Coaster Extravaganza - DATE CHANGE

If you've spent any time at all reading Please Use Your Words, you know that I'm a huge fan of our versatile, affordable, fantastic coasters. I think they are the perfect solution for gift giving, party favors, theme decor, and so much more. It's no wonder that they are among my best-selling products. Due to their popularity during the holiday season, I've decided to dedicate a whole project party just to making coasters. Here are the details:

Date: Friday, November 19 (NOTE DATE CHANGE)

Time: 9:30-12:30

Place: My Home

Refreshments: Of course! 

Each set of 4 coasters costs only $15. I will have an assortment of seasonal and everyday words and designs to help you create a variety of designs. You can also order custom embellishments or lettering for your coasters or choose from the limited-time coaster kits in our holiday catalog. There is no limit to the number of coaster sets you can make. Of course, there will be the usual drawings, giveaways and a 10% discount on all orders placed at the Coaster Extravaganza! 

As you think about your gift list, don't forget that coaster sets make terrific hostess gifts and are great to have on hand for a last-minute gift exchange or invitation. No more scrambling when you have the perfect thing ready to go! The sets can be broken up to create individual, inexpensive gifts as well. Here are lots more ideas of how you can customize them to make your gift giving both simple and personal.

If you'd like to take part, but can't attend, just let me know how many sets of coasters you'd like to make and what you'd like on them. I can deliver the kits to you (or have them shipped directly if you're out of town) or even assemble them for you. 

So, glance through my catalog, go through your gift list, and let me know how many sets of coasters you'd like to work on at the Coaster Extravaganza. I must receive your order by October 29 to guarantee on-time delivery of your items. I'm so looking forward to spending a morning with a great group of people and helping all of you create fantastic holiday gifts. I won't even tell if the gifts you make are for YOU! 

October 2010 Customer Newsletter

Hostess Center Helps Maximize Your Hostess Rewards 
Ever since the new Hostess Center on my website was unveiled this summer, hostesses have loved using the tools it provides to help them maximize their free benefits for having a party. It's easy to send out invitations, keep an eye on RSVPs, send reminders, and best of all, watch your rewards add up as your guests place online orders! By far the most exciting part of the Hostess Center is that it allows you to invite friends and family from anywhere in the US or Canada to place orders associated with your party and earn hostess credit for those purchases. This not only gives hostesses maximum flexibility, but it also lets them have online-only parties no matter where they are located. I'd love to help you earn the most hostess benefits possible by using the fabulous Hostess Center. Contact me to schedule your fall party and I'll make sure to help you navigate this fun tool. 

Limited Time Left to Take Advantage of FREE Starter Kit Special for New Demonstrators 
Our FREE Starter Kit Special ends October 11 so if you've been thinking about joining this great company, don't miss out on the chance to get your Starter Kit for free. It's a great time of year to start with Uppercase Living, as your friends and family will love our products for holiday decorating and gifts. I'll be here to help every step of the way and help you earn all of the many rewards available as an Uppercase Living Demonstrator. No matter where you're located, I'd love to talk with you about joining my team (my goal is to have team members in all 50 states!). Call or email me today so we can set you up to take advantage of the FREE Starter Kit and more! 
 
Coaster Extravaganza Coming November 15
My first project party of the season will be a Coaster Extravaganza on Friday, November 5 from 9:30-12:30. Each 4-pack of coasters will be only $15 and you'll have dozens of choices for words and designs to decorate them with. You can even customize them by pre-ordering custom letters, monograms or designs. Don't forget, you can break up a set of coasters for individual gifts (think office gifts, teachers, hair stylists, manicurists, etc.). Email me with your order before Monday and you can also get the FREE Customer Celebration Sampler. Please RSVP as I won't have many extra coasters on hand. If you'd like to have your own project party with your friends, contact me to set it up. A fun time for everyone, completed projects to take home, and hostess rewards for you!

Popular Items In Our Current Catalogs 
Our two current catalogs have so many new ideas that it's difficult to know where to start. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices, perhaps this list of our most popular items will help you narrow your focus:

• Dry-Erase or Chalk Wall Chore Chart
• Birthday Countdown
• Christmas Countdown
• Card Kits
• Snowman or Pumpkin Face Activity Kits
• Gratitude Tree with Dry Erase leaves
• Punched Metal Tile
• Chalk Markers - vibrant colors with no dust or mess

If your wish list is bigger than your budget, host a party and get that wish list for FREE. My hostesses have been earning anywhere from $70 to over $100 in FREE products plus half price items with their qualifying parties. Contact me to select a date before my fall calendar fills up.

