Taylor, Author at TaylorMade

Introducing…. Ampersand

March 18, 2012 By Taylor 20 Comments

Since this blog is all about the things I have made, I would like to introduce to one of my greatest projects ever….

Our new real life store, Ampersand! On March 2nd, my amazing Mom and I opened this little retail boutique. It has been a long time dream for both of us and we decided the only way to do it- is just to do it! So we did it, and we are in love. When people say they have their blood, sweat and tears into something, believe them. I feel like the store is kind of like my 3rd child haha. Speaking of children, the boys have been pretty amazing. My mom and I have spent the past 3 months, working, cleaning, decorating, painting, merchandising, laying floor, receiving (breakable) shipments, and setting up all with the boys by our side. For boys that are 1 and 2; this is quite the accomplishment!

We have been opened for only two weeks and so far it has been awesome. We did a soft open with no advertising but word of mouth and social media and we have more and more customers each day.

So what is Ampersand all about? It is a little Home Boutique that is a great place to find unique home decor, accessories, gifts for teachers, graduates, friends, showers, babies, holidays, etc. We carry some great jewelry lines and handbags and we are also becoming quickly “famous” for our candles. We don’t offer online shopping yet so if you find yourself in Texas then come visit us! We are located right outside of Houston in cozy Friendswood, TX :)

Of course when you do something like open up a boutique some people think you are crazy (we might be) haha. But this is seriously such a dream job for me and I hope one day that my kids know that you only live one life so make it a good one!

I can’t even begin to tell you all of the DIY that went into the shop! I will be posting projects here and there about Ampersand but the ole blog is is staying the same :)

You can read more about the shop at www.ampersandshop.com and also visit us on Facebook HERE. If you have any cool & unique finds or products then send us an email too at info@ampersandshop.com.

Year Boxes

March 5, 2012 By Taylor 6 Comments

In keeping with my “documenting life” theme, I found this little craft over a year ago and I knew I had to recreate it. I found it HERE… the blog needs no introduction because all know and love Design Sponge.

The Year BoxThe premise of the year box is that you have a card for every day of the year and they are divided by month. On every card, each line is a different year, I just started mine so my first year is 2012. Kind of boring this year but each card holds 12+ years depending on your index cards. So it is going to be so fun to look back and see what I was doing one year ago and then five and so on. I am just jotting down a few words to sum up the day. Some days are boring and say something like “ran errands at target and the grocery store” then others are more important like “first steps”.

I have to admit that some days I have been bad and didn’t write anything… but for the most part I’m keeping up with it. I can’t wait to look back on it when the boys are older. I also made my mom and sister one for Christmas. They were a hit and easy to make in “bulk”.

What you need:

These cute berry boxes, I found mine online at an etsy shop.

Date stamp and index cards (cut in half). I got my date stamp online at amazon.com but I have also seen them at Office Max or Staples. I love mine and use it for my Project Life stuff.

Postcards (also cut in half) of course Design Sponge had real vintage postcards, I had to cheat and found this cute pack with a “vintage look” but were actually new.

The longest part was the date stamping, I turned on a movie one night and stamped away, but because I was making 3 boxes it took what felt like all night. It was worth it because I love the outcome!

They are really a cute and simple (and inexpensive) gift. Do you have a way to jot down what you do daily to look back on it… do share!

Documenting Life… How I Do It

February 22, 2012 By Taylor 8 Comments

Documenting life is beyond important to me. I am super visual so if I don’t have pictures to go along with my memories, they start to fade. I have been a “journaler/scrapbooker/documenter for as long as I can remember. I still have my scrapbook from 3rd grade. Its not that anyone sat down and said now, Taylor, put these pictures and memorabilia in this photo album and write a little something about it here. It comes naturally. I write in both of my boy’s baby books every month. I have pregnancy albums and high school scrapbooks. And I love it, but it can get overwhelming. Its like OK you have to live life to be able to document it and with kids and jobs and friends and events it can get hard to stop and make time to keep a record. So, I thought I would share my method and how I keep up with it (or try to).How I Document Life and Still Have One1. Take lots and lots of pictures. Of everything. All the time, everyday. Seriously, you can always delete the ones you don’t need, but just take pictures, even if they just sit on your computer that is the first step. If you are a parent you probably already do this, if you aren’t a parent you will start to do this when you are a parent. Its like “awww hes sleeping”.

