Kari & Co.

Welcome Generation Flirt - Flirty Intimates and Apparel For Women

2012-01-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

Got curves, ladies? Show them off with Generation Flirt intimates and tees!

We have had a wonderful experience with Sibelle - and are so glad they hired us to be their Volusion Designer – Welcome to the internet... Generation Flirt clothing! For ladies t-shirts, tanks, and super-cute undergarments for ladies - this is the place to go. Look out, Victoria's Secret!

Visit The Website - Find Them On Facebook

Sibelle and Josue started in their garage researching the perfect 'feeling' fabrics and even taking sewing classes – they learned all about what makes good quality clothing and what it takes in the clothing industry to be successful.

Generation Flirt has come a long way! For GF, hard work and a labor of love has taken them to a large warehouse where all the products are now made - and we're pleased to announce - a brand new online store. (one of the PRETTIEST website designs we've done to date!)

Generation Flirt clothing is for the flirty, fun and free spirit. Not only does Generation Flirt have great form-fitting sexy tees that show off your curves but there are three types you can choose from – Baby T-shirts, Cami’s and the S woop low neck t-shirt. The tees appear to be cut longer than typical - which is an asset that many women LOVE in a soft-sexy-tee!

The Generation Flirt panties come is Sassy Chic, Playful Chic and Flirty Comfort.

Visit Generation Flirt for some great clothes for the curves you have and want to show off! Thanks to Sibelle and Josue for their business, and Good Luck!

LipoGarments - Clothes To Help You Heal From Surgery

2012-01-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

What exactly is a Lipo Garment? We found out as we began the journey of doing a new e-commerce design for Lipo Garment’s new website with owner, Wendy - and we got to do their new logo design, too.

Lipo Garments products are designed to physically compress a specific area of the body, to resolve pain and keep things 'in place', if you will - during recovery from cosmetic or reconstructive surgery garments such as – c-sections, breast augmentations, breast reductions or liposuction.

These innovative compression garments are made from light weight, stretchy and latex free fabric to assist in effective compression.

The facial compression garment provides compression and support to surgical areas after procedures such as face lift, chin lift, neck lift or any surgeries involving the chin or neck area.

If you have had a recent c-section or having one, we would recommend the Abdominal Binder. Believe us when we say this, you must have this! This abdominal compression binder is a 3 panel, 9” high abdominal binder that is flannel lined. No panel rolling and is available in white. This abdominal compression binder can assist in supporting after tummy tucks, post hernia surgery, c-sections, abdominal strains and so much more!

LipoGarments.com sells their products on the popular Volusion platform. We are pleased to have assisted in the Volusion store design of such a useful and helpful product. Good luck LipoGarments!

New E-Commerce Store Design - ModStraps.com

2011-12-14T04:50:00.000-08:00

We're excited to have helped mod. (a very modern designer camera accessory store) move their website to an e-commerce platform by integrating their look into a Volusion store design.

mod. sells hip camera straps, drop-in camera bags, and the best accessory ever for a camera owner - a camera lens cover cap saver - and I must say - these straps are the best made, and the bags and especially the cap savers - are the handiest things ever made for anyone using a SLR camera or digital SLR or SLR style camera. And now, they have fun and fresh camera accessories for compact cameras as well.

All of the mod. products make a great gift for photographer this holiday!

Park Place Dealerships Launches Company Blog

2011-11-22T05:32:00.001-08:00

Park Place Dealerships announced the launch of its automotive blog, referred to as "The Expert Blog" following the lead of the company tagline, “Experts in Excellence”.

The blog is designed to provide weekly tips, photos, videos and news/articles on Park Place luxury automotive brands, location news, new and used car sales and service research, as well as local community and event stories. Content will be developed from Park Place members who are truly experts in their respective positions within the dealership. The Expert Blog will provide a platform where members and clients can share and interact with the contributed content.

The blog design makes efficient use of advanced drop down navigation, and interactive and social media widgets designed and developed by a partnership between us, and Lee Chestnutt of Design Chemical. Developed on the popular WordPress blog platform - social media widgets will help make the content more interactive and shareable. We had a vision for a ultra-beautiful and highly-usable blog, and the dynamic WordPress mega menus conceptualized by us, and brought to fruition by Lee - are a huge part of what takes this blog 'over the top'. Thank you Lee!!

Over the last several months, Park Place has made a large effort in increasing exposure across social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, and Pinterest. The addition of the blog will make relevant and interesting company and brand news easily accessible to readers. This social media initiative is expected to continue as the company realizes the increasing need for social media interactions and exposure for clients and members. To view the Park Place “Expert Blog” please visit http://blog.parkplace.com.

Saving Taxpayer Money - Lightening The Load On Jail Cells

2011-09-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Pretty cool concept - new site launch this last week - E-Cell - is an offender home monitoring system. What's great about E-Cell - is that they charge the offender for the convenience of being monitored at home. So the costs to Taxpayers and court systems are extremely minimal - if any - and suffering from jail overcrowding declines.

These guys have a state-of-the art call center and the best equipment available (as far as technology) - they provide 24 hour GPS monitoring for non-violent offenders who meet eligibility requirements - and complete documentation for the court system.

And - what's more - is that E-Cell needs sales representatives interested in having their own business. They're offering a business opportunity for great sales people to have their own, protected area to service court, attorneys and offenders nationwide to sell and service the E-Cell system (both the devices and monitoring services).

For more information on the system itself, or the business opportunity in your area, visit their website at www.e-cell.com for more information.

Fall is Officially HERE - Vintage Couture Launch

2011-09-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well fall is officially here with the launch of the newly-re-branded Vintage Couture, Inc. website. With some of the most beautiful and creative vintage-inspired clothing designs for kids (and now, ladies too!) - Vintage Couture offers very well-made high-end designer apparel.

This year, they've launched a new look with their website design that speaks more to their 'brand' and not so much the season.

Moving forward, look for eye-catching graphics on the homepage, and Fashion Stylists' sites to show off the lines from season to season.

As most of you are probably aware, Vintage Couture offers more than just the super cute apparel. They are also the exclusive manufacturer of Trista Sutter's apparel line as well. In addition - they offer exceptional business opportunities as an independent Fashion Stylist - offering direct sales of the product at in-home trunk shows for hostesses. It's just one more way that Vintage Couture is truly an exclusive apparel line - you can't get it in the store.

Preparing For The COMPUTER Crash

2011-08-23T05:40:00.001-07:00

In my case, it was my motherboard. GONE. Working along, tap tap tapping on the keyboard at 200 miles an hour - and BOOM. Screen goes out. Everything else appears to be working, but the screen is a gonner. Tried rebooting, never came back on. Plugged in another monitor, no bueno. Grabbed the whole get-up and ran up to Geek Squad, who informed my my machine had a motherboard who wasn't feeling quite as motherly as she once had.

So it was 'time'. I got a newer, bigger, faster (DESKTOP this time so I will stay in my office!) and began the process of computer file recovery. Which brings me too - to our newest site launch as well. Funny it all happened together.

During the process of all of this - I found the following things VERY useful. And they will be something I do - ALWAYS - from now on:

1/ Have a large external hard drive READY! and back it up on your own when you can - I have a 1.5 TB Western Digital External Hard Drive.

2/SIGN UP and USE Firefox Sync. If you are not using Firefox, please do so at this time. Then, sign up for Firefox Sync - this will remember your settings, passwords, visited sites - it's a beautiful thing. Simply sign in and it will 'repopulate' your old get-up!

3/ Save your fonts, brushes and shapes, extensions - If you use Photoshop or another design program - don't lose all you've built up. Downloading, extracting and installing these things takes forever - and especially if you've paid for them!

And finally...

4/ Save your Outlook PST file from time to time. One thing you can recover is your Outlook file. It will get you (PRETTY) close to where you were.

So - without further adieu -

WELCOME TO THE WEB - Blueline Network Solutions! They sell desktops for personal and business use, servers, network security solutions and more. I really like that they have high performance gaming desktops (for those of us who truly relish a little WOW from time to time.) as well as services - like remote backup and data storage and remote IT support.

Honda of Burleson Celebrates Grand Opening

2011-07-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

(Left-Right) Honda of Burleson Co-Owner and General Manager Henry Coffeen, the Honorable Mayor Shetter and Honda of Burleson Co-Owner Ken Schnitzer

Buzz worthy in Burleson

The city of Burleson was all a buzz last week due to the grand opening festivities of Honda of Burleson.

Burleson Mayor, Ken Shetter, congratulated Honda of Burleson owners Henry Coffeen and Ken Schnitzer Thursday night during the first of two opening celebrations. He commended them both for bringing such a world class organization to the area which will employ over one hundred workers and for having the foresight to build for Burleson's future which is growing rapidly.

Guests at Thursday night's event enjoyed a champagne reception, sumptuous food and entertainment by the Marc Toussaint Trio. Party goers even had a chance to rub elbows with characters from the Honda Civic National Ad Campaign "To Each Their Own" including the Ninja, The Zombie, The Woodsman and Cesar, the Champion Luchador.

Saturday's Family Festival which was open to the public featured complimentary food provided by local favorite, Fuzzy's Taco Shop. Children enjoyed activities like dancing with the DJ, bounce houses, rock climbing wall, face painting, balloon artist and build your own cupcakes….. not to mention the Sno Cones which kept young and old alike cool during the hot afternoon sun.

Everyone also buzzed about and enjoyed the late afternoon air show which featured vintage planes and an aerial performance. The Zach Heffley Jazz Quintet then entertained guests until the party concluded at 7pm.

Henry Coffeen and Ken Schnitzer were delighted that over 600 guests and their families were able to visit the new dealership and felt like the public had a chance to see for themselves why Honda of Burleson is a dealership experience worth talking about.

Re-posted with Permission from Honda of Burleson

Champion Firearms in College Station - WELCOME!

2011-05-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

We at Kari & Company would like you all to give a warm welcome to the new Champion Firearms store! At Champion Firearms you are getting the unmatched, unbeaten, and unbelievable quality of various types of handguns, rifles, shotguns, in door gun ranges and concealed handgun classes.

Do you want a gun but don’t know how to use one necessarily? Then our suggestion would be to take one of these classes! The State of Texas mandates eight hours of classroom instruction for new applicants, while renewals require three. Afterward, a standardized written exam will be given. Then comes the range qualification! This is a 2- hour section for new applicants (1 hour for renewals) and the State of Texas mandates a standardized shooting test to demonstrate range proficiency. The shooting test will consist of 50- rounds fired over three distances-- 9 feet, 21 feet & 45 feet. The shooting test is timed and graded for accuracy, and each student must be safe and capable of following directions.

Once done with your training the obvious next step would be to buy a handgun. Now in these economic times Champion Firearms understands that you may not be able to pay all at once, which is why they gladly offer financing plans and a 90-day layaway plan as well!

Once you have the gun you’re going to have to take care of it though, which is why there are also many different cleaning supplies as well. Is the idea of a gun a little intimidating to think about though? Well that’s ok! At Champion Firearms there are also products that are less than lethal like different types of pepper sprays and stun guns for those who find the gun to be a little much.

If you ever need to contact them for any reason to set something up, or just to ask a question, you can call at (979) 693-9948, or email one of the two owners at either mike@championfirearms.com or katie@championfirearms.com. You can also email the general manager at roger@championfirearms.com. And if you’re wanting those hard-to-get items, e-mail them at sales@championfirearms.com.

Welcome Champion Firearms and GOOD LUCK!

Well being for the body, mind, and sole!

2011-02-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

I LOVE MY JOB - being able to help design websites for some amazing companies has its perks! Whether it’s getting the inside scoop on yummy food, top of the line furniture design, the sassiest of gifts…

…OR getting the BEST one-of-a-kind massage experience around, Kari and Co has the greatest Volusion Store Design Clients :

All we can say is OMG!
If you live near Coppell, TX. - you MUST check out Foot Master - for only $35 you get a ONE HOUR FOOT MASSAGE - it's like BUTTA!

The Ancient Art of Reflexology
Reflexology is the ancient art of applying specific pressure to areas or points on the feet and hands utilizing specific thumb, finger and hand techniques. With focus on specific pressure points, this body work effects a physical change in the body. It has been used throughout the world to cleanse the body and increase natural energy flow. It is known to reduce physical and mental tension, and other benefits similar to those of massage therapy.
Reflexology is a system which stimulates balance (chi) and removes unhealthy blockages. From back pain to sleep disorders, to managing migraine headaches - Reflexology is a safe and natural tool to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If is also often used for sports injury therapy, and for arthritis sufferers.
The Healing Benefits of Massage
With the ancient art of massage, you can alleviate a number of ailments, including low-back pain, migraine pain and muscular pain. In addition, massage has been proven to be a powerful method to rejuvenate the soul, reduce stress and depression and anxiety - as well as improve circulation and flexibility. Massage works by stimulating the body's lymphatic flow, which is your body's natural defense system. It also releases endorphins - which are amino acids that act as your body's natural pain killer.
Massage is also used in many forms of therapy to manage pain of athletes who strain and overuse their muscles, or for those recovering from injury or accident that require gentle, natural therapies to ease their pain.
Massage has been used for centuries to improve general health, and has been proven to have a number of physical and mental benefits. Massage is an important part of your balance between physical and mental health. Massage is a safe and natural way to maintain health, and the more you do it, the better the benefit.
Foot Master offers the best treatment, from the most experienced therapists, at a great price. They believe that the healing and rejuvenating properties of massage should be affordable for all.

