As of right now my work computer is either dead or doing a very, very good impression of a dead computer. Thankfully, I regularly back up my client files so I have everything, I just don’t have access to my programs (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc) I used my serial number to activate the second copy of photoshop on this new computer after my old laptop spazzed out on me and now I have no way of installing photoshop on another computer unless I purchase the program again. Which I planned on doing, but didn’t think it would be this way :( Anywhoo, what this means is that for the next few days (hopefully not more than a week!) I won’t be on chat as often (I’m currently using my daughter’s laptop) because I have to send out my computer to be diagnosed and hopefully repaired. If you’re a client of mine and you break the internet or something and need immediate access to me please feel free to call my work number (585)542-4872.
I get TONS of emails daily with questions regarding the Blogger freemades that I offer here. Readers wanting to know about a font I used on a particular design, others needing help with their image hosting, others wanting help modifying their templates into 3 columns or needing help adding items to their sidebars. Etc. Etc.
Up until recently I’ve been able to manage handling these emails along with the emails from prior, new or potential clients that have questions regarding their websites, hosting, or what have you. However, lately it’s become quite the task for me as we have been listed in various websites offering links to free blogger templates- thus increasing site traffic significantly. So, unfortunately at this time I have decided I can no longer offer support for the freemade blogger templates.
I will keep the existing freemades available for download and I will continue to post new freemades, however please note that support for these will no longer be available as of today March 27, 2008. I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause some of my visitors, but it is crucial for me to weed out the things that are unnecessarily keeping me from offering 100% of my attention to my paying clients.
I hinted about a new face around here the other day. So what a better day than today to introduce to you Maritza Cander. Maritza is my dear friend, a fabulously talented writer, mommy, wife, and as of recently has added illustrator to that list.
Maritza has been working with me behind the scenes as customer support, keeping me organized and caught up with all the emails and questions that get sent my way. Just recently, Mari was showing me some little things that she was doodling on PSP and I couldn’t believe how good she was! So good in fact that I’ve decided to feature some of her illustrations on some of my freemades and premades. And by all means if you see some of Mari’s work that you must have on your site please let me know- we’ll happily oblige. And I’m not sure how much workload Mari can handle, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind whipping up a custom illustration every now and then!
Click here to view some of Mari’s illustrations, and here to view some of the freebies she’s created for your enjoyment :)
Maritza’s Freebies for You!
Stitches in Blue Etsy Kit
Buttons Etsy Kit
If you’d like to speak to Mari about creating a custom illustration, Etsy Kit, banner, or any other graphic for you, feel free to contact her at maritza[at]betterinpink.com .
I think this is the one question I get asked the most, so instead of emailing each person separately, I thought I’d do a quick tutorial on the subject and link it for future reference. The first thing you will need to add your blog title to your new template is an image editor. Not just any image editor, like Picassa but one that will allow you to add text to your images. I’ve linked a few resources (free) online below. For this tutorial, I’ve used picnik since it was the first one that came up for me on google.
Picnik
FotoFlexer
Online-Image Editor
Part I – Editing your Image
Upload the blank header image that was included in the zip file you downloaded to the site.
Click on the “Create” tab.
Click on the “Text” tab.
Add your blog title in the text field and select your font, size and color preferences.
Drag your text into desired position.
Click on the “Save and Share” tab.
Click on “Save Photo” button.
You now have your edited header image which you can upload to imageshack, photobucket or any other free image hosting service of your choosing. I always use imageshack because it’s easy and requires no registration ;) But you can easily upload your image right into photobucket from Picnik if you have an acccount already.
Part II -Linking your new image
Once you have your image hosted, copy your image url.
Log into your blogger account and select “layout” from the dashboard.
Click on “Edit Html”
Scroll down to where you see the link to the sample header image. You’re looking for something similar to this snippet of code:
#header-wrapper {
background:url(“http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/5567/headerzo3.gif”) no-repeat;
Replace the image url with the url of your newly hosted and edited image and preview your template before you save your changes. Voila!
