Ruined it ...

So I was fiddling with possible templates and blogger decided to swallow my custom template and not allow me the revoke the change ...

but it is a good excuse for an overhaul and upgrade, isn't it?

UPDATE: I hate the new template interface ... can't seem to add any buttons, flickr, my finished projects broken down by year ... lost all my links to tutorials ... not a happy camper here.

UPDATE 2: slowly getting there but not quite happy yet ...

UPDATE 3: ok, finally getting there.

Google Reader, Blog Following and other random thoughts

I currently have 60 subscriptions in my google reader, all of them quilting related. This was to replace the list of blogs and sites I had on my blog and I used to love following all the different quilters.

But now I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed by all the ideas, photos and inspiration. Also, not every blog feeds properly so that in my Google reader app in iGoogle, I only see a bit of text and the occasional advert.

This is all leading me to wonder: how many blogs / quilters do you really follow?

I think I will toss out the majority and only keep those that I have been following for a really long time and those I feel are really inspirational to me. That may well mean my culling 75% of my list ...

Edited to add: I'm down to 17 now ... once I get my flickr photos from your contacts app up and running again, I will be able to see all them lurvely pics without having to wade through all those posts. (insert sigh of relief!)

Google Reader for Blogs

Because I like reading blogs, I decided to subscribe to my favourite once using Google Reader. I can see all new posts at a glance and also don't have to worry about updating the links on my blog all that often.

But I also find that I comment a lot less these days ... how about you?

Now if I could merge Flickr and Google beyond the Google widget, things'd be perfect!

Show off your Followers: has anybody tried this?

Show off your Followers feature info here.

Has anybody tried this yet? I don't even think I can implement it yet.

Links Land

Because I was bored - a common state around here these days - I clicked through my links and found that they needed to be updated. Here are a few new ones that will eventually find their way to a more permanent home:

(moved links to more permanent home ...)

Cleaning up

Because I am bored, I am weeding out my nav bar and a few of those links will have to go: Artist Quilters' Sites:
Amy Climer, Lynne Heller, Karen Kamenetzky, Susan Carlson, Patty Hawkins, Barbara Watler, Eleanor McCain, Debra Danko, Jane Sassaman, Jeanne Raffer Beck, Paula Nadelstern, Mary Manahan

Does it work?

I got sick of the brown-ish colour scheme and am trying a new lay-out. Hope it works, hope you and I will like it!

(insert tweaking here)

I like it!

(more tweaking)

I like it still ...

And in case you are wondering why ...

you are getting these pop-up windows requesting a passwort you have never heard of ... I am upgrading site security at my husband's request. We are posting a lot of private photos on our private blog and will make those inaccessible this week, if only because paranoia is our friend and someone's holding Madeleine McCann hostage.

Google Analytics

I've been amazed by the number of alleged visitors to my site as reported by ClustrMap. So I've added Google Analytics and wonder what they will show.

Bear with me through my techie phase ... I'll soon add flickr too but then it should get better.

Google Ad-Sense

I've just signed up to Google Ad-Sense and I wonder whether that was a good idea. We shall see ....

Shall I stay or should I go ...?

I'm tempted to switch over to new Blogger ... hm. I already have a google account so that's not the issue ... I'm just tempted by the labels and such stuff.

Any thoughts?

I have installed TrackBack

and have to confess that I have no idea whatsoever what TrackBack actually is. HaloScan's FAQ is down too, which isn't exactly helping. Also, I find that I don't exactly like how it's looking at the moment. Do I have to lose my old comments in order to make it look somewhat more respectable?

I will therefore turn to things about which I know a *little* bit more ... quilting ... and my new hand quilting frame. Drool!

But if anyone passing by this post knows what TrackBack is, please enlighten me!!!

Sick of the old lay-out

I quickly grew sick of the "old new" lay-out and am back to the original one now. Also, I picked up my quilting again last night. Sure sign that I'm on the road to recovery.