Thread: Costume Shop

Hi folks,

I started re-doing my site about 4 months ago, then stopped....the further I started reading, learning more about how to build an actual website....the more "overwhelmed" I became. SEO, H1 tags, keywords, optimization and the list goes on. So, for the past month or so, I've put it on hold, hoping something would come to me....LadyEye has helped me with so many things the list is too long to mention. Thanks Holly.

Also, AlienDude, Naghosthunter, FPRob & David.....thanks

The thing is, I want to change it, yet, I don't want to lose what I was trying to do in the first place......I wanted it to be entertaining, fun, give ideas with pictures, etc., of what we carry and bring people to the shop......

It's not finished by no means, I have tons of pictures to put up, plus all the other stuff I know nothing about etc.....but before I go further into building a website that doesn't seem to fit in with the real nice professional websites........

I wanted to know what you think......

......I have alot of cool stuff (or at least I think so) special effects, and do not know where to begin to add some of it or even if I should. Also the music issue, which I personally like, but is so controversial. The way I was trying to layout the categories-maybe too confusing for people....oh my,

........should I start over again with a set template etc?

site is: costumesrus .net

I have to honestly say with no offence that the black background at the start and animations everywhere need to be toned down a bit. I realise you want to keep them, ok, but they produce a feeling of childish behaviour and unproffessionalism. Maybe just rethink it a bit!

You should never display a hit counter (advice I got from a proffessional source) as it displays a lack of proffessionalism.

On the right theres at the main page theres a load of unused buttons on the right that are a bit pointless I think!!!!

The worst thing is all the page layout changes! Drive anybody nuts!

I really like the way it is layed out, and where the content is on each page.

Also the depth and diversity of everything is great.

I also like the music (but you should probably get rid of it anyways!!!)

I personally think it just needs some major tweaking.

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by C L

Hi folks,

I started re-doing my site about 4 months ago, then stopped....the further I started reading, learning more about how to build an actual website....the more "overwhelmed" I became. SEO, H1 tags, keywords, optimization and the list goes on. So, for the past month or so, I've put it on hold, hoping something would come to me....LadyEye has helped me with so many things the list is too long to mention. Thanks Holly.

Also, AlienDude, Naghosthunter, FPRob & David.....thanks

The thing is, I want to change it, yet, I don't want to lose what I was trying to do in the first place......I wanted it to be entertaining, fun, give ideas with pictures, etc., of what we carry and bring people to the shop......

It's not finished by no means, I have tons of pictures to put up, plus all the other stuff I know nothing about etc.....but before I go further into building a website that doesn't seem to fit in with the real nice professional websites........

I wanted to know what you think......

......I have alot of cool stuff (or at least I think so) special effects, and do not know where to begin to add some of it or even if I should. Also the music issue, which I personally like, but is so controversial. The way I was trying to layout the categories-maybe too confusing for people....oh my,

........should I start over again with a set template etc?

site is: costumesrus .net

Wow, an amazing site. Lots of stuff going on. I am not quite sure what you are asking here.
In general, I think this is what you are saying:
You want to revamp your site, make it more professional looking.
You aren't sure about the organization of it - if it is easy to navigate or not; if people can find things.
You want it to be a fun place visually, as well as having some interactive things to do (?)
You like music on the site but know everybody doesn't feel the same
You are over your head with regard to SEO optimization
You like alot of the effects you have.
You are open to suggestion..
Does this cover it?

Originally Posted by larazovich

Wow, an amazing site. Lots of stuff going on. I am not quite sure what you are asking here.
In general, I think this is what you are saying:
You want to revamp your site, make it more professional looking.
You aren't sure about the organization of it - if it is easy to navigate or not; if people can find things.
You want it to be a fun place visually, as well as having some interactive things to do (?)
You like music on the site but know everybody doesn't feel the same
You are over your head with regard to SEO optimization
You like alot of the effects you have.
You are open to suggestion..
Does this cover it?

Yes Liz,

I've been re-thinking the whole site....and when I look at other sites, well, mine isn't up there and I wish it to be without losing the fun, so yes, I want to hear opinions, suggestions.

Originally Posted by Savolo

I have to honestly say with no offence that the black background at the start and animations everywhere need to be toned down a bit. I realise you want to keep them, ok, but they produce a feeling of childish behaviour and unproffessionalism. Maybe just rethink it a bit!

You should never display a hit counter (advice I got from a proffessional source) as it displays a lack of proffessionalism.

On the right theres at the main page theres a load of unused buttons on the right that are a bit pointless I think!!!!

The worst thing is all the page layout changes! Drive anybody nuts!

