amanda in wonderland

Welcome

hello & welcome to my cozy corner on the internet inspired by the old web! this is my attempt to disconnect from the hellscape of modern social media and rediscover the joy of the world wide web. here you will find information about me and my hobbies, collections, shrines, and nostalgic web graphics. thanks for visiting!

best viewed on desktop

warning: eyestrain and flashing gifs!

About Me

my name is amanda, and i'm a full-time law student with a passion for civil rights, legal aid, and public policy. i graduated with my bachelor's degree in government.

i have too many interests and hobbies, and not enough time. i enjoy reading, polaroid photography, exploring art museums, and playing cozy games like animal crossing, pokémon and hello kitty. recently, i rediscovered my love of web design while surfing the indie web, so it's been fun creating this little space for myself and others. <3

amanda is...

this is where i blog from
feeling: grief from pet loss. it comes in waves.
reading: law school casebooks
listening: halsey - the girl in the tower (live)
watching: twin peaks
playing: pokopia
small joys: no class on fridays, music, the neocities community + the indie web, cozy hobbies, gilmore girls
status updated: 10/09/2026

currently helping popplio rebuild the bubbly basin

site info

launched: august 2026
newest page: cameras
last updated: bookmarks

site to-do
finish gaming page
make more jellycat stamps
add more personal details to my pages (e.g. cameras, shrines)

site ideas
spring motif page
polaroid shrine
library page

featured page!

my heart-shaped box

please take a heart cookie

& grab a mug off the shelf

My Web Journey

I'm a millennial, born in 1993, and consider myself an early adopter of the internet. My parents bought our first computer in 2000 when I was 7, and I was instantly captivated. By 13, I was teaching myself HTML and CSS as an amateur webmaster. I came of age during the Web 1.0 era, when the internet felt more decentralized and less corporatized.

Music and art are my lifelong passions, and that is how I've used the web to connect with people. I joined MySpace in 2005, kept a LiveJournal, and shared my photography on Flickr. I have been active on Tumblr since 2010. I met some of my best friends through music fan forums.

Like most people, I fell into the social media trap and lost sight of what made the internet special: personal websites that encourage self-expression and creativity, and online communities that bring people together. That's why I'm (re)joining the indie web. Let's revive the web. <3

My layout was made with HTML, CSS, and Javascript using open source tutorials from w3schools, mozilla developer network, and petrapixel. Feel free to view page source throughout my site and copy my coding if you find it helpful. Please note I am an amateur.

Site Updates

10/06/26: my site was added to the gradientring and the sanrio webring! waiting to hear back from others <3
10/05/26: new "art exhibit log" and "concert log" sections on my "about me" page!
10/02/26: added 12 stamps by me, as well as 50+ buttons, stamps and blinkies to the "web" section and my footer :)

Mini blog

tw: pet loss for several recent entries.

09/13/26
i am incredibly grateful for all the love i've received after our pet loss. today marks one week that we had to unexpectedly put our beloved cat Jack to rest (sunday, september 6). we expect to get his remains back tomorrow, which is going to be difficult.

09/12/26
We saw Oasis's documentary Don't Look Back in Anger in IMAX, and I ended up crying about the power of music. Honestly, it was exactly what I needed. Oasis reunion summer is forever~

09/11/26
i made my first basic site button using ritual.sh's button generator. i've also applied to a few webrings. i'm excited to build my neighborhood! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂)⸝♡

09/10/26
i've been working on some new pages for my site, like amandacore and indie art. it's been a good distraction. i might make a mary blair shrine soon. the colors in her art bring me joy.

09/09/26
i'm hanging on by a thread and that thread is halsey's the girl in the tower (live), especially dog years [19:30] and the metal version of colors [46:10].

09/08/26
i'm trying to be more gentle with myself during my grief. i'm trying not to beat myself up for struggling to focus in class this week.

