Blog - TaylorMade

How To Be A Gentleman

September 28, 2012 By Taylor 17 Comments

I can’t seem to get enough of hand embroidered wall art lately. When I saw THIS PIN a few months ago, I knew I wanted to make something similar for Finn’s room. I used it as inspiration but I also changed and added a few rules of my own.

The last rule is totally me… it says “always call your mom”. This is my biggest fear of having two boys, I hope they don’t turn 18, say bye mom thanks for everything, I’m off to find a new girl then call once every few months. Maybe if I start brainwashing them now they will call me :)

I used iron on vinyl for the small letters but hand embroidered the rest. I printed out a template for the embroidery and then just used a pencil and traced to give myself a guide.

I also traced a border around the outside with pencil.

Then I started to embroider. I find it very relaxing for some reason… I like to sit in bed and do it while I watch TV… Geez how old am I? My husband calls me the youngest old person he knows.

Lastly, I ironed on my vinyl.

I love how it turned out. So far this makes one thing to hang on poor Finn’s walls haha.

So do you have any rules to add? I live in Texas y’all, I have to raise gentlemen. Also, does anyone else have sons and want to weigh in on how often they call? Go easy on me :/

Also, I entered this into the Borderline Brilliant Contest, so PRETTY PLEASE vote for me, #14 :)

Silhouette Cameo Dust Cover (with pattern)

September 24, 2012 By Taylor 42 Comments

Remember last Thanksgiving when I WON a Silhouette Cameo? It was an exciting moment in my blogs life. I used to own a regular ole Silhouette and I was totally fine with it. I even made it a Dust Cover HERE. But when I won my new one, it went naked for a while. This has been on my to do list for about a year. Better late than never :)

You will need a piece of fabric that is 22 1/2″ x 13″. Then you need to print out the Edge PATTERN PIECE HERE. Made sure your edge pieces are facing opposite directions, you can cut on the fold too. Disclaimer: I used a serger to finish my edges, however if you want to add a hem, you might want to add a 1/2″ to these measurements.

Then, with right sides together start pinning the edges to the main square of fabric.

It will soon look like this, then you sew. Clip Your corners after you sew.

Then I serged, or you could do 1/2″ hem.

Now she’s not naked, but she does have matching underwear :) Did anyone else make a custom face-plate or am I the only one? Oh come on guys, anyone?

Another Project Life Update

September 17, 2012 By Taylor 12 Comments

If you know me, you know I love this Project! I have no affiliation with PL, I just love it :) Read my other Project Life Posts HERE and HERE. I am working on my 2011 and 2012 at the exact same time which is crazy and not recommended ha! I keep forgetting what year and writing the wrong dates! Especially with the boys being only 18 mos apart I’m like what kid is that… and what year?? Here is a little update from the craft room. I am up to date on both years through May… woo hoo! For 2011 I have the Amber Core Kit and for 2012 I have the Cobalt Core Kit.I am trying to use different materials like sequins and buttons. I have a love for sequins.

Another new thing I love, I just staple embelishments right onto the photo which is kind of liberating for some reason. I used quite a few staples on this page… also please don’t judge these one month old Clyde pics, yes he is almost 2. Better late than never?

As I work more on my book I get more creative with other textures. It looks so much more interesting to break up the solid picture pages.

I am in love with this Monthly Calendar stamp. HERE is a similar one. I use it all the time!

I have been using these 6×12 page protectors for cards.

A lot of people use Project Life as a “week in the life project” or a “photo a day” but that’s not really my style. Sometimes, like with Clyde’s Bday above I have 50 pictures from one day. Then some months we don’t have a lot going on so a whole month will fit on 1 page. Here, I made a whole page just about ampersand. These pics range from about 3 months but I thought they would look better together.

And here is a whole month on a page.

I love using these pages Design G and Design H for the Monthly Updates. I want them to be on their own page but I don’t need 4 or 5 of the same picture so these smaller pages work great for me.

And two of my favorite title pages….

I used a real band-aid for a page all about first Clyde’s ER Trip. I thought I was being so original but then I saw some band-aid stickers last week that looked just like it.

So does anyone out there do project life? If you have pictures PRETTY PLEASE link them up in the comments, I would love to see some new ideas.

Embroidery Hoop Art

September 4, 2012 By Taylor 12 Comments

Remember when I jumped on the Embroidery Hoop Bandwagon, well I am still on it folks. And after the latest project, I’m not getting off any time soon. I wanted to add a quote about bikes to my Gallery Wall (random I know). And I needed something round. So, I broke out my trusty silhouette.

