A Blog to Brag About

The Domestic Diva Recommends...

2010-07-25T13:43:00.001-07:00

So! Remember the review of that kitchen utensil set I promised you over a month ago? They came in the mail a couple weeks ago, and I'm finally getting around to it.

First of all, you should buy said utensils so you can be like me and look sooo legit during retro kitchen-style photoshoots.

For this review, I was planning to do a cooking tutorial-type post with pictures showcasing an assortment of my awesome new kitchen gadgets. However, I'm way too lazy for that. You'll have to settle for just one picture.

All kidding aside, I'm pretty impressed with my new utensil set. I compared them side-by-side to a few Pampered Chef items I own, and they certainly measure up quality-wise.

You could easily spend over 200 dollars to buy all 11 pieces individually, so at $55.95, they're a great deal! The set would make a great wedding or graduation present.

Overall Rating:

I'm a Job Whore

2010-07-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

For a 19-year-old, I've had a lot of jobs - and they were all pretty awesome! Looking back, I see that people may have taken advantage of my young talent. I was doing the same work for $9 an hour that they'd have to pay an adult $20-30 an hour for. I'm not bitter about it though, because I gained a lot of great experience ahead of the curve.

Job #1
Age: 15 (Sophomore in high school)
Job: Movie Theater Concessionist
Description: I sold movie theater snacks! (like a boss.)
Pros: Free popcorn and soda; free movies on my days off; "pre-screening" - some days I got to see movies a few days before they were released!
Reason for leaving: To get away from the lewdness of my toolbag 20-something male coworkers, and so I'd have more time to spend with my best friend during the summer.

Job #2
Age: 16 (Junior in high school)
Job: Movie Theater Ticket and Concession Sales (different theater)
Description: The next year, I started working for the other movie theater in town! My coworkers at this job were also in high school, not townies like at my last job.
Pros: Pretty much the same as above!
Reason for leaving: I can't recall exactly why I left this job, but I was overloaded with tons of extracurriculars around that time, so that would be my guess.

Job #3
Age: 17 (end of Junior year/beginning of Senior year)
Job: Graphic Artist for a publishing company
Description: One day I sent in an email to a local magazine saying I was a high school student with a few years of graphic design experience whom would love to do an internship if they were interested.

To my surprise, I got a call within hours of sending off my email where they offered me a full-fledged position! They had recently lost their main graphic designer and were in a bit of a panic. After an interview, they hired me as the head of their graphic design department.

It was my job to design ads for local businesses (you can view some of them here), then lay out the actual pages of the magazine: arranging the articles, illustrations, and ads in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Pros: It was great that I got hands-on professional experience at such a young age, and I also loved the people I worked with.
Reason for leaving: Sadly, the company eventually went under due to the economy.

Job #4
Age: 17 (Beginning of Senior year)
Job: Subway Sandwich Artist :)
Description: This one is pretty self-explanatory. I started working at Subway while still working at the publishing company.
Pros: I liked the girls I worked with (for the most part), and I got a 6-inch sandwich for every shift I worked! That was awesome, because I got to be a total perfectionist with my food.
Reason for leaving: I started a new job at an adoption agency.

Job #5
Age: 17 (mid-Senior year)
Job: Jamba Juice
Description: I made delicious smoothies. I took this on as a second part-time job while also working at Subway so I could stash some cash away for college.
Pros: This job was super easy. I got to experiment making new smoothies when it was slow, and I was eventually able to get my best friend a job there as well.
Reason for leaving: I started a new job at an adoption agency.

Job #6
Age: 17 (Tail end Senior year and early my first year of college)
Job: Adoption Agency - Administrative Assistant/Acting Adoption Coordinator
Description: This job gave me ulcers. Our agency consisted of 1 Executive Director and 4 employees - the accountant, the Homestudy Coordinator (he was in charge of helping people through the process of becoming approved as adoptive familes), the Adoption Coordinator (she was in charge of the actual adoption process from start to finish), and me: the secretary/general office assistant. But I worked mostly with the Adoption Coordinator as her assistant.

