Anne, I enjoyed the clear direction your class outlines in the needed steps to setting up a site. I spent a good deal of time investigating what sites others are using and had a list of what I liked and did not like. I decided on using WordPress to build my site. It will be an artist's site to showcase my artwork, patterns, digital art, photos, etc. A place for people to land and look at a portfolio of sorts.

I have had so many struggles getting this site set up by myself. At times, I think it is coming along and then I change something and can't go back to what I had done previously. I had 3 fields/photos with buttons that were below them. Now, they are stacked one on top of the other and I don't think it looks as nice. Too much boring, blank space on the sides. The only thing I can say is I have spent a lot of time on this, learning many things about starting to make a website on my own but it is not helping me advance. Frustratingly slow, but I have to keep after it. There are tutorials I can watch on WordPress so I added those to my list of what I need to do next. 

I have buttons that won't click and take you to that area, ie:  artwork, or patterns. Instead, a link address shows up that could be copied and pasted, but who will really take the time to do that?  I am using a free version of WordPress, at the moment, so that may be why the buttons are not clickable. I am not sure. 

The butterfly pattern was one I made in your PS pattern-making class last year. I recolored it into the branding colors I am using. At the bottom of the page is a place for people to sign up for emails from me with updates on what I might be doing. That is the current thought I have to get started with.

There is a place for contact info and a link for Instagram @lurlinegatlingart. I am using my name as I couldn't decide on anything better and I needed something to start Instagram with. 

 

So, now, moving on to our garden.  Not related but it is in response to your request to post something about it for your current contest. Actually! The garden is a tremendous source of inspiration and a break from working on tedious things, like making a website. 

Garden picture:  One of the gardens in our yard is a rock garden. In the rock that spills out from the pot are pieces of petrified wood as well as rocks we pick up when we go out rock hounding. 

Pet Photo: We don't have any pets. However, if you can consider the above pets, then our garden attracts a variety of them. We will call them creatures of interest. It is fun to see what we find on any given day. A butterfly, lizard, cicada, or skink. In the past we watched a cicada come out of the ground and crawl along, looking for a place to dry off. Then there was the time we were digging to plant a tree and happened upon a skink. It seemed prehistoric-looking to me, looking more like a fat, wet, snake with little legs. A Woodpecker and the countless holes he drilled in the tree. A hawk in our tree, guarding his dinner. There are so many things that come into our yard if you stop to pay attention.