Direct Sellers: Create A Booking Board for Your Display

Recently I had the pleasure of working with a group of ladies with Premier Designs jewelry on custom booking boards for their business. This newer idea has become one of my most popular designs lately, so I wanted to show you how to put one together. Take your time and follow these steps; you'll have a great display piece of your own in no time. 

Gather your supplies: 

• Uppercase Living Punched Metal Tile
• Uppercase Living Hostess Wanted expression in color of your choice
• Ruler, scissors, pencil
• Spray bottle with water
• Not pictured: small towel, magnets

Prepare your expression:

• Using the ruler, draw a straight line connecting the points of the triangles above and below the design, then the ones to the left and right. 
• If you'd like to create a space between the words of your booking board, carefully cut the expression where you'd like the space to be. 

Prepare your metal surface:

Use the spray bottle to spray a fine mist of water on your metal tile. Spread the water with your hand so the entire tile is covered.

Apply the vinyl expression: 

Turn each part of the expression upside down and slowly peel away the backing paper, revealing the sticky back side of your lettering. Discard backing paper and place expression on the tile, using the arrows and line you drew to line up the two parts of the expression with the tile and with each other. If you'd like, use the ruler to measure the expression to make sure it's been applied straight. The water allows you to pick up and move the vinyl expression as needed.

Once you have the two parts of the expression properly placed on the tile, use the towel to rub the top of the expression without removing the transfer tape. Apply firm pressure as you move the towel over the surface of the tile for several minutes. Test the expression by gently peeling back a corner of the transfer tape.  If the vinyl sticks to it and not to the tile, it's too wet to remove. You can continue to rub it or leave it to dry and try again after a few hours. Peel off all transfer tape and blot away any remaining moisture. 

You're DONE! 

Magnets will hold your open party dates, current specials or anything you'd like to highlight at your event. Give yourself a pat on the back and pack your new booking board with your work supplies to make sure you bring it to your next event!

Hello Spring!

Don't you just love spring? After dark, cold winter, we start getting brighter days and warmer temperatures. We look ahead to all the fun spring holidays (mmm...chocolate bunnies) and kids start counting down to Spring Break. After the heavy decor of winter, spring tends to be lighter and fresher. Just as the trees start blooming outside, we pull out brighter pieces to decorate inside. This year, Uppercase Living has some terrific pieces to add to your spring favorites. 

The best deal is the Hello Spring kit you see above. For only $19.95, you get a board, along with the full color Hoppy Easter expression and a Hello Spring expression, in the color of your choice, to use on the other side. This has been such a popular piece for my customers! 

Make sure to check out our other new spring designs, too. One of my favorites is the set of bunnies. You can see how easy they are to create fun Easter projects with! 

Which one of the new spring designs is your favorite? Leave me a comment and let me know! 

A Beautiful New Catalog

By far the highlight of our convention in Indianapolis was the introduction of our gorgeous new catalog. There is so much you'll love about this catalog: so many new expressions, three new decorative alphabets, brand new accessories and designs created just to fit them, three new colors and more! 

The cover shows you one of our new alphabets: the Split Monogram. Created from hand-drawn artwork, these are designed with space for your own custom lettering. I think these will be a big hit for holiday and wedding gifts. 

Another new alphabet is the Affirmation Alphabet. This is like nothing I've seen anywhere else and definitely fits with Uppercase Living's mission to help our customers live a life inspired. I can think of so many ways to use these. Our third new alphabet is one that will look familiar to Scrabble fans: the Alpha Numeric Alphabet. Our customers have been creating designs like this for years, so we're making it easy for everyone to order.  You can get these letters individually or in a set of the entire alphabet. Imagine how many words your could create with every letter. These letters are sized perfectly for our new 6" wood tiles. 

In addition to all those cool new expressions, we have new accessories. I'm so excited I'll say it again. In caps: WE HAVE NEW ACCESSORIES. Our white wood square tiles come ready to hang in either 6" or 12". And our unfinished DIY boards, also in two sizes, are double sided and ready for you to paint or Mod Podge paper to before adding your vinyl. But the coolest of all of our new accessories is the Puzzle Board! 

We have a whole new set of expressions created just for this board, but you can create anything you can imagine to go on them. These are great on their own, but the most fun thing about them is that they are true puzzle pieces that fit together. So you can create larger groupings right on the wall. There are so many creative ways to use these that they'll need a blog post all to themselves! 

Another surprise in this catalog was our pretty new font, Lavanderia. It's so fresh and versatile. I think I'll be using it in lots of custom designs! 

