Customize Your Next Celebration
Uppercase Living’s amazing Celebrations mini catalog is filled with kits and décor for many of the major occasions we celebrate this time of year. However, if you can’t find a pre-designed expression in the mini that perfectly fits your event, there’s no need to worry—you can create your own! With our online custom design tool, you can create décor for a one-of-a-kind, personalized event people will be talking about for years. Here are just a few ideas:
Wedding Anniversary – Feature a life-sized Photo Print of the “original” bride and groom or the entire wedding party, and personalize with a custom expression.
Graduation – As you celebrate your child, remember his early school days with a too-cute Photo Print and custom expression.
Welcome Home – Welcome home your favorite soldier (or anyone who has been away) with personalized décor and a Photo Print that honors them and lets them know how much you missed them while they were gone.
Reunion parties – Watch your yearbook come to life on the walls of your reunion party. Whether it has been 10, 20, or even 50 years since you graduated from high school, everyone will get a kick out of the walk down memory lane.
In addition to the ideas above, remember that our custom design tool can be used to add a personal touch to any of the décor theme packs in the Celebrations mini catalog. There is nothing like adding a name or a date to party décor to let that special person in your life know that today really is “their” day.
Enjoy!
Make It Your Own
We know how amazing and beautiful the Uppercase Living designs in our Idea Catalogs are. Choosing any one of them can make your space or a special gift or occasion pop with personality. But sometimes adding some customizing to a UL Exclusive™ Expression adds an even more personal touch and gives it that extra “wow” factor. To illustrate my point, UL’s Cari Creighton (concept artist and creative guru extraordinaire) customized some expressions that were not originally intended to be customized. Check these out!
Here is a simple love expression that is beautifully enhanced by adding the personalization element.
What teenage athlete isn’t proud to display their name and number wherever they can? This awesome expression was just made even more awesome in your football player’s eyes!
Here we have the ultra-popular Dandelion Dance expression, combined with a beautiful saying created in the MyDesign Suite. (Keep in mind that this is what this design would look like after you put it on the wall; not what it looks like in MyDesign Suite. Dandelion Dance is a theme pack, so you’ll place the seedlings in whatever pattern you want when you actually apply it).
Now this is just plain fun. You can easily pull this expression into the MyDesign Suite, add a custom expression with your child’s name, match the colors of his room…and voila! So cute!
And then a little something for yourself. This just makes you want to step inside Karen’s craft room, doesn’t it?
The sky is truly the limit with MyDesign Suite. Be as creative as you want to be, and don’t be afraid to try new and even weird or funky things. You might be surprised at what MyDesign Suite can help you create!
Transform your world
Transform. That is a word that is often used to describe what Uppercase Living vinyl can do to any home or office. However, it doesn’t have to be limited to a single space. At its 2009 Convention, Uppercase Living showcased 3 new environments every day in the Community Connection area. There was the green “kitchen” and the beige “living room” that were changed daily to show different looks, and I especially liked the blue room that transformed from a playroom to a sweet cupcake room to a very cool motocross bedroom any boy would love. Take a look at these great pictures to get your creative juices flowing:
Green room – decorated as a Kitchen
Beige room – decorated as a living room
Blue room – decorated as a young child’s playroom playroom
Blue Room – decorated as a girl’s bedroom with a sweet cupcake theme
Blue room – decorated as a boy’s bedroom with a motocross theme
Uppercase Living believes in this concept — that vinyl can truly “transform” an entire room — so much that they featured different environments throughout the pages in each section in our Idea Catalog. Here’s a couple of sample rooms from the 2010 Spring/Summer Idea Catalog:
In this room, UL complemented a welcoming expression with a beautiful scroll embellishment border and a variety of colors of flowing grass. They even took the scroll and added it to the hurricane lamp. One embellishment allows for two different placements and ties the theme together.
In this playroom, UL used the Adorable Alphabet as a border and complemented it with a ChalkWall School House, a Contemporary Clock with a custom expression over it, and even a decorated charger and easel to tie the entire look (look in the nook). Doesn’t this room look amazing? There are so many items available, the options seem endless!
Vinyl truly is as versatile as any other home décor product. It is incredibly easy to install and then change, and is far more affordable than custom paint or wallpaper in any space. And with Uppercase Living, you can truly customize their space with the incredible variety of colors and sizes not available anywhere else.
