Taylor Made designs

:: thoughts on blogging ::

Ever since my 100th post, I've been thinking...
What do I want this blog to be?
What's my goal?
What do I want to say to all 10 people reading my blog? :)

Right now I feel like I'm a little bit of this, and a little bit of that... 

I know, pretty heady stuff... huh? Well, I still haven't figured it all out. I know why I started this blog. To connect with like minded folks now that I'm not in the work world. You know, attract people who liked design, crafts, kids etc. hence, the "birds of a feather" tagline on my header.

Working out of my little studio is a huge, I mean, enormous change from where I use to work. I was an art director in Boston on posh Newbury Street for over six years. I was so the career girl. Then I had Will and I just couldn't bring myself to go back. {plus, while on maternity leave, the owner sold the business + the new owner moved it to the suburbs of Newton. Now I live in the suburbs... I didn't want to travel 45 minutes to work in one too! But that's a whole 'nother story!}

Anyway, when I worked in the city, whenever I needed a break, or some inspiration, I would take a walk. The beautiful shops, the interesting people, the lovely gardens – one couldn't ask for a more creative atmosphere to work amongst.

Now, even with my lovely little things around me, I realize how much I miss working in the city. I miss the inspiration. I miss being in the know. I miss the immediate creative rush I use to get when something odd or interesting would catch my eye and an idea would hit me.

How do I capture that rush now? How do I become inspired? Become creative? Blogs.

There are SO many creative, interesting, fascinating, weird, totally crazy people out there. I love it! I love visiting other people's blogs and becoming inspired – some by their photography, some by their art, some by their crafts, and others by their words + writing. It's wonderful to just sit down, latte in hand and just cruise the Internet. Naturally, nothing beats the real world... but this is a pretty good alternative :)

I started blogging because I was inspired by so many blogs out there. I want to be one of those blogs :) A place where people like to come because something I posted inspired them, made them smile, made them laugh, made them think, or made them want to leave me a comment. {and for those of you kind enough to leave a comment, THANK YOU. Because, honestly, you have no idea how awesome it is to receive one...  in the blogging world, comments are like currency.}

But right now, I've been struggling with my content. What do I want to post? What should I post? Should I establish a theme? A concept? Should I post daily, or every other day... what? I feel like my blog is not focused.

I can't create crafts everyday... I have a pretty full design schedule, two kids, two dogs etc. So that's just not going to happen. So I won't be a "craft" blog. A lot of my design work is just not sexy or exciting or anything that I think anyone but my client would want to see. So I can't be a  "design" blog. My kids are cute, but I'm their mum, so naturally I think that... but I don't want this to become "my kids" blog. hhhhmmmmm. 

I sound like "deep thoughts" by Jack Handy. {remember him from Saturday Night Live}  :) 

So I guess I'll just be me.
Random. Creative. Funny. Silly. Strange. Crafty. Mummy.
A reflection + expression of who I am.

It's funny, I forget – this isn't a job. I don't need to figure it all out right away. I think my voice will evolve and become more apparent + stronger as time goes on. I've just got to give it some time. I've only been blogging for four months... so I'm just going to post whatever + whenever I want and not worry too much about it. 

Phew.
That's a bit of a relief. As Tim Gunn of Project Runway so aptly says... "carry on."

:: Pretty Barrettes ::

If your kids are like mine, then you know that the minute you buy anything {big or small, cheap or expensive} chances are, whatever you bought, may become: damaged, abused, or lost.

Having my heart + wallet broken so many times... I decided to made these barrettes last weekend for Davis. We are always losing hair clips + barrettes and it frustrates me to no end. I swear I have spent so much money on little hair clips, headbands, and barrette but can never find any when I'm doing her hair. Is it just me who has these problems? {Maybe that's why I wear a pixie cut. So easy.}   

Anyway, I bought two ribbon barrettes like these last Fall at a craft fair for $5.00. They look + work great in Davis's hair. As I handed over the cash to purchase them, all I could think was, "I can make these bad girls at home myself". And sure enough, I could + finally did. So, so easy to make. Honestly, I made over 20 barrettes for less than $5.00. Sweet.