Congratulations Raffle Winners!  
Thanks to everyone who attended my Open House last Sunday and Monday. It was great to see some friends I hadn't seen for a while and meet new ones too. It's always fun to tell people about all the ways Uppercase Living can help them in their decorating and gift giving, but it's also great to hear fresh ideas that I haven't thought of. As you know, I love to spoil my customers and hostesses, so I had lots of raffles and giveaways. Here are the lucky winners:

• Eiffel Tower Sampler - Rosalie Meyer
• 18 Word Assortment - Lisa Daley
• Coasters for Coaster Extravaganza - Susan Tannenbaum
• Home Sweet Home Expression - Cynthia Wennberg
• Bird On Branch Sampler - Mimi Crandall
• Warmest Welcome Expression - Liz Petridis
• Birds, Leaves and Flowers Sampler - Jo-Ann Capelaci
• 10" Monogram Door Prize - Micky Buono
• 10" Monogram Thanks For Bringing a Guest - Sophia Rohde & Laurie Hurley
• GRAND PRIZE 2x2 foot PHOTO PRINT - JoAnne Beatty

Congratulations to all the winners. Please contact me ASAP so I can arrange to get your prize to you! 

Happy Birthday!  
As you can see by the long list of raffle winners, I love to give presents, so I'm giving a 10% discount on one item to all of the ladies who are celebrating a birthday in October: Blanca D., Rosalie M., Janet S., Kathy S., Sarah F., Erika B., Karynn B., Lisa Z. and the truly fabulous Sadaf. I feel so fortunate to count you ladies among my friends. I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

I know I'll be talking to many of you between now and the holidays. Never hesitate to contact me if you're stuck for a gift or decor idea. I love brainstorming with you!

Just in time for holiday planning, decorating and shopping, it's time for my annual fall Open House. Uppercase Living has outdone themselves with fantastic ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah and Christmas. And if that's not enough, our new catalog is full of year-round ideas for every room in your home and beyond!
As always, guests are welcome, so grab a friend or two, or ten! If you've been planning to have a party but haven't gotten around to it, bring your guests to my Open House and get all the hostess benefits without having to clean your house or make snacks!
To make it more convenient for you to attend, I'm hosting my Open House over two days:

Sunday Sept. 26  12-5
Monday Sept. 27 9:30-12:30

Please let me know in your RSVP when you plan to come so I can make sure to have enough snacks and supplies. No matter whicd day you choose, you'll love the new items, free sample craft, and lots of prizes and giveaways. I'll also have information about our FREE Starter Kits for new Demonstrators, my October Coaster Party and more project and craft nights coming up.

Former Hostesses will receive a bonus 10% discount on their entire order as my special holiday "Thank You."

Earn a raffle ticket before you get here just by submitting your RSVP! You'll get more for bringing a guest, placing an order, scheduling your party and more! The Grand Prize is a FREE Photo Print and there will be lots of other goodies as well.

To view our holiday catalog and new items before the Open House, visit my website If you'd like to place an order but won't be able to come, you can contact me directly or  order on my site. Just associate it with the Pre-Holiday Open House.

Looking forward to seeing all of you!

"Any Color But Black" Friday Sale

All around the nation this Friday morning, even late Thursday night, legions of Americans will be interrupting their weekend of food, family and gratitude to participate in a barbaric ritual perpetrated by retailers that has come to be called "Black Friday." These poor people will be waiting in lines, huddled against the cold, to be among the first to grab a coveted "door buster" and get a marginally good deal on a holiday item. Baited by the stores and malls, these valiant shoppers fight for parking, take their place in those early morning lines and hope it will all be worth it. Instead, they could be sleeping in their warm beds, enjoying an early morning walk, or having a slice of leftover pie with their families, all still in their cozy pajamas. Tsk, tsk. Is this what Thanksgiving weekend has come to? Black Friday, indeed.


I am here to show America a better way. Announcing Torreh's First Annual Any Color But Black Friday Uppercase Living Sale.

