New website!

Don't worry, The Chic Boutique isn't going anywhere :) But I do have a website now for my photography! Check out my post on my regular blog here, and view Emily Sacra Photography here!

I guess this is sort of a portfolio post as well... Haha!

Another one for the portfolio...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Name: Qpon Crazy Wife
Blog: Qpon Crazy Wife 

What She Got:

Tres Chic Package +

Menu Bar

Social Network buttons

Post Divider

Footer

Sponsors

Another one for the portolio...

A small re-design for Dougherty Photo Designs!

Easy Canvas Prints {product review}

I did a review on my regular blog about a canvas I received from Easy Canvas Prints, so go check it out!

Fun Fonts!

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for so long... I post regularly on my normal blog, so if you feel like it, go on over and leave some love!

Anyway, here's a tutorial of sorts on how to use some cool new fonts in Blogger!

First off, I am using the Blogger in Draft, so if you don't have that installed, please see here.

Also, these picture might be a little small, so if you need them bigger just click on them!

OK! Now, go to make a new post {Dashboard>Orange 'create new post' button}. Now type something!

 Now highlight the text, and pick a font {really, pick any font!}:

I just picked Arial, but you can pick any font you'd like!

Now switch from 'Compose' to 'HTML'.

See where it says "font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"? Good, so DELETE the part that says "Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif". Do NOT delete the ";". That is an extremely crucial part!!! If you picked a different font, it won't say Arial. It might say Georgia, Times, Verdana, Trebuchet, Courier, or whatever you picked!

You MUST delete everything after the "font family:", until the ";". It will look something like this once you're done: "font-family: whateverfontyouwanthere;"

So once you delete that line, add whatever font you want! This has worked with every font I have tried. Try these: Amelie, Another Typewriter, HaloHandLetter, David, Adobe Caslon Pro, and whatever other fonts you want to try! For this tutorials sake, I'm just going to use Amelie. So just type {right after "font-family:"} Amelie, and go back to 'Compose' mode!

You can then adjust from there the color, size, and whatever else!

I hope this tutorial worked for you! Leave a comment if you try it!
The tutorial at work :)

How to use Blogger In Draft

Blogger in Draft will show you the things that Blogger is just testing out. For instance, if you are not using Blogger in Draft, your Dashboard looks like this:

But if you use Blogger in Draft, your Dashboard looks like this:

To change to Blogger in Draft, just scroll down to the very bottom of your Dashboard, and click on Blogger in Draft:

It will take you to the new Blogger in Draft, but if you want to keep it as your Dashboard, you must click on Make Blogger in Draft my default:

And there you go!

Some people have been saying that Blogger has taken away their rights to Edit HTML in the Blogger in Draft, but I still have mine. You must go to Template>Edit HTML. It's that easy! If you can't find your Edit HTML button, please let me know!

Tutorial: Numbering comments in Blogger

I have done this on my regular blog, and  few people have commented asking me how I did it... Well here you go! 

This is especially helpful if you are hosting a giveaway and need to be able to find certain comments quickly! Another great asset is that you can click on the numbers to display that comment! For example, I clicked on comment number 20, and it gave me this link. When you click on it, it will take you directly to comment #20! How fabulous is that?

Here is what your comments will look like when you are finished:

OK! Let's get started!

Before you do anything! Go to Dashboard>{under the blog you would like to add numbered comments to}Settings>Comments> and under 'Comment Form Placement', select 'Embedded Below Post'. This is very important! This whole tutorial will not work if you do not do this!

OK! Now that that's done, let's move on! Go to Dashboard>Layout>Edit HTML. I would highly suggest that you download a copy of your blog template before starting!!! For those of you who are confident in your HTML knowledge and can easily go back and delete the coding you will be adding, you don't have to do this, but it is a step I would encourage you to take! 

