Lazytea Creations - Internet Solutions

At long last a solution has been given to those of you who have wanted to update your own  websites.  Wordpress 2.7 has a much friendlier user interface than previous versions.  Several of the sites here are being transferred to a new server and updated to Wordpress 2.7  Check out the video!

And then… GET STARTED

To all who visit my website and my clients, friends, and family I’d like to wish a peace and joy filled holiday season and year to come.  2008 passed with amazing speed.  Lazytea has moved to a new server with upgraded operating systems and connectivity.  I’ve also moved on to limiting my client base so I have time necessary for homeschooling my grade school age daughter.

On the internet front we see many advances in content management systems. Several of my clients are now on Wordpress.  They just released a brand new version that makes updating your own site much more user friendly.  This is exciting!  I hope to upgrade this site to Wordpress 2.7 in the near future.

Seems fall went by in a flash.  Barely mid October and we have snow on the ground.  This is the time of year I would like to have 2 clones of myself so I could get everyone’s work done as quickly as they and I would like.  Since my degree is in English and not Genetic Engineering, I fear I will need to opt for chipping away at Denali with my teaspoon.  Updates a rolling in daily.  Honestly, I get to them as fast as possible.  Soon it will be time to dress the websites for the holidays.  I continue to have several builds going on and more that should be.  Stress does not seem to make me work any faster or better, so I refuse to let the pressure build.

My oldest daughter Jean is busy with her writing career.  Maybelle is 7 and we are homeschooling.  If you call during the daytime, you will most likely get my answering machine as I do not answer when we are working together.  Edward is here to assist since he has retired from the Municipality of Anchorage.  Feel free to talk with him on the phone if he answers.

Several have asked when I will update my own dog site.  www.talyn-acds.com  It is in the works.  The site is about 3 years out of date and I have a whole new family now.  Hopefully, over Christmas, I can give myself the gift of time to update my own site.

Seems Alaska passed on summer this year.  It’s been unusually cold and rainy.  After a wonderful break to visit with family in Seattle, I returned home with renewed resolve to put family first.  I haven’t accepted any new clients and have steadily worked to reduce the mountain of updates and redesigns.

Maybelle begins first grade in a few days.  She will be homeschooled again this year.

Enjoy the last few dog days of summer!

It is officially springtime!  Of course, in Alaska that means mud, standing water, first crop of mosquitos, and lots of cleaning to be done.  Amidst some extra visiting dogs and the stacks of homeschooling records to be file sorted, submitted, or returned, I have managed to keep up with building & renovating several new sites.  I’ve also found myself helping extinguish small “web fires” that have ignited when hosting companies go under or other developers raise their prices.  It has been most interesting.

During May, I went to Greeley, Colorado for the Shetland Sheepdog National Specialty.  There I visited with a few clients and enjoyed a preview of spring.

In June I will be away for nearly the entire month attending a Young Living convention in Utah and then visiting family in Seattle.  If you are in the Salt Lake City or Seattle area during June, let’s arrange to meet.

I’d like to welcome aboard Bullards Bull Terriers

Congratulations to client Dave Dalton and his Gang for a beautiful 3rd place finish in the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon Terr. Canada!  Well done Dave!

The Iditarod heads out of town this weekend bound for Nome.  The excitement in the air is palpable - well audible as well since we live near one of the main veterinary clinics for pre-race checks.

Many changes are taking place here.  Lots of new things for the new year.  New computer, new software, new OS on the server, new new new.

We are also mourning the loss of 2 friends and clients in the last few months. Kay Evers of Sunset Grille St.Pete and Linda Bernard of BrisketBasket.com The two were close friends and business partners.  Linda brightened many of my days with her sense of humor and brilliant ideas.  I know there’s more “razzle dazzle” in heaven now.

Happy Trails and Good Luck to All!

A friend once joked with me, “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to build a web page.” And he was right. In this day of $50 “Website Construction Kits” practically anyone with a little time and money can put together a web page. These packages work well enough for simple, personal web pages, but often lack the depth and attention to detail that is necessary for a business website. If these packages truly made it that simple the web would be filled with nothing but beautiful, professional sites, and I’d be out of business.

The truth is that creating an effective professional website is more complicated than simply putting some pictures and text on a page. Like creating a “bricks and mortar” business you need to consider an array of variables that affect the size, scope and style of the “site” your are creating. Who is your potential web market? What does your website add to your existing business? What is the most effective way of capturing their interest, and their loyalty? These are only a few of the questions you should ask yourself as you go about the business of creating your online presence.

What a very busy summer this has been at Lazytea Creations! There have been many changes and readjustments in schedule due to the changing needs of our family.

As the berries are ripening, our summer frenzy is bearing fruit.
My photographs have become very popular with the local dog crowd as well as in my CafePress Store .

To accommodate the requests for prints and special photo sessions, I have established a dedicated photo gallery

You can still view my gallery at Flickr.
If you find something there you like, simply request permission from me before you use the image.

I will be attending the Bernese Mt. Dog Club of Alaska’s Specialty Draft Tests and Show the September 1-3. Request for ringside candids should be made as early as possible to avoid conflicts.

September 21 - October 3 I will be in the Seattle/Mt. Vernon Washington area for the Australian Cattle Dog Club of America
and the Cascade Australian Cattle Dog Club Specialties.

I have already received many deposits for candids there but can still accept a few more.
Copies of the 2008 Lazytea Calendars will be available for preview and orders can be placed anytime for items or prints of photos taken at these events or other events.

Designers, developers, project managers. Writers and editors. Information architects and usability specialists. People who make websites have been at it for more than a dozen years, yet almost nothing is known, statistically, about our profession. Who are we? Where do we live? What are our titles, our skills, our educational backgrounds? Where and with whom do we work? What do we earn? What do we value?It’s time we learned the answers to these and other questions about web design. And nobody is better qualified than the readers of A List Apart to provide the answers. Participate in our first annual survey to increase knowledge of web design and boost respect for the profession. Selected participants, chosen by random drawing, will win one free ticket to An Event Apart event held in the continental U.S.; an Apple 30GB video iPod, an Event Apart jump drive, or a funky A List Apart T-shirt.1

A List Apart: Articles: The Web Design Survey, 2007.

With many years of experience as a web designer. I provide organized content, intuitive navigation, and visual appeal. With these ideas in mind, I create clean, professional designs for all types of businesses and organizations, big and small.

I also know that listening to clients’ input is essential in every phase of a successful project. Using standard web development tools, we transform designs into live websites quickly and flawlessly. We build sites with care, mindful of web standards, varying browsers, and search engines.

Great results - on time and at reasonable prices.

Contact me to learn how we can help you.