Avalon Rose Design

This Blog Has Moved

2012-01-04T17:08:00.000-06:00

I've officially jumped ship! The Avalon Rose Design blog can now be found here!

Grand Opening! Vintage-Inspired Digital Graphics from Eclectic Anthology

2011-12-14T11:45:00.001-06:00

Eclectic Anthology by Avalon Rose Design is officially open! Royalty-free vintage digital graphics available for immediate download. No waiting! Commercial-use is allowed on all our graphics. Vintage/antique roses and florals, Photoshop brushes/shapes/actions, paper ephemera, photo frames, seamless backgrounds, grungy metal elements, feathers, freebies and more! Tutorials, and project ideas coming soon. Also in the near future are custom photo cards that can be ordered as prints for your event, or the digital version is available for photographers or those that want to print their own cards. New graphics will be listed on a regular basis, so don't forget to follow us on Facebook to keep up to date on when new graphics are listed!

Samples of some of our newest graphics are below....

Peacock Feathers

Silk Garden Flowers

Steampunk Time Graphics

New Year, New You Giveaway! $4500 in Prizes!

2011-12-01T08:33:00.001-06:00

Yep, that's right. $4,500 in prizes for a lucky lady that either wants to start up an online business, or to help boost an existing business. So many prizes were generously offered by so many business women to help the winner become successful. To learn more about the whole thing and how to enter, please visit the Designher Brands blog!

New Exclusive Website Templates Available!

2011-11-07T12:47:00.004-06:00

Several new exclusive website templates have been listed, and all are available for immediate installation to your website on one of our compatible webhosts.

Farmhouse Chic Website Template

View Purchase Page • View Sample Site

A beautifully clean and chic design featuring a neutral yet warm color scheme with a scalloped edge, doily and old tag adding that "farmhouse" element. Also comes with a built-in photo slideshow for the homepage.

Retro Collage Website Template

View Purchase Page • View Sample Site

A intricately layered retro design featuring old buttons, polka dots, vintage papers and flashcards, pop art roses, and more with a kitschy color scheme of black, cream, red, hot pink, and turquoise.

Eclectic Romance Website Template

View Purchase Page • View Sample Site

An elaborately layered collage-style design featuring a retro color scheme, roses, butterflies, hot air balloon, rhinestones and more.

Nouveau Gypsy Website Template

View Purchase Page • View Sample Site

A dark and eclectic design featuring art nouveau elements, florals, rhinestones, drapery, and lace to bring in the gypsy aspect with a little circus flavor thrown in.

Vintage Nursery Website Template

View Purchase Page • View Sample Site

This design features many vintage animal illustrations as well as a gender neutral color scheme with stars and a scalloped edge.

Damask Vintage Website Template


View Purchase Page • View Sample Site

An elegant design featuring a damask background, some linen and velvet ribbon along with vintage metal elements such as a key. Also comes with a built-in photo slideshow for the homepage.

NEW! Vaudeville Glamour Exclusive Website Template

2011-10-04T14:13:00.001-05:00

A decadent design featuring rich elements in blacks, golds, and peacock colors. Feathers, metals, rhinestones and damask are all found in this design. This design is coded with SEO in mind so that your page content is one of the first things a search engine will read when visiting your site. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

Lovely Letterpress Exclusive Website Template

2011-09-02T10:49:00.000-05:00

A clean and elegant design with charcoal text and ornamentation designed to be reminiscent of letterpress style. A textured gray background and clean white center make this a perfect design for many types of businesses. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. Available for use with our compatible webhosts.

Basic Photo Editing in Photoshop Elements

2011-08-02T16:47:00.001-05:00

I've gotten numerous requests over the years for tutorials explaining how to edit photos that come directly off a digital camera and make them usable on a website. There are many image editing programs out there, but the one I recommend most for those just starting out is Adobe's Photoshop Elements. It's quite affordable, and will allow you to do anything you need to do with your photos to make them work well on your website.

Some of the most common questions I get are how to rotate, resize, and crop photos. I've put together a video tutorial that will explain all of those things step-by-step.

{ CLICK HERE TO VIEW TUTORIAL }

Bright & Beautiful Free Photoshop Actions

2011-07-23T09:56:00.003-05:00

Photoshop Actions are useful little things that can help you save time when you want to use the same steps over and over. These Bright & Beautiful free and simple Photoshop actions will help make your photos pop! Included are 4 actions: Warm Sun, Sharp, Cool Breeze, & Soft. You can see the examples below....

These Photoshop actions were created in Adobe's Photoshop CS3.

Keep Your Eyes on the Stars

2011-07-21T16:57:00.001-05:00

I put together a little digital art piece of one of my favorite quotes of all time. "Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground." ~Theodore Roosevelt. Feel free to share the graphic. :)

BRAND NEW Commercial-Use Digital Graphics

2011-06-22T17:43:00.001-05:00

Avalon Rose Design has offered commercial-use digital graphics for some time, and I'm happy to announce the release of 5 new graphics collections. All of my digital designs are available for immediate download, so after purchase you don't have to wait, you can access the files immediately.

20 Vintage Paper Photo Frames

Vintage Roses and Flower Elements Collection 3

Gilded Frames Digital Graphics

Vintage Ephemera Digital Graphics Collection

Vintage Bookcovers Digital Graphics

Essential Website Pages for an Online Business

2011-05-23T12:03:00.001-05:00

If you are running an online business, there are a few pages that are necessary for your website. Those pages are ...

About
Policies
Contact
FAQ

These pages will help your potential customers learn more about your business, and give them the opportunity to find answers to questions that they may have. The more information that is available for your customers will inspire confidence in your business and products.

The About Page

If you are running an online business it's essential that you should have an About page on your website. It will give your customers an insight to what type of business you are running, inform about your products, find out where you are located, and what type of business owner you are. The primary focus of your About page should be your business, not your personal life.

Explain what your business is about, who your primary customer base is, and what type of products you are selling. You can also add information about any publications you've contributed to, any awards your business has won, and any press your business has received.

A short personal bio can be included that will inform viewers of your education or experience, why you were inspired to start the business, and will allow them to learn a little bit about you as a business owner. Leave out irrelevant comments along the lines of who your favorite celebrity is, what your favorite color is, what type of car you drive, what your favorite TV show is, etc. This is a mistake that I've found a lot of new businesses owners make. Your About page shouldn't be a platform to tell the world about you.....it should tell the world about your business.

The Policies Page

The policies page on your site should tell your customers about how your products ship, what type of payments you accept, privacy information, copyright notices, and any procedures that are specific to your business. Having policy information available will help reduce any confusion, and your customers will know what to expect.

The Contact Page

Your customers need to have a way to contact you. If they have questions or concerns, this is essential, plus it instills confidence in your business. If a potential customer knows that they can contact you if a problem arises, they are more likely to purchase from you. The contact page should have a form where you can be contacted through. You should avoid listing your email address directly on your contact page, however. Spambots can scoop up your email address, and you'll find yourself eventually inundated with spam email if you don't know how to circumvent it with coding techniques.

The FAQ Page

You may find (especially as your business grows) that there are certain questions that arise frequently from your customers. If you find yourself answering the same questions over and over, it will be beneficial to you to have a page that lists Frequently Asked Questions along with their answers. That way the information is readily available to your customers, and it will save you time in the long run. And time, as we all know, is money.

Why a Professional Design is Important for your Website

2011-04-13T17:32:00.002-05:00

If you own a business you need a website. Period. We live in an age where the internet is the ultimate reference source for most people. Your website will personify your business in the world's largest market, so it needs to represent your business in the best possible light.

A professional web designer is your go-to in this situation. Sure, you can use one of those hosting companies that allows you to "design" your own site, but most of them set you up with a bland template that's used by hundreds of other sites and you just plop your logo into it. That's not what's going to make your website stand out in a crowd. You can also try your hand at Photoshop and basic HTML, but chances are it's going to take hours/days/weeks to figure it out and your results will most likely end up just alright. You want your website design to make your potential customers sit up and take notice, not make them leery that you're a legitimate business because you have a shoddy website design.

