Image Title Issue ~ Fix & Freebie

I know many of us have struggled for a long time with the "Image" gadget. Gone were the days when we could leave the "Title" area blank.  It had been nice when using sidebar tags because, well let's face it, using a title above a title is a bit redundant. ;~)

Recently while wandering through blogland I happened upon a fix (yay!).  It seems that whenever you type in a small snippet of code, it tricks the gadget into thinking there's a title so when published, nothing shows up. This enables all of us using tags to once again use them as section titles, whoot!

Here is the code:

<!--->

Just type or copy it into the "Title" area of the Image gadget, insert your image and then click save ~ you'll be all set!

To celebrate I'm offering this free set of sidebar tags! Just click the button below to download and save the set to your computer. They can be used as section titles or even linked images if you prefer.   I've included a lot of extra titles too (more than my regular sets) so you've got a lot more options for uses. Just remember to add that snippet of code above and you'll be all set!

Enjoy~

Goodbye "Picture Window" ~ Hello "Simple"

Recently I'd noticed that the Picture Window template had changed and the tutorial I wrote several years ago didn't seem to be working anymore. The problem seemed to be in the Html area and the built in presets, including a white center color, weren't disappearing the way they once did. This might have been fine except the awful white center  sat directly over my pretty themes, humph!

So the time had come to do some research and see if I couldn't come up with something better.  After many hours of playing and tinkering I'm happy to say that I've come up with a new tutorial. This one uses the "Simple" template and the best part is it's even easier, yay!  Now bloggers won't have to tackle the scary Html code area anymore.  The template even offers some added customization which is nice too.

So if you're interested in taking a look or have that awful white center on your own blog then click the title below to view the newest addition to my tutorials library:
How to: Setup and Modify the "Simple" Template.

Update to Previous Post

Here's a bit more info from my last post about missing images, just in case there was some confusion... 

Paid Users: If you purchased a banner or a complete theme from me in the past then contact me through email (click my signature below) and I will send you the link to the new theme page. That way you will have all of the codes for that theme ~ no additional cost is required.

Free Users: If you were using one of my blog themes that used to be free and you still have the code installed on your blog then you can follow the instructions in my last post to fix the issue. The images will return and there will be no cost to you. This way my previous freebie users are still included ~ love you guys too♥

Installations: If I installed one of my themes on your blog in the past then just follow this tutorial to add me as a guest: http://www.plumroselane.com/tutorial-add_guest.html I will re-install everything so your blog is back to what it was before. You'll need my email address for the tutorial so go ahead and click my signature at the end of this posting to get that and while you're at it you can send me a quick message letting me know you'll be adding me. ;~)

And remember that all of my "Just Backgrounds" are still available for free and will remain that way. You can click this title to access the page.

Hope that helps everyone and thanks for your patience! *shakes fist at gremlins*

Blogger Changes Html

It seems Blogger has once again changed things up ~ this time they've completely revamped their Html interface, so if you've been trying  use my tutorial How to: Setup and Adjust the Picture Window Template, or just working in the Html area of your blog, then you've notice things looking... well... entirely different...

new view

It's kind of like going to sleep with this...

photo credit - Leandro Cavinatto stock.xchng 

and waking up with this...

photo credit - Ehsan Namavar stock.xchng 

I get that change is nice but is it really necessary??

Ok, so my example is  a bit over-the-top but let's face it... after the fiasco of Blogger's "updates" last year and all the recent glitchiness with their interface, it's enough to make any Blogger want to packup and move to Wordpress.

Blogger seems quite proud of their revamp and boast it's newly improved functionality in this posting from Blogger Buzz. Here's the direct link: http://buzz.blogger.com/2013/04/improvements-to-blogger-template-html.html  And while these changes may be the cat's meow down the road, for now it means a boatload of unexpected work while I revamp the set of tutorials I just finished rewriting. *le sigh*

Sooooo... I'm currently working on some rewrites and will make an announcement once the changes have been published.

