It’s July, and if you live and work in Calgary, Alberta like we do, you know it’s Stampede time! And Under the Roof’s headquarters are located only a few blocks away from the greatest outdoor show – The Calgary Stampede.  Yee haw!

In addition to testing new rides, watching the rodeo, cheering on the chuck wagon races, and taking in the Grandstand show while we eat mini donuts, we’re of course looking forward to visiting this year’s grand prize Dream Home.

In honor of the Stampede’s 100^th anniversary, 66 black and white photographs from the history of the Stampede are hanging throughout the Dream Home. Beautifully displayed in black frames and white mats, the images fit in perfectly with the Western décor of worn leather furniture, reclaimed wood floors and exposed brick walls.

If you’re in town, tour the house in person or you can get  a sneak peek right here.

According to the article, “What Kind of Clutterer Are You?” in the March issue of O Magazine, I learned that I’m a “Sentimental Clutterer/Family Historian”. I have no problem getting rid of all the clothes and toys my kids don’t need anymore, but what I do with their art is a different story.

Everyday, my kids – just like all children – would bring home masterpieces they’d made at school. Up it would go on the fridge to be proudly displayed until the next day when it would get replaced by a new masterpiece.  We’d toss or recycle most of this art, but we also saved some. We decided to have our favorite pieces professionally framed and hung them throughout the house so we could continue to enjoy them. It’s amazing how proud the kids were to see their artwork showcased for everyone to see.

As parents, our “sentimental” plan is to give our now grown daughters their framed masterpieces when they have their own place. They’ll have their very own art collection to proudly decorate their walls with.

Now that they’re both away at university, I miss all the drawings and paintings they used to bring home every day. I guess the next masterpieces we’ll proudly frame will be their university degrees.

Liette Tousignant, founder of UTR Decorating

Even the most skilled handymen and women shudder when they see ‘hang pictures’ on the to-do list. Be honest, you’d rather unclog a toilet than hang some new artwork, right?

You’re not alone! Most DIYers break into a sweat at the thought of putting extra holes in their wall. And if they do, they can only hope the frame they’re hanging will cover them.  Now, all DIYers can relax because Hang & Level is definitely the tool  every family handyman or woman needs to hang stuff on the walls with confidence. As shown in Picture-Hanging 101, it’s easy to use and definitely worth the investment.

Thanks Family Handyman for including Hang & Level in your February issue!

At Under The Roof Decorating, we make picture hanging easy. Our innovative products as well as helpful tips and tricks make it simple to hang pictures where you want them – the first time

We love it when people try out our products so they can see for themselves what all the fuss is about. We especially love it when they take the time to review them. And that’s exactly what Alan Henry of Lifehacker.com did. A few months ago, there was a discussion on Lifehacker about how to hang art without damaging walls. Readers were asked if they would use a paint can stirrer and a screw to get the job done or if they would buy a Hang & Level instead. Because Hang & Level was designed specifically to hang pictures without causing damage to your walls, we wanted Alan to see for himself how easy it is to use. Liette, the inventor of the tool, sent one over for him to try and after using it, Alan admitted “Hang and Level makes positioning photos and art together on the wall quick and easy.” You can read the complete review here….http://lifehacker.com/5864086/the-hang-and-level-makes-positioning-photos-and-art-together-on-the-wall-quick-and-easy

Thanks, Lifehacker!

At Under The Roof Decorating, we make picture hanging easy. Our innovative products as well as helpful tips and tricks make it simple to hang pictures where you want them – the first time!

In November, and all year, it’s important to remember our veterans. At UTR, we show our appreciation by displaying a simple framed picture of a poppy in our reception area.

Every time we, or our visitors walk by the beautiful, bright poppies, we’re reminded why we must never forget to show our appreciation, gratitude and respect for veterans and members of the armed forces.

Thank you, veterans!

Our little Stoppy made a big impression with the Housewares and Appliances team at About.com. The team focuses on products that make life easier and after putting Stoppy through its paces, the overall impression was outstanding.“ It’s an innovative gadget that is both a practical home essential, as well as a safety tool. It’s also a cute conversation piece.”

Read the review here….

At Under The Roof Decorating, we make picture hanging easy. Our innovative products such as Hang & Level and Déco Nails as well as helpful ‘how-to” info and useful déco tips make it simple to hang pictures exactly where you want them – the first time!

While at the Hardware Show in Las Vegas, the team from Cool Tools, a unique gadget show that airs on the DIY Network, dropped by our booth to film a segment featuring Hang & Level.

Every year, the Cool Tools team attends the show searching for unique gadgets that solve a problem. They include their discoveries in a Hardware Show Special that airs on the DIY Network in the fall.

On the show, viewers are given an exclusive look at new tools and how they work. Here, Liette shows the producer and crew how easy it is to hang pictures with Hang & Level.

“What a great way to kick off the show! Thanks to the Cool Tools team for including us in their Cool Tools 2011 Hardware Show Special. Producer, writer, Scott Hiller, and his team were great to work with.” Says Liette Tousignant. The episode will air in November, we’ll keep you posted.

We are back home after another successful National Hardware Show! It was an exhausting 3 days, and many thanks to Freeman and the Las Vegas Convention Centre staff for all their help. Make sure to stay tuned to our site for upcoming media coverage filmed at the show.

Under The Roof Decorating is on the road and heading to the National Hardware Show, May 10-12, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The NHRA Show is a housing after-market show that brings together manufacturers and resellers of all products used to remodel, repair, maintain and decorate the home and garden.

If you are in the area or attending the show, come visit us at Booth 4915 to check out our products, including our newest product: Anchor Points™.

See you in Vegas!

Under the Roof Decorating is thrilled to announce our newest partnership with retail giant, Target. UTR’s unique picture hanging tool, Hang & Level is now available at all 1750 retail stores across the United States and is the perfect complement to Target’s wide range of beautiful wall décor choices. Everything from picture frames, to mirrors, to clocks and framed prints can be found online and in stores, and now those items can be hung quickly and easily with Hang & Level.

We’re very happy to announce that Hang & Level™ and Stoppy™ are now available at all Totem stores throughout Alberta. Click here to select your local store and check it out this weekend!

With the prevalence of breast cancer on the rise, almost everyone has been touched by the disease. All of us at UTR have been personally affected in some way. Many of us know someone who is currently battling cancer, and tragically, too many of us have lost someone to the disease. I know personally the toll that breast cancer can take, as my sister is a survivor. That’s why, as the founder of UTR it is so important to me that we get involved and help make a difference.

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we want you to add some pink to your house and help find a cure for a disease that afflicts 1 in 9 Canadian women. For every pink Stoppy sold online during the month of October, we will donate 5% of the purchase price to the Cancer Society. But that’s not all! The UTR team will then match the total amount raised, doubling the donation.

Advances in research are being made every day and together, we can make a difference and put a Stoppy to breast cancer. Click here to shop online.

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!

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

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