weekly gratitude: january

before i share all the work i've done this morning i have a very sad announcement...


it seems as though my sewing machine is sick. out of commission. needs repair.

as i've said before. i love this machine. it was my late grandma cisowski's and i've always adored it. in my lifetime i mostly watched as she made outfit after outfit for her cement goose that was kept NOT outdoors as garden decor but central in the living room as a member of the family. when i tell you this was the best dressed goose i'm not exaggerating.... it had an outfit for every month, occasion, holiday, and probably a few more thrown in between. grandma also made me several skirts while i was in high school which i wore to hoosier girls state as i needed "business" attire for our mock government, ahhh... indiana. good times.

anway. this machine is not done for. we are taking it into the city tomorrow to a singer service shop. to be honest i should have done this before starting the quilt. i think the machine just needs a thorough cleaning and a little love. so it will be back, and then i will finish the quilt, sheets, and other sewing projects i have planned. but i'm sad still.

so. weekly gratitude. like i said yesterday i'm really excited about this project. i've been steadily trying to get myself back into the habit of consistently scrapbooking and i feel so behind with pictures from last year that i'm really looking at this project as an opportunity to keep the year in focus and remind myself every week where i've been, what i'm most thankful for in my life, and all the important things that really matter.

i have decided to use this album that i got on sale from anthropologie awhile back...


it holds 4x6 photos three to a page and has like 37 double sided pages so my thought is that i'll use one page per week and use the extra places for more photos, art cards, journaling, or whatever.

i've completed the main spots for january thus far (pretty good for one morning huh!?!) i really love all of the downloads that karen has created for this project. all the links to these will be at the end of this post. when i replenish my printer ink this weekend i'll print them all out on 4x6's and then embellish and make art cards to go around them.

here they are....



oops! i missed the 9th. ok well i'll get to it in a little bit and post it later. i'm pretty proud of myself that i was able to do all of these so quickly! i never have done a lot of digital work but karen's templates are so simple and modern that i'm quickly becoming a big fan.

they aren't 100% done. joe just got new cards from launch so i'm going to scan on and put it in the open spot on that layout. i'm also going to change the border colors on that one so that they match the company's colors (which i can't remember at this moment if they are lime green or orange... bad wifey.)

as promised here are the links to weekly gratitude & the available downloads...

weekly gratitude blog
karen's weekly gratitude templates
karen's gratitude overlays

i linked up to the post on the blog because she has some additional information about fonts etc.

oh and the "growing" text on my page is courier new. it's a really simple text manipulation where i make the large word, turn it so it's on the side, and bring down the opacity in the layer blending options.

now off to eat lunch and knit a bit. the sun is shining and it's going to be a creative and inspiring day!

love.

**updated: added the week of the 9th in there!

gratitude.

this year we have many many things to be grateful for in the taylor household... the upcoming arrival of our first little one, joey's amazing job and increasing opportunities, our amazingly supportive and loving family and friends... the list goes on and on.

i've been toying around with the urge to really embrace a year long project that will help me stay focused on the everyday, where we've been, where we are going, and all those things that are truly important. so i literally just decided to commit myself 100% to lori & karen's new project Weekly Gratitude.


not only are these two artists that i really admire but they are great mothers, friends, and have some of the most open creative spirits of anyone i've ever had the pleasure to meet and befriend in the crafting community.

check out the weekly gratitude blog. they are only a few weeks into the project and already have so many amazing tools offered. i plan to use a 4x6 format. i have a hand embroidered/embellished photo album from anthropologie that's been calling for a project and this is perfect for it.

i haven't started as i'm determined to finish this quilt top this evening (i've been procrastinating a bit and dawdling after each column on the blogosphere...) but i think i'll start tomorrow morning to catch up for january and then make friday mornings my gratitude time. perfect way to start each weekend!

be sure to check out the weekly gratitude blog as well as their group on facebook to stay updated with the project!

one of the first suggestions karen had was to put together a little list of some things you are grateful so that over the course of the year if you get stuck you can pull right from the list... so here is my little backup of some things i'm very grateful for in my life:

