Baby is on the way....Going to the Hospital!

Just wanted to let you all know that the baby is coming...I'm heading the hospital.

Wish me luck!

Typepad: Tweaking the Built-in Nav Bar

This was an article written in my December 2008 Newsletter.  So...if you haven't done so already, sign up for my Blogs By Heather newsletter.  Subscribers always get articles and tips that do not appear on my blog until much, much later!

Anyway, I recently received an email about how to do this "adding simple navigation" for Blogger but wanted to share a tip for Typepad as well.

Tweaking the Navigation Bar feature

The "Everything Typepad" version has a new built-in feature called the Nav Bar. 
An example: www.addalittledazzle.com
 
It can be found under the DESIGN tab, then CONTENT.  Then towards the middle you will see Nav Bar.
But a check mark next to it to "activate" it and then click the Pencil icon to "edit" it. 
 
It has some default options for you to work (such as Home, Subscribe, Archives).  You can tweak these or replace these as I have done a few examples below.

This is the code for 3 items on the Navigation bar, paired Title and URL. This code was tweaked and modified so the links open in a new internet window.
 
Title
<a href="http://www.handstampedbyheather.com" target=_blank>HOME</a>
 
URL
http:///

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Title
<a href="http://heatherporto.stampinup.net/events" target=_blank>EVENTS</a>
URL
http:///

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title
<a href="http://heatherporto.stampinup.net/promotions" target=_blank>PROMOTIONS</a>
 
URL
http:///

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then click Save. This saves the Nav Bar changes.
 
Then you also have to click SAVE to the Content design area.
 
Now you can go to your blog and refresh (CTRL+F5 if using a PC) and your new navigation bar is there!
 
NOTES

The navigation bar links will take the color of your Links setting under General Settings, and the background color of the navigation bar is that of the sidebars.
 
Here is another link for learning more about the Everything Typepad version:
http://www.blogsbyheather.com/2008/11/typepad-has-a-new-look.html

The NEW Typepad

As of this month, July 2009, Typepad is releasing the New Typepad for selected bloggers.  It has a new administration look and feel. I'm sure eventually all blogs will be converted.

Preview it here: http://www.typepad.com/account/app_version

Happy blogging!

Blogger: Adding a Simple Navigation Bar/Links Under Your Banner

This was an article written in my December 2008 Newsletter.  So...if you haven't done so already, sign up for my Blogs By Heather newsletter.  Subscribers always get articles and tips that do not appear on my blog until much, much later!

Anyway, I recently received an email about how to do this "adding simple navigation" under an existing blog banner (Blogger), so I wanted to share it with all of you!

Creating a Navigation Bar
 
It's a little tricky but can be done. Look at Jackie's blog for a sample:
 
http://klompenstampers.blogspot.com/
 
 
HTML Code Modification

• Login to Blogger.
• From the Dashboard, click on Layout.
• Click or go to Page Elements to see if you already have the "Add a Gadget" underneath your banner/header.
• If not, then you have to modify the HTML to enable it.
• Go to the Edit HTML tab.
• Scroll thru the HTML code, towards the bottom, looking for the HEADER WRAPPER code:
  
  <div id='header-wrapper'>
  <b:section class='header' id='header' maxwidgets='2' showaddelement='yes'>
  </b:section>
  </div>
   
• Where you should enter a 2 or greater for maxwidgets....I used 2.
• Then change 'no' to 'yes' for showaddelement.
• Then click SAVE TEMPLATE button.
• Now go back to Page Elements and you should now see the Add a Gadget under the header.
• Add a Gadget
• From the page elements view, now click on Add a Gadget under the banner/header area.
• Choose HTML/JavaScript element.
• Then you could write something like this....

<Table>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</table>

• What this is is creating a table....it has one row and 3 columns at present using the code above.
   
  Now you have to add the text links.
   
  For example:
   
  <Table>
  <tr>
  <td><a href="http://www.handstampedbyheather.com" target=_blank>HOME</a></td>
  <td><a href="http://heatherporto.stampinup.net/events" target=_blank>EVENTS</a></td>
  <td><a href="http://heatherporto.stampinup.net/promotions" target=_blank>PROMOTIONS</a></td>
  </tr>
  </table>
  
  
• Another example with further table formatting - using "cell padding", "bgcolor" and "background" attributes.
  