09/07/26
my husband and i had to put our beloved cat jack to rest on sunday, september 6. he was 16 years old. we miss him so much. i'm glad we took two days of bereavement from law school and work, because he truly was a family member.

loulou lovebug greets you hello!

About Me

age: 33
location: washington, dc
hometown: mobile, al
occupation: law student
education: b.a. in government; a.a.s. in paralegal studies
status: married
online since: 2000
first social media: myspace

Media Recs

the amazing digital circus by gooseworx
the internet is not the answer by andrew keen
the art of memory collecting by martina calvi
juxtapoz: handmade by gingko press
poetry is not a luxury edited by anonymous

My Hobbies

Reading
Cozy gaming
Polaroid photography
Browsing Tumblr and the indie web <3
Going to the movies
Visiting museums
Attending concerts
Exploring cafés
Scrapbooking
Watercoloring

my beanie companion is:
peace the bear (1997)

All races, all colors, under the sun
Join hands together and have some fun
Dance to the music, rock and roll is the sound
Symbols of peace and love abound!

which beanie baby is your true companion?

art exhibit log

These are some of the incredible art exhibits I've had the chance to see over the years!

2020s exhibits

Uncanny, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, July 2025

The Art of the Brick, Rhode Island Center, Washington, DC, May 2025

Everyday Encounters, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, April 2024

Only the Young: Experimental Art in Korea, 1960s–1970s, Guggenheim Museum, New York City, NY, December 2023

Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility, Guggenheim Museum, New York City, NY, December 2023

Experience America, Smithsonian American Art Museum, March 2022

The Secret Life of Earth, American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD, July 2021

2010s exhibits

Rirkrit Tiravanija: (who’s afraid of red, yellow, and green), Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC, June 2019

What Absence is Made Of, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC, June 2019

Young Latino Artists 20: Within Reach, Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX, July 2015

History Refused to Die, Alabama Contemporary Art Center, Mobile, AL, June 2015

The Human Condition: Contemporary Sculpture, Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, WI, November 2014

The Art of the Brick, Pensacola Museum of Art, Pensacola, FL, June 2014

Futures Project, Alabama Contemporary Art Center, Mobile, AL, June 2013

concert log

next concert

oasis, in boston, ma, on august 10, 2027!
2025 concerts

halsey, washington, dc, november 4, 2025

nine inch nails, raleigh, nc, september 5, 2025

oasis, east rutherford, nj, august 31, 2025

halsey, bristow, va, may 31, 2025

2020s concerts

green day, washington, dc, july 29, 2024

placebo, washington, dc, may 2, 2023

halsey, dover, de, september 22, 2022

yungblud, baltimore, md, february 15, 2022

2000s concerts

nine inch nails, austin, tx, may 12, 2009

nine inch nails, houston, tx, august 16, 2008

nine inch nails, birmingham, al, june 6, 2006

green day, atlanta, ga, august 23, 2005

eminem, atlanta, ga, july 31, 2005

usher, atlanta, ga, october 3, 2004

50 cent, mobile, al, march 13, 2003

nelly, new orleans, la, november 7, 2002

britney spears, new orleans, la, december 16, 2001

My Favorites

music: t.a.t.u., halsey, nine inch nails, green day, kennyhoopla
movies: waking life, girl, interrupted, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, loving vincent, vita & virginia
shows: westworld, battlestar galactica, pluribus, the addams family, the twilight zone
games: animal crossing, pokémon, legend of zelda, hello kitty, cozy grove
books: too many