1. my mom
2. colorful yarn & needles
3. the ocean
4. joey
5. hawaii
6. my typewriter
7. music
8. car trips
9. disney
10. vintage fabric
11. the city
12. inspired friends
13. perfect timing
14. chocolate
15. spring

love.

busy week.

so once again i put off my daily blog schedule this week.
but at least it's been a busy week so i have some things to share and new projects starting.

here's the recap.

monday i knitted my little fingers raw to finish joey's scarf. i had it about half done and wanted to make sure i got it finished for his birthday because we were supposed to be getting another temperature drop and some snow this weekend. i didn't finish until tuesday becasue i had to search and search for my container of yarn needles and stitch markers which had mysteriously stayed packed in our luggage after my trip home for the holidays.

here is the finished scarf. sorry for the crappy photos, took them super late tuesday and haven't seen the scarf in good daylight since. which i think means he likes it!

i didn't measure it, just used two skeins of lion brand wool-ease chunky in charcoal. it's 36 stitches per row and a ribbed 2k 2p pattern. crazy easy. i was really happy with how the ends were able to be stitched into the gutter of the first column. this is probably a no-brainer for veteran knitters but i wasn't super pleased how my fingerless gloves were stitching up and i wanted to make this scarf as perfect as possible so no little ends started pushing through.

tuesday was joey's birthday and we had a sonogram appointment to see our little girl again! we've decided on a name but haven't agreed how to announce it yet so the family is just going to have to sit tight for a little longer. anyway, she's absolutely gorgeous and doing so well. we are totally and completely in love with this little lady already.

yesterday i took the opportunity of one last nice day in the mid-40s to head into the city and spend all day shopping with my best girl. we went to greenwich letterpress, purl, anthro, and lions brand, and then finally got our boys together to meet and chit chat. it was a very good day. and i made out pretty well all things considered...

i picked up a few things i needed for the quilt & some new burp cloths for the babe (batting & terry cloth), found this gorgeous blue & sage willow printed fabric for a set of sheets for the nursery... also got this gorgeous yellow printed flannel for the nursery that i'll probably be using to make some warmer winter sheets for her too... some bundles of fat quarters for little projects and my next knitting project and the yarn for it too at lion brand studio.

since i have finally finished joe's scarf i'm now beginning on my baby knitting spree. my goal is to knit my way through itty bitty toys by susan b. anderson. the patterns start out really easy and i'm going to be finally mastering some techniques that i've really just played with up until now. hopefully our little girl will have this amazing basket full of handmade yarn toys to play and learn with when she's born. i have this dream that her first and most beloved dolly or rabbit plush be something i made her and that she can pass down to her little babies.

eek, that's thinking WAY too far ahead, haha.

today i'm going to:

finish my quilt top
send out some family emails
start a knitting project
stay warm!

have a great day!

love.

weekend WIP & etsy shoutouts...

happy friday!

anyone else totally excited for a weekend? as of right now i get a whole day with my joey tomorrow. this is very exciting for a girl who has herself and two sleeping pups to talk to all day. plus, it's totally unexpected this weekend since he was originally supposed to work all weekend. sunday he goes in, but i have a crafting date so i'll be entertained ALL weekend.

crafting dates are exciting in themselves... they are perfect excuses to make cupcakes!

so this weekend i have a couple of projects i'm hoping to finish up, or at least get a big chunk completed on... besides layouts i'm starting on this baby...

i have a few holes to fill but i should be ready to start sewing by later this afternoon. with some of the matching leftover squares i'm planning on making a big floor pillow for the nursery that matches...


it's a little more pink than i thought i would be into but i love it and i'm pretty sure i'll be using this to back it so it will tone down the pink a bit...


with the baby quilt being my main project for the weekend i thought i should share some of the etsy shops i've been buying vintage fabrics from this past week. i can't wait until spring when more flea markets and thrift opportunities open up in the city. if it's not open air nyc thrift really doesn't mesh with my definition of thrift. you mid-westerners are way lucky to have such great places to visit!

so for the meantime i'm using etsy as my main source for vintage fabrics, and i've found a couple of really great sellers so far. i'd love to find more if anyone has any favorites!

