Living the Creative Life

I was recently asked for a list of my favorite web design tutorials, and... well... I got a little carried away. So, here's my ultimate web design resource list! Merry Christmas! Basic Development Platforms Blogger : This one is free and very versatile, since you have full access to both the HTML structure of the site, as well as the CSS style sheets. They have a WYSIWYG editor, as well as a custom CSS editor, making it extremely easy to customize a basic blog or site very quickly. Wordpress : Though the basic software is free, this one does require you to purchase hosting. I personally find Wordpress cumbersome and annoying to code, but it can be extremely robust and versatile if you know what you're doing. There are many, many free and paid templates to choose from, which can give you a good starting ground for designing a site. (Or if you'd rather design a completely custom site, there are many people who specialize in coding Wordpress sites from scratch, which can b...

I was reading my blog subscriptions today and ran across a great post over on Alicia's blog about what podcasts she listens to. Which made me think... I listen to podcasts all the time! Why have I never shared about them? Here are five podcasts that I listen to that you just may like too! Do you listen to podcasts? Leave a comment below with your favorites! Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes . The Deeply Graphic Design Cast I love the generally laid-back nature of this podcast, along with the great advice from working designers. They talk about trends in the industry, tips on dealing with clients, and just general advice on running a graphic design business. Even if you're not a designer, you could probably glean from the great small business tips in here. They also have a great blog with more design and business tips, if that's something you're interested in. Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes . MacBreak Weekly I have listened to many podcasts in the Tw...

How well do YOU see color? Take this test and find out. Here's a cool video tutorial on how to give text a cool pattern fill (using Adobe Illustrator). Love this article on non-paying design clients and when/how/if to give a refund. A beginner's guide to watercolor painting supplies . In case you wanted to start watercolor painting.

Wow I have seriously let my bookmarking get out of control! I haven't wanted to overwhelm you with too many articles at once so I have only been posting 5 or 6 at a time. Now that's backfiring on me b/c I've got over 20 links that I keep meaning to share with you all! Let's see if I can at least organize them for you. I promise they're all really cool. ;) TYPOGRAPHY A fun way to create really complicated-looking lettering . A detailed how-to on creating a font from scratch. INSPIRATION I want this girl's creative desk space  so bad! This video of traffic in Hanoi, Vietnam is such a beautiful ballet of movement. Sometimes a "bad" day just needs the right perspective to turn it around. I am in love with these  flower illustrations !! BLOGGING Stuck on blog topics?  10 writing prompts  to try! What goes in your sidebar ? Need help setting up Passionfruit Ads on your site? Here are some  really good tutorials ! Check out all these  p...

Here are a few links I've found this week that have inspired or informed me. Hopefully you'll find them interesting too! :) I got some good tips here about saving money. I mean really... don't we all have something to learn in that area? I love this blog - she tends to have a lot of interesting posts about how to make it in your own freelance business. Since that's my main goal in life right now, it's always helpful to hear what she has to say! I just love this girl's art! She's been inspiring me to art journal, and now look at this cute sketchbook cover she made! So creative!! Love this - such a cute idea! I hadn't considered writing on my mugs before, but it really does make a fun look. And as someone who is currently bidding on design jobs, I'm discovering first-hand that people expect to get something for nothing. Really people... design does not happen in a vacuum. There are hours upon hours of training, thinking, and br...

A fascinating read, even though I'm not married:  15 Ways to Stay Married for 15 Years . If you're in your 30's like me... here are  48 things will probably make you feel old . Some of these  Adobe Illustrator tips  may seem simple, but even I learned a few tricks here! Ever wondered how to make long-exposure star trails ? Here is my attempt:

Better Blogger Network Yeah for getting to know other introverted, creative types like myself! I liken it to a Facebook-style site that's exclusive to bloggers. We chit-chat, ask questions, help each other build readership, etc. If you're a blogger, won't you join us ? Forever Young Adult Are you an "adult" who can't stop reading YA novels? Or maybe, despite the fact that you're over 30, you've seen every episode of Gossip Girl , Make It or Break It, and Felicity ? Oh wait... that's me. ;P This site is for readers/watchers like me who love this genre despite being older than the target demographic for it. It's pretty fun to find other people out there who aren't still teenagers and yet love this genre too! Pottermore I've already spoken about Pottermore, but it's still a fun site. It will be more fun when more content is added, but it's worth mentioning here. You should check it out !

