Shapeways Review & Giveaway!

I love that there are so many ways to make personalized products now-a-days. When I found out about a company called Shapeways that allows you to take your design and make it into reality, I was excited. Shapeways is unique because it allows you to take your design, make it into a 3D format using their unique 3D software and then have it created and shipped to you within 10 working days.

All the products created by Shapeways use a interesting new technique called ‘3D Printing’. This production technique allows you to take a 3D image and create a high-quality replica that you can physically touch.

Another way Shapeways is unique is by offering a completely interactive online community. Shapeways allows you to interact with other users, share and rate ideas, plus, Shapeways even allows you to sell customized pieces that you have created in the Shapeways Shops.

Shapeways offers three different design options:

Ring Poem
“Make a dinner extra special and memorable with this present for your table guest. Don’t worry about you cooking skills. You will have already knocked them out with this Ring Poem.”

Light Poem
“Sculpt with words. Just choose a font and see your words and your Light Poem take shape. Have a favorite saying? A favorite poem? Your words will become the actual object!”

Fruit Confessions
“Fruit Confessions is a completely customizable decorative bowl. Change the shape and size of the bowl in any way you like. You can also add your own text to the rim of the bowl to give it a personal touch. No two Fruit Confessions bowls will ever be the same.”

Be sure to check out Shapeways’ blog!


Review
Shapeways was kind enough to offer me a $40 gift certificate to try out their unique service. I chose to make my own customized ring poems.

The process
The process of making my ring poems was extremely easy! I love that the 3D software used is very user friendly and helpful. By helpful, I mean it gives you ideas on how to make the most durable ring poem. For example, when I was writing out my favorite quote that I wanted to appear on the ring poem, the program would tell me if the connections between the letters would be durable enough. Durability can sometimes be an issue with very short quotes or phrases. As I worked through the program, it showed me that the longer the quote, the more durable it would be.

If you get stuck during the process, Shapeways is always here to make your experience as easy as possible. Troubleshooting can be done in several different ways: tutorials, support pages, forums or by contacting customer service via email.

Note: In order to use this software, there is a small program you must install on your computer and you must sign up for their service, which is completely free of charge, here.

The final product
I was so excited to receive my product! I had never had the chance to customize something to this extent before. The $40 gift certificate I received from Shapeways was enough to create 6 customized ring poems. This also included free shipping, which is included with all orders. When I received my ring poems, I was so happy with how they turned out; they looked just like the image shown to me with the 3D software. For my ring poems, I chose one of my favorite quotes from Disney, “A dream is a wish that your heart makes” (from Cinderella). The pictures I have provided are ones that I took of the actual product I received. Please click on each picture to see larger, up-close pictures.

Finally, these ring poems are extremely unique and quite durable (please view the video I have included below for a first hand view of this product’s durability). I think these ring poems are excellent conversation pieces and unlike any napkin ring I have ever seen before! Ring poems are excellent for showcasing your favorite poem, quote or saying and can also be used to remember certain events, such as your wedding anniversary, a child’s birth, etc. In addition, ring poems make excellent gifts. Rings poems can even be used as party favors or favors for at weddings (what an excellent way to have your guests remember your special day).

Overall, I am extremely impressed with both the ease of this process and the final product. I am happy that Shapeways allows me to make my design dreams into a reality. This is a site I will definitely be keeping in mind for the future!

What can you win? One winner will receive a $50 gift certificate for Shapeways. This gift certificate can be used towards any of the items they sell.

To enter, go to Shapeways and look around. Then, come back here and leave a comment telling me what quote, phrase, etc. you would like to see on a ring poem.

Each of the following will give you one bonus entry in the giveaway. Please make sure to leave one extra comment for each thing you do:
-Go here and sign up as a member on Shapeways. Please make sure to tell me which email address you signed up with.
-Go look through Shapeways Gallery and tell me the name and owner of your favorite item.
-Tell me what you would use your gift certificate towards if you won.
-Blog about this giveaway with a link to this giveaway page and Shapeways.
-Tweet about this giveaway with a link to the giveaway page. Please leave a link to your tweet in your comment. You can do this once a day.

This giveaway will end on Monday, February 23rd at 11:59pm (Central Standard Time). After the giveaway has ended, I will go through all the entries and choose my personal favorite as the winner. EMAIL RULES: In order to win, you must provide a valid email. I will be notifying the winner by email only. Please make sure your blog profile includes your email address and make sure that it is visible. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you have included your email address in your post. If there is no email address provided, to contact the winner, another person will be chosen. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email notification with their complete mailing address (I will be forwarding all this information to the sponsor), If this information is not received within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to everyone worldwide!

Good Luck!