New Design

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Well, here it is! The new look of The Small Things Blog!


I was going for clean, easy to navigate, and pretty.

The navigation bar at the top of the screen has a Hair Tutorials section–where I’ll share my hair tutorials, a Wear section–where I’ll share my outfits, and a Beauty section–for makeup and other “beauty” things. 🙂

You’ll also find my social media icons on the left, click on any of those to follow me!

There is a search box at the top right (above the Blogher Ad). Use that to search for anything on my blog. If you can’t find something, but you know I wrote about a hair product, search “hair products” and all the posts with that tag will come up.

The new look was designed by Viva La Violette. 

If you have any questions regarding my experience working with Viva La Violette, please send me an e-mail :  Kate   (at)    thesmallthingsblog   (dot)  com. 




*there are still a new things that need to be centered! working on those soon! 

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Bonbonroz says · 04.10.12

Nice! Looking forward to that 🙂

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Sarah says · 04.10.12

Can’t wait to see the “new look”!

Sarah
smalltowncatwalk.blogspot.ca

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Amy says · 04.10.12

Loving the new look so far!
Who is doing your web designing?

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ellentay08 says · 04.10.12

love love love!!!!!

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Kate says · 04.10.12

Thank you!

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Christine from Connecticut says · 04.10.12

Very nice, I did love the colors of the other site, but the white is also lovely!

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SweetLibbyT says · 04.10.12

Love it! I love a nice white background… You know it will always look the way it’s supposed to. Nice job.

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Randilea @ Life As I Bake It says · 04.10.12

I love it! It’s simple yet sophisticated.

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Martha L. says · 04.10.12

I love the simplicity and sophistication of the new blog design! Great job! 🙂

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Angela says · 04.10.12

It looks really good. I like the clean look. The color for small really makes your title pop and the links help keep it girly yet sophisticated.

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Triquetra0410 says · 04.10.12

looks really clean and the color palet is nice – good job – but I have to say I’m more the “yellow” person 🙂

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

So Pretty! And much easier to navigate! <3

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Laura says · 04.10.12

SO CUTE! i love it, kate!

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ToDoListMom aka Ashley says · 04.10.12

Love it! So crisp and clean!! PS I just LOOOVE looking through your “wear” outfits! Can we swap closets and hair! LOL

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Mrs. Baker says · 04.10.12

i love it!

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Robyn says · 04.10.12

It all looks so great!! Good job!

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Angela says · 04.10.12

I love love love your blog. I happened to come across one of the hair tutorials on pinterest and was hooked. I am growing out my bob of several years and have almost given up. The updos and your techniques have helped me. Now I can’t wait for it to get longer and do some of the updos. I’m 37 and have considered myself somewhat challenged in the hair and beauty dept. Your style and beauty is exactly what I have been aiming for clean, simple and feminine. I feel like I have a new girl friend to help with my style. Thanks so much!!!

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Southern and Chic says · 04.10.12

I love it! Really easy to navigate 🙂

All you’re tutorials have made me want to cut my hair! I’ll be doing it this Friday, so excited!

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Ginger says · 04.10.12

Love!!! you achieved your goals, it’s clean, pretty & easy to navigate! 🙂

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

I’m kind of disappointed! The other was classy and seemed to fit “you”…this is white, generic and kind of clinical. There’s no “you” here at all (not that I know you, but I feel like you since I read your blog all the time!). Guess I’ll get used to it, but I preferred the old one.

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Kate says · 04.10.12

I really enjoyed my last design too! I had some people mention that it was hard to “read” yellow, so I needed to steer away from that. And I was going for something very crisp and clean, and that is what I got!

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

i think its great, its your blog and your choice and we should accept that.. the other was off center with the header and all the blogher stuff (which i really wish you would get rid of, it takes away from your current advertisers and i see weird stuff like cheese and mop cleaner ads on your pretty pretty blog plus blogher= sellout) but again its your blog!.. i think this is very pretty, very mature, very simple and your posts are the highlight now not the old design! =)

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Allyson Butler says · 04.10.12

I love the new design! Simplicity is my favorite look for a blog.

Allyson
http://cupcakescandycanes.blogspot.com

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

I must agree with Anonymous 11:12 AM; you have such a great flair for style that there seems to be a disconnect between that and this simple design. Also, it would be helpful if your blog designer could increase the font size used for your blog titles and toolbar at the top of the page. Currently, its size causes it to appear pixelated.

