Last month I decided I wanted a new gadget for my business - a Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet - and I asked my readers if I should get one. All of the recommendations were positive, which meant I just had to have one. I ended up getting one for Christmas and it is SO COOL.

I got the Medium Bamboo Fun Black Tablet that came with a pen, mouse and the graphics software. Within 5 minutes of opening the box I was using it.

Installation was so easy. I removed the tablet from the box and plugged it into a free USB port and I was in business! The mouse immediately worked and I quickly figured out that I could use the pen to navigate my screen like a mouse. When the pen tip is close to the tablet surface but not touching, you can use it like a mouse. Tap on the tablet for a single mouse click and tap twice for a double click. It did come with two CDs - one with the Bamboo software/drivers to give you access to all the advanced features and settings and one with software such as Adobe Photoshop Effects and a few others.

Getting started was pretty simple, too. I opened a photo and was easily able to do red eye touch up, select areas I wanted to work with and such. Writing and drawing on the tablet are both very easy and feel just like writing on paper. You do have to practice to get the exact feel - something that I am sure will take some time for me.

The Bamboo Fun plays well with everyone! I have had no problem using it with Fireworks, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements (came with the Bamboo Fun), using it on the PC and then taking it over to my Mac to work in Illustrator and Photoshop there.

I certainly have a lot to learn about the Bamboo Fun and how to really maximize its use. A lot of that will just take practice and just flat out using it. I may have to spend some time at iSketch.net for practice (thanks for the tip Randa). If you know of any other tools or sites that are good for developing my Bamboo skills - let me know!!!

Patterned backgrounds are a very popular finishing touch for many websites. While it seems that diagonal stripes are in this season (especially for Web 2.0 sites), there are so many other options from elegant to whimsy, preppy to proper. The following sites have some really fabulous patterns to choose from:

1. Squidfingers - 158 absolutely stunning background patterns by Travis Beckham.

2. DinPattern - about 50 patterns (and it looks like more will be added) that are beautiful eye candy. There is even a live preview option to test out the backgrounds as you browse.

3. Kaliber10000 - currently there are 927 pixellated patterns on their site, many of which are user submitted.

4. 44Suburbia - 61 very sophisticated patterns

5. Pattern4u - another site jam packed with unique backgrounds and patterns - there are well over 100 different patterns to choose from.

6. Pootato - many of these patterns are more simplistic and can be used in Photoshop and other graphics programs. Looking for some cool Photoshop brushes? Pootato has them too.

7. iStockPhoto - clearly one of the best resources for fresh, new backgrounds of every kind.

8. One Pattern - while their patterns are not free, you purchase them in collections for less than $20 a set.

9. 3Quarks - very subtle paper like backgrounds

10. CitrusMoon - the CitrusMoon site hasn’t been updated in years, but the backgrounds are free and many of them are still beautiful

11. TartanMaker - want to have fun and design your own tartan plaid background? Tartan Maker is an interactive tartan plaid maker.

12. StripeGenerator - craving the current Web 2.0 trend? Make your own stripes background with Stripe Generator.

13. Background Maker - this was addictively FUN - click on pixels and watch your background come to life before you very eyes

Just a tip - you might want to set aside a nice block of time to browse these sites - there is so much to look at that it becomes a giant time vacuum. Have fun!!

This post is part of Thursday Thirteen. You can find more TT entries at the TT hub.

Related posts:

• 13 Sites for Unique Textures
• 13 Steps to a Blog Redesign
  
• My 13 Favorite WordPress Resources
• 13 Things Every Website Needs

Success is such an intangible concept! How do you even define success? Is success based on how much money you make or is it defined by the satisfaction you get from your work? Lauren Marie and Tara were discussing the concept and decided to start a meme about it. Basically, they want to know “when do you consider yourself a successful designer?”

Personally, I am extremely flattered that I was tagged twice for this one, because there are days where I seriously doubt my title of “designer”. Thank you Tara and Lisa Sabin-Wilson for the tag.

1. How did you get started in the business?

At a former employer, I was known for irritating the publications department to no end when I refused to follow their boring WordPerfect guidelines. I was a rebel and used Microsoft Word - I added white space, graphics, changed up fonts - real cutting edge stuff, you know.

Once my first child was born (almost 11 years ago) I couldn’t bear the thought of putting him in daycare so I decided to find a way to work from home. (read the entire saga here) I did a lot of MS Word document support, desktop publishing and a bit of logo design. Mind you I was completely self-taught (just like Lisa).

As my client list grew and the internet became more popular, I started to build web sites, too. When challenges arose, I did the research and found a way to do it myself. Like anything else, the more you do something the better you get at it.

2. What kept you going in those early years?

In the early years I kept going by taking a variety of projects - many that I didn’t really enjoy, but they were projects I could do from home at my own pace and they paid the bills.

The other thing that has always kept me going is just the desire to keep trying new things and the challenge of a new project.

3a. Did you ever feel like you weren’t good enough or you would never make it in this industry?

Absolutely.

3b. How did you work through that?

One of the things that has helped me get through times of self-doubt is my constant need for learning. I try to take client criticisms and tweak requests as opportunities to learn. For a time I kept a folder of designs and ideas that I liked. It really helped me get focused and develop my own style.

4. Do you look at others today and think “Wow, I wish I were that good”?

Everyday. But then I step back and remind myself that we each have our own style. I know my clients and what they need. If I don’t feel that I can give my clients the level of design that fits their specifications and budget, I have a list of other designers I can call on for assistance and/or collaboration.

5. How do you measure success?

Measuring the success of a designer is so tough. If the client or audience you are designing it for is happy, then you have been successful. If you continue to get requests for work, then you must be successful. Awards and accolades from your peers are nice, too. And of course, if you can make a living as a designer, then success is the right word.

6. By your standard, do you think you are successful?

I have been very fortunate to develop a steady flow of clients and work over the past 11 years. Due to my skills, I have been able to work from home and make more money than I could working for a local employer. Since I have reached the point where I could not afford to STOP designing and working from home, I must consider myself successful.

Everyone is welcome to join in this meme, but there are a few other designers I am going to personally invite:

• Randa Clay
• Sarah Lewis
• Dawud Miracle
• Brian Gardner
• PopStalin