Our Adoption Coordinator was 3 months pregnant when I was hired. When she had her baby 6 months later, I was made Acting Adoption Coordinator for 6 weeks while my coworker went on maternity leave. OH. MY. GOSH. BECKY. This was the most stressful time I have ever endured in my life.

Some of the logistics of the office were very unprofessional and it was tough to deal with. 2 months after my coworker got back from maternity leave, I was fired due to a laundry list of mistakes I'd made over time. I'll admit I was really crushed. I wasn't perfect and I made a lot of mistakes, but I gave that job everything I had. I'm over it now though, because I'm finally able to see it for what it was: I helped them through a rocky period when they didn't have a lot of options. Once they got through the rocky point, they were able to pursue better help.
Reason for leaving: I was let go.

Job #7
Age: 18/19 (first year of college until present)
Job: Blog Designer!
Description: While I was working at the adoption agency and in my first semester of college, I started up my blog designing business!
Pros: I get to work as much or as little as I like and earn extra money on the side.

Job #8
Age: 18/19 (first year of college until present)
Job: Golf Vacation Reservationist
Description: Within a week of getting fired from the adoption agency, I was hired at a small call center where I book golf vacations. My pay is the same as my last job, but the working environment is sooo much better. Losing my last job was a blessing in disguise. The change of pace/scenery did me a world of good.

So that's my story! What jobs have you had? Make a list in a comment!

FYI - I'm Fertile

2010-07-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

Although it was horrible at the time, the events that took place last night seem pretty comical to me now, so I thought I'd share with you.

Let me preface by explaining that I sometimes suffer from anxiety attacks at night, even if I have nothing legitimate to stress about. Marry that to my IBS issues, and my unfounded anxiety leads long miserable hours in the bathroom.

Last night was one of those joyful times in my life. I spent the night home alone, so of course every little bump and creak sounded like someone was breaking in, which started it all. As the night wore on into the wee hours of the morning, my anxiety ranged from issue to issue until at one point, I started worrying that I'm infertile.

As a single 19-year-old not even thinking about starting a family, I have no idea what got me thinking about this in the first place.

Unfortunately, my anxiety not a rational thing. Knowing that I couldn't get any sleep without some peace of mind, I drove to Walmart around 3 a.m. and made a B-line for the Family Planning isle. 15 minutes, 20 dollars, and 1 First Response Fertility Test later, I was able to get a few hours of sleep knowing that I have the potential to have a child.

Peculiar? Yes. But effective.

Long Overdue Update

2010-07-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

How's life, bloggy friends? As always, I've meant to update my blog more frequently, but you know how it is.

Not much is new with me. I'm lovin' my new life of independence, but I'm so not lovin' my newly acquired monthly bills to the tune of $850. WHOA! How do you people manage living in the real world?

In other news, I had my wisdom teeth out on Friday. I'm alive and healing normally (as far as I know).

I've got a few reviews coming up that I'll be posting, but other than that, I have no idea what I'm going to post next. Any ideas?!

Got Me Some Lovin'

2010-07-15T17:08:00.001-07:00

Dad, it's not what you think.

The other day while I was at Walmart, I discovered the greatest product since sliced bread. I'm not being paid or compensated in any way to post this; it's just too good not to share! With that said, I have the great pleasure of introducing to you:

Not only is Lovin' Scoopful as delicious as it is cute, but it also has only 1/2 the fat (and fewer calories) than premium ice cream brands.

Purchasing Lovin' also supports some great causes. 25% of proceeds are donated to causes such as the Special Olympics and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Not only that, but Lovin' Scoopful is made with milk from cows free of rBST (a growth hormone).

As the selfless person I am, I have taken it upon myself to sample several of their 13 flavors. Y'know, so I could give a solid, informative review. And help the children of America. And save animals. I assure you it had nothing to do with how the brand name and flavors lend themselves so well to innuendos.

