Create Header in PowerPoint

Step 1 – Download your blog accessories kit (digital papers and embellishments)

You can find many freebie sites on the web. For my lesson today I am using my friend Linda’s new Showers of Flowers kit. You can get the freebie at Bon Scrapatit (but only for a short time). There are many other sites too. You can go to Creative Busy Hands, Digifree, and Ikea Goddess for more lists of freebies.

You will download your files as a zip folder. I always create a new folder in My Documents that has the designer and kit name. After downloading, you will unzip the files, by right clicking on the file, and selecting “EXTRACT HERE.”

Step 2 – Save the PP Blog Header Template

When you double click on the picture below you will be taken to the actual template image. It will open in a new window, right click on the image and choose SAVE IMAGE as or SAVE LINK and put it in the same folder as your kit from step 1.

Step 3 – Open a new PowerPoint

First remove all text/picture boxes from your slide.

Format the size of your PowerPoint. Go to FILE/PAGE SETUP and choose CUSTOM slide size, and select the following:

Width: 6.8 inches ~ Height: 2.8 inches ~ and then hit OK.

Step 4 – Add the template

Select the Insert key and choose PICTURE, and then choose FROM FILE. Find the folder you created, and select the Blog Background template from that folder.

Step 5 – Add accessories

Using the template as a guide line, add papers and embellishments. Please note that when you add the images they will be extremely large, so the first thing you will do is reduce the size. After you add an image right click on the image and select FORMAT PICTURE. Select size, and change the first number to 2 inches. Sometimes if you make the image small, it seems to disappear. Use your scroll bar and go to the far left, and top and you will usually find your image.

To move images about on your page, just click on the image and holding the mouse key move the image. To resize the image click on the corner to resize, otherwise you will lose the ratio.

You can move images to the front or back of the page (slide) by right clicking, and selecting ORDER.

Once you have a set of embellishments that you like you can group them together to move or resize. You group by right clicking and selecting GROUPING.

Step 6 – Save the slide

You will save the slide when you are finished as a PowerPoint image, which allows you to make any changes. When you have the final image that you want, you will save the image as a jpg. Go to FILE, SAVE AS and when the window opens, use your mouse to scroll to JPEG File Interchange Format (*.jpg). Choose CURRENT SLIDE ONLY. Save in the same folder so you will know where to find it.

Step 7 - Upload your image (optional)

Upload your image to your favorite hosting site like Photobucket, and save the DIRECT IMAGE LINK. Since you can upload your image for you header directly from your computer, this step is optional.

Step 8 – Install your new header

Go to CUSTOMIZE/LAYOUT/PAGE ELEMENTS/HEADER

You may upload the image from your computer, or select the image from the photo hosting site. Choose to use the image INSTEAD OF THE TEXT.

Click save and view blog!

Word Document Instructions can be downloaded HERE.

Step 9 - OPTIONAL ANIMATION

I went to Luna Pic and added sparkles, and then resized my image back to the original size.

Here’s to more happy scrapping, and

Hugs from the heart,

Jeanette

Navigational Tabs-Step 2

First, you should have completed Step 1. You will find instructions here.
Then you will need to create your tabs and upload then to your favorite photo hosting site (make sure that the size does not get changed when you upload to the site). I am including a sample tab for you to recolor to meet your specific needs. This tab size works perfectly to create 6 tabs with the sample blog header that will also be provided. Just scroll your mouse over the tab, and then right click, and select SAVE AS and save your tab template.

The 6-tab blog header has a measurement of 601 x 249 pxls. Here is the sample for it. This blog header is not sized to scale. Make sure you use the measurements given.

You will not be making the tabs and the header together. Each tab is a separate image, as well as the header.

