Kotog’s Neighborhood

Well, it's Christmas at last, and from the sound of you all on Twitter your cards are sent, and your presents wrapped. It's been great hearing all your cries of delight recently, as your poor postmen and women have struggled with packages through the snowy weather! Hope those of you who have time off over the festive season get everything you wish for, and those who are working have more fun than you might be expecting. We've published the dates we're working over the holidays, so if you find yourself in the office, you might well have company here in the UK, or over with the MOO Crew in the US. We've had a great few weeks spotting unique gifts and ideas created with MOO, here's a few of our favourites: A tetrabox advent calendar, by Bcome Also by Bcome, this lovely looking memory game, complete with a great pattern on the back: This super-cute Mosaic Frame, created by thisiswoly. Filled with 20 Minicards, it features the beautiful baby Sarah. These wonderful looking alphabet game cards, by taraghb, which look like they were as fun to make as they will be to use! And last but not least, look at this! another entry into our MiniCard Gift Box competition! Created by emusing-emma, it's really bought an extra flutter of Christmas cheer into MOO Towers. We love his little sledge! Fancy joining in the fun? Closing date for entries to our competition is midnight PST 28th December 2009. Why not grab some festive paper, and see what you can do! More competition details can be found right here. And now all that remains for me to say is a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from everyone at MOO!

Well, the last order dates for the holidays have passed, and Santa's final sacks of festive MOOs are filling up fast. We're still taking new orders though, and we'll be shipping them out as fast as we can - so don't hesitate to order thank you cards for all your lovely pressies!

Just so you know, here's our warehouse and customer service closure dates over the holiday season.

Thursday 24th December - LIMITED HOURS: we'll be shipping orders in the morning, but going home in the afternoon to wrap presents.
Friday 25th December - CLOSED : we'll be at home feasting on mince pies and turkey.
Monday 28th December - UK CLOSED: we'll be buying new trousers to fit our expanded waistlines!! (please note this is a UK Holiday only).
Tuesday 29th December - OPEN: business as usual.
Wednesday 30th December - OPEN: business as usual.
Thursday 31st December - OPEN: business as usual.
Friday 1st January - CLOSED : we'll be trying out our New Year resolutions and nursing hangovers.
Monday 4th January - OPEN: that's it, holidays over, back to work!

It's also important to note that our StickerBook turnaround in the UK is severely delayed over the holidays. Any orders placed after the 20th December will not be dispatched until the week of the 4th January.

That's all for now - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the MOO Warehouse Crew!

Du 28/11/09 à Rennes.

FF

  J'ai failli mourir de bonheur dans le sens propre du terme...:D. Au 3ème rang entre Alex (le chanteur) et Bob (bassiste), étouffé, déshydraté, poussé...comme d'habitude en fait x). Je ne sais pas si c'est parce que j'avais un peu trop bu de vodka ou parce que j'aime ce groupe à la folie...mais c'était un live terriblement formidable.

  Le concert commençait à 20h30 avec 2 premières parties au programme. On est arrivé à 20h35 un peu à l'arrache car on ne connaissait pas du tout Rennes xD. Une des premières parties, The Cribs est sur scène. J'avais déjà écouté leur musique sur Myspace et ils sont tout aussi bons en live. Un groupe à suivre ! =). Le premier devait être John & Jehn mais nous n'étions pas encore arrivés ^^''''. Je ne m'attendais donc pas à voir débarquer aussi vite Franz Ferdinand - ça a été l'explosion dans le public lorsqu'ils sont arrivés sur scène, évidemment - et moi j'affichais un sourire béat qui ne m'a pas quitté jusqu'à la fin.

  J'ai failli pleurer ma vie en entendant les premiers accords du premier morceau, Bite Hard !! Je les avais tellement attendu que les avoir enfin devant moi m'a rempli d'un bonheur indescriptible <3.

  Je ne connais pas l'ordre des morceaux passés, donc en vrac: Walk Away, No You Girls, Ulysses, Can't Stop Feeling, What She Came For (inutile de préciser que c'était le kiffe total xD), Lucid Dreams (celle-ci me tenait à coeur car c'est un morceau carrément hallucinant avec sa longue partie électro que le groupe a trop géré au clavier <3), The Fallen...

