Wednesday, January 23, 2008

evolution of a header...

so aside from this whole unpaid writing gig that I love so much I have a plethora of other unpaid specialties...

personal chef
art teacher
escort
nurse (completely unqualified)
non-recorded music video director
photographer
maid (completely untalented)
secretary
hair stylist
wardrobe stylist (woefully under qualified)
tattoo collector
etiquette coach

and...

photoshop messer around wither...

There are others too but I couldn't think of them and the whole list thing... it was getting old for me so I thought I would just get on with it...

Shall we?

So that last one... the photoshop one? It's one of my favorites. I like to make pretty things in photoshop. I like to make ugly things in photoshop. I like to make things in photo shop that make people go Erm?

And I like to put about .001% of them up here on line. I don't use my... umm... brilliance... everyday like some people I read...

But if you've ever seen my headers you've seen my photoshopiness... so today for a little kick I thought we would review the evolution of my headers here on mommified me...

My first custom header... It took me a bit to work out the format for it then it took me the entire rest of the day to figure out how to put it up... as I recently told a friend I just like to make things look pretty, when it comes to the technical bits I'm useless...



I left the first one up for quite some time so when I finally decided to change it, it was kind of a big deal to me. I left this 2nd one up for a while but in the end I changed it, not because I didn't like it, but because I thought it set a bit of a somber tone for my blog...



So I went really graphic for this one... This header caused a bit of debate here in the house of Kaos. You see I work on all my photoshop projects in a dark room with my back in the corner while I rock to and fro to and fro and quietly whisper to myself... so no one gets a peek at them until they make their debut on my blog (except Sybil)... Mr. Kaos always loves new header time as he is excited to see what I come up with... he was a bit taken aback by this one because he felt it was a stark contrast to my other headers which had featured ME... while this does highlight a physical feature of mine it is my back which others seldom see not my face which I shine brightly on the whole world with all of my snarls and glares.



So we moved on to the holidays... this header went up just one month after the ultra graphic tattoo design header. It was pink, it was black, it had me in profile and it had CHRISTMAS WREATHES!!!! It's my favorite... my very favorite of all the headers here at mommified me... I love it so much that I might use it again next year instead of designing a new holiday header...



But the holidays were over and I had to take it down... so this went up. It's far more simple than the previous one and let me tell you a secret...

lean in and listen closely...

I HATE IT.

I do, I hate this header and I don't know why. But my crack team of experts assure me that I am delusional plus I've decided to limit my header changes to once a month at the most so I am biding my time until enough time has passed and I can unveil my newest header...

How do you make choices about the look of your page?

20 comments:

DaddyKaos said...

Up until now I would send you a couple of choices for a header and ask you which one you liked.

Now with a little experience in Photoshop, I will probably just do my own if I ever decide to change what you have done or if I find a picture I took that I like better.

Avery Gray said...

Well, I just learned how to change the background, so my header is kinda dependent on the theme of the rest of the page. I'm not sure I love mine. I'm sure it will be changing before long.

I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

stephanie said...

I have no idea how to change my header without messing with the whole page, so that rather simplifies my choices...

I was just thinking how I really like your new one, the one that you hate. Clearly we are great minds thinking alike.

Jo Beaufoix said...

Cami, I love them all, even the new one that you don't like. And I lurve the one you did for Holl. It's all beautiful and whimsical and calm.

My mate Ashley from upstart blogger designs my site for me, but I found Barbara the ostrich, and she always has to be there because I love her with a passion. She makes me smile everyday.

I'll be back later to read. I am missing your bloggy goodness. In fact I'm missing everybody's bloggy goodness right now. Big sighhh. Mr B is back at the docs this morning. I'm hoping they might just remove his chest as that seems to be where the problem lies.

holly said...

oh i had something wonderful to say but now paint fumes (?) are seeping into my brain. why the h* are they painting when it's too rainy to open the stinking windows! like finance cares about their new office so much that it needs paint in the middle of winter. oh wow. look at the elephants. they are dancing all around me. i think i'll join them. wheeee
is that you cami? hi, love, you do awesome headers, you know that? do you know i heart you? yeah girl, i heart you. and it's not the paint fumes talking. really. really i heart you. hey you over there what are *you* lookin' at? (cami i gotta go kick someone's *ss, back later)

thordora said...

I don't. I'm lazy, and we haven't reinstalled our crack of photoshop so I let wordpress do most of the work. I know I'd get WAY to caught up in it if I played.

Lori said...