Professional website designers understand the intricacies of HTML and CSS code that looks like gibberish to the majority. A good professional will write code correctly and efficiently, therefore minimizing errors in the display and/or function of your website. A professional is also proficient in graphic design, and a spectacular design will draw in more customers. Put it this way....ever tried fixing your own car, replacing your roof, or cutting your own hair? Certain things are best left to the pros, and when it comes to your business are you willing to risk losing customers due to a design that is boring, dated, or even worse, non-functional? A professional website design is an important investment for your business.

According to Stanford University's Web Credibility Project, "nearly half of all consumers (or 46.1%) in the study assessed the credibility of sites based in part on the appeal of the overall visual design of a site, including layout, typography, font size and color schemes." This study was done in 2002, and since then consumers have become much more savvy when it comes to judging a site based on appearance, so the number could be higher than 46.1% now.

So, we have learned that the credibility of your ecommerce presence relies heavily on your website design. How do you know what type of design to choose?

Think about your primary customer base. If they're mostly women, then you'll need a feminine design, for example.
Make sure your design is unique. You want your business to stand out in the crowd, so a basic or a copycat design are what you need to stay away from.
Choose a design that is relevant to your product. A dark, gothic design won't work well if you're selling children's items, and a pink, floral design is not a good idea if you're selling comic books.

If you have questions about what type of design will best represent your business, contact a professional. Send them your ideas, tell them what you will be selling, and they can assist you in creating a design that will bring credibility, interest, and therefore, customers to your online business.

Several New Vintage Rose-Themed Website Designs Available!

2011-03-31T14:45:00.002-05:00

New designs just listed! These are all exclusive, one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Cottage Rose A cottage rose design featuring a lime background with bright vintage roses, butterflies, and beautiful flourishes. This design is coded with SEO in mind so that your page content is one of the first things a search engine will read when visiting your site. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

Watercolor Roses Website Template - A beautiful and elegant design that combines feminine vintage aspects along with a clean, modern layout! This design is coded with SEO in mind so that your page content is one of the first things a search engine will read when visiting your site. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

Embellished Paper Website Template - A beautiful & clean design featuring layers of vintage papers! This design is coded with SEO in mind so that your page content is one of the first things a search engine will read when visiting your site. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

Vintage Glamour Website Template - A beautiful design reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour This design is coded with SEO in mind so that your page content is one of the first things a search engine will read when visiting your site. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

New Flickr Gallery Option Now Available!

2011-02-18T13:17:00.001-06:00

Ever wanted a cool gallery option on your website? If you're an artist, photographer, or designer, then it's essential to have a slick gallery that allows your viewers to easily and quickly view your images. It can even be used as a portfolio or lookbook! This gallery option that's now available from Avalon Rose Design will link to your Flickr account and automatically add photos to your gallery when you add them to your Flickr account. Simple, no-hassle.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A WORKING EXAMPLE OF THE GALLERY

Brand New Exclusive Web Templates and Digital Graphics!

2011-01-20T11:54:00.002-06:00

New designs just listed! These are all exclusive, one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Eclectic Junk Website Template- A beautiful, eclectic design featuring layers of vintage papers and metals! This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

SOLD-THANK YOU!!

Linen and Lilies Website Template - An elegant design featuring a neutral color scheme of gray, beige, and white along with linen, ribbon, and vintage floral engraving elements. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

SOLD-THANK YOU!!

Theater Goddess Website Template - A decadent dark design with vintage metal pieces, rhinestones, theater curtains, damask and roses. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. Available for use our compatible webhosts.

SOLD- THANK YOU!!

Ornate Vintage Metal Elements Digital Graphics Collection - 20 ornate vintage metal elements! Great for digital scrapbooking, website/blog designers, jewelry makers, card and tag designers, and pretty much for any craft purpose you can come up with. They are high quality images in .jpg format at 300 ppi. You will receive each file individually as well as a collage sheet that can be printed. Can be used for your digital projects, or printed out if you would like.

These great digital graphics are available for personal or commercial use. If you want to use them commercially, there is no need to buy a separate license or mess with any of that hassle. All you have to do is follow these rules.

Big News! The New York Times and Nate Berkus!

2011-01-06T13:07:00.004-06:00

Two of my clients have some very big news today, and I'm so pleased to be able to share with you! I very recently finished a website for a beautiful mess, an antique store located in Agoura Hills, California. Kymberley Fraser, along with Karen Chambers, Marilyn Thompson, Victoria Stoehr, Leah Cox, Tina O'Flaherty, and The Junk Girls, have a beautiful shop featuring items such as antique grain sacks, architectural salvage, 16th and 17th century antique vellum books, ironstone, oil paintings, industrial antiques, lighting and more. Today a beautiful mess is featured in the Home section of the New York Times! Congratulations!

My second big news of the day is that the moggit girls are on The Nate Berkus Show today! Some of you may already follow Joy and Janet, and if you don't already, head on over to moggit.com now! Moggit is the 'guilty pleasure of the decorating world'. Hilarious posts about dubious aspects of design will make your day. Congrats, ladies!

If any of you have any big news about your business, I'd love to hear and share!

Designher Brands - Creative Solutions that Mean Business

2011-01-05T17:00:00.001-06:00

Looking to start an e-commerce website, but are nervous about where to start, what to do once you've got one, or how to market your business? I'm sure there are a lot of you out there. As a website designer, I get questions like this all the time. But since I don't generally do website maintenance, nor am I a copywriter or SEO expert I can generally point clients in the right direction and that's about it. Now, however, that's changed.

My client, colleague, and I'm proud to say friend, Melissa Bolton, has started a business that can help even the most computer illiterate get an e-commerce business off the ground and become successful. Designher Brands can help with SEO, marketing, copywriting, product entry, brand identity, and print items.

If you need a helping hand getting started or help making your current business more successful contact Designher Brands today!

THE FEMININE HOME magazine

2010-12-08T14:45:00.001-06:00

Jo-Anne Coletti of Vintage Rose Collection has been one of my clients for quite some time. Some of you may know her, and some of you may not, but if you love pink, romance, and roses, you must visit her website. She has recently released a magazine THE FEMININE HOME. For more information about the magazine and where to find it, please see the press release below....

THE FEMININE HOME embraces the heart and soul of a woman. It is a singular place where loveliness resides and the language of romance and poetry lives; a home that coaxes an extraordinary life that is enduring, purposeful and distinctly feminine. Rooms are presented in noble sophistication that is rich in tradition, yet casually fashioned. It is pretty, not fussy, spiritual and earthy. Flowers are painted with sweetness. Decorative flourishes, ornamental borders, penned verses and tender poems all mingle to orchestrate a pensive bucolic beauty. Cottons and velvets, crystal chandeliers and whitewashed walls, scrubbed wooden floors, simple furnishings and objects from the garden; these are the elements that make a romantic home.

The magazine is 128 pages full of beautiful photos, tips and ideas with NO ADVERTISING!! Thick, full color images with excellent printing! I was thrilled when I received my first proof.. A keeper ladies that you will go back to time and again for inspiration.

On Sale until December 31st at a special price so order yours while supplies last!

http://www.vintagerosecollection.com/Feminine Home Magazine.html

New Digital Graphics for Commercial Use Available for Download!

2010-12-04T13:12:00.001-06:00

Avalon Rose Design now has even more digital graphics available! A second collection of vintage metal elements, vintage papers, vintage illustrations of architecture and cottages, vintage newspaper ad stamps, and a collection of altered art vintage lady printable tags. Perfect for graphic design, digital scrapbooking and more!

New to Maintaining an E-commerce Website or Just Thinking About It? Some Basic Tips....

2010-10-19T13:47:00.003-05:00

There is a lot of good advice all over the internet on how to operate, maintain, market, optimize, etc. etc. your e-commerce website. Much of it, however, assumes that the reader already knows the basics. From my experience, I've had a lot of clients that have ZERO knowledge of where to start, let alone understand what SEO or CMS stand for (Search Engine Optimization and Content Management System, respectively for you newbies). If you are one of those that doesn't know what a shipping table is or how to resize a photo before uploading it to your site, or you think of yourself as 'computer illiterate' this might just be a little necessary reading.

