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.

August Project of the Month: Keep Calm and Carry On

A new catalog brings with it lots of new options for monthly project ideas. One of my favorite new expressions inspires this month's: a prepainted (thank you crafting Gods) square Foundations board adorned with this simple instruction: Keep Calm and Carry On. You may have seen this message on posters or other items in trendy boutiques recently. It's based on a British poster designed in 1939 during World War I. For me, it serves as a daily reminder to not lose my mind and continue with the 3,000 or so items on my to-do list. It really is a good message to embrace. You can get both the board and the lettering, in the color of your choice, for just under $31. I think this is a perfect back to school gift for teachers, or a great gift for anyone with a high stress job. Keep in mind that the expression also comes in a smaller size, which would be perfect for the inside of a locker, as a little hidden reminder inside a kitchen cabinet, or even on the back of your car.

To learn more about the history of this unique expression, check out the Wikipedia entry. And, of course, to order your August monthly project, keep calm and contact me.

Greet Spring With A FREE Expression!

What's better than Buy Two, Get One FREE? A FREE gift on top of it!  I'm thrilled to let you know about a one day only FREE Gift special. Every order placed Tuesday, January 18 will automatically receive this cute "springtime" expression in Electric Lime. It's perfectly sized to go on your front door or the back of your car. It will also fit on any of our 22" x 4" accessories for a fun seasonal display. Here are some other ways to use this FREE gift around your home this spring:

For a cute accessory that you can use year after year, you can cut the expression between the "g" and "t" and apply it to our Frameworks photo frame which has been spray painted white.This photo gives you such a great look at the sweet detail in every letter of this expression.

Create a cute "clip" board by adding your free expression to our Pre-Drilled MDF board (here shown painted with Lemon Chiffon Toolbox Paint). Add your choice of clips or hooks and you've got a great project!

This sweet wall hanging was created by cutting the free expression to our Metal Charger and accentuating it with some butterflies and a Mini Bloom. Hanging from our Daisy Medallion, it's another cute accessory that you'll be able to use year after year. You can even use the included magnet to turn it into a photo board.

The best part of this deal is not just that you get a free springtime expression with every order, but that our Buy Two, Get One FREE special also applies So get your orders placed Tuesday and enjoy the benefits of a great special and a sweet springtime deal.

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.

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. 

Photo A Day #10 - The Perfect Gift. and Getting Down To The Wire

Isn't it wonderful when you find the perfect gift? Something personal, reasonably priced and unique? And isn't it even more wonderful when you find a perfect gift that is perfect for so many people? I think this expression fits that description beautifully. Already inexpensive, it's even more so as part of our Buy One, Get One FREE Summer Splash promotion. It can be easily personalized for each recipient and is versatile enough for so many different people: from the newlyweds who are setting up their first home to the recent college graduate moving out for the first time to a couple celebrating an anniversary and more.

My suggestion is to buy several of these expressions in a few neutral colors: Chocolate Brown, Whipped Creme, Warm Stone, Matte Black, etc. Order in even numbers because they are Buy One, Get One FREE! Pick up some Foundations MDF Boards and Toolbox Paint or Punched Metal Tiles, because they are 20% OFF. In fact, get some coordinating Trimmings Ribbon, too. If you already know who you'd like to give them to, custom design the dates to add to each expression. But if you don't, just put them away and wait until you need a perfect gift. At that point, you can order the numbers to make your gift a one-of-a-kind keepsake that will be treasured.

The expression in this design isn't available on my website, so call or email me to order it. But don't wait too long because Buy One, Get One FREE ends tomorrow night and the expression itself will be retired July 19. You'll save so much money that you'll definitely want to pick one up for yourself too!

Photo A Day #8...Counting Down to End of Summer Splash

And now, for something completely different...
Isn't this piece gorgeous?!
I love this combination of colors, textures and fonts. This two-part expression is pictured here on a square Foundations MDF board which has been dry brushed with some paint. As it is, it's a lovely table top item, especially since the board is 20% off right now. But wouldn't it be dramatic in a larger size for the wall of a master bedroom? Lucky you, you can get both because they're Buy One, Get One FREE! But sadly, this is also one of our retiring expressions and it won't be available much longer. You can get it until July 19, but this is the last weekend for Summer Splash and the Buy One, Get One FREE sale. The great deals will end Monday night, so don't miss out!