Second, make a planning sheet to keep all the information simple. I use Word to create my planner. I listed each tab I wanted and put in the same code for each tab. The code will change with the TARGET URL and the IMAGE you want to post. I added the blog header at the end (because it will be at the end of the code). Here's what my planning sheet looks like:

Here is the code you will use for EACH TAB, and the Blog Header as well:

<a href="TARGET URL GOES HERE" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="DIRECT LINK TO PHOTO OF TAB HERE"/></a>

When you finish, your planning sheet will have each tab (with TARGET URL and PHOTO IMAGE LINK). Then you will delete all the labels on your planning sheet, and make sure there are NO SPACES BETWEEN CODES. Now, the code is naturally long, so there will be some spaces WITHIN the code, and you cannot delete that.

Here's a sample of what it looks like AS YOU DELETE THE LABELS, and REMOVE SPACES.

Then your final document will have all labels and spaces removed.

I save each word document (the planning document and the finished document).

Third, you will need to click on your header in the page elements section, and you will remove it. Don't get nervous, you can always add a header back if you completed the instructions in STEP 1 from yesterday. ***HINT: If your header will not offer an option to remove, then you haven't completed the steps from yesterday.

Fourth, you will go to your newly created 'Add a Gadget' in the header section of your PAGE ELEMENTS. Go to CUSTOMIZE/LAYOUT/PAGE ELEMENTS/ADD A GADGET (in the header section). Select HTML/JAVA SCRIPT, when the popup comes up PASTE the code you created in planning document.

Then you will click SAVE and VIEW BLOG. THEN YOU WILL HAVE TABS. You can also get very creative! I was thinking of other items to use for my tabs, and I remembered these awesome glass pieces I got from Digitreats as a freebie a few months ago. Think outside the "tab." As long as you have the size right, then your code should work. Last night as I was changing my blog "dress" I initially made the tabs too big. FORTUNATELY, I saved my code from and just put it back, while I made all the adjustments. YES, I had to resize and re-upload every tab photo, and then make the changes in my planning document, and copy/paste it. It is work, but well worth the result. In addition, I am only changing my blog once a month...LOL!

Here's to more happy scrapping, and
Hugs from the heart,

Jeanette

Navigational Tabs-Step 1

Step 1 - As always, back up your blog template. You will find instructions here! You will have to create the option of adding HTML/Java Script to your LAYOUT in the PAGE ELEMENTS SECTION in the HEADER SECTION right below the NAVBAR yourself. The first illustration shows a blog without a HTML/Java Script as an option in the HEADER section. This is a screen shot of most standard blogs.

Now I will show you the screen shot of Easy Custom Blogs. You can easily see that I have additional "Add a Gadget" options on my Page Elements. Actually, I have two additional "Add A Gadget," and I'm not sure how I did that, but you only need one, and two is okay as well...LOL! Can you see the difference?

Now, how did I do that? When you make the following changes on your code, there is no option to preview to see if you did it correctly, so I kindly ask again, did you back up your template? If yes, then you may proceed:

Go to Customize/LAYOUT/Edit HTML. When you scroll to almost the bottom of your HTML code you will see a section regarding the header. I have highlighted the part of the code you will look for in the screen shot below, and you will see the changes we will make circled in hot pink!
***Just a HINT! On some of my blogs where I had made a lot of changes and posts, there was an additional set of 'showaddelement' and 'locked' so I did those sections as well. This was before the HEADER section ended.

Now you are going to change 'showaddelement' to YES instead of the standard NO. Then you are going to change the 'locked' to FALSE instead of the standard TRUE.
See the screen shot below to see the changes (they are highlighted in hot pink).

The changes will NOT show on your blog, so you will select SAVE TEMPLATE. Then you should be able to see the "Add a Gadget" on your PAGE ELEMENTS section. When you see this, you will be able to make a lot of changes, and add HTML/Java script to your header.

I will make another post for Step 2 to keep everything simple on creating the tabs, and the HTML/Java Script code you will add as your header.

FOR THOSE TRYING TO DELETE A GIF FILE (ANIMATED) HEADER:
If you have added a GIF file to your header and cannot delete it, these instructions are for you as well! Just follow the directions as posted above, including instructions for backing up your template. When you have completed the instructions and you have successfully created an "Add a Gadget" element to your PAGE ELEMENTS, you can click on your HEADER and REMOVE IT. Then click on "Add a Gadget," and then you can select PAGE HEADER in the list of choices. The nice benefit of creating an "Add a Gadget" in the header is that you can continue to use animation in your header and you should only have to do this step one time.