After immense "research," I have concluded
that my favorite flavor is: What the Fudge?
Am I bit biased because the name of this flavor is so AWESOME? ...Maybe.

So what are you waiting for?
Get a little Lovin', give a little Lovin'.

Pimpin' Our Crib

2010-06-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

My friend Lacey and I have been in our new apartment for 3 weeks, but it feels like it's been a LOT longer! We've spent most of that time tricking out our humble abode, which is easier said than done with no assistance from the parentals.

My mom and dad's parenting philosophy is "making it on your own builds character." When I broke the news that I'd be moving out, they made it very clear that they would not assist me financially. Ever. And I was prepared for that! However, I was not expecting them to be so stingy with their home essentials.

It was a miracle that I even made it out with my mattress in tow. Later, I attempted to pilfer their storage for a few rolls of paper towels and toilet paper, but that really ticked my dad off. He made me put it back and said something along the lines of "BUY YOUR OWN STUFF! I keep a supply on hand so it's there when I need it!"

Boo, Dad.

Thus I've been appointed the daunting task of not only furnishing my apartment on my own, but also stocking it with random necessities.

I have to say, my favorite part thus far has been picking out furniture for my bedroom, which has a black motif. I started out buying a matching desk and bookshelf, but I'm still on the hunt for a black vanity.

While my bedroom is still a little bare, I'm well underway stocking my kitchen! I'm getting by with what I have, but I never appreciated my mother's random kitchen gadgets until I no longer had them.

I've had my eye on this Kitchen Utensil Set available through CSN stores for some time now. There are 11 different pieces at $59.95, which makes them about $5 each. What a steal!

Cheap is good, but FREE is better! That being said, you can imagine how thrilled I was when CSN Stores offered me the chance to review this awesome set of utensils...for free!

Would you like a chance to do a review or giveaway of a CSN product on your own blog? Contact Jessica of the CSN Promotion Team for more information!

Stay tuned for my review!

Comment Etiquette

2010-06-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hey ladies! Today one of my lovely readers contacted me wondering if there is any way to edit reader comments. Recently she received a very nice comment, but the woman who left the comment also included links a product she was selling. TACKY!

While there is no way to edit your readers' comments, I thought it might be helpful to touch on the unspoken rules of comment etiquette.

When I started out blogging, I picked up a copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie. I particularly loved Chapter 15 - Popularity and Etiquette: Be the Belle of the Blogs. Some very useful advice states:

"DON'T leave comments on other blogs begging people to read your blog. A tell-tale sign of a new blogger is her tendency to leave comments along the lines of, "Great Post! Check out my blog at PrincessProtractor.com!" It's bad enough to be so blatant, but not even bothering to leave any thoughtful commentary is even worse. It borders spam, and it's become a tactic spammers have started using. So unless you want your comment deleted as spam and your IP potentially blacklisted, share a comment, but skip the sales pitch."

In short, use the golden rule! Even if you leave a thoughtful and heart-felt comment, including a link to your own blog or product gives the impression that you did it with the intention of drawing attention to yourself. Don't worry, if the blog owner wants to visit your blog, she'll track it down through the link that is automatically included with your comment.

Remember, it can be tempting to leave a comment that will bring readers to your own blog, but the most effective way to get your blog noticed is to be genuine and foster friendships with other bloggers. The popularity will follow naturally!

Professional Forms for your Blog

2010-06-07T11:41:00.001-07:00

I use an online form builder called Wufoo to create all the forms on my blog, including my Order Form and Contact Form. I absolutely LOVE their services, and I'd like to give you the opportunity to enjoy them too!

To have all the features I have through Wufoo directly (including having your forms tied in to PayPal!), you'd have to pay $29.95 monthly. But if you sign up as a "user" underneath me, you get all for only $10 a month! That's a third of the regular price.

What is Wufoo?

Wufoo is an Internet application that helps anybody build amazing online forms. When you design a form with Wufoo, it handles the yucky coding, making your form experience easy, fast and fun. Basically, the possibilities are endless! Check out these examples.

What Is Required to Use Wufoo?

