Site Upgrades + Thank Yous

By Kate Riley August 4, 2011

No doubt some of you frequent visitors have noticed the site changes I made in the last few days, and with a little help from some friends.  Thanks to so many of you for the kind comments! 

I started the new look with a brand new header.  I know, I’m fickle, switching up my headers every now and then, but I was over the old font and craving something new!  You know I love blues and greens, enter this lovely header designed by the marvelous Kelly at Fabulous K Creative.  She is wonderful to work with and has amazing skills, so if you’re looking for a new blog design, tell Kelly I sent you! 

You’ll find some new buttons in the upper sidebar, the icons also designed by Fabulous K.  It’s the new tabbed Welcome/Subscribe/Connect/Category zone formatted by my site designer AR Creative.  There’s my Pinterest profile link for those of you hooked like me on this virtual inspiration storage site. 

I tweaked the navigation bar too, you can see the Project Gallery is still there, but hey guess what?  It’s been completely reorganized by category, here’s a peek:

project gallery changes

Now you’ll see images in the table of contents to make it easier for you to browse the archives. 

The next change was the addition of a new navigation bar tab called the Style Files

style files new section

There you’ll find all the articles ever published here on Decorating and Design, plus the Spotlight interviews and also the (soon to be complete) Best of the Blogosphere gallery, where any project you’ve seen featured here will link directly to the source.

style files list

Many of those tables are still under construction, but look for them to be complete very soon!  Also I plan to add the Link Parties here and also Wine Country articles too. 

You’ll see some more friendly faces in the sidebar, the wonderful contributors to CG, including Courtney, Abi, Michelle, and Amanda!   Read more deets about these fantastic bloggers the Contributing Writer page.

contributor friends

 

Many of you wrote to me repeatedly asking for a way to view older posts, well I did something special for you, I made sure the site was paginated so if you visit infrequently (don’t do that!) you can simply click on these pages at the bottom of the site to see all the articles in chronological order. 

fancy pages

Wouldn’t you rather subscribe?  Yes, that’s a good plan.  Here are two ways to make it easy for you in the tabbed Welcome/Subscribe/Connect section, you can get your daily posts either in a Reader or via Email, simply click on the icon.

subscribe here tab

Finally, you’ll see the Site Search option at the top of the sidebar so if you’re looking for anything I’ve ever written on say, spray paint, just enter the topic you’re looking for and related articles will pop up.  Handy!  

spray paint search

 

That’s the update on all the site changes.  Please also welcome a new sponsor, Gina of the Shabby Creek Cottage, formerly the Shabby Chic Cottage.  She wrote a fabulous post on how to start a business on Etsy a while back that’s not to miss, plus her shop is filled with the prettiest things, you must visit!

shabby creek

 

Many thanks to these inspirational sites who were the top 15 referring blogs in July:

Thrifty Decor Chick

Apartment Therapy

The Lettered Cottage

Ana White

320 Sycamore

Miss Mustard Seed

Better After

The Art of Doing Stuff

The Inspired Room

One Pretty Thing

My Sweet Savannah

Bower Power

Southern Hospitality

Hooked on Houses

Tip Junkie

 

And thank you thank you thank YOU to all of you who visit here!  I appreciate you so much!  My hope is that the site will be much easier for you to navigate with these improvements!    

Happy browsing,

cg kate signature

 

 

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46 comments

  1. It looks fabulous, Kate! The blue and green header really suits you and your blog is very easy to navigate. Beautifully done!

  2. I am loving the new look and toolbars!! So chic. Blue and green are my absolute favorites too. I just redesigned my blog as well and I am in love!

  3. As a newbie reader to your blog, I can totally say that your site’s redesign made following your blog (and cycling through old entries) really easy! I love the look, and it even looks awesome on a giant monitor like mine! Which, naturally, is the True Test of Website Layouts. :D

  4. hi Kate-

    Your new design is fabulous – the navigation the best! I think Kelly at Fabulous K Creations is amazing how she organized everything. It is so clear and concise where to go and what to do around your site. I am sure she is going to get busy very soon. You must be thrilled with how it turned out. It still looks like CG’s place, but better!

