gift guide 2010

double whammy (the rest will come later on):
 for the little girls in your life



every day this week (seeing as tomorrow is the first week of december) i'll be posting a mini gift guide that might give you a few extra ideas for christmas pressies or might inspire another idea.

Links to above items (clockwise):

bunny top      camera       swimmies       skipping rope       tape       nail polish        bags


next installment is.......for the litle boys.

tara louise.

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blog loving...

Here are 3  blogs that i've stumbled upon over the past week...

build a little biz

chock full of handy hints on how to build your business and how to run a legal page on facebook. all the "rules"on what you can and can't do on a facebook page in simple, easy to understand terms. thanks a bunch for that!!



 The Daily Smudge

delightful images. pretty things. inspiring bits and bobs. stationery.

feed your soul

an awesome project by Jen of indie fixx where you can download free art. friggen amazing! love it to bits : )

some of the artworks you can download...

i was wondering the other day about what draws me to blogs and what makes me add them as a favourite....here's my compiled list.

1 |   the name. it needs to be interesting and intriguing.

2 |    the banner/header has to be inviting and eye catching.

3 |    the first post must be awesome.

4 |   if any of these things don't take my fancy straight away i'll generally cancel out and go back to wherever i was.

5 |   if there's tutorials...they MUST have pictures. i hate tutorials without pictures or just with video.

um, i think that's about it.

pop on over and check out the blogs above...

tara louise.



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animation friday

here's my animation for my poppet's animation friday.

i love hers this week....

(my poppet)

i think it's brilliant! haha

try and create one yourself...she has a super easy tutorial you can read if you click right here.

have a great friday night.

tara louise.

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it's on its way...

i've just about been in denial for the past month that christmas is actually on it's way. tell me where has the year gone?? it was this time last year that i was on a jet plane on my way to see my sister and see husbands home. i swear it's only been a few months since we've been back. surely!

however the christmas decorations in the street (out in force in october mind you!!!), the plastic christmas trees everywhere, the final episodes of every good show on tv and the increasing amounts of people at the shops is screaming.....christmas really is nearly here. far out.  and now that my birthday is over i will actually admit defeat and start thinking about it ( i have a rule that i dont do anything for christmas or even think about it till after my birthday).

to be fair this year i have already worked out what i want to get everyone, have worked out my christmas cards and the way i'm going to wrap my presents (i do a different theme each year). am i anal or does everyone do this??? : )

as of monday, i am going to do one post every day with a  mini gift guide just in case you're like i usually am and have no idea what to get everyone until the week before christmas! don't miss out! i'll be picking the majority of things that are local to australia and handmade where possible.

 i'll also be posting a super easy peasy tutorial for how to recreate my christmas tree this year. a wee sneak peek...

( i bet you can't work out how it will be done! haha)

for now, over and out.

tara louise.

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beautiful SPACES

i've been busting for frankie's spaces book to come out since they announced it.

it came out last week sometime and i got it on saturday as an early birthday present from ma and pa. i started looking through it straight away while waiting for my taco from Salsa's and these are the first few things i loved.....

...lark...

...lark...

...emily chalmers sitting room...

...tiff from dottie angel...

while i was sitting there flicking through, i cam across this page...

i told my husband...you shouldnt complain about all my stuff! check this out!!

and if you look closely you can see that there are like 2 or 3 layers of books piled high.

told him i'd print out a small copy and show him whenever he whinged. haha

i haven't had a really good look at it yet.

just a quick flick.

can't wait to pour over it properly.

 i can tell it will be a huge source of inspiration for me.

tara louise.

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polly dolly

naughty + nice is this weeks polly dolly challenge theme.

this was done with christmas parties in mind.....

i'm loving the herve lager sequined dress!

i just want to eat it up.

basically on both sides...

a pretty dress.

funky/pretty ring. earrings/necklace to match.

cute little baggy to pop all my goodies in.

simple.

tara louise.

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it (was) my birthday and i'll cry if i want to...

yesterday was my birthday. i turned 26. i haven't been excited about my birthday for a few years but this year i've been excited about it for ages. almost to the point of counting down the days.

on sunday afternoon i had a lovely afternoon of barefoot lawn bowls and drinks with friends and family. i'd never done this before but was always intrigued. it was so much fun! i had half a sore arse from the lunging you have to do to play, but it was worth it. i also discovered a game that i am better at than my husband. the first ever! so a very exciting time for me hahaa.

my grandpa and myself

husband, mum, me and dad

(younger sister is absent as she lives in south africa. poo to her)

then yesterday, i went to 6am zumba as i always do on monday mornings, and came home to a brand spanking new leopard print bike sitting in the hallway!!

i was very excited.

i'd been hinting that i loved it, but really didnt think i'd ever get it!

i'm also very excited about mum and dad's pressie, as thats an overlocker, but it's still in layby at the moment.

i ended up at school yesterday, but a few of the boys in the class i had made me some lovely wool and pasta necklaces and bracelets. oh and a kite. they were lovely : )

so sweet!

last night was dinner at benihana. yummy teppanyaki.

today i ran out with some birthday money and bought some pretty tape from kikki-k and mt tape.

i planned on getting clothes too, but none i liked in my size : (

when lucas got home from school, i hoped  hopped on my bike and had a ride around and got him to take some pics...

i love my new bike.

i think i'll be just fine on with a pair of training wheels out back!

i was talking to my sister yesterday...

me: i just need a fancy helmet to go with my bike now

sister: a helmet will ruin the look of the nice bike

me: mmm, true, but so will no face after i fall off my bike, which i'm highly likely to do.

the moral of this story...while it's "uncool" to wear a helmet, i will be purchasing one as i am more wobbly than cruisy when on a bike.

tara louise.

