Jonathan - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Hi. By day, I'm an I.T professional working in Derbshire. By night, I turn into my partners web designer and online activity guru for her websites.
The first is Purple 13 where she displays and sells her 500+ artworks worldwide. They are available as Prints, Ltd Editions (signed) or Stretched Canvases.
I'm very proud of her as she has won national awards and sells her work, licenced, all over the world.
My profile picture is her award winning piece entitled Eve's Apple .
Her other more commercial site is Fabulous Photo Gifts which sells personalised photo jigsaws to individuals, businesses for promotional use and a topic close to our hearts - school fund raising.
She has also started mandycollins.co.uk which she hopes will turn into a web directory for all Mandy or Amanda Collins' everywhere.
So i'm kept very busy, but I enjoy web design and all things Internet in general.
I hope my 'Space friends will share my passion for Mandy's art and pay it a visit for a little artistic inspiration. It's not just me that thinks her works great.
My other interests? perhaps predictably (or sadly!) science fiction films and James Bond - I'm a complete Bond nut (as well as a Star Trek nut too).
P.S Now I've had time to review my friends sites and some others, it seems that I'm required to drool on at length about life oddities and favourite things in a bit more detail, so for your entertainment and delight - read on...
As enthusiastic as I am about the Space Program, I'm actually quite terrified of heights. So why not review my top 5 films that always leave me sweaty palmed:
1) Cliffhanger - Sly climbs in zero degrees wearing nothing but a t-shirt (and not even a Purple13 design either!)
2) Superman - Lois Lane dangles from a helicopter and the Man of Steel still can't tell what colour her knickers are.
3) Bond - View to a Kill - Stunt doubles required with fixed expressions, animate eyebrows and who love the colour red.(Oh come on - the bridge fight!)
4) The Eiger Sanction - Ok I know its in a Sly theme but Clint climbing mountains?? I suppose he did talk to the trees.
5) Bond - Moonraker - The cable car fight sequence gets me every time. If you were a former Miss Paris, would you fall for a bloke like Jaws?
If I think of anymore, I'll re-visit this section. Perhaps you'd like to contribute your own thoughts?
Softkey Left softkey Right

My Interests

Web design - being better by thinking smarter
, Art - I truly love Mandy's art, its vibrant colour and the way you always see something you didn't see last time when you viewed it,
Science Fiction - from super heroes to space romps, it doesn't have to be the greatest story ever written, or the greatest acting.

I'd like to meet:

Captain Kirk and James Bond over Martinis and Romulan Ale.

www.fabulousphotogifts.co.uk
Personalised Photo Jigsaws - FREE UK Delivery!

www.purple13.co.uk
Contemporary art by Mandy Collins
Award winning artist

Music:

Anything Classical or Opera, most '80's music. Film soundtracks by John Williams, James Horner or John Barry (the gods).

Movies:

Any Bond Film or Star Trek Film. I'm also partial to any super hero flick (Batman, Spiderman, Indiana Jones etc - My partner Mandy says its because they are all Ok with heights where as I am not).
That's not to say I don't enjoy a good story - Fried Green Tomatoes or LA Confidential and I thought Hitch was extremely funny. Good job I didn't see it at the cinema as I would have gor myself chucked out for noise!
I'm mad about Film music so my top ten films all feature some really cracking film scores and stir the emotions like nothing else (alright like nearly nothing else - satisfied?).
In no particular order:-
1) Apollo 13 - the launch scene is just fantastic and woe betide if i'm holding your hand when watching as its likely to get crushed.
2) Star Wars 4 - yes Luke's looking wistfully across the sands at two suns setting and we know exactly what he's feeling thanks to a marvelous bit of music from John Williams. Didn't quite work looking over Skegness beach though.
3) Star Trek 2 - Khan forces Spock to make the ultimate sacrifice and we all share Kirk's grief for his friend.
4) Batteries not Included - James Horner takes us from grief to happiness in a stirring melody that if you listen carefully crops up in Titanic.
5) The Forgotton - nothing extraodinary except a whiff of a theme from James Horner that spells hope - the same three chords from Star Trek. Listen carefully.
6) Close Encounters - John Willimas (who else) gives us so much in this one - my worn out LP bit - when Mr Dreyfuss climbs over the hill and sees the mountain for the first time.
7) E.T - flying theme - John Williams - Enough said.
8) Legend of the Glass Mountain - the first black and white film I really raved about and even managed to get a cassette (remember them) of the theme tune. Sky Tv take note!
9) Raise the Titanic - John Barry leaves us stirred not shaken when the Titanic finally surfaces.
10) Star Wars 5 - The Imperial March - Not great music but a theme that repeats throughout the older and then newer films - you just know villany is round the corner (or next screen fade).

