Mixing Business With Pleasure

I have been working on and of for the past two weeks on a website.  I have done this before, on occasion.  I've freelanced as a web designer for local small businesses that want a web presence, and I know how to slap one together.

Why is this one any different than the others, you may ask?

This wasn't for a client.  This was for... my girlfriend.

Do what I say, or I'll KIIIILL YOOOU!!!

Granted, she's not an ax-wielding psychopath ALL the time, but this picture seems relevant at the moment.

(babe, don't kill me)

She is going through the process of turning a hobby into a career.  She's a damn-good scrapbooker, and a lot of people have told her she should do this professionally.

See what I mean?  Gorgeous.  And this isn't even her best work...

Over the last year, that thought has grown and grown, and now she has a website.  This Saturday will be her first craft fair, where she is going to sell her wares, and get her name out there for some custom-made stuff (custom, not pre-made, is where the REAL money is, but you have to start somewhere...)

Cards for Sale, along with pre-made books and other stuff.

Don't get me wrong.  I love that she's doing this.  If she can turn her passion into a paying gig, she'll be doing what she loves and making money from it.  Ultimately, that's what everyone wants.

But the website building... well, that was... a peach.  Let's just leave it at that.

When doing websites for a client, they're usually not that bright, web-wise.  So when you use a domain hosting site (I use iPage) and it comes with templates, you use whatever shortcuts you have.  I can do a half-assed job and they'd still be thrilled.

(And believe me, when I use only half my ass, it still looks good.  Full-ass websites are fantastic even if they ARE based from a pre-existing template!)

Not my girl.  She's as much of a geek as I am.  (I met her on WoW, enough said)

She knew the font, the layout, the color scheme, the slideshows, backlinks, crosslinks, etc. that she wanted.  She came with a list.  Which means not only did I need to bring my A-game, but I had to learn a few new things to give her what she wanted.  Thank goodness for Dreamweaver and it's many tutorials.

The design changed 3-4 times.  The color palette changed about as often.  Fonts were tricky.  And all the time, her show this Saturday was looming.  She had already printed business cards, and watermarks on all the books and cards, heralding her new site.

It HAD to be done on time.

Well, not just on time.  It needed to be done a week early, so she and her friends could test it out, and I can fix any problems/bugs they found.  (THAT list is already growing too...)

On a regular basis, I was reminded it needed to be done.

"Is it done yet?"

"You told me it was gonna be done 3 days ago."

"You KNOW I NEED it to be done ASAP, right??"

This was my face at about 7:30 Saturday night...

The good news is it's done.  She didn't kill me, I didn't kill her, and we have 5 more days for testing and such. She has her crack team of friends, relatives, and scrappy associates playing with it, so I'm sure I'll have plenty more to work on during the week.

So long story short, mixing business with pleasure was... an experience.  The good news is, if this show is successful, and she gets her name out there, it will be smooth sailing for her business plans from here on out.

After all, she has a website now!!