Taylor Made designs

:: monday ::

Howdy! Hope everyone had a terrific weekend. Here's Davis's cowgirl hat from last week. I should take a photo of what it looks like now. {those foamy stickies do not adhere that well!} She's been going around the house saying, "ehhh haaaawwww" it's pretty cute. Now if I could only get her to sit on her pony that Santa brought her for Christmas and do that.

Sweet William on his way to school.

Some flowers we picked up last week. They look so pretty in the kitchen and remind me that Spring isn't that far away.

Before we eat I always make the kids wash their hands, but surprisingly, a lot of places that are "kid friendly" do not have bathrooms suitable to kids. I always carry wet ones + other towelettes with me. These lemon + peppermint towelettes are the best! They smell like heaven. Whenever I use them in public I always have people asking me where that smell is from. {they smell that good} You can order them online here.

I recently bought these heart potholders from Williams-Sonoma {50% off, how sweet}

:: Howdy ::

I thought it would be fun for the kids {and me} to make our own Valentine's day cards. {in my head it did, reality is so much different, no?} So yesterday we went to Michael's Arts + Crafts store for materials. We were a bit derailed, and ended up buying, in addition to Valentine's stuff, these cowboy hats + Diego foam cut outs. We had so much fun. William LOVES his hat. This morning he insisted on bringing it to school for show + tell. He helped Davis with hers. It really was so much fun and I have to tell you, William knew all the names of the Diego foam animals. I mean, the proper names in english + spanish. Colour me impressed. I don't care what all those naysayers out there say about TV... if it's educational, like dora + diego are... then I think it's perfectly fine. Because seriously, William knows more spanish that I do!

Here's our Valentine's Day stash. We started making some cards, but never finished them. {working with glitter glue really slows down the process!} So today we'll finish them up. I'll post the masterpieces later on.

I can't remember why they both turned their heads at the same time... but thought it was a sweet photo.
Happy Friday everyone. Have a great weekend. Stay warm!

:: it's all in the wrist ::

 

OK, how cool is this? Move over Dick Tracey! It's a watch, MP3 player, Camera Wristband by Swatch.

I want it! You have to take a look. It's a folding chair. It's amazing!

If you like honey, here's a beautifully packaged sample kit of honey.

:: bag it ::

I have an old i Mac Laptop {the one that looks like a blue toilet seat} It is so slow {especially compared to my fully loaded G5 Tower} + my new software won't run on it, so it's pretty much rendered useless. Which is pretty sad because it was expensive when I bought it!  Even the kids don't like it because it's so slow.

I use to use it when I was on long press runs... filling out expense reports, doing schedules + other admin stuff. It was never powerful enough to do actual design work. But, I just might resurrect it so I can buy one of these beauties to hold it in. Saw these bags on Oh Joy!.  Love the patterns. Wish they had them for men. {I think Neal would think these were too girly for him}

Ok, I think the TV gods are trying to tell me something. What? I do not know. So, Monday night I was snuggled in bed watching 24. I did not get the chance to watch the previous episode online... but I figured it was ok... I mean, it is 24. Something alarming happens, Jack figures it out, Jack saves the hour. Then, something new + alarming happens. {and so on...}

It's the last ten minutes of the episode, Jack's mean ass daddy is have a "moment" with his son Graham, {I kinda new his dad was a badass when he shot the guy who was going to kill them. This is 24 man, you don't kill someone before you can interrogate them!} So we know where Jack inherited his skills from, and Daddy kills off Graham. He then calls out for help, saying his son was having a seizure, people scurry in + then bamm... my electricity cuts off!  The wind was blowing so hard here it must have knocked out a line. Within 10 minutes it was back, but I lost the last few minutes of the show. I know, how cruel~

Truly "taylor made" bumper pads + pillows for my day crib.

I stumbled upon this photo of William as a baby. Look at that big bum in the air!

This was the kid's day crib/playpen which I used in our family room when they were babies. {my mum gave it to me + she used it for all five of us kids.} 

I couldn't find any bumper pads that I liked and matched my family room decor... so I decided I would make the bumper pads and the pillows.

Now, when I said "I would make" I really meant, "Nicole would make". She has far superior sewing skills than myself. We went to the local fabric store, Calico Corners, and I picked out some black + white fabrics.

Now the materials cost a boatload {I remember my bill being well over $100!} so I was insistent that we really follow through and make everything... so, I held Nicole hostage for the weekend. Sewing, eating, drinking, stuffing pillows, and more sewing!

