I’m so excited to finally announce my new blog design! The lovely Emily from June Lily Studio, who was so patient and supportive with me, gave my site a much needed face lift. Thank you Emily!
I love change and with this re-design I wanted to focus on navigation. After blogging for almost 5 years older posts were getting harder and harder to find. So I’ve added a second nav bar above to highlight my blog categories, all contained under 6 main headings:
Learn to Organize
Storage Solutions
Time Tactics
Menu Planning
The Life of an Org Junkie
Extras
Clicking on a particular heading will give you a drop down box of individual categories to choose from. I’m still in the process of cleaning up all these individual categories to tighten them up a bit. Having a category called “organizing” isn’t particularly helpful on an organizing blog is it? So over the next couple of weeks I will concentrate on getting those more organized for you.
Next on the right hand side of the top header you’ll see a serious of 6 circle buttons. These buttons are grouped together to make it easy to connect with me outside of my site. You’ll find links to Contact Me (envelope), Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, You Tube and Subscribe. Clicking on the subscribe button will take you to a page with two options for subscribing…via email updates and via feed reader. Check it out!
Then under that you’ll notice I’ve got a nifty orange tab box (so love the organization of that!) where you’ll be able to search my blog for something specific or by date. Those still need some tweaking as well to make them more user friendly so please be patient with me. I also need to ask for patience on the free ebook I’m dangling there in front of you but still trying to complete. It’s coming along but I want to pretty it up still and since those skills aren’t really my forte it will take me a bit longer to accomplish. Sorry!
The last orange tab is the code for the new button that Emily created for me. If you’d like the code yourself to add a button to your site, just click on the OJ Button tab. Thanks!
At the bottom of each of my posts you’ll see I added the LinkWithin plugin. This plugin automatically selects four more posts that you might also like to read. It’s another way to introduce to my new readers some of my older posts.
Right under that you’ll see four tiny social media boxes. If you like any particular post that I’ve written please feel free to click any one of those boxes to share the post with your friends on either Twitter or Facebook. I’d be really appreciative!
The top menu bar is pretty much the same but I’ve now added a Contribute tab. I really love to interact and feature my readers whenever I can. Please check out the tab if you are interested in how you can participate.
As you can also see I’ve introduced a little more color around here as well. I really enjoyed the white space of the last design but after a long winter it was time to add some fun color back into my life 🙂 I really love these colors and I hope you do too.
Oh and I almost forgot to mention that I now have a homepage! When you come to my site via orgjunkie.com you’ll be taken to my homepage which is similar to the blog but different. That’s why you’ll now also see a blog tab in the top nav bar. Home takes you to the homepage, blog takes you to the blog. Whichever tab you’re on will be green so you won’t get lost, isn’t that fun!
Well friends that’s about it. I sure do hope you find the changes helpful. Take a look around and let me know what you think!
Have a great weekend everyone!
PS: I’ve got another book signing tomorrow (Saturday) in Edmonton this time at Chapters on 82nd Ave. I’ll be there between 1 and 3 pm.
melissa @ the inspired room says
Congratulations on the blog update! It looks great! Love your drop down menus too, that should make it really easy to find posts!!
Laura says
Thank you so much Melissa! Your opinion means so much to me!!
Laura says
Did my reply comment happen to get emailed to you? Not sure if this feature is working with the new design. Would you mind letting me know. Thanks!
Joyce says
I love the new look! It’s refreshing.
Melissa P says
I read your blog pretty often, but don’t comment much. Just wanted to say your new blog look is pretty cute!
Crista says
I love it! Can’t wait to explore more!
Funny story: I was cleaning a small bookshelf yesterday and the top of it had about 8 things on it that I *thought* were going to stay there. So I’m cleaning around each thing and after about 3 minutes of that, I said “Self, you are supposed to take everything off first!” Not only did it make the cleaning easier, but I only put back half of the items! The other things got distributed elsewhere in the house. Thank you for inspiring me!
Marcia Francois says
OOOOOHHHH, pretty! *squeal*
I love the new, fresh design 🙂
mub says
Looks fab! I like the new double nav bar. Very spiffy!
Amy K says
What a very pretty redesign. It’s so crisp & clean. Looks great – congrats on your new corner!
Kim @ Homesteader's Heart says
It looks great Laura! Your website is such a great resource for so many things so it’s great to have easy navigation. Way to go!
Kim at Quit Eating Out {Recipes to Make Dining Out a Choice, Not a Chore} says
LOVE your new blog design! What a fun change. Congrats on the redesign…. Have a wonderful weekend!!!!
se7en says
This is brilliant and so easy to find all those resources – brilliant… You must be the happiest blogger!!! Love it!!!