Check out all the amazing photographs and product ideas in our Idea Catalogs. I challenge you to look at not only at the big photo spreads at the beginning of each section, but also the smaller images sprinkled throughout the catalogs that show how little things can make a big impact in a space. I then challenge you to look at all of the various ways our products can transform all the special places you live and work in every day. Send me pictures! I take great pride in adding my customers’ designs to the photo albums I share at my UL parties.
I love it when I get the chance to help a customer design a space using Uppercase Living products and then see it when it finally comes together. It is so rewarding to be able to completely transform a room in just a few hours. I’ve given you some ideas here and there are hundreds more in our Idea Catalogs. What will YOU transform?
O Canada!
Rick Fanhauser, president of Uppercase Living, is taking us into exciting new territory — Canada! We’re so excited to be expanding into the beautiful white north, both to bring our amazing product to new customers and to offer our Canadian neighbors the exciting opportunity of becoming a UL demonstrators. I can’t wait to sign up my first Canadian recruit! Joining now is a perfect time since it’s so new up there. I love my job, and I want to share the experience with everyone! Apparently, Rich feels the same way. Here is his recent blog entry describing the exciting first day…
On my office wall, I have a wonderful expression that simply says, “life is a journey and only you hold the map.” It’s an incredible message that helps to remind me what matters and helps to guide the decisions I make, both personally and professionally, each and every day.
When I first looked at joining Uppercase Living about three years ago, I was impressed with the company’s foundation. But even more so, I was impressed by its potential. We have an incredible product and community of savvy business owners out sharing our message, so it was easy to envision our growth. I envisioned thousands of happy customers and successful Demonstrators across the US and throughout the world, benefiting from our inspirational products. And as I write this, our international journey has officially begun.
On Monday, February 1st, we opened enrollment for Uppercase Living Demonstrators in Canada. Within minutes, Wendy Dignan from Calgary, Alberta, Karen Jones from St. Catharine’s, Ontario, and Linda Jones from Niagara Falls, Ontario, signed up. And by day’s end, we had welcomed several additional Demonstrators in the provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan as well. It was exciting to watch our initial international expansion in real time and satisfying to have achieved this milestone so early in our history. Thanks to all of you who shared and are sharing our story with our neighbors to the north. And to all our new and future Canadian Demonstrators: Welcome to Uppercase Living! We are thrilled to have you and know that with UL, you have the map to success.
Returning
You know how it is when you vow to do something and to do it regularly, then you fall off the wagon? Yeah, me too. That’s what happened to me with this blog. Life just seems to have gotten in the way of my writing, or maybe there’s just been too much going on that I’d rather not write about. Hmmm, I’ll have to think on that one…
So, here I am, back in the saddle again. What to write? Should I write about family, friends, travels, my business, the weather, the Colts’ chance at the getting in the Super Bowl? It’s hard to decide. The thing that is most on my mind is too personal to write about (Scott’s un-engagement), and everything else just seems to fall far below in comparison.
What I can say is that I am blessed to have a wonderful husband, two awesome sons, a loving extended family, a great set of friends, a fun and exciting business, and a life that is never dull. I love my job and look forward to working with customers daily. I am making some progress with the workouts I’ve started, and I’m feeling better as a result. I love my two cats and the companionship and love they share with us. I have the wherewithal to live comfortably and travel some. And I know that I am a child of God, Who loves me unconditionally.
I know life will give me many things to write about in the days and weeks ahead, but for now, this is enough.
Easy decorating for your next birthday bash
Birthday parties, particularly those for adults, are a great opportunity to recognize (and embarrass) the ones we love. You can make this special occasion truly memorable using one of our newest and most exciting products: UL Photo Prints! Whether you’ve had a chance to try Photo Prints yet or not, I bet you can find a good use for this great idea. Here’s what we came up with:
To begin our design, we first had to determine a suitable photo for our Photo Print. Our birthday party was for a soon-to-be-40-year-old family member, so we rifled through the family photos one afternoon and came up with Spencer in his leisure suit at age 6. Perfect! Once we had scanned our photo*, it only took a moment or two to upload and order a 4’x4’ contour-cut Photo Print using UL’s newly-revamped MyDesign Suite™.
