Taylor, Author at TaylorMade

Dyed Ombre Lamp

July 18, 2012 By Taylor 13 Comments

Last month I received one of my favorite things in the mail… a Tie Dye Kit from Tulip. Seriously, I have Tie Dye problem… sometimes my husband calls me Rupert (survivor fans?). I’m not kidding, I am drawn to it like an old hippie and I am know to sport multiple Tie Dyed shirts around my house in one week. Anyway, I was obviously excited to see this when I opened my Tulip Box…

Tulip Tie Dye Kit, Surface Cover and Gloves- all available at Micheals, Hobby Lobby, Joanns and Walmart.

With my surplus of shirts, I wanted to make something for my house. So I did a really quick and easy Lamp Makeover for my bedroom. I have had this lamp for a year or so; the shade and the base are from Ikea and my nightstand needed some color. Enter the before and after:

I started with a 5 gallon bucket (which is a must need for crafters) and filled it with a tiny amount of water. I wanted a turquoise color so I mixed the Blue and the Green Dye together in my bucket.

Then I placed my lampshade into the dye bucket, moving it up and down in the dye a few times to get it good and saturated.

I left it there for about 30 minutes, then added a little water.

I continued doing this same thing throughout the day. Diluting the water with each step is what created the ombre effect. I set my alarm each time for 30 minutes but looking back I think I would have done each step even longer for a brighter color.

I also taped off the base cord and top of the lamp and gave it a few coats of gold stray paint.

I really love it in it’s new home, a much needed pop of color.

So how do you feel about tie dye? Check out more ideas at: www.iLovetoCreate.comhttp://twitter.com/ilovetocreate https://www.facebook.com/ilovetocreate

*I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with iLoveToCreate.com and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are 100% my own*

Borracho Beans – A Recipe

July 11, 2012 By Taylor 11 Comments

I have stumbled upon/invented the BEST EVER Borracho Bean Recipe! I mean, they are becoming famous in this house :) I tasted a sample of these beans at my local Central Market but they wanted me to buy all of the $12 a jar spices and sauces. Not me- I’m crafty, I just looked at the ingredients and tried to come up with what I thought would taste similar. My beans are even better! I serve them on the side of my Tostadas or Tacos but they could be their own meal!

Borracho Beans:

1 lb bacon – chopped
1 cup pico de gallo (my recipe is HERE)
3 cans pinto beans
1 tsp house rub seasonings
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 c mayo
2 tbsp creamy horseradish sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
juice of one lemon
few dashes of hot sauce

There are two main parts: The Beans and the Sauce. For the actual beans you will need:

1/2 onion, 1lb bacon, pinto beans, pico de gallo, some sort of a house seasoning blend (or mix salt, black pepper and garlic powder)

For the Sauce:

Paprika, mayo, ketchup, a lemon, hot sauce, creamy horseradish sauce, garlic powder

You can mix that together ahead of time and set it aside. This is the secret sauce that makes the beans so amazing!

Rough chop the Bacon and cook until brown.

Add the onions in and saute them until translucent.

Add the beans and the sauce. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes. The sauce makes it look pale but it will darken up.

Add about 1 cup of Pico

And now you know my one and only secret recipe :)

Do you have any secret recipes that I need to add to my recipe repertoire?

Colored Pencil Rolls

June 28, 2012 By Taylor 1 Comment

Remember when my friend shared her tutorial last week HERE? Well I wanted to try it out but I didn’t have any crayons so I used colored pencils. We DIYers have to improvise… I mean I couldn’t just wait a day to buy crayons right :)

I also had two sets of 12 pencils and AnnaLeigh gave a great tip on how to add or take away length to make it for any number of crayons/colored pencils. Her original tutorial is for 8 colors.

Finn saw me taking pictures and was getting really curious but I am going to keep it hidden and take it out when we need it most… at a restaurant :)

I also think this would be the perfect go to gift to throw in with something else. It took me about 20 or 30 minutes to make both of these! If I know you and your kid has a party soon, pretend you didn’t see this.

Mini Fabric Lamps

June 4, 2012 By Taylor 155 Comments

One of the very first things I ever “pinned” were these “Lamp Shades on a String” from Rebeccas DIY. They have been on my to-make list for months. When I first found this little project, it was only written in Swedish but I think she has an English version now. These are so cute and actually really fun to make, Finn even helped me a little :) I love a simple project, and one that uses scraps.What you need:Fabric Scraps, Lights, Mod Podge and Clear Cups

Then you need holes in your cups…

Iron all of your scraps and then start cutting. I have a template HERE if you are using the same cups (9oz Hefty Brand).You can also always find any of my templates under the “freebies” tab.

Cover your cups with the Mod Podge and wrap fabric around. The template is cut for a little excess fabric and I just used more Mod Podge on that little lip.

Let them dry…

Push the lights into the holes.

Here is a little PSA: I posted a project about a year ago that involved tealights in a metal container near plastic and some commenters thought I had a death wish or something. I thought “its just a tealight people” and obviously I am always around when I burn candles. I write a craft blog not a manual on life…but if this project isn’t for you, just don’t make it and as always please be safe :)