I was pleasantly surprised to see today, whilst checking my download stats, that my WindowBlinds skin "Windows 2004" had reached over 10,000 downloads. I wasn't expecting this skin to do very well due to it's all round fat frame, but I have been heartened by the many comments saying that the size of the frame doesn't matter, as long as the skin is attractive and works well. I have never been one to worry about the general size of a frame in WindowBlinds, preferring to get my artistic idea...

I was faced with a decision today, and it was a difficult one for someone like me. As I have ranted about in my previous blog, I have never been one to jump on fashionable bandwagons to gain downloads or fame, but as my new website nears completion and I began to look at selling some premium skins, I realised I would have to compete with the trends of the day or remain graphically "off the wall" and retain my artistic integrity. Now, I do know what makes a fashionable skin, and creating the grap...

I have tried many of the color pickers that are available, but I have to say that this tiny program from Nattyware is by far the best one I have come across. It's called "Pixie", it's tiny, and it's free! it weighs in at only 8kb's in use, so I don't mind having it running in my tray the whole time I am working. If you are just starting out in skinning, or even if you are an experienced skinner or designer, this little tool will become indispenable in your skinning armoury. Download it at the li...