Pimped Up Blog

So, does anyone notice anything different around here today?  Maybe a new picture?  A pretty little header?  Some fancy buttons?  How about an Instagram slide show on the sidebar?  Yes, yes, yes, and yes!  We got an uplift around here!

Back when I was considered one of those non-blogging bloggers, I had no idea what was involved in creating or designing a blog, but lemme tell you that quickly changed a couple of months ago when I started my own.

If you ask me, I feel like I kind of dove into this blogging world a little backwards. When I first found out how to get started, I was so anxious that I was finally doing it, I just set up a basic template and then banged out a couple of posts right away.  A few days later I realized that I wanted to make this space a bit more appealing because after all, it was my space and I wanted it to look like me.  I also knew that no matter what words were typed on these pages, if it didn't look inviting, then people would probably skip over this blog as quickly as they skip over emails in their junk folder. 

So, I sat down one Saturday morning and I thought that by the time Sunday night rolled around after working my butt off, I was going to have this space transformed.  Boy was I wrong, oh so very wrong!  What I quickly realized was that it takes creativity, skill, and a whole lot of time, something that I was lacking in each of those departments.  I spent hours upon hours watching countless YouTube videos, and by the next day I almost had my google search bar wore out.  Hours had passed and the only thing I had managed to do was get my blog name centered. Seriously! You see, even when I'm given instructions and the tools are placed right in front of me, if those tools happen to be in HTML language...yeah, then we got a problem. Needless to say that by the end of that weekend, my "transformation" consisted of a picture, different colour font, and let's not forget about my centered blog name.

After a few weeks of picking and poking, I had to stop because it was taking up so much time that it was stopping me from doing what it was that I wanted to start in the first place.

And then entered Erin (well more like, and then I creeped around enough to find Erin) who is both a blogger and a blog designer who charges thirty-five dollars and actually transforms your blog.  Thirty-five dollars, you guys!!  I immediately emailed her and not even two weeks later we have an overhaulin' done here today.  She was seriously the sweetest, and not to mention the most patient person ever for having to put up with someone who didn't know what she was talking about when she asked if I wanted a two column or three column blog or if I could send her the links to my twitter and bloglovin acccounts.  Huh?  Say wha?

Thanks again to Erin for everything, I love it! My only regret is that I wish I had of known about her months ago because my life would have been made so much easier and I would have stopped contemplating just how dumb I would look if I bought one of those "blogging for dummy" books. 

No!
The hashtag should read.. #stopandpayerin