I really like the way it is layed out, and where the content is on each page.

Also the depth and diversity of everything is great.

I also like the music (but you should probably get rid of it anyways!!!)

I personally think it just needs some major tweaking.

Hope this helps!

Thank-you for your honesty & taking the time to look it over, it helps, very much so.......just wondering why changing pages would drive you nuts?

Hi! CL
May I say something?
home page and second page (after enter) look like, they are done by different person.
you got a nice shop.

Originally Posted by WSBlue

Hi! CL
May I say something?
home page and second page (after enter) look like, they are done by different person.
you got a nice shop.

Hi Blue,

Of course you can say.....

......same person did all the pages......I'm not finished, there are many more pages to go.......I wanted to make every page different, but I'm not so sure about that now.

Thank-you, for saying about the shop

Reference Gallery

username:customer
password:canada

Having said that - here is some input
First, I never have the sound on when I am surfing, so the music makes no matter to me. As a rule, I think if you have music there should be a clear option to turn it off.

Next, I accidently ended up in your guestbook - fun to read, but I think a clearly marked entry point would be good.

Your home button takes you to the landing page - probably should go to the welcome page instead..

Your about us page could use some other navigation other than just a back button - I always like to read the aboutus thing and then have a look around a site, so nav buttons here would be useful for that.

Had a quick look at your policy page, and noticed you mentioned your costume gallery and your guestbook - would be nice for these words to be text linked to those things/pages, again, making it easiest for your visitors to get around. Same comment on this page about adding navigation opportunites.

On the Special Purchases page, needs nav opportunities, too.

On the welcome page - I love looking at the pics inside the shop, but they are taking up a great deal of real estate on this page - How about a picture trails kind of moving gallery with nice clear pics of the inside of your shop, instead of individual pics? Like this one on my party site:
http://www.sebastopolparty.com/

As I read through some of these pages I realize that you offer quite a variety of products and services, which I didn't realize from the welcome page -
theatrical rentals, full service in this regard
themed party costuming, again, complete
costumes for rental - do you also sell them?
do you both rent and sell accessories?
more stuff too.

These are things that might be obvious to you as a person in the business but are not so obvious to me as a customer, so I would like to see what you have to offer more prominantly displayed.

I love having the list of costumes - but I think I might make a smaller font, so that more could be visible without scrolling..

The costume reference page- I clicked on a couple of the buttons and got a wierd request for login/password.thing - then a restricted access message?

Okay, well this is a long post... and just my opinion, too.

Overall I like the site Robyn. It has a great deal of information, great depth. I like alot of your hallowweenie themed gifs, they're fun.
In general I am not a fan of black backgrounds, but I think it may suit your product. But I like the brown/black combos alittle bettere than the grey/balck combos..
Some tweaking and you will be there..
Good Luck

Originally Posted by larazovich

Having said that - here is some input
First, I never have the sound on when I am surfing, so the music makes no matter to me. As a rule, I think if you have music there should be a clear option to turn it off.

Next, I accidently ended up in your guestbook - fun to read, but I think a clearly marked entry point would be good.

Your home button takes you to the landing page - probably should go to the welcome page instead..

Your about us page could use some other navigation other than just a back button - I always like to read the aboutus thing and then have a look around a site, so nav buttons here would be useful for that.

Had a quick look at your policy page, and noticed you mentioned your costume gallery and your guestbook - would be nice for these words to be text linked to those things/pages, again, making it easiest for your visitors to get around. Same comment on this page about adding navigation opportunites.

On the Special Purchases page, needs nav opportunities, too.

On the welcome page - I love looking at the pics inside the shop, but they are taking up a great deal of real estate on this page - How about a picture trails kind of moving gallery with nice clear pics of the inside of your shop, instead of individual pics? Like this one on my party site:
http://www.sebastopolparty.com/

As I read through some of these pages I realize that you offer quite a variety of products and services, which I didn't realize from the welcome page -
theatrical rentals, full service in this regard
themed party costuming, again, complete
costumes for rental - do you also sell them?
do you both rent and sell accessories?
more stuff too.

These are things that might be obvious to you as a person in the business but are not so obvious to me as a customer, so I would like to see what you have to offer more prominantly displayed.

I love having the list of costumes - but I think I might make a smaller font, so that more could be visible without scrolling..

The costume reference page- I clicked on a couple of the buttons and got a wierd request for login/password.thing - then a restricted access message?

Okay, well this is a long post... and just my opinion, too.