Once you have downloaded a copy of your HTML, make sure to tick the box 'Expand Widget Template'. Then click CTRL+f to activate the search bar. In the search bar, paste the following code:

<b:loop values='data:post.comments' var='comment'>

Once you have found that code, add this code right above the code you just found {all that b:loop stuff :)}:
<script type='text/javascript'>var CommentsCounter=0;</script>
Great! Now, put this next code into the search bar:
<data:commentPostedByMsg/>
            </dt>

 

 Once that shows up, paste this code directly underneath:

<span class='numberingcomments' style='float:right;font-size:20px;'><a expr:href='data:comment.url' title='Comment Link'><script type='text/javascript'>CommentsCounter=CommentsCounter+1;document.write(CommentsCounter)></a></span>

 

 Now you're done! Save your blog, don't preview, because preview won't let you see your fabulous new numbered comments in action! :D 

Also, don't worry if you don't get it the first time! I had to do this twice to get it! So just try it again once more, and if you STILL don't get it, please feel free to e-mail me and ask! I would be happy to answer all your questions, and even install this in your blog... free of charge!

Let me know if you do this and it works!

Calling all Gmail users!

*** By the way everyone! Photobucket has fixed their problem, so everything is back! Yay! ***

Happy Sunday to you all! I hope you have a fabulous day worshiping the Lord! Now, for some really exciting news... Gmail by Google has added a new feature... you can now use your own background instead of using theirs! It is SO cool! Here's how my Gmail is decked out:

I've made it match both my blogs! Haha! If you use this cool new feature, please tell me what your background is! Have fun!

MAINTENANCE!!!

Hello everyone! Photobucket has been going through some maintenance and therefore everything that is hosted there is not working currently. They are resolving their issues, and everything should be up and working again, but until then, I am very sorry to all of my clients! If I have anything connected to your blog hosted through Photobucket, it will not work. But it will soon! Thank you for your patience!!!

Another one for the portfolio...

 Before:

 

 Name: Heather Dougherty

Blog: Dougherty Photo Designs {blog}

What She Got:

Rotating Header

Background

Menu Bar {with drop-down links}

Signature

Custom Fonts

Post Divider

Footer

Blog Button

My first photography blog! I think it turned out very nice! It was great working with you, Heather!

Two new designs!

I re-did my personal blog!

What I got:

Header

Background

Footer

Blog Button

Signature

Misc. Buttons

Custom Fonts

Post Divider

Sidebar Divider

Custom Domain Name

Favicon

And I also re-did this blog!

What I Got: 

Header

Background

Blog Button

Custom Fonts

Menu Bar {drop-down links}

Post Divider

Sidebar Divider

Footer

Signature

What do you think?

New Spring Sale!!!

I'm sorry I'm a little late getting the Spring sale up, but it's here now! All pre-made templates are 50% off, and all blog packages are 25% off! Get yours now!

Only available until May 1rst, 2011!

Pardon my dust...

Hello friends! Sometime within the next week, I will hopefully get my new blog design up! All my tutorials and freebies will still be up, I'm just moving things around a little bit! Check back later for some more tutorials and cool designs!

Designers I Love!

If you are interested in a blog design with a vector character, here are some of my favorite places to buy them!

• iStockPhoto
• chihhang's portfolio
• Adori Graphic's Vectors
• Broken Box Stock

I will continue to add to this list!

Simple Pre-made!

NO LONGER AVAILABLE!

Click HERE to view a live preview!

This is a beautiful Summer template that would be perfect for any blog!

There are many customizations available... Here are just a few color options you can choose:

You can also change the font! 

Things included in this template:

*Header

*Background

*Menu Bar {up to 6 links across, and 9 links down. Each new link is $2}

*Image beside post title

Click HERE to see other options for your template.

This template is $20

Please e-mail me if you want this template to be yours!!!
 NO LONGER AVAILABLE!

Another one for the portfolio...