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and the winner is.....

so, i've drawn the winner of the giveaway......

( i was closing my eyes i promise!!

 multi tasking at its best....picking a name, taking a photo and keeping my eyes closed all at the same time)

and the WINNER is.....

cathy, i will message you on facebook for more details about how you'd like your necklace to be.

i'll be trying to done one of these giveaways every 2 months, so keep an eye out and get your friends involved.

tara louise.

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i blog because....

i've just read this post over at foxs lane where Kate was wondering why she still blogs. foxs lane was one of the first australian blogs that i started regularly reading. she has a great balance of family life + stories, along with her craft and sewing escapades.

it got me thinking though about why i started this blog........

i blog because it gets down my ideas + loves all in one place.
i blog because my husband really doesn't want to hear about all the things i go on about on here.
i blog because it makes me feel a part of the big craft world out there.
i blog because i enjoy it. even though my husband thinks it's a waste of time.
i blog because it gives me something else to think about other than work, money and family.i can escape it all.


tara louise.

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26 hrs left

there are 26 hrs left until the facebook fan giveaway.

get yourself onto the page and like me to go into the running to have a one of a kind necklace custom made for you.

all the details are on this post here, go check it out if you haven't already. can someone just remind me that i have to draw it then!! hope i don't forget. have popped a reminder on my phone so i dont. so fingers crossed!

(found here)

just do it.

tara louise.

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animation friday

Make a gif

yay. worked it out this week and realised what i did wrong last week!

(i forgot to change the size of my photos...oops!)

have a look at my poppets animation.

it's so cute!

here was last weeks animation...

this was what i'd planned anyway.

i'd done a day at school and took these photos while doing rotations.

have a great weekend.

tara louise.

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polly dolly

jumpsuits is the theme for this weeks polly dolly challenge.

i've picked 3 jumpsuits.

a casual printed denim one, a floral and dressier one.

flats to go with them.

messenger bag. sunnies. funky arse necklace. (i'd really like it)

as dani said...how do you go to the toilet in them??

the worst part by far about jumpsuits.

it is a shorts and shirt in one, so really a whole outfit in one, but getting entirely undressed to go to the toilet isn't very convenient.

i do like them though.

i own a couple of jumpsuits. don't wear them that often, but my best one is one i got in the girls section at best and less. way cheaper than the ladies section and cuter too!!

tara louise.

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GIVEAWAY FOR FACEBOOK FRIENDS

so i know i only have like 45 fans on my facebook page but i figure you've got to start somewhere and that i should reward the the lovely ladies who have "liked" me already.

so on saturday 20th nov 2010 at 7pm (est), i will be drawing a winner from my the fans of my page tara louise designs . (you can also get there by clicking the facebook link at the right)

the winner will get a one of a kind, custom made necklace (made by me of course!!) .

so if you're not already a fan or liker of my page, may i suggest you click this link and like me quick smart. the winner will be announced here on saturday evening.

i am going to try and do these giveaways every couple of months for facebook likers and for my blog followers.

(found here) *writing by me

* i am doing this giveaway on the blog as it is illegal to do giveaways on facebook now and i'm also unable to promote it on my wall.

tara louise.

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where to sell??

now i don't know if anyone actually reads this blog, so i possibly won't get any responses, but i'll put it out there anyway.

just after feedback to see what platform everyone else uses to sell their products on. which works best for you??

i was going to try a fancy voting poll box thingy but can't work out how to get it in the post and not on the sidebar....

does bigcartel, facebook, blogger, etsy, made it or a proper website work best for you?? anything else out there thats a great platform to sell your pretties from that i don't know about??

please leave a comment.

tara louise.

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overwhelmed

after meeting liss of daydream lily and jess of epheriell yesterday at the element clothes launch i've become super inspired to get my blog going and get my products out in the internet world for sale. i have however become so overwhelmed with info that my mind is now swimming with information and i'm stood still with lots going on around me. i wish i had all day every day to sit and try and make sense of it all.

through jess's blog i have found a thousand and one links about tips to help you build your creative business and build your blog traffic. i followed this link which linked me to somewhere else and then somewhere else and well way too many links to link to them all! they are great links though...try and check them out.

i think i'll become far less overwhelmed if i just stick to what i know and perhaps spend a couple of hours each week trying to promote my blog and products. or look at one link every day or something and resist the urge to click another link.

simple is better...surely!

(image found here)

do you get completely overwhelmed with what's going on in the blog world too?

or is it just me??

tara louise.



