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. 

Oooh La La - Heather's Kitchen

When I decided to become an Uppercase Living demonstrator, I knew there would be lots of things about my new job that I would love. What I didn't think about was how many interesting people I would meet and how many lovely homes I'd be invited into.

Earlier this month I did a party at the home of one of the busiest women I've met yet. Heather is an active mom who is passionate about her involvement in her child's school; she teaches, travels, is an avid decorator and a competitive baker. She is a devoted friend and amazing hostess. Now that I've tasted her creations, I'm not surprised that she has has won numerous ribbons for her baking and shot two Food Network pilots . This woman knows her stuff: just check out this gorgeous table she set for her Uppercase Living party. Aren't her guests lucky?

I met Heather about 9 months ago when she was a guest at her friend's Uppercase Living party. Drawing upon her expertise in contracting and decorating, she quickly sized up my catalog and declared that she's seen similar products in showcase homes. She chose a few expressions for her home, but wasn't satisfied with our standard offerings for her kitchen. So she chose our expression, "Eat Well, Laugh Often, Love Much" and decided to translate it to fit her French theme kitchen. The translating part was easy for Heather, because, of course, she's fluent in French. Together we worked on a design that incorporated Fluers des Lis in two sizes. Mind you, this was before the upgraded MyDesign Suite was available so creating a design of this size was not easy. Nevertheless, Heather had a vision and she was undeterred.

What a thrill it was when I visited Heather's home to see that vision beautifully executed in the perfect spot in her kitchen. I don't know how many times I heard her guests say, "Have you seen the lettering in her kitchen?"

When I joined Uppercase Living, I knew that I would love seeing our products used in unique applications to express my clients' personality and individuality. Heather's kitchen is the perfect fit of product, client and design. My only challenge now was to create a hostess gift for Heather that would fit in with her ooh la la decor. Luckily, UL made that easy: Fluers des Lis coasters, of course!