Before I start I want to address those of you that are in that 'I think I want an online store' stage. I want to make sure that you understand that the website fairy isn't going to come along and 'bippity boppity boo' your online store and then 'poof' you'll have customers. It takes a lot of time and a lot of work. If you want your shop to be successful, you either have to put in the time or hire someone to do it for you. If you've already got a 9-5, and want an e-commerce shop as a side business, be prepared to also have either a 4-8 (that's AM) and/or a 8-12 (PM) on top of that 9-5. It can take weeks sometimes for your first customer to show up if you're just starting out. Depends on how much you put into it. "You get what you give" is very true in this situation. I'm not trying to discourage you, because owning your own business can be one of the most rewarding things in your life, just being honest so that you know what to expect.

OK! Now onto those basic tips I was talking about. These are just going to be random...

Unless your website is for a musician or is related in some way to the music business, do not have music on your website. If you must, be sure there is the option for your viewer to shut it off if they want to. You may think that it adds an ambiance to your site, but 99% of viewers will either be scared out of their mind when they hear it because their speakers are turned up too loud, or they'll find in annoying because they're already listening to their own music on their computer, or they'll really hate the music you're playing. All of them are are reasons to hit the back button and get the heck outta there! The last thing you want is for people to have a reason to leave your site, so just skip the tunes.
I'm not saying this to promote my own business, but have a good website design. Seriously. If you have a web design that looks like your husband's cousin's nephew designed it in 1999 in his high school class, get a new one. Now! Viewers will not take your site seriously, they won't have faith in or respect for your business. Which means you won't sell anything.
Presentation, presentation, presentation! I can't emphasize that enough. Not only does your site need to look good, but make sure your photos are lovely too, if not fabulous. Dark, blurry, oversized photos will not make someone want to buy your product. Get a good digital camera, and learn how to use it. Make sure your lighting is good. Vignettes are a great way to display your items. It may be worth it to hire a professional photographer for at least a few of your products to get you started.
Speaking of photos, you will need a graphics program to crop/resize/brighten/sharpen your photos. Gimp is free, but if you can afford it get either Photoshop (expensive and most likely overkill for the average user) or Photoshop Elements (a fraction of the cost, and a much smaller learning curve). There are a gazillion Photoshop Elements tutorials online as well. Take the time to learn the program, or at least the basics. It will help with that 'fabulous' photo thing I was talking about earlier. Plus you will NEED to resize your photos before you upload them to your website. You can't take photos directly from your camera and upload them to your website. They will be GINORMOUS!
Pictures speak a thousand words, but you need those words too. Have descriptive text on your site and product listings. Let's pretend you're selling a red sweater. Do NOT have the product listing titled "Red Sweater". Um, can we say boring? Either be a bit more descriptive, such as "Red Cable Knit Wool Sweater" or interesting "Little Red Riding Sweater". There are a lot of sites (especially clothing) that are using sly, catchy names for their products, and it makes the site, thus the products, more interesting to the viewer. Also, search engines 'read' your website, so if you don't have text on your site then it doesn't know how to classify it. You can have a catchy product name, but be sure you are descriptive in the product description.
While we're on the subject of text. Don't have gigantic letters on your site. Isn't this annoying? Not only that, but even though you're trying to emphasize something, it actually makes it more difficult to read for some screen resolutions. Use bold or italics instead. Another text issue is ThIs OnE. Unless this is a gimmick for your business, try to stay away from have capital letters where they don't belong. It really makes reading difficult, and is, well, annoying. Same goes for bizarre color combinations.
Social networking is a big deal. Get a Facebook and Twitter account as well as a blog and a newsletter option for customers to sign up for. Use them to tell stories about your product, promote sales, make new business acquaintances, etc. Do not use them only to spam your product listings.
If you've already begun selling items, congratulations! Keep on top of it though....if an item has sold, either remove it from your site or put it in a separate category or gallery of "Previous" items. Shoppers don't want to go through a site filled with items that are already sold.

There you go....some basic hints on where to start and be successful. I'll be adding more detailed tips and information in the future! If you have any questions about any of them or want to add a tip of your own, just comment on this post....

New Exclusive OOAK Website Templates

2010-10-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

New designs just listed! These are all exclusive, one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Burnished Damask Website Template- An elegant and classic design featuring damask in burnished hues and an uncomplicated layout. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. View Demo Site

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Steampunk Shoppe Website Template - A startlingly unique steampunk design featuring metal flourishes, gears, chains and more. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. Available for use our compatible webhosts, and this design can be converted to a Wordpress theme if you only need an informational site. *View Demo Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Berry Delight Boutique Website Template - A wonderful boutique design in pinks and greens with retro candy shop appeal. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. Available for use our compatible webhosts. *View Demo Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Wild Rose Website Template - A beautiful design featuring vintage wild rose illustrations and vintage papers put together with cottage styling. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. Available for use our compatible webhosts. *View Demo Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Modern Flower Website Template - A beautiful design with red and coral flowers and a clean layout. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. Available for use our compatible webhosts. *View Demo Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

New Digital Graphics for Commercial Use

2010-09-30T09:36:00.000-05:00

For a long time I've had vintage digital graphics available as individual files, and a few available in groups. I've decided to go ahead and get rid of the individual file option, and have all the graphics available in element packs all under the Eclectic Anthology name. All of the graphics are available for personal or commercial use. If you're going to use them commercially, there's no need to buy a separate license, or mess with any of that hassle. The terms of use are fair, and simple. The graphics can be used in website and blog design, digital scrapbooking, jewelry, cards, tags, tshirts....whatever you want. There are metal pieces, vintage roses and florals, buttons, jewels, paper photo frames, postcard word graphics, and ribbons and textiles. More on the way! Here they are, and if you have any questions about them, please contact me.

Vintage Metals

Vintage Textiles and Ribbons

Vintage Photo Frames

Vintage Roses and Flowers - Set 1

Vintage Buttons

Vintage Rhinestones and Jewels

Vintage Postcard Words

Vintage Roses and Flowers - Set 2

Retro Buttons

Web Design Overhauls

2010-09-20T13:52:00.002-05:00

I've been at it again! A few of my wonderful clients have been had me rework their websites from the ground up with sleeker designs that are more user-friendly and (of course) beautiful.

The first is the French Garden House. Lidy, the owner of FgH has been with me from almost my very beginnings as a designer, so I had a lot of fun working with her on the new site design. I think it turned out marvelously, don't you? Be sure you check out the new look book on the site.

Next on my list of overhauls is Topsy Turvy Design, and Kim has been with me almost as long as Lidy. This site is considerably slimmer on design which allows for a sharper focus on the stunning photography. The product layout for this site differs from the standard, and was implemented by Simple Mods.

Shabbyfufu is next! Not only did Janet completely redo her design, but she switched from a site that was edited with Frontpage, to one hosted at Shoppe Pro. The new layout makes it easier to navigate, and the slide shows are a great addition!

Last, but not least, is Katie's Rose Cottage Designs. A neutral color scheme shows off the beautiful photography, not to mention the fantastic products. (This site is also the Featured Business of the Week over at Avalon Rose Market Square.)

Digital Art Featured in Digital Studio Autumn 2010 Magazine

2010-09-15T14:31:00.000-05:00

Recently more of my digital art was published in the Autumn 2010 edition of Somerset's Digital Studio magazine. To see my art and read my article, please visit your local bookstore and pick up a copy!

Grand Opening Giveaway on the Avalon Rose Market Square Blog!

2010-09-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

Avalon Rose Market Square is going strong with many members reporting traffic from the site, as well as other members becoming associated with one another and creating business partnerships exchanging wholesale goods. That’s good news, is it not? We’ve also begun some online advertising, starting with a Facebook ad that in just a few hours has generated significant traffic to the site. I hope the ads generate a lot of business for the members! To celebrate, we’ve got a Grand Opening Giveaway and the prize is:

The Find ~ by Stan Williams (great book about decorating with thrift shop and flea market treasures)
Fanciful Paper Flowers ~ by Sandra Evertson (how to create beautiful paper flowers….so pretty!)
Fanciful Paper Projects ~ by Sandra Evertson (amazing patterns and designs for paper art)
A glass jar with a cream rose, ribbon, lace, and tag from Katie’s Rose Cottage
Two packs of vintage ephemera: French/English dictionary pages and Bible pages from Adored Before
A pair of vintage ladies deerskin gloves and crystal, rhinestone, and key charm earrings from Salvaged Curiosities

The winner of the prize will be chosen at random, and all you have to do to be a contestant is to comment on the post over on the Avalon Rose Market Square blog (NOT this one!) telling what you like best about the Avalon Rose Market Square website! Good luck to you all! The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, September 15th.

