FAQ

How long does it take for you to complete a blog project? That depends upon several factors... Your blog package choice, what I have going on at home, the length of my toddler's naps, the changes that you ask me to make to your design, how quickly we exchange emails (that is very important), etc. A soon as I start working on your blog project, I will ask you to check your email several times during the day. During your blog design period, we will exchange NUMEROUS emails and it is very important that you are able to return my emails in a timely manner throughout the day. It normally takes me many hours to complete one blog project. Those hours could be packed into a couple days or spread out into a week or more. I am typically able to complete a project in a couple of days to a little over a week. I will try my very best to complete your project ASAP!

How long does it take for you to complete an adoption portfolio?  The depends upon several factors…  Besides the factors listed in the answer to the previous blog project question, there are additional factors that can have an effect upon how long an adoption portfolio project will take.  When you decide to have me start working on your project, please have your Birth Family letter ready for proofreading and please have your photos selected, etc.  Also, as I mentioned in answer to the previous question, it is VERY important that you check your email MANY times throughout the day.  We will exchange many, many emails and it is very important that we are able to exchange information as quickly as possible.  Your design time can double or triple depending upon how prepared you are to start the project, how quickly we exchange information, etc.  I do allow *some* changes to the portfolio design but I might not have the time to complete entire design overhauls.  It is important to me that you love your portfolio so I will try to work with you on minor design changes.

Will you allow me to request changes to the banners, buttons, etc. once you send me the graphics for approval? Yes, within reason. I really, really want you to LOVE your graphics and blog design...that is very important to me. With that said, one banner can sometimes take me many hours to complete and because my family comes first, I might not have time to create multiple banners for one project, etc. I will make certain reasonable changes though because I truly want you to be very pleased and satisfied with your blog design. I want you to LOVE your blog!

What is your design style? I love high quality, realistic looking digital elements and papers and I am fairly particular about selecting artists. My style of banner/button design is a collage, hodge podge and a sometimes shabby sort of look.  I think that white creates the perfect background for highlighting blog posts and sidebar elements.

How do you choose the digital graphic artists? Simply, because I love their work. : )

Will you be adding additional artists in the future? Hopefully, yes.

I have found a kit that I really love that was created by an artist that is not on your list. Will you be able to use that particular kit in a blog design for me? Maybe. : ) We will have to get permission from the artist first. Not all digital artists allow for commercial use. Please note that waiting for a response from an artist will most likely delay your project a bit. : ) However, I won't mind waiting. : D

You say that the price of the digital graphics that are required for your designs can range between FREE and just under $30. Why is there such a range in the price? A digital graphics kit will be free if: 1. I already own that particular kit and 2. The designer of the kit does not charge any commercial fees. The Shabby Shoppe charges $25 per blog for commercial use. Trust me, the quality is WELL WORTH the added cost. The Shabby Shoppe is one of my favorite digital graphic shops. If you decide to go with a BLOGwear kit instead of having me design a custom blog, I charge a flat fee of $45 and that fee will include ALL graphics and fees (there will be a small additional fee if your blog is a commercial blog).

Will you purchase the digital kit for me? Yes, I will be purchasing the digital kit for you on your behalf. Many times I will waive the cost of the graphics at my discretion but I will have to charge you for a commercial use fee if there is one. Because I will be purchasing the digital kit on your behalf, you will not receive the kit itself. You will instead receive all of the "flattened" blog graphics that I will create for you with the items in the kit (the banner, buttons, etc.)

Do you only work on Blogger blogs? Yes, at this time I only work on Blogger blogs. But, if you have a WordPress blog, etc. I might be able to create a banner and a few additional graphics for you, sized to your specifications. However, you would then be responsible for the installation of your graphics.

What happens if my blog breaks after you create it? I *might* be able to fix your blog for a fee but I can't guarantee that I will be able to get to the bottom of all issues. It is a very good idea to use the Blogger backup feature before making changes to your blog.

How do you create banners, buttons, etc.? I use digital graphics and Adobe Photoshop Elements.

How do you create blogs? I rework layouts in two ways: I use the Blogger page elements and I also manually alter the code.

Do you use graphic templates or scrap for hire graphic templates for your blogs? If you choose a custom package, all of the banners and buttons, etc. will be put together by me and even though I do have a certain design style and favor certain layouts, no two blogs that I custom design will ever look exactly alike. If you choose to use a BLOGwear kit, you will be using a high quality, professionally designed kit that I will customize just for you.

I have to scroll from side to side to view your entire blog and the blogs of several of your clients. Why is that? I design blogs to be viewed with a minimum screen resolution 1024 x 768. If you have to scroll from side to side to view some of the blogs, try switching to a higher screen resolution.

 Is there any project that you will not work on?  Yes.  If I am too busy to take on additional projects or if I don’t feel like I am right for a certain project, I might decide not to take on a particular project or projects.  Also, I am a born again Christian.  That is the most important thing in my life.  If I think that a project compromises my beliefs, I will have to turn it down.  Thank you for your understanding!!

Do you plan to offer other items as well...like cards and invitations, tutus, etc.?

I offer seasonal cards and I begin offering them in November.  At this time, I am not offering my tutus for sale.

Do you offer custom digital adoption lifebooks? 

Sorry, not at this time.  I only offer adoption portfolios.