Finally, I'm thrilled that we have 3 new colors in our Premium Bond vinyl. This vinyl comes with a much stronger adhesive and is designed for outdoor installations - you don't want this on your painted walls! The addition of these new colors increases the options for those of you who want lettering for outdoor signs, storefronts, boats, and any other spot that needs to stand up to the elements. 

There's so much more in this new catalog than I'm unable to tell you about here: new project ideas, links to project videos, cool new techniques and so much gorgeous photography (including before and after shots, which we love!) to inspire you. I'm sure you can't wait to see the catalog for yourself, and you don't have to wait one more second! You can page through it right now on my website. As soon as you get your first look, you're going to want to call me and book a party so you can share all the new ideas with your friends, and get everything you want for free. When you do, I'll tell you all about our 4 different ways to party...but that's a whole other post, too. 

JoAnne's Baby Shower

When our friend JoAnne found out that she was unexpectedly pregnant last fall, the reaction from us friends went quickly from shock to delight and excitement. With our youngest kids in their last couple years of elementary school, most of us haven't been around babies for a while. Let's face it: at our age, our conversations focus more on peri-menopause than Pampers. We were even more excited when we found out that JoAnne was having a girl, after having two older boys. 

It was just a matter of weeks before we started planning the shower. Actually, I'm pretty sure our friend, Laura, called dibs on making the diaper cake before JoAnne could get the word "baby" out of her mouth. We settled on a French theme, since JoAnne was considering a few French names for the baby, with a pink, black and white color theme (actually Blush and Bashful, according to the guest of honor). The "Bébé Soiree" was on! 

It wasn't hard to divide up the work. Susan, the master organizer, offered to host the shower at her house; Sara took over the bulk of the food prep; Ginny was head of procurement; and Laura did the diaper cake. 

That left me with invitations, cake and favors. I decided that an occasion of this stature and importance merited proper paper invitations and not just an email. I found some cute pink and black scrapbook paper, pulled out my old paper crafting stuff and pulled together a simple layered invite. Favors were easy: store-bought macarons in cello bags with tags that I made to match the invitations. The cake was a little more challenging. We went back and forth on this after JoAnne was unfortunately diagnosed with gestational diabetes. But again, I decided that this baby shower required a cake. Besides, why should people have to go without cake just because of her bad luck? Ignoring my last big cake-baking endeavor, which ended with one layer on the kitchen floor, me screaming so loud the kids heard me from the garage, and an emergency run to the store for more cake mix, I decided on a pink champagne cake with raspberry jam between the layers and champagne buttercream frosting. Thankfully, polka dots went with our French theme, because that's pretty much the only thing I know how to pipe. With the cake decided on, the only thing left to do was figure out a cute UL piece to add to the decor.     

The thing about JoAnne is that she has a huge sense of humor. And also a potty mouth. I'm sure you're shocked to hear that a good friend of mine would (gasp) drop the occasional F-bomb, but it's true. In fact, she's gotten quite adept at circumventing the UL censors to create some unique custom designs. I knew that a cute little "Sweet Baby" sign just wouldn't be be quite right for this occasion. I also wanted to make something that she could use in the nursery after the baby was born. Suddenly, it came to me. Inspired by this book, I came up with the perfect idea. For the front of the tile, I used a damask embellishment in Cotton Candy behind the words "Bonjour Bébé" in one of my favorite UL fonts, Adore.

 

For the back of the tile, I wanted the same elegant look so I didn't change the fonts, colors or design. The wording, however, was something a mom or dad would utter at 3 a.m. when the precious little one just would not quiet down and drift off to dream land. It's possible that I had to submit the letters for this design in a little bit of a different order than you see here.

The pretty "Bonjour" sign was displayed right on a table in Susan's living room, along with the diaper cake and some other decorations. Halfway through the shower, I quietly flipped it around and waited for people to notice. Needless to say, there were plenty of laughs...and a little relief that JoAnne would be the one staying up with a crying newborn soon, and not the rest of us.

Doing this shower for JoAnne was an absolute pleasure. Her baby couldn't be sweeter; she is pink and perfect and has several adoring Aunties fighting over which one of us gets to hold her next. The sign will be go in her soon-to-be-Uppercased nursery and most of the time, it will be flipped to the side that says, "Bonjour Bébé."  Most of the time. Go the fuck to sleep. 