Playlists

bi vibes
emo myspace
autumn
rock halsey
nin instrumentals

Things I Collect

Polaroid cameras

Art books and magazines

Vinyls, blu-rays & games

Tour t-shirts

Nintendo consoles

Cute gaming accessories

Postcards, magnets & other souvenirs

Jellycats & other plush toys

LEGO sets, especially Botanicals

Heart-shaped things

Random Facts

I was adopted, and I am fortunate to have a good relationship with my adoptive and biological family.
I have been a vegetarian for 25+ years. I became a vegetarian at 7 years old once I fully understood that meat was made out of animals.
I have always LOVED music and going to concerts. My mom took me to my first concert when I was 8, which was Britney Spears's Dream Within A Dream Tour in New Orleans, Louisiana for her third album Britney (2001).
I currently have five tattoos and hope to get more! I have pink azaleas and an Eastern Tiger swallowtail butterfly on my left shoulder, a Polaroid SX-70 One-Step camera on my right arm, an excerpt from a Gwendolyn Brooks poem on my left ankle, and bluebells on my right ankle.
My favorite genres are horror and science fiction, whether that's movies, TV shows, or books. I'm always sounding the alarm on ai and technofeudalism because there's been enough media about it throughout history !!!

colette the heart macaron asks...
how are you?

five Ws of reading

i'll answer the five Ws of reading questions here later!

WHO — Name an author you would love to have a 'One to One' with.
WHAT — What genre do you most gravitate to?
WHERE — Where do you prefer to read?
WHEN — What time of day do you prefer to read?
WHY — Why is your favourite book your favourite book?
BONUS — How do you go about selecting what you will read next?

My Cameras

check out my polaroid gallery and camera page!

left to right: polaroid highlander model 80 (1954), polaroid sx-70 (1972), polaroid sx-70 one-step (1977), polaroid impulse af (1988), polaroid 600 one-step flash close-up (1993), polaroid now (2020), canon ae-1 35mm slr (1976), nikon d60 dslr (2008), and howdy hello kitty 35mm (2024).

the 1954 Polaroid Highlander (top left) belonged to my late grandfather who inspired my love of polaroid and film photography. <3 unfortunately, the polaroid 30 series rollfilm was discontinued in 1979.

Cozy Gaming

click here to visit my game page!

here are some pictures of my gaming set-up! i've tried to represent all of my favorite series. the color theme is pastels with a focus on pink and green. think cherry blossoms.

you can shop these cute gaming accessories on my carrd. i don't earn commission from any of the links. i just want to share them with fellow cozy gamers.

Hobby Corner

you can turn any space into a cozy hobby corner! <3

this is my cozy hobby corner for reading, gaming, scrapbooking, watercoloring, and more. you can shop this rolling cart in pink and other colors on michaels.com.

beanie fan club member
since 1999

i'll answer the 100 questions for webmasters here later!

