Saturday, May 28, 2016

New Blog Look! (A W.I.P)

If  you've visited my blog before, you might notice that things have changed a bit!  I'm very excited to show off what I've learned so far as part of the "2016 Advice and Tech Help for New Quilt Bloggers" Blog Hop.

Click the button in my sidebar to learn more about it!
Hey!  I have a button in my sidebar!  WHEEEEE!
When I first set up my blog, I will admit, I just grabbed a Blogger template that didn't look too intimidating, and played around until I figured out the very basics.  I didn't really understand how it all worked, and to be honest, I didn't care too much about how my blog looked.  My purpose for blogging is 1. To write about what I make, simply because I enjoy it and 2. To connect with other bloggers.  I don't intend to win sponsors, host ads or make money from it.  So, as long as it functioned, I was fine.

But, sometime in the last year, I started to read a lot about the experiences other bloggers had as part of the 2015 New Bloggers Hop.  Not only had they improved the look and feel of their blogs, they also made new connections and on line friends in the process.  Now, that's hard to resist.

So, I signed up and was accepted! We haven't even made it to the "hop" part yet, and I've learned so much already! This week, we worked in small groups to critique each other's blogs.  Just the process of looking at other blogs with a critical eye really got me thinking.  For the first time, I paid attention to the content of a blogs side bar and how all the elements worked together - or didn't.  I started to think about how the blogger's personality and style came across through the formatting choices they made.  And, I realized that the appearance of my blog really didn't say much about me at all.

So, I started to do a little research to find out how other people made such great looking blogs.  I read quite a few articles and played around with some sites like PicMonkey and Canva.  All of this was very new to me, and I had quite a few moments of frustration when I couldn't figure things out.  But I walked away and came back, stuck with it, and in the end, I've made some great changes!

I have a new header that I really like, and which, I think, gives a good sense of my style.  I have tabs for pages which I will be developing.  I have a new "about me" blurb that sums up who I am and why I sew, and I have a button in my side bar!  That's not bad for a day's work!  

There are things I still want to add.  I need to find a way for other bloggers to  follow me.  I'm thinking possibly Feedly, since I recently discovered that as part of the hop.  I want to establish an Instagram account with the same name as my blog and link it to my site.  And, of course, finish the content for my pages.

And, I'd like to invite YOU, since you happened to stop by, to comment on the current look, and let me know what essentials I am still missing.  Your input is VERY much appreciated.

I'm linking up to Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of A Fabric Addict

9 comments:

  1. Yikes, Tami! You've accomplished so much already! I follow you on Bloglovin. Do you know that you already have 16 followers there? Kinda cool, huh? Love your new look. Very polished. Also looking forward to browsing through your projects as you post them. Great job. I am so glad you are enjoying this, how many bloggers are participating this year? Will the hop be coming up soon?

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    1. Thanks, Bernie! And, I think it was you who first recommended the New Quilt Blogger's hop to me. So, THANKS for that, too! I think there are about 14 in my group, and there are three groups. The hop, if I remember correctly will be the second week of June through the second week of July. It's been a really great learning experience for me! I'm excited to see what changes everyone else makes, too!

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  2. Hi Tami! I do like your blog "look". It's colorful, user-friendly and easy to navigate. I wish I'd signed up for this hop as I could use some help too! I'm in this for the same reasons as you are...to chronicle my projects and meet other blogger friends and just to learn! One thing I usually look for is a picture of the blogger so I can put a face to the name. BUT I have to say I don't have one either on my blog, mostly cuz I don't ever like any photos of myself!!! I do need to work on that. So you've added your tabs by yourself without a costly template or graphic designer? That's one thing I'm interested in! Have fun with this and on the hop!

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    1. Hi Kathy - Your lovely comment made me so happy this morning! Welcome to my space in the blogiverse! I chuckled when I read your comment about a picture. I HATE all pictures of myself, so I don't even have one to put on. But, my daughters and I are going to try to remedy that tomorrow. The thirteen year old offered to take one (she has a great camera) and the 10 year old offered to edit it "so I don't look so old." LOL.

      I did add the tabs and all the sidebar stuff completely with the tools offered in Blogger. It took a bit of trial and error and a lot of clicking around to see what was where, but I eventually figured it out. I used PicMonkey to make the header and then just dropped it in using Blogger. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I'm going to send you an email with some tips on how to make the pages. I visited your blog briefly (I'm going back over later to look around and leave you some comments). You've got a lot of good stuff going on, and you'll be able to figure out the pages easily!

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  3. Yay! You did an awesome job with your new header! And, I love your "About" page. I haven't done one because I don't know what to say! I didn't know how to do anything either until I was in the New Quilt Blogger group last year. It also makes you stop & take the time to work on your blog, I'm guilty of putting it off until I 'have more time' which never happens. I still need to do some updating on my finished projects page.

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    1. Thanks, Sharla! And thanks for the nudge to get going! Your critique was thoughtful and spot on, and helped me decide what to do. When you said you did your cute header yourself, I knew imcould, too! Love this quilt blogger community!

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  4. Your blog is looking great Tami. I love your header and the font is really nice. i agree it's a big learning curve but I'm finding learning the blog stuff is turning out to be all part of the fun.
    Smiles
    Kate

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    1. Thanks Kate! I used your tutorials to add buttons and change the width of my blog. I'm so glad you're sharing your knowledge. You make things so easy!

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  5. Very cool, I am glad you find the blog hop helpful already.

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