We were thrilled to hear that New York magazine has selected the Hang & Level Picture Hanging Tool as one of their Best Bets in their December 14th issue! Available now at your favorite newsagents or click here for the web version.

We’re putting the finishing touches on our new series of “How-To” videos for the site and we’ve gathered together all the video segments we’ve collected over the years and posted it to our very own YouTube channel! In addition to the videos showing how to use our products, you can see segments from popular TV shows that feature the Hang & Level and Stoppy such as CityLine and Divine Design. Also from the video vault we’ve uploaded a few stories from the CBC [link] and CareersTV [link] which describe the journey we undertook to get Hang & Level from an idea to store shelves. We will continue to add videos to the channel as well as our website so stay  tuned!

We were excited to read about Hang & Level on the Tool Snob website, and also to discover that it’s currently #59 in Amazon’s top 100 selling item in the Home Improvement category. Check out the review here.

It’s been a busy week here at UTR as we wrap up filming of some new products and how-to videos. One of things that has always bugged us about the picture hanging advice that you get on your favourite design shows etc, is that while they always talk about what kind of arrangement works best or what order to put stuff in, when it gets around to how to actually hang up the pieces it’s a big mystery. Typically a show will cut to a commercial and when the return they are just putting the final piece in place. Or you get some loose instructions like “measure and mark where to put your nail”.

Well we are addressing this with our new series of How-To videos. We’ll show you exactly how to use our newest products as well as how to hang some of the most common wall décor arrangements, step by step! We will be launching our new video section on the website in the near future as well as making the videos available on your favourite video sites like YouTube.

What picture hanging related topic would you like to see a video on? Send your ideas to info@utrdecorating.com

From September 1st until the end of the month for every pink Stoppy purchased at Bed Bath & Beyond stores in Canada, BBB and UTR will contribute a portion of the proceeds to Breast Cancer Research. “We are very excited about this new promotion with BBB” says Liette Tousignant, founder of UTR Decorating “together we can help make a difference!”

Look for the special display in-store at your local Bed Bath & Beyond, or ask the friendly staff wearing our special edition pink Stoppy lanyard. Click here to find the Bed Bath & Beyond nearest you.

CrossIron Mills, the first new indoor mall to open in Alberta in 20 years, has been drawing a lot of media attention recently, and UTR’s Stoppy was there for the grand opening courtesy of Calgary’s first Bed Bath & Beyond. Many thanks to the team at BBB for creating this awesome wall of multicolored Stoppys right at the front of the store! If you happen to be in the area, drop in and pick out your favorite color.

At UTR we are constantly thinking about how we can improve our products and user experience, and we’d like to invite you to help us out by giving us your feedback (both positive and negative) on Hang & Level™, Deco Nails™ or Stoppy™. Any and all comments are welcome and we’d love to know what you think worked well, what didn’t work, what changes you’d like to see, or any other comments you have.

Simply follow the link at the bottom of the UTR website, or click the Product Feedback button displayed on most of the pages.

We recently received this email from Gerry W:

…we needed to child-proof one of our kitchen drawers and found the old 3M system to be utterly useless.  Check out the new “Drawer Stoppy”… works like a charm… as you can see, there are remnants of the old system still attached to the cupboard.  Great product!

Thanks for the feedback and if you have any great ways that you use Stoppy, then email us and let us know!

Yesterday Leo Laporte, creator and host of the This Week in Tech (TWit) netcasting empire, and Dick DeBartolo the host of the daily GizWiz show, discuss Hang & Level and what it takes to get a product from an idea into production. Leo knows firsthand about what it takes to turn a good idea into a great product – his wife’s step sister is the creator of Crocs™!

You can click here to listen to the entire episode on TWiT.tv, or click on the player below to listen to the short version of the clip.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

We will admit that when we first came across Stoppy, we thought “oh that’s a nice little door stop” and left it at that. However, the more time we spent with it the more we realized that it comes in handy much more often, and in many more ways than you’d think:

• Liette travels a lot and uses the Stoppy as an added bit of security when she’s in her hotel room by making sure the front door can’t be opened – it also makes keeping a bathroom or patio door opened a breeze.
• Our friend Laura suggested that Stoppy can be used to baby-proof a room by keeping active toddlers from opening doors. This works great at home and you can pop it into a diaper bag when visiting friends without small children of their own.
• Another use for Stoppy is to temporarily keep that screen door open when you’re bringing groceries into the house, or for when you are barbequing and your hands are full trying to bring items to and from the house. No more struggling to keep the door open without dropping everything, or running to catch the screen door before it closes.
• Mike just got back from the cabin where Stoppy was a great way to keep the doors open to let in the cool air at nights, and to allow the dogs to come and go without having to open the door every time. You can also use Stoppy to keep doors partially open, so pets can be confined to a given area, but still see out of the room.
• Another friend has told us that she would use her Stoppy to keep the doors on her sailboat open or closed, and she was very excited that this soft tool wouldn’t damage the expensive deck of the boat.
• And finally, on those really trying days, Stoppy makes an excellent stress ball, as Kevin demonstrates in the picture above.