  If you want a color to appear behind all elements of the navigational bar area, then use the "bgcolor" attribe of the TABLE tag. If you want the color just to appear with each word so it looks more like a button, then use the "background" property of the TD tag.  Use one or the other.
  
  In this example, the color purple (#a565cc) is being used as the background color and the font color gray (#333333) is being used for the text links.
  
  <table cellpadding=20 bgcolor="#a565cc">
  <tr>
  <td>
  <a style="background=#a565cc; color:#333333; font-family: Georgia;" href="http://www.handstampedbyheather.com">HOME</a>
  </td>
  <td>
  <a style="background=#a565cc; color:#333333; font-family: Georgia;" href="http://heatherporto.stampinup.net/events">UPCOMING EVENTS</a>
  </td>
  <td>
  <a style="background=#a565cc; color:#333333; font-family: Georgia;" href="http://heatherporto.stampinup.net">SHOP ONLINE</a>
  </td>
  </TR>
  </TABLE>
  
  
  
• Then click SAVE.
• You're done.

Graphical Navigational Bar

If you want to do some type of graphical navigational bar then the process is more complex. First you need to modify the banner in Photoshop or other graphical program to include the buttons (basic or fancy).  Then, you'll need Photoshop / Image Ready or some other graphical program to do what is called "slicing" and then create Rollovers, save the outputed images and HTML, store the images to an online storage area like http://sites.google.com since Blogger doesn't have a file manager, edit the the outputed HTML code to reference the online storage path (instead of that of your personal computer), modify the HTML code, then copy to your Gadget in Blogger. Lastly, you would go to Layout, Edit HTML, and add "onload = "preloadImages();" to the BODY tag.  So, this is why I charge a $20 fee to do all of this for customers that go this route instead.

Happy blogging!

Yup...I'm behind on my billing (FYI)

Hi again :)

With the baby coming I am a little behind on billing for recent blog setups and blog work. Thank you for your reminders and I will send a paypal invoice.  However, in the mean time you can go to my sidebar, left, and choose to Make a Payment and choose "Blog Setup" or "3 column format" or other related serivce.  Click on Add to Cart, then Proceed To Checkout.

For paying last month's sidebar maintenance, you can again go to the sidebar, left, and under Make a Payment - Sidebar Maintenance, you can choose the number of updates I did from the dropdown box and then choose Pay Now.  For June, for most people there were 4 updates, $15.  For July, there was 6 or 7 updates (depending on whether or not you have Celebrando Creatividad), $25 or $30.

But again, I plan on invoicing for services soon, but just fell a little behind on invoicing in preparing for our new son coming soon - a few weeks earlier than expected (LOL).

Thanks for your patience!

For those of you who have asked.....Baby Registry Info

Hi there!

Many of you know that I am expecting our 2nd child, Luke, any day now. My due date is Aug. 17th, but after visiting the doctor today I am already dilated (3 to 3-1/2 cm) and will probably have the baby sometime within the next week or so. We are very excited!!! And so is our daugther, Michaela, who just turned 3 this month.

A few have asked about sending me gifts or wanting to know if I had a registry.  I did not have a registry since this is our 2nd baby and we do have a lot saved from Michaela, but then some things of course you can always use...like diapers, wipes, A&D Cream and all that fun stuff!!!!  I can't find all my bottles (LOL). So I just put together this registry today.  Anything "boy" of course is welcomed as I have everything "girl" from Michaela.

HEATHER WRIGHT-PORTO ’s Baby Registry

Registry #: 48839263

Location: SLOATSBURG, NY

Expected Arrival Date: 08/17/2009

 

For those Stampin' Up! demonstrators out there...of course anything handmade is always welcome --- but again please DO NOT feel obligated at all.  I just know many have asked and I hadn't had a chance to personally email everyone back so I wanted to just post it here.

I'll be featuring a post on Luke when he arives and have a family photo to share as well.

Wish me luck!!!

 

NEW: Sidebar Blog Maintenance for WordPress Bloggers (SU Demos)

Hi there!