With our Photo Print out of the way, it was time to spice up the space where our Photo Print would eventually end up. (You may recognize the table and lamp from a previous post. Are you convinced yet that one wall can provide fun for all kinds of occasions?!) Using the Text&Graphics application within MyDesign Suite™, we designed a fun and simple message for our wall with two custom words: “40” (Souvenir, 13”, Caribbean Blue) and “Years” (Liorah 5”, Navy Blue). Then came our “Happy Birthday” message (#16697, Navy Blue), gallantly displayed on the new Uppercase Living Glass Charger ($14.95, #300159). We placed our charger on the table (using its complimentary easel) alongside a big stack of matching birthday gifts.
And that’s it! You can use this idea, or some variation of it, to make your next birthday party a sure-fire hit. And don’t just limit this idea to birthday parties: think graduation parties (first day of kindergarten picture), anniversary parties (wedding picture), wedding receptions (engagement picture), bar mitzvahs (baby picture), etc. The possibilities are endless!
*Please note: Many photography shops and camera stores will digitize (scan) photos and, depending on the quality of the digitizing process, can give you a photo that will look great as a Photo Print. However, there are several ways of digitizing a printed photo, so digitizing does not guarantee that your photo will have the same quality as the one taken using a digital camera.
"Time" For New Products From Uppercase Living
Lisa Asay, one of Uppercase Living’s creative divas, put together this description of one of our newest products – UL Clocks! These are so cool, and I just had to share her posting with you…
I wanted to share a bit about a new product from the 2009 Fall/Winter Idea Catalog that I am completely in love with—the UL Clocks! They are so much fun! And what a unique product concept. Let’s face it, what clock can you purchase and then customize in your choice of 45 colors? On top of that, we offer two very different styles, so you’re sure to find one that fits your taste.
Here’s the Traditional Clock pictured in a living room setting, but what’s great about this clock is that the design is so simple that it can fit into almost any room in your house.
And how fun is this? We put it in a playroom setting for our Convention display, but this funky design isn’t just for the kids. With the right color choice, this clock will fit perfectly in any home with a more modern or contemporary style.
If you’ve been wondering about the difficulty of installing the clock mechanism, it couldn’t be easier. Each clock comes with a set of instructions, and it truly only takes a few minutes to install. In addition, each design has two little dots in the center indicating where you need to insert the screws, so there’s no guessing involved! And at only $39.95, these clocks are sure to be a hot item at all of the Uppercase Living Open Houses this fall.
Get Creative With Your Family Tree
Summer is the hot season for family reunions and other gatherings, and a great opportunity to get creative and decorate! To help you get the ideas flowing, Christina Stark, Uppercase Living’s creative diva, created a quick and easy “family tree” design that includes a number of unique ideas you can use for any occasion. All you need is a few minutes to create your own version of this using our all-new MyDesign Suite™. When your order arrives, you’ll have the perfect design for an eye-catching welcome as guests walk through the door!
To begin her design, Christina opened the MyDesign Suite, which can be found on my website under the Products tab. She first prepared a Blank Surface using the drop-down boxes at the bottom of the screen, matching the color and dimensions of her on-screen “virtual wall” to those of her actual wall. Then came the fun part—adding expressions! She formed the foundation of her design with a 22”x42” Majestic Tree (item #16500; Part 1: Antique Bronze; Part 2: Shoreline Blue) from the UL Exclusive Expression list. Next, she added a personal touch with three short custom expressions. First came her chosen family surname, “Parker” (Murray Hill, 5.5”, Antique Bronze), followed by “Family Reunion” (Souvenir, 2”, Terra Cotta) and the event year, “2009” (Souvenir, 3.5”, Shoreline Blue).
Now for her favorite step of all—photos! To make her design special and memorable for every guest, she selected 7 high-quality family photos and used UL’s elegant Scalloped Frames (4496004, 4”, Terra Cotta) to frame each photo on her tree. She wasn’t able to upload the photos into MyDesign Suite, but it was still easy to create the look she wanted with just the frames.
Wow, that was fast! After only a few minutes, her on-screen design looked just the way it does in this picture. After printing the design for reference, she saved the design and ordered it. When the order came in, she used her printed layout as a guide to help her apply the designs to her wall.
Every expression Christine created in MyDesign Suite is applied separately, so she started with the tree (starting just below the table top) and then applied her custom expressions. Before applying her photo frames, she sized and printed her photos so that the photos’ edges were slightly larger than the frames’ inside openings. Next, she peeled off the backing paper of each frame and placed each photo face down on the vinyl. The frames could then be applied to the wall with the photos in their proper place. With a few finishing touches—a classy lamp to balance out the height of the tree and a few decorative twig globes—her design was ready for the family gathering. Isn’t this awesome? The great part is anyone can look this creative with the MyDesign Suite!