1. Please introduce yourself.
2. How long have you been making websites?
3. And what got you into the hobby?
4. What kind of website are you most interested in?
5. What's your workflow? Do you plan your websites out thoroughly or do you come up with the design as you go along?
6. Please link to your biggest inspirations.
7. What's your favourite part about making websites?
8. And the thing you struggle with the most?
9. Do you keep the same layout on all of your pages? Or do you use different ones?
10. How confident are you with CSS?
11. Do you know how to correctly use <dl>?
12. What is your favourite HTML element?
13. If you're making a new web page from scratch, what is the first thing you do?
14. Do you know JavaScript?
15. How about PHP?
16. Does your website have a theme that you stick to?
17. Are you more focused on content or design?
18. Do you own a domain name? If not, would you ever want to?
19. What do you think of nostalgia-focused or "retro" websites?
20. Is your HTML valid? Do you even check?
21. What are your opinion on buttons and banners?
22. What do you think of button walls in particular?
23. If you started over again, would you make something similar or completely different?
24. Are you envious of other people's websites?
25. What text editor do you use?
26. Why do you use that one?
27. Do you host your image files on your web server, or on another host?
28. This might not be relevant to you, but what's your opinion on the Neocities vs. Nekoweb debate?
29. How much server space would you estimate your main website takes up?
30. Do you keep local backups of your files?
31. Do you prefer simple or highly visual websites?
32. Do you stick to certain colours? Do you do that on purpose, or is it your subconscious?
33. Have you ever thought about quitting? Why?
34. Do you have many webmaster friends, or is it a solitary hobby?
35. Do people in your real life know about your website?
36. Do you update your website very often? How often is "very often"?
37. And the overall design, do you change that much? Why or why not?
38. Is your website more you-focused, hobby-focused, or outside world-focused?
39. Do you do web design professionally?
40. If not, would you like to? And if you're comfortable answering, what do you do for work?
41. Do you communicate with people by email very much?
42. Some people reject social media and use websites as a replacement. Do you keep social media outside of your website?
43. How about instant messengers? Do you use a mainstream one like Discord or Telegram? Or something like Matrix? Do you avoid them?
44. Do you listen to music while you work on websites? If so, what kinds of artists?
45. Do you keep everything you make on one website, or do you have more than one?
46. On a similar note, do you keep to one topic on your site, or many?
47. Do you present your real self, or at least try? Or do you construct a persona on purpose?
48. Have you ever made a good friend thanks to your website?
49. Are you happy with the way HTML and CSS currently work?
50. What are practices that you think people should avoid?
51. What about under-utilised practices, or things you think people should do more?
52. Do you use a lot of semantic HTML? Or are you guilty of generic structure?
53. Do you consider different browsers?
54. Speaking of, what's your preferred browser? Convince your readers why they should use it.
55. And what OS are you on?
56. Do you have a strong opinion on that, or do you just happen to use it?
57. Are your websites mobile-friendly?
58. What are your thoughts on autoplay?
59. What are your thoughts on webrings? Are you in any?
60. Do you have any web shrines? What do you like to see in that sort of page?
61. Are your websites "cliche", in your opinion?
62. What is your ideal website? Are you striving for that, or for something else?
63. Are you an artist? Do you draw or design your own assets?
64. What are your favourite resource sites?
65. Is there a habit you just can't get away from no matter how hard you try?
66. What's your biggest advice for a new webmaster?
67. Do you keep all your styling in CSS? Or do you hard-code some?
68. What do you think of frameset layouts?
69. How about table-based layouts?
70. Do you subscribe to the ideas of "one-column", "two-column" and "three-column" layouts? Do you use any of these?
71. Do you spend longer on the HTML or the CSS?
72. Have you ever made a page with no CSS? It's useful for your thoughts.
73. Do you ever find yourself making layouts with nothing to put on them? Or do you only make layouts when the need arises?
74. Would you consider yourself a beginner? Or advanced? Somewhere in the middle?
75. Do you have a habit of looking at the source code of websites you visit?
76. How did YOU learn how to make websites?
77. Do you ever force elements to do things they're not supposed to?
78. Thoughts on floating elements?
79. When you're sizing stuff, what do you use first? Do you use px, em, %, or something else?
80. Do you have a favourite font?
81. Would you run a website with another person? How would that work?
82. Do you surf the Web to find new personal websites very often?
83. Do you bookmark other people's websites? How would you feel knowing someone else bookmarked yours?
84. What do you want people to be most impressed with when they see your website?
85. Are you interested in technology outside of websites? Do you collect?
86. How often and for how long are you online?
87. When it comes to your website, who is your target audience?
88. Have you ever been interested in XHTML?
89. Do you program in general? Have you ever written a program for use with or on your website, not counting simple JavaScript?
90. Speaking of programs that help you make websites, what do you think of static site generators (SSGs)? Have you ever used one?
91. Do you keep a hitcounter? Why or why not?
92. Do you frequent forums? Which ones?
93. Do you write your page content directly into the editor, or do you prepare it elsewhere, like a text document or a Word document?
94. Do you think you appear cool to others? A more accurate answer now: do other people ever say you're cool?
95. Are you embarrassed of your old work? Have you ever deleted everything out of shame?
96. Would you close down your website if you couldn't update it, or would you leave an archive?
97. Do you reveal a lot about yourself on your website? Or are you more secretive?
98. Are you willing to reveal who your best online friend is, and/or if they have a website?
99. And do you optimise the images on your website?
100. We're out of time! How do you feel after answering 100 questions? ....other than exhausted.

