Some Favorite Blogs: Part 1

Sometimes a blogger needs inspiration. Actually, to be completely honest- I should say, "You, as a blogger will always need inspiration!" Your brain can only do so much on its own before you need to refuel it by looking at some pretty nifty blogs across the web!

I personally, try to refuel once a week (but that's just me)- usually on a Saturday morning when I really can't get much work done. I usually have a good hour or two of quiet before the weekend starts with my husband- so this is the perfect time to browse through my favorite blogs (and Pinterest), find inspiration, pin certain ideas or loves, and then digest it all, the following two days while I'm off.

Because I'm a food blogger mostly, my blog loves are usually going down that road. But I love to gander through home and DIY blogs, as well as just "pretty to look at" and design-focused blogs.

Do you need inspiration? Are you feeling like you could use a few new blogs to frequent so your brain can refuel? Here are just a few of my absolute favorites!

INSPIRATION BLOGS

creature comforts // love and lavender // wit & whistle // rebekka seale // bleubird

These are the blogs I look at and usually sigh with relief. They're my "pretty to look at" and "find big time inspiration" blogs. 

Creature Comforts not only blogs about delicious color combinations, but she also showcases pretty neat gift ideas, simple DIYs, and all around gorgeous photos to excite your creative brain. 

Love & Lavender was one of the first blogs I started following. I just love them. True, when I first started following I was a newlywed, and so all things wedding were my cup of tea- but I just can't seem to NOT come back again and again. They post some of the most beautiful wedding (and party) ideas!

Wit & Whistle is such a gorgeous blog. It's simple, tidy and pretty to the point. Amanda has a knack for creating art and crafts that are sure to ignite your creativity. Plus her greeting cards are a crack up! Truly one of a kind.

Rebekka Seale is another blog I follow because it calms me and yet sparks my creativity at the same time. Her whole aesthetic is simple, yummy, and absolutely gorgeous. There's something about the way she writes that's like a lullaby- it's soothes me. Plus her pictures! Oh her pictures! I just love them. (She also posts some amazing recipes as well!)

I think I have a simple/gorgeous aesthetic theme going on here- Bleubird follows suit with the last two blogs mentioned. Gorgeous pictures, neat DIYs, simple recipes....just lovely.

HOME, DECOR + DIY BLOGS

hank & hunt // oh, hello friend // kevin & amanda // lovely indeed // apartment therapy // design*sponge

These next few blogs are the ones I go to when I'm looking to accomplish something in particular, looking for a craft idea, wanting to learn how to do something for my home, easily...need a blog design element tip, a blog "how to", etc.

Hank & Hunt is a great source for simple party DIYs (and I mean GREAT source) and amazingly gorgeous fonts!

Oh, Hello Friend is another blog I've followed for a LONG time. I even call Danni my friend now. Awwwww. She's so very talented when it comes to DIYs, packaging ideas, and gorgeous design elements. Plus she has a brand new shop where you can buy things like washi tape, rubber stamps, and all things cute + packaging + gift ideas + office stuffs!

Kevin & Amanda is pretty much my number one choice for blog design and just plain "blog" help. If you've got a weird question, they've most likely already answered it, in blog post form.

Lovely Indeed is a great source for simple (yet awesome) DIYs for the home, gift ideas, and for parties. Plus Chelsea uses such gorgeous color choices for all her crafts and does a lot of travel talk as well! I love this blog as much as I love her quirky (funny as heck) personality.

Apartment Therapy and Design*Sponge are both blogs I visit when I want to get inspired to change something in my home. Great place to see "small space idea solutions", as well as crafts on the cheap, real people's design ideas, and all things artsy!

FOOD + BAKING BLOGS

deliciously organic // the faux martha // love & olive oil // elana's pantry // oh, ladycakes

Be still my heart. My favorite category of all. (Surprised?) These are some of the blogs I frequent when I need some kitchen inspiration. And boy do I leave inspired!

Deliciously Organic is amazing. The end. Carrie is one of the sweetest and most down to earth food bloggin' gals I know. She specializes in all things organic (duh!), as well as gluten free and Paleo. 

The Faux Martha's whole aesthetic just kills me- I'm so in love with it. Her pictures make me swoon each and every time. From good 'ol mac and cheese to upscale dutch oven bread- her recipes never disappoint. They're easy and oh so yummy!

Love & Olive Oil is (again) another blog I've followed for a long time. Lindsay and Taylor have some serious talent! Every recipe makes my mouth water and their pictures are seriously amazing. Having already put out a cookbook, and currently working on a second, they're a great recipe "go to" source! Plus they love cats. And I love cats. So that's awesome.