Name: Rachael
Blog: The Mollie Files {a character blog}
What She Got:
She's a Sweetheart Pre-made Template included:
{Header}
{Background}
{Fonts - Callie Hand}

She also ordered:
Blog Button
Signature
Post Divider
Social Network Button {Twitter}

It was great working with you Rachael!

New Pre-made Template!

Click HERE to see a live preview!

 NO LONGER AVAILABLE!

This is a beautiful pink and girl template! Contact me for a list of things that are customizable.

This template includes:

• Background
• Header
• Signature
• Post Divider

There are many other extras available! Click here to see what other things you can buy to go with your template!

This template costs $25! 

To get this template for yourself, please take e-mail me!

 NO LONGER AVAILABLE!

Articles

• 10 Tips For Getting More Comments
• Improve your blog

Article: 10 Tip For Getting More Comments

EVERYONE loves comments! But maybe you don't get as many as you'd like, or maybe you don't get any at all! In this article, I will give some pointers that will hopefully get you more comments!

• Leave comments yourself! This is probably one of the most important tips! If you don't leave comments for other people, how do you expect people to leave comments for you? This is especially true for new Bloggers. If you have a new blog, most people have no idea it's out there! So it is very important to leave comments for other blogs, and you will find that you get more comments as well! Even though this might be the most important tip, it can also be the hardest to do! I know for myself, it's easier to just think 'What a great post that was!', and not say anything to the blog author about it! So take time to write just what you liked about that post, and not just slip over it.
• TURN WORD VERIFICATION OFF!!! I can't say how important this tip is! I am immediately turned off if I see I need to use word verification! Sometimes I even leave the comment box. Really now, I am not a bot! Even if you DO get spam, you can just delete the comment! Or even setting it so that you must check the comments before they are published. And trust me, I WILL remember if you had word verification, and I am much less likely to leave a comment again.
• Make pop-up comment boxes. This sort of goes along with the word verification tip... Making your comments pop-up, instead of having it embed at the bottom of the post makes me want to comment more! Here's an example: You find a post you like, and want to comment on it! So you click 'Add a Comment', or whatever the text is, and it automatically goes to that post so you can leave a comment:

 {click to enlarge}

         So I write out my comment, and click 'Post Comment'. But then I need to use the word verification! But

         by then, I'm already zoned out of comment-leaving mode :) Sometimes even, without thinking, I will

         close that window, and my comment will never be published because I didn't leave the word 

         verification! And then, if I remember to leave the word verification, it is posted and I have to click the

         back button many times to get back to the blog I was reading through! So all in all, using a pop-up

         window will increase your comments, and it is MUCH easier for your readers to use.

• Ask a question. I don't usually get many comments on my 'rambling' posts {but they are SO much fun to write :)}, so sometimes I ask questions at the end of my posts. Example: If I'm talking about a specific movie, asking my readers 'what is your favorite movie? What type of movie do you like best?' will often give me more comments than I would usually have!
• In your comment, do not beg and plead. There are many people who will leave me comments saying basically 'I love your blog! Please follow me!', and I'm immediately thinking {even if their blog is incredibly wonderful} 'Oooh, I don't want to follow them! They are having to beg for followers!'. So I know it's hard to just be 'happy' with how many followers you have {you'll always want more!}, I am at least 75% more likely to follow you if you do not beg me to. If you leave a sweet comment for me, even just an 'I love your blog!', I will click on your link and visit your blog! And if I like it, I will follow it! So begging and pleading does NOT work, it just makes me frustrated and unlikely to follow you.
• Be open while blogging. There are some blogs that I just don't feel any connection to. Like, their posts don't really leave room for comments! For example: talking about a certain subject and then covering all the topics of that subject! What will their readers comment about then? 'Great post'? No, most people want to be included in your posts! To feel like they have a right to comment, and have something to say!
• Make your blog load faster. There is a blog that I have never left a comment on, mostly because whenever I visit it, I get a headache! There is so much stuff on the sidebars, and a flash header, and posts chock FULL of pictures! All of these things are wonderful by themselves, but all jumbled together they make your blog incredibly slow. I love this blog so much, and I want to tell the blog author, but everytime I go to this blog, it takes a few minutes for it to load completely! So if your blog loads faster, I will more likely leave a comment.
• Have some giveaways! Be generous! I know that not everyone can do this, but if you have the funds available, give some stuff away! I gave away a blog design package, and I got 30-some comments! That may not seem like a lot, but it sure was then! Having giveaways, you will find out who really reads your blog, because come on, no one can resist a giveaway :)
• Build friendships. I became 'friends' with another Blogger, and now I leave a comment on almost every single one of her posts, and she does the same! If you become friends with other Bloggers, they are more likely to comment for you, if you comment for them :)
• Reward your readers. If someone leaves a comment on your blog that you really like, post about it! Say 'this person left this wonderful comment on my blog, and I wanted to share it with everyone!' Have some guest posts! Guest posts are wonderful ways to get more readers! If you think about it, the person writing the guest post will most likely post on THEIR blog, 'Hey! I'm being featured on this blah blah blah blog... Check it out!', and THEIR readers will mosey on over to your blog to see their friends' post, and if they like what they see, they might continue reading your blog, and continue reading... and pretty soon you have new followers!