I used the clean cut interfacing, ironed my fabric to it, fed it into my machine and let it cut away.

Then I arranged my designed and ironed it down to my main fabric. I found the cute bike file in the Silhouette Store.

I hand embroidered around the words “life is a” to add a little something extra.

I wanted the “vintage” look of a wrapped hoop so I tore strips of fabric and glued them down to the embroidery hoop.

Then I just put my hoop back together, made sure my design was centered and cut the excess fabric off.

And of course in true TaylorMade style I had to rearrange part of my Gallery Wall. I also added something else that I got at Anthro… who can spot it?

Cheap Things to do in Houston

August 27, 2012 By Taylor 20 Comments

In case you missed it, I was a part of C.R.A.F.T.’s series on Creating Free Trips. I was so honored to be a part of such a cool series! Most of you know I’m proud to be born and raised in Houston, TX… This post isn’t a craft or a recipe but might come in handy for someone, so here is a little glimpse into our city:

Welcome to Houston. I actually live in a suburb outside of Houston, but for us Houstonians, a 30 minute commute into town is nothing! Here are some of the thing I love to do with my family and friends without breaking the bank :)

1. Discovery Green Park
This park is awesome, it is 12 acres of green space located right smack dab in the middle of downtown. It has a splash pad and an awesome playground for kids, it has a few restaurants and an upscale bar. I love the super cool color blocked wall that is becoming a popular photo shoot background. There is also a stage that hosts free live bands.

2. Astros Game at Minute Maid Park
Home of the Houston Astros. Now, this isn’t totally free but you can get tickets in the”nose-bleed” section to a game for only $5.00 a ticket. Another plus is that kids 14 and under are free all summer long and on Sundays, your kids can run the bases after the game.

3. Miller Outdoor Theatre:
This is an outdoor theatre located in the Museum District of Houston. There is a small section of covered seats that you can purchase but the best part is the huge hill that is totally free. You can pack a picnic and some blankets and come enjoy the show on the lawn. They even allow alcohol (no glass :) They have plays, and concerts and the Houston Symphony plays here too.

4. Farmers Markets:
Houston has a TON of farmers Markets. I have even done a Farmers Market Bike Tour which is a 15 mile ride stopping at 3 farmers markets. I love them because even if you don’t buy anything (which isn’t possible) most of them have live bands, and artists and samples!

5. Museum District:
Houston has a huge Museum Scene. There are the “big” museums like Museum of Natural Science, History and the Fine Arts Museum who offer free admission on Tuesdays or Thursdays after 2pm and there is also a free museum day once a year. But of our 18 museums, 11 are free everyday of the year.

6. Shopping at 19th Street in the Heights:
The Heights is an area of Houston with a rich culture. It is up and coming for the hip young crowd of Houston. It’s “inside the loop” (Houston terms for city living) but it is affordable. It has a cool vibe with unique restaurants and fun little shops. My little sister actually lives a few blocks from here.

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7. Kemah Boardwalk
The Kemah Boardwalk is about 25 minutes from the city of Houston (in Texas we explain distance in minutes :) It is located very close to NASA wish is also where I am located! I grew up going to the Boardwalk often but it is actually a huge tourist attraction. There is a nice hotel, a ton of restaurants and bars, games, rides, and a splash pad for the kids.

8. The Beach – Galveston
Galveston is not technically located in Houston, infact someone could probably do a whole C.R.A.F.T. post just about free things to do here. But like I said before, Houston is huge and since its less than an hour drive, Houstonians would easily make a day trip of the beach. I am lucky enough to live in a great suburb that is located right in the middle of both. Between the seawall, the strand (eating and shopping) and the beach you could spend all day here! Parking at a spot on the seawall and packing a lunch make it totally free!

9. The Water Wall
This is Houston’s #1 most photographed location. At any given time, you can see a woman in her wedding dress and family portraits going on. It’s basically just a huge water fountain, but there is a lawn in from so you could bring a picnic too.