If you have a glue gun, some ribbon, some velcro + a local beauty supply store close by {where you can buy the metal clips} you can make these no problem.  I'll be making more soon. I'll post them as I do them. If anyone wants instructions on how to make them, just let me know :)

Thanks to everyone letting me know I can watch 24 online. I found a site where I can watch last nights episode. http://creative.myspace.com/VOD/24/index.html

Yahoo! Seriously, I was really sad last night when I realized I missed the episode. I know... pathetic.

Davis has officially started calling me "mummy" versus "mama". Which I love.

:: oh no ::

My DVR did not tape 24 last night. What's a girl to do?

:: weekend fun ::

As promised, here's Davis wearing her happy green + pink pom pom hat. Her pink mittens are also courtesy of her Aunt Nicole! 

 

Happy Monday everyone! Here's William off to school. He's wearing his red scarf that Aunt Nicole made for him. The cool backpack was a Christmas gift from Aunt Renée. He loves it. Pirates are pretty big in our house.

Hope you had a terrific weekend. How come they go by so fast?  Saturday Renée came down to visit us. She's been in Florida for the last few weeks for work. {She lives in Beacon Hill in Boston} Nicole came over as well. The kids were so excited to have their aunts over. Despite the cold, Nicole  played soccer with Will + Davis.  William has become so coordinated! It's amazing how fast their skills improve.

Renée treated us to a movie in the afternoon – we went and saw A Note on a Scandal. It was really good. Creepy? Yes. But both Cate Blanchett + Judi Dench were wonderful. Truly worthy of their Oscar nominations. The really creepy part of the movie for me – Judi Dench's Barbara, looked + sounded exactly like my mother-in-law. {who is British, accent and all} I kept saying to Renée during the movie, "oh my god, it's Margaret". {Not that she was the character at all, it was just the physical appearance!}

Then we went and grabbed some wine, cheese + crackers and hung out at my house. Such a nice afternoon. Thanks Renée!

On Sunday we went over to Nicole's loft. Nicole "rented" Neal for the afternoon :) She bought a new seven foot table and eight chairs which he was going to help move into her place, but someone down the hall was happy to help her + her friend move them into her loft. But, he hung shelves + helped put stuff away in storage. We also rearranged some stuff. Her place looks great!

Well, tons of work to do. Have a great day!

:: tie one on ::

I saw these hairholders a few months ago. Daily Candy sent an email promoting them today. I think they are pretty clever. I just might have to make some for Davis. {nothing the folks at My Perennial would want to hear, but I think I could design something equally as cute.} Check out their site. They have lots of cute stuff. 

:: top model ::

This is a hat Nicole  knitted for Davis. It's kinda itchy, so Davis is not so keen on wearing it. But Montana loves it! Adorable no? I think Monty looks swell.

Actually, Davis was napping so I couldn't get her to model for me, so the next best option was William. For a four year old, his sense of propriety is amazingly established. "no way mum." So that left Montana :) It took a couple of tries, and a couple of doggie cookies, but he relented and was the perfect, "top model". That's what he gets for napping on my feet as I work.

Some of you know, my sister Nicole is quite the knitter. She use to have a blog but hasn't posted for almost a year. So I am going to brag about her and her skillls because these hats are pretty special. You should see the sweaters she has made. {meanwhile, I can't even manage to knit a proper scarf}

This hat is adorable. Davis has been wearing it to school for the past few days. It goes great with her new Lilly Pulitzer coat. {which I do have to layer with a fleece underneath it} Maybe I can get an actual photo of her wearing the hat tomorrow. She looks pretty sweet.

When she wears her red puffy down coat, she's been wearing this hat. {there is a scarf that matches}. She looks so fashionable. I just now need mittens to go with them :) {wink, wink}

Anyway, I was terribly busy today. Had a lot on my plate. I wish I could post my design work, but I don't think it's terribly interesting to post that kind of stuff here. {unless it's logo stuff}  I think people are more into craft projects. Today I worked on a few flyers, two datasheets, a PowerPoint presentation, and a small brochure. I had to release some stuff to the printer too. Not really sexy stuff.

