Thursday 26 March 2015

My Blog Makeover (pt 1)

Wow.

So if you follow me on Instagram you will be aware that my blog is currently undergoing some maintenance and design work. This is such a new area for me so I want to show you what I did throughout the process. I think I will probably have to break this into a mini series as the makeover will be an ongoing project for me.

Template

I see all these other blogs that look so chic and pretty so my first idea was to browse the internet for a template. I Googled "free blog templates" and soon enough found one I liked..for the time being anyway. After a full evening of uploading and figuring out the HTML Code (it came with a handy PDF How To Guide which was a  LIFESAVER) I decided I was happy. Then I noticed how shoddy it looked on the mobile version. As I am aware of how many people read blogs on mobiles / tablets, myself included, I just couldn't have it :'( It obviously wasn't going to work out between me and Mr Template. Also as a side note: as well as the compatibility issues I do like the idea of being able to edit my blog from a design perspective myself, and this template I had wouldn't allow for that.

Blog Header

I did some Youtube research and came across this video which shows how a typical Blogger template can be customised with the use of a header and some cute little HTML buttons. I had a read of a few articles relating to blog headers and at first started making one using Pixlr however this wouldn't let me add in my own images for some reason so I went to the (much easier) Pic Monkey and used the "collage" functions. There's an article here which has a step by step guide. I varied how I did mine a little - I won't lie it was a full evening of trial and error however, finally, I am pleased with the result!

I found the floral graphics on Pinterest by searching for "free blog graphics"... I actually found a really good board with such a pretty collection but I cannot find it now. If I do I will be sure to add it in here!

I think that is all for now. Next up is for me to change the presentation of my 'display' picture and to add some pretty Instagram, Pinterest buttons etc. I'll keep you updated!

You can find me on Instagram @aprilhannahblogs

If you have any words of wisdom, please, please share - you could save me hours! x 


3 comments:

  1. Good luck! I am still contemplating how I want my blog to look, so I will follow your journey and learn.

    LindaLibraLoca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda! I hope I can share some useful / helpful information :-) x

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  2. Good Luck :)))

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