Review/Giveaway: Tailor Brands Logo Designs

I think one of the hardest parts about owning a business is branding, and to go even deeper, branding done right.  I have a small photography business, and was thrilled to have an opportunity to get assistance creating a striking logo and other branding materials from Tailor Brands.

It takes a bit of time to work through their set up, but you are able to customize your Logo to work with almost every aspect of your Business!

Every single thing they offered in my Tailor Brands Professional Bundle Package was very accessible and easy to use for my website, Facebook page, and all social media in general.

The program is also Mobile-friendly, which is such a great accessory, so I can still build my business on the go.

Taylor Brands starts by having you answer a type of Questionaire / Survery about your business, and which marketing tools will help you thrive.

It asks you about your personal preferences for fonts, designs, logo pictures, and titles, in order to create a brand design that you might like.

I was pleasantly surprised by how many stock photos they had to offer, to help make your Logo/Branding clean and professional.

For example, I am a photographer and they actually have a template category just for that, so I chose A camera-logo that I felt best represented my own Camera.

Another key point to highlight, is that I absolutely love how they give you so many options for your logo. They Inverse black and white, so you have different shading and color options for the style of your Branding. (Seen Below)

The page automates the design set up, making it easy to get started, but they don't leave you on your own. 

Once you answer the questionnaire through Tailor Brands, they send you these adorable Emails saying "your file is ready to download." I can open to files on my phone as well as my desktop, which enables me to use them so much more. I am always on the go, so have such a mobile-friendly service for my business, is very nice.

Tailor Brands has on-hands staff that can help you at any time through your branding process with their tools and online support. 

I decided I didn't like the way I made one of my logo layouts, so I asked for help through the site and received an email the very same day fixing my personal error.

The personal, hands-on help I received from Lindsey with Tailor Brands exceeded my expectations. She was professional, responsive and helpful from start to finish and this spoke volumes for me in terms of customer service. 

Tailor Brands created a custom Cover Photo for my Photography Facebook Page, with my professional photographs incorporated. You have the choice to use stock photos that Tailor Brands Provides, or you can upload your own pictures, as I did. 

I found it very helpful that Tailor brands emailed me just about every computer format of my logos and branding. They give you SO much to work with, and every template they send you comes with very detailed and helpful instructions to guide you through the process. 

I really love how you have the choice to design vastly different logos, but still stick with consistent branding guidelines. 

They have several options, in terms of pricing and packages. If you aren't ready to get the full bundle, they even offer select services available for monthly billing as well.

I received the Premium Package Bundle for review, a $128 value, currently on sale for $99) which included the following:

Bundles are available for as low as $39.00, and many items are available for individual purchase as well!

Another Feature of Tailor Brands that I love is everything you customize and work on through their site is saved online, and you can pick up where you left off at any time. You have endless online tools through the website, at your disposal to take your business to a whole other level.

I am very proud of my new customized branding through Tailor Brands and look forward to working with their business more in the future. 

I feel as though this is a valuable branding tool, that helped in the professionalism and consistency within my different Photography websites and social media pages.  Just as soon as I have time in my own busy schedule to work on a renovation of my online sites, I will be happily incorporatiing my new brand!

If you've been looking to revamp your online brand, now's the time - Tailor Brands is kindly offering a Giveaway to one of our Awesome Readers.

All files are digital so this one is open world-wide!

The value of the giveaway is originally $128, (although it is on sale for $99) and the winner receives a logo, an EPS file, business card and letterhead design files, branded presentation, a brand book, social media cover photos, and 21 logo sizes, to give you everything you need!  Read on to see how you can enter to win!

https://www.tailorbrands.com

https://www.facebook.com/tailorbrands/

https://twitter.com/TailorBrands

To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open WORLD-WIDE and will end just before midnight ET on 6/12. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winners have responded and confirmed, their first names will be posted on our Giveaways  page.


Good luck!

Entry-Form

Mom-fession: What I Didn't Tell You

To the other mother with two children under 3 in the grocery store, who said to me tonight
"I wish, just for ONE single day, I had my sh** together like it looks like you do."

This is what I WISH that I told you, Mama:

Today is the first day I have showered in five-yes FIVE days. Before leaving my house I almost had a panic attack thinking of taking my hellacious one year old and three year old to the store at 5:30pm, or what I like to call 'grocery rush-hour'.

Although you saw my two girls smiling, and one happily eating an apple, before we left it took me over twenty-five minutes explaining to my toddler if she threw another 'it sounds like my mom is beating me but really I'm just a toddler-fit'... mommy was more than likely going to lose her marbles in front of an entire store...