*eagerhands*

from Lora i got the pre-cut vintage squares. i'm not against cutting my own in the future and for other projects but when i saw her bundles i couldn't resist. her bundle came really nicely packaged and she even threw in a little gift for the baby. she's really sweet and i can't wait to find more goodies in her shop!

*demcdonough*

got this cute mushroom & butterfly fabric from this shop. came really quick in great condition. it's not assigned to a project yet but it will be!

*cedarbough*

is this not the cutest fabric ever? i absolutely love it and can't wait to get it in. i'm missing this valentine's day with a little one but i'm thinking i'll save it and make her a jumper or dress with this for next year. it's so sweet. i also bought the blue & green fabric that i'm going to use for the backing from this shop. they should be here today! cedarbough has a ton of great vintage textiles... great crocheted throws (going to have to learn how to crochet next) and fabrics. if you aren't into making your own there are some great things made from vintage materials!

*zwizzle*

finally, zwizzle. had the purple and blue one been a little wider i totally would have waited for these to come from australia to back the quilt. oh well. this shop is full of great vintage fabrics. i probably could have grabbed all of her fat quarter bundles but i thought i'd restrain myself for now. the shipping is really reasonable since they are coming from australia and she was super quick to get them out!

so those are the shops i've been using to really get my vintage fabric collection going. check them out if you are interested! there are a few others that i love but haven't purchased from yet, but those we'll leave for another favorite post.

hope everyone has a great weekend!

love.

workin'

been working on getting things together.
putting together a real schedule so that this blog is reader-worthy.
inspired to scrapbook again, will share finished products soon.

addicted to buying vintage fabric on etsy.

on my plate:
sewing some things from a few tutorials by rachel
finish painting my studio this week (two more days i can do it)
round 3 of choosing a color for the living room & nursery
finish knitting joe's new scarf (by spring would be nice)

love.

finally gettin' it 2010

hello 2010.
sorry it's taken me a few of your first weeks to get my act together.

the holidays were amazing and relaxing. it was fantastic to be with my family and just turn off my mind for a few weeks. all of the plans i made to do "things" over the holidays were thrown right out the window and i was just content to be. with family.

but now it's time to get a move on in 2010. we have a baby coming our way in just 20 more weeks! i'm halfway done with this remarkably enjoyable and EASY pregnancy and i'm feeling great and am super excited. we found out this week that we are having a girl and so i've been getting nursery decor plans together, and am finally letting myself oogle all of the crazy adorable things out there for little ones...

my project list is getting longer and longer but i'm not letting myself feel overwhelmed. everything i want to make myself for the baby seems pretty simple and if others can do it i can no problem.

2010. time to kill it.

home sweet home.

yay! it's the holidays!

and now it's really feeling like it. i arrived back home to indiana yesterday and got to spend it with my dad in his new magistrate's office. it was so nice seeing him in his new position and loving it!

my parents waited for me to get here to help out with a bunch of the decorations so i'll be starting to work on them today. putting up our boxes and boxes of ornaments is my favorite part of every christmas and i can't wait to get them going. i'll be taking some pictures, knitting, and doing some scrapping out of my mom's ginormous stash so i'll share more soon...

till then enjoy the ones you love!

love.

anthro top 5. gifts.

even though i'm no longer part of the anthroplogie team i still get their catalogs and am in love with the stores and product. so i thought it would be fun to still include a couple of top 5's each month. and since this month is christmas i decided to share my current top 5 gifts from the december catalog! (hint hint, lol)

1. clothbound penguin classics



these are so gorgeous. Jane Eyre, Sense and Sensibility, Great Expectations, Wuthering Heights, and a ton more.

2. felted soaps

these smell so good! make great stocking stuffers!

3. watch-my-drink coasters

too cute.

