Sandfire Design

10/11/2025

I'm looking forward to volunteering again this year at WordCamp Canada!!
This two-day conference encompassing everything WordPress takes place at Carleton University this Thursday and Friday.
It's a honour to be a part of it and to mingle with so many other professionals. Last year, I was paired up with a woman who is an expert in accessibility and I learned a ton from her. I can't wait to see who I meet this year.

03/08/2025

Happy International Women's Day!

Sandfire Design is proudly woman-owned. :)

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03/05/2025

Just a reminder: Our hosting services are on a VPS (Virtual Private Server, which means a server dedicated only to Sandfire Design customers, backed up off-site nightly, and closely monitored) through Storm Internet Services, which is a CANADIAN company based in Ottawa.

Canadian owned and operated, and local. Can't get much better than that!

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02/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day to all my wonderful clients. I hope you know how much I care for and treasure each and every one of you. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

01/23/2025

I'm so honoured to be a repeat guest on Josh Hall's Web Design Business Podcast! Josh is my web design business coach, and it was in his premium online community that I found my incredible lead designer, Alexis.

I was a guest on his podcast in November, 2023, talking about my 10 year anniversary as a web designer and business owner and my journey through breast cancer.

This week, I was on his podcast again, this time accompanied by Alexis so we could share both of our perspectives on our success with working together. I offer my side of scaling and hiring, and how what I feel contributes to why Alexis and I work so well together, and she offered her side as a white label designer. I'm super proud of this episode, and I encourage you to watch or listen and please let me know what you think!

https://youtu.be/AvhUZF_-_8g?si=nfkclRKUXrn3u2uM

11/22/2024

The only thing we love more than building a brand new website for a new client, is building a brand new website for a longtime client.
We've been hosting and maintaining Monika Ferenczy's business website, Horizon Educational Consulting, for several years now, and did a bit of a makeover design on it a couple of years ago. Last year, we built a website for her that allows parents and caregivers to rate their school board based on a number of criteria.
Monika has authored 4 books over the years, with more in the works. She decided she wanted a separate website to showcase her books and provide readers with links to sites where they could purchase them. That site just made its debut on the world wide web. It was built by Alexis in a minimalistic style. Monika loves it, and so do I. What do you think?

Monika Ferenczy is a Canadian education consultant and author. Browse her books for parents, international students and children.

11/11/2024

Lest we forget.

10/21/2024

Congratulations to Morrisburg Plumbing and Heating Ltd on the launch of your brand new website! I have enjoyed putting this together for you, and I'm looking forward to being your 'webmaster' for years to come.

Have a look and let me know what you think!

Morrisburg Plumber. Heating, Furnace & Plumbing Services. Emergency Plumbing Heating & Furnace Repairs. Same Day Service.

10/18/2024

We're counting down to a new website launch! Stay tuned for Monday. :)

Change is coming! Be sure to check out our new website launching on Monday! Enjoy a better user experience designed to help get the answers you need. A sleeker, refined look will make browsing a more enjoyable experience. Website designed and built by Sandfire Design out of Wi******er.

10/01/2024

Hey everyone, it's officially breast cancer awareness month again!

I've been very open about my breast cancer journey, but for those of you who don't know, I was diagnosed in August, 2022, with Stage 3 breast cancer. I ignored the dense mass of tissue in my breast for a long time, because I didn't think it was anything to be concerned about, especially with no history of breast cancer in my family. Boy was I wrong. I went through chemo, a double mastectomy, a second surgery to remove more lymph nodes, and 15 rounds of radiation. Today, scans show no signs of cancer, although I continue treatments in the form of meds to prevent a recurrence.

Thankfully, a few months prior to getting diagnosed, I had brought Alexis Myers onto my team as a contract designer. I credit her for keeping my business thriving while I took a step back to focus on getting through my treatments. Alexis continues to work with me today, and as my business gets busier and busier, she helps me with full website designs, client work, and some administrative stuff.

I have always felt blessed in my life and business to be surrounded by amazing people, including my clients. I want to take this opportunity to once again thank my longtime clients for standing by me through the most difficult period of my life, and to thank my more recent clients for trusting me with such a crucial part of your business. I love what I do, and you are all a huge part of the reason why. Cancer has a way of putting a lot of things into perspective, and when it comes to my business, it really drove home the reason I do what I do, and why I want to continue to serve you for as long as I can.

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09/09/2024

The horse-crazy part of me had a lot of fun with this one! Congratulations to White Forest Farm on your brand new website.

This client found me through the site I did for Nation Valley Ranch and wanted something similar, especially the ability for parents to register their kids for riding and vaulting programs through the website and pay online.

I had a lot of fun putting this website together and I'm so glad my client is thrilled with it.

Let me know what you think!

White Forest Farm Equestrian Centre English Riding Lessons • Vaulting Lessons and Coaching • Riding Camps Register Now Where TeamworkMakes The Dream Work Where Teamwork Makes The Dream Work We are an equestrian facility in the Ottawa Valley. We offer quality recreational English riding lesson...

07/12/2024

When I first started my business 11 years ago, the Wordpress Ottawa group was instrumental in helping me overcome imposter syndrome and learn more about Wordpress. I may not have been to a meeting for some time, but I haven’t forgotten the kindness and patience of the organizers who offered their time and expertise to mentor me.

So when I learned earlier this year that a couple of those same organizers were helping to plan the first ever WordCamp Canada in Ottawa, I reached out immediately to offer my assistance as a volunteer. So for the three days of this amazing event, I’m working the registration desk alongside some incredible new friends. I’m enjoying making new connections and helping in some small way to show my gratitude to the incredible volunteer organizers who made this happen.