Overall I like the site Robyn. It has a great deal of information, great depth. I like alot of your hallowweenie themed gifs, they're fun.
In general I am not a fan of black backgrounds, but I think it may suit your product. But I like the brown/black combos alittle bettere than the grey/balck combos..
Some tweaking and you will be there..
Good Luck

Thanks Liz,

You have given me some ideas & improvement suggestions needed for the site.

I put the username & password to the reference gallery, is it silly to have that as well?

Originally Posted by C L

Thanks Liz,

You have given me some ideas & improvement suggestions needed for the site.

I put the username & password to the reference gallery, is it silly to have that as well?

not silly, but I am not sure if necessary. How will the customer know where to get that login info?
I really like the idea of the reference gallery, by the way. Cool to see all the different folk costumes, for instance, to see the differences.

Hi Robyn! I LOVE what you are wanting to do. There has been a LOT of work put into this site!! First let me comment on the Professionalism thing.... There are professioinal sites of all different kinds. I think it really depends on what your primary product or service is. You are in a FUN business and so I think your website should be FUN...which it is. I would expect nothing less from you and a costume store. YOU DO HAVE A PROFESSIONAL SITE!! Ok, with that said, maybe some tweaking. I agree with a lot of what Liz said with some exceptions. Here are some of my thoughts.

1. When first entering your site, I am immediately hit with a Halloween Theme. Although I like that page I think there is another place for it as I'll explain further down. I think your home page should be your OUR SHOP page. It contains all the necessary info to get started browsing your website.
2. I personally think the music on your pages works for a costume site and you have done an excellent job selecting just the right music. It makes it more fun to look at all the costumes.
3. With that said, I would recommend re-organizing by costume theme. For example, Have a Halloween Page, where you list the costumes, maybe have all your halloween costumes set up like your costume video (only just the Halloween ones, have any of your customer Halloween pics there as well. You could even go a little further and break it out by Adults and children. Then continue this idea with all your other themes, such as Easter, History, Theathrical, Animals, etc. The reason I suggest this, is because if I were looking for a costume, I probably already have an idea of what I want...such as scary, child, animal, historical, playboy. Right now, it is difficult to navigate to find what I would want. I see your costume list and that's fine...but what does it look like? Well, I find your costume video/pics/gallery page, but then I have to sit through the VERY long video to see a picture of what I want. Which briings me to the next point.
4. I would recommend then, taking your Gallery pictures and sort them by theme and put on the same page as the list.
5. I saw the Kids Workshop and click on that, expecting to be taken to the kids costume shop. Instead I got a wonderful page full of links to kids online activities. I think this is a wonderful page, but don't think it has anything to do with costumes. (How about a new site just for kids!)
6. Because you have such a variety of costumes, I think the different backgrounds would work just fine depending on the theme for that page. Same goes for the music.
7. I LOVE the winking,kissing Mona!!!
8. You have a lot of graphics going on all over the place and normally I would think it is to much...but here again, because this is a fun place, I think they work for you. Maybe tone down just a little.

Robyn, Over all I really like your site. May just want to re-think the layout a little. I can tell you this....If you were in Colorado, I would be buying from you in a heartbeat and would be telling everyone to visit your site. Well worth the experience!

Hi Robyn,

To me Halloween is mean't to be fun and kind of childish along with any opportunity to dress up. Therefore I think your entry page is wonderful. I think your other pages should have the same feel to them to help people have a sense of navigation and a feel that they are on the same website as far as navigation I might suggest putting headers above each group so they know what each subarea is about. Also your pictures seem to be a little blurry. Mine are also so I purchased a better camera and will be redoing all of my pictures blah!!

P.S. I redo my site every 3 months it seems so I know the feeling.
Good luck hope this helps

Originally Posted by Dream Lady

Hi Robyn! I LOVE what you are wanting to do. There has been a LOT of work put into this site!! First let me comment on the Professionalism thing.... There are professioinal sites of all different kinds. I think it really depends on what your primary product or service is. You are in a FUN business and so I think your website should be FUN...which it is. I would expect nothing less from you and a costume store. YOU DO HAVE A PROFESSIONAL SITE!! Ok, with that said, maybe some tweaking. I agree with a lot of what Liz said with some exceptions. Here are some of my thoughts.

