Beautiful Blog Designs: custom blog design

Showing posts with label custom blog design. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A New Design for BBD!

Surprise! Beautiful Blog Designs has a completely new look. I realized the one year anniversary is coming up in January so I decided to give it a new look for the new year. First I went to the designer who had created BBD's old header and nav bar, Summer, however she wasn't taking on new clients right now. Thus began the search for a designer.

After looking for a few weeks at several different designers, I decided to contact Designer Blogs. They had done such a fast and efficient job of installing a premade on Moving Forwrd and I love just about everything they design.

I want to thank Erin at Designer Blogs for really catching my vision for BBD and doing a extraordinary job on it. She was sweet, helpful and a delight to work with. The design was started and finished in one day, and while I had planned to not have it unveiled until my blogoversary, I couldn't wait and had her install it yesterday.

Designer Blogs has a blogoversary coming up in January as well and they plan a big celebration with some awesome giveaways. So, if you are in the market for a new blog design, be sure to check there next month.

Special Note: Design inspiration for BBD's new "do" came from A Soft Place to Land, designed by Darcy at Graphically Designing.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Added Designers to the List

I didn't find any great new tutorials to share with you, but I did find a few (new to me) designers to add to my blog designer directory. If you have never heard of them, take a look because they are all very talented!

Butterfly Spark Designs
Farm Fresh Creative
Memories by Design
The Posh Box Blog Design

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Free Custom Blog Designs

Would you like a custom blog design but just can't afford one right now? I found one great designer who offers custom blog designs for free! Adori Graphics is run by Louise, a wonderful lady who has a heart for service. She started out designing blogs for people who were using their blog as a journal, therapy for problems they were dealing with. Now she has branched out and designs for anyone.

Here are just a few of her beautiful designs:

Adori Graphics also offers some lovely, unique, FREE backgrounds with matching headers which you can customize (or maybe she can do that for you also). Those are wonderful for those wanting to change their design immediately and not wait for a personal design.

And, while you are there, check out her great tutorials! Louise really has a heart for others, and is so generous in all she offers! If you would like a free custom blog design, you had better hurry because her queue is just about full! If you go there and her wait list is full, become a follower so you can find out when she has openings.

Also, if you are a designer-in-training, know a good bit about PhotoShop and HTML, Louise is looking for someone to work with her. Obviously there is no pay, but what a great way to get on-the-job training!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Custom Blog Design Giveaway - Here!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

I am so very excited to be hosting a giveaway for Designer Blogs by Erin! Erin is a very talented blog designer who specializes in "creating custom blog makeovers that scream you." I absolutely love her work and I know whoever wins this will be thrilled with their new design.

We are giving away a custom blog design worth $40. To see the package you might win, go here and it is Package A. Below are examples of some of her recent work. If you click on the first two, you can go see the complete design. You can view other samples of her work by viewing her portfolio.

To enter leave a comment here, telling me how you heard about this giveaway (I am going to be a stickler on that). If you came here via a Google search just state that.

You can earn extra entries by doing one or all of the following, but make sure you leave additional comments for each one.

Become a follower of Beautiful Blog Designs.
Twitter about this giveaway.
Post about it on your blog.
Go to Erin's portfolio, find your favorite blog design she had done and come back here and tell us.

This giveaway will end Wednesday, June 17th at 9:00 PM EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced on Thursday, June 18th. A place in Erin's queue has already been reserved for the winner.

Special Note: I forgot to add that Erin has generously offered 10% off custom blog designs for my readers! Thank you, Erin! To take advantage of the discount fill out the order form and when you get to the "referred by" spot, put in Beautiful Blog Designs.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Looking for Blog Design Giveaways?

Need a blog face lift but don't have the money right now? Can't figure out how to upload the free ones? Don't worry. There are always giveaways and sales going on, and because I subscribe to most of the designers' sites I can let you know about them.

Right now there is a giveaway going on at Finding Joy in the Journey for a custom blog design by Subjective Beauty. The giveaway ends May 18th, so don't delay.

Also, The Design Girl is raffling off a custom blog design to raise money for formula to feed babies in Chinese orphanages. You get tickets based on the amount of money donated. Definitely a worthy cause. I even donated and if I win I will give it away here at Beautiful Blog Designs.

If you do have a little money for a blog design, Southern Girl Blog Design is having a 1/2 price sale on all her design packages. She does beautiful work, so now is the time to get a great custom design for a lot less money.

I keep the various giveaways and sales going on in the side bars of my blog, so if you are a subscriber, make sure you swing over now and then to see what is available.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

New Blog Design for Moving Forward!

I am VERY excited to announce that Summer, from Designs by Summer, completed the custom design template for my personal blog Moving Forward and it is beautiful! It is simple yet feminine. I didn't want anything too busy or cluttered and she did just what I asked!

For those who are wondering what getting a custom design entails - you pick out the designer kit, which is basically the colors and extras you want used for your blog. Then, the designer starts to design a template to meet your tastes and desires (usually working from a questionaire you filled out). There is a lot of emails between the designer and you, tweaking it to be exactly what you want. The whole process did not take more than a week.

