TARA

I found this idea on a blog called Create and Delegate….super cool idea (I wish it was mine).  www.createanddelegate.blogspot.com

This shirt was mine until a few weeks ago and now it is a super cute dress for Harper.  This is what Mom’s do during naptime.

This was my first try at Freezer Paper Stenciling…  The dress turned out really cute!  I mailed it to Harper’s cousin Kate!  We hope you love it Kate….

Next…my favorite which will soon be sold on my web-site…  The ROXY skirt.

That’s it for now…I haven’t been feeling super crafty lately so nothing new at the moment…..  I did make a shirt the other day from a tutorial, but I haven’t taken a good enough pic to post…I will post soon.  If you have some fun ideas of cool things to make email me….I am always looking for inspiration.

Tara

www.royaltygirl.net

Well, as most of you have noticed (FB friends) I have been super busy trying to perfect my sewing skills.  So why the big push to become a super star seamstress?   A few months ago I found what I thought was a wonderful seamstress but when I got my final product I realized how I made a huge mistake.  The unfortunate part is that I had seen her work before and it was great.  Her sample was great and all was good.  It was almost as if she outsourced my project to someone else.    This was my “baby” so you could image the disappointment.  I hate learning lessons the hard way but I do believe all things happen for some unknown crazy reason.   I hate that they always seem to happen to me:)  LOL 

So, now I have a whole bunch of really bad skirts and no home for them.  The trash can was my first thought, but I do believe I can salvage a few parts of each skirt to re-use on another project.  As for my dream of the “Roxy Skirt”, it has not faded….I will be making them and introducing them to the world in January.  January is my target date to become a REALLY GOOD seamstress.  I hate that I am such a perfectionist, but not much I can do about that.    Here is a mock “Roxy” skirt.  It won’t look exactly like this…but maybe similar.  I am still trying different things out. 

So, let me end this post with a few helpful hints for anyone running a small business.  I am only going to mention these things because I stated earlier that I always learn lessons the hard way.  Let’s call these TARA TIPS:

1.  Do not do consignment – LEARNED THE HARD WAY

2.  Do not accept checks- LEARNED THE HARD WAY

3.  Do not hire an out of town seamstress- LEARNED THE HARD WAY

4.  Do not do net 30 or 60- I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS but artists I rep have and have been burned. 

5.  Do not mail samples and expect them to be sent back- I send samples from time to time, but I only do it when I am pretty sure an order will follow.

6.  Do not waste your money on magazine marketing- BEEN THERE DONE THAT…  & got nothing from it!  The best marketing is FREE marketing.

7.  Pay attention to detail- I ordered 500 hang tags and didn’t realize they had the wrong web address until they hit my front door.  They put .com instead of .net.  URGGHH…  This one is HUGE…Pay attention to detail!  Have other’s preview your stuff before giving it final approval.

I think that is it for now.  I hope you can learn from my mistakes. 

Over and Out

www.royaltygirl.net

www.royaltygirl.etsy.com

TARA

Starving Artists~

Do you know why most artists are known as “starving artists?”  Me either, but I will give you my opinion on the subject matter.  We (the public) can buy such cool stuff for SOOO CHEAP these days that when we see something hand-made (in the US) we don’t want to buy it because of the cost.  Have you ever purchased a really cute dress at Target for $10.00 bucks and thought to yourself how much did the person who made this little treasure get paid? Probably not~~~

  So, I will break this down for you.  If Target is selling a dress for $10.00 that means they probably purchased it for LESS than $5.00.  If they bought it for $5.00 then someone made it for less than $1.00 because you still have to factor in the cost of the fabric, buttons, zippers etc.  Could you imagine only making a $1.00 for all of your hard work?  It’s sad that we support this kind of stuff, but we all do it.  I do it , you do it…we all do.