Be sure to stop on in for a relaxing treatment that will leave you feeling energized and relaxed - and tell them Kari from Kari and Company sent ya!

Go to Beverly Hills with Posh Puppy Boutique!

2011-01-10T13:27:00.001-08:00

Once again, Kari and Company’s long-time Volusion store design client, Posh Puppy Boutique, is making headlines!

If you don’t know who they are, you soon will! Posh Puppy Boutique is an upscale doggy boutique headquartered in Rocklin, California. They cater to give their clients' dogs only the best in life.

The Posh Puppy Boutique offers a large selection of dog clothing, accessories, beds, carriers, gift ideas and more for dogs of all breeds and sizes. It is no surprise why they were selected as a supplier of clothing, accessories and costumes which were used in the making of Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2...coming to DVD and Blu Ray on February 1st.

Now, they have teamed up with Disney and Funjet Vacations in a special promotion for the upcoming DVD release of Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. For a chance to win the Beverly Hills Funjet Vacation Family Getaway for four to a "Posh Puppy Pack" from The Posh Puppy Boutique, their exclusive vendors and business associates, go to http://sweepstakes.poshpuppyboutique.com, starting February 1, 2011.

Jennifer Kirk, owner and President of The Posh Puppy Boutique, was extremely honored for the opportunity to assist the costume designers working with Disney Productions and realized the opportunity it meant for her business.

Kirk commented, "Every area of the pet industry has always been extremely competitive. The Posh Puppy Boutique had always been able to stay ahead of the competition and maintain the level of growth in revenue and inventory I had envisioned. When the realities of the economy came to light, I knew it was time to get creative. These are the moments in business the text books can't teach you. You have to go with your gut and trust in your product. Our association with Disney for Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 was an exciting opportunity for The Posh Puppy Boutique which has exploded now with this fun contest."

For more information about The Posh Puppy Boutique, be sure to click through to www.poshpuppyboutique.com or they can be reached by phone during normal business hours at 1-888-837-5230.

Our Winning Clients

2011-01-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

My clients are (WFAA-List!) Winners!

I am so excited....almost giddy! Ok, I AM giddy. I love my job and being able to say I helped to create the website designs and branding for my clients. It kind of makes me feel like a “proud mama”!

THREE of Kari and Company’s clients have placed in the TOP 5 on the WFAA A-List for 2010!

J. DO UGLAS DESIGN WON FIRST PLACE on the WFAA-List Best of Dallas competition for BEST FURNITURE! Of course - we knew they had the finest furnishings available - and now Dallas knows too!

LE BEAU VISAGE WON FIRST PLACE on WFAA-List Best of Dallas for BEST FACIAL! Of course - they're talking about the one-hour spa-medical microdermabrasion program. It's the bee's knees! Make 2011 your most beautiful year ever with Le Beau Visage! :)

And a special thanks to all of you who voted for:

ZIZIKI’S RESTAURANT on WFAA-BEST BRUNCH List Best of Dallas! We are thrilled to have been in the TOP FIVE - Ziziki’s came in third! We want you to come in and experience Ziziki’s-bring your friends and family for the best Greek food in Dallas! Then - we'll make another run next year!

We really want to thank all our loyal patrons and friends & family who voted and helped my clients WIN these awards!

New Years Resolutions - Eat Healthy and Enjoy Life

2010-12-27T17:10:00.001-08:00

Eat healthy, enjoy life. That's the motto of the newest and most tasty Dallas Chinese Restaurant on the scene - Ming Place China Bistro! Kari and Co. would like to welcome to the web - one of our newest clients!

We are SO pleased to have provided Ming Place a new website design for their business, as well as a takeout & dine-in menu design.

They're getting RAVE reviews, Ming Place has received 5 Stars from customers on www.yelp.com - here's what some of the patrons have said:

-”…this is the best Chinese food I've had in about 5 years, I'm going to Yelp! it.”

-”This is also genuine cuisine, the owners know their food and this family-owned business is run by the nicest and friendliest people you can imagine.”

-”I have found my new Chinese restaurant!!”

Kristy Yang of Dallas Observer says-
“…the combination fried rice was some of the best fried rice I've had in a long time. Dare I say, it's the best fried rice in Dallas proper? Hyperbole aside, it truly is a great fried rice. The sign of a good fried rice (without a better way of putting it) is if it tastes like the wok. Just like how a tasty cornbread is seasoned from a years-old cast iron skillet, the wok should be the main seasoning component of the rice. The perfect fried rice is a very simple thing, but not the simplest of tasks to achieve. Ming's Place's fried rice allows the wok to do all the work, and it results in a perfectly non-greasy and balanced dish.”

Read more about owners Ming and Grace, or better yet, come on down to meet them personally:

Location:
5715 Lemmon Ave, Suite# 3
Dallas, Texas 75209
Phone: 214-350-8188
Fax: 214-350-8088
email them - info@mingplacechinabistro.com or
Download their menu

Hours:
Monday - Thursday
11:00 am - 9:30 pm
Friday - Saturday
11:00 am- 10:00 pm
Closed Sunday

'Tis the Season to Celebrate the Grand!

2010-12-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

WOW! I can’t believe Christmas is less than 3 weeks! If you are anything like me, you are not half way done with your shopping. With so many family members, it hard to find that perfect gift for each and every one of them, especially - finding that perfect gift for grandparents.

You want to make sure the special gift you get for them is EXTRA GRAND because they are…so, well - GRAND! One thing I love about my job of web design is having the “inside” scoop on where to find all the best gifts and interesting, unique products on my client's e-commerce websites…it makes shopping much easier. One of my newest clients that I was fortunate enough to get to create their Volusion store design is Grandma and Grandpa Gifts - an online specialty retailer of boutique gifts JUST for Grandparents.

The idea for Grandma and Gra ndpa Gifts was born not long after the birth of Kelly and Rob’s first Grandchild, Gianna. It's been a labor of love, a HUGE learning curve - but is now a reality! They are located in Illinois, the company is family owned, and like many baby boomers, they are now celebrating the GRAND!

Grandparents have changed a lot since I had the pleasure of spending time with mine... many of today's Grandparents think 'rocking' means attending a concert or climbing a wall...perhaps with their beautiful Grandchild! They think it's time to break a few rules and some long-held stereotypes about Grandparents.

The principles behind GrandmaAndGrandpaGifts.com:

• Reasonably priced, boutique gifts for today's baby boomer Grandparents

• Every item they carry celebrates the unique relationship between Grandparent and Grandchild

• No senior citizen gifts, kitchen appliances, or household tools allowed

• Some fun along the way while celebrating the Grand

With the upcoming Holiday, you must check out their Christmas gift ideas for Grandparents. Any grandparent will surely enjoy these keepsakes for years to come. And of course, EVERY Grandparent loves to brag about their little “grand” bundles of joy and what better way to show them off? By getting one of their memory books and brag books, journals and/or grandparent picture frames.

Grandma and Grandpa, Nonnie and Pawpaw, Gaga and Gramps will love any of these gifts, so please go check out www.grandmaandgrandpagifts.com today - PLUS - you can get 10% off your 'Grand' gifts (use code: GRAND10) and it just time for Christmas!

Hope you all have a very GRAND HOLIDAY! One of the many reasons we LOVE our job. What an awesome idea - now a reality. It's GRAND!

BEWARE - International Money Order Scam

2010-11-27T13:32:00.001-08:00

Kari and Company recently fell victim to an international money order scam. We try to be good, and trusting. Because many times our clients feel uncomfortable doing business with people like us (web designers don't have the best rep for being responsive) online without meeting face to face.

But this time, the tables were certainly turned - and we'll be paying closer attention next time the red flags of fraud come up. Here's what happened:

We received an email from a 'potential client' overseas. We've been scammed before by clients overseas - where we spend weeks working on their web design project and then they never pay us our fee. And since they're overseas - there's really no recourse. However, we gave this potential client the benefit of the doubt (first time).

They requested a bid for a small business website design. We offered a quote, reached an agreement and sent our typical statement of work - and requested our standard 50% of our fee as a retainer of our services. Which brings us to:

RED FLAG #1 - Our 'potential client' immediately said that they could not pay by PayPal (which is what we usually use because it's a safe and secure way to pay by credit card online for services such as ours) . Instead, they insisted that they had to send a 'check'. We were informed that their 'associate' in the States would be sending a check directly to us. We asked the 'associate's name' - we were told it 'not important' - that the 'associate' owed them money, and they were going to pay the fees. This is a HUGE red flag - in many ways - both because the 'associate' was the one paying, and also the 'they owe me money' lie. If someone cannot pay via Paypal, (which is so easy to use) there should be a small red flag anyway. Granted: some companies pay by check - which is why we were agreeable to a check being mailed. In this economy, money is money - and work is work. We didn't want to turn away a project.

So - we gave them the benefit of the doubt (second time) and agreed to allow the 'associate' to mail us a check. We did receive a piece of mail a few days later - and low and behold -

RED FLAG #2 - it wasn't actually a check at all - but rather - a money order. This is another lie - as this was to have been a check. We assumed, a business check - but instead we receive a personal money order. And to make matters more weird - we are immediately brought to:

RED FLAG #3 - the fact that we didn't just receive a money order for our fee, or the 50% down we requested - but we received TWO money orders - for DOUBLE the amount of the total services agreed upon. Who does this? Who sends double the money in this economy? Who has funds to throw around without even meeting someone on the internet? Scam artists - that's who.

We knew at this point - as we did in the beginning - that something was just not right. But - we gave them the benefit of the doubt (third time) because we didn't want to be rude, we didn't want to accuse, and we didn't want to turn away a project.

So - we deposited ONE of the money orders, and contacted our 'potential client' to ask for an address to mail the overage money order to them directly. Which brings us to:

RED FLAG #4: The 'potential client' then said it was a mistake on the part of their 'associate' - and that we should go ahead and deposit or cash the money and wire it to them directly via Western Union or Money Gram.

Simultaneously - we checked with the banks involved (my bank - as well as the issuing bank of the money order) and were told - as we suspected - that the money order was indeed counterfeit.

And these money orders look SO legitimate. They are only off by one tiny number. Most everything on the money order checked out - except for the account that pays it. The scammers are hoping that you'll 'have a heart' (as our scam artist put it), and cash it for them and keep your due part, and wire them the overage. We told our scam artist that we went shopping for Black Friday.

The course of the emails has now gone completely away from the project we were hired to do - and all about this overage and whether it's been wired to them.

They are banking on us cashing the money on our account, then our account gets hit once the banks figure out the money orders are fake. Luckily - we followed our gut.

Hopefully you won't fall victim to such a scam. Frankly, we could not believe we were the target of such a plan, but we have talked to many of our clients and friends - and cyber scams including the "Paypal payment email scam" and "Craigslist scam" are rampant.

What should you do?

For starters - listen to your gut - and know the red flags. In our case - we communicated with our bank and notified the local branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There's not much they can do because things are not really trackable. BUT - they can learn from all the experiences and educate consumers and businesses - as well as individuals to be prepared and observant of such practices.

Truly, I wish I'd listened to Kim and nipped the whole thing in the bud before it all started - because it was nothing more than a huge inconvenience and waste of time and effort. Kim had a very strong bad feeling about it from the start, but I didn't want to seem rude or turn away a project. Turns out, she was VERY right.

Welcome Native Juicer

2010-11-12T06:47:00.000-08:00

Doing something good for your body always seems like such a hassle especially in the busy world we live in today. Seriously, you think that a couple of crazy web designers like us have time to stop working and juice? With the new Native Juicer they make healthy simple so we just may - and be the healthier for it!

Juicing is when you prepare and drink fresh fruit juice and vegetable juice. This sounds like a difficult and time consuming task, but after you discover the health benefits you will want to juice all the time and that is why we were so excited to be a part of the site building of Native Juicer!

There are so many benefits of juicing - and we learned a lot while working on this Volusion store design: your body can absorb larger amount of nutrients from liquids rather than solids. So when you compare eating a orange to drinking the juice, your body is actually absorbing more nutrients by drinking the juice because the digestion process is bypassed. Crazy talk right? So, basically DRINK UP.

The second benefit of juicing is a lot of the vitamins that you get from foods are taken away when you cook them.

When you juice, the fruits and vegetables are raw - therefore the vitamins and enzymes that are absorbed are a lot more beneficial to your body. Absorbing enzymes are a key role in your body’s metabolism. When your metabolic rate increases the amount of energy your body has increases too. Therefore, the more energy you have the better off your body is.

For us ladies, and important factor of juicing is that it provides you with healthier skin, hair, nails and eyes (you gotta see to design websites). When you digest Vitamin C and E it helps protect the skin from sun rays. A good way to provide this to your body is to mix blackberries and blueberries together.

With an abundant amount of health benefits for juicing, the Native Juicer Professional Juicer should now be on your Christmas list. Don’t deprive your body any longer, start juicing with Native Juicer today.

Welcome to the Web - Toni Briggs, CPA

2010-10-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

Toni Briggs is a Carrollton, Texas accountant - who specializes in tax preparation and filing, payroll taxes and many other business and personal bookkeeping services. Toni graduated from Texas Tech, and received her BA in Accounting, and then her CPA certificate. She also loves soccer, and is on the board at a state and national level.

