A new look for Blue Wren

In case you hadn't noticed, Blue Wren has a beautiful new banner, created specifically for moi by talented Photoshop wizard Patrick Hillman, proprietor of the clever and engaging blog, Blowing Shit Up With Gas.

It all started when Patrick suggested that perhaps it was time for Blue Wren to have a new banner. I agreed, but admitted that I had no idea how this might be done. He offered to noodle on it for me.

A few days later, he'd come up with the basic design. I loved the wren, a plucky, bold, chubby wee bird with a song that can melt the coldest heart. I liked the rest of the banner, too, and so did Patrick, but he wanted to play with it a little bit more. Another design, this one with a more "feminine" typeface and background, arrived via e-mail the following day. I liked it, too ... but it didn't have the same oomph.

It's not easy to translate sometimes vague concepts into words, and then graphics that convey images and feelings. Patrick was stalwart, however. And before I knew it, I was looking for typefaces to try to help him out. Then I was sketching ... having fun. The scanned image above is what I sent to help show him what I couldn't describe very well in words.

And voila -- he sent back the banner you see at the top of the blog. I'm delighted! And awed by his technical expertise, as well. I'm not up on much of this stuff -- HTML coding makes my eyes cross and I'm terrified, every time I look cautiously into the template, that I'm going to mess something up and not know what it was I did, exactly. But Patrick is all over this stuff. He even uploaded the banner for me.

And so here's a big thank you for Patrick Hillman, a most talented and generous fellow. Stop by BSUWG and linger a while. He's done some mighty fine writing, much of it funny (today's riff on toilet paper had me chortling). And while you're there, check out his book, "Pirates of Pamlico Sound" and his screenplay, "Wood's Confection." Both are downloadable from his site.