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10. Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
This last one isn’t free. But I think it is a must see because there is nothing quite like it. It is the World’s largest rodeo and runs for about a month at the end of February every year. It is like a culture here Y’ALL. We kick it off with the Chili Cookoff, everyone in all of Houston talks about it, all of the local elemantary schools even have go Texan day the week before. Houstonians don’t just go once, we go as many times as we can until the next year. The cool thing- all of the workers are volunteers, so its also the worlds largest group of volunteers in one place. There are concerts every night, but if you just want to experience it, tickets are pretty cheap just for the carnival and livestock show at around $7.00. Put it on your bucket list.

(source)

Thanks yall! I had such a blast exploring my city to find good cheap fun! I hope you visit Houston soon :)
-Taylor

Color Washing and A Paper Mache Hippo Head

August 22, 2012 By Taylor 10 Comments

Yes you can believe it, I made a Paper Mache Hippo Head. I guess I am officially crazy now :) You know I love the whimsy. I was a little on the fence with the whole animal bust craze but when I saw the Hippo Bust at West Elm and knew I needed to get on board. Then I saw the paper mache unicorn tutorial at Lil Blue Boo and got to work. Ashley has an amazing tutorial so you can check hers out. And to be honest my hands were way too messy to attempt to take pictures during this project. Paper Mache is messy y’all!

We have lovingly named him ThomNis, which is how Finn pronounces Hippopotamus. I love how he turned out. It’s kind of hard to get a good picture- I guess ThomNis is not very photogenic.

I mounted him on a wooden plaque that I found from Joanns and wanted to keep the wood grain so it would look rustic so I used one of my favorite painting techniques: A Color Wash.

How to Color Wash:
Start with your paint, a paintbrush and a cup of water.

Put a little paint in your cup then add a little water, I mixed 3 different colors of paint. The more water you add the more see through the wash will be; showing more wood grain. Mix and add until you get a good consistency you like.

Then just paint. Mine went on really watery but as it dried the color became more vibrant.

Have you color washed anything? Also do you think I’m crazy for making a Hippo Head and hanging it in my living room? At least Ashley put her unicorn in her playroom :)

Fresh Peach Dump Cake – a Recipe

August 13, 2012 By Taylor 42 Comments

Happy National Peach Month… did you even know it was national peach month? Because I didn’t- even before I made this dessert. I guess its a good month for it because I was craving a peach dessert. How intuitive of me :)

It all started when I went to the farmers market and spotted these amazing peaches. I was originally going to juice them (in my juicer) but like I said, I wanted a cobbler of some sort.

I am also a big fan of dump cake. We grew up eating dump cake in our family so I thought our recipe was the only version; canned cherries, pineapple and nuts. With the birth of Pinterest I saw a recipe for pumpkin dump cake and almost died! So I figure we can pretty much dump anything in and call it dump cake.

I wanted to add something else and I had a few plums so I threw those in too.

The beauty of a dump cake is that you can “dump” in whatever you want, throw a box of yellow cake mix on top, add some butter and bake.

I used:
4 fresh peaches and 2 fresh plums

cinnamon and nutmeg

a box of yellow cake mix on top

and butter

Fresh Peach Dump Cake

4-6 fresh peaches chopped

2-3 fresh plums chopped

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 box yellow cake mix

3/4 stick butter

– Preheat to 350

– Mix fresh chopped fruit with spices in the bottom of an oven safe dish

– Sprinkle cake mix over the top

– Slice butter and place on top

– Bake for 45 mins to 1 hr @350

So yummy… what kind of dump cake have you made? Post a link if you have a go to dump cake recipe!

Fish Soap Party Favor – a Tutorial

August 6, 2012 By Taylor 18 Comments

Remember Finn’s Fish Party last week? I was pretty casual about the whole thing because the biggest slip-n-slide ever was the main event :) But I did make the kiddies party favors. It was almost a craft fail, but I saved it and it ended up OK. Seriously though, I almost ruined the only homemade aspect of the bday party… tragedy!

When I was looking up fish party ideas, I came across this Martha Stewart Tutorial. Of course, Martha’s “Fish in a Bag Soap” were way better looking than mine- in my defense I found this the Thursday before the Saturday party. My BFF and my mom totally came to the rescue with supplies!

What you need:

Pure Glycerin

Scented Oil (optional)

Plastic Treat Bags

Fish

I wanted to find plastic fish but I couldn’t find them anywhere. My BFF called me and told me she found these erasers, perfect! I later found out the fish I wanted were available on Oriental Trading.com and Amazon. But the erasers looked good too.

About the bags, I originally bought craft bags with a pleat on the side, and the soap got stuck after drying… boo! You HAVE to get the bags with only one seam on the side and no folds. My mom came to the rescue because I found this out the day before the party.

