MacDesperate

I'm still working on the new website. Most of the posts (including artworks, blog posts and 365 posts from 2009, 2010 and 2011) are missing. These posts will return eventually. Thanks for your patience! :)

Closing projects...

Submitted by Rosana on Sun, 2011-12-04 00:30

Some time ago, I announced on MacDesperate I would quit. I recently bought an iMac and everyone else on MacDesperate already achieved their goals some time ago, so it's time to move on. Read my closing note here!

Some of you might have noticed that MySimsNetwork is redirecting to SimsNetwork these days. This is no error. I am closing the MySimsNetwork website and merging the content with SimsNetwork. It just saves time. Also, MySimsNetwork didn't have enough visitors to keep it open as a separate website.

SporeNetwork is next. I already closed the forums. They have already been merged in August of this year with SimsNetwork, like the members. In 2012 I will also close SporeNetwork. I will merge the news and goodies with SimsNetwork. The domain will then just redirect to the Spore content on SimsNetwork.

All of these sites closing. Am I even keeping something open? Why sure. I still have this blog including my 365 project, photography gallery and my traditional work. And on Miss Design I will update on a regular basis with my digital work, projects, wallpapers, icons et cetera.

In case people are wondering about Retro Hugs: I am still working on that. I have a lot of stuff to buy before I can start. I think it will open in 2012. It's not a forgotten project for sure.

My blog might change in 2012. And SNW will see a lot of positive changes. I missed working on SNW so I'm just glad I can easily update it now and slowly I will work on completing the website. I also promised Junior to spend more time on his Juniorwood blog. So keep an eye on that one as well. ;)

I'm getting there...

Submitted by Rosana on Wed, 2011-07-06 23:00

This is a teaser image. Click to see the full image together with a nice story!

Vintage Summer in Blue & Purple

Pretty vintage wallpapers in cool blue and purple colors.

MacDesperate - Vintage Summer in Blue & Purple - Wallpapers

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Vintage Summer in Green & Pink

'Vintage Summer' green and pink hibiscus wallpapers! Did someone say luau?

MacDesperate - Vintage Summer in Green & Pink - Wallpapers

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Vintage Summer in Pink & Yellow

Enjoy the Summer with these lovely Hawaii inspired wallpapers!

MacDesperate - Vintage Summer in Pink & Yellow - Wallpapers

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New wallpapers!

I recently updated many of my other websites with new wallpapers. Wallpapers for your desktop, laptop, iPad, iPhone and PSP! Here are some previews. For the actual files, go to the websites linked below!

MacDesperate

New MacDesperate wallpapers

SporeNetwork

New SporeNetwork wallpapers New SporeNetwork wallpapers

SimsNetwork

New SimsNetwork wallpapers New SimsNetwork wallpapers
New SimsNetwork wallpapers New SimsNetwork wallpapers
New SimsNetwork wallpapers New SimsNetwork wallpapers
New SimsNetwork wallpapers New SimsNetwork wallpapers

In 2011 I will provide my visitors with even more nice wallpapers!

Beware, I've got a 450!

Submitted by Rosana on Tue, 2010-10-19 17:45

I've got great news for my readers/watchers! I recently blogged about the camera trouble I was having, remember? I blogged about this a couple of times. I don't want to quit my 365 project. And I need to make pictures on certain events like Seth's birthday (next Saturday) and the Sims events.

In the past we've had problems with the Canon camera. We also sent it back at one point for repair. After the camera was back, it seemed all okay again. But now it has a completely different problem. No warranty for this particular problem (even though it's not our fault, Canon doesn't want to fix it), so we're stuck. Paying for repair is probably expensive, if even possible. The Canon camera is also already 5 years old. As is my own Olympus btw.

So it's just time for a new one.

Yeah, bit of a problem there. We don't exactly have the money for a new one. Because I don't want a cheapo point-and-shoot camera anymore. I want a DSLR. And those are usually expensive.

In the beginning of this year, around March/April, I borrowed my mom-in-law's camera. She has an Olympus E-620 and it's one hell of a camera. Unfortunately this one is just too expensive. It's not just the body you have to buy. You need a couple of lenses as well.

For London, Lisanne let me have her camera for the week, so I could still make nice pictures. I'm very grateful for that! Lisanne has a Canon Powershot SX10 IS. It's a really nice camera, but it lacks certain functionality for me personally. I need to be able to use different lenses. Her camera has a fixed lens, can't take it off. Not without breaking the camera anyway. ;)

Yesterday I was looking on a couple of camera stores online and I saw some really nice ones. I even found a couple of cameras I could afford. That is, if I would use all my PayPal (read: MacDesperate) money and some extra from our savings account. But I don't have a choice really.

See, I don't need a laptop right now. And to be honest, I don't see myself getting a MBP in the next 5 years. I was aiming for a MBP priced €1700. Recently though Apple changed their MBP line-up and they are a lot more expensive now. I've checked, I'll have to pay more than €2000 for the same kind of MBP I was planning on buying.

