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If you’re a WordPress blogger, like me, then you know that there are certain plugins you need in your life. For those of you who are not too savvy with plugins: they are little tools which, when installed in your blog, help you showcase things from your social networks to set up’s of custom contact forms and even back-up your files safely. Here are some WordPress plugins that I just can’t live without – and I’m sure they will be very helpful to you too:

SOCIAL

• Pinterest “Pin It” Button for Images: there are lots of these types of plugins; but after trying a few, this one is truly the best. It places a “Pin It” button over each of your blog images when your readers hover over them. From there, your readers can pin your images to their Pinterest boards in seconds.
• Alpine PhotoTile for Pinterest: speaking of Pinterest, this plugin retrieves photos from a specific Pinterest board (of your choosing) and displays them in multiple gallery style options. It’s beautiful as well as engaging – since it links from your blog directly to your Pinterest board.
• Pretty Pinterest Pins: place a widget on your sidebar with your most recent pins. Simple, classic, and linked – ready for repinning!
• Instagram for WordPress: share your fun-filled-&-filtered Instagram images on your sidebar. It’s quick and easy with this plugin!
• Shareaholic: at the bottom of every blog post, you can chose which social networks are available to share with. It’s a simple set up with a lot of power.
  

FUNCTIONALITY

• Contact Form 7: although it’s one of the older plugins, it still works like a charm. You need to pay attention to the coding a little in the setup, to be sure not to mess anything up; but, overall it’s simple and to the point. Pretty dummy proof actually!
• Under Construction: working on your blog design but don’t want anyone to see the mess? Then this is the fix for you. This plugin has an easy on/off switch where you can block out your site with a custom under construction message while you’re getting things done. When you’re ready for you live site to show, just turn “off” the plugin and you’re back!
• Login Logo: this plugin gives the back-end of your blog a custom look and feel. With a simple image drop, you replace the WordPress logo in the login screen and place your logo in. This works especially well when building client blogs, as you give them a final product with a fully customized login page.
• All In One SEO Pack: with Google analytics and automatically generating META tags, this plugin is vital to getting your blog on the top rankings for search engines. It’s simple to use and has many features to explore within it.
• WordPress Backup to Dropbox: this plugin may have saved my life already. In the case of WordPress blogs, everything is stored in your FTP space – but let’s say you get hacked or somehow you mess up the code in your theme. There’s nothing to fear if you have a backup set up. I searched for many backup options, but the Dropbox backup was the best choice. I do this for my personal site as well as my client’s sites; I simply set it to automatically back up once a week, and I don’t have to think about it anymore.

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If you’re not on the social media giant Pinterest, then you’re missing out!

Let’s begin with the basics: I started pinning in what feels like forever ago, but it was probably some time in 2010. The site wasn’t what it is now – granted, the design has stayed pretty much consistent and the user-interface has always been very friendly; yet, the following that Pinterest has now is just enormous. In January 2012, comScore reported the site had 11.7 million unique users, making it the fastest site in history to break through the 10 million unique visitor mark.

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{ My Pinterest Profile }

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Everyone seems to be joining Pinterest – from big businesses to personal users. And with the sites immense growth comes innovative ideas for sharing and reaching more people. I love the Pinterest App on my cell (available for Android and iPhone) because I love to pin while I’m waiting for anything. It’s a sweet way to pass the time; looking up design inspirations or delicious recipes. But what matters most is what you have for later – Pinterest gives you the satisfaction of knowing that all of that information is stored there, in an organized and conveniently-linked manner.

Now for the goodies – literally. They’ve got a whole page of Pinterest Goodies where they’ve created some fantastic tools for business’ and personal brands:

Buttons + Widgets: Integrate the Pin It Button, Follow Button, Profile Widget, or Board Widget to get more engagement from pinners and traffic back your site; and don’t forget to Verify Your Site.

Also, if you’re a WordPress blogger – like me – then you’ll love this plugin that adds a “Pin It” button as you hover over blog images. Recently, I stumbled upon another plugin called Alpine Photo Tile that showcases your most recent pins on a site page.

By simply searching online, you’ll find an endless list of plugins and widgets for Pinterest + WordPress.

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Now for some visual fun. Here are a few examples of the Board Widget being integrated into a post. By clicking anywhere on the images below, you’ll be directed to any of the following boards: Design + Typography, Home + Garden, or Delicious Delights; yet the best part is that it’s constantly going to showcase the most recent pins. It’s sheer awesomeness:

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It doesn’t seem like the Pinterest trend will subside anytime soon. Which is why I’m recommending you to jump on board, if you haven’t already! There’s lots of help on the Pinterest site to get you started. Plus, it’s truly one of the most user-friendly websites out there. The inspirations are endless and the organization is perfect.

{ Check out Pinterest and be sure to follow me when you get there! }

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• This year, splash some color in your office or home. This Pantone 2013 Calendar is just perfection!
• Time for a refresh www! Some hope that these 6 website-trends will disappear in 2013.
• Speaking of a refresh – try simplifying your internet life with ZenHabits tips.
• Want more simplifying? How about the ultimate quick fixes to clear your Gmail inbox.
• There’s nothing like good ol’ fashion USA love. These small doodles create amazing images – including Lady Liberty!
• Blogger Breanna Rose shares her favorite web fonts and links to each for more info/downloads.
• Don’t know how to install Google fonts to your site? No problemo. Here’s an example and how-to-install-guide + all of the Google webfonts.
• Work, life and side projects – oh my! Read on how to work smarter.
• Freelance designers have options for making money throughout the year. Check out Smashing Magazine’s Passive Income Strategies for Designers.
• It’s nice to handle all of your social media updates in one spot: HootSuite is my personal favorite.
• Subscribers love cool newsletters – so I suggest you work with the trendiest mailer, Mail Chimp. Plus it’s free!

