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.

New Themes ~ Sea Gypsy & Scholastic Delight

Two new themes are making their debut today ~ the first is titled "Sea Gypsy" and features a lovely sea theme with magic abounding.  From shells and smashing waves to sandy shores and a haunting romance of lost lovers at sea, this theme is sure to enchant any summer blog!

Next up we've got a more down to earth theme, both in color and concept. This one's titled "Scholastic Delight" and features a soothing color scheme with a scholastic ensemble. It comes in three background colors, features two sets of sidebar tags, including one especially designed for school blogs, and the banner is customizable to include two of your own school photos, making it truly personal and one-of-a-kind banner.

Both are available for either WordPress or Blogger platforms. You can find more info by clicking the titles and/or images above.

Enjoy~

From Behind the Silence~

It's funny where life takes us sometimes ~ looking ahead from this time last year I knew my life would be different. With my youngest finally venturing off to college in September it was inevitable that life would bring many changes.  While I could feel the waves of change pulling me in new directions, I never imagined exactly how different my life would be and how very grateful my heart would feel.

"War Reenactments" by Kendra Binney

Life had grown quite stagnant, personally speaking, and those who know me best knew this to be a sad reality.  There's flight in these wings, with room to soar and carry others as well, so being spiritually grounded for so many years had become a huge burden to bare.  I adored my art and this lovely business of creating beauty and helping others, but as we all know there are many sides to a faceted diamond that need light in order to shine.

skeleton print by Kendra Binney

My approach was to take the tides as they came and remain open to where they would lead me.  It's tough to go with the flow, let go, and not question. I think we all know that, but I must admit that whenever I do, it tends to take me in directions I could barely have dreamed.

"This Can't Go Another Way" by Kendra Binney

Where I might have envisioned a lovely island filled with delicious fruits and flowers ~ life would more likely deliver a chain of islands filled with beautiful white sands, lush greens, and tropical songbirds, all living among those envisioned fruits and flowers, and nestled snugly between gorgeous blue seas and sky.  It's simply a case of this little human not having the sight of the gods.

yellow bird by Kendra Binney

And so, where is it this journey wound up for me? Well, here I sit ~ in a new state, with a new job, in a new home, with a new life. And happy? Oh my...
It's been a very long time since I could say I feel peace in my heart.  Where the slow steady rhythm of tranquility and gratitude strum a gentle melody through my days and nights.

tiger print by Kendra Binney

It took nearly a year to get here, really a lifetime, but here I stand ~ joyfully, courageously. The best part is that even though this life is interwoven with others, many of whom were crucial in helping me gain this freedom, at the core is the spirit of independence. For the first time in my life I stand on my own two feet ~ solely and squarely and happily.

While my "To-Do" list is miles long and I still feel the pull of many tasks on my wings, I finally have a calm heart, the necessary fuel to soar highest in this life and catch the best dreams.

"Rose City Till I Die" by Kendra Binney

So where does this leave my little plumrose dream? As with all good dreams, they never truly die and so neither will this fruit of my heart.

Scaling back from a team effort to a solo woman biz, I've got big plans in the works ~ with finishing up the website, creating an in-depth blogger video library, adding more prefab graphics, and offering a bigger selection of trinkets and treasures.

"Hummingbird Mansion" by Kendra Binney

And so this is me... peaking out from behind the silence and this veil of fruity pinkness to say "hey, I'm still here"... better than ever.  Thanks to all of you who've helped me get to where I am ~ gratitude doesn't even begin to express my heart, but thank you will have to do.  Thanks for sticking by, for waiting and wanting, and now.. off we go ~ let's fly!

This post features the beautiful artwork of one of my favorite artists, Kendra Binney. For more information and to purchase visit:
www.kendra-binney.com and www.kendrabinney.etsy.com

More Newness

Just like my spring garden, we've got more newness popping up here at Plumrose Lane and that's in the form of some brand new blog themes (crowd goes wild!).*smile* These new themes are bursting with beauty and  gobs of intricate details... I love the darling little blue bird with patina-ed crown in Cotton Butterfly and how about those shells, feathers, and bones in Featherly? ~ sheer bohemian delight!

