Why I'm not Crafty / Crafty Special

People tend to assume I'm crafty. It makes sense. The evidence is all there:

1. Most of my friends are crafty.

BFF and major-league knitster Vickie Howell taught me to knit while I was in nesting mode with my second son. She has written 4 books and everything! I get inspired occasionally and pull out the needles, but I rarely finish anything, and tend to stick to very small things, like washcloths.

I also am lucky to count among my friends Rachel of Average Jane Crafter. She is living the dream of a life filled with all things crafty, and her excitement is contagious! But not her craftiness, at least not to me. I love what she does, but can't bring myself to do any of it. Boo, me.

Then there is the amazing Kathie Sever of Ramonsterwear (also my very first client, thanks Kathie!) who always seems to have a zillion projects, teaches sewing classes, is an embroidery genius - I could go on and on.

And the famous (infamous?) Kayci of Moxie and the Compound (also my very second client!). Not only does she sell the very coolest stuff by Austin designers in her shop, she is also always whipping up the cutest shirts, bags, clothes, whatever, for sale or just for her friends.

And there are literally a dozen others.

2. My mom is crafty.

When I was a kid, my mom taught me to sew, embroider, latch hook, loom, weave, and more, and we were always baking up shrinky dinks or creating something or other. She was even my Blue Bird troop leader and PTA president. How much more crafty can you get, I ask you?? I feel like I have failed her as a daughter in that I just don't have the patience to make anything but a sandwich.

3. My SON is crafty!

To add insult to injury, my 8 year old son can create anything from anything. He is the king of taking a box and paper clips and creating a star cruiser. I drive him crazy when I don't see the potential in a pile of buttons and some duct tape.

I want to be crafty, too!
But my brain just is not wired that way. I don't have the patience to work on something for hours and hours before I know if I will like the result. I think to be crafty, you have to LOVE the process. I am creative, I have always been one to draw and doodle and have lots of ideas. I just need more instant gratification.

You would think someone who can't sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time would be ill-suited to web design, which honestly requires a LOT of time at the computer. But somehow it seems to be a perfect fit. I get the satisfaction of creating something, playing with color and composition, and then having it out there for the world to see. Plus I probably have a bit of my engineer father in me, whose job was to create things (like missiles and space shuttle tiles and stuff), but not so much with his hands.

In Honor of the Truly Crafty- A SPECIAL OFFER!
In order to live vicariously through those who have the patience and love of process needed to be "crafty" - I'm offering 10% off through July 14th (because I have a fondness for Bastille Day?) for new crafty web sites. Want to sell your awesome purses made from cereal boxes? Show off your jewelry featuring items from your bottle cap collection? I love to work with crafty people, so email me, mention this post, and let's chat! If you decide to move forward by July 14th, you will save 10%!

More New Sites and Mascot, too!

I am actually posting! Miracle!

I have two new sites that I am excited to add to my portfolio. And could they be more different? I think not!

Abi Tapia - Singer/Songwriter

Abi Tapia is a local singer/songwriter who was about to release a new album and needed a new site to match. She sent me lots of great photos to work with, and after a few tries, we ended up with this colorful "birds on a fence" number. I like it because it looks clean and bright but still interesting. I also did the blog on this one. Hope she uses it more than I do mine. ;-)

Cathy Heyman

Cathy's instructions were olive green, orange, and bamboo. And voila! I think it looks very unique and sophisticated, without being too "fun" for a nice, responsible professional counselor.

And in other non-web-site related news . . .

My kids have been begging me for a dog for years. I was hesitant to take on the responsibility of a drooling, pooping companion again since my kids were finally out of diapers. But, as always, they won.

Meet Daisy, new unofficial mascot of Websy Daisy:

We got her from the Houston Beagle Rescue, a really wonderful group of people who take in and foster, train, heal, and find good homes for abandoned beagles. They were so crucial in helping us find just the perfect dog for us. Daisy is dreamy and we all just love her to pieces. Well, the cat has gone from HATING her to sort of tolerating her, which is a step in the right direction, right?

AND finally, my new goal . . .
To be a good example to my dear clients and post to the blog at least twice a week. If you can help a sister out with a little motivation, add a comment, tell a friend, add me to your feed reader. If I have any idea that anyone is reading, I will be more likely to actually remember I HAVE a blog.

Miss me?

I always preach to people that they need to keep up with their blog. And then I let mine languish. Just do as I say people!

What can I say, it has been a crazy couple of months. I have been doing lots of web sites, and it is a good thing since I got laid off from my regular day job a few weeks ago. (I don't take it personally, they let everyone go.) So rather than buy new clothes and stick the kids in day care so I can work for yet another "Man", I am going to be Madame Websy Daisy full time! YAY! Yikes. So tell your friends.

Speaking of web sites, here are just a few I have done recently:

Wordpress blog for Rock and Roll Mama.

I am becoming a big Wordpress fan. There are some design challenges and limitations, but they are also pretty freaking awesome. I just learned about their e-commerce add-on too which looks really great.

Vivid Design Group

It's always fun when I get to do a site with lots of color and patterns. And I like the scrollbar effect.

4t5 dogs

Coolest site ever. I want to get a dog just so I can buy one of these shirts.

I am working on sites for an Austin singer/songwriter, a Thai food chef, a company that makes organic skincare products, an image consultant, a therapist, a doodle artist, and a local vintage store. If variety is the spice of life, I may need a glass of milk, pronto!