Of course, there’s a trick to doing that successfully. You can edit your computer’s HOSTS file or you can edit your WordPress installation’s URL settings. When I’m not the only one building a site, I choose to update the WordPress settings to keep everything straight at the source.

The best step-by-step explanation I found for doing this is at Koza Communications. Works like a charm and doesn’t require backing up databases or moving files. You change WordPress to your hosting server’s temporary URL while you are building the site. When you are finished and the site is ready to be live, you change WordPress back to the real URL.

Our little pandas love to build sandcastles

Here’s one of my new designs that celebrates one of our favorite summertime activities: building sandcastles! Our little panda friends have their buckets, shovels, sand, and shells and their little sandcastles look fantastic.

I have two versions of the design:

• boy panda wearing a green and orange bathing suit and carrying a blue and yellow bucket
• girl panda wearing a red polka-dotted bikini and red hair bow and carrying a bright pink and yellow bucket

I’ve created lots of fun items in my PandaPlaza shop at Zazzle.com with these cute pandas building sandcastles. All of the Zazzle items are customizable so personalize with your child’s name or maybe the name of the beach where you enjoy building sandcastles! Here are a few of my favorites:

Boy Panda with Sandcastle by PandaPlaza

Girl Panda with Sandcastle by PandaPlaza

Boy Panda with Sandcastle by PandaPlaza

Girl Panda with Sandcastle by PandaPlaza

Boy Panda with Sandcastle by PandaPlaza

Girl Panda with Sandcastle by PandaPlaza

Ah, it’s that time of year again…love is in the air! In honor of Valentine’s Day, I have a new design in my SheepStation Zazzle store featuring my little sheep friends holding big hearts. The little boy sheep is holding a big red heart while the little girl sheep is wearing a bright pink hair bow and holding a big bright pink heart. Let them help you share your love!

I’ve created lots of cute customizable items featuring these designs in my SheepStation store at Zazzle.com. You can personalize the mugs, t-shirts, bags, etc. with your name or any other text. Here are a few of my favorite items:

Girl Sheep with Big Heart by sheepstation

Boy Sheep with Big Heart by sheepstation

Girl Sheep with Big Heart by sheepstation

Boy Sheep with Big Heart by sheepstation

Girl Sheep with Big Heart by sheepstation

Boy Sheep with Big Heart by sheepstation

Here’s her take on trying to learn the french curves tool:

• Hard to master. The ink kept creating dots whenever she’d start or end a curve.
• Didn’t seem to be as useful for small scale curves. Might work well drawing large curves where it’s harder to keep a steady hand.
• Much easier to draw curves by hand. (Keep in mind that she is a rather proficient freehand artist.)

Having never successfully used the french curves I acquired back in art school, I was curious about french curves and how they are used today (if at all). After some time on the web and chatting with my designer friends, I found that most folks either did not know how to use french curves at all (many had them tucked away in a drawer since art school) or chose to either draw curves by hand or on the computer. Interestingly enough, my friends who sew or do wood working were the only ones who still used french curves regularly. Perhaps engineers and architects still use them as well?

Here are some interesting things I found while researching french curves:

• Instructions with illustration on how to use a french curve (looks like it’s from a textbook)
• How to use a french curve for sewing (general suggestions)
• Using French Curves and Circle Templates with Wacom Cintiq (combining hand tools with the computer)
• French Curves and Watercolor Flowers (student art project with lovely pics)
• French Curves, Sharpies and Patience (amazing art done with french curves)

Vector Tuts+: How to Make a Foolproof Flowery Wallpaper Pattern
Step-by-step tutorial with a bonus video walkthrough.
Thoughts: “Developing complex patterns requires planning and precision. This tutorial really explains the process well. I particularly liked the bonus tip about using Live Color to change colors once your pattern is finished.”

Spyre Studios: How to Design a Hand-Drawn Vector Pattern Using Pencils, Photoshop And Illustrator
Step-by-step tutorial that starts with a sketch that is scanned and then digitized before it becomes a vector pattern.
Thoughts: “Great screenshots. And good insight into the thought process of creating a complex pattern including using a grid and thinking through your positioning.”

Bittbox: How to Make a Perfect Seamless Vector Pattern
How to create a simple vector pattern like polka dots or stripes.
Thoughts: “This process is fast for creating the simple repetitive patterns…fewer steps than the other tutorials. Includes tips about easily aligning the pattern parts perfectly.”

The brunette fairy is wearing green and black striped thigh-high stockings, a matching green short frilly skirt and brown fitted corset. Her wings resemble leaves and branches.

We scanned the hand-drawn sketch, digitized it and then colored it using Illustrator.

We’ve also created a few items in our DarcyPlace shop at Zazzle.com. The customizable items can be personalized with any text you’d like.

Fairy – Forest – Necklace by DarcyPlace

Fairy – Forest – Tee by DarcyPlace

Fairy – Forest – Keychain by DarcyPlace

In my day job as a graphic designer/website designer, I’ve been quite busy the last year or so developing a website for a local private school, Seattle Country Day School, that finally launched last month! Check it out!