Damsel says
Looks AMAZING!!! Love the new drop-down menus! Great job!!!!
Christine says
Love the new design! The navigation bar is great and it looks very easy to get around!
Susie's Homemade says
I LOVE the new design!!!
Michelle says
Love it! Now…I’m off to explore more of your site!!!!
ter@waaoms says
great job! 🙂
Mrs. Wilson says
Oh, I wish I could come to the book signing! If I left right now … a five-hour drive … I could make it! (And I could … except for the fact that I’d be terrified of giving birth on the side of the highway!)
I love the new design. I LOOOOOVE the look of an organized, easy to navigate blog more than almost anything. it looks awesome!!
Monica says
Love the new look!!! And thanks for the great explanations in your “tour”.
sue macdougall says
absolutely love the lady bug.
SnoWhite says
It’s beautiful and helpful too — what fun 🙂
Amanda says
Looks wonderful! So organized! (I couldn’t resist. 😉 ) Keep up all the great work; I adore your site.
Melissa says
I love it so! It is just what you needed!
Julie Cefalu says
I really love your new look! Everything is so easy to find and, well, organized. I love the 6 six circles on top for contacting/following you. I often have to search up and down a blog to find the rss feed. I also love the tabs which makes it so much easier to find my way around. Uncluttered look, but lots of information – it’s so refreshing. Thanks for all your tips and info!
Karen Joyce says
Okay, I’m a little scared now… LOL
I love how you did the tabs!!!
I have a request for a blog from you~ topic idea~~
I have an Aspergers son who is 10 years…
I do 3-5 loads laundry/ night…
everything he touches ends up on the floor…
I work Mon-Sat 8:30- 4:30…
I am also trying to homestead my home site… (chickens, garden…)…
I need ideas to keep all the balls in the air!
Oh, I forgot to mention Cub Scouts and hiking club and starting to sell Avon…
I need to find a way to keep it organized/ motivate my son to help…
I plan to have the house resemble something normal by Monday night.
I am going to rely heavily on your blog to get things organized initially…
Then… …
Just keep posting all these neat blogs…
And post any solutions you may have! 0:)
Jodi says
I LOVE the new design. I so appreciate your goal to help us find archived items. I remember last time we traveled, I knew you had a really cool packing list, I didn’t give up and eventually found it but it did take a few steps. Thanks for your thoughtfulness!
Kristi says
Oh no!!! I read this too late and missed the book signing 🙁 I love that you’re Canadian and now an Albertan too (although I’m really from BC). The province just feels more organized now 😉
The new blog layout is fabulous!
nellbe says
Love the new design, looks fantastic!
heidi @ wonder woman wannabe says
well done – looks great – can’t wait to find some gems I have not read before thanks to the new navigation. 🙂
~h
More Than A mom says
Definitely a more organized blog. Great job!!
The Happy Housewife says
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!! I love it. Great colors, great design…. Awesome!
Tricia (Once A Month Mom) says
LOVE the new site design and layout!
Tiffany says
I love it! Fresh, clean and colorful too!
Living the Balanced Life says
This is very nice Laura! As I read your descriptions and looked over the layout, it is very good the way you have it. When you have a large concentration of posts on such similar and intertwined topics, it is difficult to organize them, but you have done a great job here (and so did your designer!)
And tell me about the e-book thing! I finished writing mine, but didn’t realize how much editing and formatting and re-editting and reformatting would have to be done! However, I am glad to announce that it IS done and for sale on my blog! If you need any help, since I am an old pro now… 🙂
Bernice
Find Your Balance ebook Launch!
Rachel -- Following In My Shoes says
My jaw DROPPED when your page loaded this morning. Your new design looks FANTASTIC!
Crystal & Co says
I LOVE IT!!!!
Shannon says
I love the new design! It’s awesome!
Are you going to be doing any book signings in BC?!
Laura says
I don’t have anything planned right now. Sorry 🙁
Shannon says
Too bad…if something changes and you end up in Vancouver, I’ll come!
WhoWhatLogos says
Love, love, love the new blog design. It’s so clean, organized, and uncluttered!
Rana says
Laura,
I love the new look of your blog. I’m going to have to swap out your old button to the new one. Congrats on the new look and your book!
katzien says
Gorgeous new blog, congrats! A few words though. The light green links are hard to read, as is the white text on the light green menu drop-downs.
Suzanne says
It is absolutely beautiful! Congratulations on the update.