New Look ~New Template

The Stonybrook House Home Page

Have you seen it? Have you seen it? Well, I guess you have if you’re reading this…. Smile with tongue out
I am so thrilled right now! This new look makes me want to blog more!

A blogger friend, Linda, from Life and Linda, does blog redesigns as well as tablescapes and other lovelies on her blog.

Life & Linda

Anyway, I saw some of the the new designs she did and was immediately drawn to one of the templates she uses. I was considering having her do the complete redesign. But if you know me, I’m kind of a hands on, DIYer, plus a control freak and I wanted to try to do it myself. Of course, I was scared to death I was going to mess something up. HTML code can be VERY intimidating!!! But I’d been dabbling in it here and there… So I gathered up my courage and took the plunge!

Linda directed me to the Etsy Shop where I could buy the template.  It was the best spent $18.00! This is the designer of the template I purchased, Omar Wraikat.
Omar website

He has several templates to choose from. You can check them out at his website or his Etsy Store.
I purchased the Charm template and it was super easy to navigate.  Plus, Omar gave instructions with it to make it even easier! Also, he was so prompt answering all my questions.

I still can’t believe, I did it! I’ve been wanting to change the look of my website for over a year, and just didn’t have the courage to do it. I also couldn’t have done it without Linda.  She was always so ready and willing to help me. She understands code much more than I do. Thank you, thank you, Linda! Please all of you reading… please drop by her website or Facebook page and give her some love.

And if you are in need of a redesign, and have no HTML understanding, check her out!

But, if you do have a bit of HTML understanding, you can do this! I am proof!

So, I want to share with you just how easy it was for me to do. This is the the basic template you are given. It’s just a screen shot.
Charm Template

This is not a tutorial, this is hopefully a confidence booster to those that are curious about changing templates on your website. Or those that are just curious to see how easy it can be. :)

Now, I have my blog on Blogger. So, this is a Blogger Template. I love being on Blogger and will never change.  My website has never been down, to my knowledge, nor has it been hacked, which I am so very thankful for! I know there is this HUGE debate on Blogger vs. Wordpress. I won't even go there... But Blogger has been great for me, plus it has always been free, which is a wonderful bonus. :)

Anyhoooo....There are a few things I love about this template.
1. It’s clean looking. Everything is contained.
2. Drop down options on the Nav bar. I have been wanting them for years!!! I still have work to do there…
3. The slider option under the Nav bar. Love it!!
4. There are so many options to change.
5. EASY to work with!

So, basically, I started at the top. You can change colors and choose which social media you want to put in that bar.
Home Page . social media icons


Then I created a simple basic header to insert.  Btw… My daughter is a graphic designer, and I asked her to design a new header for me! Yay!
Home Page. upload header


Then on to the Navigation Bar. Love this option of dropdowns…. Lots of work still to do, but I’m excited to do it!!
Home Page. nav bar


Next is the clickable slider images. Right now I have them set not to slide, I may change that. I just love the option.
Home Page.image slider


The gadgets on the side were just like my old template.  You just add them in and move them where you want. Linda showed me a new one for Instagram!
gadgets on homepage. clean and easy


Lastly, I really like how each post is separate on the home page. Plus the easy to find “continue reading button”.
posts on homepage. cont reading

It was easy working on the “test blog”…but I was soooo nervous going ‘live’. Transferring everything over and hoping it wasn’t all wonky.

For the most part it went pretty smooth. Like I’ve already said a ton of times, it was so comforting having Linda in my corner to help me out!

So, it’s done! Yay! Now, it’s time to get to work and finish it up… well, maybe it will never be completely finished. There’s always something in the world of blogging. But right now, I’m relishing in the fact, that I DID IT!! This has given me such a sense of accomplishment! Yay, me!

Blessings,

2 comments

  1. Hi Lori, your blog looks fantastic. I am so glad you are loving this Charm template by Omar. He is creating some wonderful templates that are easy to install, navigate and more. Great customizations too. You did a great job and it was my pleasure to assist you. Thanks so much for the great review. I know omar really appreciates it too!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Linda! You really were a huge help to me!

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