1. When first entering your site, I am immediately hit with a Halloween Theme. Although I like that page I think there is another place for it as I'll explain further down. I think your home page should be your OUR SHOP page. It contains all the necessary info to get started browsing your website.
2. I personally think the music on your pages works for a costume site and you have done an excellent job selecting just the right music. It makes it more fun to look at all the costumes.
3. With that said, I would recommend re-organizing by costume theme. For example, Have a Halloween Page, where you list the costumes, maybe have all your halloween costumes set up like your costume video (only just the Halloween ones, have any of your customer Halloween pics there as well. You could even go a little further and break it out by Adults and children. Then continue this idea with all your other themes, such as Easter, History, Theathrical, Animals, etc. The reason I suggest this, is because if I were looking for a costume, I probably already have an idea of what I want...such as scary, child, animal, historical, playboy. Right now, it is difficult to navigate to find what I would want. I see your costume list and that's fine...but what does it look like? Well, I find your costume video/pics/gallery page, but then I have to sit through the VERY long video to see a picture of what I want. Which briings me to the next point.
4. I would recommend then, taking your Gallery pictures and sort them by theme and put on the same page as the list.
5. I saw the Kids Workshop and click on that, expecting to be taken to the kids costume shop. Instead I got a wonderful page full of links to kids online activities. I think this is a wonderful page, but don't think it has anything to do with costumes. (How about a new site just for kids!)
6. Because you have such a variety of costumes, I think the different backgrounds would work just fine depending on the theme for that page. Same goes for the music.
7. I LOVE the winking,kissing Mona!!!
8. You have a lot of graphics going on all over the place and normally I would think it is to much...but here again, because this is a fun place, I think they work for you. Maybe tone down just a little.

Robyn, Over all I really like your site. May just want to re-think the layout a little. I can tell you this....If you were in Colorado, I would be buying from you in a heartbeat and would be telling everyone to visit your site. Well worth the experience!

Thanks Cindy for giving me a bit a confidence back & for taking the time to have a look.

You have given me many pointers & tips here with a good understanding of why......

.......it gives me a good idea what's missing, what should go, what should stay, what is needed......

I'm glad I did this now instead of later.......

Originally Posted by Garren

Hi Robyn,

To me Halloween is mean't to be fun and kind of childish along with any opportunity to dress up. Therefore I think your entry page is wonderful. I think your other pages should have the same feel to them to help people have a sense of navigation and a feel that they are on the same website as far as navigation I might suggest putting headers above each group so they know what each subarea is about. Also your pictures seem to be a little blurry. Mine are also so I purchased a better camera and will be redoing all of my pictures blah!!

P.S. I redo my site every 3 months it seems so I know the feeling.
Good luck hope this helps

Thank-you Garren for your input, I'll be making changes that's for sure, yes, you helped along with other reviewers, to give me some direction and perhaps come up with a fantastic site......(which is my ultimate goal/plan)

Hi robyn,

I actually love the idea of the different pages. I my opinion though (not that it really matters) I think you should think of making it a little more catagory based. For instance all of halloween has one feel...all of the refrence gallery (which I loved by the way) has one feel...and so on. You should also think of having one logo on all of the pages to tie it all together, and create brand recognition.

I love what you have done..and can't wait to see the final product.

lol CL

Yw for anything I have passed your way ... I just really wish you would implement more of what I have discussed with you ...

Originally Posted by PennieNPence

Hi robyn,

I actually love the idea of the different pages. I my opinion though (not that it really matters) I think you should think of making it a little more catagory based. For instance all of halloween has one feel...all of the refrence gallery (which I loved by the way) has one feel...and so on. You should also think of having one logo on all of the pages to tie it all together, and create brand recognition.

I love what you have done..and can't wait to see the final product.

Hi Penny N Pence,

You like the different pages too....that's good to hear, so do I. What I'm hearing from several people is that the site doesn't flow well. The idea of the logo/template.....is something I've been thinking about, I just don't know what yet.......thanks for your say, your opinion does count.

Originally Posted by LadyEye

lol CL

Yw for anything I have passed your way ... I just really wish you would implement more of what I have discussed with you ...

You have given me lots of help....not all has been done yet, I'm working on it........I wanted to thank-you for that.

Good to hear and I know you are CL, you have been working really really hard, you would no doubt win the "Most Images" award, lol, and your images that you have fixed, and page sizes are flowing much better, you have spent oodles of time optimizing those and it pays off .. I really think you need to work on your navigation ... and TEXT for your site ... as well as your entry page is very confusing to enter the site ... As I've said, I would like to be able to go to the site to look for a Roaring 20's style outfit and be able to see where to find it without much difficulty ...

Good Luck ... keep plugging away!

As I've said, I would like to be able to go to the site to look for a Roaring 20's style outfit ...

I'm after the playboy outfit, myself...so keep your hands off!! lol

Originally Posted by Dream Lady

As I've said, I would like to be able to go to the site to look for a Roaring 20's style outfit ...