What's best - is that Toni is my accountant! I was thrilled when she called needing a new business website, because I know how important it is to have a presence on the internet. Toni's a skeptic - so hit her site A LOT and make her a believer!

Welcome to the internet Toni - and if you need any bookkeeping services or tax planning/preparation services - give her a buzz or visit her resourceful new website design at www.ToniBriggsCPA.com.

Got Dessert?

2010-09-18T05:45:00.001-07:00

In case you haven’t noticed, the holidays are right around the corner. Wow, how time flies! Need a little help in the kitchen this year? Look no further than Little Aprons - a Dallas Bakery where desserts are made to order with the finest ingredients available.

From spooky decorated sugar cookies for Halloween, to home-style apple, pecan and pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving and quick bread loaves for Christmas, Little Aprons Bakery is the best place in Dallas for upscale, decadent baked-goods.

Want to spend quality time with your family in the mornings? Let Little Aprons Bakery provide the strudels, cinnamon rolls, breakfast burritos and casseroles.

As the author of two cookbooks, Tracy, the owner, has been baking delectable recipes passed down from her own family for generations. Not only can she custom-bake just about any type of dessert, her tried and true favorites of chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and oatmeal raisin cookies as well as lemon and key lime flavored dessert bars are to die for. Yum!

The clock is ticking so save yourself a lot of time and go to www.littleapronsbakery.com to check out their menu and place your order today!

Scrapbooking on Steroids

2010-09-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

It's a bug blog to fall in love with...

Congratulations to my one of my classmates from *many* days gone by, and scrapbooking sensation - Stacey, for launching her brand new blog called, I’m In Love With A Bug.

What? A bug?

Stacey is in love with the Cricut line of electronic scrapbooking cutters (which she affectionately calls “bugs”) and is excited about sharing her creative experiences, inspiration and tips and tricks with the whole world.

These cutters are like scrapbooking on steroids as they allow you to get amazing creative results with the touch of a button. Stacey actually owns three different “bugs” or Cricut products. The original Cricut is a machine that cuts beautiful designs and alphabets for card making, home décor, scrapbooking, paper crafting, and more. Of course, she never leaves home without her Gypsy product which gives her the ability to design whenever and wherever she wants - at the dentist’s office, grocery store, or wherever she has a free minute and a free hand. And the third “bug” she can’t live without is the Cricut Cake which is specifically designed for decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and confections in no time at all.

In order to marry the visual design of the blog with the verbiage of her topic, I used scrapbooking design elements in the background and recommended that she use video as well as words to educate whenever possible.

If you’re a scrapbooking junkie, be sure and visit I'm In Love With A Bug for a quick fix and put your scrapbooking on steroids.

Congratulations to Ali's Cookies - Best of Atlanta

2010-08-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to long-time Kari and Company client, Ali’s Cookies of Marietta, Georgia, for winning the “Best of the Big A” contest by Accessatlanta.com, Georgia’s online guide to what's happening around Atlanta.

The "Hotlanta" resident voter who put Ali’s Cookies over the top exclaimed, “Definitely Ali’s. They are worth the drive to Marietta no matter where you are! I can’t even pick out a favorite, because every cookie I have eaten from there is divine.”

The Best of the Big A is a contest where locals nominate merchants for the best food, festivals and entertainment events. Ali’s Cookies rose to the top and was crowned “Best” in the cookie category.

Ali's amazing gourmet cookies come in more than 20 varieties including THE Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie, Choco Choco Chunk (featured as “Snack of the Day” on Rachel Ray), and Toffee Crunch Cookies – YUM!

Other delectables offered at Ali’s include cup cakes, chocolate dipped pretzels and cookie cakes in 8", 12", 16", 18" sizes as well as a super size 18x24" that feeds up to 60. Ingredients are all natural, preservative free and certified kosher.

Is your mouth watering right now but don’t live in Atlanta? No worries. Navigate your web browser to www.shipacookie.com and have them shipped right to your door.

A Hip Website For A Hip Company

2010-08-01T15:57:00.001-07:00

"I want something HIP and COOL." That was Beth Garvey's vision for the InStaff website, and so it was - one of the hippest and coolest informational websites Kari & Company has done to date.

Complete with retro dots and bright colors - the InStaff website was designed around a color palate that Beth provided - a beautiful floral cell-phone cover. "These are the colors I want..." hues of purple, pink and turquoise and bold made for a (if I might say so myself...) stunning website.

And, three cheers for Beth Garvey, CEO of InStaff who was recently named by Dallas Business Journal as one of “Dallas 25 women to watch” - and InStaff is also ranked #4 on DBJ’s list of Largest Metroplex Staffing Firms – so that's a double WHOO HOO!

InStaff is a Dallas- based staffing company delivering exceptional service to both employers and job seekers - and making a real difference in people’s lives. They like to say “we’re in the people business – we recruit, we hire, we motivate and we lead.”

InStaff has been in business for 25 years with offices in Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi and New Mexico. This is not like the temporary staffing agencies of the 80’s. InStaff doesn’t just fill in for vacationing employees – they serve as a strategic partner for their customers. From recruiting and staffing to on-site management and human resources consulting – InStaff is the choice of demanding businesses and industries throughout the United States.

So here's a WHOO HOO for Kari and Company - for unveiling our hippest informational website design to date.

Client Featured As TOP DOG With Volusion

2010-07-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Long time Kari & Company client - Jennifer Kirk, owner of Posh Puppy Boutique - an online store featuring upscale dog clothing, dog toys, pet accessories and more - was recognized by Volusion E-Commerce as TOP DOG with growing sales and success - and having been selected as the official outfitter for a cast of canines in an upcoming motion picture - due out in 2011.

Volusion's press release is right on the money as far as their e-commerce platform being cost-efficient, easy to learn - and hands down - the best way to sell online. Volusion is by far the best way to sell anything online because the store comes packed with SEO features, easy inventory management and order processing - and tons of other great features.

In my opinion - having worked with Jennifer on her designs for the last few years - this site's booming success should be credited to Jennifer herself - as she is one of the few e-commerce store owners who really seems to 'get it' with regard to marketing her site. She's all over the web - and it's due to her hard work with regard to social networking, blogging, internet networking and marketing - and getting her name and products in front of buyers worldwide.

Click here for the press release.

Congrats to Jennifer and Posh Puppy Boutique!

LOVING Blogger Right Now

2010-06-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just saw and used the BRAND NEW BLOG TEMPLATE DESIGNER - on Blogger.com - (where I proudly host my own blog) and while I'm a little worried that it is SO easy to design your own blog with these tools - (since I offer blog design as a service) I have to say - it's AWESOME.

You can easily select layout, theme, colors and your own elements such as font colors, background pattern or image - to make your blog stand out and be unique.

It appears - that now anyone can have a GREAT looking blog without any trouble at all - and just a few minutes of fiddling around back-end of Blogger. Could life be any better? Blogger is free - and now you can design it on your own in just a few minutes.

Seriously - With all the different layout, customization options - I can't see how any two blogs could be exactly alike using Blogger's new template design tool.

But certainly - (hopefully) people will still need help with custom graphics and special touches on their Blogger blogs.

If not - I can start selling more WordPress customizations.... :)

Happy Blogging!

SEO, Social Media and Your Website

2010-06-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

JUST SAYIN'...

SOOOO many clients ask me about search engine optimization, and then I spend an hour typing out this extensive twenty-three paragraph email on "tips and tricks" to help their site be seen on the search engines. While my typing skills are great, (ok, maybe not great - but good enough) this was taking a lot of my time, and I don't have much to spare. So, I just decided to write a blog post about it.

When I do a website for any client (informational website) I do my best to make sure that the markup is up to W3C Standards, I will plug in the META data, try to use useful file names and all that jazz. And certainly - you can hire me to help you with site optimization.

In fact, I am going to put together a basic "SEO/Social Networking Support" package in the next few weeks to support my clients with who have SEO and social networking support needs. While I can NOT guarantee rankings - I CAN guarantee that EVERY SITE OWNER should be already be making sure these simple (but time consuming) things are done - because along with valid markup and META data, they are things that will help keep your site in the natural running for rankings.

So, before I get to putting together a package - and - if you are a 'do-it-your-selfer' - you can use these tips to start a basic SEO/Internet Marketing plan for your website.

Everything I learned - I learned from trial and error, fiddling around with my Google accounts, and books. Great websites like SEO BOOK (GREAT tutorials, forums, articles tools and such!). Testing what people like, what they don't like - what they click on - what they don't. It's been several years in the process, putting websites online, watching how search engines pick them up, index and rank them - and the parameters that control rankings constantly change and evolve. And - every site and it's needs, target audience, etc - is different. But there are some basic things that I can tell you EVERY website owner should be doing to promote new traffic to their website.

1. Get This Book.
The Ultimate Guide To Search Engine Optimization - this book speaks volumes about both the basics, and tons of tricks to help enhance your site's visibility on search engines. What's best about it - is that it's written in easy-to-read language. You don't have to be a rocket scientist (or HTML expert) to read it. Read it from start to finish - because it covers the basics of beginning with an accessible, optimized website, then on to cover the basics of SEO, (META data, titles, alt tags, keywords, linking) PPC management, (Pay-Per-Click) internet marketing, article writing, and conversion testing and tracking. Jon Rognerud - the author, is quite the expert. And while you're there - sign up to download his FREE SEO Guide, and his FREE SEO TIPS by email. They're gems.

2. Get Online.
Use the free stuff, BABY! Get a BLOG (we can design a really nice blog design for you) - and get on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Bizzy.com - create a page (or, lens) on Squidoo - and then (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) spend a few hours every week doing something with it! For your blog - write something about your business. Write something about what you do. Offer a special, a valuable piece of information, educate your reader or audience on something they want to hear. But keep it relevant! Don't be writing about tennis - if you're selling telephones. Unless of course, your telephone is a special telephone that is just for tennis players. Then, share your blog post on Facebook, Twitter - anywhere you can! Scream it to the world!

AND HERE'S A BONUS - Jon Rognerud - the author of aforesaid gotta-have SEO book - is offering a FREE GUIDE to Facebook called FAST FACEBOOK right now on his website SocialMediaYeah.com - Learn how and why Facebook can promote your business on the internet.

3. Get Listed.
Submit your site to directories (again - relevant ones!). Get listed in the general directories (DMOZ is free, Yahoo! Directory has an annual fee) in the proper categories. There are also content-specific directories where you can get listed. For example - Kari and Company is listed in the Website Design Directory. Obviously, I wouldn't want to be listed on the top Hungarian Basket Weaving sites. Find directories of websites that are relevant to your business and check out their listing options. Some are free, some are paid. But even the paid ones are usually pretty reasonable.

4. Use the SEARCH ENGINE's FREE tools!
I am talking about Google Analytics, Webmaster Tools - and most importantly - if you have a brick and mortar - Google Places! (formerly Local Business Center). Sign up for your free account, integrate these free tools (and any others you can figure out!) and do the same thing on Bing.com, and anywhere else you can do it.

Most people don't have time to do all this stuff, and for some people - it doesn't come easy. That is where I have decided to put a package together to support people who own websites and don't have time to track the traffic, write blogs, network and promote. Until then - hope these tips helps the do-it-yourselfers.

Time For A New Website Design - FOR US!

2010-06-04T14:25:00.001-07:00

Well, the time came - and so it was - for a website redesign of our own little place on the internet.

Kim was reviewing our site - and our visitors to our site. She felt that our site was boring and a bit outdated. She thought it needed to 'pop' a bit more.

We spend so much time designing other small business websites and Volusion Store website designs, that we haven't even really taken the time to update our site - it's layout or look and feel - in over two years. And you know what - she was right. Our website needed some attention.

So - we took the week and redesigned the website, added some of our favorite colors and updated our content to keep it fresh. We kept the filenames the same, as well as most of the copy - in hopes that we don't lose our SEO rankings. Redesigns can often hurt or 'reset' rankings on the search engines, so we tried to change only the stylesheet and graphics - and then we pruned the rest of the files that were outdated on our server.

Every website needs to be freshened up from time to time. But this doesn't mean you have to totally redesign your entire site. In most cases, you can simply change out a few graphics here and there - change the font, colors or homepage a bit - and your visitors will know that you are on the ball when it comes to monitoring your website and keeping things new and exciting.

We hope our visitors will like what we've done!

Kari & Co. Featured on Core Commerce Design Gallery

2010-04-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

Kari and Company is proud to have designed the Fly Jumper site that is featured in the Core Commerce Design gallery. Fly Jumper is a Canadian based company that provides you with the ability to “fly” without getting in an airplane, yes that is right - “fly”!

With these flying stilts, it is a known fact that you can literally jump up to 6 feet in the air! They are capable of powerblocking (a new extreme sport), which is performing the actions of walking and jumping all in one step. The fly jumper makes this possible because they are made of spring loaded stilts.

In need to run a marathon? Why not try it on Fly Jumpers? It was discovered that you can run over 20 miles per hour on them. Now, don’t forget that these stilts are spring loaded and it is very important that you buy the right ones for your weight, otherwise, well you might be spring loaded into your neighbor’s house.

I don’t know about you but on these beautiful spring days, I am ready to “Spring” on outside with a new set of fly jumpers.

