How to Design Your Own Blog Background

I like to spice up my blog every once in a while with a new background. There are quite a few websites I've found that I like but I'm always looking for more. I have really specific tastes so I don't always find exactly what I'm looking for. I've also had some problems with spacing, so even if I like the background, the middle part is either too wide or too narrow for the text on my blog. I've started just making my own blog backgrounds. If you have problems with this too or you just want to get creative, you can use this tutorial to design your own blog background.

There are a lot of places out there where you can buy (or sometimes get for free) digital scrapbooking stuff that you can use to design your backgrounds from scratch. Here are just a few websites:

http://freedigitalscrapbooking.com/

http://store.digitalscrapbookplace.com/

You can find a lot more just by searching for "digital scrapbook" on a search engine. If you're not confident in your creativity, lazy, or don't have a lot of time, you can just start off with a blog background someone already made, and then just edit it for your own use. This is what I usually do. My favorite places are:

http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/

http://alliebrownslayouts.blogspot.com/

http://scrappinblogs.blogspot.com/

http://www.shabbyblogs.com/backgrounds.html

For my fall background this year, I started with this background from shabby blogs.

I liked the owl, but I wanted something with leaves too.

Now, one big problem you're going to run into with some websites, is that they protect their backgrounds from being stolen by only giving you a small version of the picture when you click on it. You can get around this by going through that code that they give you to copy and paste into your blog to get the background onto your blog. There will always be a part of the code that says something like "background image". Look for that and then the link right after that will be the link to your image.


Copy and paste the entire link into your web browser and then from there you can right click on the image and save it to your computer.


Next you want to open the image in what ever editing software you are most comfortable with. I use Photoshop. And I'm not even that good with Photoshop so don't be too intimidated.

Now you have to decide what you want to do to your background. I usually add really simple things like foot prints and flowers.

I just search for images online and then save them to my computer. Try to look for clip art, because the back ground is white and they are easier to work with. Once you have the image open in Photoshop you can change the color, size, transparency, etc. You can even use the image as a template to cut out that shape from your background or from another cute pattern and put it onto your background.

Here is an example of changing size and color. I opened the feet in Photoshop and changed the color. You can click on the pictures and make them larger if you want more details on what is going on. I basically just added some blue in the color balance.

Then I made them a bit lighter.

You can use the magic wand tool to select specific things. This is a lot easier than using the lasso tool, you just have to play around with it a bit to get the hang of it. Also you can hold down the shift and alt key to add or subtract to what you've already selected. This makes it so if you make a mistake you don't have to go all the way back to the beginning.

Then just copy and paste into what ever you want.

Then use the free transform operation to make the shape smaller, or tilt it, or move it. You can either press ctrl t, or find it in the tool bar like I've shown here.

And as you can see on this background I've already added some cute little feet on the sides.

Another thing you can do with the shapes you find is use them as a template. Here is an example of this. I started with this cute pattern.

Then I copied and pasted that flower shape over the top of it. Then I selected the outline of the shape.

Now, comes the trick. You have to make sure and select the background, your pattern, as the active layer. Then you copy the selection.

Now you have that cute flower shape, and it's in a cute pattern too.

Now we just have to get the center. I used the replace color function to make the flower the same color as the purple in the pattern.

Then I selected just the middle part.

Copy and paste it on top of the flower and there you go.

Now, back to our fall background. I wanted to add leaves so I just searched for leaves in an image search and these popped up.

I selected parts of the image that I wanted to take over to the background.

I pasted them and then used the free transform tool to move them where I wanted them.

Then I just started adding a bunch of them. I selected different sets of leaves, made some bigger and some smaller, and even erased parts of some of the leaves to give them a faded look and give the background texture.

Next I put the background onto my blog (I'll go into that a little more in a bit), and the white part in the middle was a little too small and the words were spilling over onto the sides. So I opened the background up and added an inch to the width of the canvas.

Now there is some white space to the side.

So I used the free transform tool and scooted the whole right half of the background to the right. This works really well because the middle part is white. If it isn't you can try to patch it up by using the rubber stamp tool or something to fill it in.

And now I have a cute fall background.

Now in order to get the backgrounds onto your blog you need them to have a url, or a web address. If you already have a site to host them, just use that. If not you can open up an account with Photobucket or some similar site. I use Photobucket. Just upload your photos and then copy and past that url into the html code that you're using for your backgrounds. On Photobucket it has a spot that you can just click and it copies the direct link to your clipboard.

If you've never used a special background before and you don't know what I'm talking about, you can click here and read a tutorial on how to put cute backgrounds on your blog.

