Thursday, April 1, 2010

Send Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses...Your Blog Advice...

Today I'm seeking advice. Not for me, or for "a friend," but for my blog. It's time for a change, I think. So, I have had this blog background for more than a year now, and absolutely love it. It was the only one of the free ones from Cutest Blog on the Block that really spoke to me. It's called "Sun Dress," which I think is just perfect. Granted, I haven't perused Cutest Blog's backgrounds recently, so they may have added more "perfect" ones, but the biggest obstacle I seem to be coming up against with this format is space. It seems that the body of the blog is too narrow, with margins that are too wide on either side. So to have anything in my sidebar, which I do, it eats into my writing space and you have to scroll down forever and ever just to get to the bottom. I'd love to have enough room for two sidebars. And since I tend to get a bit verbose in my posts, having a wider writing space will at least make them look like they're not so massive and won't necessarily require numerous cups of coffee to keep the reader awake while they read. And read. And read. (However, the content may still require said cups of coffee, but that's another story altogether...)

I've seen some pretty amazing blog makeovers in the last year or so. I am hesitant to pay for a new format/background, but depending on what the costs are, I may be open to it. Do any of you know of any free or inexpensive options that will give me a background I like (I'm not asking you all to be psychic here for me, but I will say I don't like tacky. 'nuff said.) and the space that I need? Thanks in advance!

8 comments:

my life: said...

I personally LOVE your layout. :0)
I would encourage you to look again though *at cutest blog* or I think I did Hot bliggity blog...or something like that. I think there are so many free options to choose from...I can't imagine paying.
I also went to the larger layout *3 rows* and did so by googling it and getting the directions myself.
;0)
My motto...be not afraid, you can always go back to the old. You could even make a new blog just to test stuff out on...those are my not-tech savvy...thoughts.

Erin said...

The cutest blog on the block has a tutorial on how to create your own background. If you have photoshop and some digital scrapbook paper, it's pretty easy.

Monica Crumley said...

I don't have the answer on how to do a 3 column blog, so I'll be checking back at some of the answers you get. I've found some decent free designs at shabbyblogs.com and hotbliggityblog.com What I did while learning the ropes was create a fake blog that was hidden and I could mess with it all I wanted. That way I didn't risk ruining what I already had. Good luck!

Lacey said...

Let me look back and see how I widened my blog so that you have more body space. It was really easy, but I don't remember by heart. I always pay because I don't have time to figure out how to do things! I'm a computer nerd. I'll let you know.

Erin said...

I just widened my blog and I thought I would give you this site. It is a tutorial on how to do a 3 column but you can also shorten one of the side bars and widen the body.

http://www.threecolumnblogger.com/2008/09/three-column-minima-layout-version.html

And how to make your own background:

http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/blog-secrets/144-how-to-make-your-own-background.html

Hope this helps!

Kacey Bode said...

Well hopefully you don't think mine is tacky, ha ha. I'm always changing my background, but I finally found one that matches the colors of my header which I LOVE!! I found it at scrap-e-blog.blogspot

I've always wanted to pay someone to do a makeover for mine but can't justify the money!

Kristi said...

Hi there I came here through another blog (and now I forget who, lol)!

Have you tried the new "blogger in draft" ?http://bloggerindraft.blogspot.com/2010/03/blogger-template-designer.html

I changed my blog about a month ago and love the extra wide posting center, because you have the control to adjust it!
Also, there is a new way to upload pics and resize them with one click instead of playing with html (which I am a TOTAL beginner at!) you go to "settings" then "basic" and then down under global settings then "select post editor" and click on updated editor you can just click on your pictures to make them bigger and where you want them, MUCH better than the old way!
Hope this helps and really like your blog! I'm a special needs mommy as well and can SO sympathize with your birthday party experience. I will say it gets better with age. And the emotion isn't so "raw" if that makes sense? :)
Kristi

Stephanie said...

Designs by Rebecca does mine and I think my current design was $30.