I am happy to announce that I am now offering sidebar maintenance for WordPress users.  This month I had been contacted to see if I offer my blog maintenance program for WordPress bloggers, so I experimented and it was successful: http://stampingsharon.com/

Of course, you would not get charged if I for some reason couldn't perform the updates, but so far, the few blogs I have looked at to maintain had been easy to update.

So...if you are a WordPress blogger and Stampin' Up! demonstrator and would like me to maintain your sidebars for you each month (when new promotions, Minis or Catalogs come out), just let me know: heather@blogsbyheather.com.

Visit my Blog Maintenance page for more info on pricing as well.

Happy Blogging!

Blogger: Automatically Include Your Signature On New Posts

This question's been asked a few times and it is part of the service I provide when doing someone's blog setup.  If you have an image, some call it a "siggy", that you would like included at the bottom of all your posts (new posts going forward), you can!  This is something Typepad does NOT have (well, unless you convert to and use Advanced Templates). 

First, you need to store your signature online

Either upload it to your Picasa Web Album, Google Sites (sites.google.com), or get the source from an existing post (by right-clicking on the image, choose Properties, and select and copy the "URL" path).  For example, one of my signatures is located at http://heatherporto.typepad.com/heathersignature.gif.

Then, do the following in Blogger

1. Login and from the Dashboard, choose Settings.
2. Then go to Formatting.
3. Then scroll to the bottom - Post Template.
4. Enter HTML code.
   
   <BR><BR>
   <img src=" enter your path here ">
   
   For example, for me this is:
   
   <BR><BR>
   <img src="http://heatherporto.typepad.com/heathersignature.gif">
5. Save Changes.
6. Click on Posting tab to the test it and you should see a picture of your image in your new blank post.
7. You're done.

Happy Blogging!

Moving From Blogger to Typepad - It Works!

Holy Cow! It worked!  My posts and images inside the posts transferred beautiful, as did the Archives.  The categories didn't transfer (but maybe they could have if I changed the template), but still it looks great and now may be an option for Blogger users to move over to Typepad without fear of losing everything they've worked so hard to create. 

NOTE: The Blogger blog stays the same. Do NOT delete the old blog even if you move to Typepad, this way you can make sure the images will not be deleted and your posts moved here to Typepad will stay untouched, unaffected as well.  This shouldn't be a problem for Blogger is free.

So.....take a look!

Here is my real Blogger Blog:

• http://www.handstampedbyheather.com/

Here is the Blogger Blog modified as per Typepad's export instructions:

• http://testinghandstampedbyheather.blogspot.com/

Here is the new Typepad blog I tested:

• http://heatherporto.typepad.com/import_hand_stamped_by_he/

Here are the instructions you must follow in order to make it work!

MAKE a COPY of your blog to transfer.

• Login and go to Settings.
• Click on Export Blog.
• Save file to your computer.
• Then go back to the Dashboard and Create a New Blog
• Give it the same name with a -transfer added to it for example.
• Then go to Setting and Import  Blog.  Import the backup file you just created.
• USE THIS NEW blog as the one to transfer since you have to change the formatting.

Continue with the directions below

• http://help.sixapart.com/tp/us/blogger_import.html

Be sure to follow this important step:

If you are using Blogger Beta, you need to first change your template to use this import code. In your Blogger account, go to the Template tab and click on the Edit HTML link. At the bottom of the page, click the "Revert to Classic Template" link. Then, paste in the code from above into the Edit Template field.

Only after you revert to classic template, will you be able to modify the template as they tell you to.

I still have to test the reverse (about moving from Typepad to Blogger).

This is great news I think, so I had to share it!

Whooo hooooo!!!!!! 

For SU Demos: Deal of the Week Promo Button

During the month of July, Stampin' Up! is offering a special "Deal of the Week" every Monday. Here is a button you can use on your blog's sidebar:

Here is the HTML code to use for the button.

United States:

<a href="http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/15172.asp" target=_blank>
<img src="http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr300/blogsbyheather/DealoftheWeek.jpg">
</a>

Canada:

<a href="http://www.stampinup.com/ca/enc/14391.asp" target=_blank>
<img src="http://i493.photobucket.com/albums/rr300/blogsbyheather/DealoftheWeek.jpg">
</a>

Remember, you can find many other Stampin' Up! promotional buttons and new catalog buttons on Michelle Laycock's site: www.laycockdesigns.com.

 

Happy Blogging!