Cotton Butterfly

Waking Dream

Featherly

To view all the goodies for these newest themes and spruce up your springtime blog, just click the images or linked titles above.

These newest themes are also packed full of color which makes them a perfect submission for Creative Everyday's monthly challenge ~ "Color"!  Participating in Leahs's monthly challenges is my little way of stepping outside my busy custom-work schedule to create something "just for fun".  You can stop by Leah's blog to check out all the wonderful submissions for this month's challenge and be sure to look over her own artwork which always leaves me thoroughly inspired.

Enjoy~

Newness

I've been so busy with custom orders lately that I haven't had time to get in here and post about some recent prefab additions so let me begin by doing a quick shout-out for some new post dividers. I've included a sampling below but you can find the complete set listed on the Post Dividers page (direct link: http://www.prl-images.com/post_dividers.html) or on the individual theme pages.

A Fondness

Emporium

Mother's Treasures

Read All-over

Tattered Garden

Last week's sale was a big hit so a HuGe THaNKs goes out to all of you who stopped by my Etsy shop.  The new Treasuries I created also helped to bring in some new traffic which was great too ~ it's been nearly 6 months since I put one of those together and they're always so much fun to create!

All of these helped bankroll my son's Youth and Government trip this past weekend so I sincerely appreciate it! I missed him while we was away but I know it's good practice to prepare for this fall when he's off to college. *sniffle*

Best~

The Brighter Side

I see the gremlins at Blogger are up to no good again.... seems images and settings are randomly changing and disappearing at will.  Take my A-Z Blog Themes List ~ there one minute and gone the next. Yikes!  It seems the more I work on getting this new website up and running, the more need there is for it. There's certainly nothing wrong with our efforts paying off so at least there's a brighter side to some of this darker weather we've seen in blogland lately.

On another note, I've just finished a new tutorial ~ How to: Install a Blog Badge (or add an html sidebar gadget) and you can find that by clicking the title.  With the creation of this final tutorial I've now completely rewritten the "Basics" section of my Decorative Themes & Add-ons category, whoot!  It's been a long time coming and although this only completes one part of my tutorials library I'm still really happy to have it done. Heaven knows I can't imagine what this year will be like once I'm finished with all this techie stuff but me thinks it will have something to do with sunshine and lolly pops! *smile*

Best~

Celebrate OZ - Altered OZ 2013

My goodness time is flying by so fast I nearly missed this wonderful event, Oma Linda's "Celebrate OZ - Altered OZ 2013" ~ my sweet friend over at Olde Baggs 'n Stuft Shirts holds an annual shin-dig celebrating all things OZ!  Fortunately I'm flying in just in time to participate.  Since things have been so hectic I've just got a short little post to share and a fun new theme that's perfect for the OZ lover ~

Great n' Powerful

It boasts loads of elements from the new movie which I actually haven't had a chance to see yet but can't wait to!  I studied the online imagery a bit and tried to pick up some key aspects to this new (an visually stunning) OZ movie.  To view the new theme just click the title or image above and be sure to hope of over to Oma Linda's blog to find more wonderful Oz giveaways and goodies ~ here's the direction link for those of you using mobile devices: http://lindaomasoldebaggsnstuftshirts.blogspot.com/

Best~

Important - New Updated Background Codes

Well I'm doing a serious happy dance as I've just finished updating all of the backgrounds in the "Just Backgrounds" area.  This project is SO huge but getting one part of it done brings that end just a little bit closer, whoot!

So, if you've been following along with my"Bucket" series and you're using one of my "just backgrounds" then you know it's time to change out the old code on your blog before the image disappears.  Simply click this title, Just Backgrounds, to find the complete list of titles and replace your old code with the new one.

If you're using a Plumrose Lane theme and don't see the title listed above then check my previous postings below and check back for upcoming announcements. If you're not sure what this is in reference to then you can read over a few of my recent posts below this one and check out the original posting, "The Bucket". All codes will be switched over in the event they are deleted by Photobucket. 

Best,

Now Designing for...

Through the chaotic month of February I had the pleasure of getting a small break and doing something new ~ designing for an digital magazine.  I had contacted the owner last year, but as is the case with so many things, this project popped up in my life just at the right time.