Now, instead of being on your feet in line, you can shop from your favorite seat at home, a cup of something warm by your side, all comfy and cozy in your leopard print Snuggie. If you don't feel like it, you don't even have to put on a bra.

Here are the rules:

1. There will be no discounts on products ordered before noon. So don't wake up at the crack of dawn thinking you're getting ahead of everyone.
2. Quantities are not limited. Get as much as you want, and then tell your friends and they can get as much as they want too.
3. Discounts and promotions are not valid on website orders. You must call or email me.
4. Only the promotion at the time of your call or email is valid at that time. However, you can plan ahead and order at more than one time.
5. Discounts do not apply to current party or Open House orders.
   
6. There will be no hitting, running, fighting, or grabbing items out of the hands of aggressive shoppers.

Now that we have that out of the way, here are the hourly deals:

Noon-2 P.M. 10% off all accessories

2 P.M.-4 P.M. Free chalk pen with all Chalk Wall purchases

4 P.M.-6 P.M. Get one free 3" embellishment with each set of coasters purchased

6 P.M.-8 P.M. 10% off all items in Shimmer Vinyl or Etched Glass - includes upgrade fee!

8 P.M.-10 P.M. FREE SHIPPING

But wait, there's still more! These additional promotions are in effect the entire day:

• All orders of $200 or more (before tax, S&H, and discounts) qualify for hostess benefits and additional free product
• Your pre-discounted order will be eligible to earn free monthly incentive expressions
• Refer a friend discount: if a friend who's not currently my client places an order and tells me she or he was referred by you, you both get an additional 5% discount off your order.
  
• Schedule a party discount: schedule a future Uppercase Living home party and receive 10% off your entire order placed Friday.
  
• Free Value Pack offer applies to all Photo Print orders of 4x4 or greater

(this is the part where you start humming The Battle Hymn of the Republic)

So now, America, the decision is yours. Will you crawl out of your warm bed on a cold morning to fight for a few good deals? Or will you shop smarter, not harder, do something fun, enjoy spending time with your family, and have a stuffing and mashed potato sandwich while you browse my catalog and website and save money from your favorite chair. I think the choice is obvious.

Fun Hannukah Project

Thinking about Hanukkah projects tonight, I came up with this great one. Everyone knows that the best part of Hanukkah is piles of crisp latkes (never soggy) topped with applesauce, sour cream and green onions...all at once. Mmmmm...

And what better to serve all those latkes on than our glass charger, customized with this expression and a dreidel? Yes, that's right. You can serve food on Uppercased dishes. In the case of this piece, I will order the vinyl pieces mirror-imaged for you so that they can be applied to the bottom of the glass and never come in contact with the food. A quick hand wash with soap and water when you're done and it continues to look great. I like this so much I might have to make one for myself.

And of course, it doesn't have to be just for Latkes. Change it to "Got Cookies?" "Got Grandma's Brownies?" "Got Pie?" or whatever your family loves to eat.

Order the kit to create on your own or work on at my project night. Latkes not included (cause I ate them all).

More Project Night Ideas

I've already told you about my Project Night on Dec. 4th. So you know that you can pick from the kits in the Holiday Catalog, the projects I've created or come up with your own, like my friend Karynn did. As you make your final project choices (don't forget the ordering deadline is just a few days away) here are four more ideas for you to consider. What I love about all of them is their versatility and your ability to completely customize them. Each gift you make can truly be one of a kind.

1. Photo Coasters: Uppercase Living coasters embellished with vinyl squares to protect the photos that you provide. Gifts don't get more personalized than this. 2. Glass Candle Tray: Embellished with an "etched glass" medallion, this charger becomes an elegant gift that can be displayed on the included easel when it's not holding the candles you add.


3. Reversible Holiday Chipboard Accordion: I love items that can be used for more than one holiday. This cute chipboard accordion has a Christmas greeting on one side and is ready for Valentine's day on the other.

You choose the embellishments and colors; I'll provide the coordinating background paper and ribbon. Paper and ribbon will vary from what's pictured.

4. GIVE Box: You may have seen this in my last newsletter but I love it so much that I had to feature it again. This is our acrylic block embellished with our two part "Give" expression. The block includes a top that turns it into a bank. The idea behind this item is to fill it with spare change throughout the holidays and then donate the contents to a charitable organization at the end of the season. Although it's pictured here in shimmery holiday colors, I think it's worth keeping out and using all year, both at home and at work.