To view our work in the Core Commerce Design Gallery - just follow this link and select "Fly Jumper Canada, LTD".

Only The Best For Dallas Interior Designer

2010-04-07T16:33:00.001-07:00

Have you ever walked into someone’s home and the home furnishings and accessories literally took your breath away? A space where every piece of furniture is a unique piece perfectly placed, and beautiful art and interesting pieces from around the world adorn the walls? Where everything fits into a clean and distinctive design? If you've walked into a home like this - and you're in the Dallas area - chances are - it was an interior design by J. Douglas Bradford of J. Douglas Design, Inc.

Kari & Co. is proud to present one of our newest websites - J. Douglas Design Inc. - This is the place to visit if you are ready to transform your home into the one described above - you know - the one that takes your breath away.

They offer the most exclusive brands in fine furnishings and accessories, window treatments, fine rugs, and interior design services to help you take decorating your home to the next level.

J. Douglas Bradford has been creating award winning interior designs in Dallas for over 30 years. He or one of his designers will meet with you with one on one during your consultation to help you envision your “perfect” palace. From suggestions on colors & textures, furniture selections, fine art options, window treatments, and accessorizing - J. Douglas Design has it all covered where designing interiors is concerned.

So the next time you have that 'feeling' that transforming your house into a true showplace is what you need to be doing - visit the showroom at J. Douglas Design, we are certain that you won’t be disappointed.

Who Wants To Support A Great Cause?

2010-03-27T16:14:00.001-07:00

For most people, our high school senior year holds many fun memories, lots of activities and planning for your future. But, for Grand Prairie High School Senior Alex Puente, he spent a lot of his senior year in the hospital fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Alex continued his fight and graduated from High School as Cum Laude in 2008. Alex pursued his college career and moved forward with his aspirations, but unfortunately became ill in October of 2008 and lost his battle to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) on October 8, 2008.

Because of Alex’s grace and dignity and his family & friends' love for Alex, a scholarship fund was established to keep his memory alive.

The Alex Pete “Bo” Puente Memorial Scholarship will help a teen have the opportunity to fulfill their dream of attending college and build on their future.

Kari and Co. has been blessed with getting to know the family and Alex through creating their new website design. We feel that while listening to the stories of Alex and how he fought and showed great bravery, we have become better people by knowing his story. And - it's a cause near and dear to our own hearts - as Kari's husband, Kelly was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in 1997. He currently receives treatment (and a miracle treatment indeed..) from Oregon Health and Sciences University, under the medical direction of Dr. Brian Druker - and is currently at 0% cancer.

Please join Kari and Co. by supporting the Alex Puente family and their dedication and support to the Alex Pete “Bo” Puente Memorial Scholarship. You can get additional information on this wonderful foundation and their upcoming golf tournament by visiting www.apmsf.com.

It has been a wonderful pleasure to be a part of the making of their new website and meeting such a wonderful family.

Greek Food & Great Photography

2010-03-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Kari and Company is proud to have provided the markup for the website design of a brand new Addison, Texas restaurant - Volos Taverna. It's a hip twist on it's sister restaurant - Ziziki's - greek cuisine menu and atmosphere.

What's even cooler - is that I got to meet yet ANOTHER very cool Dallas photographer (maybe I am in the wrong profession - because I am LOVING photography and the art of it these days...) - Matt Callahan. The pics he took of the food at Volos & Ziziki's - seriously didn't help my hunger pangs while testing and validating the HTML for the site.

If you're in the Dallas area - and you're not already a Ziziki's customer, then you need to be. And if you're in and around the hot night spot Addison area - be sure to check out Volos - it's destined to be a Dallas Night Spot.

Zilch Mixers ... a great margarita!

2010-02-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

We all know that we love a GOOD Margarita with our Mexican food, especially here in Texas! I am not a stranger to trying out different restaurant’s Margarita’s just so that I know who has the best but will tell you, I certainly don’t like the calories or need the extra calories.

Zilch Mixers is a Sugar Free Margarita Mixers, and they have given dieters and diabetics or people just wanting to watch their calorie intake a exciting alternative! Zilch Mixers are popular on online stores across the country and now available in retail stores all around the US. If you would like to find a retailer in your area visit their website at www.zilchmixers.com. These great mixers come in Gallon packets and individual packets for on the go and travel or just one margarita, just add tequila and water!

This great sugar free Margarita Mixer made their splash in 2004 and has had great success and great reviews. A regular 8 ounce margarita contains up to a whopping 540 calories and 50 carbohydrates. Zilch Sugar Free Margarita Mixers contain zero carbohydrates and zero calories but I will tell you from experience the taste is just the same as a big old wonderful Margarita with all the fixins!

Kari and Co. had the wonderful opportunity to assist in their new and updated website and from experience, a great company, a great Margarita and a great group of people to work with!

Visit Zilch mixers website and see for yourself how great these wonderful sugar free Margaritas are! You won’t regret it and neither will your waistline.

Living 4 Zachary - Stop Sudden Cardiac Arrest

2010-02-16T10:36:00.001-08:00

During the last month or so, Kari and Co. has had the pleasure of working with the Living 4 Zachary Foundation. Many times building a website is just that, a website. But working with Karen Schrah (Zac's mom) and the Living4Zachary family has been something that has touched our lives and will forever stay with us. We are so very proud to have been a part of their new website.

Living4Zachary.org is a foundation dedicated to spreading the awareness of SCA (Sudden Cardiac Arrest) in youth.

On April 2, 2009 Karen and Troy Schrah lost their 16 year old son, Zachary due to SCA. He was a healthy, vibrant young man who loved life... and, after a normal off-season football workout with the Plano East Football Team, he collapsed and died. Zachary had no prior history of heart problems an no family history.

SEC (Sudden Cardiac Arrest) IS a silent killer and strikes at least 10,000 young people a year, according the American Heart Assocation. Approximately 28 of our children die each day from SCA and often can be prevented.

Simple heart screening can detect a heart problem in the early stages and can help parents make the best decisions for their child’s health.

At Baylor Heart Hospital in Plano, TX they are offering a L4Z screening for youth for 100.00. You no longer have to wonder, worry and wait, the screening will detect any heart issues and if further treatment is needed.

We have enjoyed our time working with Living4Zarchary and feel that as parents, we WILL live for Zachary and have our children screened and encourage you to as well.

Have a DivaGirl Game night!

2010-01-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

All women would like to think of themselves as a Diva from one time to another. When we are little we put on our boa’s, our Mom’s makeup and high heels and strut all around the house dreaming of being a DIVA!

Now, whatever age you are, you can be a Diva~with just a few friends and the DivaGirl game. You can dress up in your favorite Diva Wear and prepare for a night of fun, food, gifts and lots of laughs! All you need is the Diva Girl Game and some girlfriends and you can certainly have a Diva Girl Game Party!

Diva Girl Game is a game that is easy to play, involves things that all Diva’s love ~ champagne, diamonds, red lipstick, sun tanning and big feathery boas! The dealer shows a card and the Diva with the matching card turns it over and the first Diva to turn all of her cards over wins the round! Its not just about the game either, each Diva brings a wrapped “Diva” gift to the party and the winner of each round, wins a gift.

Kari and Co. received a Diva Girl Game in the mail for helping with their new website and we think it is so much fun, thank you Nancy and Liz!

Renew your spirit with the New Year!

2009-12-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

Tired and worn out from the holidays? Need some relaxation? Spa Spa's (formerly Activa Boutique) passion is about helping people bring balance and relaxation back into their lives… and, who wouldn't welcome tranquility these days?

Now that all the relatives are gone, try a Aroma Home Hot Neck Aromatherapy Neck Wrap made of cotton and filled with essential herbs. Hot Neck goes around your neck and shoulders to aid in the relief of sore muscles and stiffness. Heat in microwave to start soothing away those aches and pains. Great for headaches and tension.

Feeling like you are tired and worn out? You probably are~ so the Age Defying Cream is the absolute answer. Re-energize your complexion and help fight wrinkles, expression lines and dullness with this brightening boost inspired by dermatologists.

Visit Spa Spa (formerly Activa Boutique) for all your relaxation and rejuvenation needs~ a great way to start off the new year.

SvelteLIfe Program and Website Featured On NBC

2009-12-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Dr. Cluff, Irving Texas physician who developed the SvelteLife weight loss system. The program is gaining buzz in the news and elsewhere - with
a full online program of healthy lifestyle changes, effective exercises and even weight-loss workshops to help people achieve their weight loss goals in a healthy, lifelong way.

We're pleased to have helped Dr. Cluff with his new website - and I attended his SvelteShop on December 5th. It was jam-packed with great tips, ideas and a solid plan - complete with interactive web tracking and more. Visit his website for more details!

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/video.

For Every Day

2009-12-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

Just in time for the holidays - a hip and young Christian rock band from right here in the DFW area. For Every Day is REALLY growing in popularity - and their songs are being played on several Christian radio stations in the metroplex. We've brought you their latest video - a rocking acoustic version of one of their latest tunes, Don't Wanna Know.

The band members include Jacob on Vocals, Alex- Guitar, BGV, Tyler- Bass, and Nick in on the drums.

These guys are the real deal! Good luck to them, you will be hearing more about them for sure!

www.myspace.com/foreveryday

For Every Day - Don't Wanna Know LIVE ACOUSTIC

After Turkey, get ready to make a change!

2009-11-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to jump-start your long-term weight loss efforts, especially with all the holiday eating upon us? Attending a SvelteShop Weight Loss Seminar will be the smartest move you ever make towards your success. Dr. Cluff and his staff have put together a one-day enjoyable, interactive seminar conducted by certified SvelteLife Health Professional, Dr. Cluff.

A "SvelteShop" Crash Course in Weight Management
December 5, 2009, 10:00 a.m. @ 4:30 p.m.
Spring Creek Barbecue, Grapevine, TX 76051

Dr. Douglas M. Cluff is a Family Physician with a passion in Weight Management. His interests also include; women's health, pediatrics, sports injuries, adolescent health, dermatology and preventative medicine.

Dr. Cluff received his M.D. degree from Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Lubbock, Texas. He did his Family Medicine Residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Conroe, Texas. Prior to medical school he performed genetic and immunological research at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He is a member of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, Texas Medical Association, and Dallas County Medical Society. Dr. Cluff is Board Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM).

He enjoys competitive volleyball, raquetball, computers, writing, playing piano, singing, watching movies, and spending time with his wife, Sandra, and six children, ages 2-14. He is also fluent in Spanish.

SvelteLife is a medically supervised weight loss system that represents a culmination of many years of experiments and experience.

SvelteShops teach you all you need to know, and provide the necessary materials and tools, for your weight loss efforts. SvelteLife is about a healthy lifestyle - and by teaching only medically-sound principles, we discourage (and do not promote) any pills or supplements rather - we promote good nutrition.

Dr. Cluff's goal is to turn the weight loss world upside-down, and in the process, do the same with the obesity epidemic. Seating is limited, so register now (and bring a friend)!

Lunch and snacks are included (healthy of course!) so, take a break from Holiday shopping and eating and head over to the SvelteShop Crash Course in Weight Management .

GIG 'EM AXO's!

2009-11-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

Alpha Chi Omega is a national women's organization that enriches the lives of members through lifetime opportunities for friendship, leadership, learning, and service.

Alpha Chi Omega was formed at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana on Ocotber 15, 1885. The Alpha Chi Omega's founders chose an ("A"), the first letter of the Greek Alphabet, because they were forming the first fraternity in the school of music. Originally, the object of the fraternity was to attain the highest musical culture and to cultivate those principles that embodied true womanhood.

The first house included 27 women, and has become much larger throughout the years and at many universities. Alpha Chi Omega no longer has any musical connections, but the legacy and talent of it's founders remains in its symbol and symphony. Currently there are more than 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States, and more than 200,000 lifetime members.

Kari and Co. is pleased to launch and be a supporter and Fan of AGGIE AXO. We want to welcome the Zeta Nu Chapter from Texas A&M University. WHOOP and GIG EM AGGIES!!

I am stuck on Staccato!

2009-11-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome Staccato Stationery! Staccato is a eco-friendly paper design company that we had the great opportunity to help by creating their new web design.

Staccato offers exclusive designs of stationery and invitations as well as the top designs from great invitation companies. All collections use recycled papers with a minimum of 30% Post Consumer Waste. Isn't that GREAT?

Staccato’s is a small, woman-owned company that focuses on superior customer service. Staccato's mission is to bring eco-friendy style to the stationery industry. In addition to offering, exclusive designs! Check out their “The Anna - Save the Date” invitations~Absolutely a beautiful design and their “Yasmine” invitation is a beautiful retro purple & green floral, 3 layer invitation that I think you could use for any event.

Whatever your stationery need, the women of Staccato have it! So glad to be a part of this great company!

Ready For Christmas?

2009-10-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

Christmas Toy Store is ready for the holidays! This is your one-stop resource for ideas on hot holiday toys, holiday gift recommendations, articles and resources on how to find the perfect popular holiday toy, and more.

Christmas Toy Store also has a user forum, and a perfect selection of Christmas Music!

Parents will find particularly handy - the up-to-the-minute Child Product Safety Recalls and the hot product tracker - to help find the perfect toy - that's IN STOCK and ready to roll before the holiday.

A truly handy site - and just in time for the holidays!