4. monsters of the household variety


this book is huge, expensive, but so amazing. each page is beautifully illustrated, stitched, beaded. it's actually in the november catalog but we got one into the store before i left and i had to share it because it's just so great!

5. tree trunk mugs

love these too.

there was another decoration i was searching for but couldn't find online. they are these amazing reindeer made with multi-colored rope. i think they are one-of-a-kind's so you'll have to check out a store to see them. maybe if i head into a store before i leave for home i'll get a shot of them to share.

that's all for now. have a great sunday!

cozy and warm.

happy friday!

love making these. and they are so quick! i have just about all of them done for christmas presents. these are mine. can't show you the other colors i made or i'll ruin the surprise...

the pattern is on lion brand's website but literally it's just a knit stitch (a.k.a. garter stitch) 15 stictches per row for about 8.5/9 inches. you can go longer too if you want them higher up your arm. after binding off leave about a 9 inch tail of extra yarn... then use a large blunt needle to stitch them up leaving a hole for the thumb. i found it easiest to literally close them up around my hand to make sure the thumb hole was comfy... and luckily all of the girls i'm giving them too have about the same size hands as me so i know they'll fit. after they are closed hide the remaining tail in the knit (if you need to shorten it up you can, i just like to make sure i have enuogh tail to work with.)

turn them inside out and you have a comfy and cozy cuff!

my materials:

lion brand wool-ease thick & quick yarn
US 13 (9mm) knitting needles
large blunt yarn needle

now i just need to get on my christmas cards. i want them out by the 15th since i leave for indiana on the 16th. yay! only 5 days until i'm home with my favorites!

love.

one last late night etsy love.

thinking about all of the amazing vendors at last years brooklyn renegade craft fair reminded me of a little gifty i've been meaning to get for myself! for my birthday last month i bought a gorgeous 1962 royal safari typewriter. it's really quite amazing if i do say so myself... once i get my new shelves up in the stufio you'll see just how gorgeous it is. anyway.

last year i saw this company called final approach at renegade and i SO BADLY wanted to buy one of their unique luggage pieces but for some reason i just didn't. well everything happens for a reason and when my typewriter came the only thing that wasn't perfect was the case. just a little scratched and ucky but PERFECT for a custom piece!

after christmas i'll be buying an alchemy project from them and sending my case off to get beautified... check out some of their awesome work!






{final approach etsy shop}

now i just need to figure out my theme.

ok. bedtime.
sweet dreams.

my creative 2010.

so i've been meaning to post the layout i did for my 27 before 28. i cannot believe that in 2010 i will be turning 28 & becoming a mommy. totally crazy and exciting! i haven't photographed the layout yet but i thought i'd share some of the inspiration for the more creative items on my list....

so here we go!

knit a menagerie. these are by hansigurami. the book is called amigurami knits. i'm really hoping she re-opens her etsy shop and starts putting out new patterns too because i'd love to make these gorgeous crazies for the baby's room.

p.s. what i love about these is that they are knitted, not crocheted and it seems like the only amigurami out there is for crocheters... grr.



sew/create my own nursery decor. love these sets as inspiration. modern, clean, organic, and beautiful. {source}


knit a trophy head. {source}

i SO want one of these this year and it may take me all year as i've only ever seen crocheted heads which means i'll have to write my own pattern. it's for sure an extreme goal. but wouldn't like a knitted moose head with big antlers just be amazing.... *dreams*

other goals inclue:

giving at least ten handmade gifts in 2010.
making organic dog beds. (and attempt to make crystal use it instead of squeeze between us.)
getting my owl & toadstool tattoo.
making baby clothes & knitting an organic baby blanket like this one....

