Being Creative - Fun with Blog Decoration: Headers, Backgrounds, Blog Buttons, and Post Dividers

Hello everyone. I've had so much fun the last couple of days making blog backgrounds, headers, blog buttons, etc. Although it does not replace my love of burning my fingers with hot glue, getting paint everywhere and sweeping up paper punch scraps, I'm having fun using my creativity in a different way. So I thought I would share a few of the things I've made. I love the zippers!  

The "zipper" headers began from a photo I took of a green zipper I had on hand. I used Paint.Net to make the background transparent and then Picmonkey to change the color.

 

 

 

The design around my blog name is just a photo of a die cut

I believe this is a Spellbinders Die

This is the header I made for my YouTube account. It started from a photo I took of lace.

 

Then I made a blog background to go with it. I got the sewing stitch from Sweetly Scrapped who has a lot of beautiful things to use.

 

I didn't really like this blog header.

 

 

Now, what about a Blog Post Divider?

 

Although I had to cut the zipper into sections to make it straight and longer. I think it worked out well. So well, that I'm now using it on my blog.

To say the least it's exciting to discover how to do new things and to think that anything I take a picture of can be turned into something useful and creative. I still have plenty to learn and try and to me that's what crafting, art and being creative is all about. So try something new and challenge yourself. You could end up opening up a whole new genre and become addicted :)

If you would like to see how to make an image usable for headers, backgrounds, etc. check out my tutorial here.

Happy Crafting!

 Copyright © 2014 Angela Conklin - Heartedly Handcrafted

All Rights Reserved

The Easiest Way and Best Directions to Make a Blog Button I've Found on the Web

 Hello and welcome to...

Last October I was a newbie to blogging. It was an exciting time and an overwhelming one. I wanted to share my crafts with people, but I didn't even understand what a widget was. In February with more experience and confidence I chose to make my own blog button.

Honestly, I just wanted one because I thought they were cute. The process should have been simple, after all I was seeing cute little blog buttons everywhere, but for whatever reason every time I tried to make one something went wrong. Talk about frustrating! 

In the end I placed my button in a post and gave up. So here I am, eight months into blogging and I finally have a button. I found Lyla Willingham's Blog, The Willingham Enterprise

The How-to provided is excellent and now I have my own blog button. It looks great and more importantly it works!

There are 5 steps provided which I encourage anyone who wants a button to follow.

1. Design your button
2. Upload the button
3. Use this great "Grab My Button" Code Generator
4. Copy and paste the the code into your blog post or a text widget in your sidebar or footer
5. Save and preview the page

After you go through the first two steps you'll be at the Code Generator. It didn't take much to figure out, but for a moment after filling it out I sat there looking at it and wondering where the button to get my code was. I could have cared less about "Preview", all I was thinking was, "Where's the button to "Submit". So let me break that down quickly and simply with a few photos.

I may just be more dense than most, so if anyone is in the dense category with me, this is for you.

The parts you want to fill out are circled in red. When your done filling it out, click "Preview".

When you click Preview, this window will pop up. Click "Get Code"

Then you will see the Code Generator again and at the bottom will be the code you need to copy and paste.

That's all there is to it!

So check out the The Willingham Enterprise tutorial and get your own :)
 

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated or associated with the link I've directed you to. I just think it's a great tutorial.

Happy Crafting and Blogging!