Best~

Google Chrome

I have to admit I've been a die-hard Firefox user for years.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Firefox has served as a popular browsing alternative to Internet Explorer for many years.  Over the past several months I've noticed some terrible glitchiness and with the occasional crash thrown in, I felt it was time to look for something better.

I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews since Chrome first came out and was quite reluctant to try it, especially given Google's reputation for prying into all things personal.  But after doing a bit more investigation and reading over some pretty rave reviews, I decided to give it a go.  Before actually installing Chrome I wanted to be sure I could still use several of the essential add-ons I'd come to know and love through Firefox ~ safe guarding my information was a top priority and not one I was willing to sacrifice.  Much to my delight I found a plethora of tools, extensions, add-ons, and more!  Aside from the themes (love mine), and the games (haven't tried any), I'm delighted with how easy it is to modify this browser and how fast pages load (wowza!).

I've written a tutorial and included it on my Tutorials page, highlighting some of the key features I use and recommend.  These tools are designed to keep us and our computers safe and in the crazy techie world we live in, that's a really good thing.  So take a look at this new tutorial titled: "Working with Google Chrome" and see if it helps you find a better browsing solution too.

Enjoy~

New Tutorial, Themes and Section

The faeries and I are just popping in between projects to let you all know about some new goodies here on the lane ~ after a long wait I've finally rewritten the tutorial for adding sidebar tags.  I know many of you newer bloggers were anxiously waiting for this posting so you can now find that under this title "How to: Install Sidebar Tags" in the Tutorials section of my blog or at this direct link: http://plumroselane-tutorials.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-install-sidebar-tags.html

I've also created a new tutorial titled "How to: Setup Your Blogger Profile". While many of you are using your Google+ accounts there are those of us die-hard bloggers who still love the layout and all inclusiveness of our Blogger profiles.  You would also be amazed at how many bloggers simply don't have their profiles turned on or linked to anything.  I can't tell you how many times someone leaves me a nice comment and I while I want to reciprocate instead I hit a dead end as I can't reach their blog. *sigh*  So give the tutorial a look over and maybe you'll find it helps with activating or setting up your own profile.  You can find the tutorial by clicking the title above or using this direct link: http://plumroselane-tutorials.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-set-up-your-blogger-profile.html

For the new themes portion of this post I have two to share with you today... The first is a warm and cozy ensemble that's just perfect for chasing away those mid-winter blues. It features a distinctive knitted style with crafty sewn and paper accents and is titled "Cozy".

You can find it by clicking the title or image above.

The second theme was inspired by the popular British series Downton Abbey.  It boast a deep rich color scheme with decadent accents and is titled "Downton".  You can view all of the elements included in this set by clicking the title above or image below.

Lastly I wanted to mention a new section on the sidebar of my blog titled "New Themes".  Now all of my newest prefab designs can be found in one location so no more tiring searches through the A-Z List, although I understand for some of you that's a favorite past-time. *wink*

So that's it for this posting I hope you're all enjoying a nice beginning to the new year!

Best,

Tutorial Revisions and Update

One of the trickiest parts about blogging over these past years has been trying to figure out how to offer snippets of Html code within my blog posts. If you've ever tried to do this it's a real headache because our blog posts are written in the same language so a simple snippet of code inserted within a blog post can easily be mistaken as part of the posting itself. It's been an especially big stumbling block with my most recent tutorial How to: Setup the Picture Window Template.  I feel awful for any headaches my previous tutorials have caused as I try to offer helpful assistance, not additional headaches.

The good news is that thanks to Rajib over at Techncom I've finally successfully overcome the issues, whoot!  Now, my tutorials will include the required Html code directly within the postings so there's no more cumbersome downloads and additional files to hassle with.  So if you've tried my newest tutorial, How to: Setup the Picture Window Template, and struggled in the past please give it another try.  You'll find it works great now without the error messages.  I even had it successfully tested by a novice with no Html or blogging experience and they were able to successfully setup and modify the "Picture Window" template, whoot! 
Here's the direct link for those of you using your mobile devices: http://plumroselane-tutorials.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-setup-picture-window-template.html

Enjoy~

New Tutorial ~ Installing the Picture Window Template

In between custom orders I've been feverishly working to update my tutorials list and prefab blog themes.  The tutorials have been terribly outdated and I miss being able to help empower other bloggers.  My prefab themes need new background sizes and codes as well as new additions to the list of sidebar tags.  It's a daunting task but I've been chipping away at it little by little.

