The Makeover Process: Blog Redesign

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Fresh
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Jordan Maunder Photography (serious photographer, fantastic sense of humor)

Welcome! I’m so glad you are here! It’s great to finally be able to share what I’ve been working on behind the scenes for a few months.

The blog is now on WordPress. If you aren’t a blogger, or have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t worry–it’s not important and doesn’t really mean anything. For the people that understand the “blogspot versus wordpress” world, I’m looking forward to getting comfortable on the new site.

Have you ever moved into a different house? The hardest thing to learn is where the light switches are located. And that reality always hits in the middle of the night, right? I’ve spent a few nights running my hands against the wall in a pitch black, unfamiliar house trying to flip the switch.

And that’s a little bit how I feel right now. I’m excited to be here, I love how it looks, and I just need to find the light-switches and really learn the place.

I originally considered switching to WordPress in January of 2013. I remember becoming sort of fixated on it, and spent hours researching how to migrate blogger blogs to wordpress. It looked pretty daunting, and I wasn’t sure that was a direction I wanted to go.

And then, with a little more thought during the year, I decided that it was time. I found Katelyn Brooke Designs and knew she would be a great fit. I got on her schedule, and my time on blogger suddenly had an expiration date.

Kate did such a great job on my new design. She got my vision almost immediately and it didn’t take long before the bulk of the site was decided upon and we were left going through details.

Like font.

Is font the hardest thing to decide on, or what?

My goal with any redesign, and I’ve done my fair share over the years, is to make it easier for you to find things. I’m very happy to tell you I finally have a hair gallery! The hairstyles are divided into sections, like braided or styling, and should be easier to locate. There are still some edits that need to happen within the gallery to make it a little prettier, but it’s full functioning and ready to be explored.bloggrowth

As always, there’s a search box in the sidebar on the right, so you can type in whatever you want to look for and it will bring information up about it if I’ve written about it.

It may take a few visits before it feels comfortable, but I do hope you like it!

Jordan Maunder was kind enough to take a few head shots for me, which is a chore let me just tell you! The girl is absolutely hilarious. I’m sure she had to edit through 50 shots of me laughing (see above) because I could not stop cracking up at her. She’s truly gifted, both in photography and humor. I know next to nothing about photography, but I can tell when a photographer has “the gift”. . . and she has it.

Kelly at Twenty70Hosting is my host. I was referred to her from a few other bloggers and so far have had a fantastic experience. She has kept me informed about everything that is going on on her end, which is really great. I only wish I understood a single thing she was talking about.

A lot of our e-mailing has been like this:

“Kate, [insert words about coding, servers, domains and techy things] .” -Kelly

“Okay cool. So it’ll still be www.thesmallthingsblog.com, right?” -me

“Yep!” -Kelly

“Okay, go ahead and do what you gotta do.” -me

It’s as if she’s speaking an entirely different language. My eyes glaze over and I simply hit “command-shift-3” to take a screen shot and “save for later investigation”. She has been great about answering all my questions, and has fixed quite a few issues that pop up during a migration. If you ever consider making a switch to wordpress, or simply need a new host, check her out.

So like I mentioned earlier, there are still a few wrinkles to iron out and light switches to find, but I really hope you enjoy the new blog!

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Jess says · 04.29.14

Hi Kate! First off, I love your blog! I have an 11 week old (my first) and some of your insights have been so helpful! I really like the new look but I will note that the font color makes it awfully tough to read on a mobile phone. Just wanted to pass that along. All the best!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

we darkened it a bit! thanks for your input!

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Hannah says · 04.29.14

Thanks, Kate! It’s much easier to read 🙂

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hollie says · 04.29.14

Unfortunately I can still barely read it 🙁

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Jess says · 04.29.14

Much better, thank you!

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Chantall says · 04.30.14

Your website looks great, Kate!
Very clean and intuitive.

Chantall

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Jan says · 04.29.14

The site looks great! My only grouse is the font color – it’s too light and hard to read, specially from work where we have neon lights. If a lot of others are facing this issue as well, would you consider making the text a little darker?

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Amy says · 04.29.14

I love the new site too, but am also having trouble with the font color with the white background. Hard for old-ish eyes to see. 😉

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Hannah says · 04.29.14

I agree 🙂 I’m loving the look and the navigation, but found it hard for my eyes to focus. Kudos to your hard work on this!

