August Goals

I can’t believe it’s already the first of August! I would say this summer flew by, but it really didn’t; this has been the busiest, longest, craziest summer I’ve ever had, and I’m ready to make the most of this last month! With my first year of college starting up the last week of August, I have a ton of things to get done over the next 26 days. I have a slight problem with procrastination (I made an entire post about it, so I guess it can’t be that small), and there’s a long list of things I’ve been putting off until now. I mean, who wants to buy textbooks, or start eating healthy because “you can’t have Ding Dongs for lunch”? So to help myself out, and maybe inspire a few people to set some goals for themselves, I’ve put together a little list of things I want to accomplish this month!

Blogging

// have a posting schedule that I can stick to
// fill up at least half of my sponsor spots {just two more until I’m there!}
// make a signature for all of my posts/emails
// make at least 3 templates to sell to family friends
// design a business card
// post better content on social media
// make a vlog post

Health

// eat breakfast every day
// make at least one of my meals every day, aka not frozen food
// finish eating at least two hours before bed
// stop having dessert after every meal {if you couldn’t tell yet, I kind of love food}
// work out at least 4 days a week
// start yoga!

College

// spend more time with friends before they leave
// send each friend with a going away gift for college
// pay my tuition {whoops}
// find a club to join
// help my roommate go dorm shopping

Personal

// take more pictures
// spend more time outside instead of on this laptop
// expand my music tastes
// help my family friends create their blogs
// perfect my macaron recipe
// help my friend start his youtube channel
// go on a weekend trip with the family
// learn more about graphic design

What are some of your goals for this month?


Starting Fresh: A Little Blog Revamp

Okay, so maybe not a little one. After weeks of going back and forth about whether I was going to redesign my blog, I finally did it, and I’m so happy with how it turned out! This was a long process of trial and error, including lots of YouTube tutorials and Google searches, but all those hours were totally worth it now that it’s over! 
I really wanted my design to be simple, friendly, and easy to use. I’ve seen a few blogs with the sticky navigation bar, and I absolutely loved it! I also wanted all of my social media icons in one easy to find place, so you can go check them out in the top right corner! Sticking with the minimal design, I made my logo with my new Wallflower font (which you can download here!) as well as its new addition, Wallflower Extras! I plan on making that available soon, but I’m working on coming up with a few more doodles first!
I think I sat around for about 3 hours going back and forth on colors. The main color was actually mint about…two hours before I finished this template, when I decided I liked coral more. That gives you a glimpse at how chaotic this redesign was for me. 
One thing I learned while designing this blog was that it will never seem perfect to me. There will always be some aspect that could be changed, or something I find on another blog that I want on my own. Once I accepted that, things went so much smoother! But that being said, I will probably continue adding tidbits of change to this site between now and its next redesign. I can’t help it.
I also learned that I absolutely love designing blogs! I never realized how much is behind every blog I see, and I’m constantly finding new ideas for templates as I search around. I’m hoping to start designing more templates to get a better grasp on coding methods, as well as build my portfolio for the future design business I have planned in the back of my head like all of the other crazy dreams I’ve come up with over the past few months. I figure at my age, I should embrace the process of trial and error and let myself fail a few times, just to see what ends up sticking. Who knows where I’ll end up ten years from now?
With this new design up and running, I’m finally ready to get back into blogging! I say that because I’ve been making a lot of series/giveaway/link-up posts recently to keep my posts consistent while working on the design, and I want to get back into posting real content. I’ll be spending the rest of this week updating all of my social media sites, and working on getting my blog out there! Speaking of that…
I’ve updated my sponsorship ads! I’m so excited to start offering paid ads, and help out a few awesome bloggers! With all the advertising I’ll be doing for my own blog, it’s the perfect time to join me and gain some more traffic for your blog! A big part of this design included cleaning up my sidebar, so it’s a much more attractive place to have your ad. If you’re interested in working with me and getting your site on my blog, check out my new sponsor page!
I hope y’all enjoy the new look. Let me know below!

Choosing A Font For Your Blog

Over the past few days, I’ve been spending a lot of time working on my new blog design, down to every tiny detail. One of my hardest decisions so far has been choosing the fonts I want to use, because there are so many out there! The fonts that are being used on my blog now came with this template, so I haven’t had to make a decision like this before. After looking through a few posts and searching through Pinterest like crazy, I’ve come up with a list of tips that really helped me in making my decision!

CHOOSING YOUR FONT

1. Serif or Sans-Serif?

This is probably the first decision you should make, because it will greatly narrow down your options. The difference between the two is pretty simple; sans-serif fonts don’t have those extra tails at the end of each letter, while serif fonts do. This infographic is a great explanation if you want to know a little more about them. I personally think sans-serif fonts look a lot cleaner, which is why I’m taking that route! 

2. Look Through A Font Directory

For those of you hoping to keep design costs down, Google Fonts is the perfect directory for you. It’s free, easy to use, and has a good variety of fonts to choose from. If you’re looking for a bigger pool to choose from, Typekit is another great option. It does require a subscription if you want access to everything, but there’s also a free trial option that lets you use a smaller portion of their selection. 

3. How Many Fonts Should You Use?

Three fonts is probably the max number that you want to use. Anymore than that and your website can get pretty busy and overwhelming for the reader. I’m planning on using two fonts on my blog; a simple one for the body text, and a more dramatic font for my header and other accents. 

4. Contrast is good! 

Don’t feel hesitant about mixing contrasting fonts. If chosen wisely, you can end up with a fantastic pair! As I said earlier though, don’t get too crazy with your mix and matching. Keep it simple but fun!

5. Have A Purpose In Mind.

When looking for your font, you should have an idea of the mood you want your font to give off. If you’re going for an energetic and fun look, you might choose a big swirly font that adds some life to your page. But if you’re going for a professional look, you’ll probably want to stick to something simple and linear. It’s crazy how much a font can affect your blog, isn’t it??