Psyched about My New Blog Design!

My birthday isn't until October, but I treated myself early. Actually, my husband treated me early--he just doesn't know it yet. Since I started blogging regularly in June, I've been enthralled by all the unique and interesting blog designs out there. Some are silly, some are cute, some are beautiful, and some exude professionalism. I knew that someday, I wanted a unique design too. (I liked my old template, but I already met about five other bloggers who were using the same one.)

At first, my goal was to buy an HTML for Dummies book and learn how to do this myself, but as the summer crept away from me, and I was going back to work soon, I knew learning HTML would be another delayed project. Plus, even if I learned HTML, there was no guarantee that I would be able to come up with an interesting blog design on my own...

I met Kreated by Kelsey through the Blog Frog Community and instantly became a follower. Not only was she extremely supportive of other bloggers by helping them with their own blog design questions, but her portfolio was impressive--the blogs she created had personality, spunk, and professionalism all tied into one. Finally, (and yes this was a factor in my decision) the cost for a complete blog make-over was $50. So, for less than my monthly cell phone bill, my weekly grocery bill, or even a night out on the town, I would finally have a blog design of my very own--one that would have character, style, and originality. (Her other packages start as low as $30, and you can buy your own button for as little as $5.)

Working with Kreated by Kelsey has been a true delight. She is thorough, knowledgeable, considerate, kind and very patient. (She needed patience with me because I'm an indecisive person and perfectionist--not a good mix.) In addition to my wonderful blog design, Kelsey gave me HTML tutorials on how to do other things to manage my blog for free. In fact, she's so good at explaining things that she has her own blogging tip tutorial on Tip Junkie.

If you'd like to know more, I asked Kelsey to answer a few questions for me about her design experience. She's truly a sweet, professional, and "kreative" person.

How did you learn how to design blogs? In order to customize my "page" on a popular kids website many years ago, I taught myself basic HTML--or internet coding. Years later I started a blog and realized that I wanted to have a unique look like so many others I saw. Once I looked into it, I discovered that those skills I had learned so long ago were just what I needed to customize my blog. It wasn't long before I was combining my love for design with these skills and creating blogs for not only myself, but also for others!

How long have you been doing blog designs? I officially opened my business a little over a year and a half ago. However, I feel that the business really started in January of this year. It's been a great year so far!

How many blogs have you designed? I've designed well over 100 blogs and have worked with over 80 clients this year.

What kinds of designs can you do? (graphic, scrapbook, etc...) I design 3 different types of blogs. The first is the traditional "scrapbook" style. This is probably my most popular request. I also design simpler blogs using graphics. Finally, I also design blogs with photo headers. This is often a great option for those wishing to really highlight their photography or their family!

What do you think makes a good blog design? (What are the characteristics of a good blog?) I believe a person's blog design is really important. I think of it as a first impression. While your content is ultimately what will keep readers coming back, it's important that readers can really get a sense of you, your personality, and what your blog is all about right when they arrive on your blog.

What should bloggers do if they're interested in getting a blog design from you? If you're interested in a blog design, I've written a step-by-step guide which can be found here:
http://kreatedbykelsey.blogspot.com/p/where-do-i-start.html

I love my new blog design.  Thank you Kelsey!

(Note: I chose to write about Kreated by Kelsey because I thought she did an incredible job on my blog, and I wanted to show my support.  I did not receive payment or any free services for writing this post.)