2. Upload the pictures to your computer and also upload them to an online photo server. If you have had your computer crash with your precious photos on them you know how important this is! I use snapfish.com and each time I upload pics I just upload them there too, its easy. On my computer I have my photos organized by month or event and date.

3. (and this is the hardest part) Print the photos. Seriously, they are meant to be printed out guys. This is what I do… Lets use today for example – its the end of February, so I have all of my February pictures in my February folder. I also had Clyde’s Bday or lets say I had a wedding or another party. What I will do is around the end of February or beginning of March I will make sure all of my photos are uploaded to a “February” order. Like I said I use snapfish but there are a ton of equally great places online. I like it because I don’t have to leave my house haha. Some months I have hundreds of photos and its never been over $10 a month. I know some “scrapbookers” do, but I don’t really bother with planning pages and sizes yet, I just print most of the pictures I like and I will place them later.

4. (the fun part) Put them in a book. Last year I discovered Becky Higgins Project Life. If you have discovered Becky and her stuff, yay us! I have no affiliation with Project Life other than I can’t say enough good things about it. Before I had kids I had time to do traditional scrapbooking and I still love my scrapbooks but no way can I spend 1-2 hours on each page now. I need to get the pictures in their homes quick and this method has been awesome for me so far. Here a little glimpse into what I do:I have to stay organized and I don’t have a ton of space. So, my husband built this little Project Life Cubby. I store the kits and the books here. It all fits right under my fabric bin in the craft room.

I keep all of my printed photos in photo boxes and I use post its as dividers for the months.

I have the Black Signature Binder and I also have 3 of the core kits. I am playing catch-up for 2 years while I keep up with my 2012 album. Some might call it crazy, but you know I like to live on the craft edge :) Also, when I discovered PL, turns out a bunch of other ppl did too ha! So it was sold out and I had to wait for months until they had more in stock. To make sure that didn’t happen again, I made a large order. I am so glad because it seems they have sold out again this year, twice.

I have a few other things that I think are must have items to make your documenting life easier.

1.Project Life Pocket Pages – to me, the best part! Its the backbone to PL, premade slots so you don’t have to plan out a whole page, you can get as creative as you want or just slide the picture into place. I do a little of both. 2.Tags & Die Cuts 3.Washi Tape 4.A paint pen so you can write directly on a photo 5.Date Stamp and tiny alphabet stamps that I found in the $1 section of Walmart 6. Stickers 7.Tape Wheel 8.I keep a drawer of loose flyers, grocery lists, receipts, ticket stubs etc. to add to blank spots in the book. 9.scrap paper

I also print two iPhone pictures on one 4×6 page.

I am trying to sit down once a month for 2-3 hours and finish the previous month. So far, its going great! Also, I am working on last years book at the same time which is much harder, because I don’t remember anything haha! If you keep up with it, its faster and easier. Here are a few of my PL pages:

2012 Intro Page

a really simple layout, all I did was round the corners

6×12 half page

one of the boys many “monthly update” pagesHopefully you found some helpful hints about documenting your family’s life. This is just how I do it but you have to find your own way and most importantly start at step one.. take pictures :)

a Kindle Cover

February 16, 2012 By Taylor 9 Comments

You know I like to make covers for things… Nook Covers, Silhouette Covers, Casserole Covers, Camera Strap Covers… the list goes on. Well, I’m at it again. When my sister’s friend asked me to make a cover for her new Kindle Fire, I was all over it. I used the same pattern from my original Nook Covers and you can read all about that HERE. The ETSY shop is called Birdiful Stitches and I highly recommend the pattern! ( I have no affiliation with her, just like her pattern :)

I love to mix fabrics with busy patterns so I used three for this one,

and now it makes me want a new one too.

And while we are on the subject of E-Readers (kind of) I never cared for reading before my Nook. I mean I wouldn’t do it, now I love it. Did that happen to anyone else? I just finished the Hunger Games Series. OMG, never have I loved a middle-school-aged book since my love for The Giver. I couldn’t put it down and I might or might not be counting down the days until the movie come out.