House of Shadows

Hi Everybody!  I had to take a leap of faith today and upgrade my site to Wordpress 2.7.  Being a new blogger with less than 60 days of experience I felt somewhat overwhelmed when I read the “pages” of “how to”.  Sometimes I’m tempted to just bury my head in the sand and ignore the administration side of maintaining this site. But the truth is, one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place was to keep my technology skills current.

When I made the decision to retire early I promised myself to continue learning at least one new thing every day.  Those who know me would have a good laugh at my intentions to learn “one” new thing a day.  My inquiring mind has a thirst for learning.  For me, learning is kind of like eating potato chips….you can’t stop with just one.

On my side of the screen it appears the upgrade was successful.  Several features required some minor fixes so if something is not functioning on your side of the screen I would really appreciate your comments.  Knowing which browser you use if you are having problems would also help me trouble-shoot (you would think I know what I’m doing).

I took this opportunity to add a Site Map Page.  I would like to make the print larger and change the color of the font on this page, but those are things I will put on my “need to learn how list”.  In the meantime, I hope this addition makes searching archived posts more convenient.  Until next time …

Thank you for being our guest at the House of Shadows!

Work by Artist: Tammy Sturm

One of my goals when I started the House of Shadows Blog in November was to present a variety of ideas for Halloween enthusiasts to help them celebrate the holiday in a way that expresses their  unique personal style.  You don’t have to be a DIY prop builder to find things of interest on this site.  Some guests may prefer shopping for Halloween collectibles, making costumes, decorating, or cooking up something special for a Halloween party.  My interest is providing readers with ideas and resources to make Halloween a fun and memorable event.

So for you collectors out there, I am happy to announce the commitments received from three more artists who will be featured in 5 Star Artist Series after the first of the year.  You can expect to read about the work of Shirley Olsen (Magic Brush Studio), Tammy Sturm (Light and Shadows), and Heather Gleason (My Eclectic Mind). I will be adding preview pages for these artists in the Coming Soon section, as soon as I catch up with Christmas shopping.

I hope you have found something of interest to you within the pages of this blog.  If you have a special area of interest you would like me to post information about, please leave a comment or send your ideas to me by e-mail: mail@houseofshadows.net

Thank you for being our guest at the House of Shadows!

Hi Everyone!  I’m pleased to introduce three new features that were added to the House of Shadow’s Blog this week. The first is a page entitled “Featured Work”; designed to build a photographic record of the 5 Star Artists series.  Only one artist is listed at present because the House of Shadow’s Blog is only five weeks old.  But as time goes by, I think this feature will benefit new visitors and improve  the process of searching archives. The Featured Work Page is still in the conceptual phase and will be refined as I continue to evaluate site enhancements.

The second new feature is a page entitled “Coming Soon”.  The purpose of this page is to give readers an idea of what they can expect to find posted on this site in the coming weeks.  The third new feature is a page navigation link found at the bottom of each page in the “Coming Soon” section.  I’m evaluating the functionality of a site enhancement tool, which should improve the way related pages are grouped together.  As the content of the site grows searching archives should be much easier with an improved navigation system.  If these navigation links get good reviews from my readers I will apply them throughout the Blog.

I would be such a happy blogger if you take a few minutes to look at these new features and let me know what you think.  You can post your comments by clicking on the tab at the bottom of this post, or forward them by e-mail to: mail@houseofshadows.net

When You Come To The Bridge Just Cross It!

Hi Everyone! I’ve missed writing my regular posts for the past couple of days. It seems I had more than my share of computer challenges. But these challenges did in fact answer a question that has been on my mind for years, “Is it better to be born with great beauty, or with an extra dose of the stubborn gene so prevalent in my Montgomery heritage?” The answer for me is clearly to enjoy the extra dose of genetic tenacity (in addition to my great beauty, of course). Without my deep-seated Scots-Irish temperament I would have probably given up on Wordpress, Wordpress plugins, my Amazon Associate Store, and my Blog this past week. However, today is a special day of celebration for me. This post marks a 30-day milestone for me as a blogger and web page problems solver. I’m actually glad that I’ve been challenged along the way. Facing challenges is my preferred method for learning. Often times I find that when I come to the proverbial bridge that must be crossed things are actually better on the other side.

