Alright, let me tell you about my “made with love harlow” project. Buckle up, it’s a bit of a ride!
So, it all started when my friend, Harlow, mentioned she was struggling to find a decent-looking website for her new pottery business. Her stuff is seriously amazing, like, gallery-worthy. But her current online presence? Not so much. It looked like something from the early 2000s, all flashing GIFs and Comic Sans – you get the picture.
I volunteered, because why not? I figured, I could knock something together in a weekend. Famous last words, right?
First, I sketched out a basic layout. I wanted something clean, minimalist, and that really showcased her pottery. Think big, beautiful images and simple navigation. No crazy animations, just letting the art speak for itself.
Then, I fired up my trusty VS Code and started with the HTML. I’m not a huge fan of frameworks for small projects like this, so I went with vanilla HTML, CSS, and a touch of JavaScript for some subtle effects. I focused on semantic HTML, making sure the site was accessible and easy for search engines to crawl.
Next up was CSS. I spent way too long messing around with different color palettes. I wanted something that complemented Harlow’s pottery without overpowering it. I ended up with a neutral base of whites and grays, with pops of earthy tones inspired by her glazes. I used Flexbox for the layout, which made things pretty straightforward.
The images were the real challenge. Harlow sent me a bunch of photos, but they were all different sizes and resolutions. I spent a good chunk of time retouching them in Photoshop, optimizing them for the web, and making sure they looked consistent across the site. I used a CDN to host the images, which helped with loading times.
After I had the basics down, I added a simple contact form using Netlify Forms. It’s super easy to set up and handles all the spam filtering for you. I also integrated a simple e-commerce solution using Stripe. Harlow didn’t want a full-blown online store, just a way for people to purchase individual pieces directly from the site. Stripe made it surprisingly easy.
The final step was deploying the site. I used Netlify for that too. It’s free, easy to use, and integrates seamlessly with GitHub. I just pushed my code to a repo, and Netlify automatically deployed the site.
It definitely took longer than a weekend, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Harlow loved it, which is all that matters. Seeing her pottery showcased in a way that does it justice makes all the late nights worth it.
Things I learned:
- Image optimization is crucial for web performance.
- Stripe is surprisingly easy to integrate for basic e-commerce.
- Don’t underestimate the power of a clean and simple design.
So, yeah, that’s the story of how I “made with love harlow’s” website. It was a fun little project, and I learned a lot along the way.
