weebly review

The first thing I want to say about Weebly is that it really does offer completely free web hosting. There is an available upgrade, of course, but the basic plan is free. No cash. No ads. No pop ups. No anoying Weebly banner. The site has a good reputation, too, and has been around for some time. It was listed near the top of Time Magazines 50 best websites in 07 and seems to be holding its own. I transferred my dot come to the site last night and am feeling pretty good about it. This is my URL: bijoulerie.com if you'd like to see how it came out.

Starting out on Weebly is easy. If you don't want Weebly in your URL, you can buy a dot com through the site or bring your own from wherever it is parked. Buying one from Weebly is encouraged and you will be warned that transferring an existing dot com is complicated. There is a tutorial however o the Weebly website and it is understandable. I found the process relatively easy though I did hit a snag towards the end. Even so, transferring my dot com from GoDaddy to Weebly took probably 15 minutes or less.

Making your website is painless thanks to Weebly's user friendly drag and drop widget type interface. Widgets include the usual text and picture applications as well as contact form and Google AdSense. Google AdSense allows you to sell things directly from your site but as I understand it, a huge bite is taken out of any money you make. Because I link my site directly to Etsy via Etsy Mini this doesn't effect me but for many people it would be a definite draw back. There is an advanced editing mode for anyone who wants to write there own html. but there are also around 50 different templates to choose from. You can upload your own banner as well.

My site went up in 2-3 multi-tasking hours and, aside from the other stuff I had to do, it was a fun 2-3 hours. I found nothing in the Weebly interface that was frustrating or confusing. and I'm pretty easily frustrated. I'm not sure how Weebly stacks up against other similar sites but it seems like a nice fit for me so far. I'll include updates as I progress.

new photo

Loved this thorny tree from the minute I saw it! For more of my photos please see photo page @ my new website: bijoulerie.com.

all about the color red

When I was 17 I attended a Bill Blass fashion show. Not because I did those things ordinarily but because someone who did had invited me. There was a reception before the show with champagne and huge perfect strawberries and the show itself was wonderful. We saw some truly beautiful gowns that day. The only one I remember however was red. Not just any red but a rich vivid red, truer than the strawberries at the reception, brighter than any tropical flower I could imagine. This gown trailed decadently on the floor, a long sweep of scarlet, vibrant in spotlights. If you want a man to notice you, Bill Blass said, wear red.

Red was my favorite color then. It was dramatic. It was classic. It sent a signal. And this has always been the case.

It was estimated that the first reds were taken from the earth in pre-historic times in the form of iron oxide, a mineral now called red ochre. It has been found in cave paintings discovered. Red was used in China as early as 2600 BC in the form of vermilion, a pigment found in the mineral cinnabar.

Like many dyes, red was obtained not only from minerals but from plants. The henna plant was was used, and madder. Chemical tests of red fabrics found in King Tutankhamen’s tomb show that they were dyed with alizarin, a pigment made from madder and it is likely that the use of plant based dyes goes back even farther.

Red was also taken from an insect called the cochineal and was used possibly for thousands of years in Maya and Aztec culture. Montezuma wore red and when Cortez entered Tenochtitlan he found bags of cochineal dye. The pigment was so much brighter than the insect based dye, kermes, used by the Europeans that it quickly became a coveted 'new' world export, second only to silver in value.

Contemporary reds are most commonly derived from minerals such as cadmium, iron oxide (ochre) as well as synthetics based on alizarin. Vermilion the most costly red, is no longer in wide spread use due to its toxcity.

Red is the highest arc of the rainbow, the longest wavelength of light. Feng shui recommends painting the front door of a home red to invite prosperity to the residents. Red has signified strength and courage for literally thousands of years. It appears in more flags then any other color. Indian brides wear red for luck. It is the national color of China. It is reminiscent of the red light district and illicit passion. We see red when we are angry. We receive red roses when we are loved.

People who love red are said to be adventurous, sensual, lovers of life. They can be confident, and vivacious, or impulsive and demanding but they are rarely boring. Red people are considered risk-takers, disliking rules and limitations. In fashion, red can be quirky or sexy. It is the color of lipstick, and high heels. Of Dorothy's ruby slippers. Of real rubies, and garnets. Wearing red can make a social statement almost of defiance. And when, dressed in red, a woman takes a breath and steps into any room anywhere, she knows she will be noticed.

tips on thrift store shopping

I'm not a department store shopper. Not even when there are sales or coupons or discounts for opening 22% store credit cards. I'm not crazy about outlets. In many outlets here prices aren't much better than local sale prices which is good if you're okay with paying those prices. I get things at discount stores like WalMart sometimes but usually when I get them home I find I don't really like them.

So for the last ten years I have shopped almost exclusively at thrift stores. I find nice things in the $1 to $3 range at our two best local thrift stores. There is a lot of merchandise at these stores, at least in the area where I live. It's not sorted by size and the stapled on cardboard taps usually just say the price so you have to look inside the garment for the size. It's time consuming and you have to go cover a lot of ground if you want to find something good because the percentage of nice clothes to not so nice is small.

I have developed a thrift store technique. I skip sections that are grouped in colors I'm not shopping for. After that I don't really look at the stuff. I go by fabric which means that I have to touch everything but I'm pretty fast. You can't examine each item visually and go still go through hundreds in a reasonable amount of time. So if the item is the right color and fabric is something I like (usually cotton knit or cotton blend, but also rayon and silk) I make a space in the rack and look at what feels right.

I try to keep basic styles in mind. I like v necks, for example, better than round. Long skirts over short, etc., but I will look at other things. I did better when I wore a small size because people are forever outgrowing things or dieting down to weights they can't maintain (as I was doing then). I check out the tag next. I look for size, and label. I like labels from stores like Old Navy, some designers, and unfamiliar labels are okay too, if I like the item.

Usually I have to go through large amounts of clothes to find a few items I want to buy. I pretty much ignore the colored tag sales but I do shop on discount days when I can get there early. Thrift store shopping isn't necessarily a quick trip for me but I love finding treasures buried among the cast-offs and I honestly never tire of buying a nice piece of clothing for a couple of dollars.

vintage boho travel trailers

Circa 1950s Nomad Travel Trailer

Check out velvetwood's blog on vintage boho travel trailers! There are a lot of great pics and inspirations. Make me wish I still had my little Nomad. Although I have to say honestly that it was pretty nice as it was. 1964 was a good year for travel trailers especially the Nomad which had the same shape as the fifties version but with bigger windows and warm wood paneling and a nice big booth in the front. Anyway check out the boho trailer blog and let velvetwood's know which trailer you'd pic!

lost building: autumn 2009

the princess dress

I don't know if it was Nancy who called it the princess dress first or me, but that was what my best friend and I said as we passed the dress back and forth in the early 1980s.

The dress wasn't an elaborate dress but it was so far off jeans and tee shirts that it seemed impressive Made surprisingly of spandex, it was a heavy double knit with the kind of weight that swings and drapes just the way you want it too. The color was plum edging toward purple. And it had star dust (kind of AB glimmer).

Cut long with a round scoop neck, it was simple enough to be almost a very nice Danskin. It reminded me of ballet dancers and Audry Hepburn. A great dress. Not that we wore it a lot. It always seemed a couple notches above any occasion.

Taking a break just now from blogging, I pull the princess dress out of the very back of the closet. It is still a special occasion dress. Still glimmery. Still silky. Nostalgic yet at the same time something I might actually wear now that my life has opened up a little. And because the dress is magic, it still fits.