Avalon Rose Market Square Launching Soon!!

2010-08-12T16:47:00.002-05:00

After a lot of debating and hee-hawing around, I've decided to open Avalon Rose Market Square which will be a *free gathering and shopping directory of **online businesses, many of which are using website designs by Avalon Rose Design. There will be featured businesses and products of the week, as well as a directory of featured shops. Eventually, we will be advertising in a variety of magazines to promote these wonderful businesses.

If your online business is currently using a website design by Avalon Rose Design, you get automatic free inclusion in the shopping directory. If you don't see your business displayed in the directory once it's launched, please let me know and your site will be added. There is only one limitation, and that is your site needs to be actively maintained as well as have either products available or services advertised directly on the website. Empty websites will not be considered.

Each business will have their own page in the directory to advertise from, so a description of your business as well as a few product photos will be a great way to advertise your business. I will be contacting individual businesses about this, but if you want a head start, please let me know.

*If you do not currently have a website designed by Avalon Rose Design, but would like your business to benefit from the wide exposure of this shopping directory, please contact me requesting membership. There will be a minimal fee of $10 per month for addition of your site to Avalon Rose Market Square. We will need at least a paragraph or two describing your business to best promote it as well as a few product photos.

**If you see your website featured in the directory, but would rather opt-out, please let us know and your site will be removed. Keep in mind that this is a free business directory for businesses with a website from Avalon Rose Design, so you will not be charged anything. It's basically free advertising.

New Etsy Treasuries

2010-08-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

I've been obsessed with window (and real) shopping on Etsy lately. There are so many marvelous things to be found! I've been creating some treasuries that I'd like to share...more to come!

Skeletons in Your Closet

Time Will Tell

Bicycle Bazaar

Carnival Fun

2010-08-04T10:41:00.003-05:00

Over the 4th of July, my family and I went to a carnival in a nearby town. They have it every year, and although we don't go every year, it's always fun. Here are a couple of photos I took. You can see more of my photography in my flickr account.

New Vector Postcard Word Graphics

2010-08-03T14:45:00.000-05:00

Our ever popular postcard word graphic clipart is now available in vector format! 15 .eps files featuring the wording from the back of vintage postcards.

More New OOAK Website Templates

2010-08-02T15:44:00.002-05:00

New designs just listed! These are all exclusive, one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Vintage Verdigris Website Template- A fantastic dark design featuring vintage metal with delightful verdigris and rust, vintage papers and roses. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Sold-Thank You!

Vintage Rose Romance Website Template - A beautiful design featuring vintage papers, roses, rhinestones, and ribbons in a shabby cottage style. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Vintage Linen & Roses Website Template -A marvelously unique website design featuring vintage papers, linen background, vintage roses, lace, and buttons. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Sold-Thank You!

Ralph and Grace

2010-07-28T09:02:00.003-05:00

Awhile back I posted one of my favorite photos of Ralph and Grace, the couple that is in hundreds of photos that I bought some time ago. I promised that I would add to their story, so here we go. I thought I would start out with some of the earliest photos I could find of both of them. They knew each other when they were quite young....this is probably the earliest photo I have of Ralph (or R.K. as he was sometimes called) as an adult....I do have some photos of him as a baby and young child as well.

and here is Grace, and I have several photos of Grace as a child with her sister Susan (who incidentally married Ralph's brother) as well.

They were both quite silly on occasion, but especially Ralph....that's Grace at the far right next to young Ralph. Paper hats made for some entertaining times apparently.

And here they are in small proofs from a photography studio in 1909....Ralph just couldn't help himself, he had to throw the hat in there for one shot...(that's his father to the far right)....and the proofs below are from earlier...hats once more.

Here they are together with their son Edwin...

And finally...this is the oldest photo I can find of them together, and it was taken in 1945. Photos after that show just Ralph alone with their son Edwin...

More New Exclusive Website Designs!

2010-07-13T16:16:00.003-05:00

New designs just listed! These are all exclusive, one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Burlesque Roses - A dark and vividly colorful design featuring beautiful roses, rhinestones and silver flourishes. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once

SOLD! THANK YOU!

Romantic Junque - Vintage metal pieces, romantic roses, old rhinestones, aged lace, and vintage papers make up this beautifully unique design. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Metal Junk Collage -This neutral design features chipped wood, antique metal pieces, and vintage papers. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

West End Architectural Salvage

2010-07-12T06:49:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend in Des Moines visiting family. During the trip my brother took me to this place downtown that I LOVED. West End Architectural Salvage is this marvelous place filled to the brim with old, reclaimed, recovered, recycled, stuff. It was five floors in an old warehouse filled with eye candy for me, and I had to take a few pics to share with you.

New Exclusive Website Designs from Avalon Rose Design

2010-07-07T10:12:00.002-05:00

New designs just listed! These are all exclusive, one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Butterfly Bazaar - A fantastical design featuring several butterflies, vintage flourishes, yellow roses, and banners with dark fairytale styling. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Vintage Paper Daisy - A beautiful design with a neutral color scheme, vintage papers, and a beautiful daisy. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Romantic Green Grunge - A beautiful design with a greenish blue grunge background, a vintage flourish in the background, and simple and elegant arrangement for easy navigation. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

White Photo Gallery - A clean, white design featuring a photo header in which the photos can be either left as they are or replaced with your own photos. A flash slideshow of up to 5 photos is included with this design. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

The Look That Says It All

2010-06-15T13:30:00.001-05:00

I love old photos. A few years ago I bought a giant box of old photos, and most were from the same family. Three generations of the same family, in fact. They all apparently had a love for photography, because there were so many photos of them all in various situations not just the standard professional photos that many families end up with. Snapshots of holidays, vacations, and some very domestic situations. I came to almost feel like I knew them all. In the picture below you'll see Ralph and Grace. Ralph was something of a clown for the camera, and as you can see by Grace's expression, she could get quite exasperated with him occasionally. This is one of my favorite photos of them.....and the look says it all, doesn't it? ;) (You can click on it to see a larger version.) I'll be putting up more pics of Ralph, Grace and family in upcoming posts, so stay tuned for their story.

Free Vintage Postcard Graphics!

2010-06-03T09:37:00.003-05:00

I've been somewhat absent in the blogging world, so as an apology, I've got some freebie vintage postcard graphics from my personal collection. Feel free to use them however you wish! Commercial or personal use is fine. Just click on them to grab them.

New Rock n Roll Roses Exclusive Website Template Just Listed!

2010-06-03T09:20:00.001-05:00

This design is pure rock-n-roll with its banner, vintage rose, flourishes, sparrows, crown, and traditional tattoo fonts. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

~CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE SAMPLE PAGE~

~CLICK HERE TO VISIT PURCHASE PAGE~

Scarlet Baroque Theater OOAK Website Template/Design

2010-05-07T08:23:00.001-05:00

Just listed! Scarlet Baroque Theater OOAK Website Template/Design. A marvelously interesting design features scarlet theater curtains, elaborate gold/gilt filigree, and interesting textural elements. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

~CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE SAMPLE PAGE~

~CLICK HERE TO VISIT PURCHASE PAGE~

SOLD-THANK YOU!

Altered Art Rose and Key OOAK Website Template/Design

2010-04-29T15:57:00.001-05:00

A marvelously interesting design featuring altered art with vintage papers, frames, a lady, key, birdcage and flourishes. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

Click Here to View Sample Site

Click Here to Visit Purchase Page

Sold! Thank you!

Featured Today on CRESCENDOh!

2010-04-06T08:45:00.000-05:00

Some of you may know about CRESCENDOh and some of you may not. I urge you to go on over and check it out if you haven't already. It's an amazing online community where you can share your stories, your art, help others, and learn new techniques. I'm honored to be featured by guest curator Melissa Bolton. There are so many amazing artists on the site that it's very humbling to be grouped with them.

