Starting all over again

Hey guys! So what do you think of my new blog template?

I've been meaning to change this blog design for ages! But finally inspiration struck me and here it comes. Of course, the credit is not all mine, this design is based on Blogger's Simple template and just modified it. I know I still need a lot to learn in creating a Blogger template but I think I'm off to a good start.

In case you are wondering, my old blog design is this:

 

It was also based on Simple template but I used a free background from The Cutest Blog on the Block website.

The blog header is still missing and I cannot think of a blog header for this so I'm just leaving it as is.

So what do you think? I'm kind of new to this color scheme but I kind of like it.

Top Ten Emerging Influential Blogs for 2011

With all my blogging years, I’ve been seeing these influential blogs badge all over the internet. I thought, it’s just a simple tag/blog meme that bloggers usually do. This year, I became aware of what it’s all about. 

I decided to make a list for this year and join the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2011 Writing Project. I have met so many bloggers this year, some I’ve met personally and some even inspired me in one way or another. Obviously I can’t vote for all of them. But here’s my top 10 for those who qualified in Ms. Janette Toral’s criteria.

Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2011

The Tottering Mama - http://www.totteringmama.com

One of my favorite blogs to visit. I have so many things in common with this mommy blogger. Olga and I live in the same city and we both have toddlers. But the huge difference is how she handles her two toddlers. I have a toddler and I feel like going crazy sometimes but not this strong woman. I learned a lot from her, especially her ways of handling and educating her little tots.

Certified Foodies - http://www.certifiedfoodies.com

The blog name says it all. I mean, who doesn’t like food? Every post makes my mouth water. Not to mention the free recipes they post are so easy to follow.

My Green Living Ideas - http://www.mygreenlivingideas.com

I’m an advocate of green living but I don’t post much about it. This blog however is filled with ideas on how one can start to live in a more environment friendly manner.

Mommy Survival - http://mommysurvival.info

This blog is a lifesaver. As a new mom, there are so many things I am yet to learn and most of them are so hard to deal with. Mommy Survival is filled with informational blog posts on how to deal with issues mommies usually encounter with their kids.

Notepad Corner - http://www.notepadcorner.com

Learn from experience, ika nga. And that’s how I view this blog. I learned from Mommy Joy’s experience. Her blog Notepad Corner is filled with tried and tested mommy tricks. I sure do learn a lot from her blog posts.

Una makes me feel like levitating

Official entry to Levy's Levytate and Win a Total of $500 Worth of Cash and Prizes.

Levy's huge contest is coming to an end by the end of this month. I've been neglecting this for the past weeks but I'm glad that I still have the chance to join the contest and be eligible for the grand prize. Anyway, Levy wanted us to answer this question:

"What are the things/situations that would make you feel like levitating?"

There are so many important things that I wanted to post here but I'm not sure where to start.

Was it the time when I first saw that two pink lines in a pregnancy test home kit?

I was ecstatic but didn't dare try jumping in our cramped bathroom.

Was it when I gave birth to a perfectly healthy little girl?

Oh, believe me I would if I wasn't high from anesthesia when I first woke up.

I honestly cannot pin point that moment when I actually feel like soaring with happiness.

Levytate and win a total of $500!

I should have posted this weeks ago but I was a bit busy with something else and somehow neglected to post this contest.

Anyway, Levy of Living Life to the Fullest and her wonderful sponsors have saved up at total of $500 worth of cash and prizes for the contest winners. Yeah, you got that right, 500 dollars!

This contest is open to both bloggers and non-bloggers so click on that cute badge above to know more about the contest mechanics and have the chance to be one of the lucky winners.

If you are a blogger, you only have until the 30th of June to submit your entries so go write, write, write now!

Google Friend Connect not working? Here's a solution!

Is Google Friend Connect being a brat lately? I know, it frustrates me too.

Well here's one of the possible solutions that can solve Google Friend Connect's disappearing act these days.

I found this code while reading the help forum in Google and it worked as soon as I inserted it into my template.

HOW TO:

Copy the script below and paste it under the <head> tag of your template then save.

<script>
window.JSON = {
parse: function(st){
return st.evalJSON();
},
stringify: function(obj){
return Object.toJSON(obj);
}
};
</script>

Viola! There's your Google Friend Connect.

I think we just broke the magician's code. Thanks to this wonderful script.