I'm after the playboy outfit, myself...so keep your hands off!! lol

Cindy ... you "Shock Me" ... lol .... No way, we would have much more fun in the 20's outfits, believe me .... lol

I shocked myself!! lol Anyway, I gotta plan that trip up your way and the first place I'm going is to the costume shop. It just flat looks like a fun place and CL with the assistance she is getting is doing a fine job on the website!

ha ha you guys......I'd like to have a fairy go POOF! and have it done! A long road I think......

........dressing up gals? Anything's possible even the playboy bunny...hee hee

Originally Posted by Dream Lady

I shocked myself!! lol Anyway, I gotta plan that trip up your way and the first place I'm going is to the costume shop. It just flat looks like a fun place and CL with the assistance she is getting is doing a fine job on the website!

Am I dressing you as a Playboy bunny then? Can't wait......lol

.....with all that being said, I can think of a few costumes, I'm sure Holly's in..........

CL..you will have to take that magic wand and super charge it, to have me look like that playboy bunnie you have in your picture gallery!! hehe
P.S..I don't think the road is that long...you're just about there, dear!!

Originally Posted by C L

Am I dressing you as a Playboy bunny then? Can't wait......lol

.....with all that being said, I can think of a few costumes, I'm sure Holly's in..........

OFF with your head I will say ........ Don't you dare ... lmao

Originally Posted by LadyEye

Good to hear and I know you are CL, you have been working really really hard, you would no doubt win the "Most Images" award, lol, and your images that you have fixed, and page sizes are flowing much better, you have spent oodles of time optimizing those and it pays off .. I really think you need to work on your navigation ... and TEXT for your site ... as well as your entry page is very confusing to enter the site ... As I've said, I would like to be able to go to the site to look for a Roaring 20's style outfit and be able to see where to find it without much difficulty ...

Good Luck ... keep plugging away!

Is there awards? lol

The optimizing sure has from 75 seconds to 1 second.....big difference, never really noticed all the wrongs with the site, until you said.....thanks

Originally Posted by Dream Lady

CL..you will have to take that magic wand and super charge it, to have me look like that playboy bunnie you have in your picture gallery!! hehe
P.S..I don't think the road is that long...you're just about there, dear!!

I have my ways..........you're gonna luv it!

I was just visiting your site again. You have already done somewhat of what I was suggesting above with the Themes, I just noticed on your Gallery Page. Christmas, Halloween, Historical, etc. That's what I had in mind (sorry..didn't see it before), but more relevent content in terms of costumes available. As a side note...(since I'm interested in the sexy lady outfits...lol) you have hot,hot,hot midi. Have you thought about putting Mandy's version on that page? ummm ok, I'll quit playing now.

May i say one thing shopping cart.

Originally Posted by Dream Lady

I was just visiting your site again. You have already done somewhat of what I was suggesting above with the Themes, I just noticed on your Gallery Page. Christmas, Halloween, Historical, etc. That's what I had in mind (sorry..didn't see it before), but more relevent content in terms of costumes available. As a side note...(since I'm interested in the sexy lady outfits...lol) you have hot,hot,hot midi. Have you thought about putting Mandy's version on that page? ummm ok, I'll quit playing now.

Hi Cindy,

Yes, I have the costumes started into sections, same with accessories, but I'm not happy the overall look, I'd like to mix what you and a few others have and what I have and make it a site.....that works, stays fun and looks professional....

No, gosh no, I have not thought about Mandy's music or anything like that, I collected up some midis to do just as you said, to make it a little more fun when you're looking at the costumes.....

I'm taking everything that is said in.......and really do appreciate the input, whether it be s**** the site or keep the site......I want to hear, I'm quite serious about achieving this.....future plans cannot even begin, until I get the base down.......

Thanks

Originally Posted by Aliens Anonymous

May i say one thing shopping cart.

You certainly may Alien..........

.......I've been thinking about it, and is a future plan for the site....I have to get the rest right first though.......plus understand alot more........it kinda scares me, that shopping cart, but would be a smart thing to have, I agree.

So nice to see you again.......and thanks.

Originally Posted by larazovich

not silly, but I am not sure if necessary. How will the customer know where to get that login info?
I really like the idea of the reference gallery, by the way. Cool to see all the different folk costumes, for instance, to see the differences.

You're right about that Liz....how will they know, those pages were alot of work......far from finished, I like them too.....I have mixed thoughts about those pages......

.....there must be a way to accomplish the look I want and still be professional and before I continue on, having your input, as well as others before it's finished is important to me.

This is time consuming as you know, so I don't want to do it a third time, I'd like to move on to something new.....

Thanks for your say.....

