The last time we saw Fancy That it was called Munchkin Designs – owner Lisa wanted to expand her product line to include more than just kid stuff, so she asked us to help her re-vamp the shop. It’s makeover time!

We kept a lot of the site’s basic structure, but widening the main content area allowed us to use larger product photos which really showcase Lisa’s fabulous wares. The big picture on the front page now links to a featured category, which Lisa can switch out every month.

And she was VERY excited to make use of Shopify‘s built-in blogging feature! Previously she’d just linked to an external blog in her footer, but now that Shopify can handle comments and whatnot there was no reason to keep things separate. We were able to transfer all her old posts so she only needs to update in one place. Handy!

The new site features custom drop-down menus, special overview pages to display grouped collections, and a background that changes color depending on the section. We also used Typekit for the headers to give it a bit of whimsy.

We covet all things letterpress, so working with Paperwheel Press was a treat! Elizabeth creates these fantastic cards, stationery and invitations on a gorgeous letterpress machine (there’s a little video of it in action on her site) and we wanted to reflect the simple yet textured look of letterpress in her site design.

The front page features a slideshow & interior pages each have a custom header image to give them an extra personal touch.

We used TypeKit for the cursive font (Bickham) and enabled the custom background feature inside WordPress so that Elizabeth can give her site a little facelift any time she wants to.

Amy Mcmullen needed a new site to showcase her gorgeous photography, and we were only too happy to oblige! Her requirements: simple, creative, and no Flash – she wanted to be able to show off her portfolio on the go.

We stuck with Amy’s existing color palette of light blue and white, and Amy chose a fabulous font for her text (Typekit makes that part a breeze). Using WordPress’ new Custom Header feature, we were able to it up so Amy can switch out her blog’s header whenever the mood strikes – and with all these beautiful photos to choose from, the mood will strike often!

The slideshow on the home page and the portfolio pages uses jQuery rather than Flash, so it can be viewed on devices like the iPhone and the iPad. But we didn’t stop there: using WPTouch Pro, we created a mobile-specific version of Amy’s site that gives smartphone users a customized landing page and a special reduced-size image gallery.

We’ve had a blast getting the redesign for Krista’s Cups ready to meet the world! Krista has been so much fun to work with and her products are pretty fabulous as well.

We’re excited to announce the launch of Mullanium by Jim and Tori, a site featuring custom-made jewelry and pretty things by two incredibly talented designers. Check out their retail locations to find a store near you!

Last year we did a round-up of the apps that make it easy to run a design company on the fly, and it’s high time we updated that list. Some things have changed, some have stayed the same, but one thing’s for sure: we’d be lost without these!

Part 1 of 2 (Matt will post his in the next few days).

Jessica’s list of must-have apps: I work exclusively on a Mac (well, two, actually) so these are all Mac-friendly.

Transmit

I was pretty meh on the subject of FTP clients until I tried Transmit. Now I don’t know what I did without it.

Fluid

See above re: FTP clients and switch for site specific browsers. I finally installed Fluid on a whim and…wow, was I ever wrong. It’s given me a whole new appreciation for my Dock.

TextMate

Can’t rave enough about my love of TextMate. Makes coding a breeze.

Google Docs

We keep the majority of our paperwork (contracts, contract templates, etc.) on Google Docs. We can share amongst ourselves and access files from anywhere – handy when you’re constantly shuttling between office and home office. Also: it’s not Word!

Google Apps

We finally switched our couldbe studios email over to Google Apps, and it’s been great.

Basecamp

For all our project management needs.

Highrise

Keeps track of our contacts.

Ma.gnolia

Social linkage.

Firefox

And, of course, what’s Firefox without extensions? I use Firebug, Foxmarks, 1Password and ColorZilla.

Campaign Monitor

Not only does Campaign Monitor make it easy to send and track email newsletters, it makes setting up managed accounts for clients a breeze.

Reinvigorate

I personally loathe Google Analytics, but none of the other free or low-cost offerings seemed much better. Enter Reinvigorate. They’re in private beta right now, but we were lucky enough to get in. And I do mean lucky: Reinvigorate is a fabulous service, and I can’t imagine switching.

DropSend

When we’ve got to email huge files to clients or printers, DropSend is invaluable.

Blinksale

Simple and easy to use. We looked at FreshBooks, but given our requirements Blinksale is a better fit.

We just launched the new site for Munchkin Designs, and I couldn’t resist placing an order – you know, just to test the system. It came a couple of days ago, and check out the cuteness:

Lisa Komer, Munchkin Designs’ owner, makes the most adorable custom-designed printed materials. And her site is pretty cute, too, if we do say so ourselves. Drop by and check out her new line of tees!