A Little Update & A Freebie

Remember me? I've been kinda quiet lately, huh? That's because Mr. H. and I have been busy doing this:

I've been busy as a bee. But, in my free time, I have been picking some bloggers to feature, getting ready to release some smashing summer blog awesomeness, working on our site re-design, creating a new post pretty for you, and solving world hunger. And you thought I was just lounging on our front porch while my kids hand me dandelions. Shame on you! (Okay, I have totally been doing that too, but shhhh!) I think I have finally narrowed down the Shabby Bloggers I want to feature to 3 and I will be introducing you to them in the next few days. But first, I just had to give you something. 6,000 followers? That is insane! You guys are amaaaazing! THANK YOU!

You may have noticed, but I kind of have a thing for frames. :) I just think they are so lovely and add the perfect punch to your photos and goodies. Shabby Bloggers are way too stylish for boring pictures, am I right? Make mine pretty please! Did you like the frame collage I used above? Would you like to use it for your photos? Done and done. Aaaaand, along with the gold frames, I have also included these:

Enjoy!

Shabby Blogs Post Frames:

Download

*Not sure how to use these? Check out the video tutorial here!

More Spring Bling

I finally had a spare moment to add a few new headers and some wicked cool buttons to ShabbyBlogs.com. Go grab them! A little freshening up will be good for your blog's self-esteem.Next up? Some awesome freebies just for SBB readers and a new featured Shabby Blogger! I'm going to be hopping all over the blogosphere, re-reading your comments and visiting as many of you as I can to find the best of the best. I may have to choose more than one blogger each time because seriously, it is almost impossible to limit myself to one of you. I swear Shabby Bloggers are the most creative, fun, hilarious, and kind group of people on the planet.

*Some of you may already know, but Blogger in Draft is working on some really great new features. In the future, it will be much easier to customize your blog. I'm working on new ways to integrate our shabulous designs so you can rock the web with your sheer shabby awesomeness. Woot woooooo! :)

Another Anniversary

So I've been avoiding my own blog because I am totally embarrassed. But, I have to tell you, being married to a man who sees the best in me (even when I don't) is the greatest gift I have ever been given. I feel like there is nothing I can't do with him by my side. He is the greatest man I have ever known. I could go on for eternity about how amazing he is, but the mushiness factor would be tremendous and you would all be drowning in cheese and screaming, "Get a room!" waaaay before I could finish. :) Just trust me when I say that I am the absolute luckiest girl in the world. We are off to Chicago to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, but I'll be back soon to post new headers and buttons!

One Year Anniversary

Megan, forgive me in advance for hijacking your blog. I just couldn’t let the one year anniversary of ShabbyBlogsBlog and Shabbyblogs.com pass today without telling you and everyone else how proud I am of you! You have spent countless hours, long afternoons, and late nights at your computer instead of doing one of the million other things that you love. You have sacrificed beautiful days at the beach, movies out with friends, playing in the snow with the kids, and virtually any time for yourself. You’ve developed a mild case of carpel tunnel syndrome because of the time your hand has been glued to your mouse. To show for it, you have created literally hundreds of works of art; you have created miniature masterpieces. You have used your incredible talent for taking ordinary things and turning them into something truly extraordinary! You put everything you have into everything you do and your lovely creations are your evidence. You have not only given of yourself, you have given of your heart. You have touched thousands of lives in big and small ways by helping people all over the world create their own home on the web – to create their own blog of memories, their own list of recipes, or their own portal to a world that is bigger than the confines of the walls that surround them. You have inspired thousands of individual souls to express their own beautiful uniqueness and to be proud of it. You have helped them see that their thoughts, their style, their photographs, their ideas, their kids, their homes, their accomplishments, and their lives are worth sharing! You have helped them to recognize the beauty in their own lives and experiences by giving them the tools and encouragement to share them.

To all of you wonderful Shabby Bloggers, thank you for making this blog and www.shabbyblogs.com such a success. I think that you recognize by her work what I have known since the day I met her – that Megan has an unparalleled talent for creating beauty all around her. What you may not know, however, is that this beauty springs from a soul that is so filled with light and goodness that it cannot help but escape. So, while I many times longed to have her hand in mine instead of holding her computer’s mouse, I rejoiced to know that the world was witnessing a small glimpse into the mind and heart of the most amazing woman I have ever known.

With all of that said, Megan, we are all behind you – me, our three girls, and the thousands of individuals all over the world who are a part of Shabby Blogs. 2010 will be even better than 2009 and the good things you create and share will continue to inspire wonderful people everywhere. I love you! Happy blogiversary.

Your husband and biggest fan,

Sonny

Cupcake Wrapper Freebie

Happy Easter!!!

{Feel free to snag this blog button!}

In our little family, we celebrate a holiday I made up called "Preaster." We do all of our "commercial" stuff the Saturday before Easter and save Sunday for what matters most to us. I buy a puzzle I think my girlies will love and place the puzzle pieces in plastic eggs for their Easter egg hunt. I looooove hunting for eggs, but hate arming my kids with MORE candy...or discovering rotten eggs in my yard months later. Gaaaack! They love this idea and then we get to spend our time together working on the puzzle. :) I so love this time of year!

Right. So I made you another freebie. I couldn't help it. I like you! I whipped up some lovely cupcake wrappers for you to use in your Easter baking/crafting. It seems like I always end up making a gazillion cupcakes for my kids to take to school and I looooove dressing them up a bit with cupcake covers. You just print them, cut them out, add bit of glue and you are good to go! You can also use these as candy cups or put a little fake grass in there and plop a Peep in them as a fun little treat. Maybe I should have called them Peep Ploppers. Isn't that fun to say? Well, whatever you call them and however you choose to use them, have a blast!!!

