What’s the Dealio, Yo?

We’re very cool and hip with the kids. Can you tell by our title? Word. :)

Things have been, as usual, super busy around these parts. We’ve not updated our blog or our portfolio here in quite some time because we’re in the process of revamping this site. It’s long overdue and this being our 8th year in business, we figured it was a good time. The new site should be online within the next month or so, but we naturally have to put our client projects first… and we certainly have!

We recently launched some new sites, including a huge redesign and redevelopment for bestselling author, Jennifer Chiaverini.  Jennifer had us design her first website in 2005 and returned last year to start work on a new look to coincide with the release of her newest book, The Union Quilters. I always enjoy working with Jennifer and this time, her project was challenging and rewarding.  It was a large project, as her site contains information for over 23 books and has almost 30,000 members!  We created a lot of new features, including a private, members-only Readers’ Circle community where users have personal profiles and can create discussion groups—especially great for book clubs.  If you’re into quilting and haven’t read any of Jennifer’s books, I encourage you to check them out!

Speaking of handcrafted items, we also recently launched a redesign for a Richmond, Virginia yarn shop called The Yarn Lounge.  We took her site from a handful of static pages into Expression Engine to create a dynamic website that Stewart, the owner, or her staff can manage on their own. While Expression Engine does, of course, allow for blogging, The Yarn Lounge had a considerable following within Blogger and it was an environment the client and staff were comfortable posting in, so after some discussion, we decided to keep The Yarn Lounge blog in Blogger, styling it to match her primary business website. Stewart was great to work with and their shop seems really comfortable and inviting.

I don’t knit, but someday, I’ll make a trip to that area so I can meet all my VA/DC clients—I have 10 from that area alone. Mostly fabulous yarn shops (like Fibrespace, Looped Yarn Works and of course, The Yarn Lounge), but also some cheese and wine businesses, too. (Mmmm, cheese….) Thanks for your referrals, Richmond, Alexandria and D.C.!

We have a whole slew of sites launching over the couple months, including a redesign for Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, a business site for a beautiful new spa in Fort Worth, Texas, a podcast and small business site for some fabulous fitness divas, a vintage craft shop, a business site for some lovely Florida attorneys, a redesign for the adorable Dr. V over at Pawcurious, a podcast for a popular relationship expert, and a unique beauty site for a niche audience.

(This is the part where we flop dramatically on a chaise, ask for mint juleps and fan ourselves like we’re in Gone with the Wind.)

In other news, we’re booking for Summer now—our Spring dance cards are beyond full and Summer will fill quickly, so if you’re interested in working together in 2011, please take a moment to fill out our Request for Proposal form as thoroughly as possible. We’re only able to take a limited amount of projects, but we’d love to learn more about yours!

Kathy and I are grateful for all the wonderful new and return business we’ve received this year (and every year). Thanks for choosing (or considering!) Moxie Design Studios for your web presence. We appreciate it and look forward to working with you soon!