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