Hi CL, Sorry! But have to agree with Savolo. It feels a bit more like a site for web based Halloween parties with an overdose of special effects.
I think a lot of the pages look great as individual pages. But mixed up together? No!. It gives me the feeling that i keep leaving the site & get a bit disorientated. (But this might be just age) lol.
Unless I am missing something I would defiantly loose the login area. Cant see the point.
On the image side of things, you need to cut back, especially on the background sizes. Most background image should be about 3-4 KB & a few of yours are 300-600kb & really bogging the pages down on the 1st visit.
These images should be sliced to about 3kb & repeated in a table background.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Collectors-info

Hi CL, Sorry! But have to agree with Savolo. It feels a bit more like a site for web based Halloween parties with an overdose of special effects.
I think a lot of the pages look great as individual pages. But mixed up together? No!. It gives me the feeling that i keep leaving the site & get a bit disorientated. (But this might be just age) lol.
Unless I am missing something I would defiantly loose the login area. Cant see the point.
On the image side of things, you need to cut back, especially on the background sizes. Most background image should be about 3-4 KB & a few of yours are 300-600kb & really bogging the pages down on the 1st visit.
These images should be sliced to about 3kb & repeated in a table background.

Good luck.

It's ok Chris, I'm glad I put it up.....before I did more, and I was hoping you'd have something to say, its busy I know, half of me likes it, half of me doesn't....

Some of the backgrounds wouldn't optimize for me properly without losing quality.

Any more suggestions/ideas/templates for me?

I would like to get this site looking professional, I still want to keep some of what I did.....somehow, I'm in need of some ideas.

In vodahost templates, under one of the flash sets on page 2, there was a template that had an antique swinging sign.....I liked that, I was thinking a victorian store/costume shop front type of index page with a sign like that......only problem is, I do not know how to make the look I desire. If it was on paper, I could create away, when it comes to the computer, I am limited.......would you be able to help me a bit there?

I like your work, very much so.........I could really use a bit of a push to get me started in the right direction creatively, yet professionally. I'm lost when it comes to building a site the way you folks do.......LE has been saying this for awhile to me.......I still cannot design something I like.

Oh, and yes the password is going along with some other suggestions made.....thanks everyone, I needed to hear this from more people to actually hear it.....lol

Off to work, if you all have more to say, say it now please and any ideas would be great!

Robyn,
Probably covered above. Some of the "Next" buttons in galleries do not work, if there is no second page, might it not be best to remove it on those pages?
-Would be nice to see enlarged uniform images.
-Not sure what "Costume list" is for. No links, nice to know you might have a specific costume, perhaps a "search" option be more functional.

Great work

Originally Posted by bill2006

Robyn,
Probably covered above. Some of the "Next" buttons in galleries do not work, if there is no second page, might it not be best to remove it on those pages?
-Would be nice to see enlarged uniform images.
-Not sure what "Costume list" is for. No links, nice to know you might have a specific costume, perhaps a "search" option be more functional.

Great work

Hi Bill,

There is "next" pages, haven't published yet...still working with all the pics, maybe I shouldn't have the next up there till there is a next.

The uniforms....a bit hard to see, ok, I'll work on that. I'm hearing a bit on the costume list......yes, we have those costumes....search option, a good idea..another suggestion was to have the link attached.....

Thanks for having a look......appreciate it

I must admit, that looking around other shops of this type on the web, is they all look very similar. The problem is! That the site has got to be neutral’ish because of the variations in themes that you have.
Maybe have a common theme on the outside of the pages for headings/menus and alike. Then maybe the central area could be a theme. But something subtle.
Could even use the BV layer feature for backgrounds of the theme part.
Was having a play around at this link. http://www.collectors-info.com/testing/cl.html It might be a way of keeping an overall look with different themes.
But! Must admit that Aliens shopping cart is a real good idea. (soho)? Just not sure if it’s as flexible as BV.


Cheers.

Originally Posted by Collectors-info

I must admit, that looking around other shops of this type on the web, is they all look very similar. The problem is! That the site has got to be neutral’ish because of the variations in themes that you have.
Maybe have a common theme on the outside of the pages for headings/menus and alike. Then maybe the central area could be a theme. But something subtle.
Could even use the BV layer feature for backgrounds of the theme part.
Was having a play around at this link. http://www.collectors-info.com/testing/cl.html It might be a way of keeping an overall look with different themes.
But! Must admit that Aliens shopping cart is a real good idea. (soho)? Just not sure if it’s as flexible as BV.


Cheers.

Good morning Chris,

Exactly! They all look alike........