I buy a lot of blank apparel that is made outside of the US.  I mainly do this because I have to keep my costs low enough to remain competitive.  BUT I am happy to say that I am having my first set of baby skirts made in the US by a super cool seamstress in TN.  I am also happy to be supporting another small business and stay at home mom!  Thx~~~ Mandi!  Correction~  I am now making them myself…  read between the lines if you must!

So, back to the starving artist…it is getting harder and harder to find people that appreciate hand-made items or items made in the US.  The only way to remain competitive these days is to have your items made outside of the US.  I see lots of amazing designers on Etsy and everyone complains about the same thing.  They are working their bums off and not making enough to survive.  I don’t think it means you are a bad business person.  We seem to have the mindset that we need to keep our prices low enough to compete with the Targets of the world.  With that being said….If you have a product that is selling and you are working hard and not seeing profits….the only logical answer is to increase your price.  I know it may put you out of the market for some buyers, but we as artists have to pay ourselves as well.  I read an article on Etsy from a lady who makes Baby Slings.  She said she spends every second of her free time sewing slings and filling orders.  Sounds like every small business owners dream, but not really when you don’t have time for your family and you are not seeing the financial benefits.   She stated she is thinking about having her items made for her in bulk.  In the US, not sure, but now you see what I am talking about.  Vicious cycle…..Once again, my only advice would be to increase her price if she wants to continue her hand-made business.  But like most…we look to over-seas to create our products for rock bottom prices.  I wish we could find a way to stop this trend!

Next time you are thinking about purchasing a gift for yourself, someone else, birthday present, baby shower…anything….check out Etsy.  Most of the sellers on Etsy offer FREE SHIPPING!  A lot of love goes into making hand-made things and sometimes it is hard to put a price tag on them.  Just keep it in mind.   & if you think something is too expensive (because you are comparing it to Target)  just think about how much time and effort goes into creating some of the things you are seeing.

Over and Out~~~

Tara

www.royaltygirl.net

www.royaltygirl.etsy.com

One of my newest creations…hand made by ME! 

Hey Guys & Gals,

I decided to start an Etsy shout out once a month or whenever I feel inspired.  If you have no clue what Etsy is then read my blog and proceed directly to Etsy.  Etsy is a web-site that has millions of individual web-sites of artists/designers from around the world.  You will mainly find all things handmade, but you can also purchase vintage stuff, furniture and supplies.  I love Etsy and will do whatever I can to support small businesses.  www.etsy.com

1.  I recently noticed one of my FB friends taking monthly pictures of her child wearing stickers showing his monthly birthday.  I thought this was sooo cute so I decided to find a company on Etsy and let all of my readers know where they can purchase something like this.  I like the rock and roll theme stickers, but they have many different themes to choose from.

www.purplepossom.etsy.com Set of 12 for $9.00.

2.  I love cute little beanies  & I love skulls and crossbones.  Check out this web-site and see their cute little beanies. 

www.charliemai.etsy.com  $18.00

3.  Are these not the cutest little totebags ever!  I love it… 

 www.naptime21.etsy.com $22.00

4.  Oh man, these shoes are so cute!  I would buy these in a second if I had a little baby.  Harper is too big for them now.  (next child)

www.graciousmay.etsy.com $34.99

5. Children’s clothes made from men’s dress shirts.  What a great idea and this little outfit is so stinking cute! 

www.thegoodshiplollipop.etsy.com $35.00

Well folks…that’s it for today!  Next time I do an Etsy shout out I will feature my top 5 items from another category.

Have a great day!

Tara

www.royaltygirl.net

www.royaltygirl.etsy.com

Man says yes to wife for a month?