Celebrating Dad (without going broke)

Dads love a good deal, don't they? They love to tell you about how they shopped around, did their research and finally negotiated a deal that the salesperson admitted he wouldn't even give his own relatives. As you think about how you'd like to honor the dads in your life on Father's Day this year, take a lesson and get yourself a great deal, too.

By know you should have seen my earlier post on these great kits. Each one comes with a painted Foundations piece, in this case the Metal Board and the 12x12 MDF board, which is already painted and ready to go. You choose the color of the expression, quickly put it together and give Dad a sweet and unique gift.

Now, during Summer Splash, these kits (and all the others in our Celebrations catalog) are 20% off!


If the dad you're shopping for is a golfer, here's the perfect expression for him.

Put this on the back of his car, on an office wall or in his Man Cave. Throw in a gift certificate for a couple rounds of golf and you've made his day. Search my website for more golf ideas.

If you're shopping for a dad who prefers fishing, here's a great choice:

This expression really brings to mind the peacefulness of spending a day fishing out in nature. This would be equally beautiful on the wall or on Dad's boat.



This is another great fishing expression that would look equally great on the wall or on a board for Dad. Coordinate the color of the expression with his boat, truck or cabin. Of course, you can always get Dad both of these expressions because they're now Buy One, Get One FREE!!


As usual, I've saved my favorite idea for last. This time it also happens to be the most affordable. Dad's favorite gadget, be it a laptop, iPad, Kindle or even a Nintendo DS, can be easily embellished with Uppercase Living. In this case, Dad's name is Own and he loves basketball. With Buy One, Get One FREE this whole design costs $6 or so! There are so many fonts and designs to choose from that you can find something perfect no matter what Dad's into.


Non-Father's Day Tip: Use UL lettering to put the kids' names on their hand held gaming devices to prevent endless rounds of "he's playing with miiiiiiiiiiiiiine."

As you make your choices for Father's Day gifts, don't forget Buy One, Get One FREE makes every purchase a great deal. Whether you tell Dad or not is up to you.

Quick Projects for Father's Day

Now that Mother's Day has come and gone, we all have one thing on our mind (no, not how to return those ugly pajamas without the kids finding out): what to get dad, or our kids' dad for Father's Day. Hopefully, all you moms got spoiled on Mother's Day. Now it's time to repay the favor with something thoughtful,. personal, and because you have 43 kabillion other things to do, QUICK! Here are a couple of ideas that fit the bill:

Both of these projects are from our Spring Celebrations Mini Catalog and both come with everything included to complete the gifts. The "Best Dad Ever" kit is just $21.95 and would look so cute hanging in Dad's workshop.

My favorite kit for Father's Day is the "Memories of Dad" metal board. The gorgeous blue color sets of your choice of vinyl color beautifully. Best of all, it includes 3 magnets so that you can continually update the photos that it displays.

You can find more Father's Day ideas on my website by simply searching for Father or Dad on the product search page. Don't limit yourself just to those, though. If the dad you're shopping for has a favorite hobby or pastime, use that as your search term. You'll find ideas under "golf," "fishing," "grilling," and many more.

Perhaps the best idea isn't even one that you'll find in our wide range of products. Simply create the custom expression World's Greatest DAD in our MyDesign Suite and surprise dad by applying it to the back of his car before he gets up on Father's Day. Unlike yet another tie or pair of cuff links, that is one Father's Day gift he'll be proud to wear, day after day.

DON'T FORGET: All of these ideas and more are 20% off when your order reaches $50. This great deal goes away on May 19, so don't wait too long to order.

