Hosting Renewed!

Many thanks to Kathy for her very generous donation! I will be able to renew my hosting and domain name through the end of the year. So, don't change your backgrounds just yet or if you have, come grab your old one. They will be good through December!

~Dani

The Time Has Come to Say Goodbye!

If you have been keeping up with my blog, you've probably heard that I am quitting my blog. I have been contemplating this for months, maybe even a year, and finally have decided that I just don't have time for it. I love writing tutorials and helping people fix up their blogs, but it really sets me back in my family and personal life. I have posted my last tutorial and will no longer be posting designs or tutorials. Also, I will not be doing any more custom designs.

I have considered just leaving my blog as it is but there are a few problems with this. Without doing custom designs, I don't make any money on this blog. No big deal, except that this blog is not free for me. In order for me to offer background and design images for readers to put on their blogs, I have to store the images on the web. To do this costs money, about $10/month in addition to the yearly fee for my domain name (making my blog a .com instead of a .blogspot.com) and another fee to keep my personal info private through my hosting service. I have considered putting advertising on my blog, but I feel like if I am going to ask people to pay me for advertising then I should post regularly on my blog. Because I can't do that, I can't ask.


So, what does this mean for all of you? 

   1. My blog will stay on the web.
All of my tutorials will stay put. They may get outdated, but they will still be here as a resource. If I do not renew my domain name (blogdesignsbydani.com), then you will find my blog at http://blogdesignsbydani.blogspot.com.

   2. What about my backgrounds, headers and template? 
In order for me to make all of my designs accessible to you, I have had to upload them all to a web hosting service, as I mentioned above. I have renewed my hosting service through the beginning of June. So before that, nothing will change. I won't be posting any more designs, but all of my backgrounds, headers and templates will still be available for use through the beginning of June. Now, if enough of you are dying to still use my free designs and you are willing to donate to my blog, I can keep my hosting service. I pay 3 months at a time to get a good discount, so I would need 3 months worth (about $35 for 3 months of service). If that is not the case, then when the 3 months are up, all of my design images will be gone.

If people do donate, I will post updates on whether I have received enough to extend my hosting service as well as dates that the designs are still available.

If I end my hosting service, I will likely cancel my domain name when it expires in September. If that is the case, you will find my blog at http://blogdesignsbydani.blogspot.com. My designs will not be there but my tutorials will still be there.

Update: I received a generous donation to my blog allowing me to keep my hosting through the end of the year (2013). This means that my free designs (backgrounds, headers and templates) will be available through December of 2013. Thank you, thank you to a kind reader!

3. Open Comments
I have been moderating my comments because I really hate spam-like comments. Also, people are more careful about what they post when they know it will be moderated. I honestly haven't deleted any comments other than spam. (Not all spam is caught by Blogger.) But since I won't be reading comments regularly, I will not moderate comments in the future. This means that if someone posts a question and you know the answer, please answer it for me. Also, if anyone posts anything offensive or spam-like, please email me and I will delete it.

4. I will keep my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest Accounts
I will keep these social networking accounts and I may post now and then if I find interesting things on the web. I am often on Pinterest, so you can definitely find my pins there. :)



A few last words of advice

I am very sad to quit this blog, but when I finally made the decision, I felt so strongly that it was the right thing to do. I want to thank all of you for your support. I have learned so much from this blog in the last few years. Before I go, I would like to offer a few final tips for designing your own blog:

  1. Always back-up your template before making any changes to your blog, even little ones. You never know when you might delete a semi-colon or a bracket by mistake and now your entire blog is a mess. Here is my tutorial on How to Back-up Your Template.

  2. Keep a journal of all the changes you make. Sometimes it takes a while for you to notice that one of your blog modifications is causing a lot of problems. If you don't know what you did or where you found the tutorial, you are going to have a very hard time fixing it. So record specific tutorial links along with a description of the changes you made with it.

  3. Before you alter the HTML/CSS of your blog, try to learn as much as you can so that you know what you are doing. When you post random codes onto your blog and then try to fix them, you may find an even bigger mess than you started with. Learn the basics of HTML and CSS. Creative Bloq has a list of the Top 20 Online Training Resources for anyone interested in learning more about web design. I have used #1 and 10 from that list and recommend those for beginners.

  4.  Keep your blog simple. Too many busy designs distract readers and make it hard to find what they are looking for. Create simple, easy to find navigation and always include contact information. Your navigation can be through Blogger's pages where you can create vertical and horizontal navigation bars or you can create a Drop-Down Navigation Bar. And if nothing else, at least use good labels for your posts that can be accessed through your sidebar.

5. Read the comments section of tutorials. Often readers have the same questions when they do a tutorial and the answers to those questions are often found in the comment section. Also if you, as a reader, know the answer to a question in a comment, don't be afraid to respond. It is hard for a blogger to respond to every question posted. Help each other out, especially now that I won't be responding to comments on this blog in the future.

If you have any other words of advice that you think should be added to the list, post it in the comments section.


