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Why, hello. Have we met?
You may have noticed a number of changes around the homepage lately. Since 2010 is dead and gone, it feels like perfect timing for a makeover project. Not the house this time, but the blog.
For starters: the new header. I think it reflects my present need for a clean slate. Between the house, this blog, my job, and all of the other wonderful things going on in my life, I feel like I haven’t gotten much of a breather lately. Every day off has been full of activity instead of relaxing at home: for vacation, we went to Germany. For Christmas, I went to my parents’ house. For New Years, we went to Memphis, TN for the UGA bowl game. While all that activity sure is fun, my brain feels overworked. And since I want to complete a lot of home improvement projects in 2011, I need to be able to focus. A clean, serene backdrop seemed like the perfect fit to the blog, my haven for creativity.
You may have also noticed a change in color scheme. You betcha. I found that while I love the color turquoise, have painted my craft room with it, and plan to use it in other rooms of the house, I wanted a change. So many blogs out there use blue. It’s a beautiful color and the most popular overall favorite by men and women (which explains why many blue-colored blogs are popular, like House of Turquoise and The Lettered Cottage). But I wanted mine to be different, and purple seemed to fit. It’s no coicidence that with my need to introduce a little more clarity into my life that I would use purple, since color psycology tells us purple “embodies the balance of red stimulation and blue calm. It’s uplifting, calming to the mind and nerves, and encourages creativity.”
But let’s not forget, DIY home improvement is still a messy, unpredictable, new experience… so the blog is still going to have a little chaos from time to time (especially as I convert the change from the old scheme). While the header and sidebar have been cleaned up a bit, I can’t deny that mistakes happen. So the occasional paint splatters and feathers (I’d liken it to the “ruffled feathers” frustration I get when things don’t go exactly as planned) will be here to stay. If your new to this blog, find out the story behind my tag line here.
Feel like a tour? I’ve decided to make it a little easier to reach certain parts of the blog. Our House Tour page is not only accessible by the menu bar, but you can now reach it by clicking on the photobook icon as well.
And how about a little more face time for Scott and I? Before, you could only find a nice, not-sweaty or mid-project pic of the two of us on the About page. I thought that was a little too anonymous. Ok, ok, I also didn’t like that you were more likely to see me completely disheveled and covered in paint than you were to see me cleaned up. After a little tweak, you can see our cheesy mugs fully displayed on the new home page. Maybe this will make us less like strangers and more like the nutty folks next door (…down the street… another state away).
Facebook, Twitter, and RSS links are all still there, though they’ve been changed to match the new look. Be a pal, and like us, follow us, and … um, follow us :)
My Out and About (aka Link Party) page has been added to the menu bar for all of you folks needing to know about the various blog parties I participate in. For new bloggers, be sure to check out these great sites!
Simple, clean, and maybe just a little off. A renewed focus for 2011. Bring it on!
I like the new blog design. Purple is my wife's favorite color. She loves blue too. We've been working on DIY projects lately, including DIY home building. It's one of the most complicated tasks I've known, yet being able to build a house by yourself is fulfilling. Also, building your own house is a perfect way to bond with family members. That's what makes topics on DIY build houseS and create handmade products so interesting.