Today I'm super happy to announce that I've finally finished writing a new tutorial titled: How to: Setup the Picture Window Template. This new tutorial enables bloggers to install and modify the Picture Window template so that most Designer Blog Themes can be beautifully displayed without built-in template features interferring with the look of the Designer's theme.

The Picture Window template replaces the old Minima template and works beautifully ~ yes, I'm even using it on my own blog, and updating opens up a world of additional features in Blogger's Template Designer that were previously unavailable with the older templates.

You can find this new tutorial by clicking the title link above, visiting the Tutorials page of my blog, or if you're a mobile user, here's the direct link: http://plumroselane-tutorials.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-setup-picture-window-template.html

And for those of you still struggling with understanding the basics of templates vs. themes, I've updated my questions and answers sheet titled: Answering Basic Design Questions for Blogger Blogs. You can click that title or this direct link: http://plumroselane-tutorials.blogspot.com/2011/10/understanding-basic-blog-design-issues.html

Enjoy~

New Tutorials

Sorry I've been a bit MIA the past few days ~ what with class finals, work and trying to catch up on everything else there just hasn't been much time in the day for blogging.  Any free time I've had has been focused on trying to get my Tutorials section a bit more up-to-date for the new Blogger interface.  I'm happy to say I beginning to make a dent in that list and have a few new tutorials added including:

How to: Install a Decorative Blog Background

How to: Install a Blog Header

How to: Center a Blog Header

How to: Add a Favicon

How to: Add a Post Signature

with more on the way very soon.  You can click this link to be taken to the entire list.  I also figured out how to delete a blog, as many of you have asked about that one, and there are other new goodies and tricks I've learned, so just as soon as these little fingers can them created they'll be published.

I've also had several recent requests for my Tutorials Book which is in the process of being updated as well so I'll make an announcement just as soon as that's completed.

One tip I would like to mention ~ for any of you who have signature images installed on your blogs, I've found they're behaving very oddly when writing a new blog post, so if you've experienced a broken image and/or an annoying "skipping" behavior, simply delete your signature code for the meantime until Blogger gets that issue straightened out.

The last thing I wanted to mention is that I finally found the "Send feedback" link I had heard so many referencing ~ if you go into the back area of your blog, on any page, you'll see it showing in the bottom left hand corner...  

Simply click that link to open a small window where you can leave feedback about a specific page or feature.  I encourage any of you who are having difficulty with your blogs to let Blogger now ~ the more feedback they receive the better change we'll have of things improving.

Wishing you all a wonderful start the week!

Enjoy~

Test Spin

How are you all making out with the new Blogger interface? Yeah... me too.  Just writing this post I accidentally deleted my signature several times.  I'm not sure what it is exactly, the vastness of all that white as it plays upon aging eyes *waves to Linda* or simply the fact that everything feels like I jsut stepped off Apollo 11. I've stuck with it through the week though hoping it would grow on me a bit more, or at least I'd learn a little more about where things are, but each morning I enter blogland a resounding "sigh" can be heard from my studio.

Those of us diehard "old interface users" will probably never fully embrace this new look, kind of like letting go of those clunky 70s sandals I wore into the ground but, I've been through enough changes in life to know that soon enough this learning curve will be behind us. I've never liked being a negative nelly so I'm doing my best to keep a positive outlook on the changes and I must admit there are some nifty additions.

Take the Blogger Template Designer ~

This handy tool really puts customizing a blog into the average user's hands.  From changing your font (color and style) to easily altering the width and layout of your blogs, Blogger has made these changes an absolute breeze.  Altering these key aspects used to be handled exclusively in the Html code area of our blogs and that's never a good place for any newbie to venture.  Now, it's easy as pie and I like that!