Resources
 I know that there are a lot of blogs that are very similar to mine and I want to create a list of links to help you with your blog. If you have any to add to the list, please do so in the comments.

The following blogs offer free or custom designs and/or tutorials. Check them out:

Smitten Blog Designs  Free and Custom templates, Blogger and Wordpress, as well as other free printables
Designer Blogs  Custom and Pre-Made Blog Designs, Blogger and Wordpress
Makin' Cute Blogs  Free Backgrounds and Tutorials
Leelou Blogs  Free and Custom Blog and Social Networking Designs
A Mommy's Blog Design Custom and Pre-Made Blog Designs, Blogger and Wordpress plus a few useful resources for blogging
Hot Bliggity Blog  Free and Custom Blog Designs
The Cutest Blog on the Block  Free and Custom Blog Designs, Blogger and Wordpress
Shabby Blogs  Free Backgrounds and other Extras, Custom Designs, Tutorials
Kevin and Amanda Very diverse blog including Blog Tutorials, Photoshop Tutorials, etc. (see her right side bar for tutorials)


These sites have links to a number of blog designers. I have not been to most of them, but feel free to check it out:
Custom Blog Designers
Simply Blog it Backgrounds (Designers listed in sidebar)
Mama of 3 Munchkins


Thank you all again for following and supporting my blog! I wish you all the best of luck with your blogs!

~Dani

Out with the Old and in with the New

Most of you have been using Blogger's new interface for a while now and are hopefully getting used to the great new features. There are tons of new features to help you customize your blog without having to touch the html/css. However, there was one feature that I really loved about the old interface. The Minima template. This was a basic template that was so easy to alter to add custom design elements to your blog. For a while, even if you were using the new interface, you could switch back to the old interface, add the Minima template to your blog, and then switch back. Unfortunately, Blogger has finally gotten rid of the old interface. The option to switch back is no longer available.

You may remember that my Free Backgrounds required the use of the Minima template. Don't worry, I have updated my instructions to help you add my Free Backgrounds using the newer Blogger templates. You can read these instructions here:

How to Add a Free Background

If you still want to use the Minima template, you can use either of my 2 modified versions. Below are links to a Wide 2-Column template and a 3-Column template. You can use the 3-Column background code for either of these templates.

Wide 2-Column Template

3-Column Template

With the new Blogger templates, you may want a few of these tutorials as well:

How to Center Your Header Image

and 

How to Center Your Header Text

Remember, to use any of my designs you must link back to my blog with my button in your sidebar (unless my "designs by dani" tag shows up on your Free Background). Here is a link to my button with instructions:

How to Add My Blog Button

Please let me know if you have any questions about my tutorials. 

Thanks for visiting my blog and using my designs!!

Dani

Updated Templates

Some of you may have noticed that my free templates have been acting weird. The Blogger navigation bar that you see at the top (with the links to write a new post or edit the design of your blog) suddenly jumped to the sidebar. Blogger may have changed a few settings causing the template to malfunction. Fortunately, I figured out how to fix it by just adding a few extra lines of code to the template. So, if you currently have one of my templates, please go back to my Free Templates, find the html code and copy/paste the template again. If you have forgotten how, please read through the instructions and ALWAYS backup your old template before adding a new one.

Free Templates

Thanks!

Dani 

Header Problems

Are any of you having problems with my headers? A few readers have complained of the headers being too big. Lately the "Shrink to Fit" button hasn't been shrinking my headers down to the right size for many blogs. If you are having this problem, please leave a comment or email me. I will resize the header for you and post a new code. Be sure to tell me which header you want.

Thanks,
Dani

Updated Button Code

Hi Everyone,

With all the updates to the codes, I forgot to update my own button. Be sure to grab a new code for my button here or on my sidebar:

<center><a href=http://www.blogdesignsbydani.com/><img src="http://bdbd.blogdesignsbydani.com/Dani Button.png"/></a></center>

All Old Codes Are Now Gone

I deleted the last of my designs from my Photobucket account, my free templates. I hope everyone was able to grab a new code and maybe a new design before it was deleted. If not, please search through my free designs and find a new one. Thanks everyone for continuing to support my blog through all of that. I will try to post a new tutorial soon!

~Dani

Update to Background Tutorial

Do you guys remember my tutorial about How to Make Your Own Blog Background? Well, I've had a couple readers have a problem with the background showing up really small on their blog. Did anyone else have the same problem? Luckily, it is an easy fix and I have updated my instructions to help you. Check it out: How to Make Your Own Blog Background!

Backgrounds with Old Codes are Deleted

I have deleted all of my backgrounds with the old codes now. If you did not update yet, please look through my free backgrounds to get a new one with an updated code. I will delete the templates this weekend (possibly Monday).

Sorry for the mess. Thanks for supporting my blog!

~Dani

Headers with Old Codes are Deleted

Hi Everyone,

I have started removing the designs from my Photobucket account. I have only deleted the headers today. Tomorrow, I will do as many of the backgrounds as I can. Then I will delete the templates, maybe Saturday, but probably on Monday.