BC Bloggers Secret

Earlier last year, Paula of Mommy Diary created the BC Bloggers Secret to help fellow bloggers connect with one another despite the busy schedule. I was part of the first batch and really appreciate all the hard work Paula put into this wonderful brain child of hers.

To make things more interesting, she recently launch BC Bloggers Meme where bloggers can join and share their blogging secrets that can be useful for other bloggers, too.

This week’s question is:

“What is one tool, tip, secret (or whatever it may be) that you have discovered  that has helped you in your blogging and would like to share to others?”

My answer is Windows Live Writer.

I discovered this wonderful program while I was bored and looking at all the programs installed in our laptop. I was so glad I was curious that time. Windows Live Writer helped me a lot in my blogging, especially when updating multiple blogs. It’s like a one stop shop. You don’t have to sign in to different blogging platforms every time you make a blog post. Register your blogs and then bam, blogging in a breeze. You can easily insert photos, add hyperlinks and change format. But the selling point for me is the easy preview option because there are certain way I like my blogs to be posted. Yes, I am a weird OC like that.

The sponsors of this informative meme are:

Paula’s Place | Wahm sa Pinas | Happy Thoughts | Dadedidodu
Handy Views | Chromatic Note

Google Friend Connect Down

Another issue Google?

Click the image on the left to view larger.

As you can see in my blog, all that is left with Google Friend Connect is a blank space. I thought it was another Blogger issue but when I went to my other blogs not hosted in Blogger, I saw the same blank space.

No news yet as to what is going on with the Friend Connect widgets.

Maybe another server update?

Whatever it is, let’s just hope that everything will work out well and our followers intact.

Is Blogger really back?

I can’t say for sure. After days of downtime and some problems with deleted blog posts and template changes we can’t really tell for sure.

According to Blogger Buzz:

During scheduled maintenance work Wednesday night, we experienced some data corruption that impacted Blogger’s behavior. Since then, bloggers and readers may have experienced a variety of anomalies including intermittent outages, disappearing posts, and arriving at unintended blogs or error pages. – Read more in Blogger is back

I’ve been contemplating of moving this blog to Wordpress.

gene + experiments is my longest blog under Blogger and I was having second thoughts. Was being the operative word. With the recent server issues with Blogger, I really can’t say for sure. One thing I am sure of is that I am being an OC in terms of backing up my blogs.

If you are a Blogger user and haven’t done so, it’s easy as 1-2-3.

Go to Settings (Basic) >> Export Blog >> Download

How about you fellow Blogger users, are you staying or are you moving out?

making new traditions

We have a new blog!

I think it's about time I remove some clutter here. This was originally made for my crochet and other crafty experiments but real life happened (and still happening) and became a priority in my life. I'm pretty sure some of you are not interested in what's going on behind the scene. But if you do, feel free to click the banner above and visit our family blog. It is still a work in progress but it's getting there. Don't forget to leave a comment, even just to say hello or leave suggestions.

There are so many things I have to write about in this blog. Real experiments with knitting (a finished work and one wip) and a failed attempt in hand sewing. I'll have to post that in the near future. If you are a member of Ravelry, you can see my project updates there.

Thank you Entredroppers!

I should have posted this earlier this week but for some reason my blogging mojo was in vacation mode. Actually, it still is but I don't want to be an ungrateful b so I kicked my self in the butt (kind of difficult if you'll ask me) to get my groove back and honor these wonderful people who spent some time visiting my blog even if it's just to drop some Entrecard but I appreciate it still, so thank you!

{ daydream believer }

I've created a separate and more personal blog named { daydream believer }. Can I say deepest darkest secrets? Nah, not really. But expect a whirlwind of emotion on each post. Probably just a PG13 version of this blog. There are still a lot to be fixed there but feel free to drop by and give me some love. Or just stalk on my emotional vault. I'm so emo these days I even put up a blog for it.

Follow the cosmos.

Flower, not Universe

We're done party people! From monochromatic template to a feminine one. Thanks to YummyLolly for providing this wonderful template. She makes wonderful templates. It makes me want to create new blogs just for them. This particular template is called Flower, not the Universe, cute no? If you feel the need to change your blog layout, visit her site. It took me just a couple of minutes to figure things out. No coding needed. Just upload the template on your Layouts page then rearrange some of your widgets according to your preferences and you're good to go. I was too busy staring at my new template to update you through a blog post but the so called site maintenance is actually done a few minutes after I made the advisory.