What I Did:

Fold the bag down (about halfway)

I used clothespins and an old shoe box and clipped the bag to the side of the box, making sure the bag was touching the bottom too.

My glycerin came pre-cut, so I used one and a half squares of glycerin. Then using a glass measuring cup, I melted it in the microwave for 45ish seconds. That is when I added my Grapefruit Citrus oil, just one drop.

Then pour the melted soap into the bag carefully, you don’t want to get soap on the sides of the bag, a funnel would help but I didn’t have one… procrastinator.

Carefully place a fish eraser into the bag, make sure not to splash.

Continue with these steps and let them cool.

I used ribbon to tie them up. Because of the clear color they are kind of hard to photograph but they turned out really cute. And for twelve fishies I spent about $15ish which I was pretty happy with.

Have you ever made your own soap? I really liked doing it, I want to do another girl craft party with different girly soaps. We could use mint leaves and lemons and other cool fresh ingredients!

A Very Fish-y Birthday Party

July 30, 2012 By Taylor 12 Comments

Next week, my little tiny baby Finn will turn 3. So we celebrated this past weekend with a big ole Fish Birthday Party! I’m not kidding when I tell you I barely even feel appropriate putting this on the blog because there is so very little that is “taylormade” about this party. But I made Finn and its his party so here ya go.I found a pack of fish cutouts at a party store and just kept it simple with balloons. I used a fish net for the table and had “fish snacks” and pizza. Then I accidentally bought a round tablecloth for our huge rectangular table :/

Clyde says where is everybody?

Best party investment ever for Texas!

My little fish

The dual lane slip-n-slide was a big hit with the kids!

My mom, once again did an amazing job on the cake!! Remember last years cupcakes?

Finn is like me, if we choose to be the center of attention (which happens often) then its ok… but singing happy bday is still a little awkward haha.

He was totally spoiled :)

And I made cute party favors :) I will tell you all about my almost craft fail later this week.

It was the best birthday party ever! I can’t believe my baby is so grown up. I guess I can still say I have a 2 year old for a few more days. Happy soon to be birthday sweet boy!

A Gallery Wall

July 26, 2012 By Taylor 8 Comments

Hi Guys! I feel liked I haven’t blogged in a long time (only a week) but time is really slow when everyone in your family has the stomach flu one. after. another. And “Mom” isn’t the best role to have when it comes to puke. Anyway we are all better and getting ready for Finn’s Big 3yr Old Birthday Party! I will have a Party Post for you next week… but in the mean time, here is my new Gallery Wall.

To me, the beauty of a gallery wall is that its a work in progress at all times. I am a big lover of “change”. I mean- when I list my hobbies, one of them is rearranging. So the Gallery Wall is perfect for me because I can change it easily, I can add to it and I can be on the hunt for unique stuff. Its also perfect for small pieces that would look weird on a large wall. Speaking of looking weird, here is my living room haha… I don’t like the layout at all, this isn’t our forever house and to be honest we have already outgrown it. See the faux playroom in the corner :/ Why do kids have so much stuff??

So what exactly are all of those pieces and what do they mean to me?

1. One of my favorites: When I was a teacher, a cute student of mine made me this bird puppet. The best part is if you open it, there is a detailed bird mouth. I love it!

2. My mom painted this when she was 20 and it has been somewhere in my room the whole time I was growing up.

3. from Target
4. from Ampersand
5. Ahh, I LOVE this, its new and it’s my very own Katie Daisy :) I love the saying, the colors and everything about it… this pic doesn’t do it justice but it is so pretty in real life. You can find it HERE. I really love THIS one too… I’m thinking about it

6. This was a deal of the day on Pick Your Plum one morning, its our last name :)
7. I loved THIS ancestry chart tutorial from Homemade by Jill, she was so sweet to email me the file so I could print it on my silhouette too! I have only done mine and hope to do another one for my husband. I didn’t realize how hard it would be but I love searching and asking all of my grandparents what they know. (which apparently isn’t a lot from the looks of it – oh cool dad, glad you know your parents name :)

8. from my aunt’s local store – Nana’s Attic
9. Lula and Gus – love this! You can find it HERE. I have a total bird theme in my house so it fits right in :)

So does anyone else have a gallery wall? I hope to one day have a full wall floor to ceiling full of cool pieces.