Latest on the Blog

Squarespace Stuff

Where I tackle Squarespace related FAQ's, SEO, Squarespace hacks and more. 

Current Projects

A behind-the-scenes look at the Squarespace sites I've launched or am currently working on.

Digital DIY

I like to share what I'm learning when it comes to building a website, DIY design, and social media.

On Creativity

I've been interviewing a bunch of photographers, painters, print-makers, illustrators, writers and musicians about what goes into completing a creative challenge. It's been an incredible process!

Instagram

Instagram is by far my favourite place to hang out online. It's also an incredible tool for marketing your business. Here you'll find interviews, inspiration, and tutorials.

Photography

Follow my photographic adventures (and mishaps). 

Claire-blue-background.jpg

Hello! I'm Claire. This is where I blog about digital DIY, Squarespace tips, creativity and what I’m currently working on.

Newsletters

Interviews

ebooks

Instagram

This sums up my situation at the moment: planning a rather epic trip overseas (down jacket as evidence), with Post-Its all over to remind me of all the projects still to complete and the ever diminishing days left before I fly out. I wrote a bit more about my plans to take the next six months off and hike the Te Araroa trail on my blog. Link in bio.
Working on some colour palette options for a new site for a team of consultants who work with socially conscious organisations... left or right?
A quick trip to the Eastern Cape. I lived in the Eastern Cape for many MANY years but it has been a while since I was back. As much as I love all (okay most) of South Africa’s beaches, the vast wildness of the Eastern Cape coast is just so special. So many memories all the way from East London to Kenton-on-Sea, Port Alfred, Boknes, Alexandria and Port Elizabeth. Also, I tend to somehow think I will be able to travel and keep up with the work load I’ve committed to but I horribly underestimate the time and energy I’ll have available while on the road. Being both ‘at work’ and catching up with friends seems doable at the time, but in reality becomes rather stressful. On the one hand you want to be truly present to the people you’re with, while on the other hand the work isn’t going away. Note to self - rather take an official break than try to do both. I’m learning this the hard way! 🙈😅
I spent the morning working on a site for a little BnB located in rural Sicily. I mean I may have spent more time than necessary going through ALL the images, and making sure I had some context, like how much it costs to fly there, and what else to see in the area, and what to eat. 😂🌿😍🌊
Congratulations Rosemary Anne on your site going live! Her blog, showcasing creative work, consulting and photography is an extension of her approach to life - always with an eye for beauty and balance. Believing that the best of your journey is still to come. Here’s to living balanced and beautifully. 🌿🥳xx • www.rosemaryanne.co.za
Squarespace + 99designs • Squarespace joined forces with 99designs - a global platform for custom graphic design - to introduce a ‘Squarespace’ partner option. Its like a matchmaker for clients and designers, so people in need of a logo, T-shirt design, book cover, and now a Squarespace site can list their project brief, scroll through potential designers and reach out to someone whose portfolio they like. Its a fairly new feature and I thought I’d sign up and see whether anything would come of it. Freelance sites have not been a win for me in the past, so to be honest I didn’t have very high hopes! However, within a few hours I’d signed on my first client! I currently have two projects completed, and three on the go. Isn’t this global connectedness crazy? In the morning, I might be chatting to someone in Melbourne, and in the evening in South Africa I’m saying good morning to someone else in San Francisco! I’m still evaluating the process, there are pros and cons to this type of work of course. People are in a hurry and sometimes have ridiculous deadlines, and there’s definitely a sense of caution about working with someone you’ve never laid eyes on before, but I’m interested to see how it develops and whether its something I’ll stick with. In the meantime, my new best friend is the time zone converter app!
Back in South Africa after some time in New Zealand. Thankfully the jet lag this way around isn’t as bad, so after a short break I’m back at work, diving into some very interesting new projects, revisiting work with wonderful clients from a few years back, and loving this balmy South African winter!
Yolande Mukagasana is a Rwandan writer, campaigner and survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Her first book, Not My Time to Die is now available in English. I got to work with the translator of this book on a site in time for the author’s UK book launch. You can check it out on www.yolandemukagasana.com 📷 images by Chris Schwagga
Let’s talk about ‘Hero’ Images 💫 I’ve just done a little update on my own website and one of the things on my to-do list is to update my hero image. I’m still mulling over which image to go for. I thought it might be helpful to chat about what this is and what kind of image you should look for for your own website. 📝 A ‘Hero’ image is the first visual element a visitor to your site sees, a bold and prominent image that is front and centre. Here are some thoughts about how to choose a helpful image that works for your business: 📌 👉🏼Is it bold? Go for a single colour, or a few contrasting colours to grab your viewer’s attention. 👉🏼Is it simple? Make sure it isn’t too fussy and detailed - your messaging may get lost. 👉🏼Is it text friendly? Can you overlay text on it knowing it will still stand out? 👉🏼Is it a good design fit? Does it work with your design aesthetic, branding, colour palette? 👉🏼Is it high resolution? You don’t want to choose something low quality that ends up pixelated and communicates a lack of professionalism. 👉🏼It is compressed? Yes you want it high quality, but not so huge in file size that it slows your site down! 👉🏼What does it communicate? Does it help visitors identify with and relate to your site? 🏠 Your hero image could be abstract, a beautiful profile image of you, it could be product related, an illustration or a design colour gradient. It’s up to you what you put there, but try to make sure it answers the questions above. Anything you’d add here? I’d love to hear!
Simply beautiful evening for an easy run. It’s always good to get outside after a challenging end to last week. 🌿

