an announcement.

Ack! I'm so excited to finally announce the big project that I've been working on!

For the last few weeks, I've been hard at work on a new blog series. It's something that I've never done before, and I'm really excited about. Ever since I started this little blog, I've been creating my own blog designs. I'm quite particular about how I like my blog to look. Back in the beginning, things didn't look quite as pretty around here. 

But, in the last four years, I've learned a lot about design. Google is a great thing- but sometimes it gets a little overwhelming. HTML can get really confusing- especially if you delete something important (like your comment box, but whatever!). But, I've learned so much (even from my mistakes). In addition to creating my own blog designs and designing my website, I've also created some designs for friends and family members. And all of this has led to lots of questions on how to do different things. 

So, I decided that it was time to do a blog class. No, I haven't done one before. I'm not even sure that anyone will read it/learn from it/do anything from it. I feel a little under qualified, but I decided that if I stick with the basics, then we can do this! For this class, we won't be learning HTML. There may be some minor tweaks, but we're going to stay away from the scary stuff for the most part. Most of the class will focus on how to create the various blog graphics (header, background, sidebar headers, social media buttons, blog buttons, etc). 

All you will need for this class is a Blogger blog and an image editing program, like Photoshop. Since Photoshop can be a costly investment, I will be doing most of the tutorials in Photoshop and GIMP. GIMP is a free download, so I'd recommend that you go ahead and download it if you don't already own something like Photoshop. That way you can play around with it a little before we get started (though I will be explaining everything, so no worries if it confuses you!). We'll be creating all of our own graphics, so you won't need to purchase a digital scrapbooking kit or anything like that. There will be some fonts that I may suggest you download along the way, but all of them will be free. :)

Oh! I'm just so excited. This is going to be so much fun. We'll focus on one "topic" a week. Some weeks may have more posts than others (for example, a post on how to make backgrounds in Photoshop and a post on how to do it in GIMP), but there will be at least one class posted each week. We'll move at a slow enough pace that you should be able to keep up, but if you fall behind, it's okay! At the end, I'll show you how to install your new blog design (and where to upload different things). I'm thinking that the class will last about six weeks, but I'm still working on it. Along the way, if you have questions, you can always leave a comment and I'll get right back to you (plus, other people can help if they see your comment and know the answer!). 

Come back January 2nd for the first installment of Blog Design Basics (and tell your friends, maybe they'll learn something fun too!). It will be a super easy first class, because we'll be talking about brainstorming- but you won't want to miss it! :)