My Jellycats

click here to visit my plush page!

i collect plush toys, most notably jellycats, animal crossing, and pokémon. they can be found all throughout our apartment.

left to right: jellycat amuseables moon, amuseables star, green forest pinetree, toadstool, pine cone, acorn, curvie pig, loulou lovebug, and kerrii cactus.

the amuseables moon and loulou lovebug were the first jellycats i bought for myself. the curvie pig and kerrii cactus were gifts from my sweet husband. <3

Pokopia Dock

my ditto switch 2 charging in the Pokopia Center dock by Bright3DMore on Etsy. it's amazing quality, and i highly recommend their shop. ♥

Lego Shelf

click here to visit my Lego page!

our shared LEGO shelf: Animal Crossing, Star Wars, zen garden, bonsai, and the four gentlemen botanical collection. several sets not pictured here.

love me lobster says
take care!

Follow me

tumblr
tumblr sideblog
pinterest
carrd

Web Cliques

this site is
everbloom bleeding hearts
smells like bubblegum
herbivore vegetarian
my usual chai tea latte
sweet tooth ice cream
girly gamer switch
Internet Obsession indie web
Special interest ⦂ polaroid
TRACKLIST lucky - halsey
sanrio hello kitty
I Choose You! Venusaur
master of the grass type!
i'm a love ball girl <3
green's my color, i am spring
lucky I love clovers!
flowers hydrangeas
rainbow purple
spooky i love halloween!
I am a bisexual pop music connoisseur
Barbieland This Barbie is an activist!

Adoptables

You are welcome to adopt any of these and add them to your toybox with a link back to my site!

Polaroid cameras

Link me

Please feel free to save a button and add my site to your web neighborhood. Let me know you added me on neocities and I'll add you back. <𝟑 .ᐟ

Buttons & Stamps

I have done my best to credit the creators of the web graphics on my site. Please let me know if you have information about missing sources.

buttons are 88x31 web graphics that were most popular on NetScape in the 1990s, and stamps are 99x56 web graphics that were most popular on DeviantArt in the 2010s.

collected buttons

stamps by me

more stamps coming soon!

collected stamps

Barbie fan club member
since 1999

Cool Sites

hi-fructose
colossal
the marginalian
retrospekt
indie web database

Fanlistings

My Toybox

A toybox is a personal collection of pixel art that has been adopted and linked back to the artist's site.

adopted

garden

heart-shaped things

Lucky Claw Machine

Beanie Babies

polaroid cameras

food & drink

Web Neighborhood

These are the websites I follow, use resources from, and am inspired by. If you like my site, then you will love these sites. I plan to re-code this section and write about each site at a later date.

Blinkies

blinkies are 150x20 flashing web graphics that were most popular on Geocities in the 2000s.

kerrii cactus hopes you
have a nice day!

site navigation

desktop users: use the navigation tabs on the right side of the page to flip through my digital scrapbook. :)

mobile users: please switch to desktop if you can. :( my layout is best viewed on desktop, but you can use the navigation tabs on top to explore the site.

main page sections like about me load directly on click, while external pages like shrines open in a new tab. enjoy browsing, friends! <3

bashful bunny welcomes you!

arlette the heart macaron says
come on in!

can you find all the jellycats?

heart dragon says
enjoy your stay!

Welcome

About Me

amanda is...

site info

My Web Journey

Site Updates

Mini blog

About Me

Media Recs

My Hobbies

art exhibit log

concert log

My Favorites

Playlists

Things I Collect

Random Facts

five Ws of reading

My Cameras

Cozy Gaming

Hobby Corner

My Jellycats

Pokopia Dock

Lego Shelf

Follow me

Web Cliques

Adoptables

Link me

Buttons & Stamps

Cool Sites

Fanlistings

My Toybox

Web Neighborhood

Blinkies

site navigation

site map