I do love the coral/white/gray color combination you have chosen, as well as the search tool! 🙂

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Kate says · 04.10.12

I’ll see if she can do anything about that!

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

if the header was larger I think you would benefit better from it.. or make the ‘small’ standout with a larger font because it means small but this is a big blog i think that would be really cute!

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

The changes she made this afternoon already make things look much better! 🙂 -Anon 11:30am

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Jen (Balancing Beauty and Bedlam) says · 04.10.12

YAY! Congrats. It’s wonderfully easy to navigate. So happy for you. 🙂 It’s truly the little things that are the big things, right…like a great new site design. 😉

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

put your ‘welcome’ photo of you before those social links.. its your blog you should stand out! get rid of blogher (they are horrible and those ads take away from your blog so much).. make the header larger or at least the title of the header larger and the font a tiny bigger on the titles.. maybe also change your ‘post titles’ to be colors so its all the same and really brings it all together!

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

you should go into your design template and make it so your links are a different color then all your text.. it blends in and anyone you link to wont be noticed if their link isn’t visible by either an underline, a bold or a different color.

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tinab158 says · 04.10.12

Kate:

I love your new look! It’s easy to navigate, clean and classy…and I think that suits you perfectly. I wouldn’t change a thing.

By the way…I’ve been following your blog for almost a year now. In fact, I think you had something like 30 followers when I found your blog. I just noticed…you have 12,400 followers today! Holy Cow! All I can say is……………….YOU GO GIRL!!!!

Congrats on your new look and your success!

Tina

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Stephanie S says · 04.10.12

I love it! The colors are definitely you 🙂 It is minimalist but I think it’s perfect because your posts, like outfits and jewelry, are all very colorful and pop against the new design. Makes the focus more on your photos than on the rest of the page. Pretty!

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dana says · 04.10.12

Thumbs up Kate!!

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dana says · 04.10.12

Looks good Kate!!

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Shelley says · 04.10.12

Personally, I’m all for the grey, coral, white .. it’s crisp, clean, and presents a nice professional image..nice changes!

Regards,

Shelley

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Anonymous says · 04.10.12

I’ve been following your blog for awhile now and I think I like the old design better. It just seemed to suit you more. I think this one is nice, but it needs a little something to make it unique. It seems a little too simple. The navigation is easier though.

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Bethany says · 04.10.12

I like the old design better too but these colors suit you. What if the background was dark grey and the font white? It needs to be a little more drastic in my opinion 🙂 But I really do like the format better.

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Heidi says · 04.10.12

I love your hair tutorials, i seriously put my kids to bed and watch them all LOL… oops, i should be cleaning!!

I have a couple of questions

1) i first ‘met’ you when i saw a pic of your hair on pintrest, you know in friends when everyone wanted the ‘Rachel’ cut, i think your cut is the most coveted.. ( do u know the one i am talking about).. anyways, if so, what do i ask for when i take it to my salon, or should i take a picture of it in… also does it work for all types of hair?

2)It seems like your hair does whatever you want to it. it that true? It seems to hold curl well, never looks brassy, always looks like it hold a style.. do you have any ‘hair issues’??

thanks!!!!!!!!!!

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Christen says · 04.10.12

It looks great! Love it.

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Lynn at Order in the Kitchen says · 04.10.12

absolutely love it Kate! thanks for the email this morning!

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eatsleepbreathe says · 04.10.12

Love it!

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samantha says · 04.10.12

i love the new look!

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Christine Trevino says · 04.11.12

Love the new look!!

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Anonymous says · 04.11.12

Love it!

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SarahK says · 04.11.12

The navigation on this blog is easier but I liked the past design much better.

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Ruth H. says · 04.11.12

It looks fantastic–so clean and fresh. Heather is an amazing designer.

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Samantha Arilotta says · 04.11.12

I am loving the new design! Its so clean looking. I love the fact that the colors match the sweater your wearing in your picture too :p

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Jaime Csorba says · 04.11.12

Hi Kate!
I’ve been following your blog for awhile and it is one of my favs!! 🙂 This is my first time I’ve left a comment and have the BEST story to tell you. I was wearing my hair today like your “elegant half up” hairdo. I walked into a store (charming charlie) and noticed a worker dressed in the cutest outfit that reminded me of one of yours! Striped top from target and then a coral scarf. The worker immediately commented on my hair as being one of “Kate’s” from pinterest! Ha! I told her I thought the same thing of her outfit! She said yes! It was a Kate inspired outfit!!! So, all the way here, in a suburb of Chicago, you are known and so is your blog!!! How cool is that!!!! It made my day!!! 😉

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Laura says · 04.11.12

Super!

