Score One For The Teacher!

 

After years of tying shoelaces, catching passed notes and hearing lame excuses, the teachers finally have their day! With our brand-new (and very limited) special offer, the teacher can exact revenge by offering up his or her own lame excuse: My Dog Ate My Lesson Plan. Take that! 

Is this kit not the cutest gift for your favorite teacher? The 6x6 expression comes in Robin's Egg and you'll have your choice of an Artichoke (shown above), Creme, or Cocoa Mini Punched Tile with a coordinating ribbon. The best part? The whole thing is only $9.95. The other best part? The Spring Fever 20% discount can also be used on this kit! At that price, you can get one for every teacher, not just your favorites! I love that with the end of the school year coming up, Uppercase Living has provided a kit that is fun, different and so affordable.

 Make your gift do double duty by adding a "Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History" expression to the back for just a few dollars more. But remember, this kit is very limited in quantity so don't wait to order yours. In fact, I'll be placing an order for these tomorrow morning for my local customers; I'd be happy to add yours to it and assemble it for you as well. 

For those of you who order this as a gift, here's some homework: after you give this finished set, come back here and post what your lucky teacher said about it. Please use complete sentences.

Not For The Well-Behaved

Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History

Think fast. Who does this expression remind you of? I can think of so many awesome women I know who broke the rules and were better off for it. These women may be brave, stubborn, loud, or a little rough around the edges. What they aren't is well behaved. Not content to smile and watch the world go by, they are passionate and jump into any task with fists flying.


Uppercase Living is celebrating these ladies with their latest special release. Available in any of our 50 colors, it's the perfect size (about 4" x 5") to put on a locker, laptop, mirror, frame or so may other places. The best part of this expression is the price: it's just $7.95 but it's eligible for our 20% April promotion and you can even use the $5 coupon you received if you made a purchase in February or March. There is no limit to how many you can order, but the 20% discount is only good this month. You can pair the expression with one of accessories to make a complete gift or accent for your own home or office. Here are some ideas:

• Get one of these for your favorite rule-breaking friend. You know, the one who's just a little more bad-ass than the rest of the girls. 
• Did your mom or grandma face some particularly difficult challenges in her life? Get this as a perfect Mother's Day gift to honor the ones who didn't behave well and made a different in your life. Order by April 25 to guarantee delivery by Mother's Day

 

 

• Do you know a Mom who's dealing with a particularly feisty toddler daughter? Get this for her as a reminder that her stubborn baby girl may just grow up to be a successful, history-making rule breaker.
  

• Send off those graduates with one of these great reminders. You can even choose the expression in one of their school colors. Put it on an acrylic block filled with quarters for laundry or a stash of emergency candy.

However you decide to design your gift, don't forget that all accessories are also 20% off this month when you use the code SPRINGFEVER.  However you choose to display these great little decals, you'll love having them and you'll love saving so much on them even more. If you've got a unique idea or special person in mind for one of these, I'd love to have you comment and let us know about it.

Inspired by Erin: Marital Milestones

My friend Erin has an uncanny ability to translate emotions into vinyl. A true UL pro, she has a way to turn the simplest words into the most meaningful designs (don't tell her I steal a bunch of them). A devoted wife and mom of 5 beautiful daughters, it's not surprising that most of her designs are inspired by her family.

As you know, one of the many reasons I love Uppercase Living is that our products allow you to express what's unique, personal and meaningful to you. There are no "cookie cutter" designs; you create what you love. With her latest design, Erin has taken this concept to the next level and created an actual history of the important dates in her marriage. The words in the above expression had been swirling in her mind for some time. She knew she wanted to use them in her bedroom but wasn't sure how. She finally hit on the idea of listing the milestone dates in her relationship with her husband - the day they met, got engaged, their anniversary and their daughters' birthdays, among others - and using them as a background for the design. It really doesn't get any more special than something so personal. The dates make me think of a secret code that only two can solve. This expression, measuring over 50 inches, will be a focal point in Erin's master bedroom and serve as a reminder of all that she and her husband have been through together.