REDArena Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy Group

2009-10-13T08:46:00.001-07:00

We all would agree that sometimes life can be hard, but for some families the difficulty never goes away. Recently, I had the huge honor of designing and adding content to a Joomla CMS website for REDArena, an Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy group.

REDArena is a nonprofit corporation which is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of children and adults with disabilities. They offer a unique combination of equine and related therapies.

A recent study by Washington University found that equine therapy is a wonderful therapeutic tool. The study concluded that equine therapy made an obvious difference in the basic skills needed for function in everyday life.

REDArena gives children with disabilities the opportunity for social, recreational and life skills experiences. They also provide a sanctuary and rehab for physically abused horses, who in turn give service to those with disabilities.

The motion of the horse is an extremely effective tool to help improve strength, balance, coordination, communication and confidence in the student. This is incredibly empowering for the riders who deal daily with physical, mental or medical challenges.

REDArena relies on its wonderful volunteers who give over 100 hours weekly to help with the riding sessions and horse care.

In a world where the “me first” mentality seems to rule, this group is amazingly refreshing.

Mother Teresa told us to “spread our love everywhere we go.” REDArena does just that. Their love for the children and desire to help them is overwhelmingly beautiful. I am humbled to have been a small part of this great group.

Welcome Celebration Designers!!

2009-09-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Most all of life’s big events are celebrated with a party and we have the perfect website to get that party started!

We are pleased to share in the excitement of Celebration Designers new site! Tara, Phyllis & Dana, owners of Celebration Designers, are pleased to be launching their new website. Their site is the main point of contact for customers other than personal consultations. They started their company this year and being new brides themselves, they wanted to bring that personal touch in planning to other brides.

Celebration Designers will help you customize your next big event and with their new site (developed with a Volusion Template), clients can choose and look around before their personal consultation. If you are in need of Wedding, Bridal or Baby Shower custom invitations, beautifully Monogrammed Aisle Runners or “Here Comes the Bride” banners (a cute and trendy alternative to the ring pillow) you need to check them out.

Celebration Designers will custom design all event stationery and also help you choose a theme for your event – or work with the theme you have already chosen. They also have a selection of gifts for the Bride and her Bridesmaids and some awesome party favors (we love the Heart Shaped Measuring Spoons and the Heart Wine Bottle Stoppers).

Celebration Designers is the perfect starting point for custom designed products for your special occasion. Let them help make your next event an unforgettable one!

Great Fun Today - MEETING KRISTINIA DEBARGE

2009-09-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

WHAT A COOL THING.... thanks to our connection with Frinj Salon & Spa, only the coolest and hippest salon and spa in Dallas...who recently hosted a new CD release listening party for Kristinia DeBarge - Kim and I had the AWESOME opportunity today to visit with the folks at Universal Music Group - today and attend an exclusive acoustic performance by Kristinia.

Kristinia is here on tour - (opening for Britney Spears on the Circus Tour) - and I have to say WOW. She'll be headlining her own HUGE shows VERY soon - so keep your eye on this one.

Kristinia was personable, friendly - beautiful, too - and has some SERIOUS pipes! But if you've heard her songs - you already know this. We had the 'goosebumps' all over during her performance of "Sabotage" - it's her second release from her new album, Exposed. She was super-sweet and signed some posters for my neices, Gretchen and Gaylee.

What I liked best about the whole experience, was that I truly feel that Kristinia is not just a great performer - but she's also a great role model for young people. She's truly talented, but also has worked very hard and endures the tough schedule of a musician. Poised and professional - she's destined to keep soaring - up the charts and into super-stardom.

Thanks Kristinia, for singing for us today - and being such a great role model!

Here's the video courtesy of one of the other people who was at this exciting performance!

New Client Spotlight - Geek Armory

2009-09-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the web - Geek Armory! This is your one-stop shop for movie prop replicas, video game replicas, swords and sabers, armor, costumes and more for the hobbyist and enthusiast who loves movies, video games and the world of science fiction and fantasy!

Jon, owner of Geek Armory, had been a video game producer and designer for the past seven years, working on everything from snowboarding games (Amped 3 on Xbox 360) to golf games (Tiger Woods 08 for the Wii) to the Rock Band series.

As long as he'd been doing games, he hadn't had the chance to work on his favorite genre, RPG's (Role Playing Games - and MY favorite genre too - I'm a HUGE World Of Warcraft, fan ya know...) Merging his love of RPG's with the real world tangibility of prop replicas gave him the idea to create the ultimate place on the web to find everything that's out there, from Buck Rogers ray guns to Zelda swords and Iron Man helmets.

For the true enthusiast - it really helps make the fantasy worlds created in games and movies become a little more real.

Jon's personal favorite movie series is the Lord of the Rings (and, I should mention, I'm a huge Legolas lover...) and Blade Runner. His favorite games are the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series.

Right now, his current inventory is growing - but there's tons of great accessories for the movie and game lover. Right now, his favorite offering is Link's wooden sword from the Legend of Zelda.

Happy collecting, shopping, movie watching and gaming to all of us out there who love the imaginative worlds of fantasy and of science fiction.

Webdesign In The Eye Of The Beholder

2009-08-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought, “That’s the ugliest, most confusing web site I’ve seen to date...” and just couldn’t hit the exit button fast enough? Thinking to yourself – “Ugly…Ugly…Ugly - those colors are awful, and that music didn’t make it any better, what were they thinking when they created this?” Sure you have. One has to wonder if the web designer is creating the site design based on their client’s preferences on color, style, and content – or if the web designer is just not using instinct and experience on what will work for a web site depending on it’s audience, and needed functionality. If it’s the first case scenario, then the old saying “the customer is always right” should not apply to web design!

Leaving some of the design to the professionals (based on your inspiration and style, of course...) can result in more targeted traffic, and wider exposure and hopefully ‘actionable’ items – that is, graphics and keywords to entice your clients to CLICK around, and BUY your things! The pros have the insight and imagination to create a web site that showcases your particular product or service – and hopefully from your online buyer’s point of view.

It’s always good to keep your viewer’s interest, entertain them a bit – and lure them into wanting to know and see more of your web site. And as always - navigation should be clear and consistent; user friendly and ‘brain pleasing’. We please the brain by not making it do too much work. 'Effortless' is a good word here...

Designers listen to and work with their clients to produce a website that is pleasing to them (as site owners) and looks how they envisioned; but in turn – clients of web design services need to remember to trust in their designer’s suggestions and their talent & experience for being able to see the overall picture.

Of course, not every suggestion or idea is going to be accepted or workable – we know this. However, there are some of us out there who are truly interested in helping your company be a success on the internet – and we don’t just say things to complicate the process, rather, we hope that we’re sharing valuable information with you that will help you have more success on the growing and changing internet.

And - we don't know everything there is to know about your product or service. We NEED your input and feedback along the way to get to a design that works for you (and for your audience!) - and produces good results where accessiblity, functionality and overall look and feel are concerned.

Just like art – web design is subjective. What we like as individuals is not always as pleasing to our neighbor’s eyes, and when you are on stage to the whole world (wide web) don’t you want to put your best foot forward?

So, keep an open mind with your next web design project, and find a designer (hopefully US!) who will work with you to achieve your goals, see your vision and keep your audience interested!

Posh Puppy Boutique Featured On Good Day Sacramento

2009-08-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Our client, Posh Puppy Boutique was featured on Good Day Sacramento - They've opened a new store in the mall and are selling MAJOR puppy apparel, treats, toys, bowls, designer pet collars and leashes and more from there new storefront. If you're in the Sacramento area, check them out! Or, if you're looking for high-end dog apparel and great brands featured in this piece, such as Juicy Couture for Dogs, Linda Higgins Couture and more - you can visit them online. Watch the video below for more information and a doggie-fashion show! Congratulations to Posh Puppy Boutique on some great exposure!

Where the DAWGS go....

2009-08-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

If you have the chance to visit Athens, Georgia take a walk down Clayton Street. There are many little eateries and stores there, but one sticks out historically ~ George Dean's Menswear Store. This great little old store sells traditional fine menswear and has been around over 40 years and just a rock's throw from the University of Georgia.

George-Dean's carries great brands such a Lacoste, Johnston and Murphy, Haspel and Southwick and is known all of Athens for their signature

Georgia Bulldog knit shirt and Georgia Stadium S horts.

George Dean's has wonderful customer service and a warm and inviting spirit, don't believe me?........give Wayne a call, you will see.

We are so glad to have had the chance to be a part of history for the wonderful menswear store and for downtown Athens, Georgia by being a part of building a great site for:

www.george-deans.com!

Welcome TINY DIMPLES

2009-08-04T13:35:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful design - and what a fun store! It's EVERYTHING BABY at Tiny Dimples. Whether you need a car seat cover, baby apparel, or safe toys - even nursery decor and bedding - Tiny Dimples has it. If you're having a baby, or know someone who is - they've got what you need for the perfect baby gift.

This was a great client, who knew what she wanted - and the site turned out great in my opinion. She's got a knack for carrying the right products, organized them properly, and also displayed them with a common theme and branding throughout the site. The site is usable, easy on the eyes, and packed of products to choose from.

Speaking of babies......

It hasn't been too long since I had my first baby, he'll be three September 1st. We just had a positive experience getting off the pacifier that I'd like to share with you guys - (if you're interested in something off the beaten path of websites and such.)

He'd had it the entire time - that is, the pacifier. The pacie, as he called it was a staple of all events - eating, sleeping, car, school. He was attached. Any mom whose kiddo is on the pacifier kinows this is a tough habit to break. Everyone said to try and cut off the end - that didn't work. Others said to try dipping it in vinegar or hot sauce. Now my kid loves salsa. (hot salsa too.)

He'd gotten pretty good about giving it up during the day, but night time was terrible - and the pacie was a must to get him to sleep and keep him that way.

One morning - right before his typical time to wake up - I looked at him as he slept. I thought to myself, "wouldn't it be great to lose this pacifier today?"

So, I reached down and unplugged it from my child while he was asleep. Just like that. Threw it in the garbage.

Then, I grabbed a prize, and ran back in to him.

A few moments later, he was waking up - and I was THERE. Of course, little hands feeling around for his small rubbery friend that was now in the kitchen trash can.

When he opened his eyes and began to ask me, I cut him off and said (loudly and excitedly) "WOW - You didn't have the pacie ALL NIGHT! What a BIG BOY! You get a surprise today for NOT having the pacie all night!" and I presented him with a dollar-store book.

He was a bit confused, but happy to get a surprise nonetheless, and when I just kept on about what a big boy he was - making a HUGE deal of the occassion, (calling in Dad to woo him on the event, calling the Gaga to tell her, and Aunt Kimmy) - he smiled and looked a little proud.

I told him that each night he went without it we'd give him another surprise in the morning.

This went on for about a week. Seven dollars later - we're paci-free.

Enjoy your babies, your blogs, and your websites - until next time!

Seriously - Why Are You A Table Hater?

2009-07-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

I still use them. A lot. In fact, most of the time.

I really want to know what the big problem with HTML tables REALLY is - so this is the first time I'm ASKING for you to comment here. I just want some feedback and opinions from you guys out there - but if you're going to call me an HTML-Loser or scold me for utilizing HTML tables still - just know - I'll NOT PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT!! So, be nice and helpful, please. :)

OK, so onto the discussion going on in my brain.

Yeah, yeah... I know - a pure CSS layout that's totally fluid, accessible, W3C Valid, splash page-free, hydromatic & systematic, turbo-fueled, vegan, eco-friendly and sugar-free website is all the rage... But SERIOUSLY - are tables REALLY that bad?

I think there's some great things about tables.

For starters - I feel like I have absolutely more design control over tables. I set the size, and right from the start - I know EXACTLY how large my accompanying graphics should be. I find with design work for Volusion E-Commerce, I prefer customizing a fixed-width table template rather than the fluid ones. The main reason for this, is that once the 'core design' is in place, the client or store owner almost always wants a main page graphic that is either in Flash, or clickable to different areas of the site (for example - we did this on the Medical Department Store, and Mom's Gift Shop - if you view the front pages, you'll see heavily graphic landing areas). If these were fluid layouts - then our static graphics would be dwarfed in large browsers. Am I wrong? Is there something I'm missing here?

How do you guys that create fluid 100% width websites manage to have center front page content or design elements that 'fit' well in 'most' browsers and screen resolutions?

Am I just a control freak? Is it that tables are just plain easier to create and work with?

OK, so now you're saying - "just build your site in fixed width DIVs if you want fixed width..."

BUT WHY? Or, I should say - WHY NOT just do it with tables? What's so wrong with tables?

Maybe it's my brain, or maybe it's just that I stick with how I learned - but tables click in my brain better than divs. They always have. Maybe it's just that I am stuck on tables.

Maybe there is a 12-step Get-Away-From-HTML-Tables program I need to start.

Are there any of you like me out there? Or am I totally alone? Offer feedback, just don't hurt my feelings, OK?

Don't get me wrong: I use divs all the time - and use them WITH tables. I have a few sites that are table-less, and honestly, I'm no more proud of them than I am the ones that are table-ridden.

I'm not a table hater. I'm still a lover.

New E-Commerce Websites And Designs

2009-07-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Welcoming two new e-commerce designs to the internet: Mountain Mama's Soy Candles in a Can - and Nothing But Chocolate!

