Creating a Script "Signature"

• Go to http://www.mylivesignature.com/.
• Click on the "Start Now!" tab.
• Click on the "Using the signature creation wizard" link.
• "Step 1. Enter the name." Type your name as you want it to appear in your signature.
• Click on "Next Step."
• "Step 2. Select the font." There are 10 shown, but 120 to choose from. If you're not crazy about the first 10, or if you'd just like to see all the available choices, you can click on the gray buttons at the top of the page to see more.
• Once you've made your choice, click on the "Next Step" button.
• "Step 3. Select the size." I like Size 6, but it does vary depending on the font you chose.
• Click on "Next Step."
• "Step 4. Select the color." For the background, I recommend leaving the "Transparent" selection checked. I changed the text color to Sonlight's dark blue (#005d93). If you like Sonlight's logo blue better, it is #0089d0. Or you can choose whatever color you like.
• "Next Step."
• "Step 5. Set the slope." This just offers variations of angles to make it seem more like a handwritten signature. I like Slope #5, but again it may vary depending on font.
• "Next Step."
• Finished! Right click to save your signature to your computer.
• Add it to your blog post as a graphic. Then click the "Update" button on the post to save it.

Creating a Header Graphic

• Select one or more pictures you would like to incorporate into your header. I chose to make a collage.
• Go to http://www.picmonkey.com/. (I just used the basic, free version. There is a subscription option with more choices.)
• Click on the "Create a Collage" tab.
• Start with the "Photos" section. Select "Your own" from the drop-down menu.
• Click on "Open Photos" to upload the photos you would like to use.
• Select "Layouts" which is the second section. The icon looks like a page layout.
• For a header shape, choose "FB Cover."
• You can select one of their pre-formatted layouts, but once you start working in it, you may find that you want to move things around and re-size certain frames. That's okay!
• Now go back up to "Photos" to drag and drop your photos into place. Feel free to play around with layout.
• If you want to incorporate a quote, leave one of the spaces blank for now.
• When your photos are arranged to your satisfaction, if you'll be using a quote, go to the third section, which is "Swatches."
• From there you can select a theme from the drop-down menu. The Spring Fling and School U categories had some nice backgrounds to choose from. Select one of these to fill the blank space as a background for your quote.
• The fourth section, which looks like an artist's palette, is where you can adjust the spacing, make rounded corners, or select a background color, if you like.
• We'll be adding the quote and border as an additional process, so for now save your creation to your computer.
• Once it's saved, go back to the http://www.picmonkey.com/ home page.
• This time select "Design."
• From here "Open" the file you just saved.
• Go to the "Text" section. (Icon is "Tt".)
• Decide on a font for your quote.
• Click the "Add Text" button. This will put a text area on your collage. Drag it to the space where you want it and drag on the edges to adjust the size. Then type your quote in it. 
• Once that is adjusted to your satisfaction, go to the "Frames" section and choose a frame.
• I used Museum Matte and changed the colors to match the Sonlight website. Clicking on the swatch will show you the hex code and you can change it if you want. Here are the Sonlight hex codes:
• Logo Blue: 0089d0
• Dark Blue: 005d93
• Yellow: f2be1a
• You can also adjust the thickness of your frame.
• At this point, I was done. You may want to play around in Pic Monkey to see if there are other special features you'd like to add to your header.
• Save to your computer.
• Upload as a picture to your first blog post in the position where you want it. I selected "X-Large" as the size, which made it run off the side on my actual blog, but showed up as a nice size on my Sonlight landing page.

The above directions are how I created my header. There are other ways to do it, if you have other graphic-editing software. Another tutorial using Power Point is available at http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/create-a-website-header-image-powerpoint/.

Adding an Action Button

Email Karla

• Go to http://buttons.cm/.
• The default style and color is the gray one that says "Show me the button!" There are 3 other styles to choose from at the bottom. I liked the wider shape of the turquoise blue one so I clicked on that one.
• Type your desired text into the Button Text window. 
• Unselect "Background Image" to change to a custom color.
• Under "Background Color" you can change the 6 digit hex code to one of the following to match the Sonlight site:
• Logo Blue: 0089d0
• Dark Blue: 005d93
• Yellow: f2be1a
• You can change the font color the same way, if you like.
• Other customization options, obviously, are Button Width, Button Height, Border Color, Border Radius.
• To link your button to another page (such as the catalog request page), just paste in the URL of the page you want the button to lead to.
• To make an email button: Under Button URL take out the "http://" and type in "mailto:youremailaddress@sonlight.com." (Be sure to change "youremailaddress" to your actual email address! LOL!)
• Now copy the coding. (Highlight it then Ctrl C.)
• Go to your  post on Blogger to find where you want to insert the button. Change from the "Compose" mode to "HTML". You may have to hunt a little bit through the coding to find your place again, but once you do, just paste (CTRL V) the code in that spot. Switch back to "Compose" to see if it looks like you want it to. 
• If you want to center it, when you are in HTML mode, type <center> just before where you inserted the code, and </center> just after the code.
• Click the "Update" button to save it to your page.

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Design

In 2009 when I helped some of you set up your blogs in Florida, I recommended customizing the background using a design from Cutest Blog on the Block or similar sites. Since then, Blogger has upgraded their template options, so it's no longer necessary to use outside coding to have a customized look that reflects your personality. A specially designed header is still a nice touch, but not as necessary as it was previously. Look for the Template Designer tool under the Design tab on your Blogger dashboard.

Your blog design should:

• Reflect your personality.
• Look professional.
• Have an easy-to-read font, especially for the body of your posts. Save the fun fonts for titles.
• Not be too cluttered.
• Leave off the music.

Have fun!

Blog Post #1

This is the first post on your blog. It is the one that feeds your homepage on Sonlight's website. You'll want to be sure to update it regularly to keep it current. You can do that by clicking on Edit and then the "Publish Post" button when you've made any changes. Be sure you don't ever delete this post.

For visual appeal you could include a personal picture... maybe one of your family, or local scenery. I pasted in my blog header. I also included my head shot in this post, since my Blogger profile is more of a scenery picture.

Include your contact info:

• Email address (linked, so they don't have to copy it)
• (I don't list my phone number as I don't like to have it "out there" on the internet, but you can invite them to email you if they would like a call.)

Also links to other social networks:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• link to blog (yes, that's here... but when it shows up on the Sonlight page, it's not "here")

I also list links to some of my blog posts that have to do with homeschooling that I think other homeschool parents might find helpful.