Merry Christmas! December 21, 2017 05:00

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given..."
Isaiah 9:6

From our families to yours, we wish you a joyous holiday season and a very Merry Christmas.  We hope your holiday is filled with family, friends, laughter, and maybe an UPstudio gift or two!

If you're like me and still have a few (or a lot!) of gifts to wrap, then you're in the right place.  Dress up any wrapping with a free printable Christmas tag, then make yourself some hot chocolate because wrapping is serious work.  We hope that you take the time to relax and enjoy the holiday, and celebrate with loved ones.  Merry Christmas!

Flash Sale, Charity, and Holiday Shipping Deadlines December 14, 2017 03:30

Some big ticket items today on the blog!

FLASH SALE! Free shipping for everyone with code STJUDE.

And not only do you get free shipping, but we will be donating 15% of your order to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. St. Jude is an amazing organization, with a mission to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Learn more on their website.

The flash sale and donation period ends at 12pm on December 15th, EST. Shop now!

We are super excited that Christmas is right around the corner! If you're planning on an UPstudio gift beneath the tree there are some shipping deadlines quickly approaching. We ship everything USPS (United States Postal Service). We have added multiple shipping options to check out. In order to receive your package by December 24th you must place your order by:

• USPS First Class Mail : December 18th
• USPS Priority Mail : December 19th
• USPS Priority Mail Express : December 21st

Make sure to pay close attention to the option you choose at check-out to make sure your items will make it in time!

Christmas Cards - UPstudio November 16, 2017 05:00

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. This year, and especially the last two months have flown by!

As of today, there are only 39 days till Christmas. Blows my mind! I need to start my Christmas shopping, and I need to get my Christmas cards ready to mail. I have yet to receive the first card, so there is still plenty of time. 

Let UPstudio help you with your Christmas cards this year. We have two Christmas card designs available!

Our first card, Trees, is printed similarly to our Everyday Cards (double sided offset printing on 160# cover paper). The design is featured on one side with the opposite side having a single tree and enough space for you to write a message. You can purchase them individually or in packs of six. If you'd like to order a larger quantity, contact us for pricing.

(Add a little yuletide spirit to your organization with the Gold Christmas Tree Paper Clips featured above.)

This beautiful Reindeer is featured on our second Christmas card!

This is our first color card with a design of a pixelated reindeer on the front that opens to "Merry Christmas" on the interior. This card is also available for purchase individually or in packs of six.

There are four envelope colors available: red, real gray, kraft, and lockwood green. Both cards look great with all colors. If you'd like a variety of colors, contact us.

Christmas cards (or any of our cards) would also make great gifts and stocking stuffers!

We only printed limited quantities of Christmas cards, so get them while you can!

(PS... Sign up for our newsletter and use code NEWSLETTER to get 10% off your order today!)

The Best Planner for Surviving the Holiday Rush December 22, 2016 05:00

This blog post is a part of the series "The Best Planner for..." which provides suggestions for ways in which you can use the UPstudio Planner.  Each post in this series will focus on a different way to utilize the planner layout. The UPstudio Planner is designed for versatility, and is suited for many uses and not limited to the featured suggestions.  Show us how you use your planner by sending us an email at hello@upstudionc.com, or tagging us on social media (all handles can be found on our website).

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!  For many, it's also the busiest, and the most stressful.  Having the right planner to help you navigate through parties, family gatherings, time spent with friends, and coordinating gift exchanges can help you make it through the holiday season a bit easier.

The UPstudio Planner can serve as your dashboard to keep track of your own, your significant other's and your kids' schedules.  In this example, the month layout serves as the 5,000 foot level view of festivities.  Having a visual of what is coming over the course of the month makes me feel that much more organized, and that way nothing can sneak up on me.  (Don't forget to include December birthdays!  Too often these are lost in the hustle of the season.)

The week layout shows more detailed information about parties, what needs to be prepared for each one, when to give gifts (this is especially tricky with coworkers and kid's teachers as everyone is out on vacation at different times), etc.  It also includes a to-do list of things that make my own Christmas season feel more complete... there are those Christmas cookies that I just HAVE to bake, movies that HAVE to be watched, or else it just doesn't feel quite right.

The goals sheet for December or graph pages at the back are a great place to keep track of gifts to give, and what has been purchased.  I like to keep a running list throughout the year of ideas for people - that way when it comes time to shop for Christmas presents, I'm not starting from scratch.  (Note: this sheet is not pictured because it's before Christmas and it will spoil gifts for family that reads these posts!  Hi, Mom!)

Right after Christmas, New Year's Eve parties are in full swing, and there is still plenty to prepare for, gatherings and side dishes and binge eating before your New Year's diet kicks in (tell me I'm wrong).  The UPstudio Planner can help you get and stay organized as we round out 2016 and get started in the New Year.  Make sure to order your 2017 Planner today!