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Megan M. says · 04.29.14

I think it looks great! For me, though, the type is really… light. There’s not enough contrast between the words and the background and it’s making it pretty hard to read. I need really strong glasses and even then I can have trouble seeing small, light type. But the new blog design is beautiful!

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Amy Triggs says · 04.29.14

Very classically Kate in design. 🙂 I agree about the lightness of the text.

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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Lisa says · 04.29.14

I still think it’s too light 🙁 The font itself is very thin so even darkening it a bit doesn’t help that much. Hope you consider changing it all together. I have nearly perfect vision (thankfully) and am really struggling to read this. Other than that, great job!

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Emma says · 04.29.14

I love it! It looks so fresh! I woudl agree the font color is a little light though 🙂

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Jessica says · 04.29.14

Hey Kate! I love the new redesign! Looks fabulous and I’ve loved following you through the years – I must agree with the others that the font is a bit too light to read 🙁

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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Kristen B. says · 04.29.14

I LOVE the new look! I look forward to continuing to read your blog! It has seriously made such a great change in my life! Thank you!!

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Shannon says · 04.29.14

Looking great! I’m sure you’ll love the cool features of WordPress once you find all the switches. One suggestion: darken the text. On mobile it is so faint that it is not readable, even when blown up. And, I really enjoy reading your posts so I gotta be able to see them. 🙂 Looks lovely, great job!

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Sarah says · 04.29.14

I’ve been a follower through all your blog re-designs and love the new one! My only comment is as the others have mentioned, the font colour is too pale.

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Amy says · 04.29.14

I agree the font is a bit too light.

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Kerrie says · 04.29.14

I really like the new organization, Kate! But the font is pretty light and hard to read. Would you consider darkening the font color? I am really straining to read the body of your post. I can’t imagine all the nitty gritty details that goes into this process. I feel bad complaining after all the work you and your team must have put into this. Best wishes for a successful transition!

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April says · 04.29.14

Love the new site. Agree about the font color. Best part is that hair tutorials are broken down by category. Makes finding what you need so much easier. Great job!

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Jenn says · 04.29.14

Love the new look but agree with the others, that the font color is just too light. Turning 40 this week and the old eyes don’t work as well as they use too!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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kristy russell-smith says · 04.29.14

Love it, but need darker text.. for sure!

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Jamie says · 04.29.14

The new site design looks great, and so do you!

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Megan vs. The Forex says · 04.29.14

Really like the new site, and I’m sure you’re very happy at wordpress, but I loved how the old site looked, it was my favorite blog design I’ve found online!

Congratulations on the new site and keep up the wonderful posts!

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Heather says · 04.29.14

Gonna jump on the font bandwagon… it’s a little light and I’m straining my eyes to read your fabulous blog!

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ajh says · 04.29.14

I was going to say the same thing as everyone else….it looks great, but it’s pretty hard to read. Thanks for all your hard work, I love following you!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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Emilie R. says · 04.29.14

Beautiful redesign!

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Heather says · 04.29.14

I love the new design – only suggestions:

1) Font color should be just a little bit darker – otherwise it is pretty readable.

2) Your one picture of the blog looks from previous years opens up in the same window and I accidentally X’d it out thinking it was a separate window – might want to make sure that any photos, etc open in new tabs or windows since most people are accustomed these days to having that happen so they can look at the picture but still keep the webpage up.

Love the blog redesign! Beautiful!!!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

Thanks–I edited that! Still getting used to everything!

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Robin says · 04.29.14

The new blog design and layout is so attractive and beautiful! It seems to truly match your personality and style to a “T.”

Reading The Small Things Blog each morning quickly became part of my daily routine back in 2011, and I will continue to love your writing and thoughtful tutorials. Thank you for giving me my “15 minute escape” (as my husband calls it), as I sit down with my coffee each day and fully immerse myself in your creative and witty posts. You are truly a gem, and I enjoy your blog to the fullest!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

Thanks! that means a lot to me!

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Sarah C. says · 04.29.14

Love the fresh look! Still very you, yet a lovely update.