Father's Day Hand Print Project Party

I've come to really enjoy the project parties I've been holding at CReATE Studio in Westlake Village. So far, they've been adults-only evening events.  But last week I held my first "Mommy And Me" project parties where little ones got to create adorable Father's Day gifts.
We started with the Uppercase Living white square boards, applied the "Best Dad Hands Down" expressions, then added each child's hand print. That's when it got to be really fun. Not having really spent time with toddlers for a while, I had forgotten a few things about how they operate. They quickly reminded me.  From choosing paint colors, to sitting down at the table (or on the table, in one case), to actually opening their little fists, they are in charge. I heard little voices saying "I do myself!" more than a couple of times.
The project took the perfect amount of time: the kids were able to complete it, eat a cookie, walk to the park while the paint dried, and pick up their finished projects, all within about an hour.

Raven made three projects: one for her Dad and the others for her grandfathers. 

Mom adds names with a Sharpie. Someone is watching to make sure she's doing it right.

Colton was so proud of what
he and baby sister Sienna made. 

Liam wasn't too excited about
the paint on his hands, but he
sure loved his project!

Between the paint, spray bottles, and lots and lots of cookie crumbs, our projects could have been disastrous. But the moms (and a couple of grandmas) kept their cool, the kids rose to the occasion, and we ended up with finished projects that will make some lucky dads and grandpas very, very happy this on Father's Day.
Since I wanted to take each of those cute kids home with me, I'm going to have to come up with another Mommy and Me project idea pretty quickly.  Can't wait to create with this fun little people again soon!

For The Love Of Pink!

Say "Hello" to Uppercase Living's newest color, Pink Peony! It was introduced today as a replacement for the discontinued Fairy Tale Pink, and I couldn't be more excited. This is a cooler shade of pink, with a fresh, on-trend feel. In fact, it was chosen in part because it's closer to the current shades of pink being used in home decor products right now, making it a better match for items you're seeing in stores or may already have in your home.

Pink Peony is an obvious choice for designs that are traditionally pink, including girly looks, breast cancer awareness, and spring decor. It's also a great pop of color in room with cool neutrals like gray or brown. It will look great as a one-color design by itself:

Item #21965 in Pink Peony, #30111 Punched Metal Tile

or combined with another color in a two part expression:

Item #21853 shown in Pink Peony and Slate Grey

For those of you who prefer a softer shade of pink, Cotton Candy is still available. Where will you use Pink Peony first?

Brand New Ideas For Father's Day

With Easter and Mother's Day behind us, it's time to think about different ways to honor Dad on Father's Day. Of course, Uppercase Living has some great ideas for unique, personal gifts. You'll love how easy and affordable these are!

The first idea is great for dads of younger kids. The "Best Dad Ever" expression is placed on our pre-painted square MDF board.  The fun comes when you paint the kids' little hands and apply a hand print to the center. If the hands are small enough, you can do both hands, or more than one child's. I've also done 3 hands on one board by layering the smaller hand prints over the larger. Just use different colors of paint, letting each dry completely before you apply the next. The darkest paint goes on first.

We've also just released 3 new expressions that are perfect for a simple Father's Day project that will become a treasured keepsake. The instructions are the same regardless of which expression you choose. You'll need:

• 8x10 frame
• 1 sheet of scrapbook paper, cut to size. (Choose a light color with a small pattern)
• Your Uppercase Living expression
• Mistick wet application spray (or water) optional

Clean the glass in the frame completely with a lint-free cloth. Apply the UL expression, using Mistick, if you prefer to do a wet application (I always do a wet application on glass), to the glass in the spot of your choice.

Have the kids, grandkids and other family members write messages on the scrapbook paper, being careful to avoid the part that will be covered by the expression. You can also add photos to the scrapbook paper to make it even more unique. Put it in the frame and wrap the whole thing up for Dad!

What I really like about the "I Love You Because" expression is that it's not limited for just Father's Day. In fact, I think I'm going to add it to some Chalkboard or Dry Erase Vinyl and find a home for it in my house. We can all use a little extra love in our day. 

A Special Mother's Day Project

Mother's Day is almost here and all moms love something hand made by their little darlings. Luckily, Uppercase Living expressions are perfect for making your own creations. In fact, UL has just released, for a limited time, some lovely expressions perfect for those special ladies. The video shows you a great project using one of those expressions and our Glass Charger. Mom will display this proudly...just don't expect her to hang it on the refrigerator.

Counting Down to Christmas With Uppercase Living

By far one of my favorite things in our Holiday Mini Catalog is this year's Christmas Countdown Kit. My kids love counting the days until Santa comes so we're all about a cute set like this. It's perfect for any home with children, churches, classrooms, Grandma's house, and even makes a whimsical addition to an office.

