Taylor Made designs

:: Cute ::

Ok, I know she's mine, but really... is she not the cutest? She is such a little girly girl. She insisted on wearing her rainboots the other day, despite no rain. {on the wrong feet of course} On Saturday she ran some errands with me + then we had lunch with Aunt Nicole. She was "AB –  All Business" initially and would not crack a smile no matter what. Her hands on her hips...she got that from me. Scary to see your own mannerisms mirrored in your children!

This long holiday weekend was really wonderful. We did a lot of gardening. Finally started mulching. {we have over 6 yards... we have a lot of flower beds! etc.} I love this time of year when things are blooming and everything looks fresh and new. By August, it will all look a bit tired, like me!

A big thank you to Barbara for buying one of my MiniTaylor books. For those interested in my tags... I swear I am working on stuff. I'll have a better idea of where I stand later this week. Sorry for the delay. I just could not be inside working this weekend!

Hope everyone had a wonderful long memorial day weekend. The weather here on the east coast has been super. Low 70's with a wonderful breeze. It's perfect!

:: Tell me more... ::

Well, judging from the comments + all the emails I received, it seems a lot of you are interested in the  silkscreen ribbon I made recently. So I thought, why not do a little post about it.

I have been approached a few times for ribbon orders, but always said no because, honestly, it's a lot of work + I felt no one would want to pay for it. Well, I was wrong :)

To begin the process, this is the information I needed from Sarah:
:: the words she wanted on her ribbon
:: the colour I would print onto the ribbon {black, white, yellow, red, orange, pink etc.}
:: the type of ribbon she wanted
:: size of ribbon (3/8, 1/2, 5/8, etc. )
:: the type of font style
:: how many yards

Once I had that information I went to a couple of stores to check out ribbon. I bought a few spools of ribbon that I thought were lovely and would accept ink well. I took some photos and sent the jpgs to Sarah to see if she liked the ribbon I found. She did +  wanted 10 yards.

Sarah knew she wanted a typewriter font printed in black. So I mocked up a few options. I used the jpgs as backgrounds so she would get a good idea of how the type would look on the ribbon.

Once she approved and selected an option I went to work. As I explained to Sarah, this is a handmade process and as much as I try, there will be slight inconsistencies. {lighter vs darker impressions} But to me, that's the charm.

lt takes awhile for the ink to dry thoroughly, so I can't begin printing on the backside of the ribbon for awhile. You should see my studio while I am working... ribbon strewed all over, so it won't offset onto itself.

I made new labels for the spools of ribbon, and once it was printed on both sides + dried, I rewrapped the ribbon back onto the spools, and packaged them up for shipping.

I hope this was a bit helpful + answered some questions. If not, do let me know! I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have!   

:: Tons of Tags... trying Tuesday ::

See, tons of tags :) They are ready... I am not!
I just have not had the time to take photos of them.
Weather has been nice to take photos ... I just have no time!

And why don't I have time? Well, let me show you....

My monkeys. I'm telling you... it's a good thing I have a good sense of humor.

That's powder you see EVERYWHERE, yes, e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e  {leather ottoman, rug, bed, nightstand, their hair} + oh, what's that in the sink, on the mirror + on the walls... yup, it's toothpaste. {fyi...aquafresh whitening}

You see, I was delusional on Tuesday afternoon. We had a picnic outside in the tent we pitched. Then we played on the swings + rode our bikes. Very fun. When the kids said they wanted to watch Peter Pan upstairs in our bedroom, I thought, "yeah! I can get some work done, uninterrupted." That's the delusional part!

Well, not even twenty minutes went by and Davis came down  – walked into my studio and said... "nothing." Which is toddler speak for, "ah yea, we did something we probably shouldn't have done. You better come look." The powder all over her was another clue :)

So this time, unlike the feather incident... I grabbed my camera. And behold, baby powder and toothpaste everywhere. Davis grabbed my hand and asked, "you happy mummy?"

I couldn't even speak. It was such a mess! I couldn't even breath with all the powder in the air. And if that wasn't enough... while we are cleaning {Neal, god bless him, he did most of the clean up}  Davis decided to write all over her little face with an orange marker.

Neal's response when he saw her? "well, at least she didn't write on her red sox hat."
And for that, we were truly happy :) Go Sox!

{oh, does anyone post, and then reread their post once it up and published and see TONS of typos galore? Gosh, it amazes me at how many I find only after I've published!}

 

:: TAG it Update ::

I know I said I'd have my tags in my Etsy store on Monday but the weather has been so horrible there was no way I could take any decent photos :(   The photos I did take all look blah. So I really don't want to post those.

