[fertilepress]

What's up with this blog?

Not much, obviously.

It's taking a humongous amount of time to launch a website, promote it, teach classes, stay current on trends, keep honing my design and technical skills, figuring out what to say that is of interest, and carving out a little time for a personal life. (Not handling the last one very well.)

So...

I figure what's the point of blogging anyway if you have nothing to say, right? Well, that's how I've felt for months now. What I would like to do, though, is record my daily process of keeping the creative juices flowing in spite of the craziness that is my life these days. Now that makes me excited about blogging again!

So, in a few months I'll be moving this blog under the umbrella of reneepearson.com. It needs to be closer to home...where I live now. Thanks for hanging with me since April, 2005. I can't believe it's been that long! But it's time for a new chapter and I eagerly anticipate it.

later...

Live chat schedule!

Ummm... I forgot to add the schedule to the last post. Sorry about that. Here it is:

Chats last 30 minutes. All times are Eastern Daylight Time

Thursday, Jun 18
1:00pm, 7:00pm and 11:00pm

Friday, Jun 19
11am, 7:00pm

No need to register. I'll be waiting at ReneeTV at the appointed times.

later..

Live chat at ReneeTV!

Wow! Technology is amazing. With a few minutes of effort I have my own tv channel...ReneeTV|

Here's how it happened. I was looking for a way to do live video and audio chats. My vision was to be able to take typed questions and answer them live and in my own voice. I should be able to do that pretty easily, right? Right!

That's when I discovered ustream. Within 15 minutes I had set up and tested my own live broadcast studio...direct from my MacBook Pro. Love it!

I've scheduled five 30 minute broadcasts over the next two days (Thursday and Friday). Pop in whenever it's convenient and I'll answer your questions about my upcoming digital class, "Just the Basics, Ma'am" or anything else you'd like to know. The very first broadcast will launch tomorrow morning at 11am ET. Edit: New time 1:00pm ET tomorrow (Thursday).

Want a peek at ReneeTV? You can go there right now and have a look around. To follow the channel, click the "Follow" button in the player window.  That way you'll always know when I'm broadcasting.

Techno Geek Renee says, "This is gonna be fun!"

later...

70+ marvelous typography designs

Here's one. Check them all out.

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chicks who click!

Erica Hargreave, Storyteller
Q: Give us background on who you are, and what you do to work and play!

A: Depends on the day of the week really. I am trained professionally as a biologist and a teacher, but at the essence and root of my soul I am a storyteller. Stories are my passion.

Chicks who click blog

My kind of woman!

Not too late to register for "Just the Basics" at a discounted price!

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vintage style...straight from the attic

Don't go here until you have more than a few minutes to spend!

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patternizing

Combine this from Pattern8...

with Photoshop and you get this background.

 

Cool!

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june desktop

Courtesy of Smashing Magazine.

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check out the drummer!

My son, Chris!


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light & shadow & design

Ever wondered how artists and designers master the art of light and shadow...how they seem to know when to use a drop shadow, when to use a cast shadow and when to use highlights? And what about light sources? How do you figure all this out to create pleasing designs?

I first learned about light and shadow in a drawing class I took eons ago. The principles are still the same, though. My favorite online resource, Smashing Magazine, has an informative post on this subject.
Learn and enjoy!

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saving the world, one room at a time

That's the tag line for Apartment Therapy, the website for interior design junkies like me. If you're in need of a little home retail therapy but can't afford to do anything about it in this down economy, then the Apartment Therapy site is for you. You can browse the latest and greatest in contemporary design from the comfort of your home...and not have to spend a dime!

My favorite section, though, is the house tours section. There's one for each of six US cities: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, D.C. and Boston. You'll love a peek into how the design savvy are doing up there places these days. 

later...

Oh, and I forgot to mention there are tons of DIY ideas at Apartment Therapy, too!

my may desktop wallpaper

Get yours at Smashing Magazine. (There are 60 to choose from!)

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facebook sidebar menu

How'd you like to have a sidebar menu for Facebook where you could click to navigate quickly? Well, Suzanne at 11Mystics had a bright idea and she made it available to everyone. You can customize your sidebar to whatever you like. Suddenly, Facebook is navigable! Love it.

later...

p.s. The latest G&S set is on the site in the art room. Grab yours!

who the hell is akamai?

If you use the Internet for anything—to download music or software, check the headlines or book a flight—you've probably used Akamai's services without even knowing it. I was curious about what exactly Akamai was...so I looked them up.

 Another one of those transparent companies making bucketloads of money on the interweb.

later...

happy earth day!