All you need is an internet connection, a supported web browser (IE, Firefox, Safari and Chrome), and a website or blog!

Stylish and functional forms are a must-have for any small business blogger on the web. So what are you waiting for? Sign up for Wufoo through A Blog to Brag About, and start creating fantastic forms for less!

Houston, We Have Internet.

2010-06-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, one of my best friends and I moved in to our very own apartment. The last few weeks have been full of struggles, everything from car troubles to a broken water heater (that doesn't sound like a huge problem until you've had a couple cold showers!). But it seems everything is finally coming together for me now. The cable company finished installing our internet about 10 minutes ago...and I'm already posting! I got by with a little help from my friends. ;) I suppose all that's left to do is sit back and enjoy it.

Blog Makeover Winner

2010-06-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry I'm a day late on this! I moved into my apartment on Tuesday, and we're not going to have the internet until sometime next week, so my web-usage will be seriously crippled until that time.

Okay, so here's the part you actually want to read:

Congratulations, Holly! I'll be in contact with you shortly.

Thank you to everyone who entered! I had a great birthday.

Life Sucks. Then You Die.

2010-05-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

Are you lovin' my incredibly emo post title? I know it's a little melodramatic, but honey, I'm feelin' it! (Don't ask why my hysteria makes me break out into borderline-ebonics. I don't know why either.)

Anyway. Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything that could possibly go wrong DOES? I'm having one of those weeks. Some awesome things happened this week as well, but DANG! I feel like I'm being punished for them.

One good/bad thing that happened this week is I made the leap and got my own place! Well, half my own. I'm rooming with one of my best friends. The good part is obviously having my own space. The bad part is now I'm ridiculously poor.

Another BAD BAD thing that happened this week is that a bolt decided to lodge itself into my tire. Lovely! I took it to the Auto Department at Walmart. I was elated to hear that they'd only charge me $10 to patch my tire. I was outraged later when I found out they screwed up my wheel/axle thingies and it could cost me $400 or more to get it fixed. GREAT! All I need is to have my car out of commission and spend money I don't have the week I'm trying to move.

I also suffered through a LOT of personal drama this week.I feel like I'm being pushed a little beyond my limits!

I'm rather famous for working myself into a funk, then immediately giving myself a pep talk to work myself out of it. So here goes:

I guess this could be a lot worse. Hopefully because of all the crap I've had to put up with lately, some really good things are waiting for me around the corner. I'm so poor my face hurts, but at least I've already paid all my major bills for June (rent, car payment, car insurance, etc.) That gives me some time to get my ducks in a row.

Also, even though adult problems SUCK, I am SO glad I have my teenage years behind me (almost). It's much better to be independent and deal with my own problems than to have my parents smother and micromanage. Am I right?! Of course I'm right.

And that's all for now, folks. I'd write some more, but I'm blog designing furiously to give myself some financial padding. C'est la vie.

Huge Birthday Sale and Giveaway!

2010-05-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, I had you all guess my age! This weekend I'll be turning 19, so congratulations to those who guessed correctly. ;) To celebrate this fabulous occasion, I'm throwing a party - AND YOU'RE INVITED!!

This weekend only, you can receive $25 off any blog design package!

Click here to submit your order!

----AND----

I'm giving away a blog makeover to one of you lucky readers!

(Don't worry, if you sign up for a package this weekend
and win the giveaway, I'll give you a refund.)

Time's up! The winner will be posted shortly.

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment!
2. Become a follower!
3. Grab my button (see sidebar)
4. Become a fan of A Blog to Brag About on Facebook
6. Invite your friends to the party on Facebook!
7. Follow A Blog to Brag About on Twitter (@blogtobragabout)
8. Tweet about the party!
9. Post about this giveaway on your blog!
Be sure to include your post URL in the comment.

The winner will be selected via random.org and announced on Wednesday, June 2nd.