You also missed the part where I told her if she asked for ANYTHING other than an apple, she wouldn't have play time and stories before bed. (Yes I am a class-A mean mom)

You missed the part where my toddler peed her pants right as we were leaving (for no reason, at that) and my 1-year old tried to eat a penny, then slammed her head into a wall(on purpose) when I took it from her.

The best part you missed was the 3 year old saying I was the meanest mommy alive for not letting the baby eat that penny...

You may have not smelled me, but as you told me I had my sh** together so well, I realized I didn't even put deodorant on today.

Little do you know - we all break, we all mess up, and speaking of mess-ups, I'm pretty much the queen of them. I have a shield of armor made out of good wine and sanity from having an incredible nanny who helps me two days a week.

I have no husband or 'daddy' who comes home to listen to my struggles, but I do have friends and family who love me, so somehow at the end of every crazy day, I know I'm still above water.

I wish I could have told you that not for one day, or even one second, do I have my sh** together any more than you do. I don't even know if my socks are clean honestly,

But remember this, pretty mama, as long as that food you were shopping for is going in your children's bellies, you are a winner in my book, you are a soldier and a baller and a super hero with an invisible cape; and you've got this!

Because I couldn't tell this mama these words in the rush of checking out, I want to share it with many other women, because someone else might need to hear it too.

Wine-Hot Cocoa

Wine-Hot Cocoa...there are no words other than this small disclosure:

I am a single mother, to 3 year old and 1 year old girls. As I'm writing this, we are currently in the midst of a blizzard and after playing in the snow, I'm not going to lie...I need a warm beverage just like my girls do. Although I like to jazz mine up, in the adult sense.

Wine hot-cocoa - mmm. Yes, it truly is as yummy as it sounds.

No, you cannot use white wine. (It almost looks like it curdles, and tastes very unpleasant, in my humble opinion.) And you'll be using water, not milk, for the 'concentrated hot cocoa'.

Here's how simple this is:

Wine - Hot Cocoa

Following the directions on your hot cocoa mix, make 1/2 cup of  normal hot cocoa, except add one EXTRA large scoop (so it's more concentrated),

As one cup red wine, mix, and enjoy.  If you want to make sure this is nice and toasty-hot, heat the wine before adding.

VARIATIONS: You can also use hot chai tea, and even hot espresso, I think all are delicious. Vanilla chai tea seems to mix best in terms of tea.

To the wine lovers, the wine-mothers, and to all who enjoy a warm adult beverage; You're welcome from my wine loving heart, to yours.

Review: HannahMax Baking Cookie Chips

I have always been extremely picky when it comes to sweet treats and edibles. I don't like soft cookies, so when I bought them from a store, I would leave them out, just long enough to harden them.

Something about a soft and chewy cookie has absolutely never appealed to me, even when I was a child. I was never picky with other foods growing up, so even my parents found it a tad bit odd that I was picky with sweets.

So naturally, you can believe that I was absolutely thrilled to see that I was going to review a product named "Cookie Chips." The title alone drew me in and I was excited to receive my package.

I was informed that HannahMax.com would be sending me their Cookie Chips Multipack for review. I assumed I would be receiving small, single person, snack sized cookie chip bags to sample, and boy was I wrong. I was absolutely delighted when I opened my package to find I had been sent the actual Cookie Chips Multipack with six-6 oz. bags of cookies chips, in every flavor.

The Multipack includes a variety of the most popular cookie chips the company currently offers: Original Cookie Chip, Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Chip, Sea-salted Peanut Butter, cinnamon sugar, and oatmeal raisin.

I want to break down and talk about/review each cookie, simply because after trying all of them, these cookies are worth going into some detail about!

Let me start by saying, I was impressed with the packaging right off the bat. The cookies are held in a air tight sealed bag, with an awesomely strong zip lock, that quite obviously helps keep the cookies extra fresh. This seems important especially because these cookies are also all-natural, with no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, trans fats or GMOs, as are every single item sold out of the HannahMax bakery.

For the health conscious cookie lover, fear not! 1 serving of Cookie Chips is around 120 calories and 50 grams of fat, much less than the average cookie serving.

Ok, getting back to the REALLY good stuff...

My method in trying these cookies was to go for what I assumed would be my favorite, then work my way down through all of the flavors. I am a huge cinnamon fan, so naturally my first choice was the Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Chips.

