Thursday 30 July 2015

Cute ponies for the bedroom and school

Minty Pony Canvas Print - Horse Wall ArtHorse head cartoon sleeve for MacBook airCartoon Horse Courier Bag

Cute ponies for the bedroom and school

If you know a boy or girl who loves ponies then here's a collection that should give you some gift ideas.
Any boy or girl will love them - some for bedroom and some for school. Which of these would be best?

Click the image for more details and to buy. You'll also see more designs from the artist there.

Nathan Walsh’s Unusual Urban Landscapes Painted Atop Precise Graphite Sketches

Fun and Random

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Trying to pin down exactly what makes these urban landscape paintings by British artist Nathan Walsh (previously) so unusual is difficult, in part because of the variety of techniques he employs to get from a vision in his mind to the final, exacting artwork.

Starting with his own photographic references, Walsh first draws an elaborate blueprint of sorts by establishing a horizon line and a host of perspective strategies that varies from piece to piece. This is followed by several months of painting with oils to achieve the final landscape that appears to be a strange hybrid of both illustrative and photorealistic styles. Photography, architecture, and painting converge to create a “painted world which in some ways resembles the world we live in,” says Walsh. “The work aims to create credible and convincing space which whilst making reference to our world, displays its own distinct logic.”

Walsh is currently preparing for a group show titled “Cityscape Paintings: Looking from the Outside In” at Bernarducci Meisel Gallery in October, followed by a solo show during the same period in 2016. You can follow more of his work in progress on Facebook.

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 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/Al-aU5eJSVM/

The ProBlogger Podcast: Digging into Statistics

Blogging with purpose

original post »

Almost the last day!

While yesterday we looked to the future to build a plan to find readers, today we’re going to dig into our stats to find out what kind of effect the last 29 days have had on our sites. What can you see is different after the changes you’ve made?

Some of you will be seasoned pros at looking at your stats, but if you’re newer to blogging and want some starting points, these are the metrics I recommend you keep track of regularly as you go on with your blogging.

In the show notes I also link to a post I published recently that gives you an overview of how I use Google Analytics to do this kind of investigation, and I’ll describe how and why these are the metrics I choose to keep tabs on.

Every month or so I go through each of these and compare them to the previous month (I give you a quick tip on how to do this easily), and also think about how I can recreate successes in content, on social, and how well other types of traffic are doing.

Today we’ll also go a little deeper into channels to look for trends, behaviour, and other hints that will help us keep the trend on the up.

If you are indeed in the newer camp, please don’t fret about stats. It can be easy to get disillusioned in the early days, but we all feel small when we start out! Most successful blogs go for 2-3 years before they hit a tipping point of sorts. We discuss that a little more in today’s podcast also.

So open up Google Analytics and take a little dig with me. Feel free to share your most popular post from the month in the comments too – you might be surprised what has worked better than you thought it would!

See you tomorrow for the wrap up of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Podcast.

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Click here to listen to day 30 of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog series on the ProBlogger Podcast. 

Further Reading:

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
Build a Better Blog in 31 Days

The ProBlogger Podcast: Digging into Statistics

The post The ProBlogger Podcast: Digging into Statistics appeared first on @ProBlogger.

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger

Build a Better Blog in 31 Days

The ProBlogger Podcast: Digging into Statistics

The post The ProBlogger Podcast: Digging into Statistics appeared first on @ProBlogger.


 #bloggingtips 

Italian Sculptor Carves an Impressive Dragon Head from a Watermelon

Fun and Random

Hey it’s Friday and it’s summer, so here’s Italian sculptor Valeriano Fatica carving an awesome dragon head out of a watermelon. I especially love how he accomplished the details of the scales that seem to gradually emerge from the flesh of the melon. You can explore a bit more of Fatica’s fruit and vegetable carving here. (via Laughing Squid)

 
#funandrandom 
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/ryUqiDnwNm4/

Wednesday 29 July 2015

Motivational Words #2 fridge magnet

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: positive thinking,, positive attitude,, encouragement,, positive outlook,, hrbstslr,, motivational words,, mowds2,, motivation,, values,, encouraging