I was watching this on the early show this morning.  A smart chicky decided to document 30 days worth of her husband saying yes to anything she asked for.  She even made a complete list of all the things she does that shockingly her husband had no clue about.  Men seem to think the toilet and shower just cleans them-selves or that the sheets just leap right off the bed and into the wash.  How about all that laundry?  My husband can’t even put his dirty clothes inside the basket.  It is always on top.  I mean seriously…how hard is it to lift the handle and place the article of clothing inside the basket?  I guess it is a lot harder than I could ever image.  lol

Girls~  Can you even imagine what life would be like if your husband/boyfriend had to say yes to everything you asked him to do?  Better yet, how about let’s not have to ask and he just does it!  Now there is an interesting concept.  Men always think us women love to bitch about stuff and constantly nag, but if our husbands actually did a few things without asking life would be so peaceful! 

I am not exactly sure why this chicky decided to document her journey, but I sure do hope her husband learned a few things.  I would love to make my husband take this challenge, but he would laugh the first time I asked him to do something or just tune me out!

I am sure most of us girls would agree that we hate to nag and complain, but a little help here and there would be nice.  OR…how about a Thank you!  OR…how about just put your dirty clothes in the basket…oh and leave the toilet seat DOWN…& actually change the toilet paper roll when the current one is empty….oh and put your dirty dishes in the dishwasher…

I could go on and on for days…..

Disclaimer~ I am not referring to my husband in this post.  He is perfect!!! LOL 

I love you honey

I never got that memo!

This post is for all the mom’s to be, future mom’s to be and Mom’s… 

As I start to ponder the idea of having another child  I start to think about how awful being pregnant is (at least for me).  Now, some may beg to differ, but I didn’t like being huge, swollen, tired and wine-free for 9 months. 

There were a lot of things about pregnancy and birth that I felt were never covered in all of the millions of pregnancy books that I read.  SO… I will go ahead and spill the beans and if you feel like you want to add some important information please feel free to add your stories to this post.

I found out I was pregnant 2 weeks before a sales trip to NAPA…yes, folks, NAPA!  You can imagine how bummed I was, but also super excited to be carrying Harper.  Well,  all was good the first month or so and then the TIRED bug hit me.  I don’t remember ANYONE telling me how tired you get.  I felt like I was sleeping all of the time!  I can’t even imagine being that tired and having to take care of other children at the same time.  Once that passed I was okay for a little while. 

I totally hated that in between phase…you know, the phase when you start to get a little bump, but people just think your fat.  My husband would laugh at me because wherever we would go I would put my hand on my stomach just to let everyone know that I had a baby brewing…lol

I think months 5,6 & 7 were okay…but MAN…8 & 9?  I was HUGE…gained about 55lbs and basically would eat your hand off if you would have let me.  HUNGRY HUNGRY HUNGRY…oh and let the water works begin.  I would sit at my desk and just start bawling my eyes out.  Why?  not sure …. 

Then, I started getting those dreaded cankles…  I was sooo swollen I could barely walk or waddle whatever you want to call it.  I could not wait for this to be over, but that is when I started to say “I never got that memo.”

I had a few text book moments.  One of my books said that you would hear a loud pop and then your water would break.  I was laying on the bed, heard the pop and then jumped up to run to the restroom.  Here is the part no one told me.  Your water doesn’t stop ….it just keeps coming and coming.  So, be prepared unlike me and bring lots of towels on your car ride.   No fun! 

Once I got my epidural life was FABULOUS…(not sure how girls do without..must be rock stars)  having the baby was a piece of cake!  It was the recovery that was completely awful.  (I will spare you the details…)

& then…the crying starts again.  I was so happy, but would cry for no apparent reason.  Just so you know, post-partum is very normal and affects 1 out of every 3  new mothers.   Your husband may not understand so sit him in front of the computer and google “post-partum.”   Maybe they should write a pregnancy books for Men!  The only problem is they would probably never read it:)

& continuing on…..

I never got the memo about my big belly becoming a deflated balloon.  Maybe that is why I was crying.  Oh man, how long before this thing goes away?  I want my body back!  I guess I was naive and just thought I would bounce right back into my pre-baby jeans.  OH…& don’t start trying those bad boys on right away…I was wearing pregnancy clothes way AFTER the baby…& No one gave me that memo either!

