Website Tips

Embroidery Designs

2011-11-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Embroidery designs are good for decorating and personalizing different items, whether it be for bags or gifts or anything else. Embroidery patterns are formed by doing many embroidery stitches (which means one or more stitches that are always executed in the same way to form a figure of recognizable look), either all the same or different ones, either following a counting chart on paper, following a design painted on the fabric, or even working freehand.

I'm going to give a list of some web sites that offer embroidery designs that you can take a look at so you can get started on personalizing whatever it is you want to make.

Take a look at some of those websites. Some of them are even free, of easy to copy. So look around and see what you like and what you can personalize. With the holidays right around the corner, this would be a nice and inexpensive way to personalize something for a loved one.

Applique Designs

2011-11-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

An applique is a small ornament or device applied to another surface. For example, with ceramics, an applique is a separate piece of clay that is added to the primary work, usually for decoration. In the context of sewing, it refers to needlework technique where pieces of fabric or embroidery are sewn into another piece of fabric to create designs, patterns, or pictures.

There are a few different types of applique that you can apply when it comes to sewing. There is the straight stitch, which is usually just 2-3mm from the edge. The satin stitch overlaps the edge. It's a patch that can be glued or straight stitched on first to ensure positional stability and a neat edge. There is also the reverse applique where several layers of material are stitched together, parts of the upper layers are cut away, and the edges are stitched down. The largest cuts are made in the top layer.

Now that you have a good idea of what exactly appliques are and how to use them, I'm going to give you a short list of some websites you can check out to find some appliques or places that you can go that will apply them for you.

Check out some of those websites for a few good ideas about what you can do with appliques. Then you can be creative and make all sorts of different things for anybody you want.

Wedding Cake Designs

2011-11-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

Wedding cake is the traditional cake that is served to guests at wedding receptions after a wedding takes place. It modern Western culture, it's usually a large, multi-layered or tiered cake that is heavily decorated with icing, usually over a layer of marzipan or fondant. Achieving a dense but strong cake that can support the decorations and still remain edible is what can be considered the epitome of the baker's art and skill.

The wedding cake is a tradition that began back in the Roman Empire. Back then, it was a loaf of bread that the groom broke over the bride's head as a symbol of his dominance in the marriage and over her. The color of the cake is typically white, to symbolize purity (just like the white wedding dresses that the brides wear). The action of the bride and groom cutting the wedding cake is meant to symbolize their first joint task in married life. The gesture of feeding the cake to one another is a symbol of the commitment the bride and groom are making. Following, I will give you some websites that you can visit to check out different cake designs.

There are a few websites for you to take a gander at. There are some really pretty designs to check out and see what you like the most and go from there.

Stencil Designs

2011-11-14T14:22:00.000-08:00

Stencil patterns look beautiful almost anywhere - walls, furniture, cabinets, anything - but they're not always easy to find. If you can't find stencils that match your decor, you can make your own. You just need some time, materials, and instructions on how to make those stencils. It's pretty easy to do.

What you'll need is a craft knife, thick and transparent plastic sheets (like report covers), a fine-point permanent marker, colored markers, a pattern to trace if you don't want to draw your stencil free-hand, and a scrap board to cut your stencil out on.

To make stencils, just look at the step-by-step process that follows. If you don't want to draw your own pattern, then you'll need to find one to trace. Try to find one that has disconnected parts because that will make it easier to trace.

Once you've found the pattern you want, trace it onto a clear piece of plastic. Use the fine-point permanent marker to trace the pattern. Take your time so it will be accurate.

After tracing, color in your stencil with the colors you plan on using with the stencil. It helps you to see if you like the stencil and the colors you plan to use.

Then cut the stencil out with a craft knife, making sure to put a scrap board underneath the stencil to keep from scratching any surfaces. Go slow and be very careful. If you accidentally cut somewhere you shouldn't, just use tape or glue to mend that spot.

It's that easy. You don't have to be a professional or an artist. You just need to find the perfect pattern you're looking for and copy it onto plastic, cut it out, and you're good to go.

