I’ve been a little quiet lately but it’s because I’ve had something major up my sleeve. Major as in, a complete blog overhaul. We’re talking theme, header, colors, & hell, why not even a completely new framework?
But the rub came when Every. Single. One. of the designers I drooled over was completely booked & me? I’m not a patient person. (My doctor claims that I just feel “very intensely” & when I asked her if that was psycho-babble for having a horrible personality, she just laughed. Which, of course meant YES. So last week I paid $180 for her to tell me that I’m a control freak with a horrible personality.)
So I decided to do the switcharoo myself & after four hours & lots of vodka & even more cursing, the new site was up & running. I was practically sweating with panic after a particularly harrowing encounter with a deleted dashboard & by 8:30pm, Doug kissed me on my forehead & ran scared retreated to the master bedroom.
p.s. Its not “recommended” that I drink on my meds because it makes you super-drowsy, but I wasn’t planning on operating any forklifts & everyone knows you can’t dick around with your cPanel unless your glass has 40% alcohol by volume.
Why the change?
I’ve just been feeling…boxed in. Stale. I had been running the same theme for roughly two years & felt it no longer really suited what I hope for in this little space on the internet. It felt so cluttered & IN YOUR FACE! BOOM! I wanted something cleaner & more streamlined that still felt like a blog, not website.
I have this theory about the evolution of blogs (based on my own limited experience, of course) & it goes something like this:
(the smelly pirate is my favorite because he’s all, world domination, duh.)
So here I am. In my new space which feels like a breath of fresh air where I can tell irreverent jokes & pour out my heart & talk about toddler poop because really, what else is there in life?
LOVE this!!!
I love it! I loved the old but I love the new too
Every once in a blue moon change for ourselves is a good thing. It is even better when we act on it on our own.
one word … LOVE!!!!
Very nice! Did you do it yourself? I’ve been trying to redesign mine but doing it myself is so…ugh.
Duh. I didn’t mean to ask if you’d done it yourself, but rather, how? I’ve been trying in WordPress to redesign (moving from Blogger) and what I think should be easy is like totally UNEASY. I refuse to pay someone (b/c I have no $ to pay someone!) so I guess it’ll come down to me continuing to just screw around with it.
Email me, okay??
You don’t have to pay to move from Blogger to WordPress.com, but you will need a host if you want a WordPress.org site (like what I have, where I can customize stuff). But a host is roughly $100 for the year & the gal I use will move you from Blogger to WordPress.org.
Otherwise, I can totally help you with moving from Blogger to WordPress.com
Love the new look;-) so fresh and clean (thank you, Outkast)
Oh look there’s Sally in the background of the picture!
File this under a comment that doesn’t have anything to do with the post.
Everyone wave to Sally!
I LOVE it. I’m dying for re-do but it’s just not in the cards right now…$$$. The holidays are WAY too close for wallet comfort
Email me, lady.
LOL. I am in the first category still but looking forward to my transformation into the pirate. Or Brain from Pinky and the Brain… “What do you want to do tonight Brain?” “The same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world!!”
I LOVED Pinky & the Brain! NARF!!!
I think the second stage is absolutely necessary for everyone because it really lets you figure out what the eff you’re doing
I love it. Very classic.
Clean and beautiful. Love it.
Very clean and modern…beautiful! Good for you
LOL as there’s currently a free yogurt giveaway on my blog today. Ha! Guess that means I’ve ventured over to category two?!
I love the change & so I’mpressed that you kick assly did it yourself. The photos, font & colors in the header are so perfectly you! Great job BA!
Suz, I laughed so hard the moment I put the picture up because I was like…wait. Suzie has a yogurt giveaway up.
But then again, YoCrunch? It’s the bees knees. I go through that stuff like Sherman went through Atlanta.
love it! looks great
It looks awesome!
Oooh, pretty! I can’t believe you did all this yourself, though. Dude. That there is what we non-techie folks call “bravery.”
Also, I feel like I’m stuck somewhere between the two non-smelly pirate people without being the smelly pirate. I’m aware of my audience, check GA occasionally, love Twitter and Facebook, have my little BlogHer-mandated ads, and receive the occasional lame PR pitch that I promptly delete, but am otherwise just doing my thang. And I’m OK with that.
God, I hope I never become the smelly pirate.
I love it and I am beyond jealous and impressed that you did it by yourself!
Whoop, whoop! Looks great!!
I REALLY like the new design! I think you did a great job. I want to do this to mine, but I haven’t gotten the guts to go crazy and just do it yet. Maybe you will inspire me to get a move on.
