Wordpress themes Archives - Scrapbook OBSESSION Blog.com

I’ve been wanting to find the “perfect” look for my blog for quite some time. I’ve tried different free WordPress themes over the years, and in July 2009 even added the snazzy header that my friend CHRISPEA made using her husband’s awesome ARTWORK:

When I started my ERIKA PERIKA BLOG last month, I e-mailed Chris to see if she could create a similar header for Erika Perika and also for a third blog I plan to start … someday, LOL. But she and I got busy with life and I failed to pursue that idea. Even though I know she would’ve totally rocked it … she’s an amazing graphic artist.

I’ve spent many hours searching around online for tutorials on how to make my blog look the way I want it to … how to change the font (I’ve never liked the serif ones like Times New Roman that come with most of the free WP themes) and do fancy things like that. I’ve looked into paying a designer to just do it all for me, and I’ve gotten great how-to tips from online friends.

But the fact is … I’m just no good at this computer stuff. Asking me to write or interpret code is like asking CHARLIE SHEEN to make sense … it just ain’t happening. {WINNING!} And I don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend to have a professional do the work.

So when I logged into my blog tonight and saw yet another new WordPress theme had been added, I clicked on it … and fell in love with this theme called Pretty Young Thing. I mean, is it perfect or what?

It’s something new (to me, at least) called a Custom Theme and I had to pay 75 bucks to get it … but I feel it’s money well-spent. I needed to just bite the bullet and DO SOMETHING … so I did, hee. I still have work to do such as updating my Blog Roll, perfecting the widgets along the right hand side, and adding a page or two.

This is about 90% of the “look” I had in mind for my blog anyway … I can’t believe my luck in finding this theme. I love the scallop-edged title in the header (soooo scrapbooky!), the sans serif font, the light pastel colors and white background, the wide main column that doesn’t seem to cut off my photos (fingers crossed!), and all the widgets I like along the right side. Hearts have always been my favorite, too, so this couldn’t be more perfect for me!

Other things I like are the e-mail subscription box, as I’ve had so many readers subscribe lately and that makes me happy. The ability to “like” and to “tweet” also have awesome sauce all over ’em.

If you’ve been a reader for a long time, I want to apologize for all the wacky themes and changes I’ve tried over the last 4 years (yep, I’ve been blogging SBO for over 4 years!). I know sometimes I’ve made changes and you click over here … and think you got lost, LOL. “Oh, jeez, she changed the look again (sigh).” I’m predicting that this look for be around for a long time to come so you won’t have to be lost again :)

I hope everyone likes the new format. If there’s anything you don’t like or wish I could add or change, please let me know. It might be something I hadn’t thought of yet … so you’d be doing me a favor :)

Yep, it’s Spring, time for a new beginning! I’m going to try out this new theme, just released by WordPress, called “Under the Influence.” Love it. The name is so cool.

So far, there are several things I like about it – the wider columns, ability to control column and photo width, the font, and the cleaner look. The only thing I don’t like so far is that my coolio Scrapbook Obsession header (graciously designed and provided by my homegirl CHRISPEA) won’t fit. I need to figure out how to resize it and get it back up there. In the meantime, I do enjoy being able to have a tagline … yeah, I’m sarcastic and I OWN it, sista!

Please forgive me while I work on things around here. I figured out how to add the widgets I wanted to the right margin but now I can’t figure out how to delete the duplicate ones down at the bottom/footer. They’re waaaaayyyy down there … just pretend you don’t see them, K? Yeah, yeah, just keep your eyes up here, buddy! No need to look down. {Now watch me use my “V” fingers to point at my eyes, then your eyes, then my eyes}. Are we clear?

Regarding my Blog Roll, it was pure nostalgia trying to update it just now. If you were on the Creating Keepsakes Message Board (CKMB) back in the day, you might remember that I compiled and housed a list of CKMB members’ blogs here in my Blog Roll. CKMB’ers would come over here and click away, reading the blogs of all their buds. Can you believe I had almost 200 … yes, 200 … CKMB blog links? Amazing, huh? CKMB no longer exists, per se, but there is the new Club CK board where I occasionally see some old familiar faces, and meet new ones too. Alas, I deleted most of the CKMB Blog Roll tonight and it was bittersweet.

You know how on Survivor when it’s down to the final players, they take a walk, stopping at a torch to represent each of the eliminated players, and they pause to say some kind words and remember that player? That’s how I felt while going through the list of CKMB bloggers … I kept stopping to say, “Aw, I remember her blog. It’s where I got the peppermint bark recipe I still use every Christmas,” or “Aw, Daisydo! She always kept the board rolling. She and Leslie/luv2 talk were always such a hoot.” Ah, Camelot! I miss those dog days of CKMB. They hold a super special place in my heart, but we all must let go some time …

So … Spring. 2010. Time to update and move on and let go and welcome the new in, right? If you absolutely hate this new theme and will stop coming to visit me because of it, please let me know. Howevah! If you range from “I really like it” to “Meh. I can tolerate it,” then you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. Well, okay, tell me if you really, really, Sally Field like it! And if you’re “meh” … keep it to yourself. I’m having a spring, a rebirth, a new start. I don’t need you bringing me down. Got it?

Now go plant some flowers or something … Sheesh.

Wordpress themes

New Look for My Blog

Changes to the Scrapbook Obsession Blog