Guess My Age

2010-05-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

Gah! When I'm doing unusually well at one thing, I'm doing worse-than-usual at another. This weekend I was abnormally productive with my blog designing (5 designs in one weekend! Though only 2 are installed/totally complete). Despite my triumph in that area, I was horrible at posting last week! I tried a few times, but I could never think of anything to say.

I've finally thought of something semi-interesting to post about. I uploaded a new photo for my "About Me" section, which gave me an idea. I thought it would be fun to play a game to see who can guess how old I am. Leave a comment stating how old you think I look vs. your educated guess at how old I really am. I'm not sure what the prize will be. How about...the satisfaction of being right!

So here goes! If you already know, don't cheat!
Ready? *drumroll* And here's the new picture:

Tutorial: Edit Your Blog's Link Colors

2010-05-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here's how to edit the color of your links:

Step 1:

There are three different types of links on a blog:

1. Regular links
2. Links you have visited before
3. Links you "hover" on (in other words, the color your link will change to when you place your mouse on it.)

Use this online color picker to choose a color for each type of link. Set aside the hex codes corresponding with each color. (A hex code is a 6-digit combination of letters and numbers that represents a color. I've pointed to it in the example image.)

Step 2:

Log in to Blogger.
Click "Layout"

Step 3:

Once in Layout,
Click "Edit HTML"

Step 4:
Find the code below in the HTML section of your blog. Yours may look a little different, but the bolded lines will be the same in every blog. Paste the hex codes you selected earlier for each type of link as indicated below:

The code highlighted in red will change your regular link colors.

The code highlighted in green will change your visited links color.

The code highlighted in blue will change what color your links are when you hover over them.

a:link { color:#318D9F; text-decoration:none; } a:visited { color:#318D9F; text-decoration:none; } a:hover { color:#318D9F; text-decoration:underline; }

Hit "Preview" to make sure you edited your code successfully.
If you're happy with the results, press save!

Mommy Monologue Tutorial: Post Dates

2010-05-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

If you're using any version of the Mommy Monologue template and would like
to add a date above your posts, this tutorial is for you!

Step 1:

Log in to Blogger.
Click "Layout"

Step 2:

Once in Layout,
Click "Edit HTML"

Step 3:
Find the following section of code:

h2.date-header { display:none; text-transform:none; letter-spacing:.09em; margin-top:-80px; line-height: 1.4em; font-family:"Palatino Linotype", serif; color: #1F1F1F; font-size:110%; }

Step 3:
Replace the code above with this code:

h2.date-header { font-family: Trebuchet MS; letter-spacing: 2px; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; color: #BFBFBF; }

Now press "Preview." If you did everything correctly, there should now be
dates above each of your post titles. Remember to save your work!

$100 WordPress Designs by Okie College Girl

2010-05-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

Erin at The Okie College Girl is a great e-friend of mine! Her blog is action-packed with a wide variety of details from her life. She expounds on everything from several of her favorite hobbies, to her dating life, to her work as a WordPress designer.

Erin exclusively designs WordPress blogs. I have had the opportunity to work with Erin on several occasions, and I can tell you first-hand that there is no problem she can't solve! Her WordPress Package includes:

Okie College Girl Designs WordPress Package

Installation
Favicon
Character Editing
Custom Drop Menu
Custom Font/Color Coordination
Header
Sidebar Title Icon
Signature
Post Divider
Background
Button

A Blog to Brag About charges $200 for the same package. Erin normally charges $150, but for this week only, you can get her WordPress design package for only $100. That's a $50 savings! If you're looking for a great WordPress design at a great price, Okie College Girl Designs is for you. Tell her I sent you!

Scrapbook-Style Blog Designs

2010-05-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Today I'm introducing a new side of me you've never seen before.

...And no, it's not risque photos. Until now, A Blog to Brag About has specialized in vector-style (cartoony) blog designs. Today I'm introducing something new: I'm exposing my secret love affair with digital scrapbooking.

I'm very excited to offer this new "style" of designs, which is why I'm pleased to announce that A Blog to Brag About is now networking with an incredibly talented digi-scrapper, Lyndsay Riches! As of today, A Blog to Brag About customers may request any one of her fabulous digital scrapbooking kits for use in their designs.