I am hoping to make a needle holder this weekend. I got the idea from Zoe. {I can's seem to find the actual post, but it's there, so check out her blog, it's great!} It's a simple project and I think I can manage to sew it without making a mess out of it. I also want to make some more barrettes for Davis. I made tons back in December, but now I can't find them anywhere. Hate when that happens. A mind is a terrible thing to lose. 

Last night I tried to watch some TV. I wanted to watch Friday Night Lights, but we've been having "issues" with the kids... issues as in, "mum, I'm not sleepy. can you read me another book? Can you lie next to me?" Grrrr. They keep getting out of bed. I keep putting them back into bed. I lie down with them. I miss my show. Luckily, I DVR'd FNL so I can watch it this weekend. I heard it was a good one.

I did however catch Top Chef on Bravo at 10pm. {and yes, davis was asleep next to me} I've really enjoyed this show this season and was a fan of Season one. But I'm so disappointed with the elimination of Sam and the advancement of Marcel. I don't even care to watch the finale next week.  Ilan was the other one to advance to the finale... but he did not impress me the way Sam did. Plus, I think Illan displayed some real immature behaviour that he was not called out on. 

I honestly feel they kept Marcel for the drama. Which is what totally suxs about reality shows. I'm sure his food is decent. I'm sure he's a good chef. But is he a decent, good person? From what I saw, no. And before anyone tells me it's "all about the food" and it's "not a popularity contest" I disagree. It's not called "Top Food" It's called "Top Chef"... and if one is to anoint someone with that title they should embody the top traits of a chef... and that includes more than their cooking skills.

No one on that show, even last year's poser, Stephen, alienated as many of the contestants as Marcel has. I think being a Top Chef is not only about good food, good skills, and mad presentation skills, but also about being a leader.

Marcel is so clearly, not a leader. He had spats with just about everyone. I just think you have to wonder about someone who pisses everyone off. Can he lead and garner good will in the kitchen? No? Well, then take a second look at why. We've all worked with jerks.  And I'm telling you, I don't care how good of a chef, designer, programmer, etc. someone is... if you can't play well with others, then I don't want you on my team.

If you look back at all the episodes, the one consistent performer was Sam. From the first show to the last, he performed well. I think he was decent and respectful of others. From where I sat, he was clearly a front runner. I think he was robbed. Like I said, I doubt I'll tune in to the final. I don't care to see who wins...and god help me, if Marcel wins... I'll be pissed.

 

:: My Etsy Store ::

w e l c o m e !
I opened my Etsy Store over the weekend. Hooray for me!

Currently I have listed some fabulous MINI Taylor Books. I do have some Taylor Book available, I just need to take photos and upload them. Why not take a peek + let me know what you think!

For some reason, I just can't get a decent photo! I have a good camera, but the images still don't do justice to the product. I turned off the flash + use natural light. Maybe that's been the problem?  hmmm. Do you think the photos are OK to use? Should I hire a professional or will these images do? Honestly, I would love any feedback. Thanks!

:: sweet stuff ::

Yesterday we did a lot of drawing. This is a drawing of William + Davis, by my little Picasso Will. It's hanging up my studio right now. I asked Will if he could draw Monty + Koty too. And he said, "no mum, Davis is carrying a stick + the dogs are scared of her." Logic. I love it.

Holy Batman... Jack has a brother? And his brother is "BlueTooth"? {talking about 24 again, sorry} How many of you dropped your jaw when you learned that that guy Graham, {who was the mystery guy from last year, who tried to kill Jack, like 10 times} was Jack's brother? I could not believe it. Both Neal + I looked at each other and went, "oh. my. god". I'm telling you, it certainly makes you appreciate your own family. Regardless of how dysfunctional you think you all are – I'm sure none of you worry that your brother or sister is going to kill you! Ah, family reunions are just so much fun. I especially loved when his brother said, "you're hurting me" and jack said, "trust me, I'm not" as he had a plastic bag over his brother's face. :)

Jack is back baby :)

Well, my sister Nicole just emailed me these + said she wanted them. {the frog ones} How yummy do they look? For $68 dollars, they better be more then yummy! A perfect valentine for your sweetheart no? Available at Saks. Makes me want to make some cookie + decorate them for the kids.