Learning the world of online ezine designing was something entirely new for me. While I've had some training in college classes, it's always a different thing when we get a chance to put that book learned knowledge to actual use and I'm happy to say that I found designing page spreads to be creative, technical, and super fun!

So this month you can find some of my newest handiwork in Pagan Living magazine.  I had the pleasure of designing a few of the articles including "For the Birds", "A Mad Hatter Tea", and "Well Dressing", as well as the "Inspiring Notions" page.

Being a contributor meant that I also needed to come up with a one page ad and since I'm no slogan queen, I enlisted the help of my son, the resident writer and English major. We had fun working on it together and I give full credit to him for the catchy opening phrase...

Aside from my own design work, I really enjoy reading this magazine.  I'd flipped through it a few times in the past, supporting some of my customers and friends who've contributed, but now I sit down and take my time reading through the pages and that's a good thing. As a not-wannabe workaholic, it's good for me to take some time for myself.   The newest issue has only just come out but at first glance some of my favorite short musings are the spread on Rhubarb ~ always wanted to try it, and the beautiful d-i-y handcrafted flower light sets ~ I totally want these in my bedroom(!).  

My hats off to the all of the contributors and especially the editor Tenae who juggles not only this publication but a busy personal life of college and work.  It's really a pleasure being associated with hard working and very creative souls, and working with Tenae was a sheer delight. I've no doubt this young studious go-getter will go far in this world and help spread the word for things she loves and believes in.  I hope you'll give Pagan Living a look-see ~ you can find it on issuu at this link:  issuu.com/paganliving/docs/spring2013

Enjoy~ 

Important - New Updated Background Codes - just backgrounds

Still racing against the clock the faeries and I switched gears a bit today and updated some of the background codes in the "Just Backgrounds" section. This area is a tiny bit easier because it doesn't include having to redo any tags and that's a big time saver right now.  

So far, I've completed A - M in that area so if you're using a background code from one of the titles below, you'll want to update the code on your blog before it disappears.  

If you're not sure what I'm referring to then you can read over a few of my recent posts below this one and check out the original posting, "The Bucket". 

Updated "Just Backgrounds" titles are...
Black Night
Blueberry Crush
Bohemian Mist
Charcoal
Conversationalist
Coralesque
Creative Experience
Emerald Dreams
Enchanted Corner
Esmeralda
Feeling Bleu
Garden's Delight
Grand Marquee
Harvest Moon
In Gear
Letters Home
Morning Mist
Morning Sunshine

It's easy to update ~ just replace your old background code with the new code for your background size.  This change is taking place as this blog migrates over to a new website due to Photobucket's recent change with large image handling.

If you're using a Plumrose Lane background and do not see the theme title listed above then check back for upcoming announcements. All codes will be switched over before in the even they are deleted by Photobucket. 

Best~

Revamp Update - Post Dividers

In follow up to my posting, The Bucket, I've begun building my new website. Saying it's a monumentally overwhelming task is definitely an understatement but the good news is I'm making progress.  I have the first few pages up and the one which matters most at this is the list of prefab Post Dividers.  Here is the new direct link to that page where you can find updated image codes: http://www.prl-images.com/post_dividers.html  If you're using one of my prefab post dividers now is the time to switch out for the new link before the old ones disappear.

I will continue to post updates as they happen ~ both here and on my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/plumroselane), although the FB posting happen a little sooner since they're quicker to post.

Best,

Seasonal Themes & a Tutorial

I was hoping to be further along with updating my blog themes but it seems to be a never ending task at this stage. I'm sure that's not really the case and instead is like anything else in life ~ a lot of baby-steps until we finally arrive at our goal.  Happily I was able to update all of my Valentine's Day themes so those are ready for use.

While updating some of my older themes I'm finding that the newer creative skills I've gained through the years are kicking in and I'm not only updating the sizes but giving some of them a whole new look and feel too. Case in point is the Je T'aime theme ~ once featuring a nice weathered harlequin background and a few red daisies with not much else going on, it now boasts an eclectic mix of rusty vintage elements with hints of Shabby Chic.  It's fun to "upgrade" my own designs and even more fun to see if you'll like them as well.

