Blog Intent (for now)
What exactly do I mean when I say Change is Imminent? Thanks for asking. I will tell you. I guess this is my blog intent so to speak. So I will lay it out for you in case there is confusion on my part. I have been blogging for under 2 months and I really enjoy it. I hope to continue to make new friendships and get in more link ups and get exposed to more creative people/things as I go. I do have to say that if my blog is a reflection of me as a person- there will be some change so I may as well get it out in the open now. For instance, there is not a week that goes by where I don't move a piece of furniture around in my home (poor husband). I like to see what things look like in different corners and in different rooms. I also have been doing lots of research and trying to come up with a blog that will be inviting and not straining on the eyes etc. I have been drawn to many blogs and have not been able to figure out why. Is it Jesus in them? Is it that they have a nice smile and cute kids? Or is it the layout? Hmmmm. Got me to thinking!
I have been on http://www.snaptheconference.com/blog/ today, as well as other resource pages and I read that people like to look at clean, white, fresh things etc. I thought of my blog and although I love the look of the watercolor thingy that it's got going on, I wonder if something less color-y may be better. I am basically in the mood and mind to make changes (hopefully nothing too drastic) but wanted to say something in case you open the blog up and its in Hebrew or symbols instead of letters! I don't think I would do that thankfully.
Also, when I started out I thought I would do crafts all the time since I do them everyday anyway. Only thing is, I still do them everyday but have not really posted them for some silly reason. I made super cute pillows this weekend that really made my living room look more lived in. Here they are. Man, Hobby Lobby has some cute fabric right now! I digress. Well, maybe soon I will post tutorials and such but right now I am trying to get the basics down, like easy to read blog and consistency and pictures with watermarks -which I still have yet to be able to pin down. And oh yeah, keep failing trying to get that Pinterest pin that POPS out and says HELLO when you hover over a picture. Not to mention, adding my signature on the bottom has been nuts! That's why it is at the very bottom of my post right now, totally gone rouge!
I know what good looks like. I see it on a daily basis. Problem is, do I want to be good or average. I think average right now. NO just kidding. I think I am still in my learning curve so bear with me and if you have tips, tricks, suggestions, helpful hints, they are all welcome!
Thanks and here would be my digital signature,( ) if I could figure it out!
Hang in there with me and hopefully it won't be too BUMPY! Don't forget to look at my out of place signature at the bottom!
Ha ha! You made me chuckle with your line about the possibility of opening up your blog and it being Hebrew letters and symbols! I have that worry, too, as I anticipate making changes.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100% on being drawn to blogs with white space...lots of it. There is something about it that is soothing to the eye, and it really allows you to focus on the content, instead of being distracted by "over-design" as they say. I'm pretty sure that's the directing I'm heading, too. (Although I like your watercolor, too!)
Love those pillows! And I think it's totally okay to NOT post every craft you make. I would just advise you to share what you're most excited or passionate about - - be it thoughts on blogging or cute pics of your kids or a list of your favorite books...you know? I'd much rather read what you're eager to share instead of what you feel obligated to share. (I remind myself of that, too, when I feel the need to always post something crafty.)
As for your current struggles with the technical side, I'm with you! I'm still hitting several roadblocks of my own that have prompted me to make the switch from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. For watermarks, have you tried pixlr (efficient). It takes me less than a minute to add one to a photo, resave it, and upload it to a post. It's free and online. Check it out if you haven't already.
For the signature, I'm not sure how blogger does things, but are you trying to simply insert a picture? I made my signature in a text box in Word, saved it as a picture, and then I insert it as an image. Not sure that's the right way, but it works!
And the pin it button is a plug-in (I think). I can't add plug-ins on wordpress.com, but I'm sure there are tutorials on how to do it on blogger. I also followed a tutorial by the Blog Maven to add the Pin it button to images on my sidebar, however, they don't magically appear on all of my pics: http://www.theblogmaven.com/pinterest-pins-in-sidebar/
Best of luck!
Lauren, thanks for your help...those suggestions were very helpful, I know you wrote about pixlr before but I can't remember if I tried it or not but if it is that quick, I think I am giving it another try...I also read on SNAP (would love to go to a conference one day) that there are certain colors that are best like I think, browns, greens, reds- I may be remembering incorrectly- it was a good read. i guess blogs right now are like homes- everybody is doing "white" makes sense- you can add pops of color and it always looks clean- I love lots of color though so i will need to find the right balance i guess. your site looks great to me and draws me in every time so I dont think you will have very much if at all cleaning up to do- you seem to have done it right from the start! thanks a bunch!
DeleteI'm laughing over the possible Hebrew too :) I change stuff all the time with my blog, so I say go for it! I hope you have fun with the changes whatever you come up with and will look forward to seeing them.
ReplyDeletethanks, it seems like now would be as good a time as any- just gotta think what I really want/need to change- I'm glad to know you change stuff all the time- maybe it's more prevalent than I thought. Good to know!
DeleteLove your enthusiasm and look forward to seeing how the layout of your blog develops. I use Windows LiveWriter to write my blog posts and you can upload your pictures right to it and have a watermark added. I wrote a tutorial here about it: www.unknownmami.com/2012/03/how-to-add-a-watermark-using-windows-live-writer.html
ReplyDeleteHi there! I actually did read that post and it was helpful- and I tried it...something held me back though, I can't remember what- something like live writer is on the other computer and I am with the kiddos during the day on the not so fast if it needed to save its life computer...I thank you for your encouragement- if anyone knows about change it is you after unveiling your self on your blog- that was a very interesting post! I enjoyed it....hope life is easier with out the paper bag! I enjoy it either way and am a fan! thanks!
DeleteI think that it's really great that you are doing research and continually trying to improve your blog. Change is good, although it can be bumpy!
ReplyDeleteyes, totally true- this way I can say-"I warned you" haha
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