Taylor Made designs

Books + Bookplates

Aren't these a great idea? I just designed these bookplates for a school fundraiser.

Maybe it's all this snow and people are inside reading more, but I have never been so busy designing bookplates as I have this past January/February. How long this trend will continue is unknown seeing we are heading more and more towards digital media. No need for bookplates then :(

Myself, I've been doing my fair share of reading too. {just don't ask me if my books have bookplates in them.} Much like the cobbler's kids, my books are naked too. Someday I'll actually get around to placing bookplates inside them. Although lately the books I have been buying + reading have been on my iPad. A trend I have been slow to adapt. But adapting I am.

I have to admit, it's quite nice to open my iPad and read anywhere: the pool during swim lessons, the doctor's office, the hair salon.  The problem... I like paper. Ok, understatement. I love paper. I like the smell of books. I like the feel of paper and turning the pages of a book. Swishing my finger to turn the page doesn't have the same appeal for me.

I downloaded Treasure Island to read to the kids and it's just not the same as reading a hardcovered book. It's just not the same experience. I'd hate for them not to have a beautiful library full of books. So I continue to buy them books and yes, their books, unlike their mum's, have bookplates in them :)

My latest reads: Cutting for Stone, The Slap,  Peace Like A River, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet to name a few. All really great books.

So, what are you reading? Are you reading a hardcover or have you gone digital?  I want to know :)

Valentine Treats

Not that I  need a "holiday" to treat myself or others... but here are some of my recent finds on the web.

Those cupcakes? Adorable, huh? Especially love the doggie illustration. You can order some of those illustrations here at Ticings. Of course, you can find a bunch of great handmade gifts on Etsy, like those bambo rings, that stone heart. or for those love notes... why not some xox pencils?

Silkscreen Ribbon Orders

We are only one month into the new year and I have had six new orders for silkscreen custom ribbon. Today the last two orders were put in the mail. Phew. My gocco machine sure got a work out. As did my arms. Trust me when I say, it becomes tiresome lifting the lever up and down while checking registration and making sure the ink is printing nicely and not drying out. Like many of us, the gocco can be temperamental :)

What was nice, other than the obvious... making some money... all of the orders were very different. For one of the orders, I printed on 7/8" black satin ribbon with silver ink. It came out beautiful. The women who ordered it plan to use it for some valentine's packaging. How pretty is that going to look?

The very fragrant Meredith from Sweet Anthem asked me to print 20 yards of white satin 3/8" ribbon with brown ink. She sent me her logotype and I printed it on the ribbon. I think it came out so great! She is going to use it for her packaging too. Sweet Anthem is a small socially conscious and vegan-friendly artisan perfume shop from Seattle, WA run by perfumer & designer Meredith Tucker. How lovely would it be to receive one of her packages? Check out her shoppe, think Valentine's Day + just because days!

Tamami from Tamami Ko Bag is a repeat customer. She is so lovely to work with. She ordered 30 yards of .5 inch natural herringbone 100% cotton ribbon. I love the simplicity of her label. It is just her shoppe name in black. It's so understated...and looks so lovely in her colourful bags. Just love her stuff. 

The other three orders I'll post another day. Did not want to overwhelm you with too much ribbon. But I hope to inspire some people out there, who are on the fence about ordering ribbon. I get so many inquiries and only a handful of orders. Just an aside, Tamami garnered over 525 labels from 30 yards of ribbon for less than $150. Not bad, not bad at all :)

Tag it - Holiday Tags are here!

Tag it Holiday tags have arrived :) I don't want to freak you out, BUT, Christmas is only 64 days away. Last year I sold out early, so get your orders in now! This weekend, (ok,  by Monday at the latest) I will upload the 12 designs available. Just email me with which tags you are interested in and I will send you a paypal invoice. Then you will receive a delightful package from me. You can check out my Etsy store for additional holiday ribbon, journals + bookplates. As always, thanks for all your support!