Oh, notice the navigation menu on the top of header? That's the only coding I did there. I followed the instructions here and viola.

See below to compare my layout.

Hard Hat Zone

Hey there lovely ladies and dashing gents!

Don't be shocked to find my blog layout in a disarray. I'm currently in a mood of changing my template and expect some additional color and maybe a bit of a feminine mood around here. After dealing with daily distractions also known as a little girl smiling and laughing in all her cuteness to get mommy's attention, I am now headed to danger zone with fingers crossed to not mess up. While I'm busy behind the scene, you might want to check out some online gifts for your friends or loved ones. I hear there are many March celebrants around here. *winks*

iBlog's 6th Philippine Blogging Summit

Hello internet world! How was your Valentine's Day?

Nothing much on me, my husband and I don't actually celebrate it. But I have this childhood friend, we're both hopeless romantics but doesn't believe in Valentines's Day so we just date ourselves on that day, at least we used to. It was like a singles night for us, in my case anyway and she just didn't want to date her boyfriend.

Anyway, I'm so excited to tell you all bloggers from the Philippines about iBlog's 6th Blogging Summit. It will be on April 16-17, 2010 at the Malcolm Theater, UP College of Law, UP Diliman and registration is free. Click on the banner below for more details.

I'm excited to meet other bloggers and learn more about blogging. Yeah, despite blogging for years, I still think that I am doing it all wrong. It's about time to hone those non-existing skills of mine. My friends will be joining me on the second day, so hope to meet you there. Who will be attending?

~ ~ ~

To my blog friends/readers from US, don't forget to join my giveaway. You still have 19(?) hours to join.

gene + experiments in paid domain

Today marks the day that I launched my new domain. Doesn't look like there's a big difference but there will be in the near future. Especially now that I'm making an effort in making money online. If you'll look closely on the address bar, the old link is redirected to .com domain.

I think my blog of 3 years (turning 4 this year) deserves some lovin' and I'm showing my appreciation by buying it a domain. It's a big step for me but it's my thank you for the income I earned from this blog last month. And thanks to the helpful tutorial from JustAnotherPixel that solidified my decision to buy a domain.

If you are a Blogger user, visit JustAnotherPixel's site to learn how to setup domain with Moniker. I was planning on buying from GoDaddy but Moniker's price is cheaper by a few dollars so I took advantage of it. You might want to register using her affiliate link in Moniker to serve as our thank you for her help.

After you are done with your domain setup, you might want to wait for a few minutes to a few hours before it's fully operational and good to park on your blog. It only took a few minutes in this domain.

Here's how to park your domain in Blogger.

New Year, New Template

Whew!

I have finally finished changing my blog templates. Yes, with the 's' because I changed the templates of my two blogs. I decided to stick on a plain theme but I choose the one where I can at tweak it a little bit. See the header above? Found the image in stock.xchng. Nice, no?

I plan to change it every once in a while. Every season maybe? We'll see. That will depend on my creative idea or my dedication to find an appropriate stock photo.

Just to recap, in case you got confused for the sudden change of look. The template below was my home last year. I forgot where I got it but it's a free template named Stitch. So I was so lazy searching later but decided to search it anyway. Here is the download link for the Stitch template. (seen below)

I really love the Stitch template, the color scheme, design, everything! Unfortunately, 2 column templates doesn't work for me anymore. I prefer a template with two sidebars, feeling sad that the nice template won't be my blog home anymore.

Then before the year ends, I decided to finally change the look of my blog, like new year, new template sort of thing. This time I choose a template with 3 columns named Welcome Autumn from BirdieSays. I was so caught up into changing the template to the latest one that I forgot to have a screenshot of the autumn template before actually changing it. Just to give you an idea, graphics are made of drawn autumn leaves and the color scheme is light brown so it's easy to the eye. Just visit BirdieSays if you want to see how cute it is or if you want to see her free templates.

And now, as you can see, my blog is all black and white. I like it's neatness and how I could change the banner whenever I wish. It makes it not look too boring. If I remember correctly, this template is called The Morning After. I don't know why but the original image of the banner is also a text photo. I can only read the word Canada on the photo, not sure if it make sense to the creator. This is originally a WordPress theme but I found one in Blogger form so I took advantage of it.

What do you think of the new changes?