I'd like to go ahead and return the favor and share some of my own favorite artists.

PHOTO - Model Beaux Deadly / Silent Shudder Photography

Kim Dye of Topsy Turvy Design is a GENIUS milliner. Her work is found all over the place, but I always end up drooling a little bit when I come across it. Amazing detail and crafts(wo)manship and an artistic vision that never ceases to stop you in your tracks.

Kathleen Connally is a photographer that has an amazing ability to catch ordinary scenes and situations and turn them into spectacularly beautiful imagery. Most of her photos are from Durham Township, Pennsylvania. Prints are available.

Finally, Maggie Taylor. This woman is brilliant. As a Photoshop devotee, I am always blown away by her work. She's been featured in several publications by Adobe as well as having her art on exhibit throughout the US.

Just Listed! Circus Stripe OOAK Website Design

2010-03-29T15:20:00.002-05:00

Circus Stripe OOAK Website Design

Just listed! Roses, stripes, birds, florals, a banner and more in a bright circus themed design.

SOLD-THANK YOU!!

NEW! Commercial Use Digital Scrapbooking Graphics!

2010-03-04T09:35:00.002-06:00

I've just recently created a new category on my website for Digital Scrapbooking graphics. All the graphics are in large, printable sizes and commercial use is allowed as long as the terms of use are followed. Roses, florals, keys, ribbons, and 'postcard' stamps have all been added to the category. Samples seen below...

MORE COMING SOON!!

Artwork Featured in Somerset Digital Studio Magazine

2010-03-01T08:02:00.007-06:00

I'm thrilled to tell everyone that my artwork was chosen for publication in Somerset Digital Studio's Spring 2010 magazine. My Butterfly Series of six collages featuring butterflies (obviously) and a vintage photo of Carmen DeVillers was chosen as a Feature Article. I wrote a technical 'how-to' article, so I got a by-line as well. I'm so honored that my work was chosen to be part of a magazine that is filled to the brim with stunningly brilliant work from so many amazing artists. Here's a peek at my work...

All New One-of-a-Kind Website Templates Available

2010-02-18T16:55:00.003-06:00

New designs just listed! These are all one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Elegant Black and Cream Damask - A beautifully elegant and modern design combining a black and cream color scheme along with a vintage damask pattern. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

SOLD-THANK YOU!

Ornate Junk - A beautifully unique and elaborately layered design featuring grungy papers, vintage metal pieces, and rhinestones. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

SOLD-THANK YOU!

Shabby Pink Roses & Paper - A beautifully unique and layered collage design featuring vintage buttons, shabby pink roses, old papers, buttons, & beaded strings put together in a feminine collage-style. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

SOLD-THANK YOU!

Fly in the Roses - A beautifully unique and elaborately layered design featuring wings and roses. Metal wings, vintage papers, roses, grunge backgrounds, and damask. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Paper and Junk - A beautifully unique and elaborately layered design featuring vintage papers and metal hinges along with filigree and grunge. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

SOLD-THANK YOU!

New Happenings for Avalon Rose Design!

2010-02-15T17:25:00.003-06:00

My crazy winter season so far has included big projects, little projects, a couple bouts of flu, INSANE amounts of snow, and lots of cancelled school days. In the midst of all that I got a new web site design/layout finished and you can see it below.

Not only is there a new design, but now there is a new help desk/support center as well. Here you'll be able to contact us via support ticket, view our tutorials, and search the knowledgebase all in one place. Check it out!

Let me know what you think!

The Old Painted Cottage Has Been Remodeled

2010-02-02T12:44:00.003-06:00

Several years ago I decided to dabble in website design. At the time I was primarily a designer of ebay auction templates. My very first website was my own, but the first website I actually designed for a client was The Old Painted Cottage. Jennifer, the owner of TOPC was an ebay customer of mine and, bless her heart, trusted me enough to take that first jump with me. I firmly believe that if she hadn't had so much faith in me and so much patience through all the technical difficulties as I was learning my way, I wouldn't be where I am today.

Now, hundreds of website designs later for me, and a successful web-based business for her we've come a long way from our humble beginnings. Jennifer is no longer just a client...I'm proud to call her my friend as well. That's why I'm so happy to have worked with her again on her newest undertaking, and why I'm excited to share it with you.

Jennifer has recently been recognized for the remarkable remodeling of her home, named Cottage8, on several design websites. Her personal style revolves around a combination of whites, creams, browns, and blacks with a pop of color here and there (most often apple green). After years of having the same design on her website with very little in the way of change, we decided that an overhaul was in order and one that needed to reflect the style that Jennifer has become known for recently.

So, the old design was tucked safely away and replaced with a completely new, clean, crisp design that still holds that cottage flair. The pink and aqua are gone replaced with the new color scheme, more professional layout, and easier navigation. See the Before & After's below and I think you will agree that the new design is a great improvement.

Before - Homepage

After - Homepage

Before - Category/Shopping Page

After - Overhaul of Shopping Layout

Before - Cottage of the Month Page

After - Cottage of the Month Page

So, what are you waiting for? Why don't you go check out The Old Painted Cottage's new design yourself, and tell Jennifer I said hello!

More New Website Designs Available!

2009-12-31T15:35:00.005-06:00

New designs just listed! These are all one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Junk and Roses - A beautifully unique and elaborately layered design featuring junk and roses. Metal wings, vintage frames, roses, screws, and papers make this a fantastically universal design. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Vintage Frames - An intricately layered website design featuring many different vintage frames, papers, and metal elements. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Shabby Garden Roses - A beautifully detailed design featuring several different vintage roses, vintage papers, and rhinestones. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

French Paper Collage - A marvelously unique website design featuring vintage papers, metal elements, and pressed flowers. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Photoshop Tutorial: Quick and Dirty Way to Brighten a Photo

2009-12-29T13:00:00.002-06:00

Got a dark photo that needs brightening up? There's a really simple way to accomplish that. You can see the before photo below (my daughter with her "No Boys" sign pasted to her bedroom door with a couple of Dora the Explorer Band-Aids...what can I say...she's resourceful).

• Open your photo in Photoshop
• At the top click Image-->Adjustments-->Auto Levels (or on your keyboard hit Shift + Control + L)
• Then at the top click Edit-->Fade Auto Levels (or on your keyboard hit Shift + Control + F)
• In the pop-up, change the Mode drop down to Screen, and adjust the opacity to your liking.

That's it....like I said. Quick and dirty.

Photos, Photos, Photos

2009-12-22T13:24:00.002-06:00

Here are some of my photos that I've taken over the past couple of years that I just wanted to share.

My Five Favorite Ornaments

2009-12-03T11:11:00.002-06:00

I love decorating for Christmas, and my tree is decorated in silver, gold, red and black ornaments. However, these five ornaments you see above mean more to me than all the other fancy glass and glittery ornaments. My Grandma Lolly made these for me when I was a little girl. These days the felt is a little delicate and the sequins are a little loose, but that just makes me love them more.

More New Vintage Style One of a Kind Website Templates Listed

2009-11-11T16:15:00.004-06:00

New designs just listed! These are all one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

Vintage Paris Papers - A unique website design featuring vintage papers with floral and Eiffel Tower overlays in the background, velvet ribbon, and a vintage brooch all in a muted and neutral color scheme. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Roses in the Dark - A beautifully dark and vintage website design featuring a vintage lady, roses, and flourishes. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Vintage Gypsy Rose - A beautifully unique website design featuring grungy vintage papers, roses, and a chandelier image along with vintage flourishes. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Vintage Blue Theater - A beautifully collage-style website design featuring theater curtains and vintage papers and styling. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Glitter Paper Altered Art - A unique website design featuring vintage paper and elements including flourishes and roses with a glittered edge. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

Boutique Brown and Aqua Floral - A beautifully elegant and clean website design featuring muted browns and aquas with a vintage floral theme througout. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

If you have any questions or are interested in other designs, please visit my website here http://www.theavalonrose.com/

LOTS of New OOAK Website Templates Listed!

2009-10-08T08:18:00.007-05:00

In the last week I've been listing a lot of new designs that I'm really excited about. These are all one of a kind designs, so each will only be sold to one business. Check them out below!