I also love this because it is a fantastic value. For only $19.95 the kit includes the metal charger, the two part expression in your choice of colors (I got mine in Crimson Red and Electric Lime), and a magnet that moves closer to Christmas with each passing day. All you do is assemble it (if you're local, I can do that for you) and begin the fun. You can even send it as a gift directly to someone who will think of you each day they move that magnet.

UL Tip: Glue a sparkly snowflake or other embellishment to the magnet to make it extra special. 

If you order your kit today, it will be an even better value because you'll also receive this 11"x11" sheet of Christmas designs absolutely FREE.

Whether it's for you or a gift, this is one decoration that will be enjoyed year after year, for the entire month of December. Happy counting!

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.

Our Brand New Catalog Has Arrived!!!!

Last week, at our annual convention at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Uppercase Living finally revealed the brand new vinyl catalog that we've all been waiting impatiently for. It is now available for you to page through on my website. All the new expressions are also there for you to browse or search. There is just too much good stuff for me to detail individually here. But here are some of the highlights to whet your appetite. Hostesses always get free catalogs, so contact me to schedule your party and I'll get one out to you ASAP. And now, here's the scoop:

Brand new color: This year's new color is Mustard Seed. It's a deep yellow that is not only decor-friendly, but the perfect shade for softballs and water polo balls for all those sports teams. I think it will look particularly beautiful on darker walls and/or paired with Navy, Slate Gray (a very on-trend combination right now) or Vintage Bordeaux. 

Tons of new expressions: I love our new expressions. So many beautiful sentiments with more contemporary fonts and styling; sweet, fun, romantic, serious and playful; always with the most important undertone being home, family and the activities that bond us together. There are so many inspirational words for your walls. Here's one of my favorites:

Big Changes on Accessories: You'll notice that our Accessories section has been streamlined. The MDF Foundations boards all now come painted white!! There's a gorgeous new Vintage Embossed Metal Board in Berry, which previously had just been a seasonal item. Best news of all: lower prices on all Frameworks!!

New Grande Format Designs: These versatile designs continue to be popular.  Among the botanicals and other designs are my favorite: headboards! Over the years I've designed many headboard replacements for customers who just couldn't have the real thing. Now I can add two actual headboard designs to the options. Here is the wrought iron look:

12 New Fonts: The choices in creating your own vinyl lettering designs are greater than ever with the introduction of 12 new fun, contemporary, classy, versatile and gorgeous fonts. Which do you like best?

A Brand New Hostess Rewards Plan: Our new, simplified hostess rewards plan gives you more FREE and half price products than ever before when you host a fun Uppercase Living party. Every hostess with a qualifying party gets at least 2 half price items in addition to her FREE products. Plus, you'll earn FREE products based on every single dollar your guests spend at your party. More goodies for you! As my calendar fills with hostesses wanting to share the new catalog with their friends, party dates will be more difficult to fine. I'd love to schedule yours!

Fun New Additions to Erasables: We love our Chalk Walls because they come in handy in so many ways. Plus they are just so much fun! The new Value Pack is perfect for organizing any space, from a pantry to a craft room to a garage...and more! Our Chalk Markers are now available in red and blue. And guess what else:

I can't wait to share more ideas for this fun and versatile product with you. Look for my "Back to School With Chalk Wall" post soon.

Returning Favorites: To celebrate Uppercase Living's 5th anniversary, some customer favorites have been brought out of retirement and back to our new catalog. You'll be able to find them all with the special logo throughout the catalog. Here's one I love that is not only cute for a bathroom but perfect for a dental office:

Those are just some of the highlights of this fantastic new catalog. Others include leopard print, the Serenity Prayer, owls, lots of great clocks and so much more. Once again, the possibilities for lettering and design are virtually unlimited. I would love the opportunity to help you create a uniquely personalized space with our products. Design and consultation services are always FREE and you can even earn your products FREE when you host a party. Just let me know how I can help you. And if you love working with me, I would appreciate your referrals. I consider them the highest form of praise. I look forward to working with all of you and sharing the great new products in this catalog, and many many more new things with you.

June Project of the Month: Patriotic Coasters for July 4th

Even though it's cold and drizzling here today, summer is definitely on the way. It is by far my favorite season and I'm looking forward to kicking it off with fireworks and BBQs on the 4th of July. The perfect accessory for those celebrations on the 4th is this month's special Project: a set of patriotic coasters custom designed just for the day. Of course, you can get a couple of sets so that everyone has a place to set down those cold drinks. But if you happen to be a guest, and not a host, for the 4th, these are the perfect hostess gift for you to take. These are also a terrific year-round gift for any of our wonderful military families or anyone who loves being an American.

