I re-designed my blog.
I freakin' RE-DESIGNED MY BLOG BY ACCIDENT!
I mean, TypePad makes it too easy; they have all these customization options and themes and junk on the back end, and I had a wicked case of writer's block so I started clicking around their pretty picchas…found one…SAVED IT WITHOUT THINKING FIRST…and lost my other header.
Don't get me wrong–I've planned on re-designing for YEARS and I'm sorta in process now, but…I didn't mean to today.
It's like giving a five-year-old a box of matches when she's supposed to be cleaning her room. She wants to obey and clean her room, but those matches are much more interesting.
AND THEN SHE STRIKES ONE AND BURNS THE HOUSE DOWN (getting out safely with the cat, dog and your wedding pictures) AND ALL OF A SUDDEN HAS A NEW BLOG DESIGN.
Hat tip to the multi-talented Emily Freeman for capturing the header image last year at the beach….
This is about the sixth version of me "salvaging" any kind of design; you should have seen the others. They looked like you gave a five-year-old a pair of scissors with the box of matches when you told her to clean her room, and before she opened the matches, she looked in the mirror and decided she needed to cut her hair before torching creation.
Redunkerous….
If ever there was a "bless her heart" moment, this is it.
For the record, I'm limited as to what I can do with this theme; I can't change the background, colors, font or spacing. But for now I've let it suck enough time and I need to get back to the writing deadline that started this series of unfortunate events.
What's the accidentiest thing you've ever done with your blog or Facebook page? Really, truly, TELL ME 'cause we Tech Idiots need to stand united, right?
Well, I have to say it now…bless your heart.
It looks great, though.
The worst thing I did with my blog? I spent hours trying to change the font to one of Kevin and Amanda’s amazing fonts with a host site, etc. My son helped me after I called him every other minute for hours. Anyway, one day I was looking at the counter thingy for my blog and decided I didn’t know what this web address thing was and I deleted it. I absolutely deleted my account with the host site and my fonts disappeared into thin air. I think I may have cried. No, I know I did. I haven’t gotten up the nerve to do anything else. So, you’re good.
Gorgie-poo, dahling. Just GORGE.
well! NICE.
Southern Gal,
ouch. I feel your pain. It makes us not be too adventuresome, huh?
I love it!!! A perfect accident!
Well, it wasn’t my blog, but I did accidentally screw up my computer for several months. I was using a program that cleans up unnecessary files, and it deleted a bunch of necessary files. The “undo” feature didn’t work. It said the next step was a system restore, which I knew I didn’t want to do then. But my mouse was being screwy and I accidentally clicked on yes, restore instead of no, go back. So it restored to 6 months prior and my programs wouldn’t work because the files were in different places than the programs thought they were. I couldn’t even get online to search for help because my browsers wouldn’t open! The only internet based program that worked was tweetdeck. I slowly got things working again (it took months), except for iTunes and live writer, which wouldn’t update because the installer files were missing. Over a year later, hubby updates iTunes without a problem…turns out I needed to do it under his user profile, not mine. I reinstalled/updated the remaining problem programs under his profile with no problem! All that time fighting the dang thing, and the solution was so simple.
Ps: this header is gorgeous. And I love the “see Robin Dance” tagline.
Lora Lynn!! THAT made me ear-to-ear GRIN! 🙂 (thank you!)
Pamela,
Well, for mistakes it ended up okay. But getting there was circus crazy!!
Michelle,
Thank you, friend :). A "perfect accident" is so wonderfully oxymoronic.
LIza Lee,
Well, I applaud your tenacity; I think I would've thrown my computer out the window if I had been in your shoes. Well done to FINALLY figure it all out!
And THANK you for your kind words about the header; but especially, the tag line. THAT is a hint of things to come :).
Good for you! I’ve done a few basic changes, but never had the guts to change the header. Thus the header is still a photo of my now-16-year- old when she was 9!
I’d say this is a happy accident. So beautiful!! I love it!
I can’t say I’ve ever messed up my blog too badly, but that’s because I’m terrified to try anything. I’m having a redesign done myself and can’t wait for a spruced-up look!
Kelly!!! HEY friend :). Gosh, you go back to about my FIRST plain blogger blog I think :).
I've been debating FOREVER. Providence finally stepped in today and "made" me……!
Oooo Shelly, I can't wait to see! Sadly, I like this canned header I can do little with better than what I had; I was dreadfully tired of it, ready for a change. I'm beginning to think my subconsciousness sabotaged me today :).
I thought I was so cool when I was on self-hosted WordPress. I was tinkering with plugins and thought, “Hey, I’ll try this awesome comment subscription thingie.” As soon as I engaged it, the entire blog came to a screeching halt. Frozen. Totally frozen. I couldn’t do a thing until my tech-hero Chris Cree stepped in and figured out what I did and disentangled the plugin and so on. Anyway, I entrusted myself entirely to Chris’s ministry-oriented web-hosting work known as EmmanuelPress.com. Chris hosts the blog, provides me with Genesis framework and an SEO package as part of the deal, keeps things updated on the back-end, and if I mess anything up again with my tinkering, he’s right there to make it right again.
But it was scary when I was locked out. It was as panicky as I’d have been if I locked myself out of my house. I banged on the windows and tried every entry to get in, but nothing worked.
Congrats on this beautiful, classy design. You ended up with a gorgeous solution.
(I like how uncluttered, clean, and simple this space is, with lots of white space for creative expression)
You know how, when you see a new something, that you can’t remember the old something? Well, I can’t remember what your old design looked like, other than your wonderful “red dress picture” was on the left side before. So, no worries here – love the header! And I’m glad you kept the red dress picture!
Worst thing to ever happen to my computer? “My” cat did it (he’s now my married daughter’s cat). One Saturday morning, the day BEFOEE I stopped leaving my laptop lid open, I came in to a view that was sideways, stretched across the screen. Trying to use the touch pad & buttons? The pad was reversed – tell THAT to your brain! AND the buttons didn’t work. I think that he had been lying across the keyboard – or at least walking across it – a lot!
I had to get my son’t external mouse, plug it in, & figure out how to restore everything to right side up, tap-left-means-tap-LEFT, etc. It took a while.
So, bless your heart, dahling! We’ve all done something, & we’re here because we love your writing, not your tech skills!
Fabulous accident! I absolutely love it. Not that I know you personally, but, through your blogs, I think that header actually captures the free spirit of you; you are a wonderful Christian, loving wife/mother, and articulate writer, who meets all of those “deadlines”, but inside that picture is the you waiting for retirement!! lol
God bless you, richly and abundantly!
Lynn
Love the picture and especially love the see…Robin…Dance. What a great name you have! 😉
oooooo I love it. Beautiful clean lines, pretty white space. I’d say it was serendipty 🙂
this is so very, very you. happy accident, indeed.
LOVE! you and the blog!
Oh, this made me smile (sorry, but it did). We all make silly mistakes. I once installed a new shopping cart program that deactivated all my plugins. Whoops…
It looks nice, Robin! I really like blogs with white backgrounds and not too much clutter.
Maybe I need an accidental blog makeover, because the one that’s been happening in my head just hasn’t happened in real life yet. 🙂 Looks great! Love the clean, open look.