A wonderfully unique website design featuring vintage papers, a drawer pull, vintage textiles and more. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

A beautifully elegant boutique website design featuring a brown, teal, and olive color scheme with vintage filigree designs. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

A beautifully clean and elegant website design featuring a set of 4 photos at the top. The photos in the design can be replaced with photos of your choice. The color scheme in the design can also be changed to that of your choice. So, for instance, if you would rather have the background be aqua, pink or beige as opposed to white, that can be done at no additional charge. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

A beautifully elegant and feminine website design featuring an aqua background, gold filigree trimming, and vintage roses. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

A beautifully elegant and very feminine website design featuring vintage papers, flourishes, rhinestones and ribbon. *Click Here to View Full-Size Sample Site*

Click Here to View Purchase Page

If you have any questions or are interested in other designs, please visit my website here http://www.theavalonrose.com/

Victorian Steampunk Emporium Website Template Just Listed

2009-10-07T08:41:00.002-05:00

A fantastically original steampunk website design featuring a top hat, feathers, gears, clock pieces, and vintage gold frames. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Fontaholics Anonymous

2009-10-06T08:30:00.004-05:00

I admit it. I'm a fontaholic. It's an occupational hazard, I guess. When I'm in a store, I look at packaging just to see if I can figure out the fonts. I do the same thing when I'm watching TV. I'm a believer that a font can make or break a design. So, I decided to compile a list of some of my favorite and least favorite fonts. I get almost all my fonts at MyFonts, but there are some great free font sites out there like dafont and abstract fonts.

My favorite font at the moment is Lily Wang. It's a beautiful, elegant script, but it still has an organic element to it that just makes it interesting.

Speaking of script fonts, and because I said I was going to list some of my LEAST favorite fonts, here's the first of them. Edwardian Script is a very common script font, and while it's a classic, I'm not a big fan. I just feel that it's extraordinarily overused.

Here's another script font that I feel, while pretty, is overused. Corinthia is more of a casual script, but I've seen it so many places it's gotten rather bla in my opinion.

One of my favorite fonts of all time is Century Gothic. It's been around for a long time, but it's clean, it's simple, and it's versatile.

P22 Cezanne was love at first sight for me. Unfortunately, it's beginning to be one of those fonts that is seen everywhere from product packaging to a rather misused logo for Menken's on the Mad Men television show.

Girls are Weird has got to be one of my very least favorite fonts. It has been used over and over in so many varied settings that it's become one those fonts that will make a design look dated.

What I just said about the Girls are Weird font....ditto for Curlz MT.

Bleeding Cowboys has got to be one of the most original grunge-style fonts. There are many bands, including Daughtry, that are using this particular font.

I love this font. Aviano is a beautiful serif font that is classic and elegant.

Ditto for Trajan Pro.

A beautiful alternative to some of the boring and basic script fonts out there is Mea Culpa. It's elegant and classic....but interesting.

I had to include a typewriter font in my list, and this one, 1942 Report, is my favorite of them all.

I just recently stumbled across this great quirky little font, Arsenale White. If you're looking for a unique handwritten font, here you go.

And finally, one of my newest favorite fonts. Chato Band Smooth is a grunge script font that should be used in a selective manner to avoid over saturation. It's one of those fonts where a little goes a long way.

There's my list for now. I hope you find it interesting at least, and would love to hear what some of your favorite fonts are!

Sorry God....

2009-09-24T08:17:00.003-05:00

Yesterday my 6 year old son came home from school with this paper...

Apparently he's been forgetting to write his name on his school papers. Now on Wednesday evenings my children go to W.O.W./Worship on Wednesdays/bible school at our local church. Their activity last night revolved around original sin. They were required to finish this sentence....

"Dear God, I'm sorry I did something that I know was wrong..."

This was Luke's answer...

Loving Steampunk

2009-09-18T15:11:00.002-05:00

Some of you may already know what 'steampunk' is, and some of you may not. According to Wikipedia, steampunk is...

"The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date."

When I first StumbledUpon steampunk, it was love at first site. (I know, I know....bad pun) If I remember correctly, the image you see below was my first glimpse of my newly discovered love. I would be in heaven if I could sit and work in front of this beauty every day.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16307058@N00/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

So, the other day I was looking around online, and I came across awesome Steampunk GelaSkins cover for an iPod. I don't usually buy stuff like this, but I absolutely loved it and couldn't resist.

Photo: Gelaskins

Steampunk jewelry designs have become very popular lately, and I've noticed that several customers of my own have been creating jewelry that falls into this category. I found this one seller edmdesigns on Etsy that is amazing! Isn't this beautiful and unique?

Photo: edmdesigns

I've done a steampunk website design in the past, and my little brain keeps whirling new ideas around so I'm pretty sure that I'll be listing another one soon. I'll keep you posted. ;)

Some of the Most Beautiful Digital Animation I've Ever Seen

2009-09-10T17:25:00.001-05:00

let yourself feel. from Esteban Diácono on Vimeo.

Something to Sink Your Teeth Into...

2009-08-28T14:08:00.001-05:00

Got a thing for vampires? They're everywhere lately. This one of a kind website design template is perfect for you! A darkly rich website design featuring images such as vintage baroque gold frames, southern wrought iron, blood red roses, deep red satin and chandeliers. All of which combined are reminiscent of vampire style. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE LISTING

Custom Website Design - Eric Henning

2009-08-17T20:53:00.002-05:00

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Eric Henning on his new custom website design. Eric is a magician specializing in old-fashioned magic. He has performed for numerous goverment, corporate, and non-profit events, including two presidential inaugurals.

The opening page of the site design features an old-fashioned style theater poster which leads into the inside of the 'theater' lobby of the site. Victorian elements are found throughout, so please go ahead and take a peek at the design and don't forget to enjoy the magic!

New Rose Website Templates Available!

2009-08-10T16:05:00.003-05:00

I've got a few new one-of-a-kind website designs available! Click on the thumbnails below to see them. These three have romantic, feminine styling featuring vintage graphics and lots of roses.

My Favorite Family Photo

2009-08-05T13:53:00.002-05:00

This photo was taken in the mid 50's I'm estimating. The lucky boy with all the ladies? That's my dad. ;)

Deadliest Catch Cornelia Marie T-shirts Available for Pre-Order!

2009-07-28T21:40:00.002-05:00

Some, but very few of you may know that I recently designed t-shirts for F/V Cornelia Marie of the Deadliest Catch TV show on the Discovery Channel which is one of my favorite TV shows, so it means a lot to me. Well, they are now available, and you can find them here http://www.corneliamarie.com/. They are currently only available as ladies shirts, but depending on the popularity of the shirts they may branch out to mens' and tank tops. So feel free to order several! ;)

New Custom Site Design for Melissa Flagg Perfumes

2009-07-08T11:43:00.003-05:00

I recently just finished a new custom site design for Melissa Flagg Perfumes, and I wanted to share it with you. Many of Melissa's perfumes have tropical inspiration, especially orange blossoms, so I tried to incorporate all that into the design. If you visit the site, click on the bottles to get a more detailed description of the fragrances.

New Blog Design

2009-06-29T09:26:00.001-05:00

I decided to simplify. What do you think?

Mr. Bear

2009-06-09T15:45:00.003-05:00

Look at what Landon left.....

Landon is my nephew, and he was here yesterday afternoon. After he left with his mommy, I got a phone call about an hour later....Landon forgot Mr. Bear. So I told his mommy that I would mail Mr. Bear to him since they live over 2 hours away.

Since it has been so cold here the past few days (I thought it was supposed to be summer, but anyway), I decided that Mr. Bear needed something to keep him warm while he traveled in his little cardboard box back to Landon. So this morning while it was quiet and the kids were still sleeping, I made myself a cup of coffee, dug out a ball of yarn, and crocheted this little sweater for Mr. Bear. Doesn't he look handsome? I think Landon will agree. ;)

Two New Limited Edition Website Designs.

2009-05-07T16:40:00.002-05:00

I just listed two new limited edition website designs. The first is called "Classic Rose", and is a combination of a neutral color scheme and vintage rose graphics.