And that's it. Now you can make custom backgrounds for your blog. When you get really good you can try making them from scratch. Don't forget to make yourself a cute header too. You can use more of the same stuff from your background, or you can do something completely different like I did for my fall header.

And headers are even easier cause you just upload them straight onto your blog.

Good luck and have fun!

Tuesdays at the Castle

I have never actually posted anything here, because as far as creativity goes, I do two things: knit and write. So, since I am terrible at teaching people how to knit, we'll go with this:

Tuesdays at the Castle

Whenever Castle Glower became bored, it was grow a new room or two. This usually happened on Tuesdays, when the king was hearing petitions, so it was the duty of the palace guards to inform visitors of the only two rules the Castle followed.

Rule One: The throne room was always to the east. The only trick to this was figuring out which way east was, particularly if you were in a windowless corridor, or near the dungeons.

This was why most guests stuck with Rule Two: if you turned left three times and then climbed out a window, you'd end up in the kitchens. Then one of the staff could help you find the Throne Room, or wherever else you needed to go.

Celie only used Rule Two when she wanted to steal a treat from the kitchens, and Rule One when she wanted to watch her father at work. Her father was King Glower the Seventy-Ninth, and like him, Celie always knew which way east was.

For more of Celie's adventures in Castle Glower, tune in next September!

Minky Blanket

This was seriously so easy to make. I followed this tutorial. I used a minky fabric and a cotton knit fabric. I was worried it would be difficult to use both minky and the cotton knit since these are both very stretchy, but if you use enough pins, it's not a problem. You could really do this with any fabrics. I think I'll try adding a silky fabric to the minky next time.

Start by cutting your fabric. The minky fabric should be slightly larger than the cotton fabric because you're going to use your cotton fabric as a guide. Pin the right sides to each other so the wrong sides are facing out. Make sure you have a pin every inch or so, so that the fabric can't slide around on you when you're sewing.

Stitch the two pieces together using the cotton fabric as a guide. Leave a 4 to 5 inch gap so you can turn the blanket right side out.

After you're done with that part, trim off the excess material on the minky fabric, turn the blanket right side out, and iron the edges to make sure everything is lying flat. Make sure to turn the edges under on that part you left open. Pin and iron this gap together. Now just sew all the way around the blanket again on the right side of the fabric. You might have to come a little closer in the gap area to make sure you catch the edges of the blanket there.


And voila, two hours later you have an adorable baby blanket.

Almond Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

Almond Cake

• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup), softened
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons almond extract
• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites, vegetable oil and almond extract. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. You can use a mascarpone cheese substitute.

Mascarpone Cheese Substitute

• 1 8oz package of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sour cream

You can pour batter into muffin cups-cooking time approximately 18 minutes, or a 9" x 13" cake pan-cooking time approximately 27 minutes.

Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting

• 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
• 4 tsp. cold water
• 1 c. heavy whipping cream (at least 24 hours old and very cold)
• 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tsp. clear vanilla extract

Combine gelatin and cold water in small saucepan. Let stand until thick. Place over low heat, stirring constantly just until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Whip cream, sugar and vanilla until slightly thickened. While beating slowly, gradually add gelatin to whipped cream mixture. Whip at high speed until stiff.

Removing Water Marks from a Fabric Lamp Shade

Recipe

¼ cup dish liquid

¼ tsp. household ammonia

½ tsp. white vinegar

2 cups warm water

Blend together until it foams (I just used my whisk).  Dab with sponge on stains and rub lightly.  Wipe with sponge until stain disappears. Lightly moisten entire area of fabric so you don't create more water stains. Dry on cool setting of hair dryer.

I had a few stubborn stains that were much lightened but still visible so I just sprayed Spray 'n Wash on them and rubbed a bit with the damp sponge.  Then there was a titch of yellow still left in some stubborn areas so I sprayed again with Simple Solution Stain and Odor Remover that I keep to clean up dog potty accidents.  As you're drying with the hair dryer, if you see any remains of a water spot, just wipe with damp sponge and dry again.  The silky type fabric was temperamental.

Voila!  A lamp shade like new.

Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt

After tasting the pomegranate frozen yogurt at Red Mango, I instantly fell in love. After going to the restaurant a few times I decided to try making my own at home. I briefly looked for a recipe on the internet but I couldn't find anything so I decided to make up my own. So here it is, a Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt recipe that tastes pretty close to the stuff you can get at Red Mango.

