Oh, I feel like such a slacker.

Mellow Key West is actually a website that I launched pre-Christmas. But, with me being such a scatter-brained crazy person when it comes to the winter holidays, I somehow missed announcing this launch.

So, let me make amends.

Melanie from Mellow Key West contacted me to create a simple brochure site for her really awesome and fun beach-y products. Bags, basket liners, and - my favorite - bike seat covers. It has had me dreaming of a beach vacation since before the holidays, and has re-stoked that fire now that I'm posting about it.

I think I'll move to Key West now, pack up one of these bags with beach-needs, like sunglasses and 10-12 books, and sit on the beach all day. All. Day.

You can visit Melanie's site and become jealous of her beach-y lifestyle too. Go ahead.

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Related Posts:
Website Launch: Evy Jacob
Website Launch: French Toast
Website Launch: Lillian Burns

While I'm recouping from the crazy awesomeness that was Alt Summit, I want to share a recent launch that I'm adding to my list a insane love-projects.

Whereas all of my projects are special to me, some feel a little more like work than others. It's just the nature of the beast. But sometimes fate brings me together with a client and it is magical. Like dark chocolate and Zinfandel. Magic.

When I chatted with Evy for the first time, I thought it might be possible that it was going to be magical. She was looking for a designer, a killer platform, and some serious direction. Very soon things were meshing beautifully. We were solving problems, reorganizing, getting somewhere.

When Evy decided to hire me and we started working, it was so fluid. Decisions were made that improved the design, usability, and organization of her site. It was one of those projects that just worked. For both of us.

Last month I launched her new site for her fabulous products. Bright, colorful, and so wonderfully thought-out. Her work ethic is inspiring, and her products make the paper nerd in me freak out.

Speaking of freaking out, Evy sent me an awesome planner just before Alt Summit. I spent hours filling it in, like a kid the day before the first day of school.

Relationships like the one that grew out of this project are a big reason I love my job so much. I'm sure this won't be the last time that Evy and I work together. (See that Evy, that's a hint. I'll be emailing you soon.)

Check out Evy Jacob's new site for the best of paper goodies, and check out it's fab new design.

Click to tweet: New website design for @EvyJacob by @emmarieDesigns http://bit.ly/zQQnyI

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of my life as a web/graphic design freelancer.

What. A. Year.

I never dreamed that when I launched my website 2 years ago that I would be where I am now with emmarie Web Design. I entered in without any real goals, so I don't have any expectations to compare my success to, except that I'm still here and growing faster than I think anyone could have imagined I would.

It feels good to learn and grow. Stretch the bounds of what you think you can do. Doing things you never anticipating being confronted with.

And all the while, turning a profit.

I did my bookkeeping last week knowing that this anniversary was coming up. Seeing a new business have year-end profits after only two years is so encouraging. Seeing my revenue forecast for 2011 blown out of the water by an excess of over $10,000 was mind-boggling. Beating last year's revenue by over 3 times that had me floored.

What does this mean to me? Everything. It means that emmarie Web Design is glorious proof that small businesses are on the rise, and not just because I am a microbusiness, but because my success has come from the goals and success of other small creative businesses. This is our time!

And so today I'm reminiscing on projects from this year. I'll recap more goodies from the past year later this week: lessons learned, favorite projects. This year has taught me a lot.

'Tis the season of exciting launches. I've been working my tooshy off for some amazing clients recently. Each one has been such a pleasure to work with. Eager for good design. Open to ideas. Just fun.

One such client came to me a couple of months ago wanting to launch the web store to an impending brick and mortar store: French Toast. Kathleen and Julia - a mother/daughter team in Washington state - wanted to spring board their soon-to-be brick and mortar baby boutique with an online presence. The branding was already created, they just needed to setup shop.

Working with these ladies was a breeze. We worked on the layout and coded it up quickly and easily. Then it was their turn to add adorable products, like Monsieur le Squeak. Come on, he's adorable!

