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.

Get INSPIRED for FREE!

One of our biggest incentives of the year, Inspirations, is here again and as always, there is truly something for everyone! Between Feb. 7 and March 15, customers, hostesses and new demonstrators will love the bonuses coming their way:


Customers-In addition to the FREE gifts we offer each month with qualifying orders, customers who spend just $50 during  Inspirations will also get to choose one of our most popular designs for FREE! Orders over $100 will get two free gifts, and orders over $150 will receive three, all in the color of your choice. This is in addition to the FREE expressions they would already get.

Chances are you either already have one of these expressions in your home or at least one is on your wish list right now. Just go ahead and add them to your order FREE and enjoy decorating even more spaces in your home than you budgeted for. So many of these expressions would make a gorgeous gift for a wedding, housewarming, or lots of other occasions. All you have to do is pick which FREE expressions you'd like and choose your colors.

Hostesses- Your Double Up Rewards are now Triple Up Rewards!!  That means you get even more FREE and half price products when you host a qualifying party. And our new Booking Reward gives you an extra half price item for each of your guests (up to 3) who schedules a party, too!

New Demonstrators- Sign up now to join Uppercase Living and get our biggest Starter Kit yet! Not only will you get tons of business supplies and product to get your started, along with $100 in product of your choice, you'll also get over $100 in bonus kits. These kits are designed to display our products at all the parties you'll be holding, but they're so nice you'll want them in your own home. When you calculate the value of the kits and the your free product credit, you'll realize that you'll be getting your business supplies as well as this amazing opportunity practically for FREE! I hate to tell you that my starter kit was priced well above this one, and didn't have nearly the same amount of product.

Existing Demonstrators- You can bet there are great incentives for you, too. But you'll have to be on my team to find out all about them!

Needless to say, Uppercase Living has outdone itself with plenty of Inspiration to go all around. If you haven't seen it yet, you'll be further inspired by our gorgeous new Collections Mini Catalog. I have so much to tell you about each part of this incentive. Let's chat and determine the best way for you to take advantage of it. I'm thrilled to share Inspirations with all of you, and thank you for allowing me to bring this fabulous incentive to your homes.

Hostess Tip: If you're hosting a party during the Inspirations incentive, place an order of at least $50 before your show. You'll earn 2 FREE bonus expressions, and your purchase amount will be TRIPLED and added to your party total. One purchase will earn you FREE product twice!

Hostess With the Bonus - Day 7

It's time. The last day of Hostess With the Bonus. I dragged out the "week" a little, to give as many people as possible the chance to earn a FREE BONUS GIFT when they schedule an Uppercase Living party with me for November, December, or January.

Today's bonus is the Punched Metal Tile in Berry. You can choose whether you'd like the 8x8 or 12x12 size. I chose red because it's perfect to use now for the holiday season. But after New Year's, you can put a heart embellishment or other sweet expression on it and use it through Valentine's Day. Speaking of Valentine's Day, customers and hostesses with qualifying orders/parties in December and January can choose Valentine's designs for their FREE gifts. There are lots of cute ideas, some of which I'll be posting some here soon. To see the full Monthly Special Sheets for November, December, and January, just visit my Facebook page.

There you have it, a full week's worth of FREE gifts for my awesome hostesses. I appreciate you all so much. It's wonderful to be able to work with such lovely ladies, and I'm looking forward to all the parties that have been scheduled during this special promotion. To add yours to my calendar, just contact me today and start thinking about which of your FREE hostess gifts you'll put on your gorgeous new red tile.

Hostess With the Bonus: Day 6

I took the weekend off from Hostess With the Bonus, mainly because my family was in the middle of Soccer madness. Soccer season may be coming to an end, but Bonus gifts for hostesses continue!Today's Bonus is our very popular acrylic block. This lightweight accessory is perfect for decorating on both sides to make it do double duty. You can fill it or leave it empty, or even add a light to the inside. There are so many ways to use this fantastic accessory. You'll probably want more than one. But your first one is on me when you contact me today to schedule your in-person or online party for November, December or January.