    My best- Diane

  5. Yay for pagination! When I first discovered your site I specifically remember wanting to look at every page and it was difficult for me to do. Now I can go back and see everything! :) I’m sure your first time visitors will be very pleased!

  6. Rad-iculous!!!
    We’ve been slowly but surely rearranging things over at TLC over the past couple months too…I’ll be so glad when it’s done! :-P
    Well, to be honest, by the time it’s all done I’ll probably be ready to change it up again! LOL!

    Love you sista!
    Layla :-)

  7. love love love the new design..especially project gallery so muhc easier now…i used to click on each and every project so i can find out what i wanted to re-read :) Good job

  8. WOW! It’s beautiful & easy to find just what I’m looking for. Kate…has anyone told you are a ROCKSTAR! Love the changes you made.

  9. Loving the look of your new digs here. Very fresh looking, does that make sense? Anyhoo, great job.

  10. Love the colors and design of the new banner. I think I’ve been following you so long that I remember a similar banner before the lovely graphic banner…well at least similar colors. Anyway, pretty colors and very user friendly tabs.

    Muchas gracias :)

  11. Hi, Kate! I love your new page! It looks gorgeous! And easy to access previous posts and the wonderful info available here! I don’t comment too often because I’m subscribed to RSS feeds so sometimes I’m a bit busy but still want to read your new posts… but I should visit your page directly, so I can interact more at the comments section and it’s a bit of eye candy too!

  12. Those are all lovely changes…

    I’m loving the new look already,
    and there’s more yet to come? Wow!

  13. The changes are so refreshing! As a teacher, I need “new” frequently to keep my brain fresh. So excited about the changes you’ve made … for our benefit. Lovely of you to do that.

  14. I like the new look, but I use Chrome and the tabs at the top are mostly cut off–the only ones that display completely are “Style Files” and “About.” The others say “Ho” “Project Gal” “Featu” “Spons” and “Cont”

  15. Alas, for those of us with older browers, this design change has made your site nearly un-readable. Pictures and sidebar items float indescrimantely over text . I wish I could upgrade the browser, but it is a work item & I am not allowed to do so. Supposedly they will upgrade browswers by Feb 2012, so until then, adieu!

  16. Sorry to hear that Sami, I find a quick refresh (Ctl + F5) often helps, try that, or pick another browser perhaps from home! Hope you return soon. :)
    Kate

  17. Kate,
    Did you announce the winner of the last give away? The new layout is cute but it will take me some getting used to.

  18. How wonderful! I do like it categorized. Wanted to ask a stupid question, I painted a kitchen table (which now looks 1,000 percent better) but I was wondering, should I consider spraying it with a clear lacquer or using Minwax® Polycrylic Protective Finish? I considered a bar epoxy but that seem like too much work (I like DIY but I’m also limited in talent especially with sanding). I’d love your thoughts.

  19. I don’t know what’s going on but your up top navigation bar is cutting off your words on my screen. Maybe it’s just my screen? Just wanted to let you know.

  20. Love all of the updates. Makes navigating you site much more fun with easy to find options, both old and NEW! The header is gorgeous, suits you wonderfully. I read your blog daily, thanks for the new treat!

  21. Wow…it is so pretty!! I love it and all the added features are so wonderful. Good Job to you and all your helpers!!!!

  22. Love, LOVE the new site. Spent wayyyy too much time on your Pintrest gallery the other day. You are such an inspiration! I bought my first cans of shiny silver metallic paint, and am eyeing the demi lune table in my entry in a serious way, with a shiny poly final coat. working up the courage. . . Thanks again for all the inspiration. I love that giddy feeling I get when I see something that I can do myself, and then actually to do it! so fun! Thanks again, Kate! Great job on all the work you did on your new site!

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