 I hope that at least one of these tips helps you get more comments!

Pre-made Templates

• Seasonal Templates
• All Pre-made Templates
• Click HERE to take the Pre-made Template Order Form

Free Valentine's Day Blinkee

 

Would you like this blinkee for yourself? Just copy and paste the following code into an HTML/Javascript sidebar gadget and enjoy!

<br><center><script type="text/javascript"><br>var imgs1 = new Array("http://i56.tinypic.com/2ahd2c3.jpg","http://i51.tinypic.com/2uge6uh.jpg","http://i55.tinypic.com/d5gl1.jpg","http://i52.tinypic.com/9u2hde.jpg","http://i56.tinypic.com/2czvm03.jpg");<br>var alt1 = new Array();<br>var currentAd1 = 0;<br>var imgCt1 = 5;<br>function cycle1() {<br>  if (currentAd1 == imgCt1) {<br>    currentAd1 = 0;<br>  }<br>var banner1 = document.getElementById('adBanner1');<br>var link1 = document.getElementById('adLink1');<br>  banner1.src=imgs1[currentAd1]<br>  banner1.alt=alt1[currentAd1]<br>  currentAd1++;<br>}<br>  window.setInterval("cycle1()",1000);<br></script><br><img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2ahd2c3.jpg" id="adBanner1" border="0" width="150" height="150" /><center/></center></center><br>

 This blinkee was made to match my freebie: Valentine's Day Blogger Template!

Please let me know if you use this blinkee! 

Valentine's Day Freebies!

To kick off my new special, here are two FREE Blogger templates for you to use!

You may choose between these two backgrounds:

 

The post divider:

This template includes:

• Background {your choice of background, shown above}
• Header {fonts changeable}
• Post Divider
• Signature {not shown}

Get my freebie Valentine's Day blinkee button to match this template!

To see the other things I offer, please go here. You may purchase anything to go with this template!

To get this free template, please go here and take my order form.

This is extremely important! After filling out the form, you MUST e-mail me at photogal2014@gmail.com and tell me you took the Free Valentine's Day Blogger Template form. Thank you!

Freebies

• All Full FREE Blogger Templates
• Seasonal Blogger Templates
• Free Blog Buttons for YOU!
• Search ALL Freebies

Valentine's Day Special

You do NOT want to miss out on this incredible deal! Everything in the store {packages, extras, pre-made templates, you name it!} is 50% off!!! You can't beat buying the Basic Package for only $12.50! And get the Très Chic package for only $45!!!

E-mail me today to reserve your spot on the waiting list!

Offer valid until February 14, 2011