I must agree with the other comments: We all know that you love grey (I do, too!); alas, the font is just too light for easy reading. In a dark room on a large monitor with 20/20 vision, it is not too bad, although I still had to focus quite a bit. I first opened the site on my mobile device, and it was near impossible. I love the idea of the lighter grey; darn that need for practicality!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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Sarah C. says · 04.29.14

I do love the fresh and clean look, and the hair gallery is terrific! You noted in a comment that the font is as dark and bold as can be now, although the font still looks light to me on my computer and mobile device. Could it simply be the font itself? Tracking and kerning and leading. . . It could be that since the space between the letters is larger than the usual type on a website, the letters appear lighter. Also, that larger space does make a font harder to read. (I spent years in corporate marketing, so the number of hours I spent assessing fonts is ridiculous. Seriously.)

I know that you focused a lot of effort on choosing the font, and if you love it, obviously, it’s the way to go! People will adjust and find the experience that works for them. I can certainly stop reading on my device (my usual route to date) and check in when I am on my computer (ie, less frequently, but I will still make it here, of course!).

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hollie says · 04.29.14

I love the look- but agree it’s terribly hard to read. I’m on a desktop PC and I had to copy and paste into word to read 🙁

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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Kristin says · 04.29.14

Kate,

Love the new design. Your hard work paid off. Who designed your logo for you? I’ve always meant to ask. I LOVE that little bobby pin. It is cute as a button.

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Kate says · 04.29.14

I designed it, Mayabou, a designer, drew the pin for me 🙂

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Kristin says · 04.29.14

Well, it is super adorable, and is an awesome, simple representation of your blog!

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kimberly oyler says · 04.29.14

love the redesign! just so you know, you didn’t show up in my bloglovin feed this morning. i knew you had posted because of twitter, so i had to go re-add your link to bloglovin. not sure if that is just me but wanted to let you know!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

I may need to update that–thanks for the heads up!

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Angie Fisher says · 04.29.14

It took a little longer for the page to load through my bloglovin but the post showed in my feed with no problems. Just FYI. 😉

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KE says · 04.29.14

Love it! I have always loved your blog. This is so bright and “crisp”. Love it! Good job!

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Caroline says · 04.29.14

LOVE the new blog! I love Katelyn and she did a fantastic job!! Also, I think you’ll love WordPress once you get used to it 🙂

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Alisha says · 04.29.14

Aw…. I like the grey font. It is light, so I guess I could see people having a hard time. Maybe just making it bold would fix it? Or just a different font, same color? It’s the combo of dainty and light colored that makes it a little hard to read. And also super cute. Haha

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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Alisha says · 04.29.14

It looks great now. On both laptop and mobile device! Thanks Kate 🙂

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Candy says · 04.29.14

Love your new design!! So excited for you!

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Laura says · 04.29.14

I LOVE the new look. I have tried before to find several of the outfits that you have posted and it was a nightmare to scroll trough and find post like 30 in 30 or a cute shirt or boots etc. the new feature makes it a breeze.

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Kate says · 04.29.14

GREAT I am really glad to hear that!

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Cari says · 04.29.14

Hi Kate – it looks great! I too agree with the font color comments. The font size and style are very nice but it’s a little hard on the eyes as far as the color goes.

Beautiful photos of you!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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Anne Luhmann says · 04.29.14

Love, Love, Love the new site, Kate! It looks wonderful!

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Meg says · 04.29.14

It looks great! Much easier to navigate when looking for specific posts 🙂

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Kate says · 04.29.14

glad to hear that!

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Debbie says · 04.29.14

My old tired eyes can’t read the blog on my mobile device….font color is entirely too light!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s been darkened so it’s easier to read 🙂

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Kathy says · 04.29.14

You keep saying that the font has been darkened so that it’s easier to read…. but I must say that it’s STILL too hard to read. Unless the lighting is JUST RIGHT, it’s a lot of work to make out the text.

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Kate says · 04.29.14

okay, thanks for letting me know. Working on adjusting that!

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Jass says · 04.29.14

Love the new look of your blog…do you mind sharing where your both tops are from? Looking to add few basic pieces to my wardrobe.

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Melissa Faye says · 04.29.14

I remember the yellow and grey design! That inspired me to go with grey and yellow for a number of years! Love the new design! It’s beautiful!

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Rebecca Dubray says · 04.29.14

Love the new look! It’s very you – but refreshed! My comment is that when I access the page on my Iphone, I can’t choose any of the drop down menus from the the hair, style, etc links. So under beauty it takes me to a list of what appears to be all the entries (still can’t click on sub menus) but for style, I get the ‘outfit’ and ‘inspiration’ drop down but nothing happens if I try to go to either and it doesn’t take me to a full ‘style’ page either. Not sure if this is just an iPhone/safari incompatibility that can be fixed but I hope so!!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

okay, thanks for that info! looking into it!