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Anonymous says · 04.11.12

Can you print a screen shot of what your website should look like? I don’t think it is coming out right for me. It is almost all white, however when reading the comments it sounds like others are seeing grey and coral?

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Anonymous says · 04.11.12

the background is white the only grey/coral is her header and a few little graphics.. everything is pretty much white though.

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Natalie says · 04.11.12

Love it! Its super cute!

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Melody says · 04.11.12

It’s beautiful! I love it! Very clean and organized. Though it was great before. 🙂

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herriot says · 04.11.12

Nice look. The other was very pretty but I couldn’t read the yellow lettering many times. Yours is the only blog I try to check every day. 🙂

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stephen&andrea says · 04.11.12

hi kate
im loving the new look for your blog. i have been checking out ur blog for the past month or two and im ADDICTED!
i have a quick question, im looking for a light weight shampoo and conditioner my hair texture is a medium thickness and i have a heck of a lot of hair, what brand do you recommend???
please help
Andrea
http://www.stephenandandrea.blogpot.com

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Bonbonroz says · 04.11.12

This comment has been removed by the author.

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Bonbonroz says · 04.11.12

The new navigation is much clearer (though I find the font of the categories a bit too small…) but I loved the previous design better :/

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Jenny Leigh says · 04.11.12

Hi there,
I like the crispness of the new design but I must say it does lack a little of your personality. It’s hard to combine both. I say good job. I’m about to totally revamp my blog and I can’t wait. It screams WINTER and “beatnik” I’ve been told. Hahaha oh well, what are ya gonna do?

Keep on Keepin’ on I love what you’re doing!
Jenny Leigh
jennyleighsblog.blogspot.com
Hair*Beauty*Inspiration

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Anonymous says · 04.11.12

Love the new look of the blog! Great job!

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Renee says · 04.11.12

Loving the new blog design!! 🙂

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Brianna says · 04.11.12

Kate, I do love the new design. Your blog is the first I’ve followed consistently. I love it. I also just read your “about me” section and couldn’t agree more when you talk about finding our value in Christ alone. That is awesome that you let others know about your faith, and it’s refreshing to find others out there with the same faith, especially when you have an impact on people who read your blog every day. Keep it up! I love your ideas. Also, my hair has much improved since reading your blog 🙂 Thanks!

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Motivated Mommy of two says · 04.11.12

I really like the new design, cannot wait to start going through the tutorials.

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cheffingit says · 04.11.12

Just have to tell you…I tried one of your hair styles yesterday and LOVED it! Thank you! I’m so glad I happened on your website. I’ve kind of been “stuck” with my hair lately and you have already helped me. 😀

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Kellie says · 04.11.12

I love the new photo of you and how your sweater matches the pinky coral font colors. But…it’s just…so white! I miss the “warmness” of the other design. I never thought of grey as a warm color, but compared to all the white here..it’s just too sterile. Would love to see more color to “happy it up” a bit!

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Kimberly @ The Brown Eyes Have It says · 04.12.12

It looks great! I love all the tabs. That’ll make it so much easier to find all your great tutorials.

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fitformyfork says · 04.12.12

I love the new look! I’ve been following your blog for ages now – I think I first saw it right after you started blogging! – and check it all the time for more great hair tips and other inspiration. Your tutorials are fantastic. Thank you for taking the time to do them for us!

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Anonymous says · 04.13.12

The font is like the title…SMALL,!! Too small

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Rachel says · 04.14.12

THANK YOU- A) For having/keeping up with an AMAZING blog! and B) For updating your blog site.

I am an avid reader (especially since I have a lot of time on my hands at work) and I used to not be able to view your blog at work due to some breach of security settings, but now- I have no problems!! 🙂 Thanks so much!
~ R
P.S. Keep up the great blogging! <3

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Julie S. says · 04.17.12

Love the new look! 🙂

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Anonymous says · 04.20.12

Holy cow…I hope you didn’t pay $650 (what her website lists) for this. That is outrageous for what you got. Way too simple and greatly overpriced. As a blog designer, you could have gotten something just like this for under $200. It even looks like a premade template.

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