Book Blog Makeover! J&M's Book Diaries

Hello lovely book bloggers! So it has been a super long time since I have posted on my blog, but I wanted to show you the latest MAKEOVER I did for two awesome book chicks, Jenny and Malisa, over at J&M's Book Diaries.

Jenny and Malisa are fairly new to the book blogging world, but they knew that they wanted a custom design for their site to make it stand out from the rest. Like so many new bloggers, they were using one of the Blogger templates- it was pretty, but generic and a bit boring! So they got in touch with me about a new design- one that featured a custom vector illustration of the two of them, reading and chatting over coffee. They also love the color coral, so I made sure to include a pretty peachy coral color in their final design.

~The Custom Vector Illustration~

Designed and Drawn by me! ;)

One of the things that I kept in mind when designing Jenny and Malisa's blog was that they really wanted a modern and more minimalist style- nothing too busy or over the top. So I definitely kept things nice and simple in their template, sticking with a soft gray background with "pops" of color. This modern and simplified look makes it so that the main focus of their design is the custom illustration and the content on their page.

Because they ordered my Deluxe Makeover Package, they also got a choice of 4 custom upgrades, so they chose to add on custom post dividers, sidebar titles, post signature and social media buttons, which were all included. See below for the before and after pics of J&M's Book Diaries!

~Before~

~After!~

With this simple and modern look, Jenny and Malisa can now be sure that their blog is unique and makes an impression on their readers. I hope you'll stop over and visit these two fabulous book bloggers and show some love by following their new site! Just click on the NEW DESIGN image above to hop on over ;)

~Grab a Button!~

<div align="center"><a href="http://jmbookdiaries.blogspot.com/" title="J&M Book Diaries"><img src="http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag30/Jmbookdiaries/JM%20Blog%20Design/GRABBUTTON2_zps1d5218be.png" alt="J&M Book Diaries" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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Are you considering a new look for your blog? Do you just need an extra little something to spruce up the look you already have? Please stop on over and see me at Lea Christine Designs by clicking on the button below-- you can check out the services I offer and all the designs I have already done!

Happy Reading!

New Book Blog Design! Rotten Apple Reads

OH. MY. GOD. WHERE THE HECK HAVE I BEEN?!?!?

Yes, I am sure that a few of you have been wondering that :)

Well, a lot of crazy things have been going on in my life lately, and as much as I have wanted to keep up with reading, reviewing, blogging, and designing, and without going into all the gory details, it just hasn't been possible for the past couple of months. Bummer, I know.

BUT! Good news is-- I DO plan on getting back onto a semi-regular blogging schedule, complete with new reviews, new memes, new blog designs, and of course new V-LOGS too!! WooHoo! :D

...And today I wanted to kick things off with a brand new DESIGN that I have been hard at work on with a wonderful book blogger who goes by the name of Alice Belikova from Rotten Apple Reviews. So Alice has a really sweet book blog, and while she had a rotten apple theme going on to begin with, she really wanted to take things in a whole new direction-- with a Snow White theme!

So of course when I heard this, I rolled up my sleeves and was like, "YES!! Let's do this!!" Here are some of the things Alice really wanted in a blog makeover:

1.) It had to be light and fun, but also a little more soft and elegant than her current design.

2.) Sticking with the whole "rotten apple" theme, she wanted her version of Snow White to be shown right after biting into the poison apple, and there had to be books incorporated into the header as well (so that visitors could easily tell it was a book blog of course!)

3.) She wanted traditional Snow White colors of blue, red, and yellow but she wanted the color scheme to be softer and more muted-- basically a little easier on the eyes.

4.) Layout was very important! Rotten Apple Reviews had A LOT going on in the old layout, so new organization into a neat, easily readable format was key.

SO! With all that, I went to work on a brand new blog design for Rotten Apple Reviews-- starting with the header, I sketched out a version of Snow White and incorporated her into a "cut-out" type style. You may have seen how I do this in previous design posts, but here is a screenshot of me working on Alice's new header:

Alice also ordered a few extras, such as Custom Post Signature, Custom Rating System, and Basic Post Dividers. Here are the before and after pics of the Rotten Apple Reviews Makeover!!

~Before~

~After!~

As you can see, we really toned down the colors to make it softer and more elegant, and if you go to the live blog, you can see all the apple-themed details we added in. I am SO happy with how the design turned out, and the layout is now much easier to follow as well!

<-----  I REALLY hope you will stop on over to Alice's blog at Rotten Apple Reviews by clicking on the NEW DESIGN IMAGE ABOVE or by clicking on her blog link-- ESPECIALLY since she is having an awesome GIVEWAY in celebration of her new look!! Yep, Alice will be giving away ONE (1) SIGNED COPY of Reached (Matched #3) by Ally Condie! Sweet deal right?!