Now, to celebrate, I am having TWO giveaways at Moving Forward! I am giving away personalized note cards from The Note House and $25 in Usborne Books. Come join in!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Designer Showcase: Smitten Blog Designs

The designer being showcased today is Smitten Blog Designs. This studio is run by Oregon neighbors Kate and Heather and opened for business in August 2008. They design free, modern and original templates to liven up your blog. They have produced several templates that are sold for $10 or less (an incredible deal!) as well as adorable free templates.

They have a nice variety of premade templates for sale, but they are all "limited editions." Once a design has been purchased a certain number of times, Smitten Blog Designs retires it so that the templates aren't overused. So, if you see something you like, don't wait till later because it may not be there. And, to help their clients with the installation and other blog questions, they provide a wonderfully detailed tutorial.

Here are just a couple of their limited edition premade blog templates.

In addition to the premade templates, they have an extensive gallery of free templates. And, right now they have adorable Valentine's templates (which also work nicely for marriage/relationship blogs).

Now, if you don't see just what you want among their free and premade templates, Smitten Blog Designs can make you a custom design for your blog for just $30! That is an incredible value!

If you do use one of their free or premade blog templates, don't forget to add one of their beautiful buttons to your sidebar to show your appreciation for their work.

If you are already using one of their templates, please leave a comment so I can go visit and admire your beautiful blog.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Designer Showcase: April Showers

The designer I am showcasing today is April Durham of April Showers. She is a very talented lady who kind of stumbled into blog design after several people liked the drawings she had done for her own blog.

After a little nudging from friends and clever marketing by her, the April Showers design studio was off and running! She works full time for a NBC affiliate and designs custom blog templates, headers and buttons in her spare time. Her blog and header designs are beautiful and unique, and are a great value!

Here are just a few examples from her gallery:

She also designs adorable buttons for your sidebar and even offers some for free. If you use a button from her, please leave a comment for her so she can pop over to see how great it looks on your blog. Here are a few of the FREE buttons you can find at April Showers:

I also wanted to add that she has a darn funny blog to follow. April is very insightful and witty and it has been very enjoyable to read her posts daily. So, even if you aren't in need of a new blog design, shoot over there and give her blog a read - but don't forget to leave a comment.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Sherbet Blossom Designs

I just love the name "Sherbet Blossom Designs!" It's original, catchy and creates a lovely vision in your mind without ever seeing the product. However, you are equally delighted when you see the beautiful blogs, websites and banners produced there.

The owner, Hannah, is a work-at-home mom who is a graphic designer for a publishing company which designs magazines. While she still works for them, her passion is Sherbet Blossom Designs and creating custom designs to fit the individual tastes and needs of each client.

In addition to blog and website designs, she also makes custom prints, such as wedding invitations, birth announcements and Christmas cards.

Here are some examples of blogs she has designed:

I highly recommend heading over to Sherbet Blossom Designs and taking a look at her work. You can get a custom design for as little as $45, including installation, which is an excellent value!

If you have time, also stop by Hannah's personal blog. It is not only beautiful, but full of good recipes, great links, incredible pictures and more!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates

If you want a huge selection of gorgeous FREE templates go to Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates. The designer there is Lena Toews and she has shared many, many incredible templates for you to use, 100% free of charge. You simply browse through the categories and pick out the one you want. She has also provided a wonderful tutorial on how to change your own templates.

After looking out on the Internet for quality blogger templates, she decided to start making her own templates in her free time. Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates has a simple goal: to create beautiful, stylish, free and functional templates for those using the new blogger beta. If you are after a more original design, she also makes inexpensive custom blogger designs.

When I wanted to change from my plain Blogger template, her site was the one I went to. There were so many beautiful templates, it was hard to choose just one. Following her excellent directions I had the template loaded in less than 5 minutes.

Here as some examples of her free templates:

If you are looking to upgrade your template, but don't have the money right now for a custom one, shoot over to Simply Fabulous Blogger Templates. Lena is sure to have one that is just right for you.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Blog Designers

Wordpress designers are listed at the bottom.

Blogger Designers

Wordpress Designers

Typepad Designers

Flibby Pie Designs

First Blog Designer Review - Designs by Summer

I have to start somewhere and I decided to start with Designs by Summer. I came across her site when I was reading someone's blog (honestly I cannot remember which one). After reviewing her portfolio, I was impressed by both the quality of her designs and the price for her services. The phrase she uses is "Beautiful Designs, Wallet Friendly Price," and she is spot on.

Summer is a self taught designer, who had her start with digital scrapbooking first, which turned into blog design after teaching herself about HTML and CSS. Examples of her work can be seen by going to iMommy, or Org Junkie's Product Reviews.

Prices for new blog design are set by package and range from $35 to $100. She also can make headers (ex: Inspired Mama Musings above), buttons, signatures, awards, Etsy banners and avatars for $3 to $15.

My personal blog, Moving Forward, needed a face lift in a major way. The template I am using is a free one, and beautiful, but it does not fit my personality. Last week I contacted Summer to design a new template just for me. I will share the new site (and button) once the template is up and running.