If you haven't tried some of these features out yet give them a spin.  The best part is you can "try on" and preview any changes without actually applying them to your blog and that's a wonderful plus ~ especially for those of us who air on the side of caution when it comes to blog changes.  To access the font features just click on the "Advanced" link and see what's available.

The only caution is to avoid clicking on the blue "Clear" link at the bottom of each menu ~ this won't recent the changes you just made ~ this will reset ALL of your blog settings, so avoid clicking.

Let me know how you do and what you think and most importantly have fun!

Help with Blogger's New Interface - new tutorial

I know many of you have been struggling lately with the new Blogger interface. It's a huge change from the old look and super easy to get lost in. So for those of you who would like to revert back to the old look I've created a brief tutorial to help you navigate your way.

The steps are super easy so just click here to follow along with this new tutorial~

Blogger Interface: How to Revert Back

Enjoy~

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(¸.•´ (¸.•´✻✻✻And don't miss a chance to enter the Suburban Retreat's giveaway for a chance to win one of my custom blog themes all your own! Click here to enter!(¸.•´ (¸.•´✻

New Tutorials Page Item

Recently I've received alot of questions and inquiries about how templates and backgrounds work and what the differences are. While this subject is tough to understand and even harder to explain, it's a real stumbling point especially for new bloggers and so it's one that needs to be addressed.

Since I found myself rewriting the same explanations over and over again I figured it was about time to put it all down in one convenient Q & A format. It's handier for my Followers and saves me time, whoot! I've also made it in PDF format so it's easy to download and keep on your own computer. So here's the direct link: Understanding Basic Blog Design Issues for Blogger and you'll also find it listed on the main tutorials page of my site.

I hope this helps to make things just a bit clearer for those of you who are struggling to understand the differences and allows you more time to do what you love ~ blog of course.

Enjoy~

New Tutorial ~ Blog Posts on Facebook

Recently a customer contacted me with a question about whether she could add her blog posts to Facebook. Naturally I went to refer her to my handy step-by-step tutorial and was absolutely stunned to find I had never written one?!?

Setting up your blog posts to show up on your Facebook pages is easy as pie, and that's saying alot for Facebook (my arch nemesis when it comes to ease of use). So I've finally written a tutorial for adding your blog posts to Facebook and this includes both both personal profile pages as well as business pages.

I find having my blog posts show up on my Facebook profile is a great way to gain extra exposure for my postings *waves to all my FB Friends*. I do try to keep in mind though that whatever shows up in the Notes area can be viewed by everyone and their mother. This is because Facebook has it set that everything that shows up on the Notes pages is entirely public, regardless of your privacy settings so be sure to keep this in mind before moving on to this new tutorial:
How to: Setup Blog Posts on Facebook

Enjoy~

New Tutorial - The Basics of "Following" & "Followers"

Recently a friend/customer and fellow blogger ran into some issues with the "Following" feature ~ namely, sometimes her identity was showing up as anonymous and other times it turned out she wasn't following the blog at all. While it's difficult to say whether this was simply a Blogger glitch, there have been far too many lately, or whether this is an issue that can be easily resolved, I figured it wouldn't hurt to cover some basics on the "Following" feature.

And so I've created a new tutorial titled The Basics of "Following" & "Followers" which highlights some of the key points of Following and even offers a little troubleshooting. Simply click on the title above to view the tutorial or find it in the future on the Tutorials page.

I hope this helps to make your adventures in Blogland that much more enjoyable and stress free ~

Enjoy!

New Tutorial! Working with Titles & Labels

I've just added a new tutorial to my growing list of Blogging helpfuls ~ this one focuses on the importance of using Titles and Labels in your blog posts ~ here's a direct link.

If you're unfamiliar with this aspect of blogging do check it out as it may be helpful to you and as always...

Enjoy!

New Tutorial ~ Working with Your Blogger Profile

Today I'm offering a little help in the realm of Blogger profiles. You see, there are so many lovely souls who visit my blog and while here they usually click to "Follow" or leave a sweet comment.

However, when I try to respond-in-kind, too many times I'm unable to find them ~ sadly their blog isn't tied into their profile.