~Grab a Button!~ 

And while you're add it, be sure to grab one of Alice's new blog buttons as well for your collections-- find the grab code below!

<a href="http://rottenapplereads.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u534/Alicebelikova/Lamecia%20Blog%20Design/GrabButton.png" width="200"/></a>

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Are you considering a new look for your blog? Do you just need an extra little something to spruce up the look you already have? Please stop on over and see me at Lea Christine Designs by clicking on the button below-- you can check out the services I offer and all the designs I have already done!

Happy Reading!

Book Blog Makeover! Forever 17 Books

It's MAKEOVER time at LC's Adventures again! I am really excited to show you guys the latest re-design that I did for Sara over at Forever 17 Books!

Sara got in touch with me awhile back wanting to have something done for her book blog-- up until now, she had just been using one of the generic Blogger template styles and she wanted to have something more unique that reflected her own style. She told me that she liked tigers, especially white Bengals, and her fave color was sky blue. We decided to create a design with a white Bengal tiger lounging on a stack of books, and have a color theme of icy blues and light grays. Since she didn't want anything too flashy or over the top, I kept everything pretty subdued and simple. So.... here are the results! Check out Sara's new Book Blog Makeover below!

Old Design...

New Design!

I am so happy with how Sara's new blog design turned out, because I know that it fits her personality and style so much better than the old Blogger template. Not to mention that tiger turned out better than I thought it was going to-- he looks so regal sitting on his stack of books haha! ;)

I hope you guys will take a minute to stop on over to Sara's blog at Forever 17 Books and let her know what you think of her new look-- and be sure to follow her as well! ;)

~Grab a Button!~

<a href="http://forever17books.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i394.photobucket.com/albums/pp26/sarabara081/Sara%20Blog%20Design/grabbutton.png"/></a>

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Are you considering a new look for your blog? Do you just need an extra little something to spruce up the look you already have? Please stop on over and see me at Lea Christine Designs by clicking on the button below-- you can check out the services I offer and all the designs I have already done!

Happy Reading!

Book Blog Makeover! The Reading Enchantress

So after a rather major blogging-slash-designing hiatus for the past month, I have an all-new MAKEOVER to show you guys! Today's blog design is for The Reading Enchantress...

Olivia is the fabulous book blogger behind the YA Book Blog The Reading Enchantress, a blog that had already caught my eye awhile back for the awesome rich colors and elegant patterns she had in her design. However, Olivia was looking for something a little brighter and she also really wanted a custom vector illustration as a focal point in her blog to have it really stand out.

Let me just say-- this gal had some AWESOME ideas! We both have a slight obsession with Marie Antoinette and Versailles-style things, so we began talking about creating a Custom Blog Makeover with a 1700's-French-style vibe, complete with a Marie Antoinette character with red hair to match Olivia's. We also added lots of details to the dress, a masquerade mask, a fancy bookcase, and chandelier. So here are the before and after pics of Olivia's all new blog design-- TA DA!! :D

Vector Design: Paper To Digital Graphic...

For most of the custom vector graphics I design, I first sketch them on paper, upload them to my computer, and then use a graphics program to create the digital image to be used in the final design :)

Before...

After!

So as you can see, the major things we changed were adding a vector character to customize and really highlight Olivia's blog header, and we also brightened things up quite a bit with a whole new color scheme. I think it turned out super cute and I was really happy to be able to bring Olivia's gorgeous vision to life! Be sure to stop on by The Reading Enchantress to let her know what you think and to follow her lovely book blog!! :)

~Grab a Button!~

<a href="http://www.thereadingenchantress.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q496/thereadingenchantress/Olivia%20Blog%20Design/GRABBUTTON22.png"/></a>

*****

Are you considering a new look for your blog? Do you just need an extra little something to spruce up the look you already have? Please stop on over and see me at Lea Christine Designs by clicking on the button below-- you can check out the services I offer and all the designs I have already done!

Happy Reading!

Book Blog Makeover! The Anfractuous Bookaholic

So I have been on a MAKEOVER rampage lately guys! This summer Lea Christine Designs has been super busy giving awesome book blogs some fabulous new designs, and as always, I love getting to share with you guys the latest design makeovers that I've done. Here is today's!

Cassie is the book blogger behind The Anfractuous Bookaholic, and let me just tell you, she was practically bursting with amazing design ideas for her site. She was looking for something that was both elegant and girly, but with a little bit of an edge to it as well. She loves the colors of purple, blue and hot pink so we decided to work with a very girly and glam color scheme. For her header design, Cassie wanted an ethereal look with a fairy-like girl wandering in a magical forest scene at night, lost in a book. But she also wanted her fairy to be a little edgy, so we put her in jeans and a black corset top. Here is the final design of Cassie's header!