Even though Christmas and the entire holiday season can be hectic, we do hope that you'll make the effort to slow down, enjoy time with family and friends, count your blessings, and remember the true meaning of the holiday.  We at UPstudio wish you a very Merry Christmas!

UPstudio Gift Guide December 15, 2016 05:00

Everyone has someone on their list that would enjoy UPstudio under the tree this Christmas! We've pulled together a few ideas for inspiration.

The list maker/planner in your life would love a new 2017 UPstudio Planner!

Do you have any teachers you need gifts for? A recent customer decided to buy their teachers a book for their classroom paired with an UPstudio Journal, notebook elastic pencil holder, and a catch-phrase pencil. 

For every journal sold we'll send a free pencil and notebook elastic. Simply reply to your order confirmation e-mail with your pencil and elastic preference (see available options below). 

Do you have a friend that is an avid letter writer or thank you card giver? UPstudio has plenty of cards, including two Christmas cards. Buy them individually or in packs of 6, and choose your envelope color.

Need a stocking-stuffer for the lover of office supplies? We've got you covered! Check out the UPstudio accessories collection.

To ensure Christmas delivery, place your orders by:

• Planners: December 20th
• All other UPstudio Products: December 19th

If your presents need wrapping don't forget about our free printable gift tags!

(PS... Sign up for our newsletter and use code NEWSLETTER to get 10% off your order today!)

Free Printable Christmas Tags December 1, 2016 05:00

I'm not sure about you, but once I finish my last bite of turkey, the Christmas music begins! My absolute favorite part about Christmas is giving gifts. I love sifting through recent interactions to figure out the perfect gift for each of my loved ones. I find such joy watching them all open their presents, there is nothing better! 

Since I'm usually done with my Christmas shopping around the first of December (I know, type A, planner, right here) I have plenty of time to wrap my presents and enjoy their beauty under the tree. I enjoy being creative and crafty when it comes to my wrapping. I'm also a huge fan of being economical, because lets be honest, they enjoy the wrapping a fraction of the time they enjoy the gift.

This year we at UPstudio have designed some Christmas gift tags that you can download for free. What is more economical than free? 

Add the free download to your cart and proceed to checkout. Once you've completed the checkout process there will be an option for you to download right then. But don't worry, you'll also receive an e-mail with instructions on how to download at a later time as well.

The PDF has two pages, the first has nine different designs in green and red and the second page features the same nine designs in black and white. 

To show off our gift tags I wrapped a few of my presents:

I used letter size (8.5"x11") sticky labels where I cut out each tag for a couple gifts. You can purchase these on Amazon: Inkjet, Laserjet. You can also find them at your local Walmart, or office supply store.  I've been using the same pack for about four years now.

For the others I printed the designs on a heavy weight paper (80# index) to use as tags where I either wrote on the back or incorporated into my bow.

I'm usually not a fancy bow person, but I tried a few new things for you guys. Here are the resources I used and some lessons learned:

• First lesson: video tutorials are a must when it comes to bow tying, the pictures get really confusing.
• A standard bow, similar to the red bow with white trim, is easier to tie with a satin ribbon, without wire. And make sure you decide how you want to fasten it to the present before you begin, I definitely didn't think that through. The Better Homes and Garden blog has a some great videos for four different simple bows.
• The larger traditional Christmas bow (the red and white stripe) was surprisingly easier than I thought. It is best accomplished with ribbon that has a wire edge. It also requires some type of wire, string, pipe cleaner, or other ribbon to secure it, so make sure you add that to your cart when you purchase your ribbon. I personally used bakers twine. And again, make sure you think about how you plan to attach it to your present beforehand. Video tutorials: tutorial 1, tutorial 2, tutorial 3.

Do you have any lessons learned or any great resources for Christmas wrapping inspiration?

(Don't forget to download your free printable Christmas tags today!)

UPstudio Christmas Cards November 17, 2016 05:00

Last year this time we were just releasing our inaugural 2016 UPstudio Planner. After its release we focused nearly all of our efforts on marketing and promoting the planner through the end of the year. We generated a few Christmas card designs but the time slipped by and sadly we didn't have time to produce and release them. 

We were not going to let that happen again!

We are excited to announce that this year UPstudio will have two Christmas cards available!

Our first card, Trees, is printed similarly to our Everyday Cards (double sided offset printing on 160# cover paper). The design is featured on one side with the opposite side having a single tree and enough space for you to write a message. You can purchase them individually or in packs of six.

(Add a little yuletide spirit to your organization with the Gold Christmas Tree Paper Clips featured above.)

This beautiful Reindeer is featured on our second Christmas card!

This is our first color card with a design of a pixelated reindeer on the front that opens to "Merry Christmas" on the interior. This card is also available for purchase individually or in packs of six.

We have also added a new envelope color, lockwood green, to make your cards feel even more festive. Both cards look great with all envelope color options (red, real gray, kraft, and lockwood green).

We only printed limited quantities of Christmas cards, so get them while you can!