To create the new header for my blog I downloaded and installed the font "Lazy Days" from the 1001fonts.com site. I chose this font for its hand drawn style. I enlarged this font to a size of 99 and applied a noise filter at 25%. I like the way this filter enhances the handmade feeling of the font. I changed the font color to a deep muted blue to match the "about me" section of the blog. Since the bog title is the same as my name this helps to establish the relationship.

I am having a couple of issues with my blog and would love any answers from carolyn or anyone else in the group. First I don't see any option to change the size of my post titles. I would like to change them to a larger font. Also at the bottom of each post there is a list of graphics for various social networking sites and for comments. I think these are leftover from a discarded template. I would like to modify these and possibly delete some but cannot find where to edit them.

Other headers of interest I found on the web are listed and described here:

1. DBKP : this blog uses graphics and text for its header. Although the choice of graphics is a bit creepy for my tast, it is indicative of the subject matter and therefore an appropriate choice.

2. Green Earth Friend uses a very large header, effective but perhaps a bit too large...

3. Earth Savers blog uses a bright green header which helps convey the eco friendly content of the blog. It also uses bold colorful symbols that are repeated throughout the blog posts as ways to identify varying eco friendly characteristics of the post topics.

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This site shows how to make an origami shirt from a dollar bill. It uses many photographs in the form of very small JPG files. The page downloads very quickly as a result. Each file is about 8KB in size!



here is the url:
http://members.cox.net/crandall11/money/shirt/

This site uses GIF files to display a long list of available fonts. Since there are a minimum of colors required GIF is an excellent choice of file type for this application.



here is the url:
http://www.typenow.net/themed.htm

This site uses PNG images. It is a very small 47K file.



here is the url:
http://www.corporateoppression.com/

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This dahlia was modified using Image Preview within Fireworks. The 32 color gif has the advantage of a small file size while retaining the range of color required.

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This picture was cropped using the pen tool within Fireworks. It was quite a challenge to select around the curved part of the sign. Perhaps this was because I am using a laptop?

The image was then optimized in Fireworks using 4up comparism. The JPG file size is 56K and it downloads in 8 seconds.

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This photograph was modified inside fireworks. It was cropped and optimized as a JPG. The file size is 50.57K and it will download in 8 sec @ 56kbs .

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It was fun cruising around and visiting some blogs. I am amazed at how many there are!!

This blog is an example of monochromatic color schemer.

This blog is an example of analagous colors:

This is an example of a blog with complimentary colors:

This is an example of saturated colors.

This is an example of a blog with unsaturated colors.

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I chose a monochromatic color scheme for this blog. Since this is a blog with a lot of text these colors will make it easier for the viewer to absorb the material. The base color is white for similar effect and easy reading. The colors are warm. I used tints for visited links and shades for titles headers.

Color is a useful tool in creating emtion on a website. The shades of orange I chose are casual, cheerful ad energizin. By creating a monochromatic assortment of colors the use of this bold color is subdued and easy to comprehend.

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I switched to a layout downloaded off hte internet called "craftwork." I like the way it looks, using dynamic graphics and colors to make the header standout. Unfortunately it deleted my links, about me and rss feed! This was really frustrating!

Like the previous layout this one has two columns. One that utilizes 2/3 of the space, the other 1/3 creating a grid following the divine rule. The header uses bright color to make it stand out. The blog post titles utilize size to distinguish them from the content of the post. It leaves enough white space to not appear cluttered. The blog archive uses repetition to create a relationship amongst the links. Proximity is employed by the navigation bar to make these links understandable to the user.

I like the look of this layout but am unhappy with the performance due to its deletion of my previous content. When I tried to add my links back in it put them in a strange spot in the top right of the page. Urghhh...

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This blog has two columns: one larger column and one smaller column.

The grid for this page is 2/3 : 1/3 divided vertically.

The title of the blog uses size to crete prominence. The different blog posts use color in the titles to distinguish them from the post's content, There is plenty of white space to allow a resting point for the eye. The links and are examples of the use of proximity to create relationships between their content. The RSS feed is an example of the use of repetition to demonstrate their connection.

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In answer to the question, "what is your favorite website?", I need to pause and reflect even though I spend many hours every day doing business tasks on the web. I usually visit my banking website and various product sites researching items for the store. Many of these are nice, most are mundane and occasionally a few stand out as awesome. Mostly I just get the work done and then try to get home to spend time with the kids!

But... lately I have been discovering the joys of facebook. Many hours of sleep have been lost blissfully re-connecting with old friends and joking around with local friends. I am impressed with the ease of use and the delightful interactivity of facebook. The clean, modern accessible layout and the fact that it is always changing with new content keep me coming back daily. I'm hooked!

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Hello! My name is Deborah Kettner. I am a mom, a gardener, a yogi and an eco entrepreneur. In 2000 I founded an eco boutique in Mendocino, CA called TWIST, specializing in planet friendly clothing, accessories, house wares and gifts. In 2007 through a serendipitous series of events I acquired a small doll manufacturing company called the Earth Friends, which is one of the products we have carried in our store since we opened.

The Earth Friends has been a whirlwind of learning about the manufacturing, wholesaling, e-tailing and marketing of an incredible product. We make wholesome, heirloom fabric dolls which we package with a tree planting activity kit. All our products are made in California from entirely organic or recycled components.. I am looking forward to expanding the product offerings to include trading cards, books and animation.

You can check out the dolls at our website: www.TheEarthFriends.com . I worked with a designer to make this website in 2007. It was quite a project and I learned a lot along the way! I look forward to learning more in this class and potentially being able to update old content and add new on my own – scary!

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