Mountain Mama's Kitchen creates YUMMY soy candles in-a-can featuring Hand-poured, cotton wick, lead-free DOUBLE scented candles! With fascinatingly creative titles - such as E lk-Poop In A Can (which is really chocolate Biscotti) and Trailer Trash In-A-Can - you can't go wrong with these for your own personal stash of good-smelling things, or for a great gift.

Also welcoming Nothing But Chocolate - and their name leaves NOTHING But CRAVINGS to the imagination. Each order produced in small batches - hand made fresh for each order. Perfect for special occasions such as weddings, baby showers, holiday events and more - The owners of Nothing But Chocolate will work with you one-on-one to create the perfect sweet nothings for your event or taste, and they make a great party favor.

Once again - I have to say - we're so pleased to be able to help small businesses (and large ones too!) bring their vision online. With E-Commerce template designs, in so many cases - we find that store owners don't feel that their 'personality' and vision come through in their design. We try really hard to see your vision, and make it come to life online.

Welcome to the web to all the new clients we're working on - and may your new store flourish - we know you'll both do great!

Why not feel like a “super-hero”?

2009-07-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Kari and Company recently had the wonderful opportunity to work with a new company selling hot and cool product: FLY JUMPERS!

Fly Jumper Canada is an authorized reseller for the Fly Jumper brand of jumping stilts and accessories in Canada.

We didn't know it - but the claim is that you can you jump six feet in the air and run almost twenty miles per hour wearing jumping stilts! Surely, by now you have heard of them (or if you've seen "Jackass" the Movie...) and if you haven’t - welcome to the world of a new and exciting way to exercise and have fun all at the same time! This Canadian based company is also trying to develop and inform people of the sport of Powerbocking.

Some describe Fly Jumper Stilts as “spring loaded jumping boots” or “jumping stilts”. You can purchase different ones for your weight and also get one for your kiddo! Kids as young as 10 years old are also enjoying the Fly Jumper fun. Families are improving their fitness level together, having fun instead of watching TV all day and playing video games!

This looks like great fun for the family and is very affordable.

Kari and Company is pleased to have had the opportunity to help them with their e-commerce template design.

A New Partner in SEO

2009-07-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

Kari and Company is pleased to welcome BG Site Solutions to the internet - although not new to the business world. As experts in search engine optimization and e-commerce conversion, tracking, social networking and more - we'll be partnering with BG Site Solutions on design projects, and may just refer you to them directly if you need help with SEO.

Of course - we pride ourselves on staying updated on the latest and greatest in natural search engine optimization when building a website, but the internet moves fast! Brian & his staff at BG Site Solutions have made optimizing your presence on the web and managing a successful website their number one priority.

BG Site Solutions is new to the industry but is sure to jump to the top of recognized internet consultants. BG Site Solutions will be a all in one provider of internet solutions, providing other services such as ongoing website maintenance, e-mail marketing solutions, (PPC) Pay-Per-Click Management, and e-commerce support.

BG Site Solutions has a team of experienced professionals all in one stop; and this web team is constantly keeping up with the times, and learning the new tips and tricks to making your site successful!

Kari and Company is focusing on web design and e-commerce design, and is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with BG Site Solutions on internet projects, and also to recommend them to our clients and friends for SEO Optimization needs.

Congratulations to Ali's Cookie (Shipacookie.com)!!

2009-07-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

CONGRATS to our client Ali's Cookies!

Ali’s cookies (also known as shipacookie.com) has been online now only for a little over a year, but is already being spotlighted by those with a taste for gourmet cookies! Their homemade goodness will be the audience delight on the Rachel Ray show tomorrow, Friday July 3, 2009. They will be the featured “snack of the day” showcasing their exclusive Choco Choco Chunk Cookies.

Ali's Cookies are baked fresh (seriously! from scratch!) daily, and are certified Kosher. They focus on the cookie, and the taste - not just the packaging; adhering to the strict standards of a kosher bakery - all treats are made with the best and freshest ingredients like real vanilla, fresh cracked eggs and sweet creamery butter. There are no preservatives added - and they even hand scoop the cookies to give them extra effect for that 'homemade look'. Once you've eaten them, though - it doesn't matter that they looked homemade - you KNOW they are. (or - in our case, were.)

Alison & Jeff Rosengarten are the owners of Ali’s Cookies and their recipes have been passed down through the family for years. They have been baking wonderful cookies since 1981 - and have been in the press several times.

Need a gift? Try Shipacookie.com for a neat, unique and scrumptious gift!

I bought a photo cookie cake for my husband last year - and was delighted with the prompt and personal service -the precious cookie we received - and we absolutley enjoyed the thick, chewy, chocolately goodness - icing and flavor that came with it. It's a great gift.

E-Commerce Suggestions From Kari & Company

2009-07-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

So many of our clients come to us and say - "I'm not sure where to start" - we always try to help our clients along the way and offer suggestions based on their needs.

Of all the issues that arise during the process of designing an e-commerce template or website - we find that the products, features or promotions aren't always 'in your face' front-and-center of the store in a way that entices the potential customer to want to buy. So when you work with us - we will usually make suggestions like these - we want to share them with you now:

1/ Say who you are on your homepage: From the moment someone hits your site - they should know what you're about. Steve Krug's book - Don't Make Me Think - is a great primer to this concept. Sure, the book is a few years old - but the idea is forever. Your potential client doesn't want to click for days to find your products or what they need. They want to be in control; and know where they are. Say who you are and give them options RIGHT FROM THE START!

2/ Offer standard layout when you can: Store owners don't always like the standard layouts - horizontal navigation, side menus, etc - and want something different and unique. But the truth is - standard layout is what your user expects. They EXPECT to see your logo and branding top left. They EXPECT to see horizontal and/or left-side navigation so they can find what they are looking for - categorized in an intuitive way.

3/ Treat it like a REAL STORE: Store owners of e-commerce sites often think that what they are doing is totally different from owning a brick and mortar storefront. Really, it's not. E-commerce site owners have to prepare 'virtual endcaps' with great promotions, graphics and displays in and around their site, have 'point of purchase displays' throughout the shopping process to incent your client to click around, and showcase their product and/or services in a creative way.

4/ Keep it clean and fresh through design: Certainly - the end-user experience should be an aesthetic one; one that looks and feels nice. This creates a sense of security - a nicely designed website will give your client a feeling that they're buying from someone who cares enough about their store to keep it nice.

TIP: "Splash pages" are officially out. Just so you know. I still get people ask for these all the time. While they're cool - and pretty - it's an extra click for your client! People tell me all the time - "I leave a website that has one of those intro pages....." Now, if you really want one - I can make you a darn pretty one. Even a Flash one (which are more annoying to users than the static ones...) But don't be surprised if I try to talk you out of it - because I don't want you to lose visitors. :)

That's about it for now. Certainly each design or project has it's own needs - and we try to customize your results based on your vision and needs. Happy Surfing!

Virgina Tech Fans UNITE

2009-06-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

We recently completed a really fun website design for Volsuion e-commerce - called Gobbler Gear!

If you're a Virginia Tech fan, look no further than Gobbler Gear for Virginia Tech branded apparel, Virginia Tech Hokie Gifts, VT Flags and Banners, and Hokie Collectibles!

These guys are serious about Virginia Tech - as a web designer, I am so thankful they came to us with hexidecimal color codes for the proper Hokie color scheme, information on what we could and couldn't use with regard to the VT Mascot and logo - we were able to get to their design much faster with the information they provided us. Thanks to all at Gobbler Gear for a great website design experience - may you have many customers and sales with your new online store!

AND - We just heard - Gobbler Gear will also have a physical storefront near the Virginia Tech campus! Congrats on all your growth!

Learn more on their website at www.gobblergear.com.

Expanding Services - New E-Commerce Design Platforms Availalb

2009-05-17T09:13:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm pretty proud of myself over here - I taught myself how to customize 2 new carts this week. How's that for expanding horizons? :)

I really love it when we take time to figure out how something works - and help someone out - and such was the case in all three of these instances.

While I already had some experience with Core Commerce - (One website - Camo Supply - online boutique carrying hunting, fishing gear and more) and have an opportunity to work on another one right now. This one's cool - it's CANADIAN - and you know how I love those Canadians -( the guys at Attribune )- they helped me with that horrible virus last year. And - this new Core Commerce site sells a really cool product.
Also, helped a colleague with a Channel Advisor store - which once it's live - is going to be GORGEOUS. Can't wait to post a link to it.

Also, customized a very cool E-Bay Company Pro-Stores site. I'll post a link as soon as it's live - but it looks great so far!

I will be adding these services to my schedule of services - likely at the same price as Volusion customization. I haven't completely decided yet, because the features and flexibility of each are so different - it might take doing a few before I really know how much time it will take.

Why Volusion for E-Commerce?

2009-05-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

I have tons of clients wonder if I work for Volusion, because I recommend it so much. The short answer - is "No". But when it comes to e-commerce, it's the one hosted shopping cart solution I recommend every time.

It's not just because I work on the designs for many Volusion sites, it's because I own my own Volusion store, and manage a few others. When it comes to sales and traffic reporting, product import and display, feature-rich amenities that are hosted - all in one place - Volusion is the best I've come across so far.

I've worked with many other carts - and I have to say, from a designer's point of view, and also from a store owner aspect - for ease-of-use backend for the merchant, design flexibility, and GREAT support that comes with this hosted solution - Volusion is hands-down the best bang for your buck.

To have a V-Store, you don't have to have hosting. You can sign up for your domain, your shopping cart software, apply for a merchant account and secure your site with SSL (Secure socket layer) technology - all in one place.

Owning an e-commerce site is much like having a physical storefront. You have to manage your inventory, display your products - say "Who you are" and "What you do" right on the front page - so that from the moment your customer hits your site (first page, above the fold) they see what you're about, and are enticed to click around and take ACTION! (BUY) It's no different from arranging an endcap, or preparing a great point of purchase display at a store. With Volsuion, you can easily add product, process orders, set up shipping and accept payments - all with one convenient control panel and monthly payment.

So, for e-commerce, Kari & Co. recommends Volusion. For more reasons why or to see if Volsuion is a good fit for your needs - shoot us an email. We're happy to help and answer questions you might have.

AGAIN - I don't work for Volusion and never have - I just think it's a great product. And so will you.

We Refuse To Participate in the Recession....

2009-04-21T09:30:00.001-07:00

The internet is where it's at - for e-commerce, and visibility. Kari and Company is proud to welcome some new clients to the web. Some for the first time, and others as a redesign of their existing website. This group is all Volusion E-commerce designs. There's also a few Joomla customizations coming soon - for NOT JUST INVITATIONS (not live yet) and RED ARENA (A non-profit organization dedicated to helping kids with disabilities through equine therapy). We're just wrapping up those sites - and a few others - so look for them to come soon!

WELCOME:

Suite Tabu:

What IS Suite Tabu? It's a cool collection of eco-friendly and eclectic products perf ect for gift-giving, or self-indulgence (in a good way!) check out Akidah Njuzu's serious style at www.whatissuitetabu.com.

HPMS: The Therapy Connection

Bio-Freeze Lovers UNITE! Are you athletic? Are you tired and achy from it? (I would be, LOL) - if so - HPMS The Therapy Connection has the products you need, from exercise ther apy to rehabilitation and taping/bandaging - everything you need to stay fit and healthy!

GETTING MARRIED?

Then you DEFINITELY need a customized, personalized aisle runner, a personalized parasol, or a hand-painted sign or banner to WOW your guests. Check out these beautiful hand-made creations if you're planning a wedding!

DO YOU PLAY GOLF? DO YOU LIVE ON THE WEST COAST?

Then CLEARLY West Coast Golf Rewards is for you. If you play often, you can purchase a "West Coast Golf Rewards Card" and get discounts at your favorite golf courses, and on new ones you'd like to play! Tons of benefits for the frequent golfer - learn more on their website!

GOT COUTURE?

IF not - you need YOURS TRULY COUTURE. Great fashion at an affordable price. Choose from clothing, handbags, jewelry, and more!

WHAT A GREAT GIFT... BABY SHOE!

Need a gift for the new baby? This website is packed with great ideas to make memories for the baby. Great gift ideas including gift tins, stuffed animals and the very cool name/date baby shoe - as featured on NBC's TODAY SHOW. Learn more about these great gift ideas at BABYSHOE.com...

GOT MAKEUP?

Well now you can. Rellas Cosmetics is THE wholesale connection for makeup and cosmetics resellers around the world. The best makeup brands, the best wholesale prices.

Welcome online - everyone! :)

New Virus Alert - "XP Police Antivirus"

2009-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

So, you are trying to be careful with your internet browsing practices, you don't open 'mysterious emails', you've done the research - and you thought you had downloaded and were using the best browser for internet security (Mozilla, right?) - and POOF - now you've just installed XP Police Antivirus and you didn't even hit a button, confirm, ask for it, or know you were downloading it.

Made me feel like I was living in the Matrix. Like the computer totally had a mind of it's own. Thought to myself - "I'm GOOGLING this S.O.B. and getting it off my machine. Today."

So I Googled. And found what I needed to find. I tried a few things, and I'm sharing what I know with you. I accidentally downloaded, I Googled, and I fixed. All by my lonesome. :)

This one is easy enough, but it's still a bit ugly - one, because it installs itself even with the extra precaution of exclusively using Mozilla. Second, it disables your task manager, so you can not just go in and manually begin to remove by stopping processes.