The camera was also something I've wanted for a long time. Whether or not I bought buy a new camera right now, I won't be able to buy a MBP for a long time. I just did what I thought was right. And many people agreed with me a while ago when I discussed this problem.

So, did you buy a camera?
I did! :happy:

Meet my new Olympus E-450!

Golla Story camera bag in brown/pink

Hey! That's not a camera...
No, I know, this is my new camera bag. A brown/pink Golla Story camera bag. It's just wicked!


Unpacking the box

Still don't see a camera...
I know. But this is part of the process!


Unpacking the box

A box in a box...
*Sigh*


Olympus E-450 DSLR

Ahhh nice!
I know right! I think I'm in love... <3
Won't ChEeTaH mind?
Nah, he knows it's a different kind of love. ;)


Olympus E-450 and accessories

What's this then?
All the other accessories. Two lenses (14-42mm & 40-150mm), lens hoods, neck strap, batteries, memory cards, cables, software, booklet et cetera.


Since today is such a grey and rainy day, I decided to make a couple of pictures inside the house. Don't get too excited. It's a mess here and you'll just see rather depressing piles of laundry and junk. Don't expect anything fancy yet, I'm still getting used to this camera.

Sofa
Plastic
Cardboard
Airwalk
Toys
Duck Clear, Bottle Blurry
Bottle Clear, Duck Blurry
Bricks

You should know, I'm not quite done yet. I've got two lenses for the camera, but I will need at least one more. Because obviously the camera isn't too great with macro pics. And I really want to make some kick-ass macro pictures. A decent macro lens costs €200 though, so I think I might buy that one next year. I'm also planning to buy a black leather/pink neck strap soon. It's not too expensive, but I didn't want to order a neck strap at another store and pay a lot on shipping. So I'll go to the store itself soon when visiting Lisanne, since she lives near the store that sells the pink neck strap. It'll fit me and my new Golla bag perfectly.

Spring 2010 Series: Orange and Green

Submitted by Rosana on Thu, 2010-05-13 17:54

Orange and green set of wallpapers!

MacDesperate - Christmas in Blue - wallpaper

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Spring 2010 Series: Pink and Blue

Submitted by Rosana on Thu, 2010-05-13 17:49

Pink and blue set of wallpapers!

MacDesperate - Spring 2010 Series: Pink and Blue - wallpaper

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Spring 2010 Series: Pink and Orange

Submitted by Rosana on Thu, 2010-05-13 17:22

Pink and orange set of wallpapers!

MacDesperate - Spring 2010 Series: Pink and Orange - wallpaper

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Old Notes Wallpapers on MacDesperate

Submitted by Rosana on Sat, 2010-02-20 02:58
Old Notes Wallpapers on MacDesperate

I created new wallpapers for MacDesperate recently, go check em out!

Old Notes with Brown Decorations

Submitted by Rosana on Fri, 2010-02-19 02:35

Time for a new set of wallpapers! This time I decided to create something very decorative. So the boys may not like this one, but I do. I hope other women and girls will like it too!

MacDesperate - Old Notes with Brown Decorations - wallpaper

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MacDesperate Holiday Goodies

So today I felt creative, that's why I created a bunch of winter goodies for MacDesperate! See the preview below. If you're interested, pay a visit to MacDesperate to download these awesome and free goodies for your desktop, iphone and psp!

MacDesperate Holiday Goodies

MacDesperate Christmas Red

Submitted by Rosana on Wed, 2009-12-16 14:10

Ohhh don't you just love these colors? The red just screams Christmas! I love the holiday season. That's why I had to make so many wallpapers. I hope you love em too.

MacDesperate - Christmas in Red - wallpaper

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MacDesperate Christmas Green

Submitted by Rosana on Wed, 2009-12-16 14:00

The holidays are coming, so I decided it was time for holiday wallpapers! Because we would like to wish our visitors a MacDesperate Christmas! This is the green set. Enjoy!

MacDesperate - Christmas in Green - wallpaper

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MacDesperate Christmas Blue

Submitted by Rosana on Wed, 2009-12-16 13:53

The holidays are coming, so I decided it was time for holiday wallpapers! Because we would like to wish our visitors a MacDesperate Christmas! This is the blue colored set.

MacDesperate - Christmas in Blue - wallpaper

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MacDesperate launched!

Submitted by Rosana on Mon, 2009-12-07 21:20

In case you missed it yesterday, we finally launched MacDesperate! For a detailed story about us, I suggest you read the About Us page on About Us. Short story, 4 people, 2 of which are desperate for a Mac (or MacBook), one already has a MacBook and the other one doesn't want a Mac. We offer news, desktop goodies, updates about gadgets and laptop bags and witty columns. We beg for money and with the holidays approaching, we hope people will be generous enough to donate a little money. But my main goal is to show my saving progress (which you can see in the sidebar).