If you haven't updated your code yet, please do so now! Remind your friends too!

Thanks!
Dani

Last Reminder!!

Hi everyone!

I'm so sorry that I haven't posted anything new all month. I wanted to leave the post at the top reminding everyone to change their codes and explaining how to do it. Also, I have just been so busy with custom designs and just life in general. To make things even harder, my little one has dropped down to just one short nap during the day, leaving me VERY little time to get anything done!

Anyway, here's your last reminder to change your codes. I said to do it by Thursday the 20th, but I may not get to deleting the old ones until this weekend...but do it soon before you forget!

I'll try to get some new stuff up in the next few weeks. Do you want backgrounds, templates, headers? What do you want the most?

Thanks!
Dani

Time to Renew Your Codes

Hello Everyone,

I have a VERY important update for everyone. Since my blog has been growing, I have decided that I can no longer store my images on Photobucket. I simply have too many images. Instead, I have setup my own hosting account where I can store all of my images. As a result, I have had to change all of the codes for the backgrounds, headers, and templates.

This means that everyone that uses any of my designs will need to come back to my blog to get a new updated code for their blog by October 20. After this date, I will be deleting all of my designs from my Photobucket account.

If you do not update your code by this time, your background will disappear. 

I will temporarily change my tag (the one you see in the top left corner of my free backgrounds) so that it contains a warning to update the code. However, if you have friends using my templates or headers or whatever, please tell them to update their code. I would hate for anyone to lose their designs unexpectedly.

I know this is such a pain for everyone...believe me, it took me forever to change all the codes. But it had to be done.

Thank you everyone for supporting my blog!

~Dani

p.s. If you have updated recently, just look through the code and make sure you don't see the word "Photobucket". If you do see "Photobucket", you need to update your code.

Update:
If you are confused about how or where to find the updated codes, let me explain. To replace your old code with a new one, simply search through my free backgrounds (or free headers or templates) and find either the background you are currently using or a new one. Then, copy the code just like you did before. Then, go to your blog and find the gadget that contains the html for your background. Delete the old html and replace it with the new html that you just copied. 

Any code currently on my blog is an updated code.

You must update BEFORE October 20 to avoid losing your background.

If you have used one of my free headers, you may or may not have to update your header code depending on how you put it on your blog:

•  If you saved the header to your computer and edited it yourself, then you don't need to update the code.
• If you simply copied the code below the header and pasted it into the Header gadget, then you DO need to get an updated code.   

If you have any other questions, feel free to email me or leave a comment. Thanks!

Custom Design Update

For those of you interested in my Custom Designs, please read my update here.

Backgrounds to be Deleted

A month or two ago I said I needed to delete the backgrounds that no one was using so that I could free up more space for my images. I have gone through and made a list of the backgrounds that no one has left any comments on, indicating to me that they were using them or were interested in them. I am only considering the old ones from 2009. If you have one of my old backgrounds, please look through this list and leave a comment on this post if you would like one of these to be kept. Click on the title to go to the post with that background.

Fun with Circles
Bubble Madness
Green Foliage
Rows of Flowers
Pink Grungy Swirls
Black n White Design
Green Embellished Swirls
Red n Orange Squares
4th of July: USA Flag
Stripes n Bubbles
Blue n Brown Diagonal Stripes
Blue n Green Diagonal Stripes
Trees
Red, Blue n Green Circles
Purple Plaid n Flowers
Blue Plaid n Flowers
Lime Green n Flowers
Lime Green Flowers n Stripes

Yellow, Red and Green Plaid and Stars
Wide Woven Blue

Pink n Orange Button
Falling Flowers - Pink
Falling Flowers - Blue
Falling Flowers - Purple

Blue Beveled
Multi-Colored Diamonds and Stripes
Sepia Striped Grain
Pink Flowers
Blue Flowers
Blue Torn
Brown n White n Orange
Brown n White n Pink

Green Circles
Green Waves
Green Swirls
Purple Stripes
Stars n Squiggles
Orange Squiggles
Wide Woven Pink 2
Wide Woven
Woven Black n White
Tulips, Tulips
Tulips

New Designs Will Stay

If any of you have been worried from my last post that your background will be deleted, please don't. The backgrounds I am thinking of removing are my very early ones from 2009. If you are using any of those or love any of them, please check the corresponding box so that I know and do not delete it.

Thanks,
~Dani

I Need Your Input!

Hello Everyone!

I am in need of your help. In order to run this blog, I have to store all the images that I post which takes up a lot of space! I know that there are some of my backgrounds and headers, mostly my older ones, that nobody uses. I want to delete those older backgrounds that nobody uses, but I need your help so that I don't delete ones you are using.

I need you to put a check next to "Used It" for the backgrounds you are using now or will be using (if it is a seasonal background). I don't want to delete anyone's background, but I need more space, so spread the word to your friends! I won't delete any for 2-3 weeks, but do it now before you forget!!

Thanks!!

~Dani