Elana's Pantry is a new one for me, but I'm already in love! A friend recommended it to me when I mentioned I was looking to eat less starch and gluten. Elana's got you covered! Focusing on strictly gluten free, it's a great place to find recipes that are yummy (I've tried a few) and easy to make! Plus I love that she doesn't ONLY use those expensive gluten-free flours! Win!

Oh, Ladycakes is just like The Faux Martha- I just love them to pieces!!!!! Love their look, love their recipes, love their pictures!!! Some creative cats we have here (see what I mean about the cat thing?) Although Oh, Ladycakes focuses also on gluten free and mostly vegan recipes ;) Don't let that stop you though!

Hope you're all seriously inspired! What are some of your favorite blogs out there?

How To: Make a Blog Picture Watermark using Photoshop

Watermarking. We've all heard of it- we've even seen it on our beloved bloggers' pictures- but how do they do it?? It's got to be easy, right?

Well it is. 

In these following steps, I am going to show you how to make a basic watermark for all of your blog pictures, using Photoshop (my editing photo program of choice). These steps are for a text-based watermark! Believe me, it looks daunting, but it's rather easy! I promise!!! 

Seriously, if I can do this, ANYONE can. Totes.

1.

Like I stated earlier, we'll be using the Photoshop editing program for this How-To :)

So, open your photoshop program and open a new Document:

File > New

I generally like to start on the bigger side of things, always. It is so much easier to shrink something to the size you need rather than try and blow it up. Once saved small, anything blown up will pixelate and look grainy. So, save big, edit to a smaller size if needed- always.

When creating new watermarks (or any other brush for that matter) I like to open a new Document at 1000x1000 pixels wide. Hit "OK" once done.

2.

Once your new Document is opened, we can begin creating your fancy new text-based watermark!

1. First, select the "Type" tool on the left hand tool bar. 
2. On the top you'll see your "font" box- by clicking that arrow, a menu will drop down and you can scroll through until you find a font you like best!
3. Once you found the font you like, click it!

3.

Next we will need to change the font color- I recommend using white or black to begin with- I usually choose black.

1. On the left hand tool bar click the "Foreground Color Box". A new window will show up.
2. Drag your cursor to your color- again I suggest starting with white or (my preference) black!
3. When color is chosen, click "OK".

4.

Next we will need to pick a font size- I generally like to begin with an 8-10pt font size. We will resize this later.

Just click the menu at the top and find the font size you're comfy with.

5.

Now, in your white Document box, click your cursor somewhere on the left hand side. Make sure that "Type" tool on the left hand menu bar is still clicked.

Start typing your desired watermark text. I'm just going to simply do my blog name- Sweet Lavender Bake Shoppe :)

6.

Once finished, click on the "layer 1" box on the right menu to set your text. The box should be highlighted.

7.

Now we will need to resize that text!

1. With your watermark's layer box highlighted (clicked and set) press buttons "command" and "t" at the same time, on your keyboard. If you're using a PC, you'll press buttons "ctrl" and "t". This will create a box around your text for easy resizing (and moving). You can let go of keyboard buttons now :)
2. Again on the keyboard, press and hold the "shift" button. While holing that shift button, drag your cursor to the corner of your box and drag out as far as you can go in your white document. When done, let go of mouse cursor and then "shift". By holding the "shift" button, you can resize your picture/text at an equal proportion. If you do not hold "shift" your text/picture can resize disproportionately. If at any time you mess up, just hit "command" and "z" at the same time (ctrl and z for PC) and it will take you back one step. 
3. Hit enter when sized to your liking. This sets it.

8.

Now we are going to crop our text and get rid of all that extra space.

1. On the left hand menu, click the "crop" tool. 
2. Starting at one corner of your text, drag a box around your text, as close to the actual words as possible, without cutting anything off. You can also bring the sides in manually once this box is created OR push them out a bit if you got too close.
3. When ready, hit "enter" on your keyboard.

Again, remember- if at ANY time you mess up a step- simply hit "command" and "z" on your keyboard at the same time. This will bring you back one step/undo last step :) 

9.

Once cropped, on the top menus, go to:

Select > All

This will select everything you've cropped in your new box/the entire image.

10.

Next, again on those top menus, go to:

Edit > Define Brush Preset

This creates your brush which will become your new text watermark!

11.

A window will pop up asking you to name your new brush. Go ahead and do so :) Hit "OK" when done.

Your watermark brush is now created!

12.

Now for the fun stuff! How to actually use your watermark!

Upload your photo to Photoshop.

1. Then on the left hand menu bar click on the "brush" tool.
2. Next, on the right hand side there will be another little menu, click on "brush". 
3. Scroll through all the possible brushes you can use for future projects ;) until you find your created watermark brush. Look closely! Once found, click it! 

