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WaterandSnails

www.miraphotography.net
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I hope you all had a happy Halloween!

:sun: Snail News :sun:

(If you're confused, you may want to read the article I wrote long ago explaining some of the background behind my snaily obsession. I'll probably write a new, better version soon though!)

First, the bad news:
Unfortunately, the last of my snails that I rescued from my high school's lab in August 2009 passed away over this last summer. If only the little guys knew how famous they've managed to get thanks to you all!
I updated the calendar they star in for 2013 due to requests, in case you're interested:

Snails Calendar 2015 by WaterandSnails

And, the better news:
With rainy season creeping up on us here in Berkeley, I keep seeing snails on the path to my morning classes; I try to move as many as I can into the plants on either side of the sidewalk, but I inevitably keep encountering ones that have been crushed underfoot by other students rushing to class. I don't want to be too explicit, but I can tell that some of them are still alive despite having crushed shells, and it's heartbreaking. I simply can't stand by and see anyone--snail or human--suffer like that, so I decided I have to do something about it!

If I can convince my roommate to let me, I'm going to order myself an aquarium and set up a little snail recovery center in my dorm room. I'll probably have to sneak lettuce and other snail treats out of the dining commons, but I'm sure I won't get in too much trouble. :giggle:

So, if all goes well, you can expect some photos of my patients in the not-too-distant future. :aww:

:spotlight-left: Watcher Feature! :spotlight-right:

As some of you may remember, I've gotten into the habit of doing watcher features here and there, so I thought I'd do another one to show appreciation for all you guys' support! :heart:

How it works: you comment on this journal with whatever you want (it does not have to say "I want a feature!"), I assign you a number based on what number commenter you are, and then after a few days to a week (depending on how quickly I receive responses), I use a random number generator and feature a few of my favorite pieces by the people whose numbers win. Sounds confusing, but just think of it as a lottery where you don't have to keep track of your number :XD: That means, it isn't first come first serve; everyone has an equal chance!
So, comment away :aww:

Edit: Please do not post me links to your pictures in comments here! If your number wins, I'll be choosing my favorite photos from your gallery--so no need to self promote here ;)

Thanks for reading!
:heart: Michelle

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I'll be doing a watcher feature and the announcement for my upcoming contest in the near future, so keep an eye out! :aww:

And now, a feature of some of my favorites from a photography thumbshare thread I started ages ago--I was bowled over by the caliber of everyone who posted! :faint:

:thumb276923088: Leapfrog by tuftedpuffin Southern Cross III by Grayda Lucky day by Amelie1994 :thumb313056980: Venomous by TheUnknownAssassin The King Sleeps by amaliabastos The Best You Never Had by Lain-AwakeAtNight The Stone Lion by pinballwitch :thumb215085379: :thumb301217739: Poppy's Diamonds by Kiara-Vestigium Seattle Skyline by yo13dawg Solitude (Golden Gate Bridge) by nyl   Wind of Fate by igormazulevphoto img_3107 by kaush Endless by Deere Making Friends by flowerhippie22 Playing with Fire by Jini-Eggplant Sparks by DramasticStar Autumn's Twisted Love by SonikGroove Spider in the Glass by hyenacub Til Sunbeams Find You by FreeSpiritFotography Droplets by SilentXeno :thumb322359343: running in my sleep/ sleeping in my bed by zelenOo Bonfire II by Perbear42

(A quick question about feature etiquette since I've been out of the dA groove for quite awhile now: is it now the norm to post "big thumbs" in features, or are normal-sized thumbs still okay? Also, is there any way to make the thumbs flow nicely in journals like they do when browsing?)

Thanks for stopping by,
:heart: Michelle

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The more that things in my life have been changing, the more it feels like I've hardly talked to you guys or been particularly active here in years. I've missed all my friends on DeviantArt, as well as the amazing support I've always gotten from this place. So, as I transition to the new community that is UC Berkeley in just 2 short weeks, I'm hoping to find some familiarity in my old (albeit virtual) community here. :)

So, I do believe I'm back. I'm hoping to stay active amid the bustle that is college, at least. I'll probably have less fine art and more portraits/photojournalism to upload, but hopefully I'll be able to improve in those areas with feedback from you guys!

I'm finally going to answer my loads of comments that I've read but have never gotten around to answering (I appreciate every single one of them!), read and comment on some journal entries, and finally try to keep up with things.

And, I'm going to get another contest going! I'm thinking a general photography theme. If you'd be interested in donating a feature or even a prize, I'd be truly grateful :heart:

So, how are things going with you all? I'd love to hear from you, it's been ages!

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Now that I'm a soon-to-be starving college student, I need to start raising some money! So, in addition to selling plushies in my Etsy Shop, I've decided to re-open journal skin commissions. Any sales/commissions are highly appreciated!

