New Design and Layout

Hey you!  The one with your iPhone in your hand, furtively Googling "rules of football" and "what time does the Super Bowl end" while the rest of your house screams at the flat screen.  Yeah, I'm talking to you.  I've got good news for you.  I updated the design and layout of my blog!

I know, you were holding your breath.

See, this here blog used to have a pre-fab design that I picked over a year ago.  Recently I've been itching to change it, but I had absoutely no idea how I wanted it, only a vague notion of... change.

Then, 3 things happened which inspired me to take the plunge:

Dwija posted her top 7 Tips for New Bloggers*.  I don't technically fall in that category, but I definitely found inspiration in a couple of them. If you are a new or intermediate blogger, be sure to check them out.

That post was followed shortly after by Jen's post: One for the Bloggers about being authentically yourself.

Last, but certainly not least, Cari from Clan Donaldson made me that terrific photo collage for my header. Just scroll up to see the masterpiece of her imagination.  Thank you, Ms. Cari.  You rock.

So this weekend I took the plunge.  I changed my design from safe-but-bland to a more vibrant-but-me version.  Positive feedback and constructive criticism will be appreciated.  Negative comments will be printed out and die a fiery, burning death.  Just so you know.

I hope you like it.  But I guess the most important thing is that I already do!

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*Dwija mentioned later that there was one more tip that should have been included: create a private blog to practice new designs and layouts.  That way you don't risk messing up your hard work while you search out the perfect design.  Worked great for me while I ironed out the kinks of my design.

P.S.If you've been reading this in your email, click here to go to the homepage to see what I'm talking about.  If you are on a mobile device, make sure to scroll down to the bottom and click "View Web Version" for the most complete view.

P.P.S. Did you notice the social media icons on the right sidebar?  I am ridiculously proud of those, mostly because I had to use, ahem, HTML code to put them there.  Yes, I know.  I am fancy.

P.P.S. Gratuitous photo of my awe-inspiring hubby.