There are many ways to use this kind of design. Turn your child’s room into a forest with a number of differently sized Majestic Trees. Use any UL Frame to display your favorite family photos or your child’s growing years—whether for a birthday party or for a permanent home design. The possibilities are endless, so take what’s provided here and make it your own!
*Make sure to use either duplicate photos or high-quality photo copies (not originals) that are of light-weight material (not cardstock) for this project.
Dad's Final Trip to the West Coast
As executor (executrix?) of my dad’s estate, part of my duties include fulfilling his wishes regarding his final resting place. Or, in my dad’s case, places. You see, my dad was one of those people who are so giving and loving, so family-oriented, that sharing themselves just comes naturally. And so it was to be with his cremains: part to rest with his first wife in St. Joseph, MO; part to rest with his second wife in St. Louis, MO; part to rest with his mother and sister in Seattle, WA; and part to his favorite spot in the world at Ecola State Park, OR. Last month, we embarked on a trip to bring the West Coast ashes to their final home.
On July 17th, my husband and I flew to Seattle with 3 suitcases and 4 carry-ons of varying sizes. In one of the suitcases and one of the carry-ons were things from my dad’s apartment (and most recently my garage) that we were taking to my sister and a cousin in the Seattle area. In one of the tote bags was a small box of my dad’s ashes and a larger, water-soluable urn of ashes. All of these bags and totes made us look like we were moving instead of just visiting. But American Airlines was quite happy to take our $55 for checked-luggage fees.
One of my cousins picked us up at the airport and, after spending several hours in her lovely home in Tacoma (and delivering her lamp), she drove us to Lake View Cemetery near Volunteer Park in Seattle. There, on top of one of the hills, we gathered with my sister and her husband, other cousins, and even second and third cousins, to bury a small portion of Dad’s ashes between his mom’s and sister’s headstones. It was a stunning day, and the cemetery is in a lovely setting overlooking the city. Each of us said a few words and added flower petals around a wonderful photo my brother-in-law had taken at that very spot several years earlier when we visited Dad’s family site. How incredibly fitting it was to return him there with that photo, nestled between two of his favorite women.
After this simple, touching memorial, we all went to one of the cousin’s house for a wonderful cookout/potluck. It was such a treat to spend time with everyone, telling stories and catching up, laughing and picking on each other, and sharing great food and drink. Long into the evening we chatted, eventually finding the men on the deck around a patio fire and the women inside comfortably ensconced on the couches. It had been years since I’d seen some of my second cousins, with marriages and new babies filling in the intervening years. What a blessing this evening was for us all.
The next day, my sister and brother-in-law drove us to Portland, OR where we stayed with one of the cousins who had come up for the Seattle memorial. Once again we had a wonderful evening together at their lovely home. The next day, after picking up a rental car, we drove out to Cannon Beach, the charming coastal town near Ecola State Park. It was windy and overcast with the morning fog bank, so we bundled up and gathered up the tote bag containing Dad’s urn and the remaining flower petals. The beach wasn’t crowded as it was still early and cool. I saw children playing at the surf’s edge, dogs chasing seagulls, and a group on horseback up the coast towards the tall peninsula from which one can see stunningly beautiful vistas of the Oregon Coast. Turning to look down the beach, I could see in the mist the famous “haystack” rock sitting out in the water that is the icon of Cannon Beach. It brings back memories of other times I’d been here with my parents, and makes me ache that it’s Dad’s last visit to a place he’d always loved.
With shoes in one hand and the totebag in another, I waded across a small, shallow river that was also making its final journey to this beach. A soft spot in the river’s sandy bed brought me to my knees in the chilly stream, laughing and sputtering. After pouring the water out of the totebag, I realized that not only had I gotten the urn wet prematurely (remember, it’s water-soluable), but I had also dunked my little purse which contained my phone. Smart phones are no longer smart, or functional, when immersed in water. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it at the time, we continued out to the waves.
My Seattle cousin had been wise enough to suggest we consult the tide chart before doing this. Whipped by the wind, we stood at the water’s edge and talked of Dad and his love for this Coast. We cried and laughed and said good-bye to a wonderful man. Then my cousin walked the now cracked urn out into the surf and placed it in the the cold Pacific Ocean. Immediately it was swallowed up, and Dad was released to the sea.
Godspeed, Dad.
