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!

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!)

FTD Free Downloadable Calendar September 8, 2016 05:00

Flowers are my go-to gift.  No matter if you're celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or thanking a hostess, flowers can always make a person smile.  When sending flowers, I typically order online, pick out the arrangement that I think the recipient would like best, and that's that.  Who knew that a lot of these companies actually have more than just flowers and gifts on their website?  FTD recently reached out to us about their printable calendars, and we were surprised to learn that they not only have printables, but a blog too!  We dug around and found these fun posts about rainbow tulips and rainbow roses.  Seriously, how cool are these roses?!

The calendar is also right up our alley.  We love that there are options on styles, and the bright colors are fun, especially as summer is winding down and cooler temperatures will soon set in.  Here is how FTD describes them:

"It’s never too late to start fresh and to revamp your calendar for the rest of the year. To help you stay organized in style, FTD created these printable calendars inspired by vintage floral prints. Featuring beautiful blooms like peonies, poppies, and tulips, these calendars are a colorful and fun way to help you plan. Choose from either a foldable desktop size that can sit upright, or a larger wall size that you can hang up. These calendars will be sure to add a pop of color and inspiration to your workspace!"

We love that September even features succulents!

What month is your favorite design?  Oh, and if you want to send us flowers, we won't turn them down (hint hint!)

Free Weekly Layout Download Available for the 2017 UPstudio Planner September 1, 2016 05:30

To close-out the Planning a Planner v2017 blog series last week we discussed the small tweaks made to the weekly layout that we feel improve the overall usage and versatility. 

For some, the flexible and non-confining format might be a little overwhelming. If you're not familiar with this type of layout, we encourage you to try it out! A free download of the 2017 weekly layout is now available in the shop. This is a great way to figure out how the design can best work for you and give it a test run before committing to a purchase.

Please note that the layout has been scaled to fit on an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet of paper for your convenience, which makes it slightly smaller than actual size.

Love the sample? Think the layout would be perfect to help you organize your life? Well, you're in luck, 2017 UPstudio Planners are available for pre-order. Place your order by October 10th to save 10%! 

Use the free download to help finish out 2016 and prepare for 2017 or there are still a few 2016 planners available for purchase at a discounted price.

Did someone say BBQ? May 19, 2016 08:00

Real quick, we are having our second pop-up at the Southpoint West Elm this Saturday from 1-5. Pencil us into your planner! Click here for specific location in the mall. We hope to see you there!

Well, it's official: the season of perfect weather has arrived (at least here in Raleigh... minus this week of crazy rain). To be clear, it doesn't last long, a few good weeks at the most, and it's certainly not every day during those weeks that the weather is perfect. But, now is the time that we get to enjoy those few fleeting days of no pollen, low humidity, sunshine filled, and perfect temperature. It's this kind of weather that makes you want to be outside all day long, and enjoy delicious grilled or smoked food. Who doesn't immediately crave a hamburger or steak when you smell someone's grill going? (ok, vegetarians excluded! - but grilled veggies are also more than delicious)

My family went without a grill for the past year - the gas one we had suddenly stopped working and we never got around to replacing it, until last Sunday. It just so happened that we got a new combination charcoal grill and smoker on Mother's Day, and believe me, there is no better present (my husband does all the grilling so less work for me, and he's very good at it - win win!). 'Tis the season of barbecues!

To kick off barbecue season, we are excited to announce a new feature on our website - free downloads!  We've added a fun Everyday Card with all the essential BBQ supplies.  Just download it and print it out for your personal use.  Memorial Day is fast approaching, and this would be the perfect way to invite your friends and family over for a fun day of grilling and hanging out.  Enjoy!