To celebrate this newly-fostered relationship, I've created a new Blogger template using one of Lyndsay's adorable kits:

Normally I charge $100 for a similar package,
but this design can be yours for just $30!

This $30 package includes:

1. Header customized with your blog title and photos.
2. Custom font of your choosing for post/sidebar titles.
3. Button with copy code stating your blog title.
4. Matching favicon, background, and post divider.
5. Signature with your name.

Fill out my Wufoo form!

"Blissful Blogger" - New Premade Template!

2010-05-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

I really paid close attention to detail with this new template, and I poured all my little heart and soul into it. I am absolutely in LOVE with the finished product! I've decided to start charging a small fee for the new premade templates I release. Not to worry: my first four templates are going to stay absolutely free!

Here is how you can order this adorable new template:

Fill out my Wufoo form!

Premade Templates & iStock Legality

2010-05-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

For my free premade Blogger templates, I've been using adorable illustrations available through iStock. One of my readers voiced a concern that it is against the Terms of Use to create Blogger templates using iStock images, then redistribute them.

However, just so there's no confusion, I'd like to make my readers aware that all my free Blogger templates have been created using iStock's Extended License, which allows me to sell/redistribute them electronically an unlimited number of times.

So why in the world do I pay $200+ for images to use in premade templates? There's two main reasons:

A) It's a smart business move. I receive many referrals to my blog from my free templates, and it only takes 3 of those referrals to sign up for a custom design before I'm reimbursed for the price of an iStock image. The hope is that my free templates will bring in a lot more than 3 customers each! If that's the case, it's totally worth a little investment.

B) I just love you guys! Every woman deserves to have an awesome looking blog for free, right? ;)

Coming Soon: FAQ & Tutorials

2010-05-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of you have had questions on how to customize fonts, links, etc. with my premade templates. I'm working on putting together some tutorials on how to make changes to the HTML, as well as an FAQ that addresses common questions users have.

Also, here's a sneak-peek of the character for my next template - "Blissful Blogger"! I received an overwhelming response to create a general template with a character, but no theme. Keep an eye out for its release!

Free "Savvy Student" Blogger Template

2010-05-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

This template is for anyone who has a love of learning or reading! I received the idea to create a template for students from a comment on a previous post, but I expanded the concept to include avid readers as well. Enjoy!

Please note: All individuals who use this template
are subject to these Terms of Use and Disclaimer.

Savvy Student

Pick your Coloring:

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I Need Your Opinion

2010-05-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm addicted to making Blogger templates with all the different options. It's so cool to be able to switch from a Blonde with blue eyes to a Latina in a matter of clicks! So what would be useful to you guys? I'm looking for theme ideas. Of course, please try to think of themes that the general female population would find useful, not just you. ;)

Mario Doodle

2010-04-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

I had some down time one day, so I decided to see how well I could draw Nintendo's Mario from memory with nothing but the doodle app on my phone and my finger as a drawing implement.

What's the consensus?

Free "Domestic Diva" Blogger Template

2010-04-28T00:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I launched a hobby blog for bakers, but I realize not all of us bake on a regular basis, let alone have time to blog about it. If you cook, clean, and blog on a regular basis, this one's for you!

Below the main preview of the template are little icons containing characters with different hair color, eye color, and skin tone. Click on the one that matches you best to get the install instructions!

Here are examples of the different options:

Please note: All individuals who use this template
are subject to these Terms of Use and Disclaimer.

Domestic Diva

Pick your Coloring:

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Do you have any fabulous ideas for a free template?

Free Blogger Baking Template

2010-04-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Today I am introducing my second free pre-made Blogger template with options! I'd like to come out with designs for "hobby" bloggers, so here's a template for baking fanatics:

Please note: All individuals who use this template
are subject to these Terms of Use and Disclaimer.

Baking Beauty

Pick your Coloring:

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Let me know what you think. Enjoy!