Taylor Van Bruggen

TE Owner & Creative Director

Hi crafty friend! My name is Taylor VanBruggen, owner of Taylored Expressions. I wanted to take a few minutes to share a bit about my personal paper crafts journey, as well as tell you more about what inspires me to want to help others create lasting, beautiful cards and gifts.

My mom first introduced me to crafts at a young age. Growing up, it seemed that not a single birthday party, art fair, or coloring contest was ever complete without my mom’s personal touch. I have so many wonderful memories of creating projects with her for other people and I’m extremely grateful for the time she took to pass on her love of crafting to me.

My creative journey started to blossom in 2005 when my husband Jon and I moved to Southern California. Most nights Jon would be busy with grad school responsibilities, so I would pull out my stamping supplies (along with a fresh bag of Swedish Fish candies) and get busy making a card or two as a way to keep in touch with friends and family. Before long I was blogging to share my projects and what started as a hobby quickly turned into design work for companies. I enjoyed the excitement of designing for others, but soon realized that I had a dream of my own.

I thought back to how much my mom inspired me to be creative and how good it felt to make someone a card or give someone a handmade gift. I wanted to share my love of paper crafts with others just like my mom did with me. More than that, I wanted to help others take the guesswork out of creativity.  It was at this point that my dream of Taylored Expressions was born.

My first line of products was a series of cupcake-themed rubber stamps (who doesn’t love a good cupcake?) that quickly became popular with card makers. After that initial success, my dream soon became a reality: Taylored Expressions has become a place for paper crafters to find not only stamps and dies, but also a warm and friendly source for creative ideas and ‘a-ha’ moments. I love hand-picking quality coordinating products and the TE shelves are full of colorful paper, coordinating kits, crafting supplies, and storage solutions that I use myself in my craft space every day.

Now, nearly 15 years into it, the Taylored Expressions line of paper crafting products has grown beyond my wildest imagination! The best part is that I get to work with my family—Jon works at my side and my mom is a constant source of help and inspiration. At Taylored Expressions, we are a true family company and, even as we grow, we intend to keep it that way.

Thanks for taking the time to connect with me today! I’m grateful for the opportunity to join you on your creative journey by sharing my joy and passion with you.

Taylor Van Bruggen

Owner of Taylored Expressions