Make a Mom's Day

It just dawned on me that Mother's Day is about 3 weeks away and I have to get my act together to make my mom's day special. Too bad my sister and I are all grown up, because I have the perfect Mother's Day gift for any mom with young kids or a mommy-to-be (think baby showers).As all we moms know, our babies grow up way too quickly. Therefore, I love anything that helps us preserve those precious moments and memories of their childhood. A hand print does just that. Now that my own children are getting older (sniffle, sniffle) they love looking at how small their own hands and feet were when they were little.
The Little Prints Keepsake Kit comes with everything you need to create a permanent keepsake of a time when your baby's hand were still small enough to fit in yours. Everything is included: from a pre-painted board to paint, a paint brush and even ribbon for hanging. While you're on my website, check out all of the other great ideas for spring celebrating and gift-giving. And if you are the one with small ones, don't think you have to wait around for someone to pick this up for you. It won't be around for long, and the other thing moms know is that if we want something done, we have to do it ourselves.

Late March Customer Newsletter

There's so much news to share with you that I just couldn't wait until next month to tell you about it. You will want to take advantage of some great deals before they expire and hear all about our new spring Celebrations catalog with tons of kits for all the upcoming events! There are also great opportunities for hostesses and new demonstrators as well as our brand new fund raising program. Here we go!

Final Weeks for Buy 2 Get 1 FREE
As always, our Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion has been very popular. The special applies to ALL catalog items including accessories, Photo Prints and custom designs. This is a great time to stock up on things like party favors, wedding decor, or anything you'll need multiples of. We love anything that makes gift giving and decorating affordable. The deadline to take advantage of this fabulous promotion is Monday, April 5 at noon (MST). However, I will be celebrating my son's birthday on the 3rd and away on the 4th and 5th with very limited access to our ordering system. If you need my help placing an order, please don't wait until the last couple of days of this busy promotion period. Of course, you can place orders on my website through the morning of April 5th.

NEW! Spring Celebrations Mini Catalog

You are going to absolutely love Uppercase Living's brand new mini catalog. Filled with kits for all those big events in the spring from graduations to weddings to Mother's Day, Father's day and so much more. Brides will love the Grande Format monograms and expressions that are sized perfectly for dance floors. Moms will love the choice of kits for heartfelt teachers' gifts. Add a metal photo board for Father's Day, some reusable full color birthday party decorations with matching favor bags and a fantastic, personal graduation gift and you are pretty much set for the entire season. You will thank yourself for making your gift giving so simple this year.

You can begin placing orders from this new catalog starting April 6. I'll be mailing or dropping off copies to former hostesses this week. I do have a pdf file of the entire catalog which I'd be happy to send to anyone who'd like it. I didn't want to attach it here because it is quite a large file. I can also mail a physical copy to you if you'd like one. Just let me know!

Bump Up Rewards for Hostesses
For a short time in April, qualifying hostesses can bump up their rewards one level to earn even more free and half-price items. To take advantage of this bonus, your party needs to CLOSE between April 6 and April 23. With so many great products not just in our regular catalog but in the Celebrations mini, your friends will have lots to choose from to help you earn big rewards. Because this bonus period is so short, my available dates will fill up quickly. Please contact me ASAP with your preferred dates so we can get your party on the calendar.

Bonus Incentive for New Demonstrators
Through the end of March, I am offering a $25 sign up bonus to anyone who joins my sales team. Here's the simple math: your starter kit, which costs $99 (Essentials Plus kit is $199) comes with a $25 product credit and a $25 bonus from me. That means you're essentially spending $49 on your kit. You choose how you'd like your bonus: cash, products or supplies. UL has so much to offer this spring that your business is sure to get off to a quick start and you'll soon be enjoying working your business the way I do: on your time, around your family's schedule and however you like (in your pajamas, at Starbucks, with friends, ALL OF THE ABOVE)! To learn more about why now is a great time to join my team, read my blog post on this very subject. I'm pleased to tell you that so far this month 3 smart ladies have taken me up on my offer. If you'd like more information about this fun business, just let me know. And if you mention that you read my monthly newsletter, I'll add an extra bonus for you when you join my team.

NEW! Fund Raising Options
Calling all team moms, cheer moms, dance moms and anyone who has a cause you need to raise money for. UL has just announced a fantastic fund raising program for your team or group. Reasonably priced embellishments with custom lettering put money right back into your group. Customized flyers make this process easy to manage. Just contact me so we can discuss how our great products can benefit your group!

Project Night
I'm tentatively planning a Project Night in early May where everyone can work on any kit from the new Spring mini catalog. As always, there will be plenty of refreshments and good company. If you'd like to participate, please send me an email or leave me a comment here. Also, let me know if you have a preferred date, day of the week or time of day. We all had a good time at my winter Project Night/Ornament Party. This will be lots of fun too!

