Thank you. If you're reading this you're most likely a client or colleague and I want to thank you for making 2014 a great year. No matter how interesting work may be, it is the people involved who make or break a project and I am very fortunate to work with great people like you. Awww! But really. Thank you. Here are some Pixel Lava highlights from the past year and a video.

2013 will go down in my personal history as the year of Responsive Web Design. RWD, as it's often called, isn't so much a thing as a technique - it's the approach of building websites to look great and function properly across a wide range of mobile devices as well as desktop computers. As times painful (very!) and at other times liberating, RWD has turned the web dev community upside down in that now we are building websites that dynamically scale (no small feat!) and have amazing, mobile device features such as optimized menus, fonts, and even things like location awareness. Your website has left the building, it's riding around in someone's pocket now and that brings amazing possibilities. This year I've voraciously been learning how to use HTML5, CSS and Javascript to build mobile friendly websites and apps. I'm planning to offer app development services in 2014.

​This year's holiday card is special because it marks my first foray into HTML 5 animation. It was great fun to do and, best of all, renders on mobile devices (unlike our sad, dead friend Flash). So, join me for a quick peek at some photo highlights from 2012 and say hello to my new puppy, Mochi.

​Back by poplar demand it's my collection of holiday treats from around the web! Each image below takes you to a new adventure - old classics and new favorites. From a breathtaking ski run to a warm hearth, from a heart warming radio special to painfully cute puppies. Enjoy and let me know what you think! Warm regards and best wishes for 2012! Check it out. 

Step into a double-decker bus at Parliament Square Garden for a snowy holiday moment in London featuring a boisterously joyful (drunken?) rendition of Jingle Bells. Please note that Pixel Lava will be closed for the holidays starting December 23rd, reopening on January 6th. Thank you and Happy Holidays!  Let's go!

My holiday card for 2008 grew out of a desire to share some of my favorite online holiday goodies, collected over several years. As it turned out, there were many more than I could reasonably include...I'll have to share those next year. Don't miss the heartwarming story sent in by one of my clients (at bottom). The favorite item seemed to be the Make A Flake. Go figure.

​In 2006 I had the tremendous good fortune to visit a friend in Paris, France. The experience was absolutely incredible, I was swept away by the romance and history of the City of Light. As a dog lover I was particularly tickled by the acceptance of dogs in cafes, restaurants, and almost all shops. A dog's life in Paris is rich with smells, flavors and experiences in a way most Americans will never understand. At the time I made this, most Flash e-cards were interactive instead of self-running, interestingly now they play much more like little movies. The colorful, gently flowing currents of water in the Seine were a big challenge but I felt that it really brought the scene to life. The entire card was mainly inspired by the "Ho Ho Ho" dog vocal that I found online. Although I visited Paris in April, my heart was there all year. 

Have a little decorating fun with this early Flash card from the dawn of interactive holiday e-cards! Pixel Lava Interactive was launched as a part-time project helping friends in 2003. By 2005 I had started learning Flash and the holidays that year found me bravely posting a fledgling interactive e-card. It's pretty dorky, but it took me many hours to make at the time. I was particularly happy with the polar bear footprint "replay" button. Trim the tree!