13.

Now...

1. At the bottom right you'll need to click that "create new layer" button again. By doing this you'll make sure you are creating/editing/having fun with only your watermark created.
2. Make sure your new layer is highlighted, if it's not- click it. 

14.

Now "stamp" your watermark wherever you'd like! I stamped mine at the bottom left hand corner- it's hard to see because it's black. 

We'll need to change this watermark to another lighter color for this particular picture. Where I wanted my watermark to be, the picture had a lot of dark colors- so black won't work. Remember- because my "foreground color" box shows black, when I "stamp" my watermark it is going to show up black.

With watermark layer still highlighted, go to:

Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation

15.

 A window will show up allowing you to change that watermark color!

1. Play around with those 3 arrows! By moving them left and right you'll see you can choose from a variety of colors! For my watermark, I simply want white. To do so just move that bottom arrow all the way to the right- or until it says "+100".
2. Viola!

16.

Remember, if you need to move your watermark around, or resize it you can do so by simply pressing "command" and "t" at the same time on your keyboard when your watermark layer is highlighted. Holding "shift" and dragging any corner allows you to resize it, and clicking in the center of your box and dragging around allows you to move it around!

When done, hit "enter"on your keyboard.

Neat right?! 

Once you get this technique down, make sure you play around! There are so many lovely things you can discover, like making a multiple font watermark or image watermark. This is also a great way to make a custom brush for arrows, little banners, fun shapes, etc.

If you have an image you like, you can skip to steps 9 on and basically make the same thing. Just make sure your background of your image is transparent. Making one from scratch on Photoshop will do that for ya!

Got questions? Need help? We're here to help! Just email us and we'll get you back on track in no time!

How To: Make A Blog Button {With Grab Box}

*UPDATE!!!! I HAVE HAD SEVERAL COMMENTS AND EMAILS ABOUT THERE BEING NO TEXT SHOWING UP IN THE BOX. I HAVE TESTED THIS CODE AND HAVE HAD NO ISSUES MYSELF, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE PRETTY COMMON. BLOGGER HAS CHANGED IT'S INTERFACE IN SOME PARTS SO THAT MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT, HOWEVER; BECAUSE IT IS WORKING FOR ME, I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND A RESOLUTION. IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO REMEDY THIS SO THAT I CAN FIX THIS POST TO REFLECT THE MOST CURRENT CODE OR WAY TO INSTALL THE CODE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I AM SO SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE AND I WISH I COULD FIND A WAY TO RESOLVE THIS MYSELF! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE!!! XOXOXOXO - ASHLEY*

One of the most important ways to get your blog out there is by having a button available for other bloggers to grab or for you to send to them to display on their blog. It's a great way to connect with other bloggers and sort of have a logo {or two or four} for what you do. 

It's really quite easy to create a button so I'm going to show you how with these easy steps and, dare I say, easy coding?! {There are a lot of steps, but its really easy. I promise!}

1. Choose an image for your button.

2. Go to picmonkey.com and click on 'edit a photo'. Select the image that you want.

3. Click on 'resize' and resize the image. We are making ours 250x250. Be sure to uncheck 'keep proportions'.

4. Decorate your button! Picmonkey has lots of fun tools you can use so have fun and make it your own! We used a blank canvas and created a B.You logo for ours.

5. Save the photo. Be sure to name it so you can recognize it and save it in a place you can find it. I saved ours as byouphoto1! to the desktop.

6. Head on over to flickr.com. It's free to sign up if you don't have an account. Upload your image.

7.  Click on your uploaded image and then click on the 'actions' tab. Scroll down to 'view all sizes' and click on that.

8. There will be options of different sizes when you reach that page, but keep on the 250x250 size. Right click your image and click on 'open in new tab' {or open in new window}. The URL here is your image URL.

9. Keep the image open in the tab or window and head on over Blogger. 

Now, you have two options for the button. You can either make a grab box for your sidebar so bloggers can grab your button to display on their blog or you can create a code to send them so they can display it on their blog. I am going to show you how to do both! Be sure to keep your image open in the new tab or window for both options. 

GRAB BOX OPTION FOR YOUR SIDEBAR

1. Click on 'template' then select 'add a gadget'. You are going to want the HTML/Java option. 

This is the code you are going to want to paste in the HTML/Java gadget:

<div align="center"> <a href="YOUR BLOG URL HERE" target="_blank"><img alt="YOUR BLOG TITLE" src="YOUR IMAGE LINK HERE"/></a> </div> <div align="center"> <form><textarea rows="6" cols="20"><center><a href="YOUR BLOG URL HERE" target="_blank"><img alt="YOUR BLOG TITLE" src="YOUR IMAGE LINK HERE"/></a></center></textarea></form> </div>

2. Where it says 'your blog url here' {in red} enter in your blogs web address being sure to stay within the quotation marks. Where it says 'your blog title here' {in red} enter the name of your blog. Repeat that for the second part of the code.

