Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Won't somebody please save me...

from my boring template!!!

It's no secret, even to the casual observer, that I am completely maladroit at any sort of technical upgrades to my blog - short of simply adjusting the color background, that is. I go from blog to blog, admiring the beautiful window candy, witty pictures and then come back here and want to throw a brick through my blog's window.



Won't someone help me please? We could have a contest in which I could award a prize to the template designer (no professionals need apply/just saavy blogger friends). I'm thinking this THING might be just the giveaway. What? I'll have you know that is a work of art! Okay, okay - I'll rummage about a bit more.


Give it some thought. If you want to charge your friend, just do so at a deep discount. Of course, being the control freak that I am (in a nice knowing what I like sort of way), I'd have to have complete editorial imput (in a polite yet determined manner). I work well with others, especially in light of keeping up with my daily dosage of meds.

Please know that I am only half kidding and half desperate here. Any advice is appreciated, say even how to make a blog banner on my own. Should I learn Photoshop or would that be another exercise in futility? I know that I may just have to pony up some do re mi to get the look I want. Or I could just quit blogging and stop wasting my time.

There, happy?

21 comments:

Ariel the Thief said...

I am excited. Like repainting everything, buying new furniture and all, exciting even when the neighbour does. I can hardly wait to see your new template.

tsduff said...

zkpaecdPersonally, I really like blue. Soothes the savage beast - (or crow) :) I am happy with things as they are.

I'm the kind of girl who has trouble even moving the living room furniture around (I kid you not - the Bear I keep company with does it on a semi-regular basis and it always throws me for a loop) I imagine I would be excited to move, but I haven't done that for many years. And I live in my Grandmother's home, which I grew up knowing all my life. sigh. East Coast Sis - I can't help here. Rah rah - cis boom bah - I wish you creative ideas, rah rah rah. :)

saving-faith said...

If you are recruiting volunteers in your campaign for better creatives may I please join?

Anonymous said...

Well I am an absolute novice when it comes to banners or anything to do with computers...luckily I gave birth to a Graphic Designer...well he was a baby first :)
I made my banner for To Live A Creative Life...it was easy...now if you want something simple like that I can walk you through it.
Brian did the banner on my TypePad Leikur og List.

Doug The Una said...

I only know how to change the colors and fonts or I'd do it for free. I'm pulling for you and your artistic friend, whomever he or she may be.

Anonymous said...

Good luck. I don't even know how to change colors.

Mother Theresa said...

I'll help you if you want. Why don't you e-mail me and tell me what you'd like to do with it. I can't promise miracles, but I did manage to fix my template up okay. Here's my e-mail: theresaosinga at yahoo.es

Heather said...

You know for banners and such I know several people who went to Etsy.com and posted that what they wanted/needed such and such done...bada-bing-bada-boom, they had a banner, cards, and design motif in about three days, cost about 75.00...and they had several great people to choose from and work with. Just an idea. :) I like simple easy to read myself, yeah...I'm a big fan of simple.

Anonymous said...

Now now, G, what did you learn about taking your toys and going home when your friends didn't play up to your expectations. A good move, say I! - not the quitting blogging but the blackmail. You could try an online course. Take that practical advice. PPLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

Anonymous said...

I like your blog anyway it is

As for me I'm thinking of packing it in--have fancy template but people read from readers and a certain commenter above claims he can't find mine Other's claim the words break etc

All I want is to write and not spend half or much more of my time thinking about technical advances in blogging

A new template is fun but technical retards such as me live in fear of deleting the key to the entire blog

I love the picture on the side bar

Claire said...

Me too!!! I hate the way my blog looks but I'm a technotard...wah, wah, wah!

Jonah K. Haslap said...

Ha. Throw a brick through the blog window. Reminds me of how when I was a kid, I was convinced that the people were actually inside the television set. My parents told me otherwise, but I never trusted them. I still don't, except with flat screen tvs, those actors have to be super-skinny.

Tom & Icy said...

I agree with Pia, thinking about what we write. It is the content that counts 99 percent. We love your blog because it is creative, and frills and fancy (distracting) backgrounds are NOT being creative. It's what you write about and the pictures you put up that is creative. It may be nice to change colors or fonts occasionally, but putting in picture backgrounds and borders can be nerve racking and cause you to loose everything if you don't first have basic understanding of CSS computer language. Fancy templates can hurt the eyes and make reading the blog difficult. Do what you do so well! Just be yourself and be creative through what you post. Getting a cold slap in the face when we click on a blog is not being creative. When I think of some of the things you wrote in the past, now THAT is creative. But if you do try, click on save a copy of original template so if you mess up you can go back. And good luck.

Jeff and Charli Lee said...

If I was worried about template design I wouldn't have a pure white blog with a homemade header.

But as Billy Joel would say, I love you just the way you are. ;-)

Sweet and Salty said...

Wow! You sure got a few offers to help you out. Wish I could help, but I'm graphically challenged.

Minka said...

well, i am not the right person, but i am excited to sit in the background and observe. For my blog is getting a make-over as well. Good luck!

robkroese said...

I'm a little burned out on template design right now. Sorry. :)

Anonymous said...

please don't go away!!!

G said...

I do intend to get back here and comment but I wanted to say thank you - for your enthusiasm, your offers, your kind and wise words as to what's truly important - for your perspectives.

For that alone, blogging is a great friendship.

Ariel the Thief said...

Truly important is truly important and a new template is a new template. Let's not confuse. :-P

G said...

Ariel, leave it to you to clarify things ;)