Texas Ladies
I'll be in the San Antonio area briefly during Spring Break. Although my time and transportation are very limited, I'm always up for talking UL. If you'd like to get together to discuss our products or fabulous business opportunity, please let me know. I will do my best to work it into my schedule.

April Birthdays
Happy early birthday to Sabra, Becki W., Barbara Z., Tammy W., and Debbie K. You can each choose one item for 10% off as my happy birthday gift! If your name isn't on my birthday list just send me an email and let me know when it is.

Everything Else
Thanks for reading this far. If you'd like this newsletter sent directly to your inbox, leave a comment and let me know.

I'm looking forward to all of your Springtime parties and can't wait to show you all that's new in our mini catalog.

More Sneak Peeks - New Catalog Launches in Just a Few Days!

Now that I have our new Spring/Summer catalog in my hands, I can hardly wait to show it to all of you. Anyone who schedules a January or February party can have hers ASAP. The rest of you will just have to wait until Wednesday when it goes live on my website. Don't worry, though. I wouldn't abandon you with nothing to drool over. Here are three projects, all with expressions from our upcoming FANTASTIC catalog:

Laundry room expressions continue to be popular and I'm sure this one will be, too. It is so cute here on a pre-drilled MDF board painted with our Hot Cocoa Toolbox Paint. Not only is this a smart laundry room solution (you know how I love items that do doubly duty), but it is extra cute with the craft mini-clothespins that have been added to it. Those of you who attend any of my parties in the coming months will get to see this one in person. I've got it on order and will display it on a painted MDF board.

Speaking of MDF boards, this one has been painted then decoupaged with decorative paper before having this fresh, new "Welcome" expression applied to it. The branch is just a subtle botanical accent that makes it perfect for welcoming spring.

Finally, here's another lovely, elegant way to celebrate spring, continuing the nature and botanical theme. The expression, in Robin's Egg, has been applied to our creme punched metal tile and then embellished with a gorgeous wide ribbon and our Chocolate Brown UL Bloom. When summer arrives, you can just change out the ribbon and use a different expression on the back.

The countdown is just a few short days until the entire catalog becomes available for viewing on my website. Of course, you can still get a copy before then by scheduling your January or February home show. You won't believe the hostess benefits that are being offered this season. Also, before the new catalog launches, our 40% and FREE SHIPPING offers will be going away. So shop a little now and a little more later.

Photo A Day - Day 9 Fun Project

You know I love things that do double duty and this project definitely fits that description. Not only is it adorable, but it really does help locate those pesky socks that seem to disappear from the laundry. The "Lost Socks" expression here is 40% off and can be applied to our pre-drilled MDF board. Just add our bulldog clips and you're done! No more searching through loads of laundry for that one missing sock. Brilliant! What an elegant way to deal with such a mundane chore.

I hope you've enjoyed these photos for the last 9 days. It's a treat for me to be able to show you the versatility of UL products and the huge number of ways you can use them in your home or as gifts. You can browse the entire sale document of over 200 expressions and embellishments on my website. Don't forget your order of $50 or more will qualify for FREE SHIPPING. The sale continues until January 4th, but I do recommend you place your orders before the last minute because our systems tend to get very busy.

If you love what you've seen for the last 9 days, you will not believe what's in store for UL in the next catalog. Come back tomorrow for a look at the cover and a sneak peek of a few of the great new things that will be available in just a few days.

Photo A Day - Welcome to Day 6

What's there not to love about today's expression? For starters, it's on sale for 40% off (with free shipping when your order reaches $50!). And then, it's just so cute! We all know that birds are a really hot decorating and crafting motif right now (I can just picture Kim from Today's Creative Blog smiling and nodding). The little bird on this expression adds the perfect trendy touch that makes your home feel cozy and welcoming. In its smallest size, it fits nicely on a Foundations MDF board and would make the perfect gifts for newlyweds moving into their first home. It would also look great in a veterinary office and of course, a traditional country kitchen. Wouldn't it make you and your visitors smile each time you enter your home?

