As a business owner, I can definitely agree with the statement that referrals are the highest compliment a client can give. So I was flattered when Jennifer Driscoll (whose blog I designed and developed) put me in touch with John and Jennifer Moon of Northernlight Filmworks. John and Jennifer are talented cinematographers (mostly for weddings) and together we are rebranding their company, from logo (seen here) to web site and blog. They are a fun team and do great work (check out their current blog) and I can’t wait for the process to continue. Stay tuned!

Andy and I decided a while ago to head out of town for the holiday weekend, but last week we made a last minute decision to make a break for the beach. Based on a combination of great flight prices and hotel deals, we scored a great trip to Vero Beach in Florida. Our hotel had some unique amenities and despite dodging a few rain storms while we were there, we had a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

I have been searching for quite some time for a purse that is stylish, versatile, large, affordable and (here’s the biggest challenge) eco-friendly or non-leather. I kept being drawn to the shiny styles of department store designers, but was not impressed with the price tags or the materials they were made of, so I took my search online. And I must admit, when I saw this purse, I knew it was the ONE. Unfortunately, even on sale it was still more than I wanted to spend. However, lo and behold, a little online searching and I found it at Amazon.com for a fraction of the price.

I love that this bag from Matt & Nat uses recycled “Japanese paper” instead of leather and the faux suede interior lining is made from recycled bottles. Now that’s what I call a fashion statement

I have mentioned Paws & Think more than once on this site, and a perk of being my own boss is that I have been able to not only increase my involvement with their volunteer programs, but also offer my professional skills as part of the tech team.

That being said, I did what I do best and redesigned and developed a new and improved site for the organization. I took their old site, which was just using a generic template with a confusing navigation structure, and gave them a custom template that I integrated with my favorite content management system. Next up will be designing a custom e-newsletter for the organization to send out mass emails about upcoming volunteer opportunities and events.

Design talk aside, if you have been looking for an organization to donate your time, talents or financial support to, I highly suggest you consider Paws & Think. I can say that I have experienced first hand the positive impact it has on both people and pets.

Yesterday we packed up Skyler and headed down to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 6th Annual Mutt Strut. Having also gone in 2008 and in 2007, this year’s 8,000+ participants raised over $350,000 for the Humane Society of Indianapolis and blew away last year’s record-breaking 4,000 attendees.

Despite the heat, we had a great time and were glad that we could be join by our friends Brian and Liz and Scarlet.

We’re fresh back from a long weekend in California, where we go at least once a year to visit my brother Nathan, Allison, Adam and Logan (shown together above, lounging in sand hole we dug at the beach). Since we only had a short time there, we skipped San Francisco and Monterey and stayed close by instead, visiting Coyote Point and Half Moon Bay.

Web design and development is typically my most requested service, however, I do love the occasional identity/logo development opportunities that arise. One such recent project was to develop an identity for the Upper White River Watershed Alliance. Not only did I get to design the logo for an environmentally important organization, but I also got to collaborate with Jon Eynon — a talented developer and great guy to work with.

Interested in some of my other logo work? Check out what I designed for ClearWish, A Recipe For Wellness, The Chicken & The Egg and more.

The birds are chirping and the trees are budding… warmer weather should be here before we know it. This means moving hoodies and sweaters to the back of the closet and bringing t-shirts and other short sleeves to the front.

One of my favorite t-shirts that I own is this one from Mission Playground. In addition to sending an environmental message and being 100% organic cotton, it is super soft and longer than most t-shirts so the fit is extra comfortable. If you are looking for some new t-shirts this spring, I definitely recommend checking out Mission Playground.

I first became involved in Paws & Think last year around this time and since then, have increased my involvement through volunteering and also by joining the tech team. I could go on and on about how great I think this organization is, but if you would like to learn more about it from board members and other volunteers, I highly recommend going to the the 5th Annual Wine Tasting event on April 28 at Noodles & Company. Visit the Paws & Think web site to learn more about the event.

They say variety is the spice of life and one of the things I love about what I do is the opportunity I have to work with such a variety of clients. In the past few months, I have launched some sites that reflect how wide this range sometimes stretches. From SwitchGear Genomics to Advanced Biological Marketing to 41 Sports Fitness Boot Camps to RightofPublicity.com — all of them keep my job exciting and educational.