I can't figure out photoshop for the life of me. I made our holiday card (you saw how simple that was) and it took me hours! I would like a new header, but can't figure out what to put in it or how to make it, so the old one stays.

OhTheJoys said...

I love those.

I have never had a header.

I don't know how to do it.

Travis Erwin said...

I envy you rtalent. I would love to customize my header but between trying to write my novel, edit for other people, work a full time job, blog, perform my duties as chief union steward, attend two weekly critique groups, be a father and husband (another full time job) serve on the board of my local writers group, do the volunteer work my wife signs me up for ... I just don't have time to redesign the standard templates and what not.

Maybe I should hire you to design one for me since you are way more talented than I would be anyway. I'm sure peopel are gettign sick of looking at me and my fish. :)

sybil law said...

Um, I don;'t do anything - I let you do it for me! Actually, you usually decide to do it for me. :) But that's okay, because you are excellent, and I trust your talent and blog page in your hands...
But you're wrong on this. That header IS cute. But what happened to the other one you showed me the other night?!

CamiKaos said...

Syb: Just let me know when the one you have isn't working for you anymore.. I still like it enough that I haven't made you a new one behind your back... and on my other header.... it is being... revamped.

Travis: You and your fish man... they are what makes your page so uniquely identifiable.

OTJ: I just sent you an email.

Lori: don't think I didn't read what you said at Holly's page.... I did. I know all... and see all... at least if you put it out there publicly like that I do.

thordora: ah yes, I get what you're sayin...

holly: I think I am going to take a nap now... I didn't sleep, but I told you that already... perhaps I am somehow suffering from your suffering from the paint fumes...

Jo: I love your look.

Steph: It's okay. I really liked it when I made it. It was nice and sassy and simple and it hasn't changed... I have... it's not the header it's me... if only I could explain that to it... if only I could make my header understand.. But seriously if you want me to tell you how to put a header up let me know... but if I remember correctly your template isn't one that accepts a header as readily as this super simple template I used.

Avery: I messed around a bit with backgrounds and realized I like the inky black space of nothing...

daddy: I'd be so proud if you started making awesome headers.

mielikki said...

I like all the header's you've put up, and as I figure out more of photoshop myself I'll probably mess with mine more. I've decided to change mine with the seasons. And what I have now represents winter, quite well, I think. I learned how to do it myself because I figure you are doing everyone elses!

david mcmahon said...

I've been coming here for so long that I remember them all, from the second one onwards!!!

Mel said...

Oh, I don't know, I kind of like this last one. It's clean, simple, follows the same basic lines as the rest... always that little touch of pink in there, always with some aspect of your life (or your lovely face) in them; it's a good header, Cami.

I chose the colors and layout of my blog for a number of reasons:

1)I thought the plain white "Minima" Blogger template didn't reflect me very much, but I liked the simplicity of the basic setup, so I altered it to have a bit more color and a more strictly defined border around the text.
2)I wanted more color and that 'scrolling text over stationary background' effect to sort of highlight the words, rather than the design
3)I actually used to have a header up - a simple slice from my favorite recent picture - but it got so I couldn't get to the header change in time for the start of the new month, and I couldn't decide on a fave pic, so I took it down.

Lindy said...

I change my header and theme on a regular basis. I'm at this very moment working on another one. I change is whenever I take a photo of Squidge I think is just too flipping cute and want to make it my header. I have to be honest with you and say I'm not loving the pink bit in the bottom of your header but who the hell cares what I think! I also remember being taken aback by the tatoo one- it was sooo different but then once I spent some time looking at it (yes I did analyze your header, I'm THAT much of a dork) I found it really cool.

Anonymous said...

I like the current one, but they are all pretty good.

I have the occasional urge to change my header but it took me so long to make i can't bring myself to do it.

Unknown said...

Those are all pretty cool. I have yet to mess around with anything as complex as Photoshop, though that may be because I'm too cheap to buy it.

Note to self: futz with page a bit more often.

landismom said...

I change my blog's design once a year whether it needs it or not:)!

Seriously, I am bad at all things HTML. I wish I could do design-y things, but it just didn't work out for me.

Kathy's Surprise Party said...

Um...I call you and ask you to spruce me up...you think I need an update? And btw, I like this one you hate. I think because the look on your face... is perfect! Kaos personified. A bit o' mischeif.

AngelConradie said...

hhmmm... i try to keep mine reader friendly mostly, easy to read, and i try not to change it too often either.
but i do change it when i get really bored with it.