I opened the bag and the light aroma  of cinnamon filled my nose. As I reached in the bag and pulled out one cookie chip, I was delightfully surprised that the entire chips was thoroughly covered in a sugary-cinnamon mixture, so much so, that when I put the cookie in my mouth, I still had residue of the delicious treat on my fingers.

A little bit messy, but let me tell you; it's totally worth it! I bit into the cookie and it was phenomenal. It was light, crispy, and still amazingly somehow it melted in my mouth. The taste was great, texture perfect, and amount of sugar was truly right on point.

I then began to wonder if it was even possible for me to like the other flavors, as much as I liked the Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Chips.

I decided to go with the Sea Salted Peanut Butter Cookie Chips next. I'm not a huge fan of peanut better, but I feel when the right amount is used in a recipe, the outcome can be awesome.

I opened the bag and the smell of peanut butter filled the air. I knew without a doubt I would want milk with the peanut butter cookies so I poured myself a small glass. When I dipped my cookie in the glass, it didn't break or crumble at all, but still actually soaked up a great amount of milk within the crispy cookie.

When I took a bit it was kind of like a flavor explosion of peanut butter, light hints of sea salt, and the milk pieced all of the flavors within the cookie chip together.

At this point my 2.5 year old daughter had woken from her nap, and wanted to know what mommy was snacking on. I gave her one of the sea salted peanut butter cookies chips and as she took a bite her eyes lit up. Without me saying anything she said, "These peanut buttaa chips?! I love chips! I love peanut butter!"

Kids say the funniest things but they also speak the truth, and the truth is that anyone, any age can love these treats.

After trying all of the flavors with my daughter, she decided that the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Chips were her favorite.

Although the cookies were crispy, the raisins were still soft and very much so fresh. The same goes for the Chocolate Chips in both the Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Chip cookies. The cookies crunch in your mouth and then the chocolate chips just melt.

It's somewhat a religious experience if you ask me. (Kidding. A Little.)

After trying every other flavor, I opened the bag of Original cookie chips and immediately smelled the aroma of fresh sugar cookies. These particular chips were very light in flavor and also seemed great for a quick snack, at really any time.

I first tried the cookie with no milk and I liked it. I then tried it dipped in milk, and of course liked it more. I decided to test the crispness of the cookie by dropping it in the milk for about 30 seconds. The cookie came out still as a whole, still crispy and soaked in milk.

At this point I was truly sold on the HannahMax Cookie Chip products. What could I say bad about these crispy gems? What could I say should be different? Nothing! I can't say a single thing negative about this product; shipping was fast, packaging was professional, safe, and well kept, and overall the cookie chips were fabulous.

Nothing but the best for Santa Claus!

I didn't think these cookies could get any better, until I went to the HannahMax website and saw that they have an entire section of their website just for Cookie Chip recipes!  There is a beautiful apple crumble pie recipe, where you use the original cookie chips as the crust and I plan on making it very soon.

Cookie Chips can be purchased at many local stores, as well as on the HannahMax website for $17.96 for a four pack of single flavors or $19.96 for four packs of their gluten-free varieties. Six pack Multi Packs are available for $26.94 or $29.94 for the gluten-free versions, plus shipping.

Right now, HannahMax is still offering Limited Edition Holiday Cookie Chips in two bold flavors, Harvest Pumpkin with Roasted Papitas & Gingered Gingerbread, both of which I will more than likely be ordering. Cookie Chips are now a family favorite in my household and I look forward to trying more products from the HannahMax bakery website.

http://hannahmax.com/

https://www.facebook.com/EatCookieChips/

https://twitter.com/eatcookiechips

https://twitter.com/HannahMaxBaking

Review: KitchenIQ (& Salsa Recipe)

When I was assigned to review a few KitchenIQ products, their variety of utensils really intrigued me - they carry a number of knife sharpening tools and kitchen gadgets. I was really excited to try them out, because cooking is one of my favorite hobbies.

As much as I love it, cooking is a little bitter-sweet in practice. I have a baby and a toddler who seem to want amazing food made up in a matter of minutes and sometimes that gets tricky. One thing that makes my job a lot easier as a Personal Chef to children is having a stock of good Kitchen Utensils to help get the job done efficiently.

I received three products for review: the 3-in-1 Mini Prep Multi Tool, the Veggie Slicer, and the Pepper Tool.


