A Refreshing New Layout!

Okay, so I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I just spent about 4-5 hours picking the perfect blog template and ironically I picked none. I based this one off my roommate's old blog's layout, but changed the header picture (I'll find a way to overwrite the words or maybe I will simply remove them later) and made it my own. The old green blogger default font was too dark and gloomy, but I still loved the layout of it. However, I really like this new two side column setup with plenty of room for personalization.

Here is the original template design:
Sunshine by www.ourblogtemplates.com



After I entered the premade code, my layout did not look like that picture. You still have to add a header picture (they provide one on that template's information page) to make it pretty!

Edit: After a while I ran into comment problems. The comment box was gone and comments were disabled! After a lot of hunting and tweaking (with the help of my boyfriend :3), I found the solution:

1) Change comments from embedded post to popup (under Settings > Comments) or
2) Ctrl+F this line in Layout > Edit Html
b:include data='post' name='comments'/
(with <> on either side)

Then enter this line right after that:
b:include data='post' name='comment-form'/
(again with <>)

That should solve your nonexistent comment box woes!
More information can be found on the troubleshooting page from the original website.
I also found the help page for adding the quick edit pencil button.
(End edit)

If you are looking for a new blog template, www.blogskins.com has a million templates, but they can look awfully Xanga-ish or Myspacey if you know what I mean. The designs can be wild and the text small, which turned me off, but of course you can modify that. Here are some neat ones I marked as candidates:

My World, My Life by eggiines



I really like the three pictures, but they're too sad! The captions say "What is love?" "Tired, so tired" and "Are you happy?" Sure you may have difficulty describing love in words but there's no need to hide your face! However, I do like the anonymity. The middle frame is my least favourite, though it can be pretty accurate during exam season :D

Things That Make Life So Wonderful by Vintage.Veggie



I really like the 6 picture slots that are very customizable with pictures of the same size. Those are frequently found pasted all over people's Xangas and Myspaces so you can sing "My Favorite Things" as you pick your set. The nice green background is also soothing but there were no side columns D: I'm terrible at coding and that kind of thing, so I'll leave it at that xD

Saving the Environment by tengwan




















This layout was just very unique and green! However, Vital knowledge to saving the environment? Fobby-ness can be cute, but not as the header of your blog.

Finally, I found the picture on another one of Vintage.Veggie's layouts. It didn't seem like there was much to it aside from the picture and a few links underneath it, so that screamed "more html work" for me. I did a few edits on sizing and slapped it onto my header and voila! However, because it's a pretty big picture, it lags a bit while loading. Blahhh.

The side columns' customization took a while to figure out and tinker with, but I think everything's in place for now. Blogger's user-friendly (or at least technology idiot-proof) layout editor made my life so much easier.

This new layout is light-hearted and bright, with lots of subtle elements. It's ready for some intense blogging!