I love it so much I want to copy it! Ha ha just kidding, kinda of… But really, I love it, very much along the lines of what I’m wanting to do on my blog. I love the subtle colors. I’ve just been avoiding it because I know I’ll destroy something and my blog will explode. Or the entire internet. Who knows.
Nonetheless good work, the blog looks great!
wow love the new look! and it’s so easy to navigate too!
adorable!!! how the heck do you know how to do this on your own?!?!
Google!!
Seriously. If you know enough jargon & basic HTML stuff, people write on forums & blogs how to do it!
BA, looooooove it!!!! (sing that like Oprah and you’ll get what I’m going for there) And I don’t want to be a smelly pirate!
But in all seriousness, the new site looks incredible. You did an amazing job and I’m totally jealous of your skillz!
Um. I LOVE IT. And I am in awe, total and complete awe that you did it all yourself. I love the bright and clean look. And the bird. SO glad you kept the bird. I do miss the blue and the space I’ve come to know as my third home (mine’s second) but I know exactly what you mean about a new look inspiring you to write and create again.
Just a quick FYI – my iPhone has a super hard time leaving a comment. I tried twice and gave up because it took so long. :/
<3
Awesome! Also? I would love to be the pirate for a while. Also, also? I hope you start posting more often again. I miss you.
This is adorable. I have to say, just so much more inviting, open and airy than before. Not that the last one was bad or anything, this is just….*breathe*. So calm. Perfect. And I absolutely, 100% ADORE that graphic. And had to laugh. A lot. it totally rings truth. tehehe.
Firstly, I love the new design. Light & airy!
Secondly, I’m glad I’m not the only one who has been told that they feel things very intensely. Oh psycho-babble…you make me feel less like a nut
Love it. Also, love the blog evolution. That’s FABULOUS!
the new place looks AND feels fabulous. fresh air, indeed!
LOVE the new space! It is very inviting, and calming, and wonderful.
Love the new design! And love you! I wish I was as awesome as you
We must do lunch soon. I need some BA time!
Snazzy new digs!
Love the new look! Amazing job.
And the “blog” evolution? Hilarious and probably true. I’m still in the “I post on Blogger and have no clue what I’m doing” stage.
LOVE the new look!! Way to go doing it yourself!
BA love it! Hard work paid off I would say. This is good timing for me bc I have been thinking about finally getting off the side lines and starting a blog. I hate that don’t reciprocate to all the lovely ladies I like to read. I scared though.
Congrats!!!
I love the new look. I’ve been wanting to purchase this theme for a while now. I have a hard time purchasing themes because I’m always wanting something different.
The blog looks great! I am very impressed that you did it yourself too, it makes it look even better right?
Looks so great, I really like your header. And the little cartoon rocks
Congrats on the refresh!
I like it. It’s like a breath of fresh air. I think I just finished my turn as the swarthy blogger pirate stage.
I love the new digs! It looks fabulous! p.s. I basically asked my therapist the same thing about being a control freak with a horrible personality to only have her giggle too.
What else is there in life besides toddler poop??! Ummm hello! Toddler poop with CORN in it! Yah… that really happens. I saw it today. It was gross :-/
This is what I call checkmate.
Good move.
I like it! You did a nice job.
I love the new design…the colors, the header, all of it! I’m majorly impressed that you did it yourself. I’m so not internet-savvy like that.
I freaking love it. I agree it was time for an overhaul, and you really nailed it. Congratulations!!
Love it! It’s fresh but also easy-to-navigate, which makes life so much easier on us.
Love, love, love. And very impressed by your mad tech skillz!
Super impressed you did it on your own!! I am admittedly a total know-nothing computer idiot and have had so much trouble working on blog design that I settled for the simplest setup until I can find someone who knows what the hell they’re doing and can help me. Go you! And it looks wonderful. So that’s a plus. Hopefully it’s exactly the change you’ve hoped for
Hi Beth Anne,
I’m very impressed! I have been fighting with HTML…so I can’t imagine how to make such a great site.
Cheers.
Kimberly
HI!!!! Back
I was scrolling through your new beautiful-ness last night and woke Taylor up (I was nursing…), and said, “LOOOOK I’m famous!”
XOXO.
I knew you were up to something..
hint: there is nothing to see here… translation: I’m doing something big.
haha. Love it.
I think it shows all the growth you have had in the past years.
It says BA all over.
Congrats!!
I think it looks pretty!!
I also completely agree with your blog evolution.