I found these mittens which I think are terrific. {over at moderntots.com} They look warm + I love the long string that will ensure your little ones won't lose them. I have a lot of lonely mittens in my house. I especially love that they are reversible. How clever.

Also at ModernTots, I found these sweet newborn hats. I wish they came in a bigger size. I love them.

:: Snowy Monday ::

It's snowing here in Boston. It looks so pretty. I hope we'll get more than a dusting. This week we're suppose to get the coldest weather, supposedly, colder than alaska!

The kids are home. We got a call yesterday from William's teacher saying that one of her older kids has lice, and has given it to her two other children. She doesn't want to infect anyone so she has canceled school today. Which I'm totally ok with. Who wants to deal with that? Of course I have checked the kids heads + so far, so good. Nothing :) Whew.

Tonight... it's hour 5 of 24. Who's excited? me me me!~

Ran across a couple of cool looking things on the Web. Today I wish I had this for the kids to play with. They do have a kitchen set, it's just not an entire unit like this one. I like the look of this, plus, it's wooden + comes with a lot of fun wooden cooking accessories. {everything you see} Not bad.

This clock looks like something you could actually make yourself. I like the colours.

And look at this! It's an MP3 player in the shape of a Rubik's cube. Clever, no? Practical – ahh, not not so much. I see this on your desk... imagine trying to run with this thing!

:: I've been tagged ::

Here are some fun photos of my sweet William. Clean from a tub, wearing his nice warm pjs, and his monster slippers. For the longest time, Will would not wear those slippers. {his Aunt Renée gave them to him} He was so scared of them. So, they poked out from under a little chair in his room. Now, he's four. He's big. He's brave. {all according to William} I'm just so glad he wears them now. His new Robeez slippers won't be arriving till next week and it's been cold!

We were out today, running tons of errands. William + Davis "bought" me these flowers because, "we love you mum!" Aren't they beautiful? The flowers are pretty too :)

.............................................................................................................

Well, I've been tagged by Zoe for six weird things! Here are the rules: 

People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Well, I checked out a bunch of other blogger's who have been tagged. And I have to tell you, there are a lot of weird people out there, with a lot of weird traits, habits, etc. :)

I had Neal {my husband} read my "weird list" and this was his response.
"kittykat, you don't understand the term "weird". Weird means, "I like to lick my dogs tongue. I like to save money by shopping for already opened food, or bruised fruit. I'm afraid dear, you're just not weird."

well, weird or not, here goes: 

1. I don't like my lattes/coffee/tea really hot. I like my "hot" beverages slightly hotter than lukewarm. {I suppose this is more safe, than weird.}

2. I like to make "to do lists" everyday. Of course I use one of my beautiful TaylorBooks to jot down all my notes + lists in. I then like to keep my old notebooks for fear that I'll need to find some information that I wrote down in my book. {I think this is more obsessive than weird.}

3. I have a slight obsession with handbags. I change my bag all the time to match an outfit. If I know I'll be seeing a certain friend/person, I change my bag to one that I know they will adore.

4. I like to write with a nice roller ball fine point pen {I hate fat point pens}. {again, this is a slight obsession} I like montblancs etc. But I have lost a few of them. {actually I know they were stolen} and so now, I never take my good pens out of my studio for fear of loss. {Which i think is more sad, than weird.}

5. I don't like eating out of a bag or watching anyone eat out of a bag. That's why they make bowls people :) {ok, this is a bit weird, right?}

6. Some people buy yarn, fabric, buttons etc. I buy paper. I can't not go into a paper store, and not buy a sheet of paper. Ever.