Glass Painting Designs

2011-11-11T10:26:00.000-08:00

Painting on glass is becoming one of the most popular trends in crafting. Whether you want to add a stained glass look to a window or create a set of hand-painted glasses for your table top, there are many ideas and inspiration you can get to create your next glass painting project.

There is no such color as "glass." It's influenced by what's around it. There is no single color or paint that could be labelled transparent glass. To turn glass into a painting, you don't first paint the glass itself and then what's in it. You want to create an illusion.

A good resource website that can teach you how to begin painting glass is glasspainting. That website gives tips on what supplies to buy, offers projects and designs, and even what kind of paint to use on which.

There are so many products out there not that are available for painting on glass. It's difficult to figure out which products to use. The most important factors to make this decision are the color range, transparency, permanence, price and simplicity of application. First thing you need to do is select an appealing piece of glass - then the appropriate paint depending on your desired effects.

Most paint lines have a nice color range to choose from, but not all colors appear the same once they're applied to the glass. A true color chart, painted on a sample piece, is very helpful in selecting a color scheme. Glass paints can be found in opaque and transparent colors. If your desired result is a painted effect, the opaque colors are solid so light does not pass through. If you want a look of true colored glass, then transparent colors offer intense pigments which allow the light to pass through.

Adhesion and durability are important for permanence. Items must be painted with paints that withstand frequent dishwashing (if it's for wineglasses, plates, etc.) and microwave use. Paints that have been baked are more durable. If it's for decorative use only, then air dry paint will work fine.

Glass paints vary in price. There is very little paint that is used on each piece because glass is a non-porous surface and so it takes very minimal amounts of paint to color. All paints will last quite a long time and allow for painting many pieces. They are a good value for your money.

Applying is simple. Apply paints with a brush to obtain desired floral pattern or geometric design. Simply place a paper patter on the inside of the glass and paint the outside. There are stencils and transfers available to make application even easier. simply place the stencil on the glass and apply color with a sponge. Now, there are even glass paint markers available to make it even easier. These are great for detail work, writing, and quick projects and are especially nice for beginners and children.

Use some of these tips to start your glass painting ideas today and bring them to life. You can even go to the link above to get even more information about what you can do to achieve the look or design that you're aiming for.

Face Painting Designs

2011-11-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Face painting designs are a fun and artistic way to express your talents. People of all ages get their faces painted at all different events.

A really great resource for general information about this topic can be found here. It's a wonderful website where they have links so you can get information about how to begin face painting. They even have face paint designs, training, a forum, and further links to help you out.

Face painting is a fun and relaxing way to spend time with your children (or your friends if they're anything like me and my friends). This is a beneficial way to contribute to school functions and fundraisers, too.

You really don't even have to be naturally artistic or have a creative bone in your body, but you do need to have the right supplies. It needs to be special paint because it's going on skin - mostly on children - so you don't want to just get random paint. There are some companies that have paint specifically for face painting, that have been tested for safety. They come in an array of colors and can be purchased singularly or sets containing a number of colors.

You also need to get brushes and sponges. These need to be good-quality brushes since they will be used, again, on people's skin. You want them to have a synthetic bristle that's soft enough for faces. Usually just three or four brushes is a good start. You'll want a small, fine-pointed brush for detailed work, a medium softer-pointed brush for bolder strokes, and a larger brush for filling in the big areas. As you progress, you'll need more specialized brushes. To cover large areas of the face, you'll want to use a sponge to give a smooth effect with the face paint, but make sure they are made for face painting. Don't be afraid to cut up the sponges - you not only save money but you can use the edges to produce lines and clean edges for the design.

Now, how do you work with face paint? Face paints are water-based so all you need is lots of water for dipping your sponges and brushes into. You can change the shading or intensity of the colors by adjusting how much water you mix with the colors.

To remove face paint is fairly easy, sing it's water-based paint. Just use soap and water, or even baby wipes, to clean the slate and start over.