This week I was challenged with a number of Wordpress plugin updates that either didn’t work at all, or didn’t work as well as the previous version. Then my computer started running like a slug and I discovered one of my hard drives is dying, which required transferring everything into another drive. It slowed me down a great deal and admittedly I’m not the most patient person when it comes to working inefficiently.

But the good news about all these events is they forced me to resolve some formatting problems I was having with my Amazon store. The page was just the tiniest bit to big to fit this blog template. I tried to work around it by using a Wordpress plugin that I really wasn’t crazy about. When the plugin update refused to work, I decided to quit trying to find a short cut and fix the real problem. If you have visited my Book and Movie pages in the past I’m sure by comparison you will find the new “Store” page is a big improvement. I’ve had a chance to add some new books and will be adding movies tomorrow. There will always be new items and categories added along the way, but anytime you can’t find what you want listed in the store, just use the Amazon Search Box on the sidebar. My Amazon store helps support the cost of maintaining the House of Shadows Blog and buy a few hobby supplies now and then. Anytime you purchase something from Amazon by using a link on this page I am credited with a referral. Credits are not limited to books and movies as long as you enter Amazon through the link in the side bar, or through my store. So enjoy your shopping and know that I appreciate your support! I also appreciate my viewers and subscribers. You make this experience worthwhile.

I will be continuing my series on cemetery art and the “Beloved” project Saturday, December 6. In the meantime, I’m going to take a time out and just enjoy a little Rest In Peace!

Thank you for being our guest at the House of Shadows!

This site has had 1,673 page views in the first 30 days online.

Several new features have been added to the House of Shadows Blog this week. As an Amazon Associate I am able to offer my readers the convenience of shopping for Amazon products though my site. You will find a search box in the side bar that allows you to search for any product offered by Amazon. There are also pages listing books and movies that may interest you; however, you can also search for any title using the search box in the sidebar.

Offering this service to my viewers is a way to help support the cost of maintaining this site and provides the opportunity for a home-based business in the semi-retired, too-young-to-be-idle phase of my life.

I have also updated the About page to give readers a better understanding of how to navigate this site and added a comment feature to the side bar. Reader comments are always welcome and will be posted on the Comments page. Your comments can help me improve the site to make it a better resource for future visitors. If you have topics you would like to request for future posts, this is a good place to post them. Or you can send your requests to me by e-mail: mail@houseofshadows.net.

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The next category to be featured on the House of Shadows Blog will be called Five Stars. This category will feature the works of top artist’s and craft’s people in the Halloween industry. A variety of different works, including sculpture, props, home haunt layouts, Halloween art, and perhaps even some original poetry may be found in this category. I am so pleased that several contributing artist’s have agreed to have their work featured on my Blog. Over the next few weeks you can expect to find posts of the fabulous work produced by Laurie Franklin (aka Lauriebeast), Angie Hill (Dead Spider), and Justine Ehlers (HalloweenArtist). I will continue to contact artist’s of interest to provide readers with many and diverse ideas for future projects. Stay tuned…

A new category was added to the House of Shadows Blog yesterday entitled R.I.P. This page is not what you think, or then again perhaps it is. Sometimes we all need a peaceful place to unwind so this is a place to come if you need to REST IN PEACE. I will be posting pictures here that reflect the solitude of nature, make you feel warm and fuzzy, or just bring a smile to your face. Some of these pictures will be photographs we have taken, other times they will be stock photos I purchase from websites like Big Stock Photos or IStock. You will find I have a soft spot in my heart for children, babies, and animals. Come sit a while and rest your weary bones; it’s only a temporary place of rest…..or at least that’s what the whispering voices tell me!