Motivational Words series Give some positivity! Here's a great design using motivational word-art. Each time you look at them, you should get a subtle positive boost!!
more items featuring these motivational words
more items in the Motivational Words series

image code: mowds2

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Monday 27 July 2015

Kujira Carbon Steel Knives Mimic the Form of Whales

Fun and Random

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Designed by blacksmith Toru Yamashita in Japan’s Kochi-prefecture, these high carbon steel knives are designed in the form of five different whales, the blades forming the baleen mouth of each species. The Kujira blades were originally made for children as a tool for sharpening pencils or cutting paper, but have since been marketed abroad as a general purpose utility or chef knife. At about $50 each the knives aren’t cheap, but it appears the whale shape is strangely perfect for small hands and with the right care they would probably last a lifetime. Some of the models are available through Hand-Eye Supply, but it looks like a few are sold by Yoshihiro Cutlery on Amazon. (via Core77, Attics of my Life)

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#funandrandom 
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/9xhSCfzw_qk/

Update Your Blog’s Archive Pages (including Broken Links)

Blogging with purpose

original post »

We’re going on a link hunt, we’re going to catch a big one!

Today’s the day to check everything that might be turning readers away from your blog, but don’t be overwhelmed – it’s not as onerous as it sounds.

Over time, you’re bound to have some broken links. The sites you link to shut down, change their link structure, move their URLs… anything can happen. It can be bad for readability, but also for SEO.

In this episode I will explain how best to find the links that are broken, whether you are a beginner or have an established blog. Small steps in this instance will help you tackle what might be a huge task (but worth it in the end!). I also go through what to do when you find the broken link, and what you can do while you’re there on an old post

I also go through a few tools that will help you on your expedition. Check the show notes for links to each, and happy hunting!

ProBlogger Podcast AvatarClick here to listen to day 27 of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog series on the ProBlogger Podcast. 

Further Reading:

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
Build a Better Blog in 31 Days

Update Your Blog’s Archive Pages (including Broken Links)

The post Update Your Blog’s Archive Pages (including Broken Links) appeared first on @ProBlogger.

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger

Build a Better Blog in 31 Days

Update Your Blog’s Archive Pages (including Broken Links)

The post Update Your Blog’s Archive Pages (including Broken Links) appeared first on @ProBlogger.


 #bloggingtips 

Photographer Guillaume Amat Places Mirrors Into Industrial and Natural Landscapes to Look Both Beyond and Behind

Fun and Random

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For Guillaume Amat's “Open Fields” project he placed a mirrored stand in various landscapes, reflecting the opposing environment back within the image to create a double interpretation of the surrounding scene. These reflections contain dark figures against bright fields, homes in barren landscapes, bits of foliage contained within stretches of industry, and even a horse that pops into the frame.

Each image is taken with a 4×5 inch camera, the included mirror measuring 31.5 x 47.2 inches. Amat wanted to concentrate on the double interpretation of the landscape seen outside and within the mirror, working on the concept of territory as space.

Independent curator and writer Paul Wombell compared this series to the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice saying, “With the use of the camera and a mirror Guillaume Amat has made photographic images that simultaneously look forward and backwards. They create a strange dreamlike landscape where buildings and figures float in the center of the picture and suggest that he has two sets of eyes, both at the front and back of his head. Orpheus would have been impressed.”

Amat lives and works in Paris where he mostly focuses on long-term projects to produce cohesive photographic narratives existing somewhere between documentary and poetry. (via vjeranski)

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Making-Off Open Fields /#2 Le Calvaire des Dunes.

Making-Off Open Fields /#2 Le Calvaire des Dunes.

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#funandrandom 
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/n8f9Aw9MKqY/

Sunday 26 July 2015

Stop the world, I want to get off! Pillow

Featured Product!

A gorgeous design. Click to customize and personalize. Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it?


tagged with: scrmlghs, bewildered faces, staring eyes, screaming, scream, mad eyes, interlocking faces, interwoven faces, zany fun, hrfptraz

Fun series A bright, fun painting featuring a mass of jumbled up and interwoven staring eyes, screaming mouths and bewildered faces.Pace of life too manic? If you feel like you want the world to stop, so you can get off, then this design is for you!
more items with this image
more items in the Fun series

image code: scrmlghs

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

Kneeling Dartmoor Pony Foal birthday card

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: birthday cards, happy birthday, dartmoor ponies, lovable foals, yearling foals, pony breeds, cute pony, wild horses, hrbstslr hrcol69, free running, endearing, sweet, animals

Dartmoor Pony series A Dartmoor Pony yearling foal, kneeling and having a rest in the hot sunshine. These ponies roam free on Dartmoor, a national park in Devon, UK.
In September/October they are rounded up in what's known as a drift, so they can be separated into herds and the new foals branded by the owning farmers.
more items with this image
more pony items

image code: hrcol69

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Saturday 25 July 2015

Phoenix Rising badge / button

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: inspiration,, mythical creatures,, fantasy birds,, rising from ashes,, birds in legends,, hrbstslr phnx,, phoenix from ashes,, fire phoenix,, golden phoenix,, phoenix emblem

The image shows a contoured Golden Phoenix, wings outstretched, having risen from the ashes.

more Phoenix items
more inspirational items

image code: phnx

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Friday 24 July 2015

Monogram Starry Wingtip of Small Magellanic Cloud Round Pendant Necklace

Featured Product!