3-in1 Mini Prep Multi Tool

I use a peeler many times through the week because I love cucumbers, but not so much the skin. The KitchenIQ Mini Prep Multi Tool is a Ball-like utensil that had several kitchen aids on it. One side has a Peeler, which I used that right away while making a Sesame Oil Cucumber Salad. It worked Great! The utensil is in the shape of a round ball which makes the grip for peeling a simple task. The peel blade was sharp and peeled my cucumber with ease. There are cool little thumb grips on the Kitchen IQ ‘ball’ (as I call it) which I feel enhances safety with less slipping from the hands.

The other side of the peel is a scrubber. I am one of those people that is very picky about cleaning my potatoes, so I kind of felt like I hit the gold mine with this one. I have noticed that some people use kitchen sponges to clean their potatoes which personally poses a pretty big germ concern to me. I also don’t feel like rinsing the potatoes under water cleans them enough either. So the fact that I now have a designated scrub brush just for my potatoes makes me really happy!

Initially, I thought this was where the Kitchen IQ Utensil ended, but I was very mistaken. As I investigated more, I saw a little green handle in the middle of the IQ ball and as I gently pulled, out came a little round chopping knife.

I was making salsa at the time (recipe below!), so I decided to put the knife to some use. I had many veggies in different shapes and textures, and unfortunately I found that the knife part did not cut very well, through many vegetables. I first tried to cut a lime and it would not cut through the somewhat tough skin. Next I tried to cut a tomato and the knife just slid off the skin, and did not cut through. I was able to use it to cut through already peeled apples, as well as cheese, so it does work, but does not cut through fruit and vegetable skin well.  I think this tool would be best reserved for chopping herbs in the future.

The Veggie Slicer

The next Kitchen IQ product I used was the small fruits and veggies slicer.

You can put 3-4 small round veggies (like grapes or cherry tomatoes) inside of the slicer and then run your knife through the slit on the top to cut through them evenly and more efficiently.

I am finding this helpful when making pasta salads because I do like to cut the cherry tomatoes as well as the olives in halves. This isn't a utensil I would use on a daily basis, but it does work well and saves time on cutting.

The Pepper Tool

The last, but certainly not least of the Kitchen IQ products I tried was this fruit and veggie pitter.

I experimented with what it does on a variety of vegetables, even though the name points to its primary use as a way to core chiles and peppers.

Bell peppers are one of my favorite vegetables so I was eager to see what it would do.

I gave a light shove into the top of the bell pepper and the plastic spikes on the utensil dug into the pepper, in turn loosening the top and stem. 

I was a little disappointed  to see that although the device loosened the top, it did not take the top off of the pepper as shown in the images on their site. I used my hands and lightly pulled on the top to remove it manually.

KitchenIQ products can be purchased directly from their website, or you can input your zip code on their front page to see where they're available near you.  The products are inexpensive ($14.99 for the Multi-Tool, $9.99 for the Veggie Slicer, and $7.99 for the Pepper Tool), and may be just what the cook in your home is looking for to make their job a little easier.

So how about a recipe??  

Homemade Chunky Salsa Recipe

3 limes
Head of cilantro
Big red onion
4 large garlic cloves
8 Roma tomatoes
2 fresh chile peppers (jalepeno or a mild chile like Poblano)
1 can of whole kernel corn (NOT sweet)
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Chop all vegetables coarsely into large bowl, along with drained corn. I emphasize to make sure the corn is not sweet because this will change the flavor of the salsa drastically (try frozen corn if desired). 

Slice limes in halves. Squeeze limes into salsa mixture.

Add garlic salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

I find that this salsa tastes the best after a day or two of marinating, but it's also such a hit in my household we are lucky if it lasts that long. 

I really enjoy this salsa with a simple fish or chicken taco, or even just chips if I want a snack.

http://www.kitcheniq.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KitchenIQ

Postpartum Depression - You're Not Alone

There are things I would love the world to know about me but for some reason, I have faked it to make it so long that being transparent with people has become near impossible with the walls I put up around me.

This is the one place I feel like I can 100% be honest with myself and everyone around me. I want to be someone that other moms can look at and say "it's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels this way"

Post partum depression...I always heard about it but it honestly never mattered enough to ME to really think about what it puts women through...until I went through it myself of course..selfish right? Not really, more human nature than anything else.

I birthed this perfect little creature, just the same way I birthed her sister almost two years prior, but for some reason this time just didn't 'click'. I looked at this baby like "wow this little girl is so sweet and beautiful, but she doesn't feel like mine".

You know the lump you get in your throat when you want to cry, but your emotions are clearly past tears, that lump when you feel embarrassed or scared,?  That's how I felt for the first FOUR months my second born daughter was alive.