archives

This sums up my situation at the moment: planning a rather epic trip overseas (down jacket as evidence), with Post-Its all over to remind me of all the projects still to complete and the ever diminishing days left before I fly out. I wrote a bit more about my plans to take the next six months off and hike the Te Araroa trail on my blog. Link in bio.
Working on some colour palette options for a new site for a team of consultants who work with socially conscious organisations... left or right?
A quick trip to the Eastern Cape. I lived in the Eastern Cape for many MANY years but it has been a while since I was back. As much as I love all (okay most) of South Africa’s beaches, the vast wildness of the Eastern Cape coast is just so special. So many memories all the way from East London to Kenton-on-Sea, Port Alfred, Boknes, Alexandria and Port Elizabeth. Also, I tend to somehow think I will be able to travel and keep up with the work load I’ve committed to but I horribly underestimate the time and energy I’ll have available while on the road. Being both ‘at work’ and catching up with friends seems doable at the time, but in reality becomes rather stressful. On the one hand you want to be truly present to the people you’re with, while on the other hand the work isn’t going away. Note to self - rather take an official break than try to do both. I’m learning this the hard way! 🙈😅
I spent the morning working on a site for a little BnB located in rural Sicily. I mean I may have spent more time than necessary going through ALL the images, and making sure I had some context, like how much it costs to fly there, and what else to see in the area, and what to eat. 😂🌿😍🌊
Congratulations Rosemary Anne on your site going live! Her blog, showcasing creative work, consulting and photography is an extension of her approach to life - always with an eye for beauty and balance. Believing that the best of your journey is still to come. Here’s to living balanced and beautifully. 🌿🥳xx • www.rosemaryanne.co.za
Squarespace + 99designs • Squarespace joined forces with 99designs - a global platform for custom graphic design - to introduce a ‘Squarespace’ partner option. Its like a matchmaker for clients and designers, so people in need of a logo, T-shirt design, book cover, and now a Squarespace site can list their project brief, scroll through potential designers and reach out to someone whose portfolio they like. Its a fairly new feature and I thought I’d sign up and see whether anything would come of it. Freelance sites have not been a win for me in the past, so to be honest I didn’t have very high hopes! However, within a few hours I’d signed on my first client! I currently have two projects completed, and three on the go. Isn’t this global connectedness crazy? In the morning, I might be chatting to someone in Melbourne, and in the evening in South Africa I’m saying good morning to someone else in San Francisco! I’m still evaluating the process, there are pros and cons to this type of work of course. People are in a hurry and sometimes have ridiculous deadlines, and there’s definitely a sense of caution about working with someone you’ve never laid eyes on before, but I’m interested to see how it develops and whether its something I’ll stick with. In the meantime, my new best friend is the time zone converter app!
Back in South Africa after some time in New Zealand. Thankfully the jet lag this way around isn’t as bad, so after a short break I’m back at work, diving into some very interesting new projects, revisiting work with wonderful clients from a few years back, and loving this balmy South African winter!