are vibrant and the detailing was visible, even though it is a small design.
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