You can view all of my Valentine's Day themes by clicking the images and titles below or access them through the Seasonal Themes link on my sidebar:

A Heart for You

Fanciful Love

Love's Elixir

Je T'aime

Gilded Love

Unchained Melody

Since several of these themes offer free banners I thought it was about time I put together a tutorial for adding a blog title to a banner image.  I know this is something that's been challenging for some of you so now you can follow along with this newest tutorial ~ How to Add Text to a Blog Header.

I'm sure this month will go by super fast, they all seem to anymore, so here's hoping it's filled with loads of creativity and inspiration for all of you!

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,

New Prefab Themes

As I've been working through my prefab themes to switch everything over to work with the newer Blogger templates I've also been taking the time to create a few new prefab themes. This was one part of my work that I let fall to the side with the increase in custom projects last year. I'm happy to be putting more focus on this part of creating ~ I always have so many ideas flying around in my head that it's nice to let a few out.  So here is a sampling of some of the new themes you can find under the Themes section...

Cotton Delight

I originally created this theme as a subtle backdrop for the blog I use to create screenshots for my tutorials.  After several requests from followers I've now published this for public use.

 Fanciful Filly

 I've wanted to do a horse theme for such a long time and am happy to finally have a start. I'm looking to add more color selections of this in the near future.

Winter Wonder

 I was a bit ashamed of the meager offering I have for winter themes so this is hopefully the first of several new ones to help us warm the winter months and chance those wintery blues away.

Providence

 This theme was a custom reject ~ yes, I actually get those from time-to-time.  A giveaway winner decided to keep her own blog theme so all of the elements are free including the banner.

I'll have more coming in the future as I continue to work my way through the sea of themes and backgrounds.  I hope you enjoy these new looks and all the goodies they include!

Best,

Customer Shout Out!

Once again I have the pleasure of giving a few shout-outs to some recently completed projects.  These are always so much fun because not only do I get to show off some fun themes I've been working on but I get to introduce you to some really wonderful creative souls!

Projeto Corujinho

First up is this theme created for Projeto Curinho.  Now if htat title sounds a bit foreign, it's because that's Portuguese.  Not many of you may know that I lived in Brazil many years ago so this project was extra special to me.  This blog theme was created around a charitable cause ~ offering golfing lessons to underprivileged children in Brazil.  Visiting the blog you'll see photos of the children having fun and it's easy to see how much this special project means to all of them!  I was honored to have an opportunity to work on this theme.

The Johnson Family Live

Next we have The Johnson Family Live ~ a delightfully homey blog centered around family, fun, and food.  If you've ever had a project just flow then you'll understand how happy I was when this one simply fell together at every turn.  The end result is a wonderfully elegant yet down-to-earth theme that offers a cozy backdrop to this fabulous family's life and adventures.

Bonnie's Heart & Home

Lastly we have Bonnie's Heart and Home ~ it's funny how some themes just seem to take a bit longer, not because of any one particular aspect or cause but simply how putting the individual theme plays out and this theme was one of those. Starting on our journey nearly a year ago, Bonnie and I worked together to bring her personal vision of home and spiritual beliefs together in one lovely theme.  The outcome was a multifaceted theme that fits her lovely style to a tee.

As always a huge thanks to my wonderful customers, not only for selecting me to create for them but for allowing me the honor of bringing their personal visions to life ~ it's always such a pleasure! I do hope you'll take the time to visit each of these wonderful blogs and comment and Follow ~ it's one of the ways we can reach out and make this blogging community a little more friendly and personal. 

Enjoy~

New Seasonal Themes

There must be a good 25 themes roaming around my brain at any given time.  It's not that I don't want to set them free, it simply boils down to a lack of time.  So you can imagine the resounding cheers from my muses as I've finally created some new themes ~ what a delight to finally set a few free. Themes that is, not faeries.  And it's just in time for holidays too which is great since I can't remember the last time I created a new prefab holiday theme!?!

So here's the new assortment of seasonal goodies, just in time to spruce up your blog...

Glitter and Ice

Country Christmas

Blitzin'

 

...and hopefully I'll have a chance to set a few more free in the very near future, we have to beat Santa's sleigh now! To view the individual themes simply click on the images or titles above.

Enjoy~