3. Click on the tab or window that has your image link and copy the link. You're going to paste that link where it says 'your image link here' {in red}. Be sure to do it in the second part of the code too. There should be no red left and it should look like this {only with your info}:

<div align="center"> <a href="http://byourownblog.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="B.You" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8369116862_70e88221e1_m.jpg"/></a> </div> <div align="center"> <form><textarea rows="6" cols="20"><center><a href="http://byourownblog.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="B.You" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8369116862_70e88221e1_m.jpg"/></a></center></textarea></form> </div>

4. Click save and your button {with grab box} should be there!

You can also add the button with grab box directly in to your post by copying and pasting the code into the HTML section of your post. This option works well for bloggers who do weekly series, is hosting a swap, or is hosting a linky party. 

OTHER OPTION {that will keep your button dimensions customizable if you prefer a size other than 250x250!}

1. Open a text document or add a note to your dashboard for Mac users

2. Copy and paste this code:

<a href="YOUR BLOG URL HERE" target="_blank"><img src="YOUR IMAGE URL HERE" alt="BLOG TITLE" width="200" height="200" /></a>

3. Replace the information in red just as you did above. Make sure to stay within the quotations when replacing the info. The 'width' and 'height' in green should be changed to your button size. We are working with a 200x200 button size.

Your code should look like this {only with your info}:

<a href="http://byourownblog.blogspot.com" target='_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8369116862_70e88221e1_m.jpg" alt="B.You' width="250" height="250" /></a>"/>

Save it and now it is ready to give to those bloggers that have been asking to swap buttons with you! 

Here are some tips in making your button:

Select an image that represents you and your blog. You can either choose a picture of yourself or you can choose a picture of something you blog about. Blog about sewing related items? Take a picture of your sewing station and use that. Blog about vintage stuff? Take a photo of vintage stuff! Just be sure it represents you and not someone or something else. 

Use your own image! Unless you have permission from the original source of a picture, only use your own image! Take a picture, draw a picture, or just use text. Just make sure its your own!

When selecting an image, keep in mind that you're going to resize it. Use a photo that will look good small and also will look good resized. You don't want a photo that will be smooshed when resized or pixelated if the photo is originally smaller than the resize. It should be crisp and clean after you resize it.

There are dozens of different button sizes that bloggers use. They want to make sure that they're sidebar is cohesive so they may require a button to be something other than 200x200. Here is a list of general button sizes:

-125x125

-150x150

-200x200

-250x250

-150x100

-200x100

-300x200

-300x250

-150x600

{Those are the sizes you will choose when you first resize your photo in Picmonkey, then again when you enter it into the SECOND code. It all depends on whose blog your button will be displayed on}

Have fun and be creative. Picmonkey has lots of fun little options to utilize, but be sure to keep it simple. It's a small image and you don't want to make it too busy and unreadable. This button is going to be displayed on other blogs as a form of advertisement - you don't want to have bad advertisement that no one can read! I suggest if you're using a picture to use a couple or one small elements and your blog name. Use font that is legible and white is almost always the best color to use. 

You might want to make a few different ones. Stay within your style of course, but remember that bloggers who want to display your button have certain tastes and styles for their blogs as well. You may blog about DIY/Crafts and have a cutesy button with sewing supplies and bright colors in the background, but a lifestyle blogger wants to swap and is looking for something with more of a vintagey feel to go with the flow of their blog. This gives you the opportunity to have something made and appealing to not just you, but your readers and bloggy friends too. Its also fun to change out your buttons with the seasons! 

Remember to always save your button codes in a document or you can save them in a draft on Blogger. Just don't publish it! Title it something like 'BLOG BUTTON - DO NOT PUBLISH'. You can adjust the title of the draft to something more specific as to what that button looks like if you plan on having more than one button in your drafts.

---

If you have any questions at all about making the button or about this tutorial, please leave us a comment or you can send us an email. 

If you're still like, ehhhhh... what? Send me an email at b.you.blog {at} gmail {dot} com and we would be happy to make a button for you with either or both options! For FREE! 

If you made a button using this tutorial, let us know! We'd love to check it out. We get blog button envy sometimes with how awesome everyone's buttons are!

*The grab box code only works on Blogger. Wordpress won't show the grab box. 

<center> <a href="byourownblog.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="B.You" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8109/8460054901_f974a52eff_m.jpg"/></a></center>