Some popular designs that kids use often include full-face paintings (like Spiderman, or a tiger), butterflies, flowers, and more. So play around a little bit. Call your child or best friend in for some practice and see what you can come up with. It should be fun and once you get the hang of it, easy to do. You'll be hired to work at carnivals in no time!

Pakistani Mehndi Designs

2011-11-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

Pakistani mehndi designs are quite similar to Arabic and Bridal mehndi designs. They all use henna to be put onto your skin. They all are very typically used on your limbs only.

But Pakistani mehndi is the most detailed and intricate, and even the most time-consuming and exhausting design to produce for the artist doing the work. It's known for its details and fine fill-ins. These designs are famous for being modeled by dhulanain (Pakistani brides), and close female family members, as well as friends.

The crazy for these designs is no longer just for Pakistani women and girls. Although it is part of their latest fashion, these designs are very popular all over the world.

Like most other henna designs today, Pakistani mehndi designs are used as an art form on women's limbs to celebrate different things. It is done for certain occasions, like religious holidays and celebrations, and above all, it is most importantly used for weddings. The most intricate designs are those done on brides to celebrate the momentous occasion.

Name Tattoo Designs

2011-11-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

People get tattoos for any number of different reasons. Sometimes it represents something, sometimes it's something that looks pretty or cool, sometimes it's because somebody made a last minute judgment call.

Name tattoos are no different. Many people get the names of their spouse/significant other tattooed on them. Some of those people later come to regret it. But this is done to symbolize their love for the other person and they want the ink on their skin to last forever, just like they hope their love with their significant other never dies.

People sometimes do it for their parents or children, as a way of always being with them. I actually have a tattoo of angel wings with my dad's initials. He passed away a few years ago, and that was my way of keeping him with me all of the time and showing to the world my love for him.

It's similar with other people's parents and grandparents. People will get tattoos of their children's names, as well, for a similar reason. God willing, it's not because the child passed away, but sometimes, that is the case. But other times it's simply to represent what is important to the parent - their children. When you have a child, you realize that they become the most important part of your life and sometimes getting a tattoo as a memento is a way to remind yourself of that (especially for those times when your kids are driving you crazy).

So it's very common to get designs that represent things. Some people do it in ways of having characters (usually Chinese) tattooed on them that just say "mother" or "daughter" or both. Some people get the footprint(s) of their babies put on them. Others put graphics on themselves that represent something that reminds them of their child (like a Willow tree if their child is named Willow, or Daisy for Daisy, etc.). Some even have their children write their names or make a drawing, and they get that drawing or name tattooed on them, because it was a creation of their child.

There are so many different ways to tattoo something or someone important to you. Name tattoos show exclusively who the people are that mean the most to you because you've made them a permanent part of your life. So whether you do this with creative pictures, characters, and just lettering, you can represent that person that you never want to forget.

Butterfly Tattoo Designs

2011-11-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

The life of a butterfly is made up of three different stages. It starts as an egg, then larva, pupa, and adult. They come in different shapes and size, with endless colors and patterns. When flying, they have distinct fluttery movements. The larvae can be destructive to plants because they ingest a lot of vegetation and foliage, but adult butterflies are very important because they pollinate many flowers and plants through their natural feeding. A variety of flowers have even evolved to be attractive to butterflies, whether through colors, shapes, or scents. Butterflies fly distinctively, unlike other insects, drifting from flower to flower.

They tend to have a short life span and are quite fragile and delicate. They're popular in arts and culture around the world, but have a range of symbolism. In some countries they are seen as fickle, unfaithful, or inconsistent. In other cultures they represent change and metamorphosis in a positive way. In others, they are a symbol for young girls becoming women because the change from caterpillar to butterfly is a peaceful, calm, and graceful transition. In some cultures, like China, two butterflies represent marital bliss and conjugal happiness.

In other societies, butterflies are believed to be souls of the deceased fluttering to heaven. They believe the caterpillar died in the cocoon and regenerated into a butterfly. They are also known to be superficial and shallow creatures. They go from flower to flower, focusing on only the most beautiful or sweetest smelling.

