Tips for Holiday Kits

So many of you are enjoying the kits in our first-ever Holiday mini-catalog. I wanted to pass along a few tips that will make assembly of your products go more smoothly. Don't forget you can always call me if you have a question.

• The Advent Calendar, Glass Charger, Silver Charger, and Clear Block kits all come with accessories that are non-porous. You will have much better luck with a wet application method (see the instructions that came with your order). Use Mistick if you have it. A light spray of water will also work in a pinch.

• The Advent Calendar comes with two little hooks on the back (see photos below), which you attach the crème ribbon to so you can hang it beautifully on your wall. Those hooks are positioned closer to one end of the charger which means you’ll want to make sure you designate that end as the “top” and apply your expression with that in mind, so when you attach the ribbon and hang it on your wall, it will hang properly.

Enjoy those kits and send me pictures of how you're displaying them in your homes.

Opportunity is Knocking. Are You Going to Answer?

There are details of our new Starter Kit promotion at the bottom of this post. If you'd rather not read my story, scroll down to the end. My feelings won't be hurt.

I was introduced to Uppercase Living about a year and a half ago when my friend Carolyn invited me to an Open House she was holding to support her friend, a new UL demonstrator. I knew I wanted words for the walls in our new house and had a vague idea that they were available for purchase online, but never knew what to get or how to go about it. I went to Carolyn's eagerly, looking for something to decorate my kitchen, never thinking that I'd be starting a new job soon.

During the presentation I was impressed with how easy the lettering was to apply and the massive variety of choices. I also loved the idea of designing my own expressions. But then I saw the expressions already on Carolyn's walls and my jaw dropped. That was pretty much when I decided that I needed to get in on this amazing opportunity.

This was absolutely the worst time in my life to begin a new business. I had a toddler at home as well as two kids in elementary school. I was just getting used to not being on call 24/7 with an infant and coming off a nasty bout of postpartum depression. But I kept thinking about all the times I'd wanted to take advantage of a new opportunity, ignored my instincts, then regretted it later. I decided that I was going to pursue Uppercase Living not only for the income it could provide for my family, but for the chance to do something for me after 8 years of being only "Mommy."

I'm happy to say that I've never regretted getting on board with this great company. In fact, this is the most fun job I've had since I scooped ice cream in high school (fewer calories, too). A year and a half later, I see more potential than I did at the beginning and am more eager to share this great opportunity. I'm so happy that I heard the knock and didn't ignore it this time.

If you think you might enjoy sharing UL's great products with friends, consider joining my sales team. I can go into the many many reasons to become an Uppercase Living demonstrator. The fact is, everyone does it for different reasons. I can promise you training, support, amazing products and a lot of fun. Let's face it, there are very few people who won't find something to love in our diverse product range.

Now is a great time to come on board; not only is it the start of the busy holiday shopping season (so much to love in our product line for holiday gifts and decorating) but you can take advantage of an awesome new promotion: each $99 starter kit will include DOUBLE the product credit for a total of $50 in free product of your choice. This effectively brings your kit price to just $49!!!!

I understand that this might not be a great idea for everyone, but if you think it just might be a possibility for you, let's talk about it. Are you going to ignore the knock?

United for A Cure

As some of you may know, finding a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a cause that is very dear to me. This disease, the number one genetic killer of children under 2 is caused by a gene carried by 1 in 40 adults. While SMA is a cruel and debilitating disease, there is a great deal of hope for those suffering from it. There are breakthroughs on the horizon both in terms of pharmaceuticals and stem cell therapy.

I've added a button to my sidebar where you can help fund the research that will lead to a cure. SMA is a tough, tough disease. But it appears to be beatable. I'm doing my part and hope you'll join me.

For more information on SMA, please visit www.curesma.org.

They Picked A!

Remember a week or so ago when I told you about baby Joshua and the possible designs for his nursery? Well, his parents made their decision and they chose the first design, with the block font and three cute turtles. I can't wait for them to get it; hopefully his Mommy won't be too exhausted to send me a couple of pictures.

A Happy Mom Shares A Big Girl Design in a Kid Girl's Room

I always love hearing how much people love their UL expressions once they have them in their homes. The fact is, I can tell you forever and ever how great our products are, but when you hear the same thing from a regular customer, it rings just a bit more true.

Stephanie is one of those UL customers who also happens to be a prolific blogger. She was introduced to UL through a reader who is a demonstrator and was nice enough to post about her experience on her fun blog, And Twins Make 5 (can you imagine?! how the heck does she find time to blog?). I love the design she chose for her daughter's room, not to mention that dreamy blue paint. Enjoy the following post from Stephanie (sorry if the links don't work and the formatting is wonky) and link on over for more. Tell her I sent you.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Uppercase Living Wall Embellishments

After a recent positive review of wall stencils by another company, one of our readers wrote to suggest we try Uppercase Living. She asked that her name be left out of this review, but I can tell you she loves Uppercase Living enough to have become one of their many demonstrators. In fact, this reader insisted on sending us an Uppercase Living sample to try because clearly she believes immensely in the quality of this product.