Hey everyone, it's that time again! :) This week we've got a special Meet Someone New Monday - we're linking up GIVEAWAYS !!! Do you have a giveaway on your blog or know of one that you're participating in? Link up below! Take a look around at my fellow hosts' blogs, if you have a moment. They're all great ladies and deserve a FOLLOW! { Lily } { Tranae } { Gina } And as always, here are my favorite posts from last week. Don't forget to grab a button from the sidebar if you've been featured!! :) Jess is Mor: 25 Before 25 Pink Lemonade: 10 Ways to Have a Great Day Framed Frosting: Jewelry Deli Giveaway

Welcome to another week of Meet Someone New Mondays ! It's been fun to get to know some new bloggers and see what they're about! Here are some of my favorite links from last week's entries (in no particular order) . If you've been featured, grab a button from the sidebar! :) Pink Lemonade: Dear Heart, Framed Frosting: My First Shopping Haul Silo Tree Farm: Ribbon Shamrock And without further ado, here is this week's blog hop! Please follow the host blogs (and any others that you like!) and link up your own favorite post of the week so we can come visit you!

It's that time again! Meet Someone New Monday is here! Link up with your favorite post from the previous week and then hop around and meet some new friends! Don't forget to subscribe to the Host blogs, and maybe a few others as well. :) As promised, here are some of my favorite links from last week's hop ! Grab a button on the sidebar if you like, to show your own readers that you've been featured!! :) The In-Between: Friday Five a la Mode: Wanderlust {WARNING: THIS BLOG CONTAINS AUTO-PLAYING MUSIC} Vanisha's Life in Australia: Weekend Getaway

I love reading blogs - there's just something inspiring about witnessing someone else's creativity. Unfortunately my time has been ZILCH lately, so I haven't been able to read much since last summer. However... I ran across a couple blogs today that made me want to start reading again. Both a fun, clean aesthetic to them, which is nice. Story of My Life has a great series of Blogging Tips  that I found very helpful and easy to read. That lastest post on Kristie Was Here , her iPod video , was very entertaining! As embarrassed as I would be to actually dance around in Target pretending I was in an iPod commercial, it was pretty fun to watch someone else doing it!

I love sharing fun, beautiful, or inspiring blog posts via my Google Reader shared items page. I have no idea if anyone buy myself goes back and looks at those, but if you wish, here's the RSS feed . Sometimes I like looking through what I've shared and remember the moment, sort of like looking at a picture album of my most favorite browsing history. (For those of you young-uns out there, a picture album was what we used to put photographs in before there were digital cameras. We actually used to have to go down to the drug store and have them develop the film from our camera before we could see what photos we'd shot. Crazy, I know...) Here are a few lovelies from this week's viewing. Keep in mind that I'm about a month behind on my reading, so I think most, if not all, of these were written in May. My Girl Thursday: DIY: Scrap Busting Pot Holders Freckled Italian: Recipe: Tomato Basil Sandwiches A Beautiful Mess: Sister Style The Dainty Squi...

I just love finding fun, creative blogs to read. It reminds me that life doesn't have to be all about corporate responsibility. Art, expression, freedom, and creativity definitely have a place in this world and I'm starting to believe that it's okay that I love these things. Not everyone is a Type-A, get-things-done type of person. Some of us need a little more emotion and inspiration in our lives! Here are some lovely posts that have been inspiring to me lately: ----- Megan at { Freckled Italian } shows us her current color inspirations! I just love her choice of photos here. So beautiful and vibrant! ----- Selma at { Crazy Little World of Mine } blogs about her perfect Saturday! Reading, relaxing... sounds about right! ----- Katie at { I Go by Katie } writes about a typical day in her creative life. I just love all the time she has to creative, sew, photograph. Someday I hope my life will be so free! ----- Betsey at { Peace Love Bella Vita } shar...