Butterflies are found in many arts, including tattooing, and usually represent femininity because of their beauty, delicate nature, and life-changing transformation. Often times, women get a butterfly tattoo as they graduate high school or college to represent them going from childhood to adult life. Similarly, women who have gone through difficult illnesses or surgeries get butterfly tattoos to mark a time of revival, as butterflies are a symbol for renewal and rebirth. Either way, they are beginning life a second time and this life will be more beautiful than the last.

Lastly, butterflies can represent ugly ducklings. They begin as unattractive caterpillars (or ducklings), and become beautiful and admirable butterflies (or swans). Sometimes people who experienced bullying or teasing because of their physical appearance as children, embrace this symbolism when they realize they have transformed into something more beautiful and graceful.

For most people, getting a tattoo is usually symbolic of something. Whether it's a transformation (life with butterflies), or just representing something that they love to do or something they believe in (like getting music notes because music is their passion, or a cross because they believe in God). Butterflies are no different. People may even get them just because they think their pretty. But there are many different symbols that these butterflies can represent.

Henna Designs

2011-10-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

Henna has a very long history with centuries of migration and cultural interaction. Traditions began in different cultures over the past 5000 years and it's become a part of our modern history, as well. Henna was originally used in ancient Egypt to stain the fingers and toes of the Pharaohs prior to mummification.

The most common known use is with henna tattooing in the Indian culture as a ceremonial art form for wedding ceremonies. It's also known for it's natural healing properties for health problems like headaches, liver disorders, skin diseases, and more.

The art form differs from region to region. Arabic designs tend to be more floral in patterns while Indian designs are made of a delicate blending of find lines by creating a striking pattern which covers a large area of the skin, like the hands and feet. Africans and Native/South American Indians have used henna tattooing in a larger geometric design instead of the the more often seen delicate designs of India.

Henna today is used for numerous occasions and by many different cultures for art expression. Some people wear a traditional Indian design and others use this tattooing as a replacement for a modern tattoo design. They are a great way to express ones individuality without the pain and permanency of an actual tattoo.

Henna can also be used as hair dye, which is a safe and natural way to change your hair color instead of the typical chemical hair dyes. It's safe and gentle on your skin and hair, which makes it a great alternative to the abusive chemicals hair dyes use at salons or at your local retailers. You can use it while you're pregnant because it is made from vegetable dyes rather than chemical dyes and does not contain bio-available lead acetate, which can be harmful to the fetus' nervous system and brain.

In the past, henna was also used to dye the manes and hooves of horses and to color wool, silk, and animal skins; even men's beards.

As you can see, henna has been around for a very long time and has had many uses throughout the generations. Today, the primary use is for body art and hair dye. It is a beautiful way of expression and can be a work of art when it is complete.

Bridal Mehndi Designs

2011-10-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's blog, I discussed Arabic Mehndi designs and touched slightly on the topic of Bridal Mehndi designs. Today, I'm going to delve a littler further into the topic and show you some examples of how much more intricate the bridal designs are from regular Mehndi designs.

These designs play a very important role in Indian Marriages. The bride's limbs are decorated with Mehndi to make her look special for the marriage. Marriages are the occasions that consist of many ceremonies and rituals, which Mehndi is an essential part of. The deeper the Mehndi color, the more likely it is that the love between the bride and her husband will last.

As with regular Mehndi, bridal Mehndi is also used as a symbol for luck. Brides get this art done so they will have years of a happy marriage.

The art and beauty of getting Mehndi designs done for a bride on her wedding day is very individual and unique. It represents beauty, and luck, and a lifetime of love to come.

Arabic Mehndi Designs

2011-10-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

When creating a website based on Arabic Mehndi designs, you want to be sure and post as much information as possible about what exactly it, along with photos and descriptions of what these designs look like. Here, I will give you some examples you may use, but be sure to look around online or in books and see what other information you can find in regards to this topic.