I was almost overwhelmed by the vast amount of choices Uppercase Living offers. Browsing their catalog stirred many ideas and possibilities for my home. However, we ultimately selected an embellishment for my daughter's room, a very chic looking peacock to be exact.

I was a tad nervous about this choice since it was one of their more complicated 2 layer designs, however my concerns were without merit. Application of both layers was easily explained in the online demo and equally easy to do.

The results were enough to make my daughter Cordelia ecstatic and Mommy quite pleased too. Uppercase Living Products are sold via Independent Demonstrators. If you haven't been invited to an at home party for these products yet, you might consider scheduling one at your own home.

Photo Prints...and a Confession

I have a confession to make. I'm a procrastinator. This is not big news to those of you who know me well. And I'm really truly working on it. But I've been procrastinating about telling you all about one of our coolest new products ever for about a month now. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to do it justice; didn't want to go on and on about technical details; couldn't figure out the best way to present it, etc. Procrastinators always have such good excuses. Well, I'm done with excuses. You have to know about Photo Prints. I've decided to jump right in and go for it. Here we go!

Photo Prints are the newest innovation from Uppercase Living. Imagine your favorite family picture, or vacation shot, or wedding photo, enlarged up to 8x4 FEET and printed onto removable, reusable adhesive vinyl. Totally cool, right?

When we were first told about Photo Prints at our convention this summer, the entire room went crazy. We finally realized what all the giant photos displayed on the walls were for. Our minds started racing with the possibilities. Then we found out how affordable this product is and we realized this is something that can be available to everyone for so many different occasions and applications.

Here are some basic details:

• Available in a range of sizes from 2x2 to 8x4 feet
• Can be purchased as a photo with straight sides or contour cut to include only the main subject
• Photos must be high resolution and you must own the copyright
• Order through the MyDesign suite on my website

There, that wasn't so hard.

Now that I have the technical side out of the way, how about some ideas for using this great product? In the future I'll have more posts and lots of photos, but here are a few just for now:

• Kids' sports pictures
• Baby photo for the grandparents
• Photos of deployed service members (my favorite idea is a photo of a military dad reading to the kids for them to enjoy while he's gone)
• Weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
• Corporate Logos
• Businesses - what better way to advertise your product than by putting a giant photo of it on your car, van or truck?
• Trade shows
• Anniversary celebrations
• Graduation parties
• Keep vacation memories alive by creating a Photo Print of a scenic photo from your trip

The possibilities are truly endless. Photo Prints can be sweet, funny, romantic, or poignant. But they will always be impactful and memorable. For more information on how to create your own unique Photo Prints, visit my website or contact me. And if you're a photographer who would like to offer this amazing product to your clients and earn more from each shoot, contact me to learn how we can work together. Which picture are you choosing to do first?

Decisions, Decisions

One of the most fun things about Uppercase Living is taking a blank wall and using custom lettering and embellishments to totally personalize it. Another fun thing is getting to work with lovely people to create something special for their environments. Yesterday I got to do both of these things.

I visited brand new parents and their beautiful 10 day old baby, Joshua. About 6 weeks ago, I had done an Uppercase Living baby shower for this mom-to-be. Last week she called me to help her design something unique for the nursery's wall. Being with them brought back all the memories of the first days home with a newborn: sleepless nights, breakfast at 11:00 a.m., and an overwhelming feeling of tiredness that is only overshadowed by raging hormones and endless love for the new baby that has just joined your family.

The new mom and dad asked me to create a design for the nursery's wall that incorporates Joshua's name as well as some turtles or frogs. We settled on the color scheme and I came home to get to work. I sent them four design choices this morning. I'm not sure which is my favorite; probably a combination of a couple of the designs. The great thing is that we can mix and match and change the design until it's exactly what my clients want. I love knowing that no one else will have exactly what baby Joshua will in his nursery.

Which design would you choose? Stay tuned to learn which one Joshua's parents picked. And if you think you might like to help people design one-of-a-kind expressions to personalize their homes, consider becoming an Uppercase Living demonstrator. I'd love to tell you how you can have a job you love too.

Thinking Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As you probably know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Unfortunately, we all seem to be touched by this awful disease in some way, if not personally then through a loved one. Happily, through early detection and research, many breast cancer patients are also survivors.

As you commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness month, here are a couple of ways to use Uppercase Living products to spread the message. First, you can apply a pink ribbon embellishment (item #44570 or #44571) to your car. You can also add the name of a loved one who has dealt with breast cancer to honor her (or him).

A fun way to raise money for research would be to use the UL Acrylic Block as a bank and encourage donations. Here's an example using the awareness ribbon with the heart and a custom expression. The block has an opening that can be used to insert money or checks. Place the block on your desk at work and at the end of the month, donate the contents to one of the many organizations who support, fund and conduct breast cancer research. Here are just a few:

• Susan G. Komen for the Cure
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Finally, don't forget to do your monthly exams and schedule your mammogram.