It is website launch day

new website launch

Hello and a warm welcome to my first post. Today is a very special day as I have great news to share with you. I'm SUPER excited (and nervous) to release my brand NEW website. Finally, after all the wait (headaches and the sleepless nights) here is for you.....the  new MILLY ME DESIGNS revealed. It has been a long time coming, but better late than never. I can't even explain the emotion that I have sharing with you this new design. The whole process took a little less than a year, but I can't be happier.
It's been a crazy journey. I've changed my mind a few times along the way and started over several times! It has been a tremendously ambitious project and it's been one of my most demanding endeavours. Can't even tell you all the hours of work that it involved. But it is so much worth it. I don't regret all the tremendous efforts that were involved in it. The past couple of weeks I've been working non-stop like a mad person on my new site. Polishing all the details and making sure it's perfect.

After a long time having a nice comfortable website and blog, I got the feeling I'd outgrown them. Both were a huge milestone in my journey as a teddy bear designer, but I got the feeling that I needed a fresh start. It feels a little bit like moving out of my childhood home all over again, entering a new phase in my life. Luckily I love new beginnings!
I have to admit it is very scary to change a website and blog together. There were two things I was sure of: I wanted to merge my website and blog into one place and I wanted to achieve an online identity that represents me and my work. A new site that would serve my readers much better, easier to navigate, loads of inspiration. A site that would help me share my personality and values. I feel I've succeeded doing just that.
  responsive web design
I've chosen for a new and different concept, layout and theme. The starting-point was a light, open site which should be in balance, clean and classy. And this all new website is fully responsive. Responsive web design is required as a result of we're living within the world of pc's, tablets and mobile phones. These new devices have made me make a responsive template which will look awesome on all desktop, laptops, tablets and smart devices. So this site is now tablet & mobile ready too. But I will make a separate blog post about this subject.
I love this theme which I made myself and I think it totally worked out well. The style is very refined, simple, but not poor. I wanted also something elegant and sophisticated that will draw the attention to articles and images instead of a colorful, buzzing design that might be a little too over the top and take away the attention from the key element on Milly Me: the designs! I hope you like the new simplified style, which will allow you to see my blogposts, pages and galleries in a much cleaner format. Right now I feel that the best things in life come shaped in simplicity. Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistacation!
This new layout represents perfectly the state of mind that I'm in right now, it couldn't be more timeless. I wanted something that will remain, something that I won't stop loving.
website colors, web design
I cleaned up a lot of image folders on my pc. I deleted a ton of images....needless to say, I drank a lot of coffee tea during this process. I needed to do that because there is a totally new section on this new site called the LOOKBOOK to which I have added lots of new "make-over" images of my past work that I decided to keep. Result: clean and crisp images without any buzz.
And I'm working on new sections named CATEGORIES and ARCHIVES where you will find an overview of my current and past work and my future blogposts content. But they are still under construction, because they will "grow" when there will be more content added to this website. At the moment it's still a blank canvas.....

Last but not least and probably the most important change of all, my blog/website name has changed from just MILLY ME to MILLY ME DESIGNS and my domain changed from milly-me.nl and milly-me-teddybears.blogspot.com to millymedesigns.com! I've also been changing my social media names to millymedesigns, because I found out that this name was the only one available. When I started my website in 2007 this wasn't an issue, now it is!! My advice to you: as soon as a new media or any other platform will be released then you need to claim your name immediately, because someone else may register the name and it's very hard to claim it!!

For those who would like to follow or connect with Milly Me Designs there are several options:
1. follow my blog via email if you would like to receive news & updates;
2. follow me on social media, please use the icons on this website to find me;
3. subscribe to my mailing list if you want to be informed about my newest pieces and
    when they become available.

It's up to you to decide. So let's connect....

Without any further wait, I'll let you discover this new website of Milly Me Designs. I value your feedback. On some pages you have the option to let me have your comments. Please take advantage of this and let me have your ideas for improvements.
And let me hear your thoughts about the new site by leaving a comment below. Can't wait to hear all your thoughts!!!

So.....come and have a look and spread the word! I wish you much pleasure.....

Lots of love,
Thea xoxo

FOLLOWERS OF MY PREVIOUS BLOG & WEBSITE PLEASE NOTE:
Don't forget to bookmark the new website and to replace the old URL with the new one!

2 comments:

Lyn said...

Love the new look and well done Thea:o))
Take care.....Lyn x

The Bear's Blog said...

Beautifully done, congratulations.