Arabic Mehndi designs are created by using henna, which many people have heard of. Henna is a plant that is used to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather, and wool. It's also, of course, used for the art of temporary tattooing. This plant is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and southern Asia. It is usually cultivated in may countries around the world, including Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, and others. Currently, the Pali district of Rajasthan is the mostly heavily cultivated henna production area in India, with over 100 henna processors operating.

As body art (this is where the Arabic Mehndi designs come in by using henna), it is used for a number of different occasions. It is used to adorn young women's bodies as part of social and holiday celebrations, like marriage, births, battle victories, and birthdays. When there was a joyous occasion, there was henna. It was regarded as having "Barakah," which means blessings, so it was applied for luck, as well as joy and beauty. Brides usually have the most complex patterns to support their greatest joy and wishes for luck.

These "tattoos" don't even start to fade until about two weeks after they are applied to the body, so although they are temporary, they last for quite a while.

These designs are typically put on hands (front and back), as well as arms, and feet. With all of the different designs, it requires a lot of detail and a lot of artistic talent to be able to draw these amazing designs on other people.

Look into this a little bit further if you're intending on creating a website about it. This is just minimal information and pictures of beautiful examples of Arabic Mehndi designs that I wanted to share with you. This can be fun. Maybe you can even have this design done to yourself at some point and post pictures on your own personal website for viewers to see. Then you can have the full experience and be able to share it with everyone that visits your website.

Website Marketing Strategies

2011-10-20T14:43:00.000-07:00

I know it can be a bit of a process to get your website up and running. Once you have it all set up though, you want to make sure to market it well so you will have people visiting and accessing that website.

One of the most important, and probably least expensive, strategies is to rank high for your preferred keywords on the main search engines in natural searches (instead of being a paid advertisement). So what we need to do is prepare your webpage for optimal indexing. You don't want to "trick" the search engine, but you want to leave them clues as to what your page is about. This is where SEO (or search engine optimization) comes into play.

So to get you ranked higher on those search engines, start by writing a keyword-rich page title. For each page on your website, make the title descriptive, using 5-8 words and remove as many filler words (the, a, and, etc) as possible. On your home page, use keywords that represent what you do, not just your company name. For example, if you specialize in fashion jewelry, don't just use your company name "Maggie's Jewels," but use the words "Maggie's Jewels - Fashion Jewelry Professional." People are going to do searches for fashion jewelry but not for Maggie.

Next, you want to position your keywords in the first paragraph of your body text. Here, more is not better. You don't want to have your keyword in there a hundred times taking over the body of the text, but have it involved in there, just don't overdo it.

Make your navigation system search engine friendly. Javascript and Flash menus don't work well in search engine perspective. Use regular HTML links at the bottom of the page. Try to keep your URLs short. Search engines have trouble seeping through them and may stop before they get the whole thing.

Create a site map with links to all of your pages. This not only helps search engines find your pages, it also helps visitors navigate a little easier. Develop webpages focused on each of your targeted keywords. Develop several pages on your website, and focus each on on a particular target keyword or phrase for which you would like a higher ranking.

Once you have the website up for optimal SEO, you want promote your webpage and your business. Many people today search for local businesses on the internet and you want to make sure they find you on it. So on every webpage of your site, include your street address, zip code, phone number, and some local community places that your business serves. You and those businesses could even exchange links so you would be promoted on their site as well.

You also want to promote any videos, photos, or audio files that are appropriate to your business. If you have a high-traffic video on YouTube that is connected to your website, you would then generate a lot of traffic to your website.

Along with that, become part of a social media website. Whether it's Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, whatever, join one. Create a profile, and on that profile, you can put a link that goes directly to your webpage. Your goal with the social media page is that people will share your information and link themselves to you. If you do get a page with a social media website, make sure that you listen more than you post. You want the people making comments to feel like they are being heard and that you're taking a genuine interest in them. So make your page about the consumer and what you can do for them. And be sure to respond to their comments, accepting negative feedback as well as positive. You can learn from the negative feedback.

These are just a few ideas of some marketing strategies that could help you with you website and getting people to actually look at it. There is plenty of advice out there on more ways to be heard, so look further into it, if you would like to learn more.

