For You Lovers of Pottery Barn: Everything Is Coming Up Roosters!

Earlier this year, when Uppercase Living introduced our brand new Decorative Prints, I kind of scratched my head and wondered about them including a rooster set among the first few designs. Of all the possible choices, I thought, why start with something as random as roosters? Imagine my surprise when I opened my latest Pottery Barn catalog and saw a number of different items using, you guessed it, roosters! Once again, it seems that the UL designers were ahead of a trend by including those and all the other roosters in our catalog.

As it turns out, roosters are a symbol of luck and good fortune, and who doesn't want some of that good fortune represented in their home decor? Tuscan legend has it that one rooster's crow once saved an entire village from danger.

The tremendous variety in Pottery Barn's roosters lends them to lots of different decorating uses. From bright and whimsical, to understated folk art; from small details to large pieces, there's a way for everyone to include this cheerful trend in their decorating.

Whether you're ahead of the trends, have always loved roosters, or you'd like to add a little French Country flair to your home for the first time, Uppercase Living also has a choice for everyone.  Of course, the most vivid are those original Rooster Decorative Prints. The artwork on these is beautiful and the feathers are so lifelike. The touches of red would tie in beautifully with any other red items in a room. You can use these guys as a set or scatter them throughout your kitchen, living room or entry. I think they would look really cute on a back splash or just hanging out right above the baseboard. They come in 3 sizes to give you lots of options.

The rooster motif is also available in our matte vinyl. This choice gives you almost unlimited versatility for not only are these two rooster styles available in all of our 40+ colors, but they also come in sizes ranging from 3 to 18 inches. The smaller sizes can be applied to individual tiles in a back splash, used to create a border or applied to our coasters to create a decorative accessory or gift for a rooster lover. 

The larger size can be applied alone or in a grouping right to the wall.  It can also go on a tile or board to create a decorative accent. Here, a rooster in Whipped Creme is shown on our new Punched Metal Tile in Berry. You can continue the French Country theme by looping a ribbon through the holes and hanging it from our new Fleur de Lis medallion.

A more subtle effect is achieved by applying the rooster embellishments in Etched Glass on a glass kitchen door or cabinet front. Another idea is to use the Welcome Rooster in the black square Frameworks, as shown here. This is another idea of a great piece for your own home or for a sweet gift. The red vinyl picks up the tones in the cabinetry without being a perfect match.

For something completely different, try our brand new Barnyard pack, part of the Erasables line. Also available in dry erase vinyl, this set lends true country charm and whimsy to a kitchen. But it's just as cute in a child's farm themed bedroom, playroom, or even a classroom.

I have to admit that even I've been surprised at the versatility of roosters in decorating. With a few accessories and a vinyl piece or two you can play with this fun trend without making any permanent changes or major investments. Sure, you could buy a $400 ceramic rooster, but you can spend much less on Uppercase Living roosters and have a lot left over to decorate the rest of your home too!

Get Organized on the Cheap with Chalk Walls

So, it's mid-March, which means that you're probably beating yourself up about not keeping your New Year's resolutions. Or is that just me? If you're one of the gazillion people who has promised themselves that this is the year you will get organized once and for all, you are definitely not alone. I struggle with this, too, along with many of my friends. And judging by just how popular our Chalk Walls are, so do many of my customers. One of my most popular products, Chalk Walls are most commonly ordered for kids' rooms and kitchens. Not surprisingly, these are two of the rooms in the home that are most in need of organization.

Let's start with the kitchen. This is most families' gathering place and a prime location for an organizational tool to make everyone's lives a little easier. Whether it's a master calendar for the week's activities, a perpetual shopping list (like the one in the kitchen on the Brady Bunch!) or a central place to write down phone messages (no more lost Post-It notes!), a Chalk Walk in the kitchen just makes sense. Many kitchens simply do not have the wall space for artwork. But Chalk Walls come in a variety of sizes that are even narrow enough to go on a refrigerator. They can even be cut down to fit cabinet doors. A small piece on a dishwasher will eliminate the eternal question, "Are these dishes clean or dirty?" And a Chalk Wall on a lower cabinet gives a little one the perfect safe spot to be creative while Mommy is in the kitchen.


Chalk Walls are also the coolest way to keep kids organized and on track, while giving them a blank canvas to express their own creativity at the same time. Changing their minds is as easy as wiping a Chalk Wall clean and starting again. Create a Homework Command Center where your kids can keep track of assignments. Assign weekly chores with the Calendar Kit. Whether you're working on Potty Training, chores or remembering to brush teeth, a Chalk Wall makes a perfect reward chart. My favorite use for Chalk Walls is to surprise kids with funny and encouraging notes; anything that helps us communicate with our children gets an A+ from this mom!

Not only are Chalk Walls a smart organizational tool, you can be a smart shopper and save now using our Buy 2 Get 1 FREE promotion. A friend of mine purchased 3 Chalk Wall Rectangle Panels today: 2 are for her sons' rooms to help them stay organized and the third is for her kitchen. It will either hold her to-do list or her grocery list. The best part of her purchase is that she got the third one FREE! Knowing this particular friend, it won't be long before she orders a Chalk Wall for her daughter's room, another for the playroom and one more for her home office.

How are Chalk Walls helping you to stay organized? Send me a photo and you might just find your home featured right here!

Chalk Wall Tip #1: Use chalk markers, found in craft stores, for a fun addition of color on your Chalk Wall. Clean with a damp cloth or baby wipe.

Chalk Wall Tip #2: On my web site and in my catalog, chalkboard vinyl is designated with black and gray stripes.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Photos

So, did you watch? Did you love the transformation? Wasn't it a great story. Admit it, you got a little weepy, didn't you?


Good job to my eagle-eyed readers who spotted the two UL expressions that were used. Thanks for participating in my little contest. The winner's brand new catalog will be on its way as soon as I get mine (can't wait!).

Above you see one of the ways the EMHE design team used our products. I love this because you'd never know this was the "Bloom" growth chart. The designers carefully cut away the lettering as well as the numbers and were left with a gorgeous spray of flowers complete with fluttering butterflies. What a great way to dress up plain white hardware store cabinets.

You can view the rest of the pictures from the EMHE episode here.