MacDesperate.com

MacDesperate, MacNervous?

Submitted by Rosana on Sat, 2009-12-05 14:15

Tomorrow is the big day; MacDesperate will finally launch. And even though most things are already done, I still have this nervous feeling because of the deadlines. And how will people react on our site? Will they react at all? So far, we haven't gotten too many followers on Twitter. We've only just started so we can't expect too much of course. But it would have been fun to get a bit more feedback on the things we have showed so far. We just love the feedback and interaction. We planned the opening of MacDesperate tomorrow on December 6, 2009 at 7pm! We invite you to be there and let us know what you think of it! :)

Saving for a MacBook Pro!

Submitted by Rosana on Wed, 2009-12-02 10:46
Saving for a MacBook Pro!

Did you know this? I'm saving for a MacBook Pro. These things are rather expensive. I'm just a poor freelance designer. I've always been fascinated by Apple products. Whenever you Google for "Strawberry Mac", the top result is my own rant on 43 Things about how I craved this pink iMac G3, but never got one from my parents because it was too expensive and they didn't see the use for computers back then. I sure did, but I needed a computer for school, homework etc. So I ended up with a PC containing old, second hand parts. It was functioning and I was happy enough. And it was a lot cheaper than an iMac. So I let it go for a while. But the desire to have one of these Macs has never really gone away. Now I'm a designer, and it's a common fact that designers are usually better off using a Mac. Or in my case, a 15" 2.66GHz MacBook Pro.

Anyway, on Sunday we're opening MacDesperate. It's a place where we'll whine and beg, a place where I'll show awesome extras like laptop bags, totes, sleeves and other fun stuff like goodies made by me. We will also open up a store where you can buy a shirt or something else. More information about that coming very soon!

I have started saving for a MBP before the opening of the new website. You can see how much I saved below:

Saving for a MacBook Pro!

I think it will be a few years until I have enough money. So by that time, I might have to change the product image and everything :P But that's also why I'm asking for people to support me, especially if you like my work!

Oh and I still want that strawberry iMac G3, someday. :D

MacDesperate: Launching on December 6!

Submitted by Rosana on Sun, 2009-11-29 23:21
Show me ze munnees

As you can see in the title of this post, we're going to launch the MacDesperate website on December 6, which is only a week from today! A short intro to MacDesperate:

MacDesperate consists of 4 crazy Dutch people. Three guys and one girl. No, this is not the title of a lame sitcom :P Cheetah, Wouter, Tales and me are the people behind MacDesperate. Cheetah helped building the website, writing scripts. Wouter will be writing witty columns, he's usually incredibly funny so I suggest you read those columns. Tales will be updating the site with news and possibly reviews. I designed the MacDesperate website, I have made (and will be making many more) goodies for people to download and I will post on a regular basis with must have items like laptop bags!

In the meantime, please follow our updates on Twitter, Facebook or Identi.ca!

I'm MacDesperate - Dots & Stars in Blue

Submitted by Rosana on Tue, 2009-11-17 15:33

The holidays are near, so I felt like using cold tones with warm ones. I chose light blue with dark red. As always, the wallpaper is available in several resolutions.

I'm MacDesperate, are you?

I'm MacDesperate - Dots & Stars in Blue - wallpaper

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Argyle Colors: Purple

Submitted by Rosana on Tue, 2009-11-17 11:43

I made a few nice wallpapers for you! They come in various resolutions and colors. This is the purple colored set!

MacDesperate - Argyle in Purple - wallpaper

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Argyle Colors: Pink

Submitted by Rosana on Tue, 2009-11-17 11:39

I made a few nice wallpapers for you! They come in various resolutions and colors. This is the pink colored set!

MacDesperate - Argyle in Pink - wallpaper

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Argyle Colors: Orange

Submitted by Rosana on Tue, 2009-11-17 11:31

I made a few nice wallpapers for you! They come in various resolutions and colors. This is the orange colored set!

MacDesperate - Argyle in Orange - wallpaper

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Argyle Colors: Lime

Submitted by Rosana on Tue, 2009-11-17 09:52

I made a few nice wallpapers for you! They come in various resolutions and colors. This is the lime colored set!

MacDesperate - Argyle in Lime - wallpaper

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Argyle Colors: Grey

Submitted by Rosana on Tue, 2009-11-17 09:46

I made a few nice wallpapers for you! They come in various resolutions and colors. This is the grey colored set!

MacDesperate - Argyle in Grey - wallpaper

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Argyle Colors: Blue

Submitted by Rosana on Tue, 2009-11-17 09:38

I made a few nice wallpapers for you! They come in various resolutions and colors. This is the blue colored set!

MacDesperate - Argyle in Blue - wallpaper

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