Contact me for pricing or to reserve your kits. Remember, you don't have to attend Project Night to work on these kits.

Project Night Information

You've all been asking me when this year's project night was going to be and what the projects will be. The wait is over!

December 7
7:00 p.m.
My House

This year's format will be a little different. Not only will you get to choose from the projects I've designed, you can also pick the project kits from our holiday catalog or create your own Uppercase Living projects to work on. Either way, you'll have lots of help, snacks, prize drawings, a 10% discount on all purchases made that night and a chance to learn new techniques and go home with gifts and decor items in hand. If you can't make it that night but would still like the project kits, no problem. They can be ordered at any time. However, if you plan to work on your projects at my house on December 7th, your kits must be ordered (and paid for) no later than Nov. 10.

In case you haven't seen them yet, here are some photos of what's available from the Holiday Catalog. Keep in mind that each of these kits can be ordered with your choice of vinyl color(s) and you can choose whether you'd like the selected holiday or everyday expression.













Here you can see options
for each kit that aren't included in the holiday catalog. My favorite is the Family Photo Memories Board. I think it's the perfect gift for every grandparent and family on your list. You don't even have to paint the board! Details and pricing for the kits are available in the catalog or on my website.

In addition to these kits, I've designed some projects for you, too. I tried to include a range of prices and options. Money and time are in short supply all around. So, you can come to my project night, hang out for a little bit and have some fun creating projects to take home with you. Having snacks and drinks while you create one-of-a-kind handmade holiday gifts sure sounds a lot better than fighting 3 other cars for the last parking spot at the mall, doesn't it? The kits you see here are all completely customizable. You can change them however you like. Just contact me to discuss how you'd like your unique items.

Frames
Available in both 4x6 and 5x7, these acrylic frames are embellished with Shimmer Vinyl words and matching ribbon. Choice of words: Believe (silver), ho ho ho (cranberry), Joy (evergreen), PEACE (gold). Ribbon choices will vary.
4x6 $5 5x7 $8






2-sided Decorated Tin Tile
Our 8x8 crème tin tile decorated with “Santa’s Landing Zone” on one side and “Love” on the other. Both sides will be accentuated with glittery accents. Use one side for Christmas, the other for Valentine’s Day. You will love the snowy, shimmery, glittery detail on this one. Can be customized with your choice of color. Includes satin ribbon for hanging. One-sided also available. $41


2-sided Acrylic Block

This double-sided lightweight block will fit all your moods! The plain side simply says “bah humbug” while the decorated side features a wreath and the words “ho ho ho” in a scroll font with a decorative paper background. Ribbon and background choices may vary. $44








Set of 4 Decorated Glass Coasters
Embellish each coaster with a design or monogram to suit the recipients. Lots of customization options. Let me help you come up with the perfect project kit. Also available individually.

Monograms $20 Other designs $27


Also available, but not pictured are the following:

Hannukah Block
Our lightweight acrylic block embellished with your choice of menorah or dreidel on one side and the expression “Believe in Miracles” on the other. You can add glitter for extra sparkle. Fill with gelt or mini dreidels. Many customization options. $44

Ornaments
Filled clear balls embellished with shimmer vinyl words.
Choice of words: Believe (silver), ho ho ho (cranberry), Joy (evergreen), PEACE (gold)
$5/each $20/4

Votives
Clear candle holders decorated with shimmer vinyl words and a ribbon. Choice of words: Believe (silver), ho ho ho (cranberry), Joy (evergreen), PEACE (gold) $6/each, $15/3

If you need more options than the ones here, talk to me about creating a custom project that is just right for you. The great thing about UL is that there are infinite ways to make each item unique.

Here's the rest of the information you'll need to know:

• All orders must be pre-paid by November 10. Double Up Credits will not apply. Project kits are non-refundable.
• Project kits will be available for those not able to attend but must be pre-ordered.
• Selection of ribbons and background papers will vary.
• Private project parties can also be scheduled.
  
• Another session may be added if there is enough interest.

PLEASE CONTACT ME TO FINALIZE YOUR ORDER DETAILS.

I am so looking forward to this project night and hope you'll love all the kits as much as I do. Make your list, check it twice and let me know which projects to reserve for you!