It did definitely slow down my machine, as the VUNDO and ZLOB Trojans did that I had last year - but this one was much easier to remove.

For this little bugger, the best instructions I found for removal were on the Bleeping Computer website/blog. There was also a direct download for Malwarebytes.org Anti-Malware software. Download the free trial - and give it a test run. It'll remove your XP Police virus. Once you're sold on it, it's only 24.95.

Can't beat that with a stick. With last year's VUNDO and ZLOB trojans - I purchased SpyHunter 3 and XoftSpy - both of which I wasn't super-happy with. While I felt like they 'might be helping' - there were really problems all-around - with support, updates, even the basic operation of the software (can't even run SpyHunter anymore - it just shuts down). I don't work for Malwarebytes.org - but what I can say, as an affected user - it's the ONE PROGRAM that truly did what it said it would do - removed the virus. So it's the one I'm buyin'.

Next - we need to gain access to our Task Manager again.

Depending on which version of Windows you're on - you might need some instructions. I followed this post on Software Tips and Tricks Web Forum and was able to enable my Task Manager safely within about 5 mintues.

So that's it - cure XP Police:

1/ Get MalwareBytes.org Anti-Malware
2/ Enable your Task Manager again

Unless of course there's something ELSE lingering on your machine - which - we're all over here hoping there's NOTHING more on your machine - because those boogers sure are smart & sneaky. If we get another one, we'll find a way to remove and post our experiences.

Good luck and safe surfing!

Holidays BLEW by!

2009-02-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't written much lately - the holidays just BLEW BY - and now we're into 2009 already! I've got some great stuff to share about SEO, so I'll have to organize it and post it ASAP for you. Also - some great new sites are now live!

So, look for me to post again this week on some things about natural & organic SEO and the new sites Kari & Co. was working on over the 2008 Holiday!

So far for 2009, I've got a few Volusion customers that I'm working with to help them get their site BE-AU-TI-FIED!

Hope everyone is great, had a GREAT holiday season - and we're looking forward to a successful 2009!!

Great Gifts Galore ONLINE NOW

2008-11-30T06:33:00.000-08:00

The holidays are fast approaching - and thankfully - it's been a busy time for us! We've had lots of new clients, and they're all great opportunities to get prizes and presents this holiday season. Check them out!

Welcome to the internet!

Defend Max - Owned and operated by an ex police officer who knows and understands the need for such products - DefendMax offers tons of articles and resources to help you in your choices. Visit DEFENDMAX - for all your personal security products, including mace and pepper spray, video and surveillance cameras and more!

Electric Smoker Pro - Commercial a nd Personal Smokers, Grills and more - Michael's motto: "Smoke like a PRO from the very first day" - this sounds like a GREAT gift for DAD!!! (or ANYONE!)

Evolution Import - If you've got a Volkswagen or Audi, this is your one-stop parts shop. Specialized German stuff for specialized German cars!! Check out their world-famous aluminum skid plates!

Sleep Well Baby - is not new to the internet, rather - it's redesigned and reborn anew! Check them out for great specials on we llness products, bath, body, aromatherapy, rest and relaxation products and more.

and finally...

The ULTIMATE Home Journal - if you're a realtor, the key to referral success is client gifts. What better gift to give your client - than the Ultimate Home Journal - to help them manage the hectic day to day needs ot moving and settling into a new home. Earn your client's referrals with this great client gift.

Welcome to the internet... SPEXY LADY...

2008-11-15T08:11:00.001-08:00

One of my clients, for whom I designed a blog - and who shall remain a complete mystery (because mysteries are really fun, and this person is...) - is a total SPEXY LADY.

A very saavy fashion editor and style guru, you are sure to find great info on her blog, info and news, great articles on style, fashion, parenting, relationships, nightlife and more - on her very cool blog: SpexyLady.

Welcome to the internet, SPEXY LADY! I for one am going to follow this blog!

Unique Gift Sites

2008-09-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Now's my chance to welcome some really cool sites to the web - that sell very niche, hard-to-find gifts! Created on the Volusion E-Commerce platform, and custom designed to meet their needs.

Welcome to the web!

Lawyerly Love
Evangeline and her team have created the coolest custom gifts for students in La w School or new Laywers. Choose from several snazzy care packages, gift boxes, and there's even add-ons for specific occasions throughout the process of becoming a lawyer.

Evangeline is detail-oriented, and takes great care with each order. If you know someone in law school, or that has just become a laywer, this is a great gift to help them succeed, and for you to show your support!

The Greek Boutique
For all you college kids - pledging a sorority or fraternity this year, or for you big-sisters and big-brothers out there - this is THE PLACE for your GREEK LIFE, SORORITY and FRATERNITY Gift.

School's in! and so is getting a cool gift.

What a neat concept....

TRANSITIONAL SIZES
Featured press and designer style. Rental clothes - for the person going through a 'transition' - that is, weight loss! What a great concept. Now, if you're losing weight - and on the road to a healthier you, you don't have to buy a new wardrobe everytime you change a size. Simply RENT your wardrobe as you change!

You'll get great service and save a ton while you're on your diet/journey to lose weight.

Welcome all!

Gosh, I've been busy... but new GREAT sites are up!

2008-09-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, I've been busy lately! But there's some newcomers (at least, new designs for me - some of them have been around!) to the web I'd like to take a moment to introduce!

A great big Texan Internet "HELLO" to:

Inspired Endurance:
Marie is a crafts-woman who creates custom gold and silver jewelry for the inspired athlete. The perfect gift for someone in your life who is training for a marathon or running event, or any sort of endurance sport. She's got the best, most unique jewelry.

I have to say - she sent me the CUTEST bracelet (or, RACE-let!) and I just love it. You'll be inspired by her, and her products. Check out her new site.

Wine Christmas
Chari and her team at SuVino Winery have
been working hard to get their ultra-cool new site, Wine Christmas - up and running for you to browse holiday ornaments, decor, wine stoppers, items for the home and table - and more!

The Winery is great fun too - and look soon for DIVA WINE SHOP for all your whimsical wine gifts!

And also for your holiday season shopping needs....
Christmas Dealz
Brandon and his team at Christmas Dealz have the best electronics, Wii, Nintendo, Games, and so much more - for great GREAT holiday gifts for the kiddos, or grown ups (like me) who still love to play.

He's a very smart guy, super-nice, and extremely customer service oriented. He'll provide quality, authentic products - and great service and support with your order. You can't go wrong buying your Holiday gifts here.

Get ready for Holiday shopping with these great sites!!

Congratulations POSH PUPPY BOUTIQUE

2008-09-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jen over at the Posh Puppy Boutique! She's won TWO Webmaster Awards on her fun website - where you can buy DESIGNER DUDS FOR YOUR DOG, BLING COLLARS, DOG BOWLS, PET B EDDING and more.

It's nice to see a website that takes off and does so well after we've edited the Volusion Template. Volusion is the e-commerce platform for Posh Puppy Boutique.

So - again, CONGRATS, JEN - for webmastering your new website to success of these two niche awards! Not an easy task!

Awarded by: Next Day Pets

Dogs, Pet Supplies, Dog Breeders

Frontline, Pet Meds, Revolution


	Awarded to quality pet websites. (dogs, puppies, cats, horses) Type: Dog Site

FRINJ Salon & Spa

2008-09-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the internet - the all new Frinj Salon & Spa in Plano, Texas. Susan and the team at Frinj have dedicated their careers to creating a luxurious customer atmosphere, to providing the trendiest and hippest hair, nail, skin and spa services, and to throwing some awesome spa parties. If you're in the Dallas area, check them out! If you're elsewhere, look soon for hot and trendy products from their product boutique to be sold online. Until then, you can read about their association with Locks of Love, and we'll be building their website over the next few weeks. It's under construction now, but it's live, and the salon is running ready!

Cookies, Shutters and Photography, OH MY!

2008-07-28T14:45:00.000-07:00

Again, a special thanks to my clients for their support. I'm getting new clients every day, and working to build my business to create a presence on the web for people who need help. I'd like to take a moment and welcome some very special clients: ALI'S COOKIES, MVP Design, and the Anderson Law Firm in Dallas.

Ali's Cookies, also known as SHIP A COOKIE.COM, has some SERIOUS cookies and gifts. Perfect gift for any occasion, the perfect corporate party or theme party addition as well. Jeff and Ali have sent me some cookies for, well... 'inspiration' - and let me say they put a gaggle in my weight watchers regime. These things are DIVINE!! Get yours today.

Featured on 11 Alive Atlanta this last weekend. Check them out!

Also - Welcome to the web: The Anderson Family Law Firm. Specializing in Dallas divorce, this family was voted among Dallas Magazine's "Best of Dallas" and also Texas Monthly's Super Lawyers. They also assist with other legal things, ranging from military issues to criminal defense. Need a lawyer? Contact Dallas' best! Visit the Anderson Law Firm today. Search Engine Optimization by The Info Group, Dallas. I had the pleasure of working with Mark. Thanks for the opportunity!

Adding GREAT BIG PHOTOS to your blog.

2008-07-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

HOW TO ADD GREAT BIG PHOTOS TO YOUR BLOGGER BLOG

For many of my photographer clients, they showcase their work on their blogs. THIS is a magnificent idea!!

However, they always ask - "How can I get the photos larger on my blog"?

Well, first - the template used has to be widened to a accommodate such large images, then the images need to be inserted, and the HTML edited to the exact size of the photo.

SO first: the template must be customized a bit to widen it. (usually) This blog is set to 100% width. A fixed width is great too, as long as the main posting area has at least 600 pixels or so of working post space. 600 pixels is a good width, anyway for blog photos (as far as big ones go) and should fill the area nicely. The example above is 600 pixels wide, and 450 pixels high.

Then, the images must already be hosted somewhere (that is, not uploaded directly to Blogger in the post, but already existing on the web, having been uploaded via FTP to your hosting account, or already existing in it's largest or full size on a photo sharing website.

Why can't you just upload them? Because Blogger stores your photos on Picasa, which resizes them to the default 'S, M & L' settings (I believe 'large' is 400 pixels max width). There's only three sizes (S, M & L) when uploading to Blogger. If you try to go in and edit the HTML, it will then enlarge an already downsized image, making it pixelize. So to retain image quality, it's best to have them hosted.

SO - upload your images somewhere (and know their exact height and width) via FTP to your website, or a shared photo community (like your own Picasa account, or Photobucket). Then, you'll right click the photo in it's full size, and get the URL to the image. The URL to this image is http://www.kariandco.com/great.jpg.

Then, insert photo into your post as normal, but use the right side option, to add it from the URL. Paste in your URL to the photo. Go ahead and select "Large", and then your orientation (left, right or center).

Once it's 'done' and inserted, you'll see Blogger resized it (to 400 in my case..) so you'll need to now edit the HTML. Click the 'Edit Html' tab in your post.

At the top, you'll see the mumbo-jumbo that was auto-created when you inserted your image. You now need to manually add the height and width of your image to the CSS statement that controls the image and how it displays. Here's the code, and what you'll add/change:

Part of Original Generated Code:

........img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.kariandco.com/great.jpg" alt="".........

(see? it resized the width to 400px...)

So now, update your code (just type in your height and width, using the exact styling as below):

........img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://www.kariandco.com/great.jpg" alt="".........

And VOILA! - you've got larger photos on your photo blog!

Hope this helps you photographers out there!

NEW WEBSITES - And some REDESIGNS

2008-07-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

WELL, it's been a busy couple of months for Kari & Co. - which is great! And, thanks to all my clients who have sent me referrals. Most of my business lately has been repeat and referral clients, and this is great to me, because that is how I always envisioned my business - trust and cooperation, effective communication is really important to us - so we're pleased to get the referrals and great feedback.

So, without further delay...

Welcome to the Web

Better Bronze, owner Allyson Adair, has started the ultimate business, providing mobile tanning services to the Austin, Texas metro area. Welcome to the web! If you're in Austin, you're in for a treat, because she uses Fantasy Tan products, featured on ABC's Dancing with the Stars! WISH I WERE CLOSER TO AUSTIN....

Want the Celebrity Look for less $$? Get the hottest styles of accessories, handbags, and other great stuff
at the Celebrity Look! "Paris and Nicole" style, at "Kari" prices! Whooooooot diggity! Designer inspired, at an inspiring price. Get your celeb-style today!

REDESIGNED AND REFRESHED

Aim Higher Jets - what a neat thing. Owned by the Gilmore family, and operated by Jeff - a US Air Force Pilot stationed overseas (THANKS JEFF!!!). If you're looking for replica/diecast/custom mahogany aircraft models - this is the place.

Coming VERY SOON!

The Anderson Law Firm (finalizing!!)
My Seafood Gourmet
Red Ass Gear (for all the Aggies out there!)

And a special thank you to my ongoing clients, if it weren't for you - I wouldn't be able to be a WAHM!! Work at home mom!

Summer Promotion - New Sites

2008-06-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

We'd like to take this opportunity to welcome some new sites to the web - and draw your attention to the hip stuff they can offer. Check them out:

The POSH PARTY BOUTIQUE - offering all sorts of neat favors and gifts for parties and weddings, baby showers and much more!