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Carrie says · 04.29.14

Hi Kate!

Your website looks great! Fresh and classy, but doesn’t take itself too seriously…seems very you. I can’t wait to access the hair tutorials more easily, as I refer to them often. I have followed you for several years now and love watching the changes. You are so witty and now with adorable David there’s a new depth to you as well.

Keep up the great work Doll! xoxo

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Shannon says · 04.29.14

It looks FABULOUS!! Congrats, and thank you for all your hard work! We know you’ve been busting your butt! 🙂

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Maegan says · 04.29.14

It looks so great, I don’t even remember what I’ve been reading for years! 😉 Thank you for all the time you spend with us readers. When I have a hard day, I know that I can go back over some of you blogs to find some encouragement or even just to find a style so that I can fill some “me time.” Thanks for that!

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Kristi says · 04.29.14

I love your blog! It has become a part of my daily reading. Thank you for all the tips. Have never gotten so many compliments on my hair! I have been reading for about 2 years now and love the way you incorporate faith and family into your blog as well. Keep up the good work and wish you all the best!

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Melissa says · 04.29.14

Love the new design. 🙂 And you’ll love WordPress. There’s so much more you can do with it. My husband works in IT and back when I had a blog (I kind of let it go, I should get back to that) he insisted I use WordPress. Even though it was intimidating to learn I’m glad I did!

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Maegan says · 04.29.14

I meant what it’s looked like in the past years!

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Dar says · 04.29.14

I just had to say how pretty it is – and how happy you look in the photos.
Can’t wait to get to read some new posts on the beautiful layout!

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Lindsay @ The Newlywed Notebook says · 04.29.14

Looks great! I also loved the pictures you showed of what your blog used to look like. I think it’s so fun to see how things like that change over the years. A few weeks back I actually found a picture of what my very first blog design looked like, needless to say I was a little horrified. 🙂

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Katie says · 04.29.14

Love the new hair gallery and your “pin it” button! So fun!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

thanks!

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Abby says · 04.29.14

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the “big reveal” and I LOVE IT! Your site is always so clean and fresh… very enjoyable to read your posts and browse your awesome tutorials. Congrats on this new look, Kate!

xo Always, Abby

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Kate says · 04.29.14

thank you!!

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Veronica says · 04.29.14

Others have already commented and you mentioned you darkened…..Font Color is still too liqht and hard to read. Feels like it needs to be bolded! Otherwise, looks good!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

it’s now completely black and bolded 🙂

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Rachelle says · 04.29.14

Yay! The old site’s photos were blocked on my work PC for some reason, so I always had to open your posts up on my phone. Very excited that I can now see all of them! Love your blog and the new design!

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Melissa Pidal says · 04.29.14

Your new design is totally awesome!! And the hair gallery is absolutely perf-especially in time for summer when I always put my hair up using your videos. I also love how you’re open with your faith. You’re such an example of a godly woman and I wish I lived closer to be your friend in real life!! Thanks for all the work you do on this blog!! Oh and your son is adorable!!

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Shena says · 04.29.14

Love the new look! The thing I’ve notice that is missing is I don’t see a “read older post”, “read newer post”. I tend to read 3-5 posts at one time and it’s very handy to have the option to just click through to your older post.

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Kate says · 04.29.14

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you’ll see a “next page” section–that will bring you to a new page of posts!

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Shena says · 04.29.14

No…I still don’t see it. I even went to a March post to be sure. I’m viewing the site on a PC, not mobile view. Perhaps it is my browser? I use Chrome.

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Kate says · 04.29.14

make sure you only have http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com in your url. If you are looking at a specific post, it will only be that single post. You can also click the home button at the top of the screen!

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Danielle Klatt says · 04.29.14

LOVE the new site! The overall look and the font are AMAZING! Great job!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

thanks!

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Sarah says · 04.29.14

Yay! I’m thrilled that it’s easier to leave comments. The prior site made me log into google to post which was just too annoying so mostly I just skipped it. I don’t think the font is too light either. Nice!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

Thanks Sarah! Glad you can comment now!