The second is called "Muted Blue" and has clean lines, a vintage pattern, and a lovely blue and brown color scheme.

New Vaudeville/Moulin Rouge Inspired Website Design!

2009-05-05T18:04:00.002-05:00

Just listed this! I love how it turned out!

Just Listed! Citrus Floral OOAK Website Template!

2009-04-30T20:02:00.002-05:00

A beautifully elegant website design featuring a fresh color scheme and boutique styling. This is a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) website template that will only be sold once.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT LISTING

New Design Gallery/Portfolio for Avalon Rose Design!

2009-04-28T17:41:00.002-05:00

I just put up my new design gallery for Avalon Rose Design website designs. Some of the designs were custom, and some were purchased from my site.

New Site Design!

2009-04-21T11:26:00.002-05:00

Yay! I finally got the thing up! I'm so relieved. Oh! I'm working on a bunch of new graphics for download too, so I'll post when I get them listed too. Any requests for different types of graphics?

New Design in the Works

2009-04-15T09:27:00.004-05:00

I've already broken my resolution to post every day for 30 days. I have discovered that I do like blogging more, but I don't like having in on my schedule as something that I have to do. Oh well. Here's a little tidbit though....I'm working on a new design for The Avalon Rose Collection and for my blog. And I'm also considering moving my jewelry exclusively to Etsy, and having my website focus on my designs and vintage graphics. Whatcha think?

For the Love of Coffee

2009-04-06T16:04:00.002-05:00

I love coffee. Period. Maybe worship is a better word to use. Saying that it's my favorite drink just doesn't give my obsession with the darn stuff justice. It's not that I have a caffeine addiction (although that doesn't hurt), because decaf works just fine for me. I love the taste of it! I love coffee ice cream, coffee candy, coffee desserts...sigh...(I even found a recipe for coffee chili, and I'd probably like that too.) I've been experimenting with coffee recipes, and here's my newest...

Add this to coffee mug, and then fill the rest with fresh hot coffee. (Not the brown water that some people brew...make sure you put enough coffee grounds in the filter, people!)

1 tsp of Splenda or sugar
1 scoop of Breyer's Vanilla Bean ice cream
1 tsp of chocolate syrup

Yum!

Sneak Peek

2009-04-04T16:17:00.005-05:00

This is what I've been doing during the past 24 hours. Turning this.....

Note: see the large ripped seam in carpet, and see the cute, innocent little doggie? Guess who made that large ripped seam in the carpet....

Into this...

This is in my office, and you might recognize the chair in the photo from an earlier post (I still haven't refinished it. I think I'm going to leave it as is for now). I'll have more pics of the office when I have everything finished and rearranged, hopefully next week. Oh, and the best part is, I did the floor all by myself! It was so easy!

Texas Rose OOAK Website Design

2009-04-02T13:42:00.002-05:00

I just listed this new one-of-a-kind website design, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. Hope you like it too...

My Window of Inspiration

2009-03-30T12:15:00.003-05:00

Just thought I'd post about my little inspiration window I have in my office. I took an old window frame, replaced the glass with corrugated cardboard, then covered the dang with with all sorts of things that I love and inspire me. I move things around, add and remove, depending on my mood and the season. Some days I have a hard time not just sitting here staring at the darn thing.

New Project...

2009-03-28T09:37:00.004-05:00

This here is a photo of the barber shop that was owned my my great-grandfather. That's him way in the back with the suspenders and bow tie. My dad could tell you all sorts of stories about the place (the building still exists, but the barbershop is long gone, of course), but my favorite one was that you could pay a nickel and go through that door behind my great-grandfather, and take a bath. I was always fascinated with this photo....the wallpaper, the gas lighting, the shelves full of mugs (each customer had their own), the way the pictures on the walls tipped out, and of course, my great-grandfather. There are only a few things from the barbershop that still remain. This photo, and....this chair.

I've had the chair for a long time, and it does have a brother, although he has been taken apart and is in several pieces. They were both in the waiting area of the barbershop. This is where all those men sat so long ago waiting to get a haircut, a shave, or maybe even take a bath! I've dug the chair out of storage, and I'm going to fix it up. I just need to figure out the best way to go about it. Do I sand it all down, and repaint it? It currently has about 15 different coats of paint, but is currently off-white spattered with that strange celery green that has what appears to be sand mixed in it that everyone's gramma has in her living room around here. I'm guessing someone used it as a stepping stool while they were painting something else. Anyway, do I sand it and repaint it, or do I take it somewhere, have it stripped and stained? I'm not sure, and as you can definitely see, it's quite dirty, so I'm going to clean this baby up and see what I've got to deal with. I'll keep you posted!

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Update: after a lot of scrubbing, the chair is finally clean. I started have second thoughts about doing anything to it, because I liked the chippy look. I have no idea how old the paint is, however, and with young kids in the house, I don't want to take the chance of lead paint. So! I'm going to sand it off and paint it white I think.

Isabel and Luke's Interview

2009-03-27T08:17:00.002-05:00

If any of you have Facebook, you may have seen this sort of thing going around. This is a list of questions that I asked both of my kids, and their answers. I interviewed each of them separately so they wouldn't be influenced by the other's answers. I wrote down their answers verbatim, and I didn't direct either of them at all. Kids really do say the darndest things! (FYI, Isabel is 7 and Luke is almost 6)

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Isabel: If you're going to act like that go upstairs.
Luke: Please.

2. What makes mom happy?
Isabel: When I clean my room.
Luke: A Kiss.

3. What makes mom sad?
Isabel: When I don't give her hugs.
Luke: Fighting.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Isabel: Tickle me.
Luke: TICKLE!!

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Isabel: She had short hair.
Luke: She was short.

6. How old is your mom?
Isabel: 32.
Luke: 75

7. How tall is your mom?
Isabel: 20 feet tall.
Luke: 10 feet tall

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Isabel: Watch American Idol.
Luke: Watch TV.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Isabel: Work on the computer.
Luke: Work on the computer.

10.If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for:
Isabel: She'll be the newest reporter.
Luke: A QUEEN!

11. What is your mom really good at?
Isabel: Playing Little Big Planet.
Luke: Games.

12. What is your mom not good at?
Isabel: Breaking a walnut.
Luke: Fighting!

13.what does your mom do for a job?
Isabel: Work on the computer.
Luke: She works on trucks and stuff.

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Isabel: Beef burger.
Luke: "the green stuff that looks like a potato" Green bean casserole.

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Isabel: Cuz she got married.
Luke: She plays games with us!

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Isabel: Mickey Mouse.
Luke: Scooby Doo.

17. what do you and your mom do together?
Isabel: Go shopping.
Luke: Sleep.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Isabel: We're both skinny, we laugh the same, and we have the same noses.
Luke: We have the same glasses, we have the same nose, and we both like fuzzy Crocs.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Isabel: She wears glasses and I don't, and she wears big clothes and I don't.
Luke: She has boobies and I don't.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Isabel: Because she gives me kisses like 235 times.
Luke: Because she kisses me all the time.

21. What does your mom like most about (insert mom's significant other's name)
Isabel: Because he's a goofball.
Luke: He kisses her good.

22. Where is your mom´s favorite place to go?
Isabel: Las Vegas.
Luke: Whiskey Creek.

I Love, Love, Love...

2009-02-27T18:14:00.001-06:00

moggit. Just had to say it again in case any of you missed it. Oh! BTW, you can visit the mogg blogg here!

How to Beautify Your Product Photos

2009-02-13T15:17:00.008-06:00

"How can I make my photos stand out on my website?" I get asked that a lot. You need good photos on your site to make a positive impression on your viewers and potential customers. We all know that, so how do you do it? The most important piece of advice I can give you is KNOW YOUR CAMERA. Yes, you really do have to read that boring manual. You don't need to go buy an $800 camera to take decent photos, you just need to know how to correctly operate the one you do have. Make sure you have adequate lighting, and set your "stage". Don't take a photo of your product while it's sitting on your cluttered dining room table while your dog is peeking over the edge. Sometimes a clean white background is called for, and other times a pretty vignette is appropriate.