Soooo, in an effort to alleviate this problem and in the hopes of being able to find some of you wonderful souls I've written a new tutorial on How to Setup and Edit Your Blogger Profile.

To view this easy step-by-step tutorial simply click here and I hope to be visiting all of you in the very near future.

Enjoy!

New Products! 2011 Calendar & Tutorials Book

I've just completed two very cool projects, the first of which is this set of fabulous 2011 calendar templates.

They're perfect for photographers or artists wishing to create calenders using their own work ~ to sell or give as gifts. The set includes 12 months and tutorials for use with both Photoshop & PS Elements although these templates may be used in most graphic programs.

They're a wonderful tool for artists and they're available for purchase in the Promoting section of my etsy shop.

The next project I just completed was an overhaul of my Blogging Tutorials book. It now features some fabulous graphics to help make the experience of following along with my tutorials even more enjoyable.

Each tutorial comes in pdf format and the set has a wonderful old world feel from the black bound digital cover to the weathered pages. It's a great way to have all of the blogging help you need in place, readily at your fingertips, and purchasing this set comes with free updates. My Blogging Tutorials book is also available for purchase in my etsy shop in the Learning section.

Enjoy!

A Helping Hand

We all know blogging is great fun, it's what brings us together in blogland. We enjoy writing and sharing our thoughts, feelings and photos about the things we love. But there's a more challenging side to blogging which often keeps us from truly enjoying the experience... the dreaded technical stuff.

Let's face it... getting in and probing behind-the-scenes of our blogs can often feel like a lonely walk on a dark night.

Well... did you know I'm willing to give a helping hand? That's right! I'm here to give assistance to those of you who may not have the know-how OR just have better things to do with their time.

You may be looking for something simple, like setting up a few sidebar images or you may want your entire blog theme changed. You might want a 3 column layout or you might be looking to go back to a 2 column layout. Whatever your situation, I'm here to help you out.

Simply contact me via email to discuss what you're looking to do with your blog. We'll go over the items on your list and the cost. Payment is easy & affordable. You pay me and I get to work, turning your blog into the dream blog you're looking for.

It's safe and easy! You'll add me as a temporary user and delete me when the work is completed. Simply follow an easy step-by-step tutorial (you can take a peak by clicking here) and I'll personally go into your blog, fix things the way you want them, and voila! A gorgeous blog, just the way you want it, without the headaches!

OR you can save money and simply buy an hour of my help. I'll do the work in an hour for one low price. Simply click the button below and you're off to saving time & money.

Whatever the blog job, whatever you need, I can help you finally enjoy your blogging experience by taking away the worries & hassles and letting you get back to what you love about being here... blogging.






A special thanks to my 14 yr old son for helping me with this posting as sales and marketing are definitely NOT my forte. ;-)

Helping Hand

Need help with your blog? I'm happy to lend a hand.  Whether you're looking to use one of my Designer Themes and can't figure out how to get things setup or you just don't want to be bothered with the headaches, I can help you have a beautiful blog.

The cost is $35 for an hour of my time and here is some of what this may include:

✻Installation & Modifications of Blogger Template for my Designer Blog Themes
✻Installation of my Designer Themes including background, header, and sidebar tags
✻Installation of Blog Badge, Post Divider, and Blog Signature Images
✻Setup and adjustments to template layout (2 and 3 column blog layouts included)

Simply click the link below to buy an hour of my time.

Here is a list of tutorials for items I normally cover during an average hour of work:

How to: Setup the "Picture Window" Template
How to: Install a Decorative Blog Background
How to: Install a Blog Header
How to: Center a Blog Header
How to: Install Sidebar Tags ~ picture gadget
How to: Install a Blog Badge ~ html code gadget
How to: Add a Favicon
How to: Add a Post Signature
How to: Add a Decorative Post Divider

I also offer help fixing some blog issues ~ please contact me before purchasing to be sure I'm able to help with your specific situation and blog needs.

Be sure to email me if you have any specific questions about your own blog. Just send a message to: plumroselane@gmail.com.

Best~