:: WHAT I... ::

THINK IS NIFTY:
I've gone through so many boxes of tissues, that I realize I need to purchase the BIG box. But I never buy them, because I can never find an attractive tissue box to hide the hideous box they come in. {I seriously think the manufacturers of tissues are missing a huge marketing gimmick. They should hire some talented designers for their box designs!} But, if they did, people wouldn't need a Hinoki Tissue Box. Which I do think is attractive in a streamline, organic way – "native to Japan, Hinoki cypress wood is valued for its pleasing, fresh scent and anti-bacterial properties." Sounds so nice no?

I JUST PURCHASED:
I recently purchased this new business card case for my cards. {top photo} It's sleek and I like that it's wide to accommodate odd size cards.

I just found this online. {bottom photo} The Giorgio Card Case from Germany. It does look a bit masculine – so this might be nice for Neal. I am hoping I can engrave my new case.

Picked up these Valentine's Dish Towels for $2.50 at Target, I mean...Targette. You can't buy a cup of coffee for $2.50! So I was pretty happy. They are a nice waffle texture and the design is simple and clean. Very understated, which I like. I'm not big on decorating for Valentine's or St. Patrick's Day.

After I purchased these, I happen to run into Crate + Barrel and they had some VD dish towels. They were cute, but they were a deep red {which wouldn't go in my kitchen} but at $7 or $8 bucks a pop I don't think I would have bought them anyway! How can you pay that when you can get something for less, that is still well designed?

AM READING:
For the kids, we have been reading a variety of books. William loves anything to do with space. "I'm going to go to the moon when I get older mum. And maybe Mars." I hope so buddy!

"Big Book of Space": This book has pull outs, pop ups, flaps, and other stuff going on to engage the kids. The writing is easy to follow and I am learning, I mean, the kids are learning so much.  It's great.

"Mouse Cookies & More: A Treasury": This book comes with a CD. Inside you'll find a bunch of different stories like, "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" + "If you take take a mouse to school" and in between each story, they include songs and recipes. It's a fun book. And if you don't mind reading a book to your kids, and then listening to the same stories {which are read by Joan Allen, that crazy lady, Carol Kane, and the guy who played Niles on Frazier} in the car, then you'll be entertained...and so will your kids.

"Blue Train, Green Train": This is a Thomas the Train book. William actually reads this one to us. It's geared towards young readers and that fits William to a tee! He's actually really memorized the book... but I make him sound out the letters and make him use his finger to identify the words as he reads.

"BooBoo": This book is one of our favorites. There are about 4-5 books in the series. We have three of them. They are written + illustrated by Olivier Dunrea. In this particular one, BooBoo is a blue gosling, and she likes to eat... and burb. Which is one of the reasons the kids love this book. We always have to stop and do a round of fake burbs. Anyone who knows us, will recall how the kids like to pretend "burb" all the time. That came from this book.

We have a lot of other books we read. I try to make them rotate them. We've been reading a lot of SpongeBob books lately too, since they got those as Christmas presents.

I just finished "WideAcre" by by Philippa Gregory. I read one of her other books during the holidays. {which I loved and could not put down} This one I didn't love. It was ok. It took about 100 pages or more for me to care and to want to read it to the end. I think this is the first book of the trilogy. Not sure which book is next. I'll have to look that up.

I'm also reading through my Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, and Domino issues. I have a subscription to "Blueprint", another magazine from Martha Stewart, but I have not received a winter issue. The last issue I read was back in the Fall. It only comes out six times a year. I like it a lot... but not the waiting for it. I'm kinda impatient that way.

If anyone has any good recommendations for books, feel free to let me know!

AM WATCHING:
Last night I was so looking forward to watching Friday Night Lights, but it was a repeat. Boo hoo. I was feeling tired and just wanted to relax + do nothing. The kids spent the day at my parent's house, and when I picked them up, my mum had made us a Shepard's Pie for dinner. {ground meat, layered with corn + potatoes, yum!} How sweet was that? Thanks mum!~ So I did not need to cook, or clean up! Which left me with some time on my hands. I switched on the TV around 9:30 or so, nothing much on, but did catch a bit of American Idol.

Now Neal and I are not big on the auditions. We don't watch until they are in Hollywood. Last night confirmed to me why we don't.