Well, you'd sure have a laugh at what I was trying to make last night.....and I'm no further ahead......what you've made is really, really nice.......and I knew you would be excellent, I've seen some of your work and IMO you're a creative GURU.


This is so difficult for me it isn't funny.....as you can tell from the website, I like color and lots of it, but what you're saying and everyone else.....it's not the clean professional website that I'm trying to achieve, wow, white.......

I love the dracula/transparency.....definately like the red name......

.......thank-you for taking the time to make this page, so very much appreciated......

I agree.......with Aliens & yourself, pretty much what everyone else has said too, I needed to hear it, no matter how much I like my pages, and I think they have a look to them that's fun & somewhat professional it does have to go......and with that being said, I'm lost about losing all the color......

You have given me much to think about here.....and your time doing this, is incredibly valuable.......thank-you

highest regards



Thanks Chris.....YOU ROCK!

.....timed out, lol

I like the template.........that you've made, no question, so very different than what I was doing.....

.....I'm late for work now, lol

......you have the colors red & black and that's the two I wanted, clever of you to pick up on that with so many floating around on the website......

ok, gotta run.....thanks again Chris

did I already say YOU ROCK! (I did?) oh well,


YOU ROCK!

Hi, the main reason for white as a background is it saves’s so much time on not having to make up transparent backgrounds with images. (Being lazy)
What I was messing around with was just for different ideas. But it’s a hard one to try & find a happy medium with for all types of costumes.
To colorful & it wont match 50% of the costumes. To white & it’s boring. (Cant win). Need some artists impute for this one. I was trying some colors & can’t find a good match. http://www.collectors-info.com/testing/cl2.html
If you get enough ideas, one will work. LOL

Hey Roybn,

I just loved it, I may be a little late...Just loved the music!! Really cute.

Originally Posted by Collectors-info

Hi, the main reason for white as a background is it saves’s so much time on not having to make up transparent backgrounds with images. (Being lazy)
What I was messing around with was just for different ideas. But it’s a hard one to try & find a happy medium with for all types of costumes.
To colorful & it wont match 50% of the costumes. To white & it’s boring. (Cant win). Need some artists impute for this one. I was trying some colors & can’t find a good match. http://www.collectors-info.com/testing/cl2.html
If you get enough ideas, one will work. LOL

Well you weren't too lazy Chris cause I like this page......I have alot of images/clipart but I didn't have that Comedy & Tragedy.....is it ok to use them? I really like them, their perfect!

Is that the gallery background optimized? Cause if it is, I don't mind it, yet when I optimized it I didn't like it......I like the layout & that color red.

I still have color, yaaaaah!...... (minus the pink....ha ha)

How did you get the dracula to fade like that?

Thank-you Chris! This works for me!

Originally Posted by SChajin

Hey Roybn,

I just loved it, I may be a little late...Just loved the music!! Really cute.

You're not late Sharon......thanks for stopn' in. I like the music too, going to have an option for people though,......either you can tap to music or just tap off.......ha ha

Thanks for having a look!

In BV you have the layer tool. Spread this out over an area you want to cover. Then every thing you place on top of the layer can be faded by using the layers properties box & adjusting opacity. This one is set to about 15.
This includes images text & so on. If you want to place normal text on top of this, you will have to then place another layer over what you have done & then place things on top of this layer. Leave this set at 100. (Just like making a triple deck sandwich).

Originally Posted by Collectors-info

In BV you have the layer tool. Spread this out over an area you want to cover. Then every thing you place on top of the layer can be faded by using the layers properties box & adjusting opacity. This one is set to about 15.
This includes images text & so on. If you want to place normal text on top of this, you will have to then place another layer over what you have done & then place things on top of this layer. Leave this set at 100. (Just like making a triple deck sandwich).

Thanks Chris......you're the best!

Triple sandwich..........yum, lol

Hi folks,

Well....this has taken a bit of time, thank-you Chris for giving me the much needed inspiration, I was working with the temp you created and ended up with this one, would love to know what you all think. I still have plenty more to do, with changing all the pages & finishing these ones etc., but do you all like it? Is it slow loading? Everything lining up alright? Is it looking more professional? Any ideas for the blank areas under the nav bar on the longer pages? I'm going to add the search feature Bill suggested, I removed the stat counter & no music on the new pages, still working on the other suggestions. Thank-you all for helping me out here. A big thank-you to Holly for all her help & inspirations.

site is: costumesrus .net

Oh Boy there is some real witchery going on.

I cant find the Costume Shop?

Is there a spell?

Originally Posted by zuriatman

Oh Boy there is some real witchery going on.

I cant find the Costume Shop?