{source + pattern}

so yeah see any themes? this year is going to be all baby all knitting all the time. with my usual scrapbooking and other projects thrown in the mix. i also want to start a crafting clique with my nyc/nj girls. (well and a poker night... with some of the same company, lol.)

oh and miss elsie reminded me (via her blog) to check for next year's renegade craft fair dates. brooklyn's aren't up yet but last year the show was the 6th and 7th of june. if it's close to the same that means there will be a new little taylor just in time to come visit AND shop baby renegade style. get ready biotches!

ok. or i will be very very pregnant walking around buying too much stuff. lol.

love.

it's snowing!

yay! first snow!

joey and i took a trip to seacaucus/clifton today to do a little shopping. i finally got my butt into a michaels to get some supplies for these babies....


they are a really simple pattern from lion brand.

hopefully once i master this one i'll be able to graduate to these...
joey bought a couple new books... the road (which he's been dying to read) and let the right one in, which i think is his attempt to understand my love for vampire stories. we were supposed to pick up our christmas tree tonight but the weather just got too wet. we are going to try again first thing in the morning so that we have all day to decorate and hang out together. i love weekends!

time to get into my pink flannel pj's and get into a project!

love.

new craft.

yes i can happily say that i am a knitter now! this is a craft i've been wanting to learn for so long. my grandma was a crocheter and kind of tried to teach me a little when i was younger but it never really stuck. i've had dreams of making scarves, blankets, fingerless gloves.... and now those dreams are stitch by stich and purl by purl coming into reality. almost done with my first really simple garter scarf that i made as part of a class. the two tones of grey in there are for a little tougher scarf i'll be starting this weekend for joey. i'm hoping to hit up the craft store this weekend to pick up some more goodies and some circular needles to start my glove projects. one of my 27 before 28 (which i'll post another day) is to give 10 handmade gifts this year and this is the craft that is going to get me there.

oh and check out one of my favorite new additions to the house behind my knitting basket. it's a pillow from urban outfitters that has a german shepherd cross-stitched on the front. looks exactly like my bad roxy!

fresh start.

time to get back into doing everything that i love and one of the things that i genuinely love is this blog. more than a broadcast out to the world... this blog is for me. it's my way to really look back and document everything i've accomplished, how things in my life have changed, what inspires me.

over the past year i feel i lost a lot of myself. with working and stressing about work non-stop i left no time or energy to focus into my outlets that truly make me really happy and fulfilled. and, then i lost sight of my goals.

but now i'm happy to say i'm feeling bits and pieces of my passion and creativity coming back to me and i'm so excited for what the future holds. i'm ready to create with absolutely no pressure. make what i want to make, do what i want to do, and in the process bring a new little life into this world to re-experience all of what living really has to offer. my big goals are starting to resurface in my head and more importantly i'm regaining the confidence to believe that i can really accomplish anything i set my mind to....

like writing a self help book.

ha! kidding, just started sounding a little preachy there and needed to break it up.

so. long story still long, i'm making shit again and it feels amazing. i have a million and one projects in my book and head for the coming year and i'm sure i'll at least get a few of them done. i've started off by FINALLY making a daily december book which is something i've been meaning to do for years. the holidays always seem to get away from me and i end up wanting to spend the time experiencing rather than documenting it, but then later i get frustrated with the lack of photos and momentos. it's not quite done but i wanted to share the first bits...




the pages are just about done. so i'll share day by day as i actually complete journaling, photos, whatever. it's mostly BG's Eskimo Kisses, with a few Hambly pieces, Love Elsie, and other things mixed in. of course i ran out of adhesive which is why there are some paperclips still holding a few things together but that will be fixed today since i went on a run last night.

ok so there are more pics i took today of some things but the natives are getting restless (the pups). time for a walk.

love.

news. and back for real.

so...

right about when i blogged last i found out some pretty amazing news. i'm pregnant!

joey and i are so excited to be welcoming our first little taylor into the world next june! i'm 11 weeks and feeling great. (didn't feel so hot at first but things seem to be getting better in the tummy department... lol). needless to say things have been bustling around here with the holidays coming up and this spectacular new blessing in our lives. i'm finishing up another re-design of the apartment to make room for the nursery and am happy to announce that come next spring i'll be a happy crafty stay at home mommy!

unfortunately i have no new pics or anything to share but more will come and i'm working on putting together my preggo journal to fill up as i experience this totally new journey! so stay tuned and i promise i'll be a good blogger again very very soon!

love.