Another example of the iPhone’s close-up ability! I’m having so much fun with the camera and video when I travel and go hiking.

The excitement never stops around here…giddy-up!
www.phoenixinternationale.com/

I love this site! Really happy with the design and features. The client, Academia de Phoenix Internationalé wanted a site with a “Renaissance/Contemporary” look and feel. Which is the first time I have ever had a request for that… Phoenix focuses on classical dressage and techniques that were in practice during the Renaissance, plus also up-to-date sports and equine psychology.

Phoenix had an existing logo, and color choice for it, (the triangle phoenix in the middle of the header) so was a bit of a challenge to incorporate it into the layout – but think it worked out fine.

We are still in need of a few pages of content and videos, but for now, it’s live and all good – the rest will be up soon.

Pam set it up in WordPress and added a Twitter feed on the left side, under “News”. Didn’t she do a lovely job? Angus MacGreigor, the driving force behind Phoenix, is an avid Twitter-er and travels a lot to dressage competitions and clinics. So the feed lets helps him keep site visitors up on the latest and where on earth he is.

Another thing, we set Phoenix up with it’s own YouTube account, www.youtube.com/user/phoenixdressage, which is going to be really valuable to them in the future as they post more dressage and horse-for-sale videos on YouTube and their site. If you are not aware of it, Google bought YouTube a few years ago, so they love each other,  (haven’t you noticed lots of videos popping up in the Google Search Results?) and having videos on the site and also cross-referenced on YouTube should help Phoenix Internationalé stay at the top of the page in local listings and, eventually, nationwide. We’ll be adding lots of videos to this site!

And finally, I had fun making a custom “coat-of-arms” for the background. That addition really tied in the classical feel and overall elegant look.

Lark Textile Design is located in Bellingham, WA and has showrooms and clients nationwide. Janet Thomas, the owner, creates beautiful, hand-woven, custom rugs and needed her web site to showcase the beauty of her work.

This layout was a lot of fun – and challenging – to design. I loved using an old wood floor for the background and then “laying” the beautiful rugs on top. Because of the complexity of the layout, (aka my “high-falutin’ designs”) Pam did a fabulous custom CSS for this site, but then she did the NEWS page as a WordPress Blog. Isn’t she smart?

The site has rotating images on the home page and 2 groovy slide shows for the High Relief and Flat Woven rug styles.

All in all, it’s lovely, functional, noteworthy and will serve Lark Textiles very well.
Check it out:

www.larktextile.com

Ed and Elizabeth Deboo, Physical Therapists in Bellingham, WA, have a gorgeous new web site. Don’t you agree?
www.integrativephysicaltherapyservices.com/

Integrative Physical Therapy Services is another wonderful WordPress site. Pam did a great job with my custom layout and setting it up with a rotating header, of course, there is a blog page too (See Health News).

Ed & Elizabeth are going to be able to easily update the site and post new articles. It’ll be great for their patients to find out more about the exceptional physical therapy services that the Deboo’s are offering and to download the intake forms they need for their initial appointment.

I have a set of these speakers and I LOVE THEM! Can’t believe the sound that comes out of them, it’s pretty amazing for being teeny-tiny and $50. Great for traveling – get to a hotel and hook them up to your laptop, or iPhone, and crank up iTunes. I have a jack in my car that I hook the iPhone up to and then plug these speakers into the iPhone, sah-wheet!

Seriously cute too.
They squish up and then stick together with magnets on their bottoms.

Go to the Apple store to get them, or online.

Here’s the specs:
Delivering sound beyond its size, the iHM77 is the perfect stereo speaker system for your MacBook, iPod, iPhone or any other notebook.
• Perfect for enhancing the movie/music experience on notebooks
• Plays all iPod/iPhone models and other audio devices with 3.5 mm audio jack
• Custom-tuned vacuum bass design for sizeable sound
• Each speaker has a built-in amplifier powered by rechargeable battery

Bellingham Counselor and Consultant Kirke Mahy Hestad, has a beautiful new web site!

http://mahycounseling.com/

This site makes it easy for a potential client to find out more about Kirke, discover resources, and download standard forms for an office visit.

The design elements are simple and direct, with a bold use of color.

Pam set the site up in WordPress, so Kirke can easily edit it herself.

Nice ‘eh?

Mallard Ice Cream, a mainstay of Bellingham, WA, has a sparklie new web site!

www.mallardicecream.com

For the design, I used elements from the shop; metal siding and wood paneling are on the walls, the blue “splooch” is splattered on the front door, and the header mimics the outside signage. Overall, the site has a very distinctive look and ambiance, which, come to think of it, is a lot like Mallard.

Pam set up the site in Joomla, she created a blog for customers and is waiting for the web-cam to be set up (any day now!) so she can add it to the Menu page. Mallard has new flavors every day, so the web-cam will be of the Menu board so people can check to see what’s new in the shop before they come down. It’s also just fun to have a web-cam.

“The country of my affection lies just to the east…
I walk in the desert seeking a semblance of peace and always get that primal recognition that less is more.”
Jim Witty

My friend Jim Witty’s book just came out!
Meet Me In The Badlands – Exploring Central Oregon with Jim Witty

If you are in Oregon – you gotta get it! If you are traveling to/through Oregon, you gotta get it! Basically, you gotta get it – get it? Tons of trails and wonderful stories to go along with.

It’s just beautiful and I am so proud of him and his amazing family and friends for getting it finished. Jim died suddenly last year and didn’t get a chance to complete the book he had started. Close to a year after he left this planet, his book came out – it’s quite an accomplishment for his friends and family.

Go here to get the book: http://jimwitty.com/

Here’s some more info about Jim from the book’s web site:

Jim Witty wrote the Outings column for The Bulletin in Bend Oregon. In his articles, he took you with him on the trails, lakes, rivers and mountains of central Oregon. Jim’s unique writing style won him many fans. He wrote like he was: friendly, outgoing, enthusiastic and humorous. No wonder his readers felt like they knew him, even though they never met him.

After Jim’s untimely death in 2008, family and friends took it upon themselves to finish a project he was working on for years… to publish a book of his articles. With the help of The Bulletin and countless volunteers, this dream is a reality.

Jim wrote, “The country of my affection lies to the east…”

Meet Me In The Badlands is titled to give tribute to Jim’s favorite area in central Oregon. His spirit lives on in the Badlands.

Jim Witty was a son, brother, husband, father, friend, writer, musician, singer, lover of rock n’ roll, but most of all, a free spirit and a loving soul.

Drum roll pa-leeeeeze!

I finally finished the FAQ page for my site AND an additional page with all sorts of info about WordPress -  explaining the difference between wordpress.com & wordpress.org

Whoo-hoo!

Check ‘em out:

FAQ

WordPress.com & WordPress.org