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Kacey says · 04.29.14

Same here!

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Amy says · 04.30.14

Agree! Yay!

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Evelyn says · 04.29.14

Oh, I like it!!!

It looks more organized! I will play around with it, but is there a way that the comment box can come first among other comments and not last?! Although I like to read some comments, you are quite popular so it takes a while to scroll all the way down! 🙂

Best wishes with the new look!

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Nina @ Flowers in my Hair says · 04.29.14

I love the redesign but I am so glad you kept my favorite part…the bobby pin underline 🙂

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Stephanie Clark says · 04.29.14

Looks at you with a baby category at the top! Love! Looks great. I still think that photo from instagram would have been a great sidebar image. lol

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Paula Vaughan says · 04.29.14

Love the new look. So fresh and clean. Can’t wait to explore it a bit more.

I’ve been getting the itch to redo my blog as well., so its nice to see what others like and don’t like and see what works and doesn’t work.

Paula from http://paulavaughan.blogspot.ca/

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Beth says · 04.29.14

Someone may have already touched on this but I read on my iPhone. The previous site had a great mobile compatibility, and I could switch to full site if I needed. This one doesn’t seem to have the mobile site, so it made the post a little more difficult to read (zooming in and out, moving the screen back and forth). However I do think it looks great!! And doesn’t seem to have too many problems for this being the first day “live”!

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Megan says · 04.29.14

The site looks great! Also, your headshot is just gorgeous!

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Michelle says · 04.29.14

Love the new design!! It looks great, your headshots are beautiful and so exciting to see the baby category at the top. Reading your blog is something I look forward to from the minute I make my coffee in the morning and always puts a smile on my face, especially that adorable son of yours! I hope you know what a joy you are and how inspiring you are not only to myself everyone one here. Keep it up Kate, you really are a blessing!!!

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Ashley says · 04.29.14

I love your blog but I’m having a really hard time reading it because it’s so light. It hurts my eyes. 🙁 Sorry!

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Susan says · 04.29.14

I love the new hair page!!! as in AWESOME!!!!

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Christine says · 04.29.14

Broken record, but I too can hardly read it when I read the blog on my iPhone, which is typically where I log on to read the blog (daily!) it still isn’t dark enough at all 🙂

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Mandy says · 04.29.14

The makeover looks great! I have been a faithful reader for a couple years now and the new hair tutorial page makes hairstyles much easier to find. I also L.O.V.E the new Pin It button on the pictures, so cute!

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Molly says · 04.29.14

Your new site looks amazing! It’s crisp and clean, very easy to read. I’ve been an avid follower since 2011 and love your writing style:-) Keep up the great work!

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Monica says · 04.29.14

I love reading your blog, Kate! My son is only about two month younger than David, so much on here I can relate to. Love Love Love your new site. Good work!

XXX! Monica
http://www.hellomiles.com

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Emilie R. says · 04.29.14

I was able to read the text just fine when you first posted the redesign. My vision isn’t even the best (I wear glasses). I love the font choice and color! The update to darken the text does help and I think it looks even better now!! You’re doing a wonderful job trying to please everyone’s eyes 🙂

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Ragan says · 04.29.14

Love the new design! So classy and clean (but I liked it before, too!) I agree, though, that it’s easier to navigate. Good luck!

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Lora says · 04.29.14

Love it! Its fabulous♡

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Lisa says · 04.29.14

Love your blog and the makeover is nice, but when I scroll over the “baby” heading my little laptop screen cuts off the words in the bar that comes down. I don’t have a big screen, so this is something to consider about readers many of whom have laptops like me! Just thought I’d give you a heads up to change or not.

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Lisa says · 04.29.14

I can take a screenshot to show you if you have no idea what I am talking about. Haha

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Tami says · 04.29.14

Always enjoy reading your blog. You have so much talent! I loved your ‘self portraits ‘ better though. The new photos are softened so much that they are a bit blurry. The layout is great although I did like your old one a lot too. Best of luck!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

I kind of like the softness of them–there’s so much light! Thanks for your nice words about the new layout! 🙂

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olga says · 04.29.14

Love your blog! So happy I ran into it!!!!!!!
Youre aewsome, Keep posting!

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June Bug says · 04.29.14

Love it, dahling! 🙂 It is still your style, colors, just- yeah, fresher! Good job! Hello Baby Dav, da kittenz, and your hubbinz!

