Posted on 12 Comments

Redecorating, decluttering, and re-arranging

Think I need to do some dishes?

This is an image of what I have not been up to for the last week…

If you’re viewing this on my website and not through a feed reader, then you have undoubtedly noticed by now what I have been doing.

So, what’s up with the new look?

Let me give you the scoop. Polka Dot Creations is a business name that has been with me since 1996. In my mind, it has always meant “polymer clay” to me. I’ve sold the things I’ve made under that name, and I’ve sold many a book & video under that name as well.

In the past year, my focus has been shifting. I’ve found an interest in sewing, and much of what I make now is a reflection of that, whether the materials I use are exclusively fabrics, or whether the clay work I do is inspired by some piece of cloth. My blogging style, too, has changed. No longer am I limiting myself to promotional bits for the book store, or clay-related anecdotes. I now find myself posting nearly every day, and the subject matter is as varied as my everyday experiences.

The work and play of the last year has felt to me somewhat like a new creative beginning, and it has inspired my to re-think the way I present my business to the world.

I have decided that there will now be two separate entities:

  • Polka Dot Creations, the polymer clay book/video/magazine empire we all know and love
  • Polka Dot Cottage, my personal spot that contains my blog and a small shop with my art & craft work

This new Polka Dot Cottage lives at lisaclarke.net. (Please update your bookmarks, if you haven’t already) I chose the name for a few reasons:

  1. I feel so tied to the Polka Dot persona at this point, it’s not something I wanted to give up
  2. I used to run a BBS (Bulletin Board System) from my home in the days before the Internet took over as the dominant message board arena, and it was called The Polka Dot Cottage. The focus there was on domesticity, and I think that makes it an appropriate moniker for this space.

It’s Sunday night as I am going live with all of this, and I will probably continue to tinker with the settings on and off for the next week or so, making sure everything is working, and looking like I want it to. I’ve always designed my own sites, but I usually just threw them together in an afternoon. This time, I’ve spent days on it, gotten Neil involved as a sounding board (and as a CSS tutor when necessary), and basically just been a heck of a lot less half-assed than usual 😀

Please let me know if you come across anything wonky, but most of all, please just enjoy the new Polka Dot Cottage! Tomorrow I’ll be back to posting the usual stuff – that’ll be nice, won’t it? I’ve missed crafty blogging while I’ve been obsessing over web design!

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

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Posted on 12 Comments

12 thoughts on “Redecorating, decluttering, and re-arranging

  1. Really, really nice job here. I love the new look–everything looks fresh and very hip.
    I seriously don’t know how you find the time!

    See what ella has been blogging about: Hen Party

  2. @ ella:

    Staying up past midnight every night, ignoring the housework, and letting the kids spend a week on the computer is one way 😀

    Heh. I seriously need a “nose out of the laptop” week now! Thank you for the complements!

  3. Love it! It looks so nice and clean Lisa!

    See what Jen has been blogging about: It’s a BOY (shocking!)

  4. I like it Lisa. neat clean look. My only *moan* is that it isn’t centered on my browser and screen. The green width down the right size throws it off balance for me. Everything else is beautiful!

    See what Kathi has been blogging about: No, I didn’t fall off the face of the Earth

  5. Hi Lisa,

    I love the idea of separating the business and the blog. I’m in the midst of something similar with my two art lines. The layout looks clean; though I agree with Kathi that the page is left justified and not centered. I use Firefox; perhaps it is something with them?

    Anyways, great job!

    Amy

    See what Amy Crawley has been blogging about: Quotable Monday

  6. I love the new look Lisa! Very fresh and definitely makes me think of you. I will ‘third’ the off-center thing (I use IE 6) and it took a bit to load this first time. Not sure if that’s just because of the first time or not. Also, I am seeing both ‘sidebars’ on the right side. Is that right?

    On the plus side, I just love all the pics and the buttons and stuff on the outsides. It’s very cool! I especially had to laugh at the flip-flop feet one!

    See what Michele has been blogging about: Back from vacation and I am an aunt (again)!

  7. Does everyone in the world have a bigger monitor than me?? LOL! The three columns fill my whole screen, so it won’t be easy for me to test whether centering works well.

    I was advised that it wasn’t a good idea to center the content, and that most people wouldn’t have their browsers maximized anyway. Guess that might not be the case!

    Thanks for all of the feedback so far – keep it coming!

  8. @ Michele:

    Oh, RE: The flip-flops… you’ll notice each time you load the page those bottom images are different. They’re actually click-able links to those items in the shop (right image) and etsy (left image).

  9. I love the new look Lisa!…it comes up fast and is centered perfectly on my monitor…now get to them dishes ya hear!!…ha! 🙂

    See what Melanie has been blogging about: From "Fat Quarters" to "Jelly Rolls"

  10. Oh and is that a drink ring I see on the top right of your page??..love it!

    See what Melanie has been blogging about: From "Fat Quarters" to "Jelly Rolls"

  11. @ Melanie:

    Yep, it’s a “coffee” ring. Or maybe tea. It was my husband’s idea, and I love it, too!

  12. […] I did the last major upgrade to this blog in 2008. I found a WordPress theme I liked, modified it to look like I wanted it to look, and I’ve been changing the daylights out of it ever since. […]

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