I know...you're crushed :)

Believe me, I have loads of tags ready! I have been a tag making machine!

I'm out of my studio for most of Monday, but when I get back, hopefully the sun will be out and I can snag some decent photos of them.

I sincerely doubt I'm going to sell out... so no worries. And if I do sell a certain design that you want, but it's not available, just drop me an email and I'll make up a pack for you. We aim to please.

Meanwhile, last week I finished up a silkcreening ribbon order for Sarah P.dot. I think the ribbon came out so cool. Sarah told me what she was looking for, and this is what we came up with it.  So thank you Sarah for your order! I hope you love it.   

:: TAG it ::

Here are some additional designs for my line of gift tags. What do you think? Trying to keep the designs simple + graphic. I've been working away every evening on them. Tying those ribbons... oy, no wonder other retailers just give you the ribbon/twine for you to attach!

The copy above will appear on the backside of the packaging... what do you think? Is it too cutey?

I also have some circle cards, some circles scallop cards + some longer single-sided cards. Can't wait to show off my wine tags. I'm most excited about those :) 

I've registered, TAG-it.biz for my online store. But that won't be up and running for another week. I'll let you know when it's up. My aim is to have a bunch of stuff in my Etsy store this Monday.

So go look under your cushions, under your car seats, and next to your bedside for some extra change :) As always, thanks for all your sweet comments + being so supportive.  ¡Gracias tanto! {see, I'm learning!}

:: Orange you glad...

it's Thursday?

Well here's what I gave Erin Scissorhands for the 5 Senses Swap.

This swap really made me think... and that hurt :)
I came up with the concept of orange when I opened up a Poland Springs orange bubbly water. I thought,  – oh, that would be kinda clever + different for "sound". So I set about finding, making "orange" things.

Here's the rundown:
:: SMELL – orange aromatherapy
:: TOUCH – mini taylor book with a kitty button closure
:: SIGHT – gift tags
:: SOUND – orange bubbly water
:: TASTE – candy orange slices

A week or so back, I ordered the number "5" from Deb at "say it with letters". I thought it would be fun to have for my package. It was so easy to order and to customize the font. {see how it matches my tags?}

Well, I loved the shape + curves, but then hated it when I tried to cover it with paper saying "smell, touch, sight, sound, taste". What.was.I.thinking? It was so freaking hard to do. So I gave up on that idea. I just couldn't make it look good. So I went with ribbon. Which I really loved, but gosh, that was hard to do too. All those curves! I sometimes wonder why I don't realize how hard something is before I take it on. Ah, ignorance!

It was a lot of fun putting this swap together. I was glad to hear from Erin that she liked my package.Thanks Jen for putting it all together :)

:: what's been going on ::

Oh I've been a busy bee. Above are a few things that I've been working on.

Finished my five senses swap. Can I tell you how much work this was? Fun, but tons of work to think up a concept for five senses. I don't think the woman I have as a swap buddy reads my blog... so it would probably be ok to post what I sent,  but on the off chance that I am wrong... {and it is me were talking about, so I probably am wrong!} I'll hold off till she actually gets my package. I decided to go with orange as my concept. Gosh, I hope she likes orange!

And now that i look at my photos above, I can see that I have a bit of an orange theme going on there. How sweet are the orange marigolds that the kids planted for me for Mother's day? I also got a gift certificate to the local nursery so I can pick up some new perennials for my gardens. My mum gave me a beautiful green shallow bowl. I loaded it up with oranges and it looks so pretty. Nicole gave me a gift certificate to have a pedicure and Renée is treating me to a massage. How lucky am i? My family is way too nice to me :)

A big thank you to Kate! Kate has bought two of my mini taylor books and she raved about them so much, that her friend bought one too. All I can say is that repeat business can only mean that my books are pretty nice :) I actually have a catalog for my books, so you can see all the choices I offer. I just need to take a new photo for some of the new inside papers I have and new buttons I offer. I will aim to post my catalog for those of you who might be interested in a book. {they really are lovely + functional!}

Oh the tags, the tags. I am making super progress. I have a bit of an assembly line going on. Trying to be smart about the way I am putting them all together. I am hoping with the kids gone all day on Wednesday I can actually have some packaged up and ready for purchase.

I was presented with an awesome opportunity to submit an ad for a new magazine called, "Organize Magazine". It debuts in June. Talk about a magazine that is right up my alley! I think you all would love it. It offers practical + realistic solutions to living an organized life. So worth checking out! Anyway, I won't know if my ad will be accepted or not for a bit, but it was a whirlwind of activity coming up with the ad concept, shooting a photo, and coming up with copy. I think for the time I had, it came out pretty good :) Maybe I'll post the ad tomorrow to see what you all think.

