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Daily Dose of Style

I Got a Facelift!!!!

What do you think? Do you love the makeover as much as I do?

Restoration Redoux’s new look has taken Topher and I about 2 months of dabbling here and there to get this design where we wanted it.  It still has some tweaking  left to do, but I couldn’t wait any longer to show you.

Since neither my dear hubby nor I are graphic designers, it took us months to do what a real designer could have done in a weekend.

I know a lot of bloggers shell out $500-$700 on someone designing one, but I am too cheap to do that. Plus it is SO hard to convey what is in your head to someone else, let alone a stranger (there is some scary stuff floating in here folks).

I have to give Topher kudos for interpreting what was in this head of mine. There were lots of conversations like this:

Me: I want three dogs that look like Charlie, Gracie and LuLu.

Topher: Like this? (he shows me clip art)

Me: No, those are pictures of real dogs, and they look like they are just floating on my site. I want real but cartoonish looking dogs. Does that make sense?

Topher: No it doesn’t. How about this? (he shows me a picture of a dog that looks like it was in the Sunday funnies)

Me: No! That is too cartoonish.

Then after I spend days finding just the right 3 dogs (do you know how hard it is to find three real but cartoonish looking dogs that look just like your dogs?), I then tell him I want them on a fainting couch. A pink fainting couch that doesn’t look like a real life one but a hand-drawn/cartoonish one.

After he sighs and rolls his eyes he starts his search. Once he finds one that I love, it is a little too violet not pink. He gives me the “Seriously?” look, and then after a half an hour, calls me and and shows it to me in pink.

Me: Um, I think I liked it better more violet.

Topher: You just told me to make it pink.

Me: Yeah, but that was before I saw it pink and now I like it violet. That pink is kind of ugly. And I would like the crowns the dogs are wearing to be gold. I would also like to change my buttons to violet instead of blue.

Topher: “Woman”. Then he just stares at me for a long time and then turns back to the computer.

For me, not really knowing what I wanted, and Topher not really knowing where to find it or how to install it, I think we did pretty darn good.

There are tons of premade blog designs out there that all you have to do is install and stick in your logo. That would have been too easy. I wanted mine to have some of my personality. The two biggest things in my life are my family and my pups. Since the child that wishes to remain anonymous would sooner die than be put in my blog header … that left the pups.

So between the pups and the vintage furniture, I thought it was perfect. At the bottom of the page I would like to add a chair with Kitten in it, but I think that might have to wait a bit. When I mentioned it to Topher last night (after he had helped me sand chairs all day), the vein in his forehead started to pulse a little bit…

Just as a reminder here is what the before looked like:

screenshot

Here is the after!

Well … I suppose you can see the after…

I would love to hear your honest opinion! (As long as  you don’t tell me you think it stinks, if that’s the case I am totally fine with you lying to me.)

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Comments

  2. Linda Cassidy says

    very nice, I am about to start playing around with that stuff as well. Won a design makeover but the person has not yet converted me over to the new template so i am making do until that happens. Like the look

    Reply

    • Shanna says

      Thanks Jen! We got it completed and didn’t even kill each other! I call that a success! Have a great week my friend! Did you see that Haven tickets go on sale March 1st?

      Reply

  6. Brenda ...mom says

    Love the new Header!! It is gorgeous! I especially love the little birds..a woman after her mother in laws heart♥ But the crowns on the doggy kids are soo cute! It is a great job…one thing I would say: I had trouble reading the soft shaded type….of course my old eyes have cataracts and glaucoma..it is kind of light for my old sick eyes..but I really think you two did a great job on it!! AND if you want a few real birds for those cute antique cages..I know where you can get some…in my aviary..you know where that is! love you♥

    Reply

  8. Marie@TheInteriorFrugalista says

    I like the new look! I like that you kept the same elements in the header so we can still easily recognize your blog. Lov’n the colors too. I totally understand how much work it is getting there and doesn’t it feel like “birthing” it when you pressed the Publish button? LOL

    Reply

  9. Lisa says

    Looks great! Love it!!
    The only thing I would offer for change is to possibly make the text darker to make it easier to see. 🙂

    Keep on keepin’ on!!! 🙂

    Reply

  13. Cindy says

    I love it! And I ain’t lyin’! The header is GREAT, and I adore the polka dotted background. I agree with others that a bit darker font may be a good idea. xo

    Reply

  14. Amy @ StowandTellu says

    It’s just fab, Shanna and Topher. Way to go. Sounds like a lot of hard work, but well worth it. I particularly love the chandelier with the birds!!! Congrats on your new look, it’s very you!

    Reply

  17. MJ says

    Topher has been a champ! And you are the great idea lady!
    Kiss him lots and congratulate each other on a job well done.
    Oh, wait, you do that naturally and often, is my guess….LOL

    But the more love n hugs the better, IMHO!

    Reply

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