ashlyn is joining too. :)

How old are you, and how many siblings do you have?

I'm Ashlyn, fourteen. I have six siblings, (There's me, I'm the oldest. Olivia is ten, Elizabeth is eight, Sarah is six, Daniel is five, Julia is three, and Anna is 10 weeks old. That's right, four under six.)  plus me, plus my parents, which equals nine. Nine equals chaos, hectic Sunday mornings, large tables, messy rooms, fixing meals in large quantity, and making homemade laundry soap. Three loads of laundry a day is normal, and there is a massive amount of dishes. Oh, and you should see how fast cereal goes in our family. It's unreal.

what are your interests?
I have a lot. :)
 web design- the first thing I ever did was a blog button,  and the next thing was adjusting widths manually. In Minima, on a test blog. You know what? I was so scared of messing something up that my hands were shaking as I typed in different pixels. I had no clue why outer wrapper had to be just a little bit bigger (or perfect) than the main wrapper and sidebar wrapper. I progressed slowly, and I had the help of a wonderful bloggy friend, Mary Ann. She guided me through borders, margins, paddings, false/true widgets, and about everything else. Except- I used Hannah's post on the Accordion. ;)
graphic design- photoshop elements is awesome,  and I'm learning, slowly. It's fun. :)
politics- Reagan conservative here. :) I'd like to be a journalist when I "grow up."  :)


favorite hobbies?
piano playing, watching old movies and shows, (eg, the Andy Griffith Show) photography, and drinking coffee. :)

When did you become interested in graphic design?
mmmm. I think it was in early July. :)

biggest goal for this year?
mwhahaha, since this year is just about over...(how can that be...???) I guess 2012's would be to finish Algrebra, start teaching piano lessons and perhaps doing some small portrait sessions.

What are you looking forward to the most in being a part of the community?
I really like the idea of posting for help. I also would love to post links to test blogs for critiques, because that is what I love getting. I love to know what other people think. Because, seriously, I go through serious spurts.
I find  a certain font, and I use it for everything. everything. Or I'll find a CSS technique and I'll go overboard. I remember when I found the technique for using a background when hovering just over post titles (do you know what I mean?) and I used it for everything.
The next thing I liked was when the page went bloppity blop when you hovered over links. (because the font was larger, used letter spacing, boldness, etc). I went nuts. The whole page looked as if it was spazzing out.
...thus, I definitely need constructive criticism.

What's your favorite program to use when designing?
I currently use Adobe Photoshop Elements. and love it.


The big question- mac or pc?
PC! I've used windows all my life, and probably will continue to do so.
(I want to add that I'd love to try an apple someday, but I don't want Hannah mad at me.)


Do you have a personal blog we can connect with you on?
of course. :D 'tis here. I have also just started a blog that I'll post my portfolio and challenges on, and it's here. I offer free blog designs here, and in January, will be offering a course on basic blog design. But the URL is not available now cuz it's not ready yet.  :)