Here's a look at the block complete with a 2-part holiday expression and a ribbon. I love the idea of leaving this particular block out during the entire holiday season and encouraging your family and guests to drop some change in. Then, after Christmas, you can donate the contents to a local charity and prolong the giving spirit of the season. How will you use your FREE Hostess Bonus?

Special Gifts for November Hostesses and Customers!

Just as I was feeling pretty clever about my Hostess With the Bonus giveaway, Uppercase Living one-upped me with two very cool offers for Hostesses and Customers. Starting today, through November 23rd, every customer who places an order of $40 or more will receive a FREE Holiday Expressions Assortment!!

Over 50 holiday themed words and designs in Soft Silver will help you create cards, ornaments, frames, gifts and so much more this holiday season. Hooray for free!

Hostesses whose guest orders reach $200 will also receive this 11 x 11 sheet of expressions, a $16.95 value, absolutely free.

Speaking of hostesses, there's one more bonus for them: when a party reaches $400 in guest orders, the hostess rewards will automatically bump up a level, giving the hostess even more free and half price items than she would normally earn.

There are so many bonuses flying around that I can hardly keep track. The bottom line is this: spend $40, get some free goodies. Host a party, get lots of free goodies. The Hostess With the Bonus becomes the Hostess with the Bonus, the Other Bonus and Some More Bonus. Well-played, UL, but the whole thing was my idea first!

Ideas for FREE September Gifts

It's time for a preview of  September's FREE expressions and some ideas of how you can use them in to make some cute projects this fall. As a reminder, each month Uppercase Living gives you a choice of up to three FREE expressions with qualifying orders. Hostesses can choose from six expressions for FREE; it's just another great benefit of hosting an Uppercase Living party.

In addition to the "Think Pink" expression I recently posted about, customers can choose the Halloween Skull and Crossbones. It's shown here in Bright White on a Black Vintage Metal Embossed Board. You can add Shimmer Effects to make it sparkle on those dark fall nights.  

Another fun choice for Halloween is the Trick Or Treat free Hostess expression. In this photo, it's been applied to our new (and fabulous) Double Frameworks insert, covered with decorative paper, on top with a magnetic insert on the bottom. I love the clever candy corn in the corners. Two Lemon Chiffon and two Pumpkin Spice 2" Candy Corn embellishments were switched around so each corner gets a two-color design! The best part is that you can change out the embellishments and the inserts for each holiday, season or event in your family.

 After Halloween, hostesses might choose this FREE expression to decorate their homes for fall. This warm autumn welcome is shown in Terra Cotta and Pumpkin Spice and has been applied to the large Cocoa Punched Metal Tile. Don't forget that you can choose something different for the back of the tile. We love accessories that pull double duty. 

Although it's hard to choose, this elegant frame is my favorite of these ideas. I love that the two-part hostess expression has been cut apart to accommodate the shape of the frame. This gorgeous accessory is one you'll keep around long after the season.

To view this month's FREE expressions visit my website and just decide if you're going to place an order, host a party, or both! My fall schedule is filling up quickly. Don't wait too long to get your preferred party date.

Thinking Pink Year Round

Some of you many not know that Uppercase Living offers FREE expressions every month to all of our hostesses and customers. The designs change each month, but there is almost always a seasonal choice to correspond with any upcoming holidays or just the change of the seasons. Our designers work several months ahead so that you'll have your expressions in plenty of time to decorate well before the holiday. That's why you'll see a Halloween option among this month's designs, for example. The August free gifts also include two choices to help commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which falls in October.

Personally, I'm thrilled that these expressions are available now for our customers. Unfortunately, cancer doesn't wait for a particular time of year to strike and so we need to be vigilant about it year-round. Check the girls regularly, talk to your doctor, get your mammogram...all that stuff, and that's not just limited to the ladies. Many of us have loved ones who have fought this disease and it's also nice to honor their battles throughout the year, not just in a particular month.

The hostess expression above is displayed on a punched metal tile but would look just as great on our square Frameworks or on the wall with some pictures.

