Back to School With Uppercase Living: Getting Your Greek On

Every year, it seems Back To School time comes earlier and earlier. As my kids grow and my circle of friends expands, I'm realizing that "Back to School" means different things to different people. For me, it means buying jeans and sneakers and wondering about school lunches and kindergarten schedules, while adjusting to having a middle schooler for the first time. For my neighbor who works at home, it means the last few days of the countdown he started on the last day of school. And for others, it means dropping their babies off at dormitories and frat houses, saying "good bye" until their kids come home for Thanksgiving break.

For many, many young people, the college experience goes hand in hand with Sorority and Fraternity life. Students in the Greek system love to wear their letters with pride. It's on their clothing and jewelry...and now it can go on their walls and so many other places.

One of the best kept secrets about Uppercase Living is that we have the entire Greek alphabet in a range of sizes and all of our great colors. One of our smart Senior Directors took full advantage of this when she dropped her daughter off at the Pi Beta Phi house at the University of Kentucky this weekend by applying a variety of colorful expressions.

The main installation is the Sorority's letters that you see above. Of course, all college students need a memo board on their doors for notes from roommates and friends who stop by. So our Pi Phi got an Uppercase Living dry erase Erasable with a frame and again, the same Greek letters from the wall, in a much smaller size.

 

Throughout their history, the women of Pi Phi have been associated with Angels, so Mom chose an  Angel expression for above her daughter's bed in a color that perfectly complements the fun bedding. 

 On the adjoining wall, she created a custom expression about angels using two different fonts. Our vinyl lettering is the perfect solution for these walls because at the end of the year, the letters can be simply removed without causing any damage to the painted surface underneath.

Of course, doors and walls aren't the only places that can be adorned with those Greek letters. Think water bottles, cars, bikes or scooters, mirrors, and all those gifts for little sisters!

If your college student isn't in a sorority or fraternity, you can still send some lettering to school to decorate their dorm rooms and apartments. Keep your focus on the home team, school colors and lots of Erasables (stay tuned for a post on how Erasables can make going back to school a little easier).
Regardless of what kind of lettering you and your student choose to decorate with, it will add an element of fun, school pride and most important of all, a subtle reminder that someone at home is thinking about that student with love. Who knows? It might even motivate them to call home once in a while!

Thanks to Uppercase Living Senior Director Felicia Garrett for sharing these photos of her daughter's room.

FREE Expression Creates Cute Thanksgiving Project

 

Before you send me a nasty email about posting a Thanksgiving project in August, take a look at this fun idea. It's just too cute not to share right away. Besides, the expression you see here can be yours FREE with a qualifying order or party during August.

Without getting too sentimental or philosophical, I ardently believe that gratitude should be expressed daily, and I try to get my kids into that important habit. I loved our Gratitude Tree in last year's Holiday Catalog (psst...don't tell, I still haven't taken mine down). This little project can encourage your family to do just that, not just during Thanksgiving but throughout the year.  

Making this little project is easy: 

You'll need your expression which you can get FREE with a qualifying order in August, a pre-drilled MDF Foundations board (isn't it great that they now come painted?), and 7 clothespins. The clothespins in the photo have been dyed different colors with fabric dye. You could also dye them all the same color or cover them with scrapbook paper. Another option would be to use our Vintage Knobs or Metal Hooks and hang the little notes of gratitude with yarn or pretty ribbon. If you're using clothespins, glue them to your board to with wood glue, hot glue or glue dots. When the glue is dry you can clip little notes right to the board. 

To purchase the Uppercase Living lettering and Foundations board for this project, just contact me or visit my website. Don't forget to send me a photo of your finished project.

August Project of the Month: Keep Calm and Carry On

A new catalog brings with it lots of new options for monthly project ideas. One of my favorite new expressions inspires this month's: a prepainted (thank you crafting Gods) square Foundations board adorned with this simple instruction: Keep Calm and Carry On. You may have seen this message on posters or other items in trendy boutiques recently. It's based on a British poster designed in 1939 during World War I. For me, it serves as a daily reminder to not lose my mind and continue with the 3,000 or so items on my to-do list. It really is a good message to embrace. You can get both the board and the lettering, in the color of your choice, for just under $31. I think this is a perfect back to school gift for teachers, or a great gift for anyone with a high stress job. Keep in mind that the expression also comes in a smaller size, which would be perfect for the inside of a locker, as a little hidden reminder inside a kitchen cabinet, or even on the back of your car.

To learn more about the history of this unique expression, check out the Wikipedia entry. And, of course, to order your August monthly project, keep calm and contact me.