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• Humans tend to be control freaks. We must learn to let go! How to Learn the Art of Surrender has wonderful questions – and answers – to help you master this.
• In my quest for enjoyment, I’m seriously becoming a foodie online. I found this delicious doctored-up 7-layer dip that I just have to make. And for dessert: Nutella sandwich cookies. Mmm!
• Creative-block? I recommend Behance for inspirations. Like searching Typography and finding all of these goodies.
• Are you and infographic junkie like me? Then you have to check out ColumnFiveMedia’s plethora of infographics.
• Unsure of which color palettes complement each other? I use the Color Scheme Designer to test different color options and combinations – it definitely helps!
• Sometimes you just need a quick reminder of awesome things in life. How about 1,000 of them?
• Simply put: “Inspirations Devoted to Colour” at Plenty of Colour. Gorgeous visuals!
• This design project, Wikipedia Redefined, is one that Wikipedia should seriously consider. It’s a beautiful, strategic and modern take on the classic site.
• Every designer needs to know their Photoshop Etiquette! Get detailed explanations to make your Photoshop experience run smoothly.
• Lastly, I can’t stop laughing with this website. We humans purchase some funny things. Appropriately titled: ThisIsWhyImBroke.com

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Business cards rock! Plus, they’re pretty important to letting people know what you do and how to reach you. So of course, it was due time to print new business cards for DiamariTorres.com

Design wise: I decided I wanted to keep the consistency of my blog’s minimal design through incorporating the sites colors and simple type. Personally, I like the whole “no BS” approach – especially when handing out your card. People want to be reminded of what you do and how to contact you quickly. Yet, the card has to be impressive and actually kind of fun! Remember, the design and texture of your cards is what really sells it ;}

Printing: On that note, the print quality is the first and lasting impression. Quality is most definitely triumphant over quantity. This is a trend I’ve seen in business card printers. Sites like Moo.com – which don’t get me wrong, they have awesome pre-designed templates and materials – can charge you over $100 for a measly 200 business cards.

In my case, I luckily got both quality and quantity. Printed on 16pt cardstock paper, my cards are coated in a very smooth Silk Lamination. It actually seems to make the card thicker and stronger; I love it. The final touch though is the Spot UV, which creates a slightly-visible rise of gloss over whatever you choose to highlight. Logo. Name. Info. Background. Whatevs!

I chose to Spot UV my heart logo one the mustard side and my entire logo on the white side. It feels very interesting and different from the traditional card design. I’m truly very happy with the results. Probably even more so because of the price: 1,000 cards for $145! (shipping not included, I picked ‘em up) You can’t beat that – I have cards for like ever now ;} The service was great and the turnaround time was about a week. I recommend Elite Flyers for printing business cards – especially their Silk Laminated and Spot UV ones, of course.

Elite Flyers
305 538 2712 | eliteflyers.com | info@eliteflyers.com
407 Lincoln Road, Suite 8-F | Miami Beach, FL

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Brand spankin’ new to the Miami Design District, we welcome the Wynwood Cigar Factory. It’s grand-opening isn’t for another month or so, but they recently had a soft-opening during Art Walk on Saturday, September 8th. Lots of fun!

Prior to the Art Walk event, The Flower Bombs were invited by WCF’s creative director, Raul Flores, to put up a piece. Arlene Delgado, the designer and mastermind behind The Flower Bombs project, designed a minimal typographic piece as a place-holder for her wall in the factory. (She plans to cover the entire wall in beautiful Flower Bombs inspired paintings; I’ll definitely post an update when it’s done!) While Arlene and vinyl-print guru Gaius Benbow put up the artwork, Vanessa Perez and I enjoyed a nice hand-rolled cigar and some white wine. Who says you can’t work AND play?

Raul invited other local artists to insert their own artistic interpretations of what the Wynwood Cigar Factory should hold within it’s walls – and outside too. His idea is to fuse the idea of a high-end cigar rolling factory with the eclectic blend of Miami’s art scene; and the result, so far, is amazing! I’m excited to see the end results and visit them for the grand-opening.

Be sure to check it out next time you’re in Wynwood Miami. Whether you enjoy smoking a nice hand-rolled cigar or not, I promise it will be visually stimulating and totally worth it.

Wynwood Cigar Factory
101 NW 24th Street
Miami, Florida 33127
info@wynwoodcigars.com
wynwoodcigars.com (coming soon)

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If you’re a hard-working American, you more than likely have to create presentations to impress your boss with your sheer awesomeness. Well, maybe not your awesomeness – but your work productivity. It’s all relative, I swear.

And when it comes time to present, the traditional PowerPoint Presentation just isn’t cutting it anymore. It’s outdated. It’s old news. There are multiple ways to present online and I found my favorite – Prezi. I blogged about Prezi about a year ago, when I first found the online program. Ever since, I’ve been impressing bosses all over the world! No joke – my job entails me to travel and present marketing solutions to the heads of companies throughout Latin America.

Every time I present one of my Prezi’s, I get asked the same questions: “How do you do that? I want to learn, can you teach me?”

So I thought about it, and I decided to be a good-tutor. I created a Prezi Tutorial, for dummies! (Well, it’s for beginners, but the dummies title is fun.)

It’s simply a step-by-step guide.

You’ll learn the basics from how to create a Prezi account and start your first Prezi to creating frames, paths, inserting images, and finally saving and exporting the file! It’s easy, I promise. Like everything in life, practice makes perfect. But overall, Prezi is very user-friendly. Try it out and you’ll see.

Ready? Here it goes.
Download the Prezi Tutorial. Check!
Visit Prezi.com to start. Check!
Impress your boss with Awesomeness. Double Check!

Suggestions or Questions? Let me know in the Comments below