The more casual "Think pink" expression is perfect for a car so that your message of hope, awareness and encouragement can travel with you. But it also fits nicely in our rectangle Frameworks. It would also be great on a refrigerator as a reminder to reach for something healthy each time you open the door. These would also be perfect gifts for anyone who is currently fighting or has dealt with breast cancer in the past. You won't find these items in our catalog or on my website, so please contact me to find out how you can earn one yourself.

As a mother, daughter, sister and wife, as someone who has a daughter of my own and has had too many loved ones affected by breast cancer, I am eager to see this terrible disease cured once and for all. Therefore, I would be happy to organize a fund-raiser for any breast cancer organization and donate a portion of my sales to further research, provide mammograms and/or help care for patients and their families. If you're interested, please contact me. It would be my pleasure to be part of this crusade.

Ideas for November Incentive Expressions

The November orders have all been submitted and the last few shipments are making their way to all of you. For many of you, your packages will include one or more of our exclusive free incentive expressions. If you're still wondering how to use them, here are some unique ideas:

This exclusive hostess expression in Soft Gold and Pine Green has been applied to the Scalloped Charger. Vinyl Effects solution has been added to the candles for added dimension, then faux holly leaves and berries were hot-glued on.


This expression achieves a two-color look with just one color of vinyl. If you look closely, you'll see that every other ornament is gold. Applied to a Foundations MDF board painted with Whipped Creme Toolbox Paint, the vinyl was then further embellished. The selected ornaments were covered with Vinyl Effects, then dusted with gold superfine glitter. Once the excess glitter was removed, the sparkly ornaments above were revealed.


By far the most popular free expression in November was the elegant "Welcome" you see above. Most people ordered it in Matte Black to apply in their entryway, but doesn't look great here in silver. Do you believe it is displayed in our best-seller Frameworks frame with interchangeable inserts which has been spray painted silver? Silver wired ribbon and sleigh bells add a perfect holiday touch, but can easily be removed after the season.

I'd love to see how you've used your monthly free expressions. Email me a photo and you might find yourself featured here.

Ideas for September Hostesses

Each month, UL customers and hostesses earn free products with their qualifying orders. Many of my hostesses having a hard time choosing their free expressions(s). Hopefully the ideas here will help you visualize what those expressions really look like and help you have an easier time making your choice when it's your turn.

Just Treats

The "Just Treats" expression is pictured here in Sugared Plum on the Scalloped Charger. Use this to serve up your favorite Halloween goodies.

Live, Hope, Love

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, this expression is shown in Bright White and Fairytale Pink. However, by changing the color of the "hope" portion of the expression, you can choose a cause that is meaningful to you. View this page to learn what each color ribbon symbolizes.

To create this project, apply the expression to the insert of our new square Frameworks. I prefer to use Mistick when working with Frameworks. Apply 3 UL Blooms in White/Honey Wheat to the frame itself.

Pumpkin Patch

The pumpkin on this charming expression reminds me of the one that turned into Cinderella's coach. This versatile expression can be used throughout October and November.

Here it is applied to our new square charger. Ribbon has been glued to the back of the charger and the whole thing hangs from a UL Medallion. The color is Terra Cotta but you can go a little bit brighter with Valencia Orange.

Spooktacular

The Spooktacular expression is available for both hostesses and customers. I love how it dresses up our new pre-drilled MDF board. I can just see some spooky spider webs or some gauze the Mummy left behind hanging from the hooks.

The board is first painted with our Toolbox Paint before the expression, shown here in Lemon Chiffon, is applied. The cool spider web effect is easily created with our new Vinyl Effects product. You will love using Vinyl Effects to add a new dimension to your vinyl projects. For more detailed instructions, just leave me a comment and let me know you'd like them.

These are just 4 of the 6 seasonal expressions available to our hostesses this month (all customers get to choose from 3). You can view them all on this page of my website by clicking on the September Hostess and Customer Gifts link. Hopefully the photos here have given you some ideas of how you'll use your free UL expressions in your home this fall.