I'm very much a deadline oriented person...and I find I work extremely well under pressure. I much prefer working fast + furious than if I have weeks and weeks to work on something. I also find, the more stuff I have to do, the more stuff I get done. When I hardly have any work... I hardly want to do any work! Is anyone else like that? I think it's the whole time-crunch, creative juices going etc. I find I'm more focused that way + ideas just flow. Or it could be the three lattes that I drink that makes me feel that way too!

:: Go Sox ::

After a wonderful Mother's Day Brunch at my sister's place, my boys went to the Red Sox Game.

This was the first game for William. We made the mistake of telling him about the game last week... and everyday, up to yesterday, he asked me, "mum, is today the game?", "mum, am I going to the game today?"So it was really sweet to say "yes, today you're going to game!" when he asked for the 100th time.

They had a great time. William had a huge pretzel with mustard and of course he had to get the giant #1 foam hand and a baseball. The tickets were given to us from Nicole's friend David. They were up in the grandstand... I have a feeling if the seats were closer, William might have lasted the entire game. But it was hard for him to see and to pay attention. But free tickets are free tickets!

Davis and I spent the afternoon together. Just the girls. We painted + played with play-doh. I also had time to read my book, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", which I am really enjoying. My book club meets this Wednesday night, so I have to finish it by then. (planning on reading tonight)

I'll sound like a broken record when I tell you, I've been swamped lately. But that's the reason for my lack of posts. I should be able to post a bit more this week. I have some good things to show you!

:: 5 senses swap ::

Yesterday I received my package for the 5 Senses Swap. Can I tell you how awesome it was? Raesha from "my love" blog had me... {I had no idea she had me... I had assumed the person I was preparing for had me...}
So what did I receive... let me count'em:
1. sight:
a scrapbook kit to make my own little booklet. Includes grommets and tags, basically everything you need to make something special
2. touch:
salty margarita foot scrub. Good thing it's said touch, otherwise I would have eaten it! :)
3. taste:
yummy jolly ranchers and lifesaver gushers. (almost gone already!)
4. sound:
a terrific CD called "on the mountain" featuring so many of my favorite artists including a good friend of ours, Susan Tedeschi. {who is an awesome blues singer... my two sisters just hung out with her at Jazzfest in New Orleans last week. You should definitely check her out! (oh the net proceeds for this CD was donated to the Wilderness Society.}
5. smell:
before i opened the package up I could smell something beautiful. Peach + apricot sorbet potpourri will make my home smell delicious.

Pretty good huh? How thoughtful was Raesha?
Well, I'm finishing up my swap package to Erin Scissorhands. I'll show what I sent once she's received it.
Now I'm off to make more tags! 

::Wednesday Already? ::

I don't know about you, but I can't believe it's already Wednesday. Yesterday was glorious. I mean, just spectacular weather wise. Not too cold, not too hot. Just perfect.

I spent the morning working my tail off and then around 2:00pm when I felt a brain freeze coming on, I went outside to defrost. We ran, we rode bikes + and cars, we laughed, and took the dogs for a walk. Some neighborhood kids came over to swing on the swings and we got two rockets stuck in some trees! {again}

I managed to package up a small gift for someone +  I've been working away on my tags. Hoping by next week I'll have some available for purchase. If I can, I'll try to post some more designs later this week.

What a life Montana has, huh? I moved his dog bed to the window so he could enjoy some fresh air and keep an eye out for the chipmunks. His mere presence can be alarming to those vermin, {who have dug up my tulips.} I'm not a violent person... but sometimes I wish I had a cat! {I'm afraid Montana + Dakota's bark is bigger than their bite... they aren't violent either. You can bet, if they manage to get a chipmunk, they would ask, "which one of you is alvin!" and then wag their tails and hope for a cookie.}

:: it's a dog's life ::

We live in a historic area in our town. Our house is approaching 300 years old, but she doesn't look a day over 150 :) Well, every year there is a May breakfast held in one of the original schoolhouses on our street. The schoolhouse is old... how old I'm not sure, but it's one of three in our town that has been preserved. The breakfast is a real sweet event. It's six dollars for adults, $3 for kids + you get a plate full of pancakes, ham, hash browns, muffin, juice, and a bottomless cup of coffee. They also sell flowers, raffle tickets, May baskets, and offer pony rides.

