You Say It’s Your Birthday… Happy Birthday, Darcy!
Some of you know her as EB, some of you know her as Darcy, and most of you know she’s a very special lady. She is the one who makes sure that everyone every order gets filled, and everyone with a computer problem who has a Cloudeight Direct service key gets scheduled. And she makes sure that we answer every single email we receive.
Without her, I doubt Cloudeight would be around anymore.
She’s a fighter and she cares. She’s the one who takes the ideas I come up with and makes them work. My head’s always in the clouds — which is why we are called Cloudeight…not really. She makes this our business and our site work. And she comes up with some great ideas too – like Cloudeight Direct, just to mention one.
Her birthday is next Tuesday… July 30th. I hope you will join me in wishing Darcy a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
You don’t know this, but she used to own a bar, and that’s where I met her – in a bar. The bar was called Michigan^Tavern. Honest! I stumbled into her bar and started fighting with her right way (and that is the TRUTH!). Of all the gin joints, in all the world, I stumbled into hers.
For some reason, despite my arrogance and contentiousness, she became my friend. I was a helpless nerd who knew almost nothing about computers back then. My son was in a rock and roll band — and I made him the world’s worst website, but I was proud of it.
I showed it to Darcy. Rather than telling me that it looked like a piece of garbage, she redid the entire site for me— she took the time to make the first website I ever made look great! This was back when she barely knew me and didn’t know my son at all. What she did with the junky-looking website was amazing — yet she never took any credit for re-doing it and making it look nice.
The year was 1997 and the bar Michigan^Tavern was a virtual chatroom that EB and some of her friends had created. So, you could say that Darcy and I met in a virtual saloon.
\And you could also say it was there that Cloudeight was born.
In 1998, after she took me under her wing and taught me a lot about making websites and creating graphics… we collaborated on and created the first Cloudeight site. It was called “Thundercloud and Eightball’s Christmas Graphics and you can still see it here.
Above: A screenshot of Eightball & Thundercloud’s Christmas Graphics created in Autumn 1998. This was the beginning of Cloudeight
We both worked other jobs back then. Every day whoever got home first would check the visitor counter on the website to see how many people had visited our website that day. I can remember the day we got 50 visits and we were sure we were on our way to Web stardom — ha!
There’s something charming about naivete. The excitement of having fifty visitors encouraged us, kept us going, and kept us working together.
Then one fateful day, Darcy sent me an email with a scrolling background — and it had music playing. I thought she was magic! “How did you do that?”, I asked.
It did not take long, and we figured it out and we started designing and making stationery. It was then we created Cloudeight Stationery and it became hugely popular — at our peak, we were getting three million visitors a year and our stationery became the most famous stationery on the Web.
Above… a screenshot of Cloudeight Stationery, May 8, 1999.
Above: The Cloudeight Stationery “Visions” Stationery Collection for Outlook Express – October 18, 1999.
We loved our new business, and we were so excited to work together on new stationery collections. We’d show each other what we had designed and couldn’t wait to show the completed collection to our newsletter subscribers and website visitors. Cloudeight Stationery grew and grew – and Cloudeight became a business as well as our life’s work.
In 2002 we started Information Avenue and later InfoAve Premium (now InfoAve Weekly) to pass along some of the computer tricks and tips we learned over the years.
It’s a good thing we did because when Microsoft introduced Windows 7, it was released without an email program, and Windows 7 users couldn’t use our scrolling-musical stationery.
We could see the future and it didn’t look bright. Scrolling, musical stationery was our bread and butter. We had to completely reinvent Cloudeight and trying to keep our small business afloat became (and still is) a continuous struggle.
I do not doubt that if it weren’t for Darcy’s kindness and caring, we’d have gone belly-up many years ago. But she never gave up and we came up with some other ideas and. as you can see, we’re still hanging on.
Cloudeight Direct Computer Care was her idea, not mine, and it really has helped us keep our small business going. And just as importantly it has helped us get to know many of the folks who helped us through some very dark days.
Whether you know her as Darcy or EB, she’s quite a lady and I’ve always felt lucky that, despite my sometimes cantankerous nature, she has always been able to see beyond all of that; she has always been able to the real me — the part I never show the world — the compassionate, generous, gentle person I really am.
We’ve been friends since I walked into her virtual saloon twenty-six years ago, and I’m a better person for it. And any of you who have had the chance to know her are too. She’s one in a billion.
Darcy and I have had our difficulties and disagreements like everyone else. But we’ve been partners now for twenty-six years. She’s been the one I’ve counted on when our business wasn’t going so well.
She is my partner, she is my friend – and if you’ve ever had any dealings with Darcy, then, no doubt, she’s your friend too.
She’s the best partner anyone could have. I poke fun at her in many of our newsletters, and she laughs along with everyone else. I am incredibly lucky to have her as my partner, but I’m even luckier to have her as my friend. And I hope you feel lucky that you know her too!
Help me wish Darcy a very Happy Birthday!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARCY fROM dAVID tILDEN
Happy Birthday Darcy!
Happy Birthday Darcy, thanks for all the help you’ve given me & others over 20+ years! Wishing you a very special day!
Wishing you the best birthday ever ,Darcy and thank you for all the help through the years.💐💐
Darcy, I pray that you have a very Happy Birthday and that you are surrounded with lots of Miracles and Love that you so deeply deserve. Thank you all that you do for all of us fans of yours. 🙂
Happy birthday, EB, Darcy, sweet lady. I hope you have a wonderful, blessed day. You two are the best. I have been with you from the start. (or pretty close to it) God bless, and many, many more blessed birthdays to come.
