blog Archives - The Blogging Brew

Starting Fresh: A Little Blog Revamp

July 30, 2014 • No Comments

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

July 25, 2014 • No Comments

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??

A Bit Of Chaos, A Lot Of Memories

July 19, 2014 • No Comments

These past few days have been pretty chaotic to say the least, but in the best way possible. I ended my vacation in California on Thursday, after spending a day at Disney California Adventure, which was amazing by the way! I never thought I’d enjoy riding so many kiddie rides, but it brought back so many memories! Bug’s Life was always one of my favorite movies, so riding Flik’s Flyers three times was a bit of a flash back. And I got this gem of a picture with my crazy cute cousin!

After flying back into Austin, I jumped right back into my Texas life and headed straight to our local stadium for some drum corps! If you hadn’t found out in my previous posts, I’m a bit of a band geek (or color guard to be more specific), so when a drum corps competition is hosted in my city, you can bet that I’ll be there, even if my flight lands at the time that it starts. Long sentence. Anyway, that unfortunately got rained out, which I’m not totally complaining about, because we needed that rain. Gotta love Texas!

I’d planned to knock a bunch of things off my to-do list yesterday, but after seeing Jana’s redesign of her blog at Life Could Be A Dream, I was inspired to start working on my new blog design! I’ve been wanting to do this for about a month now, but with my crazy vacation schedule, I never had the time. I’m going to spend the next week or so learning more about coding and blog design, because I want to at least attempt to design my own website before handing it off to someone else. I know that’s a bit of a feat to take on, but I have a month of freedom before college starts to figure it all out!

One thing I did realize is that I have no idea how to design my own logo. I have an idea in mind, but I don’t know how to get that idea out of my journal and onto my blog. If anyone has experience with designing blog logos, I’d love any advice you have! Really, I’d appreciate any design advice. Seriously. I’m starting this thing from scratch, with Web Design for Dummies and Google by my side.

I’m going to have to take a break from that project for a bit though, because today I’m heading down to San Antonio for yet another drum corps competition! I’ve got my tea and breakfast tacos ready to go (strange combo, but I love them both), so let the road trip begin!

Apologies for the short post, but to make up for it, I’m debuting my new series tomorrow (yes, I mean it this time), Snapshot Sunday! I’m excited to finally add some structure to this blog, and I hope y’all enjoy it!