Is there a spell?

http://www.costumesrus.net/

Awesome Robyn...so much fun. You're doing an excellent job!

I really like what you are doing ... it looks great ... I look forward to seeing the rest of it ...

Thanks folks, working on it, it's bloody hard trying to remember all that was said and all that has to be done per page........it's a work in progress....there's still a few things I'm not liking but I see with the help of others......it is looking more like a website.

Originally Posted by C L

Thanks folks, working on it, it's bloody hard trying to remember all that was said and all that has to be done per page........it's a work in progress....there's still a few things I'm not liking but I see with the help of others......it is looking more like a website.

It's looking great witch, good job, really like the new look!

Ok, I've overhauled the whole site.....added the suggestions...what do you all think? Is this working? More professional looking? I still have more pages & text to be added.......any & all suggestions are welcome and needed.

Thanks to all

costumesrus .net

Hi Witch General,

Your site is so much fun and I love it and fun should always remain synonymous with FUN as that is what parties are all about.
Happy people makes better customers.

You have so many beautiful stuff I would think in my own opinion that they should be exhibited or promoted in a larger format than the large thumbs you are currently using. A rollover would be nice when a person points at the image the image enlarges.

I only have 3 suggestions:

First: The present pages looks constricted and tall while a real live stage
would look wide and shorter in height. I would prefer the latter with the height set to the height of std. display screens. On a small screen it would look like a stage and on my 20" wide screen it would look like I have the center front row seats.

Second: I dont quiet agree with the plain bright red background on your landing page [home page] as it does not blend with the antique look of the page but instead it is distracting my concentration on the center of the page.

Third is of course the thumbs as I explained above and also the view of your store should be enlarge to 800 x 700 so that I would feel like I am in your store instead of viewing a small pic of your store.

Happy brewing!

Originally Posted by larazovich

It's looking great witch, good job, really like the new look!

Thanks Liz!

Originally Posted by zuriatman

Hi Witch General,

Your site is so much fun and I love it and fun should always remain synonymous with FUN as that is what parties are all about.
Happy people makes better customers.

You have so many beautiful stuff I would think in my own opinion that they should be exhibited or promoted in a larger format than the large thumbs you are currently using. A rollover would be nice when a person points at the image the image enlarges.

I only have 3 suggestions:

First: The present pages looks constricted and tall while a real live stage
would look wide and shorter in height. I would prefer the latter with the height set to the height of std. display screens. On a small screen it would look like a stage and on my 20" wide screen it would look like I have the center front row seats.

Second: I dont quiet agree with the plain bright red background on your landing page [home page] as it does not blend with the antique look of the page but instead it is distracting my concentration on the center of the page.

Third is of course the thumbs as I explained above and also the view of your store should be enlarge to 800 x 700 so that I would feel like I am in your store instead of viewing a small pic of your store.

Happy brewing!

Thanks Zuriatman for taking the time to have a look

I hear you, tone down the colors & larger pictures, I may end up making a new homepage. This isn't a shopping site, more of a photo site to show customers what we carry, and to give ideas. Shopping cart may happen at another time, just trying to get this one to flow better and look professional.......I agree it should be fun as it is about dressing up and partying. Thanks again for your input & signing my guestbook. Have a good one!

Hi CL,

Great Job with your new look to site. I love it and it is professional while still fun. I have to admit I do miss the scray music etc on start up as you had the first time but awesome job. My only small personal thing is the navigation bar which I would like to see on every page so I don't have to do the back button thingy.

Anyhoo..as usual..you have managed to witchify...lol.. your site with wonder and can't wait to go back.

Originally Posted by beegud2

Hi CL,

Great Job with your new look to site. I love it and it is professional while still fun. I have to admit I do miss the scray music etc on start up as you had the first time but awesome job. My only small personal thing is the navigation bar which I would like to see on every page so I don't have to do the back button thingy.

Anyhoo..as usual..you have managed to witchify...lol.. your site with wonder and can't wait to go back.

Hey Beez!

Glad to see you made it through the storm. Thanks for having a look my friend, I hear you on the nav bar, definately know what you mean about the music....it's much quieter now. I'm going to give this web-building a break for now and pick up the pieces at another time. I will be making a new homepage in the future and I'll work on the navigation....I thought I do this website one more time and I would be done......doesn't appear to be true.......it's all new to me........and it eats up your time.

Thanks Beezie

ooh. looks nice! did you do that in BV?

Thanks azuredesign, yes to your question...I had a little look at your site too...

Nice new signature Robyn.

Originally Posted by zuriatman

Nice new signature Robyn.

Thanks, & thanks for your input.....have a good one!