I'll start with some general info:
:bulletblack: Examples: michelleramey.deviantart.com/g…
:bulletwhite: To commission me, just read this journal, decide what you want, and send me a note!
:bulletblack: I code all my CSS by hand. Yes, that means I type it-- no outside programs!
:bulletwhite: A CSS can take an hour to a few days depending on how complicated the style/images are to work with.
:bulletblack: If you commission a CSS from me, I don't stop working once I finish the CSS; if you ever need something tweaked or have problems with it in the future, I'll be happy to help! :)



Pricing

I now only take payments through Paypal (which is really easy to use, I promise), instead of points, because sadly, I need real money now! Prices will depend on how complicated the task will be, so the following are merely guidelines.
:bulletred: Background pattern, simple content box(es) : 7$ (Example: michelleramey.deviantart.com/a…)
:bulletorange: Header image/banner, simple content box(es) :  8$ (Example: michelleramey.deviantart.com/a…)
:bulletyellow: Header & Footer image/banner, simple content box(es) : 10$ (Example: michelleramey.deviantart.com/a…)
:bulletgreen: Varying prices: 3+ images, me having to create/find an image for you that isn't easily accessible, etc.



How to Commission

:spotlight-left: If you are artistically inclined, feel free to design what you want the skin to look like in some kind of art program and show me! Then we can work from there--it'll be a lot easier. :)

:bulletred: First off, you'll need an image or some kind of basis for your skin. If you'd like to include one or more image(s), they must either be your own work or that of a stock provider (which are the basis for many of my skins).
:bulletorange: Next, tell me what style you want, if you have a specific one in mind; if you don't, I'll base it off the template I use for my other skins. That means I need to know how many content boxes you'd like (the less boxes, the less buggy!), if you want the content box to be a visible box or just text on the background (like this CSS), whether or not you want a footer/header banner and how big they should be, what area(s) of the skin you'd like the title/timestamp on, and so on.
:bulletyellow: Tell me what details you'd like! Color scheme, text color, font (I'll use Candara if not otherwise specified), link color, link mouseover changes, box width, etc. If you leave details blank, I'll choose what I think is best--you can always tell me to tweak it after I show you the rough draft :)
:bulletgreen: If you like any of my current free skins and would simply like me to replace the colorscheme/images with your own, let me know! That will not only be easier for me, but for you to envision how it's going to turn out.
:bulletblue: I may be making a sort of "Commission" form/guide sheet that's more visual and less paragraph-like... so let me know if you'd be interested in that :XD:

If your eyes are sore by now, I understand! :giggle: Just talk to me if you're at all interested in a custom CSS: I'm willing to negotiate or explain anything you may be unclear about :)

WaterandSnails

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A business, projects, and... college interviews.  :faint: But the good news is, I've been accepted to Berkeley and UCLA so far!
Anyways, those three things have essentially been my life as of late.


The Business

In short, senior year hasn't been quite as relaxing as everyone told me it would be! Well, I suppose part of that is my own fault, because my friend and I started a little business of sorts 2 weeks ago: Cookies to Go. We take orders from people in San Diego (or, soon, from all over the country once we open up our shipping option officially), we bake them from scratch, and we deliver/ship them to their doors--and 25% of the profit goes to charity. We're just starting up, but we've been getting steady business! We'd really, really appreciate it if you'd like our Facebook page, as we could use all the support we can get! :heart:

Or, for those of you who prefer other ways of networking, we have a Tumblr and a Twitter too :aww: (We'll follow you back if you tell us you're from dA!)

Some of our baked things that I've uploaded to dA (that I couldn't resist photographing, naturally) :

Polka Dot Cupcakes by WaterandSnails Sugar Cookies by WaterandSnails Cakepops by WaterandSnails

There are a lot more on our site, but I'll keep uploading them to dA if you guys like them! :aww:



Photography

For those of you who watch me solely for photography (which is probably most of you :XD:), I've still been photographing up a storm; instead of water and snails, however, it's been abstracts, baked goods (above), and some portrait work here and there. Because of the understandably less-than-enthusiastic reception of my abstract work on dA, I've stopped uploading it mostly--but I've turned it into a photo essay, with people's interpretations of the photos and the photos themselves about to be turned into a book.
In other photo-related news, I've been featured in two La Jollan (San Diego) exhibitions: one, a big fundraiser in the area, and the other, a museum called the Athenaeum.



That's pretty much been my life minus the typical school load of being stupid enough to take 7 classes, 5 of them being APs... :XD: And therefore, I've had significantly less time for dA, sadly! :( I've been catching up on my 1,500 comments, though... thank you to everyone who continues to support me with the kind comments and faves :heart:
Also, the Genesis contest has been canceled for the time being, due to a very low number of entries as well as my own extended absence. I'll have another one soon though!

And, for those of you who commented on my last watcher feature offer that I never managed to put up (I'm sorry :faint:), I'll be doing another one soon, don't worry :)

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Featured

Watcher Feature (Just comment!) + Snail News by WaterandSnails, journal

October Feature! by WaterandSnails, journal

I've Missed DeviantArt. by WaterandSnails, journal

Journal Skin Commissions: Open Once Again! by WaterandSnails, journal

I am not dead just yet! by WaterandSnails, journal