And there's something for you too! Get some holiday shopping done for the little squirts in your life at 15% off. Use code EMMARIE at checkout to receive your discount. Go check them out!

I posted two weeks ago about getting the exciting chance to work again with Amy for a redesign of Tapas Trays. Lucky for me that's not all Amy hired me to do. She also wanted me to design the branding and layout for her new blog, Lillian Burns.

I sincerely loved working on this project. It was fun and colorful, and a breath of fresh air. Doing business branding is what I do. I usually pass on blog branding, but there was no way I was going to pass on Amy, and I'm so glad I didn't. Creating this fun brand for Amy was so fun.

I recently launched a really fun product for The Possum Shoppe. Laura contacted me to design a website for her adorable embroidery and kid's goods business. Creating the branding for this was my favorite part. Look how adorable! And believe me, it wasn't easy making an adorable possum.

Two weeks ago I finished up work on a project that I was so excited to launch. Last Monday that launch came for Pure Style Home, the eCommerce website behind the popular interior design blog by Lauren Liess.

Whenever I read my favorite blogs I always imagine these bloggers as however they portray themselves on their blogs. I'm sure everyone does this. The couple of times that I've actually spoken to the bloggers behind the blogs, and even met them face-to-face, I'm often surprised to see that they're nothing like I imagined them.

This was never so with Lauren. Though we've never met, we've spent a lot of time chatting via email and phone working on this project as well as some tweaks to her fabulous blog. She really is as sweet and hard working as her blog makes her out to be. Another fabulous client to add to my list of favorites. I was so lucky to have the chance to work with her!

With the launch of her new site came the launch of her new fabric line, which I cannot stop drooling over. I'm trying to figure out the best way to break it to David that I need to spend about $1000 on a set of new curtains. I know they'd be perfect.

Tapas Trays is one of my all-time favorite accounts. Amy from Tapas Trays first hired me almost 2 years ago to design her eCommerce website and print materials. A little over a year ago she hired me to upgrade her hosting to Business Catalyst. Then, a couple of months ago, I heard from Amy again.

This time Amy wanted to redesign her website. Freshen it up - keeping with her original branding - and improve the functionality. I was so pleased to work with Amy again. She's fantastic. She's one of the most respectful clients I've ever worked with, and it's always such a relief to be able to work with Amy.

We redesigned the site, improved navigation, added more categories for her growing product line. We also redesigned her print materials, so they matched her new clean design.

I love the colorfulness of Tapas Trays' products. I'm already planning several Christmas gifts around these. Or maybe I'll just buy a couple of sushi trays for myself.

Two websites have recently launched that I did not design. Weird, huh? That I would post them here if I didn't design them.

I didn't design the new sites for Jessica Swift or Khristian Howell, but I did develop them.

Jessica and Khristian both contacted me about 2 months ago to take their designs and turn them into websites. Both ladies were put on the Business Catalyst system, an upgrade for both of them, and I made their designs into working website.

Both are very cool in their own rights. I love Khristian's simplicity and focus on color, while I equally love Jessica's play with color and patterns everywhere. 

So, while I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of my boots from Jessica, and planning a Christmas list from Khristian, check them out and find something drool-worthy for yourself as well.

Woo! A launch!

I've been working on several projects, all of which have about the same launch date. It always makes me antsy when I don't announce a launch for a while, even though I'm hard at work. But that's about to be remedied.

Cashmere Suitcase is a project I've been working on for about 3 months, which is pretty long compared to most of my projects. But, I built the site from top to bottom: branding, design, load of both information and products, and a blog design. And it's ready to go.

Susan, the travel lady behind Cashmere Suitcase - a high-end boutique specializing in destination shopping - actually contacted me first this past winter/spring for a preliminary contact regarding her project. We discussed her desires for the project and a potential timeline. Several weeks later she contacted me again, ready to start her project.

Cashmere Suitcase is built on the Business Catalyst platform, giving Susan everything she needs to build her business online.

Check Cashmere Suitcase out, and join me in drooling over this convertible tote by 49 Square Miles. I so want it.