Cupcake Wrapper Freebie:
Download

Spring is heeeere! {FREEBIE}

Are you as excited as I am to welcome SPRING? Oh my gosh! I've done my share of frolicking and now I am inspired, rejuvenated, and raring to spiff up some shabby blogs. :) I have designed more spring backgrounds than I know what to do with- which I will be adding to ShabbyBlogs.com within the next few days. (So I guess I do know what to do with them.) I'll also be adding new buttons, blinkies, and some fabulous matching headers. Yaaaay! (I'm sorry my site re-design isn't ready yet so those pages are getting mighty long, but like I said...I had to fit in some family frolics. :) Totally vital.) In the meantime, here is some fresh new blog candy just for you! I created this little pretty using digital scrapbooking kits from the amazingly talented Michelle Underwood. (If you are digi-scrapper, head over to her shop and snag some of her awesome work!) You can customize this lovely any way you want. Just right-click and save it to your computer. It's large enough to use in your posts or it can be shrunk to fit in your sidebar...or both. Your call. Enjoy!!!

Twitter Background Freebie

First of all- I'm sorry. I've been meaning to get some St. Patrick's Day goodies uploaded to ShabbyBlogs.com for weeks, but something always seems to come up. Mainly, I blame the sun. Remember the sun? That blessed, beautiful, luminous thing that made my children's eyes sparkle and the whole world all green and lovely? Yeah. That sun. Well, he has decided to show up here in Michigan and you can bet your muddy boots I have been outside to greet him! My girlies and I have been jumping in puddles and smashing our snowmen to bits. Tonight, I even talked my hubby into putting up our big trampoline...which is a sure sign that another blizzard is on it's way. :) Until then, we are soaking up every single sign of SPRING. We're even learning how to make maple syrup! Seriously, how awesome is that? Our yellow farmhouse is completely surrounded by bucket-laden trees just drip-drip-dripping away. The old man who farms the land around us gets together with all of his friends and they laugh and tease and work until the sun sets. When I first introduced myself to them, the operation seemed to consist of three elderly gentlemen. I went to the "sugar shack" behind our house this afternoon to say hello and they had multiplied! There were nine of them out there in that tiny little shed, just chatting away and having a good old time. See? How can I sit in front of my computer with a party like that going on just steps away from my back door? :)

I hope you understand! I promise to get back to work full-force soon. Still working on the site re-design and lots of new things I know you're going to loooooove! Want proof? Check out this Twitter background I made just for you! It's sort of St. Patricky, but not so much that you can't use it all the time. (Did that make sense?) You can see a full-sized preview on my Twitter page. I hope you have fun with this...but don't spend too much time on it because Mr. Sun is the jealous type. :)

Shabby Twitter Background:

Download

How to Add Pages to Your Blog

A few weeks ago, the good folks at Blogger released something pretty dang cool. I call it a late Christmas gift to the world at large, but I suppose normal people would call it a Page Gadget. That's right, people! PAGE gadget! Do you know what this means?!! It means that you can make pages!...on your blog!...with a cute little menu!...and it's eeeeasy! Of course, you could do this before if you wanted to get all HTMLy, but now you can do it so easily. Check this out:

1. Log into your Blogger account and click on the "Posting" tab as if you are going to...you know...post something.
2. Click on "Edit Pages"

3. Now, click on the button that says "New Page." (FYI: You can create up to 10)4. Enter your page title and whatever else you'd like on that page. (It's very similar to a regular blog post.) When you are finished, click "Publish Page."
5. Now you get to pick where you want the links to your pages placed. Once selected, click on the spiffy "Save and Publish" button.You're done! That's it! (See? I told you it was totally easy.) I'll show you one more thing though. If you go to your Layout page, you'll now see the Pages Gadget. Click on "Edit."
You'll now get a pop-up that allows you to rearrange the order in which your pages appear...if you'd like. Just thought I should show you how. :)
Here is what your new page(s) will look like on your blog...unless you chose to put the gadget on your sidebar, of course. Isn't that cool?
*If you were just thinking, "Yes Megan, that's cool...but why do I need that?" here are a few page ideas to get you started:

About
Contact
Links/Favorites
Photo Albums
Videos
Projects
Tutorials
Shop
Website
Disclaimer
Press
Giveaways
Polls
Advertise
Guest Book
FAQ's
Favorite Posts

I'm sure there are a gazillion other pages you could add that would be utterly brilliant, but that's what I came up with off the top of my head. Sadly, you can't link directly to an external url using this gadget, but I'll play around with it. Enough from me though. Go! Blog! Enjoy!

How To Add A Picture To Your Header

One of the questions I get asked the most is how to customize a Shabby Blogs header by adding a photo to it. It's a tricky question because everyone uses different programs on their computers...and some people don't use any photo-editing software at all. So, for those of you who are already pros, rock on. For the rest of you, check out the video tutorial I just added to our FAQ page and you'll be sporting a super swanky custom header in no time! I can't wait to see it!

*We're working on a site redesign that will include several video tutorials. If there is something in particular you would love a little help with, please let me know!

Hope you had an awesome Valentine's Day! I know I did! :)

Valentine Treat Freebie

For those of you who haven't finished those valentines yet, here is a little freebie I think you'll totally dig! Just add your own text and/or photo, print and cut them out, and plop them over a lollipop for a super sweet treat everyone will love! Or, if you want to skip the "computer stuff" just print them out as-is and let your kids personalize them by hand. You can even embellish these with ribbon or whatever your crafty heart desires. Enjoy and have fun!

Included in this free download are two separate designs with two options for each. There is a text-only version and a version that allows you to add your own photo...which my kids always looooove! :) Enjoy!

Lollipop Cover Freebie:

Download

*I used digital scrapbooking kits from the talented Corina Nielsen for this freebie.