A gorgeous design. Click to customize and personalize. Maybe you'd like to see your name or initials on it?


tagged with: monogram initials, small magellanic cloud, star galaxies, starry, outer space picture, deep space image, galactic, universe exploration, deep space astronomy, hrfptraz wismcg, wismcg, interstellar

Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series The tip of the "wing" of the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy is dazzling in this new view from NASA's Great Observatories. The Small Magellanic Cloud, or SMC, is a small galaxy about 200,000 light-years way that orbits our own Milky Way spiral galaxy.
The colors represent wavelengths of light across a broad spectrum. X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory are shown in purple; visible-light from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is colored red, green and blue; and infrared observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope are also represented in red.
The spiral galaxy seen in the lower corner is actually behind this nebula. Other distant galaxies located hundreds of millions of light-years or more away can be seen sprinkled around the edge of the image.
The SMC is one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors. Even though it is a small, or so-called dwarf galaxy, the SMC is so bright that it is visible to the unaided eye from the Southern Hemisphere and near the equator. Many navigators, including Ferdinand Magellan who lends his name to the SMC, used it to help find their way across the oceans.
more items with this image
more items in the Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series

image code: wismcg

Image credit: NASA/CXC/JPL-Caltech/STScI

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this
The Zazzle Promise: We promise 100% satisfaction. If you don't absolutely love it, we'll take it back!

Intense Eyes of a Woman Classic Round Sticker

A gorgeous best-selling design. Click to customize or personalize. How would it look with your name or monogram on it - why not have a look-see right now?


tagged with: peel off,, womens eyes,, intense look,, staring eyes,, watching,, pink,, seeing,, looking,, hrbstslr wmneyes,, womans intense eyes

A women's eyes, looking out intensely. On a pink background the effect is full-on. Be assertive and say it with your eyes!

more items with this image

»visit the HightonRidley store for more designs and products like this

Cute ponies for the bedroom and school

Red Roan Trotting Cartoon Horse Canvas PrintHorse cartoon iPad mini sleeveHorse head cartoon messenger bags

Cute ponies for the bedroom and school

If you know a boy or girl who loves ponies then here's a collection that should give you some gift ideas.
Any boy or girl will love them - some for bedroom and some for school. Which of these would be best?

Click the image for more details and to buy. You'll also see more designs from the artist there.

Sponsor // Create a Stunning Website or Portfolio with Squarespace

Fun and Random

Squarespace makes it easy to create stunning websites, portfolios, blogs, and online stores without having to touch a line of code. Showcase your work beautifully with full-screen presentations and dynamic slideshows that look spectacular on every device. Set up a functioning website in minutes using Squarespace’s intuitive and easy-to-use tools.

Check out these websites powered by Squarespace of artists whose work was recently featured on Colossal: Drew Mosley, Sebastian Errazuriz, Eric Standley, and Joseph Michael.

Squarespace’s inclusive, all-in-one service provides content management, hosting, domains, social integrations, e-commerce, and 24-hour customer support. Features include dozens of award-winning templates, simple and intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, a free professional logo maker, and Google apps integration.

Start a free 14-day trial at Squarespace.com (no credit card required). Use the code COLOSSAL for 10% off your first purchase.

 
#funandrandom 
 » see original post http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/colossal/~3/Lue4mjdRUTw/

31DBBB Day 24 Challenge: Use a Magazine to Improve Your Blog

Blogging with purpose

original post »

A very easy and enjoyable task for you today: read a magazine!

Old media has the potential to help you improve your “new media” blog in any number of ways from marketing ideas to design ideas, to content ideas and more. I give a few areas to look out for as you’re browsing, but for the most part, in that first flick-through, just see what jumps out at you. What piques your interest, what makes you reach for your notebook to jot down a few things?

I give a list of items you’ll need for today’s challenge in the show notes, and some tips and questions to ask yourself to help you get the most out of this session.

The value of this exercise lies in stepping away from your own blog for a little while, and gaining some fresh ideas and perspectives.
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