And now-- so you guys can see the transformation-- here are the before and after shots of Cassie's blog :)

~Old Design~

~New Design!~

I am so in love with the color scheme that we ended up using for Cassie's new look- every time I visit her site now, I just have to give a happy little sigh over the prettiness of the colors lol! We also simplified and streamlined the design a bit so that the focus could be on her new header. I hope that you will stop on over to visit Cassie and follow her fabulous YA book blog-- and let her know what you think of her brand new design!

Want to grab a button from Cassie? Here it is!

<a href="http://www.futterflies.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee429/SatinSorrow88/Cassie%20Blog%20Design/GRABBUTTON2.png" width="200">

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Are you considering a new look for your blog? Do you just need an extra little something to spruce up the look you already have? Please stop on over and see me at Lea Christine Designs by clicking on the button below-- you can check out the services I offer and all the designs I have already done!

Happy Reading!

Book Blog Makeover! Nawanda Files

It's MAKEOVER time again at Lea Christine Designs!! I love getting to share with you guys the latest design makeovers that I've done for some awesome book bloggers and their fabulous blogs, so here is today's:

Krista is a YA book blogger over at Nawanda Files, where she had a super cute space-and-robot theme going on. The problem was she had no fancy header to go along with her theme! Krista asked me if I could give her blog a Custom Makeover that stuck with her current theme, but just spruced everything up and of course gave her site a focal point with an awesome new header...

For Krista's vector illustrations, I drew a cute astronaut girl on the moon, staring in wonderment as some bookish robots make off with her stack of books. In the background, I added some other spaceships. Krista also ordered a custom menu bar to go along with her theme, and a matching favicon. Here are the results!

~Old Design~

~New Design!~

I hope you'll take a minute to stop on over to Krista's awesome book blog and let her know what you think of her new look! Just click on the new design image above or click Nawanda Files to stop by and say hello :)

UPDATE: Krista is ALSO hosting an awesome GIVEAWAY to celebrate her new design as well, so now you will definitely want to stop on over! :D --> CLICK HERE FOR GIVEAWAY!

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Are you considering a new look for your blog? Do you just need an extra little something to spruce up the look you already have? Please stop on over and see me at Lea Christine Designs by clicking on the button below-- you can check out the services I offer and all the designs I have already done!

Happy Reading!

Book Blog Makeover! Books Beside My Bed

It's MAKEOVER time again at Lea Christine Designs!! I love getting to share with you guys the latest design makeovers that I've done for some awesome book bloggers and their fabulous blogs, so here is today's:

Karen is a lovely librarian who has a cute blog called Books Beside My Bed. However, her design was more generic with a Blogger template and she really wanted to get something that reflected her personality more and also tied into her blog's name. She asked me if I could create for her a whole new design with an illustration of her lounging on a daybed, reading a book, with her favorite collie dog next to her. She wanted her blog to be really colorful, with pinks, purples, blues and greens, and then she also ordered some extras like a custom menu bar, custom sidebar titles, and a favicon. So I thought it would be fun to take a moment today for a little...

~How I Make Custom Vector Graphics~

OK! So today I am going to show you guys how I create these graphics for my designs-- and this is how I make all the graphics you see here at LC's Adventures in Libraryland, too. So when a blogger asks me to draw custom graphics for them, I first try to get as many details as I can-- what hair color, eye color, what kind of clothes do they want their character wearing, etc. Then, I typically sketch out the drawing on paper, and then upload it to my computer and into my image editing program.

Here is the drawing I did of Karen's collie:

So once I get it uploaded, I use what is called the "paths tool" to make a series of points that connect, and then I change the curves and adjust everything to the shape I want my final image to take:

It takes lots of practice and patience! When I first started doing this, it would've taken me hours (and LOTS of head-banging frustration) to create this collie, but now it probably took me about 45 minutes to get finished. Here is the collie drawing a little farther along...

Each different color and shape you see in this graphic is its own separate layer-- that way I can change, manipulate, and adjust the layers to make everything just the way I want. After I finish adjusting the colors and shading to how I want it, here is the final graphic! :)

Alrighty, so now you have a better idea of how I create my custom graphics-- now here is the MAKEOVER!!

~Old Design~

~New Design!~

I really love how everything turned out in this makeover, since we were able to take that basic, generic Blogger template and create something totally unique and colorful for Karen's style and personality! Now things are very bright and fun and, I hope, will make blogging an even better experience for Karen now that she has a one-of-a-kind look that is all her!

Be sure to stop on over to Karen's blog at Books Beside My Bed to say "hi" and let her know what you think of her new design-- and of course, show her some blogger love by following too! :)

*****

Are you considering a new look for your blog? Do you just need an extra little something to spruce up the look you already have? Please stop on over and see me at Lea Christine Designs by clicking on the button below-- you can check out the services I offer and all the designs I have already done!

Happy Reading!