* OK these are only the first 6 uses, but we’re sure there are more! Email us and tell us how you use your Stoppy!

Design expert Ramsin Khachi introduced Stoppy™ this week on Toronto’s Breakfast TV, and to a national audience on CityLine. In both segments Ramsin shared his favorite Father’s Day gift ideas.

Ramsin demonstrated different ways of using this unique and decorative door and window stop, and everyone in the Cityline audience was given a Stoppy to take home. Available at Home Hardware Stores in Canada, click here to see the clips of the segments with Ramsin.

We are proud to announce that Liette Tousignant, company founder and inventor of the Hang & Level picture hanging tool, has been named French Female Entrepreneur of the Year by the Coalition des femmes de l’Alberta.

The Prix d’Excellence is awarded by The Coalition des femmes de l’Alberta and is given to business women who believe in the importance of offering services in both English and French. As Under the Roof is bilingual in all aspects including website and other media, product packaging and how-to information and videos, Liette was extremely qualified. The award also spotlights the value and importance of French culture in the work environment. Liette was awarded a beautiful photograph taken by artist Denise Parent.

Click here to learn more…

We’ve been traveling a lot recently and one of the items that is always in our suitcase is Stoppy. This handy little tool is used to prop open windows and doors, but when staying in a hotel we like the added security of knowing that Stoppy can also prevent the door from being opened from the outside.

Just jam the door shut using Stoppy and you can totally avoid any embarrassing incidents with the cleaning staff if you forget to hang out the ‘do not disturb sign’.

We are thrilled to announce that Hang & Level has been identified as one of the Outstanding Products at the 2009 National Hardware Show underway in Las Vegas.

Now in its 64th year, the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas is the leading sourcing, trading and learning event for the $343 Billion dollar US “home after market” industry. Selection by the awards committee indicates that they believe the product is unique and has the potential to be a home improvement industry best seller – and so do we!

I’m thrilled that Mag Ruffman recommended Hang & Level as one of “The right tools for the project” in today’s New York Times. If anyone is thinking of hanging artwork or other wall Décor, give Hang & Level a try and please let me know how your project turns out! Thanks Mag for your support!

Liette,

Hang & Level Inventor

Click here to view the article

Another tip is to use 2 Deco Nails™ for each frame – not only will they move less on the wall, but you will be able to adjust their horizontal position on the wall much easier.

Inspiration for picture hanging can be found everywhere. A favorite retailer, Pottery Barn continues to create hanging ideas that are new and unique – check out the picture grouping up the stairwell.

The images are printed in black and white and themed around candid shots of children which creates a classic, nostalgic feeling that easily coordinates with many interiors styles.  By using the same picture frame profile but in different colors and wood finishes it creates a balanced and clean look.

 Hanging picture frames up a stairwell always seems to be a challenging area but can easily be accomplished with the aid of the Hang & Level tool.

1.       Start by laying out the frames on the floor to create a stacking pattern horizontally and vertically so that you have direction when you are hanging the frames on the wall. It is easiest to start with a few larger frames as the anchors and fit in the smaller frames around them.

2.       Begin hanging the picture frames starting with the largest frame and using Hang & Level to position the first frame at eye height on the wall.

3.       Continue hanging the remaining frames in the same pattern you created on the floor. Always begin with the lower or bottom frame and then hang the next frame above it.  As seen in this image the frames can sit flush to each other.

4.       Using Hang & Level with each frame will allow you to position the frames exactly where you want them without having to measure once!

Image source: www.Potterybarn.com

Here’s a quick tip to help you to make sure that when you hang multiple items together, you have the same distance between them. Find a book that is the thickness of the space that you want to leave between the frames and use that as a guide. Depending on the size of the frames, you can even use your hand as a spacer. If you are using Hang & Level™ to hang your items, you can hold your picture on the wall with one hand and use your spacer with the other hand to quickly and easily find the right spot for your picture. 

You’re back from holidays, with dozens of great vacation snapshots. But what happens to those precious vacation images once you’re home? Many people never print and display them! Don’t be one of them. Photos of your vacation make great, inexpensive artwork for your walls.

Here are some vacation photo tips:

• Shop for frames with a mat opening that best fits the pictures you want to showcase.
• Consider white frames and mats for summer.  White looks crisp and classy all year round and fits any décor style.
• Picking identical frames and mats lets the viewer focus on the pictures rather than the frames.
• If you have kids, frame a picture of each child at the beach, playing in the water or building sand castles.
• Don’t have kids? Frame pictures of your dog, friends, family, or a beach or city you visited.
• Start a vacation wall and add to it every year. Group photos in a hallway or in a stairway.
• The laundry room is another great place to hang your vacation photos. We often forget about this out-of-sight room when decorating walls.
• If your pictures are from a vacation at the beach, the bathroom or powder room are perfect spots for them.
• If you chose a picture of each child to frame, hang it in his/her bedroom. It provides a great memory for the child and an inexpensive way to decorate the bedroom walls.
• Have fun and display your pictures in the mudroom. It’s a room that gets used every day, and vacation photos are a great way to welcome you home when you’re back to your routine.
• Hang your frames perfectly level – horizontally, vertically, or create unexpected wall arrangements.