Here's to more happy scrapping, and
Hugs from the heart,
Jeanette

Navigational Tabs - I DID IT!

I have tried for the last several weeks to learn how to make the tabs seen in my header. There were lessons on CSS and HTML, and ABC's and 123's LOL! However, I could not make sense of any of that. I will try to provide instructions soon, that is when I can figure out the simplest way to explain it. Basically I added a gadget (has to be in the header section-which is the first lesson I will share) giving each tab a URL. I will try to give more details as I sort through how I created this header with tabs, but needless to say, I am very excited about how I did it, and that it works. At first I was stuck with the tabs that the tutorials offered, not necessarily the colors I wanted or anything. As I practiced, and through trial and error, I figured it out.

Here's to more happy scrapping, and
Hugs from the heart,
Jeanette

Deleting Your Header Border

1. First, Back up your template. Click here for instructions.
2. Go to CUSTOMIZE/LAYOUT/EDIT HTML.
3. Scroll down until you see a section that says HEADER, see the sample illustration below:


In this HEADER section ONLY, delete the words solid.

Select PREVIEW, and preview to make sure the border around your header is gone. Give your page plenty of time to load. Make sure it is something you want and like. If you are satisfied with your header, then select SAVE.

Here's to more happy scrapping, and
Hugs from the heart,
Jeanette

Animation HELP!

CAUTION! When you add a GIF file as your header, you have to go through a a little bit of a tedious process to change it, but it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE. The reason is, BLOGGER doesn't support GIF files in the header. It is easy to add them, but difficult to change them. If you need help with this, please feel free to leave a comment, and I will send you the instructions I used. They worked beautifully.




If your software doesn't support creating a GIF image, a fun FREE site is LunaPic. You can upload images up to 1000 x 1000 pxls. It's a lot of fun!

Here's to more happy blogging, and

Hugs from the heart,

Jeanette

Creating a Header

1. Make a header (sometimes called a banner) using the standard dimensions of:

Image size: 6.88" x 2.79"
Pixels: 660 x 268
Resolution: 96

***HINT: I would recommend saving it as a PNG or PSD so you can make additional changes if needed. There is nothing more frustrating than doing all the work, and making a typo.

2. After you create your blog header, save it in a folder OR upload it to a photo host (like Photobucket, Flickr, or Scrapbookflair). With the header, it doesn't matter when using a JPG format if you keep the file on your computer or the photo host. If you choose to create an animated header, it is better to use the photo host. And creating an animated header will be another lesson.

3. Go to your blog, and select CUSTOMIZE, then select LAYOUT, and the PAGE ELEMENTS section should open up. If it doesn't select PAGE ELEMENTS.

4. Just below the Navbar, near the top section of the PAGE ELEMENTS is the header. It should have the word header in the title. Select the word Edit in that section.

5. A popup page will appear, and you will upload the image from your computer or from the web.

6. Select the word SAVE.

7. View Blog.

Here's to more happy bloggin', and
Hugs from the heart,
Jeanette

P.S. You can also change the color of the Navabar by selecting edit to most closely match your blog.

FREE Blog Backgrounds

I have found some amazing ready-made blog backgrounds, and you can too:

Here are some very cute, free backgrounds and headers, in alphabetical order:

1st Floor Flat
Almost Ready Blogs
Allie Brown's Layouts
Blissfully Mine Layouts
Delicious FX
Dotty Dot Dot Backgrounds
Free Blogger Backgrounds from Simply Heather
Haven Layouts
Hot Bliggity Blog
Inspiring Free Blog Backgrounds
Kitty Designes
Mental Imagez
My Space Layouts by Olehen
Paisley Cat Scraps Free Blog Layouts
Shel's Scraps
Themes by Dizzinz

As I find more, I will share those too!

Here's to more happy scrapping, and
Hugs from the heart,
Jeanette