First you have to make sure to get 100% pomegranate juice, with no sugar added. They have pomegranate juice cocktails that have sugar and other fruit juices added, but you do not want to use those. Red Mango uses POM brand pomegranate juice, but I have actually found that Langers All Pomegranate juice has a little bit of a stronger flavor and makes tastier frozen yogurt.

Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt

• 2 Cups Plain Yogurt
• 1 Cup Pomegranate Juice
• 1/4 Cup Sugar

Pour pomegranate juice and sugar into a sauce pan and heat on stove until sugar is just dissolved. Transfer mixture to a Tupperware container and put it in the refrigerator (1-2 hours). When the juice and sugar mixture is cold, remove and add the yogurt. Mix until well blended. Pour into ice cream machine and freeze like normal ice cream.

You can eat the frozen yogurt right away or let it set up in the freezer for an hour or so before eating. Enjoy!

Tank Top to Skirt

I never wear this tank top anymore, but I've had a hard time getting rid of it, because I love the color and pattern of the stripes (I am a little bit infatuated with stripey things).

Since I'm on a repurposing-roll after the dresses yesterday, I thought I should turn the tank into something. It was too small to make a dress for either girl, but what a great skirt it would make for Ava, eh?

First I placed a skirt of Ava's over the tank, then I cut out the shape of the skirt, leaving some wiggle room on the sides for hemming, and an extra inch or two on top for the elastic casing.

Once the pieces were cut out, I pinned them together, right sides facing. Then I took a ruler and made straight lines with a fabric marker down the side hems, to ensure I stitched it into a nice and straight A-line shape.

After stitching up the sides, all that was left was to create a casing for the elastic waistband. I turned over the top raw edge about an inch, pinned it down, then sewed all the way around, leaving a 2-inch open gap where I could sew the elastic closed. I used a 3/4 inch elastic, guided it through the casing with a safety pin, then sewed the elastic ends together with nice, tight, overlapping zigzag stitches.

Then I just sewed up the gap I had left open in the casing, and it was done.

It's a perfect fit!


Ava insisted that the skirt looked best with striped pants underneath it. And who am I to deny a girl her stripes??

This was a super easy job. I really want to make one for myself now. I just need to find a big-n-tall t-shirt to cut up. Oh, what's that you say? You can BUY knit fabric at the fabric store? Oh, I suppose I could do that, too. :)

Breathing Girly Life Into a Boring Tee

I felt like sewing something today, and since PJ is refusing to wear anything but dresses, a dress seemed like the right way to go.

Frugal momma that I am, I started with a 30 cent t-shirt (Halloween clearance at JoAnn) that I had attempted at one time to make into a fitted women's tee. It was..well, ugly, so I decided to try to give it new life as a toddler dress. I've had my eye on this cute, cute tutorial for a while and used it to get me going on the project.

Using a dress of PJ's to get the approximate shape and length, I cut up the shirt into a dress-ish shape.

I sewed up the sides with a straight stitch and finished the bottom hem with a rather uneven simple hem. The sleeves are unfinished (it's a rustic look. or punk. or lazy. or how about casual?).

{Somewhere around this time, Ava waltzed in and decided SHE wanted a dress, too. Fortunately I had another bargain JoAnn tee in a lovely purpley shade. More on that below.}

Now, I already had these little slits cut into the orange shirt from its failed existence as a woman's fitted tee, so I had to use them somehow. I decided to take strips of fabric from another tee and tie little bows through the slits.

I think it turned out pretty cute (but I think Ava's turned out even cuter).

For hers, I assembled it the same way, but I went with the ruffles, following the directions on the Oh So Happy Together tutorial. The ruffles were a little tricky to sew, but it's okay if they get messy. They still look cute. I nixed the green strips below, but I may have to do a white dress with a rainbow of strips some time...

Ava's dress was nice, because the length of the t-shirt made for a perfect length of dress, so I didn't have to mess with the bottom hem. Most playdresses are around knee-length, but I'm really liking the midcalf length for her.

For the sleeves, I decided to tuck under the fabric at the top of the shoulder and make a little 1/2 inch reinforced stitch perpendicular to the collar. That brought the fabric in a little at the shoulder for a more feminine line, and it also caused the fabric around the sleeve to curl under a bit, so that you don't notice that it's unhemmed. I like the look, for a casual play dress.

Ava wanted a matching headband, like the little girl on the tutorial, so I gathered up a long strip of the t-shirt fabric with a basting stitch and sewed it to a strip of elastic. The stitch ended up pretty uneven on the elastic, but no one will see that.


The girls had fun with the photo shoot, especially the elder child.



I think I may be raiding Derek's drawer for long-forgotten tees. It's very satisfying to make a dress in under an hour.