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Cassi says · 04.29.14

Hi Kate, love your blog!! ….I’m having a hard time viewing the new layout in safari, it doesn’t open like the old layout 🙁 have you tried this on your iPhone?

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Jessica @ Sweet Menu says · 04.29.14

Great work Kate! The new blog looks fab 🙂

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Celeste @Leapfrog and Lipgloss says · 04.29.14

Your site looks fab! Enjoy WordPress!

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Kacia says · 04.29.14

HUZZZZZAH!!!!!!! finally sitting down at my computer — but then I remembered, I can comment from my phone now, because you’re on WORDPRESS!!! blogger always ate my comments!!! BOOHISS. LOVITYLOVITYLOVELOVELOVE!!!!!!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

#craziestcommentever

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Courtney says · 04.29.14

Your new design looks great! I love your style – on the web and off.

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Amanda says · 04.29.14

Love the new design, Kate. The only issue is the lack of a mobile site when viewing from my iPhone. That’s how I mostly read your blog, so I would really love it if that is brought back!!

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Ashlyn says · 04.29.14

Coming out of “hiding” to say the new site looks great! And it’s true, commenting does seem even easier now. I know it can be super intimidating to launch new work and accept compliments and criticism, and you’re doing it all perfectly as per usual! I’ve thought about switching my teeny little blog to wordpress for a while now, so I’m eager to see how it goes for you! Good work, Kate!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

thanks Ashlyn!

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Paula says · 04.29.14

Looks great! Simple, clean design.

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Stephanie says · 04.29.14

Love your new look! Quick question–are you going to be truncating your posts for RSS feeds? I usually keep up with your blog in Feedly and noticed that a bunch of your posts updated as truncated posts. I hope you will stick with full posts for feeds.

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Brittany M says · 04.29.14

Same here- I’m a Feedly reader, and mostly read on my cell, or on my commute on the metro… I sincerely hope you will go back to having full posts on Feedly!

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Lexa says · 04.29.14

Me three! I’m a Feedly reader and I hope you go back to having full posts on Feedly, too! Another blog I used to follow switched to truncated posts and I ended up unfollowing (is that a word?) them because of the pain it was to read the posts on a mobile device. Please please bring back full posts on your RSS feed!

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Stephanie says · 04.30.14

I completely agree. I read your posts on theoldreader.com when they are published (then return to the website to view tutorials and reviews again as I need them).

It is super annoying to have to click through to a website to just read the posts – especially when there is no hyperlink in the truncated version! I’ve actually stopped following a lot of other blogs for this reason, but I really don’t want to stop following yours! I really hope you change it back to full posts in RSS.

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Aida says · 04.30.14

Hate to see you going to truncated posts. I read on Feedly from my phone. I have a separate folder for truncated feeds because the feed version is so much easier for me to read. Reading directly from the blog on my phone is impossible – between size and choice of font and the photos formatting the text to be so much smaller. I hate having to move you to my rarely read blogs. 🙁 I’ll really miss your wonderful tips.

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Linnea says · 05.01.14

Agree with all the following. I read of Feedly too and have unfortunately dropped reading the blogs where I have to click out to the blog site due to the truncated RSS feeds. It doesn’t flow with my before work and after work feedly skimming process! I do like your new blog page though of I needed to go look for something specifically.

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Laura says · 05.01.14

Another Feedly reader here. It is the WORST to have to click over for the full post. Please, please, please consider changing non-truncated posts.

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Collette Osuna says · 04.29.14

LOVE the new blog Kate!!
It’s perfectly “perfect”……great job:)

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Amy says · 04.29.14

The design is great, but the font is still very light while using the IPad and Samsung Android phone.

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Kate says · 04.29.14

hm, okay. Seeing what I can do about that soon!

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Christy says · 04.29.14

Love your fresh new blog redesign. Have you consider add “Home” or “lifestyle” under the pull down button for recipes or home decor and organizing? I know that your blog supposed about hair and style but that would be easy to find recipe on your blog.

Great job, Kate!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

I don’t write about either of those consistantly (at least for now I don’t) so searching for that topic in the sidebar is best!! 🙂

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Melanie says · 04.29.14

Kate the new layout looks amazing! It was worth the wait for sure!

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Emily says · 04.29.14

I’ve been so tempted to make the switch since last year and have yet to bite the bullet!