FF2

  Niveau moments marquants: les 4 percu' alignées devant la scène pour chaque membres afin qu'ils s'éclatent dessus en rythme. Enorme *-*. - Alex qui demande à un mec du public de jouer sur la basse de Bob pendant que celui-ci va se chercher une bière xDD. - la moustache d'Alex qui lui donne un look encore plus dandy (ouioui, c'est un moment marquant è_é) j'adhère, j'adhère x]. - Les délires de Nick et Paul qui sont de véritables piles électriques @_@. - L'attitude de Bob, alias nounours blond, qui avait l'air de se demander ce qu'il foutait là xDDD. Il est trop adorable, je l'adore *o*.

Un public vraiment cool (c'est important, le public, pour un bon concert).

Bref, c'était bon les enfants, c'était très bon;

...

*stars in ze eyes <3 *

Twilight-chapter2

Ma note: ★★ (sur 5 étoiles)

Synopsis

"Tu ne me reverras plus. Je ne reviendrai pas. Poursuis ta vie, ce sera comme si je n'avais jamais existé." Abandonnée par Edward, celui qu'elle aime passionnément, Bella ne s'en relève pas. Comment oublier son amour pour un vampire et revenir à une vie normale ? Pour combler son vide affectif, Bella court après le danger et prends des risques de plus en plus inconsidérés. Edward n'étant plus là pour la protéger, c'est Jacob, l'ami discret et indéfectible qui va la défendre et veiller sur elle. Mais peu à peu elle réalise l'ambigüité des sentiments qu'ils éprouvent l'un envers l'autre...

Avis

  Comment dire…Je l’avais tant attendu ce 2^ème volet. Et. ET C’EST LA DECEPTION. Les dialogues qui sont trop nunuches et longuets, les intrigues qui ont du mal à se suivre…Le problème, c’est que le film est TROP proche du livre. Quelqu’un qui n’a pas lu la saga aurait du mal à tout saisir ou alors il passerait à côté de pas mal de détails importants. L’histoire ne semble pas vraiment cohérente alors qu’en théorie, elle l’est. Là est toute la difficulté de l’adaptation cinématographique, j’imagine…En gros, les 45 premières minutes sont très très bien. Après, c’est du freestyle. Pendant certaines scènes, j'avais trop honte d'être une fan...Je ne comprends pas, Chris Weitz est un bon réalisateur pourtant o_O peut-être que la mixture n'a juste pas fonctionné avec moi,

Ceci étant dit…Les loups-garous, quoi !! *ç*. Autant dans le livre, j’ai toujours été pro-Cullen Team, autant dans le film je penche largement du côté de Jacob-testostérone-en-folie :D. L’alchimie entre lui et Bella crève l’écran, c’est fou *o*. Je pense aussi que cela est toujours dû au choix de Robert Pattinson pour le personnage d’Edward...Il m’exaspère, j’ai du mal à m’y faire. En ce qui concerne la famille Volturi : m-d-r. Personnages caricaturaux au possible. Je n’ai pas compris le délire.

 L’énorme point fort (parce que tout n'est pas mauvais) réside surtout en Kristen Stewart <3 je ne répèterai jamais assez que cette actrice est formidable. J’ai même eu la larme à l’œil pendant les scènes déprimes ;_ ;. Je me souviens qu’à la lecture, c’était dix fois pire XD. J’aurais aussi bien aimé voir plus de Carlisle à l’écran, parce que Carlisle…Wouaw quoi. Juste wouaw @__@ (histoire d’assouvir complètement mon fangirlizm :D).

La dernière scène m’a fait rire jaune. C’est un peu la cerise sur le gâteau XDD. Ok, elle montre le thème (ô combien présent) du 3^ème tome, mais…voilà, quoi. Une chose est sûre, je n’irais pas voir ce 2^ème volet trois fois au cinéma comme le premier :p.

First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!

The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.

TypePad Micro

10 comments

A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.

Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.

On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.

And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!

~ daisy

Well, the weather outside is frightful and the MOO warehouse staff are getting ready for the Holiday rush. Our trusty elves are enjoying their last silent night before a few weeks of rigorous stocking stuffing. Soon your MOO orders will be walking in the air and climbing down your chimney.

You'll need to make sure you get your orders placed before our cut off dates, as we would not want you to have a blue Christmas. We thought you may want to see some of our packers at work in the MOO grotto, so here are some festive snap shots from our Rhode Island office...