Happy birthday Darcy.
I have learnt so much from your newsletters and always appreciate the help that you and TC generously provide.
Very best wishes to you both.
Darcy, I hope your birthday is as special as you are. I sure do miss all the wonderful stationaries you created and was so bummed when they had to stop. Thanks you all you do!
Happy Birthday, Darcy. Have a wondeful day. Thank you for all your help over the years. I had realised it had been so long. you are a special lady!!
Happy birthday Darcy. Many thanks for all that you have done for me and the rest of the Cloudeight family. We really appreciate it. Have a great day on the 30th!
🎈Happy Birthday 🎈Darcy, Thank you & TC for all the help you give & have given over many yrs. I sure have learned a lot. Been with Cloudeight since the beginning of your stationary site. You created Beautiful stationary that I used all the time I also was a big fan of smiley cons , anyway Thank You & have a wonderful birthday.
Happy Birthday Darcy. I have depended on the advice, suggestions, tips and tricks for a very long time. Wouldn’t know what to do without the two of you.
A Very Happy Birthday Darcy! I too have been with You for a Very long Time! So Thankful for You and TC for all you do for Us! Hope You have the Best Birthday Ever. We all Love Yas.
Have a happy birthday Darcy
Darcy, you and TC have been my trusted source of information since the early 2000’s. I know that the old curmudgeon couldn’t do much without you and while he may be the face, you are the inspiration, the heart, the keeper of the flame. Thank you so very much. I wish you the happiest of birthdays, may it contain the seeds of some wonderful memories and may we all continue to wish you a happy birthday for years to come.
With my sincere best wishes
-Leslie
Happy Birthday, Darcy! July 30th is a special day for both of us. I will be 3/4 of a century old and I know you will stay much younger. Celebrate as much as you can!
Darcy and I have emailed a couple of times. She’s as wonderful as you say TC.
Happy birthday Darcy! God bless you today, tomorrow, and always!
Happy Birthday Darcy!!! Wishing you good health and happiness always!!!!
Love and Prayers
Dee McAnulty
Oh, what a tribute to such a lovely person as Darcy. Happy Birthday Darcy and may all your wishes come true….today and everyday! I’m proud to of known you both since the day you started. You have taught me so much, but also shown me how little I know. LOL Your weekly newsletters are the best and usually send me out on a quest on the internet, looking at or for something. You help me keep my system tweaked and protected. You are always there for me when I have an issue. I gladly give to your cause each year and have all your recommended software additions. Happy Birthday and thank you.
Darcy, sending wishes for a Happy Birthday.
Thank you for being so patient and helping me when this old lady has computer “issues”. You and TC are the best. My sister (now deceased) and I loved using your stationery many many years ago.
Happy Birthday!
Judy in Georgia
Happy birthday to you, Darcy! And thank you, TC for your wonderful tribute to your very special friend. I got my first computer in 2000 and one of the things I fell in love with immediately was the scrolling, musical stationeries. I was in awe that someone had the ability to create such a thing. I miss being able to use them trememdously.
Again, happy birthday, lady. Wouldn’t it be great if all of yours and TC’s followers could meet sometime and get to know each other? I have been the recipient of help from both of you over the years. Thank you.
A very Happy birthday Darcy (EB) you are a very special person, you and I shared some personal things over the years, I’m so happy that I found Cloudeight years ago ,have a great and fun day and all the best of health and happiness in the next year
Cheers
Ruby
Happy Birthday Darcy!! Enjoy your day. Hope you have lots of presents to open.
Happy Birthday Darcy.
I must have been with you since very near the beginning and have loved what you two have created.
Thank you for what you do and I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Rhonda
Happy Birthday Darcy! May you have a million more. You are one day ahead of my late Dad’s birthday. May all your wishes and dreams for 2025 come true!! Thanks very much for all you two do for us!!
Dawn.
May I wish you so much happiness and joy on your birthday sweet pea. May God bless you & continue to watch over you. 🎈🎈
Happy Birthday Darcy! Thank you for all that you have done and continue doing for us!
Happy Birthday, Darcy! I hope your special day is just that, SPECIAL!
You have been helpful to me on more than one occasion over all the years we’ve been together. Here’s to many more years of togetherness.
Here’s a large hug from me to you.
Terry
Happy Birthday to you Darcy! Thank you so much for just being here although I can’t seem to catch up on this computer thing anymore. I am still trying to do the stationary again like it was in the good old days. Never did make doing that again after new computers came into my life. DARN!
Big hugs to you.
Drusilla
Happy Birthday Darcy!
I remember the stationery days. I thought they were the best! Apart from the stationery,
the newsletters were and are still a very important part of computer life for many of us.
Wishing you a lovely day and the best for the year ahead.
Have a very Happy Birthday Darcy, with many more to come. Enjoy your day!
Happy birthday, for Tuesday, Darcy. Hope TC buys you something nice and expensive!!
Thanks for all your help in the past and in the future.
Best wishes
Lee and Vera
Happy Birthday Darcy, May your day be filled with beauty and happiness. God Bless you always!!
Happy Birthday to the birthday girl.
Not as good as TC but I will give it a go:
May your worries be less
Your happiness more
And nothing but prosperity comes through your door.
I wish you a very happy day and may the rest of the year be kind, gracious and exciting.
I accidentally stumbled onto your Cloudeight program in the very early days and have been with you ever since. Without your patience, diligence, and tenacity through the years, I also am still here so how can I ever thank and give you the credit you deserve? Good luck and stay safe as you so richly deserve any good things that may be ahead for you.