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Hannah Barta says · 04.29.14

I really like the new design, Kate!

charmant

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Kate says · 04.29.14

thanks!!

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Donna E. says · 04.29.14

Welcome Back I missed you. The new site looks fabulous. Thanks for sharing your journey with us

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Kendall says · 04.29.14

Hi Kate! Your blog redesign looks great. I know it is a ton of work to do any type of rebranding work, but your new blog look is definitely worth it! As this is all so new, I wanted to leave you just a bit of feedback on the display on iPhones. Whenever someone has a picture uploaded to their profile, including your own, and comments, that picture shows up super sized. Like, huge picture, then scroll down and read the comment. I’m not sure if you wanted it that way, and it’s really not a huge deal, but I thought you might want to know.

Good luck with the rest of the conversion!

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Kate says · 04.29.14

thanks for that heads up, I’ll see if that’s adjustable!

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Jamie Lewis says · 04.29.14

Welcome to the lovely world of WordPress! It is a little overwhelming at first, but I promise that you’ll like it. It can be really difficult when creative people like us have to learn the business or technical side of things. I still have trouble making sure my website looks as I want it to, but your overall redesign really fits you and your branding. Congrats!

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Jennifer says · 04.29.14

Love the new look. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us!

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Kirsten says · 04.29.14

Yay it looks so good! And the hair gallery is an AWESOME IDEA.

Kirsten | kirstenlearns.com

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Louise says · 04.29.14

Just wanted to say I find it a lot easier to scroll through the posts now…. used to get slow and bogged down.

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Karen says · 04.29.14

The new look is great! I do enjoy your blog, but I read it in feedly and now I can’t read your full articles anymore, which makes me a little bit sad. It just shows a bit, and then I have to click on “go to website” to read the rest. Does it have to be that way with wordpress?

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Nicole says · 04.29.14

Hi! Love the new look! I like the font choice on the “makeover process” post more than the font used in the “fresh” post… for whatever that’s worth! I also find it MUCH easier to scroll down on this new design… maybe it was my computer, but as I scrolled down on the old design the ads moved around and slowed things down and if I clicked on the “search” field it always moved and I would end up clicking something else! Short story long… love it!

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Andrea Worley says · 04.30.14

Loving the new blog design! Everything looks so beautiful & streamlined! Great job. 🙂 I’ve loved following your blogging journey since 2011!

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Kayla says · 04.30.14

Another Feedly reader here, I hope you’ll consider going back to full posts in reader.

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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kiran says · 04.30.14

i like the 2012 look the most. your all designs are very simple and beautiful

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Tracee says · 04.30.14

Hi Kate,
I’m a huge fan of your blog. The redesign is beautiful! My only gripe is that I can no longer read the full post on Feedly. It’s truncated and I have to click to the website for the full post. I’m sure it has something to do with switching hosts, and maybe it’s even one of the reasons why you switched. But anyway, in the interest of full disclosure, I find that I sometimes skip over blog posts that I can’t read in full on Feedly.

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Johnb586 says · 04.30.14

Hey, you used to write amazing, but the last couple of posts have been kinda boring I miss your tremendous writings. Past couple of posts are just a little out of track! come on! bgebedecceca

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Mary says · 04.30.14

Hi Kate!

I love your blog and have been following (lurking) for a while. I mainly read blogs over on Feedly, and noticed that the new redesign just gives a snippet of text with a click through to the actual blog post. Any chance you want to include one photo in the snippet that will end up on external readers like Feedly? If I have just one interesting photo to see instead of a short block of text, it makes me click through that much quicker 🙂

Thanks for all the great posts!

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Amy says · 04.30.14

Beautiful page! I don’t use anything to view your blog except my good ol’ desktop, and it looks wonderful on here!

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Karen says · 04.30.14

Love the new design, but I don’t like that you’ve switched to only having a summary of each article in your RSS feed. I read a bunch of feeds every morning with my coffee, and it’s annoying to read a sentence or two and have to follow a link to get the rest. I tend to unsubscribe from those after a while. I know you’re trying to drive traffic to your site, but do consider that while you may lose hits on your site, your overall brand might suffer as you make it harder to read your content.
Anyway, just my two cents. Thanks!