It did take awhile, but 95% of my body is back to normal!  Whoo..maybe baby #2 will be different……I sure hope I eat less, cry less and gain less weight. 

& even though I HATED being pregnant…I will do it all over again just to have another baby just like Harper!  She is the love of my life!

Tara

Shake it like a polaroid picture!

Okay…my evening last night has inspired this blog post.  There is a really good reason why I ONLY dance in the privacy of my own home….. Okay…on a rare occasion when I have been extremely over-served I will put on my dancing shoes and it is funny how good I think I am at that moment.  I mean, I REALLY think I am good…like I should be in Britney’s next video good…lol

I fortunately did not dance last night, but I had front rows seats watching some very bad dancers.  & that my friends is the exact reason I do not dance in public. These ladies were terrible.  I am sure they were having lots of fun, but I can find better ways to embarrass myself.

Back in the club days I remember being fairly decent??  Maybe I should ask my friends and see what they thought.  Did I just loose my rhythm or did I never really have any and just thought I did?

Hmmm…  Well, now my dancing is limited to the living room with Harper and since no one sees me I don’t care what I look like. I sure do hope Harper doesn’t get my moves…  I am hoping she can pick up some moves from her Aunt Tina! Tina is an awesome dancer!!!  And Alan…yeah he doesn’t have anything to give either.  Although I must say he does this “bounce” thing when he dances and it’s kinda cute! 

Bounce thing=stand in one place and just bounce to the left and bounce to the right.  That is the Alan dance!

Okay…here is the second part of my night.  So, I was out and about with a group of people in their early 20’s and they took us to this bar that is apparently the “Hot” spot.  Not sure what that means anymore.  I prefer to have drinks at home on the patio, but we had a babysitter and decided to venture out.

So, we get to this “Hot” spot and there is a line to get in?  A line?  Seriously?  We are in Winston-Salem my friends and unless Britney or Puff Daddy is inside this bar I do NOT want to stand in line.  (BTW-  I still love my girl Britney!!!)  BUT…  because the group wanted to go…I had to stand in line and I felt like the biggest loser ever! 

So we get in and just like every bar I have ever gone to it’s just a group of people standing around drinking beer.  (Wine for me just so you know) This is why I prefer to stay home, but then again I am now in my 30’s and have a family and the Bar/Club scene isn’t my thing anymore.

I think the point to this blog is that I AM GETTING OLD!  I’d rather being sitting on the couch watching HGTV with a glass of wine!! 
Tara
www.royaltygirl.net

I am my mother!

& just so you know…that isn’t a bad thing.

I remember growing up and saying…”I will never be like my Mom.”…  geez…I think most girls have said that.  I even think my Mom said that about her Mother. 

Now, I say something to Harper and stop dead in my tracks just remembering how my mother said the exact same thing to me.  WHOOOAAAAHHH..talk about a flash back.  Isn’t it funny that when we get mad at our kids we use their full name…Harper Olivia Dussouy you better get back over here and sit down.  lol…  cracks me up!

How about the good ole…1, 2, don’t make me say 3…1, 2… I mean it..don’t make me say 3.  I think our kids see right thru us.  Because we never actually say 3 and what exactly happens at 3? 

Here is one of my Mom’s favorites to this day…”I hope you have a daughter just like you!”  I think my Mom’s mom said the same thing to her.  I really hope Harper isn’t as bad as I was and if she is I hope I am smart enough to catch her in the act!  I can’t wait to catch her trying to sneak out of the house.  I was really good at that…but my little brother..not so much.  My Dad woke up one night and caught Micheal crawling on the hallway floor ninja style.  BUSTED…bro should have taken some notes from big sis.

I think us Mom’s need some new tricks up our sleeves. 

The best part about getting older is getting closer to your Mom.  Now, my Mom and I have so much in common and talk daily which is nice.  I really was a brat for a long time and I have a feeling what goes around comes around.

TARA

www.royaltygirl.net

Stay at home Mom!

