Blog header is the most prominent element in a blog and it is usually the first thing that a visitor sees when he/she arrives at a blog. Some first-time visitors may not even scroll down to read the blog content if the header graphic did not catch their attention or it made a negative impression. Thus, a unique and eye-catching header is crucial. It inspires visitors to scroll down and start reading the content.

I searched the internet for some nice and free blog headers. Unfortunately, I can’t find one that suits my blog. I contacted a few blog designers for quotes on a custom-made header. Some of them are very slow in their respond and some of them did not respond at all! Finally, I came to SimplyWP and I’m so glad that I’ve found them.

I gave them my requirements and they quoted me a very reasonable price for their design. I want to have a vector illustration of a working mother with a loving hubby and an adorable toddler. I also requested additional graphics at the background, such as books, abacus and toys. The colors of this header should match my current blog layout.

Kathie designed the header based on my requirements. We communicated through e-mails on design review and changes. It was an absolute pleasure dealing with Kathie as she is prompt in replying e-mails. The header was completed within a week. I’m glad that it matches my current layout perfectly.

My blog finally got its own unique custom-made header. I absolutely love this new header. Isn’t it gorgeous?

I would recommend SimplyWP to anyone who needs a custom-made header or a complete blog makeover. Good service + reasonable price! 

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I changed my blog header last night. This is a free blog header, courtesy of Delicious Design Studio. I absolutely adore this new header, what about you? The file size is big, so it takes a little longer to load as compared to the previous header.

I also spotted a beautiful WordPress theme in my favorite colours – pink and grey. Suddenly, I feel the urge to change my theme again. This lilac and grey stitch two-column WordPress theme is a real stunner. Simple and very pleasing to the eyes.

Here’s a snapshot of the theme.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Changing a WordPress theme can be very time-consuming, especially when I run into errors that I do not know how to solve with my limited knowledge. I wish I have an expert to help me :p 

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Parents all around the world are willing to share their expertise, knowledge and trial and error experiences through their blogs. These blogs are particularly useful to new parents who are facing challenges and looking for solutions.

For every problem that we face, there is someone else who has been there, experienced that and able to provide some handy tips.

I enjoy reading parenting blogs. They are like my morning newspapers. I read them while I’m downloading my e-mails every morning. I read most of my friends’ blogs to get an update on their children’s growing up. At the same time, I also share Edison’s growing up stories in my blog. It’s very comforting to read as well as to write.

There are a few parenting blogs that I absolutely adore. You may have read them before. But if you have not, it’s good to check them out now.

Karen Cheng’s Snippets of Life
http://www.karencheng.com.au/

Snippets of Life is about food, fashion, parenting, art & design, online shopping and finding inspiration in the beautiful quirks of life. Karen is a cool mom, a fantastic wife and an awesome blogger. I enjoy reading all her posts. Her writing is fresh and creative. Her motherhood stories are always so inspiring. An amusing blog with enlightening truth about motherhood.

Our Everyday Things
http://www.oureverydaythings.com/

Being a SAHM with two kids, Leonny shares the ups and downs of motherhood, arts and crafts ideas for kids, parenting tips as well as regular food for thought with a hope to inspire others. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, her blog is accompanied by fantastic photographs of her two lovely children.

Little Gastronomy
http://littlegastronomy.blogspot.com/

This is more of a food blog than parenting blog. Brenda shares her art of cooking for the little tummies in her blog. She shares countless recipes and food ideas for children and adult. Nice presentation, informative, easy-to-follow instructions, creative ideas and simply delicious!

Suzette
http://www.thesuzette.com/

I chanced upon this blog few months ago from the internet and have been reading it since then. Suzette shares many useful advices on breastfeeding and parenting. Based in Malaysia, Suzette is a knowledgeable working mother of two kids.

Life as a Mummy
http://www.lifeasamummy.com/

Penny is certainly a multi-tasker. She writes three blogs and she opens an online store recently. A talented working mother of one child, Penny shares her motherhood experiences and shopping ideas. Penny’s son, Ryan, is about the same age as Little Edison.

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I started blogging innocently two years ago; a few posts here and there on my Blogger blog. Soon, I found myself reading more and more blogs everyday. I continually seek improvements on my own blog. Earlier this year, I registered my own domain and created Our Little Smarties - my very first self-hosted blog! Now, I’m considering making my own custom blog design.

These are the main reasons that motivate me to blog:

Share Experience and Knowledge
I blog about my motherhood experiences. I find comfort in other mommies who understand what I’m experiencing. I convince myself that I’m NOT the only one struggling. I’m NOT the only one who feels like a bad mother when I lose patience and smack my boy.

On the positive side, I also share my thoughts on parenting and my knowledge, which I hope can benefit my blog readers. I learn, I write and I share the ups and downs of motherhood.

Make New Friends
I gained many new friends after my leap into the blogging world. Through my blog, I can reach out to other mommies and I find support and a listening ear whenever I need.

(To my readers out there, here’s a very BIG thank you to all of you! Some readers wrote wonderful e-mails to me and some readers never hesitate to leave a comment. I really appreciate that. And I apologize if I’m unable to respond to anyone of you.)

Keep Everyone Informed
My blog is the main media to keep my family members and friends informed about what’s going on with me and little Edison. My brother and sister, who are staying in Malaysia, read my blog to catch my little updates on Edison. Even my brother-in-law, Kenneth, who is seeing Edison almost everyday, reads my blog. He loves to see the pictures of his godson on my blog.

I truly enjoy blogging. I see hopes, dreams and fond memories on motherhood blogs. It’s amazing knowing that someone across the cyberspace knows exactly what we’re going through. We communicate with these people through blogging. It’s like a support system for one another, do you agree?

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After many hours of hard work and late nights, I’ve finally created a brand new look for Our Little Smarties. It’s my first attempt to change a theme on a wordpress blog (that’s the reason why I take so long). I’ve been toying with this idea for weeks as I lack the courage.

Last weekend, I finally worked up the courage to put my hands in these techie works and give my blog a total makeover. I love this new theme. Thanks to the powerful script of wordpress, it is indeed easier than I expected.

This theme has been tweaked in many areas by me; it looks completely different from the original theme. I added a header picture and changed the fonts and colors in the blog. I changed the color scheme from the original blue and black to some soft and delicate pastels. I love these new colors.

I don’t know much about CSS language. Most of the time, I picked up the language by trial and error. I modified the scripts and observe the changes in my blog. At one point, I nearly killed my blog! I was horrified. Fortunately, I had a back-up copy of the script file. After loading it into the admin panel, I was able to relive it.

The most difficult part in implementing this theme is making the image resizer works on my blog. This little application will resize the image in the post and display it as thumbnail on the main page. I read the tutorials over and over again, but it still didn’t work. I nearly gave up. Perhaps due to my persistence, I finally found the solution in the support forum.

There are still some minor areas that I need to touch up after I recharge my energy. I hope all of you will like this new theme. If you experience any problems, please leave me a comment and I’ll work on it.

Our new makeover – Love it? Hate it? Is the font too small? I appreciate all your comments.

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