If you're worried about your cards getting stolen by frosty the snowman, then we are offering a London, UK collection special. If you want to collect your order, simply send us your order number via the contact form, quoting your order number and "COLLECTION" in the subject line. We'll then flag your order for collection and give you instructions on how/where to collect your order. This is for a limited time only (until the 16th December), so be sure to get your order in ASAP.

As many of you have noticed, the YouTube Conduit is not working. I am so sorry about this; I know how frustrating it is.

The team is looking into how to get this fixed and I will update you as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, not all is lost... There is a work-around for posting videos.

When you're in the Compose Screen, just click on "embed." Ignore the fact that it says "Widget" before everything because you can definitely use this to embed videos as well. You'll just need to input the embed code from the video, enter a title (if you want) and hit OK.

It might not show up perfectly in your compose screen, but when you hit "Save," your video should appear just the way you wanted it to.

Hopefully this will allow you to keep posting videos while we figure out what's happening on our end.

As always, thanks for your patience.

~daisy

Freelance life can be tough. Long gaps between commissions. Accounts departments who just can't seem to find your invoice. Not to mention the ever-present need to get your work seen by the people who count.

Jonny Wan, a freelance illustrator from Sheffield, knows all about that. A graduate of the Manchester School of Art, he's constantly striving to ensure his unique illustrative style (think abstracted facial expressions, patterns, symmetry and hand-drawn lettering) snags the attention of creative directors everywhere – and he does so via Business Cards and Postcards from MOO.

MOO first caught his eye at his university degree show, where he noticed that all the students' cutest promo materials were produced by the same company – MOO! Then we tempted him with a free Business Card sample, giving him a chance to try our ordering software ("simple, logical and gives the user complete control") and evaluate our print quality and finishing ("very pleasing"). Duly hooked, Jonny ordered a set of Postcards and some Business Cards featuring a range of his work, and is preparing to send them off to art directors as we speak.

As an illustrator, working in a visual medium, presentation is very important to Jonny. "I like to make little promotional packs of my postcards and business cards", he says. "I send them out packaged in self-seal clear bags. It's good to put real thought into how the art director receives your promo materials – it's boring to just whack some cards in an envelope."

Like many creative types, Jonny's happiest when he's working, even between commissions. An example of this is his self-initiated "Can't Afford It" project. Whenever he wants an item of clothing he can't afford, he draws it instead! Eventually to be self-published as a book, working like this helps him improve his work rate, hone his Photoshop and Illustrator skills, and keep his unique style fresh and ever-evolving.

No matter how his style develops, MOO's short print runs means that his promotional materials are always in step with his latest work. "As an illustrator, your style is always changing and improving. The last thing you want is to end up with a thousand cards of the same design. You need to keep existing and future clients up to date with your freshest, latest work, because essentially they will hire you based on what they see on your promo material. It's no good for an art director to commission you only to find that your illustrative style has changed or moved on." He laughs. "After all, you wouldn't be happy buying a Jay-Z CD to find a Metallica disc inside, right?"

When designing his cards, Jonny also took advantage of a new feature that allows users to upload images for both the front and the back of the Business Cards. "Anything that gives you more options allows room for creative control – and it's that kind of flexibility that keeps me coming back to MOO. The ability to upload images for both sides of the Business Cards enables you to make the cards completely unique."

"A business card is usually the first point of contact between a new client and an illustrator, so it's important your card jumps out at people while being straight and upfront with your contact details. The fact that the cards can be individual rather than generic also gives a sense of professionalism – people can be impressed that you've put the effort into designing your own cards. A little effort can go a long way."

Jonny's constantly thinking of new ways to promote his work using MOO products. "I love the Stickers – I can see them being a very unique selling point. They're a little different and unexpected, which is beneficial in an industry where everyone strives to promote themselves in a unique way."  

MiniCards appeal to him for the same reason. "MiniCards are great because they get straight to the point and don't take up a lot of space. Art directors get bombarded with samples every morning. They open their mail and have to make snap decisions about what to keep and what to chuck."

"They're more likely to pin a MiniCard onto their noticeboard than, say, a leaflet, because they know it won't take up a lot of space. And if your work's on their noticeboard, they're more likely to bear you in mind when it comes to commissioning. And that's what it's all about!"

Thanks for talking to us Jonny! We look forward to seeing more of your work soon.

Like Jonny's work? He's available for commissions so get in touch, and say hello from us too.