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. 

Customer Celebration Day Oct. 28: A FREE Expression and Two New Kits!

Hooray for Customer Celebration Days! I always love giving my customers more than they expect and, in this case, that means they get a FREE Happy Holidays expression with every order placed this Thursday, October 28. Not only is this an exclusive expression, not to be found in our catalog, but it's yours in Shimmer Cranberry, one of our beautiful specialty colors, without the usual upgrade fee!

I love the idea of this expression right on the wall above a fireplace, as you see here, or above a doorway to welcome guests who visit during the holiday season. Of course, it is the perfect for adorning your front door to spread the holiday cheer outside. Other ideas for this versatile FREE expression include applying it on a platter to serve holiday treats, placing it on a mirror, or even on your back windshield to spread holiday cheer everywhere you drive! However, since most of you like using our seasonal expressions from year to year, our Foundations accessories are the perfect choice.

An obvious choice to display this expression is the Vintage Embossed Metal Board in Creme. This lightweight piece is great for your own home or office, or for gift-giving in the enclosed gift box.

You can kick your display up a notch by applying it to the Pre-Drilled MDF Board (seen here painted in Whipped Creme Toolbox Paint).  Our Bulldog Clips have been added to it with a little bit of seasonal ribbon. The clips can be used to hold special holiday cards, photos, or even letters to Santa. As a variation on this design, you can use our Vintage Knobs instead of the bulldog clips and hang ornaments from them to mirror the expression. Make sure to leave one knob for mistletoe!

When you purchase the materials for either of these projects, you'll receive the lettering for FREE, essentially creating your own kit!

For the Vintage Embossed Metal Board Kit, just order the Board (Item #300155)and your expression will automatically be included with your order.

For the Pre-Drilled MDF Board Kit, you'll need to order:
Pre-Drilled MDF Board (#300132)
Whipped Creme Toolbox Paint (#300144)
Set of 4 Bulldog Clips (#300134) OR Vintage Knobs (#300136)

Bonus Offer #1: If you purchase the Pre-Drilled MDF Board Kit, I will provide the ribbon to complete your project in style!

Bonus Offer #2: Local customers who order the Vintage Embossed Metal Board Kit can choose to have me assemble their project for them at no charge. You'll receive your metal board ready to hang or give as a gift! If you're not going to have me assemble your board, consider adding Mistick to your order to ease application.

I anticipate a very busy day at Uppercase Living on Thursday, so please get your orders to me no later than 4 PM on Thursday. I can't wait to share this shimmery expression with you all and seeing how you use it to begin your holiday decorating or gift-giving this year.

Getting Up and Around: JoAnne's Rotunda

 

JoAnne had a problem. Her gorgeous home has a rotunda! Most of us don't have a whole lot of extra space in our homes, much less a rotunda. As you can imagine, it's difficult to decorate a space with rounded walls. JoAnne was feeling a little stuck about how to proceed when we met at her friend's Uppercase Living party. 

During my demonstration, I mentioned that our expressions can fit rounded objects such as vases, wine glasses or candle holders. All of a sudden, JoAnne realized that she had found the solution for decorating her rotunda. It took her some time to choose the perfect expression for the space, and then a little more time to actually apply it after it arrived. A few accessories and narrow frames holding photos of her adorable boys fill the space below the expression, which unifies the space and fits the curved wall beautifully. Now not only do JoAnne and her family have a beautiful space to enjoy, but visitors to their home are greeted with a lovely foyer and a warm, welcoming expression that describes this sweet family perfectly.

If you have a space in your home that's a decorating challenge, don't give up on it! Let me help you brainstorm a solution that you may not have thought possible. Like my friend, JoAnne, you could end up with a unique result that's as enjoyable for you as it is welcoming to your guests.

Customer Celebration Day - Ideas for FREE HALLOWEEN EXPRESSION

Uppercase Living's first Customer Celebration Day is TODAY! Hooray. I love being able to spoil my customers so I'm thrilled to give you all a FREE Halloween expression for any order placed today until midnight (MT). This cute expression, in Valencia Orange, comes in a special size available only today, perfect for our rectangular Foundations pieces, your front door, a black tray, treat bowl or anywhere else that needs a little spookiness! 

Putting it on our Black Vintage Embossed Metal Board is a no-brainer: no painting required and it's easy to save it to use year after year. If you'd like to spend a little more time on a custom painted background, try the Rectangular MDF board. Here it's been painted in Matte Black and distressed slightly. 

One of my favorite places for this expression is this cute metal tub. You could use this to bob for apples, hold cold drinks or display pumpkins and gourds. You will love pulling this tub out every year!

 

If you feel like getting even more creative, check out how cute the same expression looks on the Pre-drilled MDF board. Painted in Lemon Chiffon with Terra Cotta edges, the white knobs have been embellished with spooky spiders crawling in all different directions. 

  

All you have to do is place an order today and your FREE Halloween expression will be included in your shipment. I'd love to know how you plan to use yours, so leave me a comment and share where you'll display yours this Halloween. 

Exclusive Halloween Welcome Kit Is A Bewitchingly Good Deal!

Just in time for your Halloween decorating, here is a boo-tiful new kit from Uppercase Living. The exclusive Halloween Welcome Kit includes the Black Mini Punched Metal Tile (regular price $9.95), black ribbon and the spooky Haunted House Welcome expression in your choice of Valencia Orange, Electric Lime or Soft Silver.  This whole kit, an over $20 value if purchased separately (which isn't possible because the Haunted House Welcome is only available in the kit), is only $7.95, a frightfully good deal! At this price you'll want one to greet the ghosts and goblins who visit your home throughout the season. You can even get one for each of your little monsters' rooms. But you'll also be able to afford several as gifts for your favorite witch, werewolf and zombie.
Alas, like vampires, these kits are only around for a limited time so you can only get yours until October 11, or until they're all gone. If you're bloody smart, you'll get a Fall expression or embellishment for the back so you can flip it around and continue to use it through Thanksgiving. But if you wait too long, you won't have a ghost of a chance of getting one!
Hop on your broom and fly over to my website to order yours now (or you can just send me an email) or better yet, invite the rest of the coven over for an Uppercase Living party at your cave and I'll give you one for FREE. Qualified catalog parties count too!
Whether you buy yours or get one free for hosting, don't miss out on this Halloween treat to adorn your Haunted House. 

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!

For You Lovers of Restoration Hardware: Tami's Entryway

If you've ever stepped inside Restoration Hardware and felt the rich, inviting tones of their blue-gray and deep chocolate brown color palette, you can imagine the look of my friend Tami's entryway (I love this color combination so much I used it for my own bedroom). She's spent a lot of time and effort adding on to her home and it looks fabulous. Decorator touches don't overshadow the fact that this is a busy, loving family with four active boys.

Tami is relatively new to Uppercase Living, but she started off with a great choice. Yesterday, the two of us installed the expression you see above a table and a grouping of photos in her entryway. Blurry cell-phone photo aside, it was really the perfect expression, size and color for this spot. What a lovely way to be greeted each time you enter this home. I can't wait to see what Tami does next!

Send me your photos of UL expressions in your home and you just might see them featured here!

View this expression on my website here.