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Saturday + Sunday

what a delightful weekend it has been.

have spent most fo it with my husband which has been the first weekend in ages!
yesterday was spent redecorating a set of drawers for my sewing room...photos to come of that soon.

and today, well i've just come straight from daydream lilly's launch for her collection with element. i was lucky enough to get an invite and took my lovely friend laura along with me. it was held at the most awesome space.....gov's espresso in mermaid. i've driven past it a thousand times and never new it was there. but now it will be my new favourite place to go! it's everything i love in a cafe. so so cool. it actually reminds me of earth mother in durban, SA. but anyway, back to the launch. it was lovely and relaxed. lovely food, lovely people and live music. we also got a free plant which was a really lovely touch i thought.

thanks for invite liss, i had a great time!

get instore and check out her wares. they are delightful!

tara louise.

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going through the business cards...

seeing as i had no money at finders keepers on the weekend, i chose to collect business cards as i went around. i'm only now just getting some time to go through them all.

these are some of the things that took my fancy...


this delightful necklace by cory child...





these wooden speakers by speakr box



these delightful shelves from bride & wolfe...





love love love!!! this necklace from lola&bailey...

...after checking out this website i realised they are everywhere at the moment!!




these kid-like yet grown up illustrations by penelope and pip...

i would like to sail away too.....take me with you!




this old-school slash modern swimmies......they had heaps of padding too! great for small titted girls like me : ) they are by sanoii + six. they had a lovely stall too...







and this bow from south for the summer...




i also found the most aMAZing jewellery from one place but somehow managed to not get a business card from that stall. so annoying! it's my birthday coming up and was going to hint to my husband that he could buy me anything from there and i'd be super impressed with it. they had the coolest rabbit rings and random quirky jewellery. loved it all!! all i remember is that it was next to limedrop.....and there were a thousand people around it. can anyone help me? does it ring any bells????

off to aztecs for dinner with husband and the young boy. chicken and frijole tostada here i come. mmm mmmmm. oh and sangria. i need it after today.

tara louise.

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animation friday

the picassion thing that my poppet says to use has decided not to work for me this arvo, so i hope this will work! done on photoscape and added as a video.

will try again over the weekend if this doesnt work!

these were the photos i used...

did this while in prep today during one of the rotations : )

tara louise.

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polly dolly

asymmetrical is this weeks polly dolly theme.

i've gone for a ladylike look, a night time look and more casual look.

i've chosen mainly house of harlow jewellery to match my set.

loving the look of bralet's over a top at the moment.

very 90s i know, but i was too young to try that trend while it was around.

not sure if i can actually pull it off though!

gotsta get ready and choof off to school now.

tara louise.

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op shop finds

so my mother in law is coming to stay with us at the end of the month for awhile. this means i have the massive task of cleaning out my sewing room so she can sleep in there. it's not the neatest of spaces and as my husband says it's full of s&!t, i like to think it's an organised mess. i knew where everything was!

yesterday i started the clean out and the finding of spots for things. this is proving to be the hardest part. i like to have everything out so i can see it. there are not enough spots for everything i have. but anyway, as i was cleaning out i re-discovered some of my latest op shop finds. it was like finding them again!!

loving these cute as a button toothpick holders. they are now thumbtack and rubber band containers.

note the heart shaped opening. love it!

some delightfully illustrated books.

i had the best of intentions to cut these up and make something out of them, but don't think i can bring myself to do it.

and an array of lovely handkerchiefs and pretty fabric.

i'm not quite sure what i'm going to do with the hankies, but they are lovely all the same.

i'm also in the process of getting my facebook page sorted out.

 stay tuned for that one.

tara louise.

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finders keepers + op shop finds

i was going to do this post last night however ended up making a mouse trap car (we ended up copying this dude's video tutorial) that needed to be due in today. so here it is this morning instead.

on the weekend i had many markets i wanted to get to. i had my handmade market on the saturday morning which clashed with nothing, but on sunday i wanted to go to finders keepers, the young designer market, the village markets and then read about little jane st's yard sale.  i was already going to finders keepers, so decided to stick to the one side of brisbane and go to finders keepers and little jane st.

I was pretty excited when i walked into winn st and saw the flamingo cafe too!

i was then really excited to get some mt tape and bakers twine from little jane st.

i finally have mt tape!! yeehhaaaaa.

thats a whole post all for itself : )

after driving around in circles for abit (damn you brisbane and your one way streets), we found our way the very close distance to the old museum where finders keepers was. i didn't buy much but loved just seeing how everyone else displays their products on their tables.

i'm always trying to better the look of my table at the markets.

there were 4 rooms full of lovely designers and pretty goodies linked by stalls on the verandah.

i was pretty excited to see the frankie stall too.

and so excited about their new book spaces to be released in a couple of weeks.

i took ma and pa with me and met a friend up there, but unfortunately couldnt stay all day as i had to come back and clean out my house.

wasn't going to wait until my husband didn't feel like it anymore!!

i had a short timeframe and had to act quickly.

i had a great day.

came back full of inspiration.

wish i was as clever as some of the other peeps out there!

tara louise.

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