{oh, The above photo shows how I set up my table for shows. I designed the display racks for my tags and Neal built them for me. I'm really happy with how they came out!}

Write it down

I'm a total list girl. I have an itouch which I have used for lists making. But nothing beats writing it down on paper. {And then crossing it off my list.} I find it so tedious to type my list in. And from the amount of books I sell, I am thinking I am not alone. I much prefer to use a nice pen and a favorite notebook than some electronic gadget. Am I alone on this? Maybe I really am getting old!

A Different Silkscreen Ribbon Order

Isn't this the coolest looking ribbon? Silver ink on black twill ribbon. It came out great. This order was sent all the way to Australia.

I'm really bummed, my gocco supplies are starting to dwindle so once they are gone, so is my custom silkscreen ribbon offering. So if you've been on the fence about ordering, I'd gently suggest, doing it now!

If anyone out there knows where I can purchase some supplies without paying an arm and a leg, let me know!

Need some ideas? I've got 'em. Perfect Teacher Gifts :)

I know. I am tooting my own horn here, but honestly, this is what's been keeping me busy the last few weeks. Bookplates + notecards for teachers, kids, and friends. I didn't realize how popular these would be. I think both products are priced right and are pretty darn sweet. Boy, I really am tooting my horn huh :)

So get your orders in today. The end of the year is almost here! For my kids June 15th + 18th are the last days of school. You can either contact me via my email address, kat at taylormadedesigns dot com or visit my etsy shoppe.

Here are a few answers to some questions I have already received: Here's the 411. 

Turn Around Time
It's usually a week turn around time, even for custom illustrations. I ship USPS, first class. Depending on where you are, that takes around 3-4 days delivery. Canada, it's longer!

Custom Illustrations
Yes, your order can be  "Taylor Made". I am offering all the illustrations on my ABC print for both the bookplates + the notecards. I also have available: a horse, a crab, flipflops, a purse and a few additional illustrations that I will put in my etsy shoppe. I can create a custo, taylor made illustration for an additional $4.00. Really now, how cool is that? A " Caramel Frappuccino® blended coffee at Starbucks cost more than that!

Email me with questions or requests. Thanks again for all your support!

Bookplates! Perfect for your kids + teacher gifts!

 The end of the school year is quickly approaching! I can't believe a whole school year has past. Time is just flying, no? Time to think about teacher gifts, graduation gifts etc.

My Taylor Made design party the other night went really well. One of my best sellers were these new bookplates I created. As with all my products, I originally made these for Will + Davis. They are always bringing books to school and sharing. We have lost our fair share of books, so I decided it would be pretty smart to create some bookplates to put in their books. Only took me a few years to do it! Well, a couple of parents saw them and asked if I would make some for their children. And tadaa... a new product.

They are available using my ABC illustrations + basically any other illustration you would like. Of course,  I take "taylor made" orders - so a few people the other night asked for a tennis racket and flipflops.  I'll take photos of those and show you how they turned out. (hint, they came out really cute!) They come in a custom made black box. A really delightful gift for anyone!

They will be available in my Etsy store, or if you want, just contact me directly via my email. kat at taylormadedesigns dot com. I can design anything (well, within reason) for you. They are 30 labels for $12.00. A bargain if I do say so myself!

Taylor Made design Party at Sandi's house

On May 8th I am having a Taylor Made designs party at my friend + cousin, Sandi's house. We pointed people to my blog so they could get a sneak peek of my stuff. So welcome to all of Sandi's friends! I hope you will make it. I do not make a boring + painful presentation. It's a pretty casual affair with no pressure to buy. Of course I hope you will find some stuff you'll like. You can see some of my products by checking out my photo album - located on my sidebar to the right. Just click on Taylor Made designs products. You can also visit my Tag-it site, as well as my Etsy store. Oh, I accept all forms of payment: cash, checks and credit cards :) If you see something you'd like, let me know and I will make sure I bring it. Thanks and I look forward to seeing you all next Friday! A big thanks to Sandi for hosting!

