Get Bloggin' - Blog Banners and Layout

Hey everybody!!

It's time for another dose of Get Bloggin'!!! Today i'm going to be covering Banners and Layout/Design! In my opinion there are 4 big areas that make up a great blog: Photos, Banners, Layout/Design and Content, oh my!! :) In my previous Get Bloggin' post we covered how to take good photos and in the next month or so i'll be talking about what to do with those photos on your blog. But first i want to talk Banners & Layout/Design, got to have these so you have a place to put your photos!!

Banners are the first thing readers see when they get to your blog, so having a great banner is a must! So where do you get a banner?? Well there are a few options:

• Make your own. - Making your own Banner can be fun and easy.... if your a graphic designer or have experience with photo's, graphics and fonts etc. :)  However that dosen;t mean you still can't make your own! Just use a photo (make sure to use a copyright free one, or your own picture!), a photo editing program and then add some text! You can google your editing program and find lots of free tutorials on how to make your own! Each blog platform has the specifics as to banner size.

Here is a picture of my own handmade banner! Not to bad, but not the most professional banner. I recently upgraded my banner and layout! (more details about that below)

• Free Premade Banners. There are a lot out there, some good, some bad... But if you choose right, it can be a good asset to your blog!

• Purchase a Premade or Custom Banner.There are a TON of designers out there on the web that have premade banners for sale OR they will make a custom one for you! Price will vary, but if you A. don;t have the skills to make your own or B. don't like any of the free ones, then buying one is the easiest to do!!

Ok now lets talk about Layout/Design!!! Banner's and Layout/Design go hand in hand! As you search for free, premade or custom banners you will find that you can get a package deal: a banner and a Layout for your blog. When i talk about layout i'm talking about the background, the colors you use, the font, graphics, number of columns etc.

When you set up your blog for the first time Blogger, Word Press, Type Pad all have tools to use their templates and customize it to your needs. This is a great place to start! And you can apply these tips below to your customizing! OR you can apply these to a Banner/Layout you either get free or purchase from a designer.

Ok now on to the important info!! LOL

• Clean Background - White is best but you can have a pattern, minimal and light colored works best. Here is a perfect example of a busy (in a good way) background from another card maker Ashley Marcu.

• Use easy to read Fonts - Nothing worse then not being able to read the post! So no super fancy fonts or colors!! 
• Columns should align and keep graphics to a minimum! - If your graphics are all over the place, it will look messy and a reader might be turned off and not bother with your post!
• You also don't need a ton of graphics! It dosen;t mean you can't display your awards, design teams, and favorite companies, but there isn;t a need to have a challenge badge from 5 years ago! Just create a page and have a running list of your accomplishments!! See my achievements page for an example!
• Music - NOT a good idea!! NOT a good idea!! NOT a good idea!! No one likes it, probably 99% of people (my guess anyway! LOL) click to get off that blog fast!! No one likes having music suddenly blaring out of there speakers, especially if they happen to be at the library!! 

Similar to Banner's you can do your own Layout/Design, use free elements or purchase custom/premade designs. Not too long ago i purchased a blog layout from Designer Blogs. They have lots of premade Banner's and Layouts (that are reasonably priced) along with custom options! I hope one day to be able to have a custom design!

Here are a few more blog designers to check out!
Tricia Nae Designs
Tiffany Kuehl Designs
Lilipop Desings
Blogaholic Designs

Ok i think i've talked your ear off enough!! Ha Ha!! Next time i'll be covering Blog Content, then we will be getting down and dirty with some cool tips and tricks to make your blog even BETTER!!!

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I don;t want to send you on your way with out a card using some Sweet Stamps!!! I made a easy to do CAS card with some post it's, ink, a stamp, and sequins! Visit my blog here to get all the details!!

Chemistry

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Also don't forget about Use What You Have Challenge #17!! You have until Tuesday to enter and use up some of that STASH!!!

I hope you all have a great day!!

Dana

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Throwback Thursday- Chemistry

Welcome back to another Throwback Thursday! I announced the winner for last weeks Throwback Thursday. You can check it our HERE to see if you won! :)

But I am back with this super fun set "Chemistry". Even if you are not a science-type kind of guy this set is so fun to play with along with all the GREAT sentiments included in it.

Check it out:

Chemistry

 I played around with a couple ideas and this week nothing was coming together...Then I had an aaah HA moment. I loved what Michelle Duffy did on her layout this past week with the vellum overlay! If you missed that post you can check it out HERE. I LOVE Love love vellum so I wanted to try out that technique since the rest of what I kept trying to do was such a flop.