As a record of a couple's relationship, this is an amazing anniversary gift. But the concept can be used in so many other ways. For example, as a wedding gift it can list the couple's engagement date and wedding date with room for more and the expression,"The best is yet to come." In a child's room, dates made up of small numbers can go up the wall vertically, creating a growth chart punctuated by the dates the child started walking, talking, etc. Imagine the dates as a border, encircling a room and evoking memories each time you glance at them. Or create a smaller version on our Vintage Embossed Metal Board using the kids' birthdays as a backdrop for a special Mother's Day gift.

Looking back on our relationships, there are those days that stay in our memories with crystal-clear clarity. Erin's design gives them their proper place: front and center, paired with a few simple words that convey a lifetime's worth of emotion.

April Project Of The Month: A Teacher's Gift With Class

I'm so excited to tell you my latest news. Starting this April I will feature a different project each month. My vision for the Project of the Month is to offer you a complete kit that you can assemble to create a unique gift or home accent with little effort. I'll do the planning and the choosing. You just tell me how many you'd like and what color you'd like them in. It doesn't get much easier than that!

To kick off, I have a kit that you can use to create the ideal end-of-year gift for your kids' teachers Pictured here, your kit will come with our Square Frameworks in white and an exclusive expression for your favorite teacher. Even the ribbon is included (please note that you will receive white ribbon and not the pattern shown in the photo). You can choose the expression in the photo above, or customize it further with a different expression. How about "World's Greatest Teacher" or "Teachers Make the Little Ones Count?" Of course, you can also create a custom expression and include the teacher's name. The best part of this kit is that once assembled, you can have all of the students sign the frame with a permanent marker. The younger the students, the cuter their handwriting will be. And if they are a little older, they can add a personal note along with their name.

Psst, room moms: the other parents in class will love you for finding this fabulous gift. Not only is it customized and personal, but it's absolutely affordable. Our April 20% off special brings the cost of this kit to well under $50 (before tax and shipping charges). You'll probably have enough left in your budget for a gift card or a bouquet of flowers for the teacher.

You can contact me to order this month's kit or place your order directly on my website. Make sure to use the coupon code SPRINGFEVER to receive your 20% discount.

I hope you enjoy the new monthly Projects. I'd love to hear from you about what you'd like to see in the future. And I definitely want to hear how those lucky teachers like their gifts.

Customer Photos: Raquel's Inviting Home

Those who are fortunate enough to get invited to my hostess, Raquel's, home might feel so welcome and at ease that they may never want to leave. If you're lucky, like I was when I went to do her Uppercase Living party in February, you'll be greeted by a sweet little girl even before you enter her home. She'll enchant you with her sing-songy voice as she leads you to the front door. Once inside you'll be welcomed by the beautiful Raquel and another, smaller, smiling little girl who clearly dotes on her big sister.

Raquel created this custom design to adorn the arched entry to her kitchen.

As you glance around Raquel's home, you notice the family photos first. Carefully arranged into attractive groupings, they showcase happy members of this close family. This is a home where there is no shortage of love.

There's also no shortage of style. The walls are painted in rich colors that are both trendy and elegant. The furniture is comfortable, attractive and perfectly accessorized. When you comment on how beautifully Raquel's home is decorated, she admits with a smile that that her husband, Jose, is actually the one with the eye for design. It seems like no detail was left missing, except for the finishing touch that Uppercase Living lettering adds to a room. Luckily, Raquel found me and added meaningful words to her home, unifying the look and expressing the emotion behind the decor.

The photos show you some of the expressions Raquel chose at her party. The custom "Mi Casa es Su Casa" (Spanish for "My house is your house." See, I told you her home is welcoming!) is directly across from her entry. What a lovely greeting for visitors to this bilingual home.  A gorgeous portrait of Raquel and Jose is crowned by the romantic expression, "Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite."

Of all the expressions Raquel chose, I think the most perfect for her home is the two-part "FAMILY where life begins and love never ends" placed above one of the family picture groupings. Notice that big A monogram? True to the decor in the rest of the home, it's right on-trend but personal at the same time.

It is such a treat for me to spend time with my hostesses and their friends and family. Raquel is definitely one of those people who I'd love to be friends with, even if she wasn't a customer. Her tight-knit family and friends were such lovely guests. I'm looking forward to hanging out with this group again next month. I'm sure that Raquel will once again choose an expression that is simple, decorative, and a beautiful expression of the warmth and love in her home.