Go ahead and judge…I did too!  Back before I had kids I always said I never wanted to be a stay at home Mom…as if it was a bad thing.  I take that all back.  I realize how important it is and if you have the opportunity to stay at home (some mom’s don’t) you should take advantage of it.  For those Mom’s who work and run a family…I give you mad props so don’t think I am judging because you work. It is hard enough just being a Mom/wife but then being a Mom who has to get ready, get the children ready, go to work, come home, cook dinner, bath the kids and TRY and relax…whooo  …it hurts to just type it. 

My girlfriend Jo ann has the best quote on her Facebook page “Loving being a Mommy of 2 boys….although it is one hell of a busy job with no “sick days” or “end of year bonus”…..

I couldn’t have said it more perfectly!  & so true…  To all of the SAHM & working Mom’s…  ya’ll ROCK!

You know what is funny…the way some people react when you tell them you stay at home. Like that really isn’t a job.  I get the same weird feeling when people ask me what college I went to.  When I tell them I didn’t go they give me this blank stare like…huh, you didn’t go to college?  Yes, people I skipped out on college.  Instead I decided to visit all of my friends at college for 4 years and party like a rock star.  So, I guess I did go to college.  I went to lots of colleges….lol  & didn’t have to pay ANY student loans.  2 cheers for me!

On the other hand….I am very thankful to have Royalty Girl…it keeps my mind moving and keeps my creative juices flowing!  So, maybe that means I am only a partial stay at home mom?  lol

And for all of the Dad’s that think we are sitting on our bums watching TV eating Doritos…This is by far WAY harder than going to work!!!  We should make the Dad’s stay at home for 1 month and then see what they think. 

Over and out and feel free to comment!
Tara

Singing Momma,

Years ago my biggest dream was to be a singer.  I spent years taking vocal lessons from an awesome studio in Atlanta. I even made a small attempt to start a band, The Tara Young band!  Ha ha ha …  We did have a lot of fun that’s for sure, but never played anywhere but my basement.  My biggest accomplishment was the CD I made.  It consisted of 5 songs and I wrote one of them, “I’m Sorry.”…  If you want a CD let me know because I have like 400 of them. My husband usually hands them out when people come over.  He would be happy to get rid of them…ha ha ha

Here is an interesting story for you:

Before Sugarland hit it big with Jennifer, the girl who started the band (Kristen) was looking for a new lead singer.  I never auditioned for her, but I did send in a track and pics for her to review.  Unfortunately she had already signed Jennifer.  Honestly, Jennifer’s voice drives me nutzo, but she is an AMAZING performer.  Without Jennifer there would probably be no Sugarland.  I have one of the first CD’s from Sugarland pre-Jennifer…  & um…not so good:) 

Another little fun story for you:

My friend Gina’s then husband went to school with Stephen Dorff (the Dad) and was sweet enough to mail him my CD.  He has written hit songs in the past and even won a Grammy.  He actually called me to discuss my CD which I thought was super cool.  He said he liked my voice, but my songs weren’t so good.  Ouch!…but a little constructive criticism never hurt nobody.  & He has a Grammy and I don’t.  He mailed me a few songs of his to try and record, but unfortunately I never got the chance.

My Mom asked me the other day if I had any regrets when it came to singing.  I honestly don’t!  I am not sure I ever had it in me 100%.  Maybe 90%, but not 100% and if you are not all in when it comes to music you won’t get far.  I think the 10% of me was scared that I wasn’t as good as everyone else and I had extreme stage fright.  I find that interesting considering I am so NOT shy….but it is kinda like public speaking…..  I feel like I am going to die when I am on stage.  lol

Well, now my singing is in the car!  Except I get 2 seconds into a song and my 2 year old says “STOP MOMMY STOP”…oh well, maybe one day she will be the famous singer I never got to be.  & maybe not…guess i will have to wait and see.

~~Tara

Here is a little clip of I’m sorry”!

02 Track 2