The AUTO LOAN GROUP - the place for you to get a new auto loan on a new or used vehicle. No hassles, no problem with credit or bankruptcy issues - if you need a little help getting an auto loan, these are your guys.

And, the very popular POSH PUPPY BOUTIQUE! Need the perfect gift for a pet lover? Need a hip new water bowl for your furry friend? Check out this website for the coolest and hippest pet products, pet accessories and gifts!

Check out these fun sites when you can!

Beautysak LAUNCHED

2008-06-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

A new site (on Volusion e-commerce) launched last week - and I am proud to say I am behind the template, created to mirror the original beautysak.com website. Check it out here: www.beautysak.com. If you need any sort of makeup, skin care products, hair care products or nail polishes - beautysak.com has what you need.

There's Nobody Out There.

2008-05-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

New blogger here. Feelin' Pretty alone, too. If you read this, please post a comment, or drop me an email that you're reading it so I don't feel like a dork, typing my life away and feeling like nobody reading. If you aren't reading this, well then, you must be a very busy person not to partake in something so very important. Sheesh!

NEW SITES UP AND RUNNING!!

A fun blog: Christie's Divorce Party - you go girl- Life is going to get GREAT!
The ION CHI PATCH - these from my favorite entrepreneur - and provider of great holistic health care products. Personally -I can't wait to try these, need to DETOX!
and coming soon - VERY SOON - the DUMPTANK. We just did the Dumptank's MYSPACE BLOG too
- so get hooked up if you have a MYSPACE account, the Dumptank is going to be lots of fun.

More coming soon -

Ali's Cookies:(YUMMY YUMMY!!! Get your cookies NOW, even if we haven't redone their site yet. They sent me some for 'inspiration' - and I have to say - the BEST EVER!

RACETIME

2008-04-08T12:00:00.001-07:00

I've been helping on and off with a cool lil' project that belongs to my friend Shannon:
The US OUTLAW Nationals

Drag race enthusiasts - run what you brung! Get all the info here.

Need an Auto Loan?

2008-04-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the web: The Auto Loan Group! Although still working on some final functionality things - this website is live, but not 'functional' yet. Look for it soon for all your financing needs!

A beautiful design (that I am particularly proud of...) - Ion Chi Patches - and a great client. (a VIP client!)Trust Jason and his staff at IonChi, for the lastes holistic and natural remedies and healthcare. Check out these cool detox foot pads!!!!

Also (sort of) coming soon - VMS Security Seals. The site is designed, and should relaunch in the next few weeks. Lad's been working up a storm on it!

Coming soon:
Hire Instincts
Muscle Car Mania of Texas

New Sites

2008-03-12T10:16:00.000-07:00

New sites are hitting the web!

WELCOME TO THE INTERNET:

Elliott Consulting - Sherri Elliott, an HR Professional in the Dallas area, has taken her consulting firm online. She and the team at Elliott HR Consulting can provide assessments, training and other HR solutions for your business. Check them out!

Suburban Roofing is a new website for some long-time, experienced repair/remodeling/roofing company local to the Dallas area. Need some remodeling work? or a new roof? They handle residential and commercial repairs and remodeling solutions all over the Dallas Metro area. Welcome to the web, Jeff Peters and Staff!

Redesigns:
Check out the new look of The Purse Boutique and Red Carpet Bagz! Updating their look for the new year.

Although we don't get to take credit for the cool website design, we did recently made some website updates for Absolute Pitch Public Relations, and designed their MySpace blog. Looking for some cool music? Or are you a musician with lots of promise? Seek out Beatrice at Absolute Pitch PR for your public relations needs. Very cool stuff!

Coming Soon:
VMS Products (Security Seals and other Security Products)
Acrylic Designs, Inc.
Morgan and Son Racing
Muscle Car Mania of Texas
Fraud Consultants Online
The Anderson Firm (redesign)

Not New, But Very Much Needed - MySpace

2008-03-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

Just stumbled upon a very good article and example of CSS to 'decrappify' MySpace web profiles. Great article, thought I'd mention it here - Mike Davidson's Blog.

I have to say, I tried this technique with a blog resdesign - here: Absolute Pitch Public Relations - and while it turned out fairly nice, I find that MySpace is crazy about cross browser compatibility, still. I had lots of problems getting my 'MySpace' project to look as nice as Mike Davidson did with his blog - but I finally realized that you can't allow HTML in the comments section, or the images and other doodads your 'friends' can put in your comments will throw your tables and design out of whack.

Took me a long time to figure this out, I'm a little embarrased... but lesson learned. So - for the most part, if you want a nice clean, contained look, you have to create new template with the default MySpace CSS, (as Mike provides in his blog at above referenced link) and then turn of the HTML Friend Comments. (or as far as I know.)

Still a learning process.....

New Sites Launched

2008-02-07T08:09:00.001-08:00

Well, we've been working hard over here... and we've launched some new sites.

Just Launched!

Barrett Bronze:
www.barrettbronze.com
Jamie Barrett, of Barrett Studios (a Division of Barrett Bronze, Inc.) creates custom casted replicas, awards, POP displays, 3-D Signage, Liquor Displays, and much more. He's got my dream job! He gets to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC often, as he creates museum quality replicas. They do much more though, check them out!

Diva:
www.divakids.net
Miriam is a distributor of designer kid's clothing. Carrying high-end kid's fashions like Simonetta, Juicy Couture and many others - she's got a physical store in New York, and now has a presence on the web for orders out of the area. Although her website is not an e-commerce site, it is on a CMS (Joomla) that supports a shopping cart, and allows the user to place an 'order' - from which Miriam and her team will work to fill the order, accept payment and arrange shipping. We're still in the process of adding all her great stuff, but that could take some time - as she's got SOOOO much cool stuff!

Casa Irie:
www.casairiecollections.com
Annette owns a consignment boutique in New Jersey - and carries quality consignment items, as well as Rockers It's Dangerous (New Clothing) and her own unique line of hand-painted vases. Now, she's got a manageable CMS (Joomla) with a shopping cart feature - where you can purchase her items online. We're still populating her items too, but she's up and running - and getting her business online!

And last but not least!

Posh Puppy Boutique
www.poshpuppyboutique.com
This is one of my VIP clients for sure - Jen is a master of e-commerce. This is a customized Volusion template, and she carries designer and unique doggy doo-dads. Check it out, and get your pup some posh prizes!

Coming Soon:

Charla Glass Interiors
Barrett Environmental

Virus Alert

2008-02-03T07:58:00.001-08:00

*DISCLAIMER*
I'm no expert in viruses, spyware and malware,
this is simply a personal story of survival where these rude little irritants are concerned.

There's no doubt that computer viruses and spyware are a crippling time-waster for those of us who work on our computers, and also on the web. What sort of person creates this stuff? Honestly? Immature pre- teenage geniuses? Mr. Norton? Come on now. You know who you are. (AND - Just so you know, you totally blew me away this week - with your smart little 'rogue anti-spyware hijacker' programs.)

So here's what I had going on (and have a little of, still) Trojan Vundo and Trojan Zlob + an ugly little hijacker called "Storage Protector". (please notice - I did not put a link to their nasty little website and I do NOT recommend going to it or downloading any of their software!).

It all started with my computer running a little slow. Then, all of a sudden - I start getting crazy messages and system errors. And these look totally LEGIT, people!

Next thing you know, you've got two "Microsoft Windows" icons on your desktop: one for "Help and Support" and one other (I can't remember - and I don't want to bring it back just to post it here!).

Luckily, I didn't click on any of them - but viewed their properties (right click, view properties.) and saw that they DID NOT go to Microsoft, or to a system file on my machine, but rather a website called "Storage Protector". UGLY!

Here's how smart these uglies are: you can run anti-spyware programs (Adaware by Lavasoft, SpyHunter3 by Enigma - both good options) and these little malicious programs 'sense' or are triggered that they're being hunted.... So, they change their filenames often (to go under the radar of these programs and of known filenames that one might try and delete to manually remove the infection).

In addition, they embed themselves in Windows logon files, so they automatically renew themselves on startup/boot. So many times, the only way to get rid of them is to format or restore the entire hard drive, because trying to remove these files from the logon files can damage the logon process, making it impossible to boot up again. UGLY!

What did I do? I freaked out first. All my client files are on my machine, and my entire life in photos. I use the internet and FTP all the time.

For hope and inspiration, I then spoke to an Apple friend, who told me that the MacBook Pro I got for Christmas just wouldn't put up with these nasty little programs (the Operating System, OSX, does not support these programs, they are ahead of these hijackers! Hallelujah!) and that it was safe to transfer my client's files. I did so at once. Then, I moved on to the business of cleaning my Windows Laptop of these hateful little boogers.

Tips to remove and protect and learn:

First and foremost: Change browsers. If you're on Internet Explorer: change now to Mozilla Firefox. It's more secure, and less likely to allow browser hijacking and these back door viruses like Vundo and Zlob into your computer to open it up to other infections.

Then, look and learn: If you suspect malware or spyware, or virus infections on your computer, run an anti-spyware program and an anti-virus program. There's lots of good FREE Ones out there.

Spyware/Malware: SpyHunter3, Adaware
Both have good support, forums, and helpful people. You might have to also download and test some other programs or tools to remove the bugs (as requested or directed by security volunteers on the forum).

Typically, the people on these forums are volunteers - so you MUST have patience and manners when posting on these forums, and read the pre-posting instructions. You might figure out and clean your infection on your own just by the free info. They are helping others for a whole buncha nothin'! And if you can, please donate to their causes - because they are working hard to keep people safe. I actually purchased the paid versions of a couple of spyware programs and run them every day now. They didn't remove what I had - but support was good - and informative.

Virus Protection: Avast AntiVirus
So far so good - this little gem has cleaned up a bunch.

Overall support and GREAT info: Atribune
Atri - the developer and site owner - he's an INCREDIPEOPLE kind of guy. Seems that he came up with a little thing called VUNDOFIX, which I ran - it (in my case) actually got rid of the ZLOB, and the Storage Protector. (or a combination of Avast + VundoFix) so now I have 4 files left, that claim 'Vundo' that I'm having a hard time getting off my machine... BUT - I have, since finding Atribune, removed 10 files of Zlob + Vundo and the Storage Protector. So I am totally happy - being that progress has been made.

So there's my journey - and my links to great tools and websites that I think will help others. I've posted in the Atribune forums for some help on removing these last 4 files - so hopefully I'll get those off too. I'll keep you posted!

Cheers - and Good luck!!

RENEWAL

2008-01-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

The time has come to RENEW!

Not just for our website, but also for the vision and future of "Kari and Company".

Inspirations + Skills + Work = WOW.

What I have now, with regard to my website, branding, etc... - has worked over the last year, for basic professional needs - since I left my full time position with Park Place Dealerships.

But, I have this little vision thing-a-majig working now, and see some grand things for myself - as well as ALL the talented people I know. And there are SOO many!

I am seeing a future where all the incredibly brilliant people I know (who I will name later on in posts pertaining to their particular brilliance, 'Incredipeople') can work together - as a team - creating 'web WOW', helping others obtain and manage a web presence, providing "ODC" or, "On-Demand Creative" services for our VIP clients (and anyone else who wants to sign up!) with a company that they can help grow.

I don't want to run it. I'm not there! That stuff makes me crazy! Dang! I just want to work for it. (in the creative department, of course...)

Look soon for posts on products & services, tips and tricks, articles on design and all things web - and much more.

This will be the designer's little journal... and a journal of a little company with big dreams!

Open Source CMS, is it right for you?

2007-12-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

Coming Soon! OPEN SOURCE CMS: Is that what you need?

E-Commerce Solutions

2007-12-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Need to sell your stuff online? There's so many options available, I thought I'd share some of my experience.

Depending on:
1/How many products you have to sell
2/Your budget
3/Your hosting arrangements (do you already have a website hosted?)
4/Your reporting and management needs

I have several systems that I've worked with now, that I can categorize to best make a suggestion to how you should choose.

If you are looking for great reporting and support, as well as a hosted solution (that is, you don't have a dedicated host for your website), I highly recommend Volusion, a hosted e-commerce solution that is fully customizable, with GREAT support, and GREAT reporting. With Volusion, you'll pay for hosting, and (maybe) your domain, and you can also sign up for a SSL certificate (Secure Socket Layer) and a merchant account + gateway (to accept credit card payments) all in one swoop. With this solution, you'll choose different packages depending on how many products you sell.

If you already have a hosting account, and you're on a tighter budget, you can always opt for an Open Source (Free, under the GPL License) product like Zen Cart, or OS Commerce. Another option, is to go with a CMS (Content Management System) like Joomla, and install a shopping cart component to go with it, like Virtue Mart. All of these options are 'free', but since they are so, the support is more of a 'community' of people who work with these applications. While they all work great, once installed and configured, they do require a little more learning on your part, as the end user. They are also customizable with template structure, and can be managed by you.

There are thousands of other applications and programs out there, but these, so far - have proven the most efficient for managing and selling products. If you can afford to go Volusion - I do recommend it highly because of their awesome support staff.

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns - we'll be happy to be candid with our experiences in this arena.

Happy Selling!

Mobile Media Concepts

2007-11-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

What a great idea!

Mobile Media Concepts
www.mobilemediaconcepts.net

Thinking out of the box. We're proud to be associated with this project (logo, website + marketing materials).