After you've taken your photos, you might want to resize, crop, add a border or a frame, a drop-shadow, text, and more. I've put together a tutorial site that will explain how to do all of those things with three separate photo programs, and is geared for beginners. Photoshop (my favorite, although quite expensive), Paint Shop Pro, and Splashup (free online program). Click here to check it out!

Here are some examples on what you can do with frames to spruce up your photos!

Mad for Moggit!

2009-02-02T09:10:00.003-06:00

I had the "guilty pleasure" of working with Joy and Janet on a fab new site called moggit. For all of you out there that love home decorating and all that jazz, you will love moggit, which is the moggers' response to the fact that they think the decorating world is taking itself too seriously. Moggit is fun, irreverent, a little bit naughty, and will have you giggling guiltily (or not so guiltily). Head on over, and join in the fun by voting on the oh no you didn't page.

New Listings!

2009-01-20T15:20:00.006-06:00

Just listed some new one-of-a-kind and limited edition website templates by Avalon Rose Design. Check 'em out!

Happy Holidays

2008-12-23T09:20:00.002-06:00

The Avalon Rose Collection

2008-12-04T09:55:00.002-06:00

Well, it's open! Many of you know that I'm combining all my separate websites into one, The Avalon Rose Collection. In the next few days or so I will be pointing the domain names for my other sites to the new one. My website designs, vintage graphics, and jewelry will all be available on the same site now.

www.theavalonrose.com

"The Father of American Literature"

2008-11-13T18:08:00.003-06:00

"Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more."

"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear."

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."

"I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position."

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live."

"Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with."

"I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."

"Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place."

"I have a higher and grander standard of principle than George Washington. He could not lie; I can, but I won't."

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."

-Mark Twain

I've been tagged!

2008-11-03T08:16:00.006-06:00

I've been tagged by my friend (and wonderful artist) Kristin of Retro Cafe' Art Gallery !
So here are the rules:

* Link to the person who tagged you.
* Mention the rules.
* Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself.
* Tag six other bloggers by linking to them.
* Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged.

Here are my quirky things:

1. I strength train every other day. I rarely miss a day, and if I do I make up for it the next day. I've gotten a little compulsive about it. I hate jogging, but love the Bowflex. :)
2. When I eat a sandwich, no matter what kind of bread it is, I have to pull the crust off. It's a vestige of childhood, I've never liked the crust.
3. I'm messy....my desk/office is almost always in organized chaos. The rest of the house isn't bad (other than the usual clutter trail that follows my children around), but my office is almost never uncluttered.
4. I have to have music on while I'm working...I usually play the same album on repeat for several days in a row until I switch to another one, and do the same with that one. Right now I'm stuck on Pink's Funhouse album.
5. I always have a hard time remembering how old I am...when I was in my twenties I always knew my age, but now in my thirties I have to ask my husband, "Am I 31, 32, or 33?" (he can never remember either) I usually have to do the math to figure it out.
6. I love archaeology, especially studies of Greece and Italy. The ancient Roman culture is so interesting, and the Coliseum is fascinating.

I would like to tag: Ingrid, Janet, Melissa, Kari, Hayley, and Dale

New Business Name

2008-10-03T10:01:00.003-05:00

Well, it's gonna happen. Some of you may remember that I thought about changing my business name some time ago, and then decided not to. Right now I have three websites Avalon Rose Design, Eclectic Anthology, and Vintage Inspired Studios, and I'm going to bring them all together under one umbrella to try and simplify my life! So, this is where you come in.... I need some name suggestions. I want something that's not going to limit me later on down the road if I decide to change up the business a bit. Tara suggested that it needs to reflect my work, be "ultra-chic" and easy to remember, and she's right. What do you all think? I need some help here!

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions! I've decided, and since Avalon Rose is something that many use to search for my site, the new name is going to be The Avalon Rose Collection™. I'm getting the new site ready, and it will be open in probably a month or so!

New Listing!

2008-07-21T10:24:00.002-05:00

I just listed a new design titled "Distressed Collage." It features vintage papers, buttons, an old clock face, key, lace, rose, and ribbon. Hope you like it!

New Custom Site Design

2008-06-20T13:08:00.003-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of working with Christine Rose Elle of Dollybelle Atelier on a custom site design. Her work is so beautiful, and it was a joy working with her to create a design that would reflect her business. Muted vintage colors, vintage ladies, jewels, lace, and papers were used in the design. The website isn't officially "open", but I encourage everyone to check it out, and visit the site once it does.

New Listings....

2008-05-28T09:35:00.001-05:00

I've just listed a couple of new one-of-a-kind website designs at Avalon Rose Design. Click on the images to visit the listings.

This design features vintage papers, key, buttons, rhinestones, and ribbons with collage styling in a cream and black color scheme. This is a one of a kind design that will only be sold once!

This design features butterflies, vintage papers, buttons, measuring tape, and crown with collage styling. This is also a one of a kind design that will only be sold once!

Goodbye, eBay!

2008-03-26T13:23:00.002-05:00

When I first started in this business, I started out by selling auction templates on eBay. Most of the customers that I've had the longest first found me there. I sold auction templates for a couple of years before I branched out and started doing website design. In the last year or so I have almost completely cut out auction templates from what I offer, due to the fact that I love website design much more, auction templates are more work for less money, as well as very time consuming.

eBay just recently made an announcement that has pretty much ensured that I won't be offering auction templates at all anymore. As of March 31 eBay will no longer allow the sale of digital items in auction, fixed price or store inventory format. Any digital item will need to be sold in the classified section, and the price for one 30 day listing is $9.95. Needless to say, that is too much to spend when you are trying to sell an item for $10-$15.

There has been speculation that eBay is doing this to get rid of the ability of sellers to use auction templates at all in the future as they will be required to purchase a template directly from eBay instead. Whether this is the case or not, I have no idea, but I hope for my customer's sake that it isn't.

This new policy on eBay is going to cause problems for a lot of sellers, not just auction template designers. Anyone that sells e-books, digital collage sheets, graphics, or anything of a digital nature will be affected. I'm just really disappointed that eBay felt this was necessary, and I have closed my eBay store today because of it.

Sellers do have other options though, so this isn't all bad! www.etsy.com is a great place for selling anything handmade and that includes collage sheets and graphics. Having your own website for the sale of your items is another, and the best part about that is that there aren't any eBay fees to pay at the end of the month!

So for now....Goodbye, eBay!

Presentation, Presentation, Presentation!

2008-02-28T16:44:00.003-06:00

If your business has an online presence one of the most important things that you need to concern yourself with is the presentation of your products. I've had several customers of mine ask me if I know how they can take great photos of the items that they are selling. Now, I am not very experienced in the world of photography, but I have learned a few tricks. A few weeks ago on a quiet Friday night I was surfing with stumbleupon (if you haven't tried it, DO!), and I came across a great tutorial teaching how to make a photo light box. It was such a great idea, that I thought some of my customers could benefit from it, so I'm going to share! If you want to take photos on a white background, try it out!

Click here to visit the tutorial!

Website Design Tweak!

2008-02-19T17:12:00.002-06:00

I've done it again! Not a complete design overhaul this time, but the same basic design just with some "tweaking!" I just thought it needed a little oomph! I'm not completely done, and there are a few graphics that I need to change yet, so bear with me.

I also want to apologize for being MIA in the blogging world lately. There's been so much going on with custom work, getting my new jewelry line together (have I mentioned that yet? If not, now you know!), along with the flu floating around my house this week that I've gotten behind in a few areas! Anyway, I'm back, and hopefully I'll be visiting your blogs soon!

Cathy

Retro Cafe Art-Custom Site

2008-01-16T09:47:00.000-06:00

Ok, I just finished up another custom site design for Kris at www.retrocafeart.com! I think it turned out fantastic, and will really showcase the art and collage sheets that are offered there. There aren't many products listed yet, because Kris is just getting started adding to and editing her site. Just thought you would all want to go take a peek at it!

Newest Custom Site by Avalon Rose Design

2008-01-07T18:52:00.000-06:00

I've decided to start blogging about the custom website designs that I've done. The newest one I just finished was for Tara Frey at Bella Pink. I had so much fun working with Tara, she's a doll! I basically just did the graphics for the site, but I think it turned out beautifully! Go check out the new design here www.bellapink.com.