There were these two kids on there. I don't know how else to say it – I don't want to say they were slow or challenged, but maybe they were, just a bit. The comments made by the judges + the ridicule they faced, just made me cringe.

Who finds this stuff funny, or even slightly entertaining? It was downright sad + depressing. Idol is just peddling to low level masses at this point. Why can't this part of the show embrace the "feel good, hooray for the litte guy" concept that the rest of the show embraces and frankly, I think the reason half of the world watches?

Seriously, I'm disappointed that FOX runs crap like this and that millions watch. This can't say anything good about Americans, can it?

Tonight is some good TV: The Office, 30 Rock, Scrubs, and Grey's Anatomy. My DVR will be running on overdrive tonight! I haven't even watched TV from Monday night! {like How I Met your Mother, Christine} because I was watching 24! Well, I actually only watch the first hour on Monday because William woke up crying and felt warm. Ah, a house full of sick kids is fun! So I ended up watching 24 on Tuesday. 24 is nothing you want your kids watching, trust me! {for those of you who don't watch, Jack, our hero, is always saying, "trust me, you've gotta trust me".

 

 

 

:: busy busy bee ::

My workload is a bit overwhelming. I don't even know which projects to start or do first, because all of them are important! Being sick really set me back :(

So once I get some stuff done, I'll come back and post some more :)
Happy Thursday!

:: feeling better ::

William + Davis in the tub. For some reason, when I say smile, this is what I get from Davis... :) She's a very funny little girl! Love the second photo, Davis is under there! The hood is covering her face. She's like "it" from the Adamms Family :)

For the past five days, I have been sick, sick, sick. I felt like I was getting sick last week. I kept taking "emergen-C" and other cold medicine, trying to beat it. But on Saturday night, it finally broke me down. I went through an entire box of Kleenex at my mum's house + knew, I was doomed.  Today, I'm feeling better. I can actually stand and do something without my head feeling like it's going to explode, and my nose has finally stopped running. I have gone through 8 boxes of tissues. It has not been fun. My nose is all red and hurts even though I use tissue with lotion. I am now developing a cough... though I have been using my Advir inhaler, hoping that will eliminate the coughing.

I thank you all for still checking out my site while I rested! I appreciate it!

Holy Cow! Did you all watch "24"? You have to trust me, you must watch! It was the best four hours of television I have seen in a long, long time! Jack is back trying to save the world after 20 months in exile in a Chinese prison camp. The guy is totally amazing. Yes I know it's "T.V." but still, he's like the energizer bunny, he keeps going, and going, and going. I've been sick for five days and I couldn't manage make a cake for my husband's birthday! {yup, it was yesterday, but we did celebrate on Saturday evening, so he did have a cake then} I'll make it up to him later this week! Anyway, it looks like it's going to be a great "24" season. So I'm excited about some good television.

Here on the East Coast, it's @15 degrees out. It's cold baby! It stinks just getting to the car! Thankfully, last Friday it was so nice out that we could play outside. It might be another few days before we can do that again.

I took a few photos of the kids + the dogs last Friday while we were playing. I thought you'd like to meet Montana! He's my first baby. He just turned six on January 13th. He loves for us to kick the ball. He then runs and fetches it. He's like a racehorse. Very fast + agile. Isn't he beautiful?

Montana and his ball. We find volleyballs are the best balls to use.

I love this picture of Monty. {that's his nickname}

Monty brings the ball back, but you have to say, "drop it, drop it" a couple of times, before he does.

I recently bought this pink + chartreuse bowl for my studio. I couldn't resist the price + the colours.  {it was only $12} it's so pretty!

:: remember when? ::

Swingset: $2,400
Toddler Swing: $25
Lilly Pulitzer Fleece: $68
Merrill Moccasins: $48

Mum pushing you higher + higher so you felt like you were flying?  P R I C E L E S S

Remember when swinging on the swingset was THE BEST.
You felt free. You felt like you were flying?
Not a care in the world, but just how high you could go?

Davis's little face captures that spirit.
Oh it just makes me smile :)
Happy Weekend everyone!