I really wanted to have more before I did this... but even though I haven't finished the layout (I HATE IT!), I worked for a month on all the designs and even longer setting everything up so...



I still have some stuff to add... like games, dress ups, myspace layouts (which are almost done). It's a bit sparse but I'm going to keep adding to it as I go along.

I also set up a matching shop at zazzle - [link] Comments/ratings are much appreciated! And if you have a shop on zazzle let me know so I can join your fan club!



So I signed up for a free sketch thing from =beblue so now I'm posting it in my journal... fun stuff!

RULES:
The first 10 people who comment in this journal asking for a free sketch will get one (keep in mind, just pencil/pen sketches not polished pieces), but in return you have to offer 10 free sketches in your journal. If you've already done the 10, but still want one, that's cool. Just link to the journal entry.

WILL:
- do fanart or original characters, girls, boys, can try furries, animals, etc.
- attempt other styles, if you want, realistic, anime, cartoony, etc.
- only do stuff rated G/PG/PG13

WON'T DO:
- nekkedness, pin-ups, gore, couples, realistic kids & babies (find them hard to draw)
- anything ridiculously complex, anything the takes it from a quick sketch to a serious study in fineart

SLOTS:
1. *PackagedBliss
2. ~aisuyuuki
3. ~BornFromSilence
4. ~arehz
5. ~Chocotini
6. ~ahowa
7. ~Seabeanbanana
8.
9.
10.

So I signed up for a free sketch thing from =beblue so now I'm posting it in my journal... fun stuff!

RULES:
The first 10 people who comment in this journal asking for a free sketch will get one (keep in mind, just pencil/pen sketches not polished pieces), but in return you have to offer 10 free sketches in your journal. If you've already done the 10, but still want one, that's cool. Just link to the journal entry.

WILL:
- do fanart or original characters, girls, boys, can try furries, animals, etc.
- attempt other styles, if you want, realistic, anime, cartoony, etc.
- only do stuff rated G/PG/PG13

WON'T DO:
- nekkedness, pin-ups, gore, couples, realistic kids & babies (find them hard to draw)
- anything ridiculously complex, anything the takes it from a quick sketch to a serious study in fineart

SLOTS:
1. *PackagedBliss
2. ~aisuyuuki
3. ~BornFromSilence
4. ~arehz
5. ~Chocotini
6. ~ahowa
7.
8.
9.
10.


So I went to Barnes & Nobles and ended up buying more than I had originally planned. I did get a book by Oliver Jeffers. It's called The Incredible Book Eating Boy. It's one of the cutest and most well designed books I've ever seen. I really hope my kids like it.

I also got two 'kits'. I got Learn American Sign Language, which has a ton of flash cards, and Cake Decorating for the First Time. The cake set has a book with great pictures and came with all the tools I need to decorate a cake. I can't wait to try it out. Expect pictures!

I spent a little while last night looking through all the cute desserts in the Culinary Arts section of da. Here are some of my favorites:



Makes me want to start baking asap... stupid busy-ness. Oh well. ^_^

I got a gift card from barnes and nobles for christmas and I just remembered this the other day. Since most of our money goes towards the kiddies and all their kid stuff, this is a real treat. Only problem is I'm having trouble deciding what to get. Some ideas... birdman series dvd set, new gnarls barkley cd, or some books by oliver jeffers (who is one of my favorite children's book authors, btw, definitely worth checking out.. his site is down right now though). Or I could get something else...

I like books that are interactive. Not like choose your own adventures (though I like those too, my library has a TON of them) but more like diy, puzzle books, books where you learn something... artists' books are cool too, but a lot of my fav artists don't have books at BN.

I like fun books. The last book I bought was How to Stay Alive in the Woods. I like to hike, fish, camp, etc. so I find it nifty. If I'm lost in the woods, I know what plants to eat or how to collect rainwater, make fire, catch fish with a pole... all that fun stuff. Who knows when this information will come in handy?

Any suggestions for cool, interesting books? It can be something really obscure, weird, etc... Or not a book at all! Maybe a video or set or something. Fun stuff!


For the past week, anytime I have a bit of free time, I've been playing detective on Sleuth -> [link] My detective's name is Peregrine (wow, big surprise there). They have two versions but the new Shades version is pretty cool. If you're into mysteries, you might like it.

*warning: rant ahead.* (or just scroll down to the cute stuff)

On my old pc I had really old versions of adobe/macromedia software for the simple fact that I couldn't afford to buy the newer versions. So I go to adobe's website to find out how much it will cost to replace photoshop, imageready, flash, illustrator, dreamweaver, acrobat, etc. and the have a similar bundle for about $2500.

I know I've complained about this before but here's the thing. My husband keeps dropping hints, bringing up, showing me articles, videos, interviews, etc. about all these people who make millions from making websites, blah, blah, blah. NO PRESSURE OR ANYTHING! *pulls out hair* Anyways... so I'm not planning on making millions but it is making more sense to me that if I'm going to do all this stuff on the internet than maybe I should at least try to make a little money for my time. The whole do what you love kind of thing. I have an idea of a website that I like, that I think others might like... I dunno, maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. I was working on it while I had the 30day trial of photoshop and now I'm trying my darnedest to use gimp to finish up but it's not working. The program keeps messing up and shutting down unexpectedly. If I'm going to do this I need to have photoshop. If I'm going to actively pursue getting jobs I have to have photoshop. There's no way around it.

So here's how the usual conversation goes:

me: Man, I've got to find a way to earn enough money to buy the software.

him: That girl that started that myspace layouts that's worth millions only spent a little money to start her company so I don't see why...

me: Maybe she's using a different program, maybe she's using pirated software or it was a gift or just something not mentioned in the article. Whatever. I know what I need and how much it's going to cost.

him: Well, if you spend that much on software you're not going to get enough of a return to make it worth buying.

me, mumbling under my breath: Oh really... Thanks for the vote of confidence...

him: Why can't you use the old software again?

me: Our stupid new computer is to new for the old software to work so now I have to spend $2500 to replace what I had before.

*long pause*

him: Wouldn't it be easier for me to just buy you an old computer to use the old software on?

*bangs head on desk*

I guess it could possibly work, but I'd rather have up to date versions and not have to bounce back and forth between two computers. I see buying the software it as a business expense.. something I could take out a loan for. And I'm sure I could get a return on the investment.

Anyways... sorry for all the whining. I'm just getting frustrated because I want to get to work on the site. I've the got the domain registered, the software tested, the template customized, but I only have a little bit of stuff to upload to it.

Here's a sneak peek of some stuff on my new phone (which I LOVE!!!!)



I took my already cute phone and made it cuter! "Brilliant!" I made the backgrounds, skins, etc. I'm going to upload them to the site and here when I make sure they're perfect.

I've been sketching a lot lately so expect more deviations... or scraps, I'm not sure.

So this is my new journal layout! It's Finch and her pet rabbit Faffy (who's a boy despite the weird name). It might not look great in all browsers/resolutions... I made it specifically for to look normal for me since everyone elses looks weird on my monitor (1600x1050). Sorry about that.

Thank yall so much for posting links to those cool journal testing thingies.