I LOVED the way it all came out! Everything is now being stored at my mum's house so when the next baby comes along in our family, they'll have a beautiful crib with all the accouterments to use!

I found these leaf stoppers recently. I love the design! I would totally use these. Not sure if they are available yet or not. :(

:: monday, monday ::

No more bugs, Dr. William is in the house! Here's William's doctor bag. I made him a label + he feels so proud. "now it's official, I am a doctor mum!" If only it were that easy huh?

Davis helped me to make these banana muffins on Sunday. {I have a terrific recipe} I usually make a loaf, but thought I'd try muffins this time. They came out yummy.

I thought I would introduce you to Dakota, or koty boots, as we affectionately call her. {she's all black except for some white on her paws, though now, she's growing some white on her chin} She's the sweetest pup. She'll be six in September. I love her.  Her tolerance of the kids is incredible. She allows them to crawl all over her. Davis is fond of sleeping on her. Davis also calls her "la de da" and she calls Montana, "ra" it's pretty random, but cute.

:: weakend ::

Neal's boss use to have this chart posted on his door.
It's pretty funny. He asked me to recreate it for him... so I figured I'd post it here.  {click on it so you can see it/read it}  Oh, I modified the swear words so it wasn't so dirty :)

Well, the "weakend" is just about over and again, we've been hit with sickness. :( Poor William. Saturday @ 1.50am he slumped next to our bed and said, "mummy, my head hurts. Can I sleep with you?" I say of course he could and lifted him up. Then without warning, as is always the case... he throws up. Yup. All over the bed. Can you say g.r.o.s.s?

Naturally, I had to strip the bed {because it was everwhere, including one of my pillows, ugh!} I couldn't just leave everything in a pile. It's now past 2:00am Saturday morning, colder than cold and I'm doing laundry.

After the bed was remade and we settled ourselves, who comes paddling into our room? Baby Davis. "mummy, mummy boo, boo." as she taps her head. Thankfully, she did not throw up... but both of them had fevers and just wanted their mummy. It was a long long long morning.

Saturday I felt crappy all day long. I was so tired + I felt like I was sick too. We were all huddled in bed asleep by 7:00pm. {of course at 11:00 I was up and not tired at all :( }

It's Sunday, and everyone is feeling better... though William + Davis still have that "sick" look in their eyes. I just tucked them into my bed. Turned on the TV so they could watch SpongeBob + hope they can and fight the low-grade fever they both have.

gosh, I can not wait for Spring!

:: Protocol ::

Gee, I just realized that I mentioned all these blogs below {in a very good way} but didn't tell the owners that I was going to do that... does anyone know the protocol on this? Am I being bad, rude, or disrespectful by not seeking permission first? Yikes. Let me know! 

:: A little bit of this, and a little bit of that ::

I made these little monsters for Davis months ago. {fashioned after the "ugly dolls"} I used regular felt because I had tons available at home, but really should have used heavy wool felt. These pill and are not holding up well to tea parties + free throws.

Decided I'd show you all some of my design work since that's what I do everyday to pay my bills. While cleaning I found this box I designed for one of my regular clients. I really like the way it turned out. It's clean + carries their brand really well. I enjoy package design a lot.

This is an invitation I designed + sent to a client this week. {I created two options, but this one is my favorite} The event is exclusively for executives in the Brooklyn, NY area. So I decided to go with a map concept stressing this point. Background art is a map of the Brooklyn area. The invitation is folded like an actual map. Anyway, I think it's clever and the client was really receptive to the concept. We'll see which direction they go in.

Caught up with some TV last night. Totally loved Friday Night Lights. I think this show gets better and better each week. The Office was OK. Not a favorite episode... the last episode was so much better. For those of you who enjoy the show, someone recently told me about a blog kept by Mindy. She's Kelly on the Office, in love with intern {now full-time} Ryan. It's fun. I watched Grey's Anatomy for the first time in about two weeks. I feel like I've missed a lot but still enjoyed the episode. I'm so not a Merideth fan, but last night... tears. I felt sooo bad for her. Boo hoo for Merideth. Oh, and we caught up with Everwood. Talk about tears. Bye Earl. You will be missed. Today is the second to last episode of the entire series. Monday is the last. While I haven't enjoyed Season 4 as much as I did Seasons 1 + 2... I'll be sad to say goodbye to The Browns + The Abbotts.