Last year, Davis, who was not even two, wanted to ride the pony. Obviously she was too small so we just let her sit + pet the pony. She was all giggles and smiles. For Christmas Santa gave her a toy pony to ride.

William is another story. You couldn't pay him to get near a pony... We've been to a couple of birthday parties and he was the only kid who wouldn't ride. "I'm all set mum" was his response when asked if he wanted a turn. But he's the one that rides the toy pony horse at home now... and Davis won't do anything but dress it up.

Well, that should have clued me in... but I was still surprised when William declared over breakfast that he wanted to ride the pony and Davis shouted, "no pony!" Now there are two things Davis won't sit on... the pony + the potty! hmmm, both start with the letter "P" + sound alike. :)

Naturally, because this was such a big event, I did not have my camera...so I have no photos of proud William atop of the pony, riding the pony, waving from the pony, or saying, "look at me mum, I'm riding the pony!" I know. I'm a bad mum.

Instead here's William mugging with Montana for the camera. He's quite the ham huh? Davis fell asleep right at the table the other night. And I thought the way the light was hitting the forsythias was pretty. I'm trying to take more photos without the flash on my camera and to use natural light. One of my goals this year is to learn more about my camera  – I just have to remember to bring it with me!

:: Friday RoundUP::

It's late, but it's still Friday :)  Which means, a little roundup is in order.

SWAPS
Cute! Fun! Amazing! Beautiful! Those were some of the things people had to say about the Mellow Yellow Swap. We all thought it was pretty funny that both Rachel + I went with Black & White. Swaps are pretty fun. I have one more to do, and then I think I'm done for awhile. Which is good. It's a lot of work:)

Blog lines
Oh we still love you + Google Reader, though you do have some flaws :) There seems to have been a crazy long delay this week with both . Every now + then I find one of my favorite blogs hasn’t been updated when in fact it has been. But, in the overall scheme of the world, it’s not a big deal +  it is a  free service, so I guess I have to temper my expectations a bit.

GIFT TAGS:
Can I just say, you all rock? A huge, I mean, mammoth, I mean, enormous thank you for all your awesome feedback. I'm just in awe that you all took the time to provide me with such amazing ideas. Really, I can't thank you enough. I am really thankful. I am going to synthesized all your comments to figure out which direction I should go in. I have a bunch of other designs that I've been working on too. Some fun circle tags. Oh and some wine tags that I am really excited about.

This week I received my package from "Say It With Letters" owned by Deb of Damboise Designs, LLC. I ordered three things: a lower case Y, my business dingbat, and the number 5 for my swap. Can I just say they are awesome! Solid, smooth, and so well made. The 5 is a custom font. I just sent them the font I wanted and they made if for me. Which was so great. Thanks so much Deb! If you guys need any lettering Deb is your gal. Check out her blog and her etsy store. You'll be glad you did.

Like everyone, I've been really busy with work, kids, family... life. You've probably notice, I'm not posting as much as I have in the past and that trend is most likely to continue. I just find it's getting harder to find the time to do a quality post... so instead of feeling this pressure, I'm just going to post when I can. I hope you'll still pop on by when I do post.

Again, thanks so much everyone for the great feedback, for leaving me comments in general. Have a great weekend!

:: gift tags ::

It was my intention to have a Taylor Made designs trunk show before Mother's Day... but you know what they say about "good intentions" :) Just too much going on to get my act together.

I have been working on a new line of tags, called "TAG it. It's from you." Had to make sure the name was available so I could trademark the name + my designs. I have some additional tags, but I'll show those next week. I am hoping to package them up and upload some to my Etsy Store. They measure 2 x 2, come in an assorted pac of 10. {2 pink, 2 green, 2 light blue, 2 orange + 2 red of the same design} They come tied with a little white ribbon. {I took the photo at night, so light was bad. I'll see if I can take some photos during the day.}

Let me know what you think.
:: Do you have a need – or a want for little tags?
:: What would you want your tags to say, "thanks", "best wishes", or is there something else you'd want?
:: Do you like that they would come in an assortment of colours? {of all the same design}
:: Would you want an assortment of designs?
:: Would you be willing to tell me what you'd pay for a package of tags?
:: Would you consider these, or are there already too many other tags out there?

I'd appreciate any feedback :)  As always, thanks for stopping by :)

:: bloglines ::

Here's a question for you... does Blogline sometimes forget to update your feed?

Something wonky is happening to mine. A lot of sites that I love have been updated, but Bloglines hasn't told me :( Also, I notice that when I update my site, it take awhile for Bloglines to show that I have... mmmm. Is there something I have to do? A setting I have to change?