Television:

Bond and Star Trek when they're on Telly. I also enjoy cartoons - my favourite cartoon character is Foghorn Leghorn

Books:

Just finished Jeremy Clarkson's You Got Soul - never read his books before but will probably buy his next.
Now reading (or re-reading) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. The wit, the social comment and for me the best chracter by far is Mr Bennett - I would have liked to have met him.

Heroes:

Fictional - James Bond, Cap't Kirk and any super hero character. Real Life - My family

My Blog

back again but only for a mo'

Hi Friends and followers.... Sorry not been back in a while - so busy getting new products ready for launch on fabulousphotogifts.co.uk as well as keeping friends twinswithsma.co.uk website updated. T...
Posted by Jonathan on Thu, 21 Jun 2007 07:04:00 PST

Spinal Muscular Atrophy - two very special little boys

HI All - two blogs in as many minutes (no it's not xmas). I just wanted to tell you about a website design i finished for two very special little boys - sam and alex bolton, who have been diagnos...
Posted by Jonathan on Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:23:00 PST

Half of us for fun, the other 60%...

sorry I've been away so long (lost login and poorly computer to blame) but to celebrate my return, i've posted a blog-tastic article on our main blog about the importance of social bookmarking. (kinda...
Posted by Jonathan on Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:19:00 PST

Fab' Photo's - we finally moved business address!

Fabulous Photo Gifts moves to new premises There's never an easy time to move premises when you're a busy retailer, so choosing the Easter holiday fortnight to move might seem like verging on madness...
Posted by Jonathan on Sun, 22 Apr 2007 02:37:00 PST

New Photo Gift launch at Fabulous Photo Gifts - CD Photo Clocks available to personalise

As exclusively revealed on the Fabulous Photo Gifts Blog last week, CD Photo Clocks are now available to personalise with your own photograph and order on-line. These exciting and original photo gift...
Posted by Jonathan on Wed, 21 Mar 2007 01:58:00 PST

Time is ticking towards the personalised CD Photo Clock launch at Fabulous Photo Gifts

Personalised Photo CD Clocks the wait is nearly over. As regular readers will know, the Fabulous Photo Gifts / Purple 13 Blog is the very place to keep up with all the latest news new products, ne...
Posted by Jonathan on Fri, 16 Mar 2007 04:19:00 PST

When life simply isn't enough of a challenge

Been there, done that what to do when life isn't the challenge it used to be. What to do? The Purple 13 gallery of Mandy Collins has come up with the answer combining Purple 13 art with the larger...
Posted by Jonathan on Fri, 09 Mar 2007 01:05:00 PST

Devilishly difficult jigsaw puzzles now at Purple13

If you enjoy a more challenging jigsaw puzzle experience, then Purple 13 have the answer. We've brought 4 of the larger jigsaw puzzle sizes available on Fabulous Photo Gifts and added Purple 13 artwo...
Posted by Jonathan on Sat, 24 Feb 2007 11:47:00 PST

Endless marketing opportunities with Fabulous Photo Gifts personalised photo jigsaws

The scenario you run a successful gift shop selling a range of tourism gifts to visitors but you're looking for something new to offer your customers or perhaps your a business looking for a marketi...
Posted by Jonathan on Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:25:00 PST

When your laptop melts

Hi Blog readers.If you're thinking it's been a little quiet from the keyboard of yours truly, you' be right. Not only has it been a very hectic January working with Mandy on some fab' new product idea...
Posted by Jonathan on Thu, 01 Feb 2007 08:10:00 PST