Oh, since this week's theme... if you want to call it that... was all about blogging...I thought I would list a few blogs that I visit regularly. {in no particular order}

:: Dooce ::
Fantastic writing. Without fail, this site makes me laugh out loud. I look forward to each and every post. Her humour is just hysterical.

:: Waiter Rant ::
Another great site that I go to for the stories + writing. Really great stuff. I think he's working on a book.

:: Give Me My Remote ::
This is where I catch up on all things TV. She's a local girl {meaning she's from the Boston area, I'm from the Boston area} She's loves TV and everyday she has recaps etc. Fun site.

:: Go Fug Yourself ::
A fashion site, making fun of the FUGLY. Love the biting wit and charm of the girls that write this blog. Honestly, they are funny + can write really well.

:: Shims + Sons ::
This is one of those sites that totally inspired me to start blogging. Sally Shim is talented and totally amazing. Her work is flawless, her blog inspiring + you know what, I bet she's a really nice person to boot.

:: A to Z ::
Found Zoe through someone's blog and I'm glad I did. She posts just about everyday with great photos of her sewing work {which has inspired me to start some sewing projects} and some fantastic photos of her cute little girl. {which I love seeing}

:: Scissors Paper Glue ::
This is Jen's site. I think I found her site from someone who mentioned her fantastic collage work. And seeing that I love collage work, I of course love her site. She posts photos of her artwork regularly – which inspires me to get going on my own work. But it was a beautifully styled photo of her Christmas presents wrapped {seriously, it looked like a page out of "Real Simple" magazine} that caught my eye. Terrific styling. Plus, she's been really encouraging to me + my blog :) 

:: Sulu Design ::
I love what Susan has been doing on her site. You have to check out her beautiful jewelry and see the inspiration behind them. She calls her project "Project Original Intent" and it's fabulous. The first photo   she posts {and I'm paraphrasing here} is an image from life's everyday encounters, and the other is an image of a piece of sulu-design jewelry that was inspired by the first. I think she has a book here!

:: Sweet Petite ::
I just discovered this site about a month ago. I love her posts. So many of them seem to resonate with me...I always want to comment. I think that says something... huh? Oh, and she has the cutest kids. I love her header!

If you know of any other sites that you think I'd like, let me know

Happy Friday and have a terrific weekend everybody!   

:: what's in the bag? ::

One of Davis's favorite activities is "what's in mummy's handbag for me?" She loves to empty my bag and see what I have for her to play with. Somedays it's my sunglasses, other days, it's my lip gloss, and most recently, it's been my wallet... {which I unfortunately discovered while in the supermarket, sans wallet} So I've tried to be smart, and put my bag up on a hook so I don't have awkward situations {like the no wallet in the market} happen again. {seriously, I had to tell the clerk I did not have my wallet and I'd be back for the groceries... cute huh?}

Well, yesterday I left it on the bench by the door. Without missing a beat, she went exploring. You'll notice she's playing with my brand new business card holder. {ask me where my old business holder is...mmmm} But it was cute, she was counting out my cards. "mummy, eight!" and she was right! I'm starting to worry that my kids are smarter than me.

Just thought I'd show you a little part of my studio. Yup, this is where all the deep thoughts happen! Thanks to everyone for their kind words on my last post. Honestly, I think I have been approaching this blogging stuff as if it were a job. I am just use to developing a concept and sticking with it. {good habits are hard to break.} But blogging – it's not a job. And I enjoy it, so I'm just going to post whatever I feel like posting. Which is rather refreshing.

Well, it's been a very busy week for me so I have been working in the evenings trying to keep up. Which means not a lot of TV. I missed Friday Night Lights, but I DVR'd it, so I'll catch up this weekend. I still haven't watch 24 online. I did watch Top Chef at 10:00pm. I know I ranted away that i would not watch, but I got sucked back in... and I'm glad to say that Ilan won. :) But honestly, Marcel... he is a good chef. {not a top chef...but a good one} He's really creative + his plating is really beautiful. I think if he can check his attitude he's going to be pretty successful. Then I watched Top Design. I fell asleep during some of it. {it was on from 11-12} but from what I saw, these designer are the real deal. Not at all like HDTV's "next design star". It could also be that they had the opportunity to shop at hi-end retail + with a $50,000 dollar budget. Sweet. Do you know what I would do with a budget like that? Ah, to dream, to dream.