Here is my card:

 I love how the vellum really tamed down my image and really allowed me to POP the rest of my elements away from it. AND, as you will notice, I used the Mini Periodic Table. But that stamp comes in a square so I tapped off the ones I did not want ink on and then stamped them all individually in a row. I then used my Aged Ivory Embossing Enamel from Stampendous on  a metal frame that was originally green and embossed to make it better match. (if you have never done this before PLEASE BE CAREFUL YOUR METAL WILL BE VERY HOT!!!!!!) This is by far one of my favorite crafting techniques! You can practically emboss anything you can get the powder to stick too. I love embossing my picture frames. I will use multiple colors which creates a fun marbled distress kind of a look. It really creates an awesome effect, I do say.

I just loved the sentiment "You have a heart of gold"  and I coincedentally had gold heart pins from My Minds Eye that I just recently picked up from my work!!! I attached a green chevron ribbon to add an extra little pop and voila!  Fun HUH???



Want to see more? Check out my blog HERE. I even have a little Zombies action going on :)

Thanks for stopping in for another week of Throwback Thursdays!

Nicole here - stealing a moment to say, today only you can run over to the shop and get this UBER popular set for $8. --- YEP EIGHT BUCKS! Today ONLY! (no code needed :) --- no other coupon codes can be used on this set. Thanks! 


ARE YOU A "MARTHA"  ????  Then boy, you won't want to miss out!!!

>>>>>>>>>>WELL Here Ya Go<<<<<<<<<<

And if you are interested in being a Sweet Stamp Shop designer, there is still time to apply. Check out all the details HERE. You will have until the 15th to apply!

Happy Crafting!!!!!
xoxo
Danni Pin It

Sweet Tooth Tuesdays - Glossy Accents

Hey Everyone! It's Danielle Pandeline here with your Sweet Tooth Tuesday fix! I know you have been at the edge of your seat waiting for the next tutorial.  Well, then today you are in for a SWEET TREAT! I am going to show you how to add a GLOSSY touch to your cards.

For this card I had fun with it and randomly placed items with lots of layers.  I used Afternoon Delight and Today Was from the Sweet Shop. 

After Noon Delight

Today Was

I also created this fun card using the same technique! I made this car with the idea that it would be great for a Science Fair Winner or a Straight A Student!  

Check out the dimension from the glossy accents! I know you want to Gloss everything now! lol

Chemistry

Lets recap on how to use Glossy Accents.

1) Use small circle motions
2) Never pick up the tip out of the liquid, to prevent bubbles
3) Tap on the underside of the cardstock to level the liquid and move bubbles
4) If you have bubbles, use a pin to pop them
5) Allow, to dry over night for best results

Several Sweet Stamps that would be fun to GLOSS up!

- The Splat on Chemistry set
- The Tea Pot on Afternoon Delight
- The Balloons on Admit One
- The Glasses on Geek Chic
- The Camera Lens on Lil Sweet Peps
- The Jars of Sweet are just begging for some GLOSS!

Tell me what fun SWEETS you would like to GLOSS Up!

Just a few reminders......

Don't forget to join us for our July Release. You can RSVP here on Facebook.

Be sure to check out our past SWEET Videos on our YouTube Channel here. There is some AWESOME Inspiration on the Sweet Channel.

GIVE-A-WAY alert! Scroll down to the next post or click HERE - and enter to win one of the new sets *before* you can buy it (or even see it!) 

Happy Stampin!
~Danielle Pandeline


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Challenge Me Friday - 10 Minute Craft Dash

Good Morning!

It's Tracy back with another Challenge Me Friday!  After entering several challenges the past weeks, you may be asking yourself....Where does she find all of these challenges?  Good question!  Most of the challenges I enter, I have found through other blogs that I follow.  Either those people are also entering the challenges or they are on the challenge design team.  There are also a few helpful websites that list all of the challenges every week.

One of those websites is Paper Playful, which is an awesome website that lists all of the challenges that are starting on a particular day.  So, if you go there today, it will list all of the challenges that start today.  It also lists all of the winners that were listed for that day.

This week I made a card for the 10 Minute Craft Dash feature Stars Challenge.

I like this challenge because sometimes we want to create something, but don't feel like we have the time to do it.  This challenge forces you to create a card within 10 minutes.  It is amazing how fast that time goes by!  The key is to make your card simple and have it planned out well in advance.  There is not a lot of time to second guess yourself...you just have to go with your first instinct!

Admit One

Chemistry

I made a video of myself making this card that you can see on my blog if you are interested.  You can see how somethings don't go as planned, such as a clogged Glossy Accents bottle ; )

Don't forget to stay connected with Sweet Stamp Shop on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Pinterest!

Have a great weekend!

~Tracy

Two quick reminders - 

1. Join us with our very own challenge 'Use What You Have' - check out the rules and how easy it is to play along HERE.

2. Our July release is coming around the corner - you'll wanna join us in the facebook event page for all the latest sneak peeks and to keep your eye out for our give-a-way! HERE

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