Did I feel guilt? Of course I did!

I was able to look at my two year old and feel a sense of home, like her and I were exactly the way we were supposed to be and we belonged together. Then I looked at her little sister who is equally as incredible and I felt numb. After feeling numb I would just feel like a pile of shit for hours.

I did all of the necessary caring tasks that any baby needs; I nursed her, bathed her, kissed her and loved on her. SHE has always felt the love, regardless if I did have to fake it to make it for four devastatingly long months. Like what asshole mom would feel the way I felt about my babe, or the lack of what I felt?

Funny thing is -- there are SOO many moms that go through this and the one thing we need to be reminded is we are NOT assholes and we are NOT alone.

This is a chemical/hormonal imbalance that is not NEARLY talked about enough and it makes us moms feel inferior to what starts to look like the Stepford Moms out there.

It's easy to beat ourselves up wondering why it looks so easy for everyone else.

When we finally choose to admit to ourselves and everyone around us that we are suffering from postpartum depression, we can finally find the support network to help us while we get through it.

We will still get looks like we are crazy from some people that simply just don't understand, and that's OK.  I'm not here to impress or explain myself to the moms who haven't suffered from postpartum depression, I'm here to speak up for the moms who HAVE and for the moms who unfortunately will suffer in the future. It isn't a failing and it can happen to anyone.

I'm not perfect and sometimes if I look from an outsiders view, the facade I put on for the past 5 months before I got help could probably win an Emmy Award with the acting skills I had to learn to pretend everything was all right.

Now that I'm better and out of that dark place, I can't even begin to describe my love for my second born, it's now almost unfathomable to think about what it was like before she was here. When my first born taught me patience (LOL), my second born is doing serious work on my heart. Now I do feel the saying is true, "Babies really do pick their parents" ❤️

If you find yourself going through this, give yourself time, self-care and a lot of patience, and be honest to those who care about you - like me, you will find you're not as alone as you thought you were.

I WAS FEATURED!

and

Best of the Blogosphere

Mickey Mouse Chocolate Oatmeal Protein Waffles

The wonderful world of feeding a Two Year Old, where do I even start on this topic?

It seems like my daughters taste buds and liking to foods is now changing on a weekly, if not daily basis. Sometimes its frustrating constantly trying to battle my daughter over wanting her to eat all of the nutritional food groups every child needs to thrive and grow.

When I come up with a 'safe food' that Rhylee will eat no matter her mood, the weather, or her ever-changing dislikes, I feel like I have won at least one mommy battle

Rhylee's new favorite breakfast is a pancake recipe that I created with some trial and error. If my daughter could eat pancakes for every single meal she would, so creating a fun and healthy pancake was something that was a must in our household.

I knew I wanted to add protein whey to the waffles, and the kind I use is all natural, Gluten-Free, with non-hormonal whey, so I feel much better about my young daughter consuming it,rather than other protein powders with additives and hormonal fillers.

I also knew I wanted the flour-base to be oatmeal instead of white wheat flour, making the pancakes significantly healthier.

To make them more fun for her, I bought the Mickey Mouse Waffle Iron at my local CVS store, but you can also find them on Ebay and Amazon, along with many other waffle iron characters.

Chocolate Protein Oatmeal Pancakes or Waffles

Pre-preparation:
Take one cup of uncooked oats and blend in any type of grinder or processor so it becomes more of a flour/powder form. I use my Kitchen Bullet.



 
Ingredients:
2 cups of 'oatmeal flour'
1 cup of It Works Ultimate Profit-Rich Chocolate Protein Powder*
1 egg
1 cup of Low-fat milk
Sliced Banana & Strawberries (optional)
Syrup (optional)
2 tbsp  cooking oil (if you want more of a tropical taste, use coconut oil)
 
Blend everything together until smooth and pour on any hot greased griddle. If you have a character griddle, fill just enough to cover bottom, as the waffle expands while cooking.

My daughter likes her pancakes with strawberries, bananas, and maple syrup, though these chocolate
protein pancakes are so tasty syrup really isn't even needed to thoroughly enjoy.

Note: This post contains affiliate links - if you shop by following these links, we may receive compensation which is used to offset the costs of this blog. The author is expressing her own honest and nonsolicited opinions. Thank you for supporting Reviews, Chews & How-Tos!

*I am a distributor for It Works and use their all-natural protein powder  but there are many great brands out there. You can order directly at Joyful Products: It Works.