Custom Silkscreen Ribbon

I have been getting a lot of inquiries to my custom silkscreen ribbon, it's kinda weird! Out of the 10 emails and phone calls I received, here are two orders that were actually placed. Oliver. is a repeat customer, and Green Gal is new. I have four other people on the fence. Two others who are definitely going to place an order, but need to finalize their artwork. The others, well, they were looking for a 100 yards of ribbon for cheap. I wish I could do cheap... but it's just not doable for me. This custom ribbon stuff takes time! And for a mere $35 bucks, well, I think people are getting something special :)  

Print Gocco – Custom Ribbon

Just thought I'd show some ribbon that I finished this weekend using my Gocco printer. The type came out so crisp and was easy to print this time around.  A lot of time it takes quite a bit of practice to get the ink to lie down on the ribbon nicely. Sorry, the photo of the ribbon isn't the best. I took it late at night.

I know I'm going to get emails asking about this :) So here is the 411:
Nicole will get around 80 tags from this spool of ribbon. In addition to the spool, I cut up and sent her my practice ribbon – which was around 25 tags. So, for those doing the math... that's about .33 cents per tag. Not bad for a custom silkscreen tag :) For those interested, either email me, download my order form located on the right hand side of my blog, or visit my Etsy store for information about ordering ribbon.

I'm sure you've heard the news... but Riso, the owner of the Print Gocco has stopped making supplies. It's getting harder and harder to find supplies for my Gocco baby. I have 2 boxes plus of bulbs, and 9 screens left. I plan to stockpile supplies in the next few weeks. Anyone know of a good supplier? If you do, please let me know! I'll be your best friend :)

January Sale in my Etsy Store

This past weekend I did a major clean up of my studio and decided that I should try to sell some of my products, you know, make room for new stuff...and what better way to do that, than to have a SALE!

Mini Taylor books were $20 - they are now $15.00.
Perfect books to keep in your bag. Think about how many times you make a list and lose it.
Keep track of your to-do-lists, measurements of windows, walls, furniture, paint chips etc.
These are perfect teacher gifts and hostess gifts too. {think of june, end of the year presents}
Also, these books are environmentally friendly. Once the spiral pad inside is filled, you just take it out and replace with a new pad.

ABC prints were $15 - they are now $10.
I sold quite a few of these prints at my Taylor Made designs parties this past fall.
They are perfect for kids rooms. They look fabulous framed. Nice birthday or baby presents.

Wine + Gift Tags were $6 - they are now $4.
How often do you find yourself giving wine as gifts? If like me, then lots!
Whenever you go over to your friend's house I'm sure you bring a bottle of wine. My wine tags would be perfect to put over the neck of the bottle and let your hostess know it's from you. {plus, it's environmentally more friendly than all that ribbon and packaging!}

So head on over to my Etsy Store and buy yourself some great stuff.

Custom Tag it Wine + Gift Tags

I've been busy filling orders for some custom wine + gift tags. This order was for BoozeBros.com. They have an online store as well as a brick and mortar store in Las Vegas. They sent me their logo and asked me to create custom wine tags as well as square gift tags. Take a look at their site... you can order directly from there, and if you do, you'll see my tags on your bottles. Perfect for buying gifts for the upcoming busy holiday season! Everyone appreciates a nice bottle of wine :)

For many years we hosted Thanksgiving, but this year we'll be at my mum + dad's house. It's a bit nice, in that we don't have to do a lot. I'm bringing some apps + a few other things.  I shopped last week so I would not be in the stores with all the crazy people. Though yesterday, in the pouring rain, I stopped by the local supermarket to pick up three things of Land O' Lake Butter. It was only $1.99. Score! {you know you are old when things like this excite you!}

Oh, today we are making some Truffles. I made some last week and boy are these yummy. I'll post the recipe {which I found on a food blog} and some photos. They are very easy to make and eat!

More Custom Gocco Ribbon

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I worked on three new ribbon orders. This one I actually finished last week, but I've been sick with that horrible cold/flu that has been going around... so I never made it to the post office. I recreated Samantha's logo for her. I think the ribbon came out terrific. Go check out her Etsy store. Great baby stuff.

Last night we watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Can you believe it? It's not even Thanksgiving and the holiday shows are already appearing on TV. I have to keep my eye out for the Rudolph show. Davis just loves Clarissa, Herbie the Dentist and all the other reindeers. Has anyone else been watching Christmas shows already?