Merry Christmas Eve to those who are celebrating tonight. After the ribbon and paper have finished flying tomorrow, check back for another photo of our awesome sale expressions.

Photo A Day - Day 5

I really love this sentiment (and I love it even more when it's on sale for 40% off!). Isn't it so peaceful and welcoming to walk into a home and feel like you can set your worries aside and relax, if just for a short time? Using our Foundations accessories, you can create a board of your own that does double duty as a place to hang scarves, hats, keys, and all those things that tend to gather near the front door. This is a great idea for a housewarming gift. With so many options for paint color, vinyl color and knobs and hooks, you can make a truly one of a kind piece that will be a perfect complement to any decor. And you'll smile each time you glance at it, knowing that you're not just crafty but a really smart shopper too!

We're now more than halfway through the Photo A Day countdown of sale items before I post the sneak peak of our new catalog. Don't forget that this sale won't last forever and neither will the FREE SHIPPING on $50 orders special. See you tomorrow for another photo.

The Gifts Keep On Coming!

Just when I thought things were slowing down for the season, Uppercase Living announced a great new double promotion! As we prepare for the launch of our new catalog in January, over 200 of our current expressions will no longer be featured in the catalog, but will remain on my website. The great news for you is that these are all ON SALE FOR 40% OFF! You can view a complete list, with images, of the transition expressions here.

But there's even more good stuff! When your order reaches $50, you will receive a FREE EXPRESSION (plus more at $75 and $100) plus FREE SHIPPING! Choose one of these expressions when you place your order in December. If you'd prefer a pretty Valentine's Day expression, I can hold you order until January before I submit it. Either way, you have some great options to keep for yourself or to give as gifts. The Happy Holidays and Valentine's Day expressions will go perfectly on our rectangle MDF boards. If you scroll down to the previous post, you'll see an example of how the Happy Holidays expressions was embellished with gold glitter for a two-color look.

A 40% off sale, FREE SHIPPING and FREE EXPRESSIONS: it's like three presents, all wrapped in one. But if that's still not enough for you, I'm hearing rumors that our Incentives Promotion in January is going to offer great hostess benefits. You can have all this and apply the Double Up Benefits to your January party for even more good stuff from Uppercase Living. Really, it's almost more than one can wish for!

Smart Shopping Tip: Many of the discounted expressions are for the fall and winter holidays. It's a great time to stock up on these great deals, but don't wait until next year to apply them to accessories like blocks, boards and tiles. If you do and there's a problem with your item, it'll be too late for an exchange.

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.

"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.

Quick and Cute Halloween Project

Sometimes my customers worry about buying Uppercase Living expressions for holiday decor. They hesitate to put something seasonal on the wall, not wanting to invest in something only to dispose of it after a few weeks.

I can completely see their point. While there are some instances that an expression might be the perfect temporary accent for a space, most often, we fall in love with our projects and want to use them year after year. Here's a perfect example of a Halloween project you'll love to use in your decor for many years to come.

Ingredients:
*Square UL MDF Board
*UL Toolbox Paint in Terra Cotta and Lemon Chiffon
*Halloween Expression 16570 in Matte Black
*UL Vinyl Effects solution
*UL Easel (easel shown is not from UL)
Sandpaper

Instructions:
1. Paint top half of board in Lemon Chiffon, leaving a 1.5" border on top and sides and about 4-5" on bottom. This will vary based on where you position your expression on your board. It might be a good idea to check and mark your board without removing the backing paper from your expression.

2. Paint remainder of board in Terra Cotta. If desired, sand edges of board for a more distressed look.

3. After paint has dried, apply UL expression using enclosed instructions. Remove and discard transfer paper.

4. To achieve a glossy, dimensional look, carefully apply Vinyl Effects solution to letters or any other portion of the expression you'd like to highlight. Let dry completely and enjoy!

Would you like to recreate this project? Order the entire kit (board, expression, 2 tubes of paint, easel and Vinyl Effects) from me from now until September 29th and save $5 off your purchase. I'll even throw in the sandpaper. Discount is not available on website purchases so please place your order directly with me.

Don't forget my Open House this Saturday. Scroll down to the previous post for the details. Leave me a comment to RSVP.

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.