Tinkering with my blog using MDS2

I decided it was time to give the bloggie blog an updated look, since it had been neglected for so long on my part!  So tonight, I fired up the MDS2 that I just downloaded and worked on some background ideas.  At first, I tried out one of the DSP patterns, but didn't feel like it was quite the right look for me.  What I finally went with was a background I created myself using the Epic Overlays digital stamps and the Keep this Memory digital embellishments and the finished product is what you see in the background of my blog!  What do you think?  Would love to get your feedback. I started with an 8 1/2" x 11" custom landscape page, and this is what I filled it with:

Once I started, it was fun and easy to put together!  Then I uploaded it as my background in Blogger and viola!  I also created my new header the other day and just made a few tweaks on the sizing and layout.  That was a lot of fun, too :)

My next thing is updating my sidebar labels, so I hope to get those done in the next day or so.  What I found is that MDS2 is definitely a great digital app, not just for scrapbooking - it's an awesome tool for creating blog graphics!

Gonna call it a nite...it's late for me.  Chat with you all soon.

Yay! A simple way to number your comments in your blogger blog!

Hi again bloggie friends!  I just had to share that I finally found a way to easily number comments in my blog!  I know I'm probably late to the game on this, but I've tried before with other instructions...to no avail.  Thanks to the super easy tutorial on thecutestblogontheblock.com, I now have numbered comments - woohoo!  They break it down for you so it's pretty clean and simple to implement.  Now you'll see my comments are numbered like so:

Isn't that cool?  For those of you that do blog candy or any sort of giveaways, this now eliminates the need to count through your comments individually {and double count sometimes, as I do to make sure I counted correctly!}.  Hope you find this helpful!  Have a great day! 

Tinkering with the blog

Hi all! Hope you're having a better weekend than I am. I'm a little under the weather, so I haven't been very productive. I'm finding that being sick, achey and coughing is no fun at all! So, I've basically been lackadaisical at best and confined to the house {mainly on the couch}. Although, if you've visited my blog at various points this weekend, you'll have noticed that I've had some spurts of energy and have been tinkering with the background and changing my blog header. I think I like the one I've just created now with the little Cheep Talk bird. I've been playing with MDS and my new Sweet Pea download, which has the cute paper and felt flower images. They're super cute! But, I was drawn back to the bird from the Cheep Talk stamp set, as I wanted to simplify my header and make it smaller. Here's the other header I had on my blog yesterday, in case you missed it: What do you think? There are a lot of fun elements, but I think it turned out bigger than what I had wanted. So, my latest blog header is a little less "chunky" so you can see more of the page when you come and visit :) For those of you that have blogs and are curious as to what size my header is, I export the MDS image to a JPG and resize it in my Adobe Photoshop. I have a fixed width of 880 pixels across (since I have a 3 column blog), and I just keep the the length and width ratio aspect, so the length ends up being whatever that ratio maintains it to be. Hope that makes sense. If you guys have questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I'll answer back in the comments as well.

I hope to have another post later today, but I still gotta finish up the project, so we'll see. Hopefully, I'll get another spurt of energy! Thanks for visiting :)

Tweaking my blog layout

Just wanted to make a quick post to let you guys know that if you've come and visited on Sunday night, you may have experienced some random layout formats...that's cuz I've been doing some changes on the back end to make my blog a 3 column format. After a couple of tries, I finally got it! For those of you on Blogger that have a 2 column and want to convert to 3 column, I found some great instructions here from The Cutest Blog On The Block website. They've got some great tips and tricks for bloggers! Just thought I'd share :)

The reason why I wanted to switch to a 3 column is because my 2 column blog was getting a little too right-side heavy, if you know what I mean. My actual posts in the middle column would end, but the right column would just keep going, and going...etc. You get the gist. So, hopefully this layout will work out a little better. Now, I may need to adjust my header so it fits better in it's wider space. In the meantime, I hope you keep visiting...just pardon the dust ;) Have a good night!

Blog Makeover

Hi peeps! Happy Sunday! Not sure if you noticed, but my blog has a new look today. I thought it was time to change my background to a new color scheme, but then, after I changed it, the photo in my header didn't really "go" with it anymore, know what I mean? So, I thought I'd play with some ideas using MDS {My Digital Studio} and created this new blog header banner you see now. What do you think? I really had fun coming up with this!! Now that I know how easy it is to use all the different elements, like the stamps, embellishments, punches and colors, I think I'll be customizing my header to match my background more often!

The My Digital Studio program is now available for customers to order now, so you too, can have fun creating graphics and digital scrapbook pages and cards! There's a special this month where you can purchase My Digital Studio at 50% off when you host a workshop of $400 or more. The retail price: $79.95; promotional price: $39.97, when you use your free hostess dollars! Contact me for details!

I also wanted to let you know there's a clearance sale going on my Demonstrator Website right now! These are items that have been discontinued from prior catalogs and now they are available at super deep discounts. Shop now and take advantage of the savings! (Only US customers can order from my website...sorry, international friends!).

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Confessions of a craft blogger...

I came across a blog post today that made me laugh. Out loud even. Maybe because it struck a nerve with me, but I think the scenarios she described in her post have happened at least once, if not more often, to the the everyday paper crafts blogger. What am I talking about? First, you need to check out this post on Paperlicious's site. Did you read it? Well, before you continue reading, you should, cuz then the rest of my blog post will probably make more sense ;)

She frames the post as a "Dear Abby" sort of post where the blogger writes in frustration about why people arent' leaving her (or him) comments on their blog. This part is what I thought was funny - she gives a conventional feel good answer, as well as a more thought provoking kind of answer that I think rings true at least at one point or another to the craft blogger - she cites lots of examples of potential blog pitfalls. And, in the final analysis, she tells us...they just might not be that into you! Which, I thought was hilarious, because I am defintely one to admit, every now and then, I think..."Hmmm..why didn't people comment (or visit)?" And then my brain goes through every scenario: is my card just flat out ugly?...did I say something offensive?...did I commit some crafting faux pas...etc., etc., etc. And the self doubt begins to sink in. Well, it's at that point in time that I remind myself that:

{I'm doing this for fun...}
{I like sharing what I make..}
{Not everything will appeal to everyone all the time}
{And....IT'S OK!}

So I continue to push on. Another day, another post. Yay - comments. 1 or 2; none or lots. Ultimately, the fact of the matter is, I enjoy blogging and look forward to creating and sharing. So for all you fellow bloggers and dear readers, thanks for visiting, even if you don't comment. But if you like what you see, and you've never commented before, I challenge you to give it a try. Especially if you have your own blog! That way, I can come and visit you, too. No pressure, though. You can be a silent visitor...I'm ok with that.

I've enjoyed making friends with a lot of you out there, and it would have never happened if I never started this little blog. I appreciate you coming to see me at my "virtual home." Feel free to pop in for a quick sec or stay awhile - your choice :)

Have a good one. And THANKS, Paperlicious, for putting it all in perspective :)

Trying out a signature...

Since I've been playing with Adobe Photoshop Elements 7, I thought I'd add a signature to my posts. If you're familiar with creating a watermark, then adding a signature will be a piece of cake! If you need some instruction on how to create a signature, go here from www.thecutestblogontheblock.com. This handy little post also tells you how to add your signature to the posts as well!

(Note: It might be slightly different if you are using a different blog host.) Here's my first attempt to do so.

Have fun!