This project kit includes the set of 4 plain glass coasters, 4 star embellishments and the words God Bless The USA perfectly sized to fit each coaster. The words will come mirror imaged, to be applied them to the bottom of the coaster. It will read perfectly, but the top of your coaster will be smooth because all of the vinyl will be underneath. Just apply the word first, then the star.

Tip: To help with a smoother installation, use Mistick application solution and the wet installation method. 

The best part about this month's project is that the entire kit qualifies for Buy 2 Get 1 FREE! You'll be able to get each kit for $27.50 (plus tax and S&H), a 25% savings!

If you'd like to get together a group of friends to make these coasters at a project party, I'm happy to come over and help. Just contact me to set the date. Your friends will also get the Buy 2, Get 1 FREE special on the coasters and anything else they purchase. And you might just earn yourself some FREE products just for hosting.

Whether you give this month's project as a gift or keep it for yourself, it's sure to be enjoyed for many and at many BBQs to come. And don't worry, mustard will wipe right off!

Tips & Tricks for Specialty Vinyl

One of the things that sets Uppercase Living far above our competition is our large variety of color choices. Our expressions come in 39 colors of matte interior vinyl, many of them exclusive to our company. But our matte vinyl is just the beginning of our color story. We also offer several types of specialty colors and finishes. Here are some descriptions and tips for each type to help you make an informed choice next time you place an order:

METALLIC VINYL - Just like our matte interior vinyl, the color of our metallic vinyl goes all the way through. It is applied the same and "behaves" the same. There is no additional charge for metallic colors.

SHIMMER VINYL - Shimmer Vinyl has separate color and shimmer layers. It is not the same color all the way through and therefore cannot be manufactured in a mirror image. Shimmer Vinyl is a little more delicate than our standard matte vinyl and requires a bit of a gentle touch; it is easier to accidentally stretch out during installation, so be careful pulling off the transfer tape. There is an additional charge for Shimmer Vinyl.

ETCHED GLASS - Our Etched Glass color has been consistently popular since it was introduced. It has a stronger bond than our standard matte vinyl and is therefore not recommended for painted surfaces. We do recommend using Mistick wet application solution for applying Etched Glass (and all our vinyl) to glass and other nonporous surfaces.  An additional charge applies to Etched Glass expressions.

Etched Glass embellishments applied to drinking glasses.

PREMIUM BOND - This is the unsung hero of our color palette. Premium Bond vinyl is intended to withstand most weather conditions, making it a perfect choice for outdoor use (think mailboxes, store windows, and signs). It is considered a permanent addition and definitely not intended for painted surfaces. The stronger adhesive will likely take some paint with it when it is removed. However, you might just decide to use it on one of our Foundations pieces because of its glossy finish. There is no additional charge for Premium Bond.

Of course, I am always available to help you choose just the right type of vinyl for your project. Don't hesitate to contact me to brainstorm how using Uppercase Living specialty vinyl can help your vision come to life.

May Project of the Month: A Double Duty Graduation Gift

Maybe it's because I'm a little wistful at the thought of my daughter graduating 5th grade and my son graduating preschool, but this month's project kind of calls out to me. I can see it used in so many different ways. As shown, it's a perfect personal gift or centerpiece for a graduation party. The colors can match school colors and you can change the name or leave it off altogether. But what's great about this design is that it's been applied to our Vintage Round Embossed Metal Charger so that it  doubles as a magnetic photo board, too. It's a great, lightweight graduation gift that can go to college or a new apartment and hold memories from Senior year (or Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, in the case of my son).
This same expression (or any of our other graduation expressions) can also be used with our Square Charger. Not only would it give a different look, but party guests can sign it with a permanent marker, such as a Sharpie, as a lasting keepsake for the guest of honor. 

June holds not only graduations but also Father's Day, and this idea would be also be a perfect gift for Dad or Grandpa. Magnets make it easy to change out photos so there's always a fresh batch of family pictures on display.  Or, if you choose the Square Charger, the kids can each write a message on it.

Of course, either of these designs would be a perfect teacher's gift. They can also be modified for bridal showers and weddings, two more of spring's big celebrations. However you modify these designs for your needs, keep in mind that all orders receive FREE SHIPPING this month. I'd love to help you create the ideal design for each of your spring occasions. Enjoy this month's project and share your ideas here too!