Viral Website Marketing

2011-10-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Viral marketing is a good way to get your company or business known. It is word-of-mouth marketing, rather than using an insane amount of money on newspapers or TV commercials. You spend nothing, or at least almost nothing, and you let your fans do the work. So how is it done? There are a few primary tricks that you can use to get your name out there without spending bookoos of money.

First off, make people feel something. Create a strong emotion, have an opinion, or express an idea. You want people to be filled with an emotion (whether it's love, hate, happy, angry, smart, dumb, whatever) - you want to get them excited and have their blood pumping. Don't be neutral to try and please everyone, target several groups by getting emotional.

Another trick is to do something unexpected. If you want people to notice you or your company, do something different. Don't try to promote your products as being "great" because everybody's doing that. Do something adventurous that will make you stand out. And above all, don't be a copy cat. If it's been done before, then think of something else that could work.

Don't try to make advertisements that don't work. Don't just promote your product by showing how good it is and giving it center stage. Don't make it about you or your product, nobody cares about you (no offense). You have make a good story for the consumers. That way, even if you replace the product in the story with a different product, the story is STILL a good story.

Once people have seen your campaign, you have to act. Many companies, once they have people's attention, they just sit back and let the work do itself. You need to ACT. Once you have their attention, you want to keep it, give them more. It can be another story, a behind-the-scenes look at your company, a blog, extra materials, just something to keep them hooked and always looking for more on your company.

You must also allow sharing, downloading, and embedding. Sharing is what viral marketing is all about. You want people to be passing along your information to their friends. Everything you do to make that easier improves your campaign. Allow people to download content, like videos or pictures. Allow them to be able to easily embed that information onto their own websites. Allow them to share a link or content so they can send it to friends. Allow your content to be published on other social networks, like YouTube. Just allow the people that are actually interested in your company to share that interest with others because that will build MORE interest in your company.

Connect with the people that are interested with comments. You have to accept the good, and the bad comments. This means that you pulled of the first trick (of getting them emotional) because they are either praising or demolishing your information, but you got their attention. Don't allow them to have a fight with one another, but allow opinions and comments from both sides. Most importantly, comment back. This shows that you're connecting with them and participating, and paying attention to what it is they're saying.

Lastly, don't restrict access. The point of viral marketing is that it, well... spreads like a virus. To do that, it needs to be free and not limit people. Don't require them to register, become members, download special software, unlock certain codes, or something extra to get the right link. Make it easy for anybody and everybody to access that information. In this case, the more the merrier.

Those are a few little tricks that will help you get some "viral" activity moving on your website. So do something a little crazy and a little out there, make people feel emotions because of what you're posting, and make sure everyone is capable of seeing your website or webpage so the virus can spread.

How to Cite a Website

2011-10-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

To cite a website, it really depends on what form of citation you are using. The two I will be referencing are MLA and APA formats.

For MLA format, to cite a website, it would look like this:

Name of website. Editor(s) of website. Date of electronic publication. Associated institution. Date of access <URL>.
Example:
BBC on the Internet. 2005. British Broadcasting Company. 12 Apr. 2005 <http://www.bbc.com>.

If you are citing a specific article from the website, the only thing added in would be an author and the name of the article:

Author(s) of internet article. "Name of internet article." Name of website. Editor(s) of website. Date of electronic publication. Associated institution. Date of access <URL>.
Example:
Smith, Fred. "New Football Recruits." Northwestern Football. Ed. Alex Shokey. 2004. Northwestern University. 6 Jun. 2004 <http://www.football.northwestern.edu/recruits>.

Now to cite your website in APA format, you'll need similar information but written differently.

Author, A. (Date published). Article name. Name of website. Date retrieved, from URL.
Example:
Iguchi, L. (2003, February 3). Japan warfare. History of Japan. Retrieved March 11, 2004, from http://book.edu/japan

So that's the basic format to cite websites in both MLA and APA formats. Basically the information you need for both are the website names, publication date, date that you accessed that website, and the URL. Those are the main requirements for both. Some add-ons are good to have but not always necessary.