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Melissa says · 04.30.14

I either have super vision or you finally got it adjusted because I think the whole thing looks awesome! Very light, soft and classy. Some blogs are so busy and yours is like sitting down with a good book. It’s perfect and I love reading it. Also, I really like the way you have things arranged and organized. It wasn’t too terribly hard to find things before but it’s definitely a no brain-er now which is perfect for me 😛 Wishing you all the best and congrats on all your hard work (especially responding a bazillion times to the font color).

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Colleen says · 04.30.14

Aren’t Wednesdays supposed to be David Day? LOL Your new design is GREAT, very classy.

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Jen says · 04.30.14

I love the new website. I have been following for a few months, but there have been many times when I was unable to see pictures within the blog on my Kindle Fire. I had to wait until I could log onto a “real” computer. I can see everything on the new format. Yeehaw!

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Susan Wilson says · 04.30.14

Dear Kate (and I do mean “dear”),
Thanks for all you do. I know you believe in Jesus as your Saviour AND you love to play dress-up! Very sophisticated dress-up, true. Anyway, you inspire me to care more about my outside appearance. I have shoulder-length salt-n-pepper hair that is layered and I love it, so your hair tutorials are so nice to have. I have also enjoyed your makeup and fashion posts and of course little David. So sweet. I have 8 children. Take care and keep up the good work!

Susan

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Molly // tLp says · 04.30.14

Woah! Crazy surprised to see your blog today! LOVE IT! I recently went through a blog redesign with my own blog – http://thelollyprojectblog.blogspot.com . It looks great Kate!

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Alecia says · 05.01.14

First, let me say that I’ve been a longtime fan of your blog. Love all the tutorials and how you don’t seem to take things too seriously when it comes to beauty. You’re realistic and I like that.

That being said, I have to let you know that I am not a fan of the new truncated feeds. I’m a busy mom of three who reads blogs through Feedly (usually on my phone while waiting in carpool). A couple of other blogs I read have started truncated feeds and I honestly don’t click over to read them. It’s an inconvenience and an added step that just isn’t worth it to me. Unfortunately, many others I’ve spoken to feel the same way. I get it. I do. Sending readers to your site helps with ad sales and traffic — but if you’re losing loyal readers because of this extra step, you have to question whether it’s really worth it in the long run.

(I know tone is often so difficult in things like this, so I just want to clarify that all of this was written out of concern and love of your blog, not snarkiness of any kind. 🙂

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Annie says · 05.01.14

I know you have a million comments but I figured I’d add one more to the list 🙂 I LOVE the new clean look especially all the wipe open space. I am also in the process of switching over from Blogger to WordPress and wish I had just started from wordpress! It looks amazing good job!!!!

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Meagan says · 05.02.14

Your blog has quickly become one of my very favorites, and I LOVE the new changes. Wonderful job to you and your redesign team!

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Sarah says · 05.02.14

First off, the new design looks great! I thought I’d tack on my feelings about the truncated feed also. Oh man, this is such a bummer for me. Your blog has become one of my must-read favorites, and truncating a feed always feels like a chore. I get the point of bringing more traffic back to the site itself, but know that I swing by a ton on my own to search for a particular product or outfit I remember. I read through feedly. I know you’re a bloglovin user, so you must have an opinion about truncation… I hope you’ll consider returning to full posts on readers.

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Kate says · 05.02.14

Thanks for your feedback! I’m still considering my options for the best way to protect my content but really do value your opinion.

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Veronica Leung says · 05.03.14

LOVE your redesign! I hadn’t “tried” to do anything with my hair for YEARS other then flat iron it or ponytail it until I found your site. I have baby fine hair and it’s thin so I still struggle to do much with it but now I watch your site like a hawk for tips/tricks/ideas ALL the time!

Thank you!

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Cathryn says · 08.08.14

I realize now that I’m late to this conversation, but did you stop your RSS feed altogether? My reader hasn’t gotten any of your posts since the switchover and I’ve had a lot to catch up on!

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Julie says · 09.05.14

Love your tips but I stopped reading the blog after I originally read this post several months ago. The font is just too hard to read. It’s so light and even though you say it was darkened it’s just so thin that it hardly makes any difference. I thought I’d check back to see if the font had been changed. But no 🙁

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cx dagua says · 12.18.15

May I simply say what a relief to discover somebody that
truly understands what they are discussing over the internet.
You actually know how to bring an issue to light and make it important.
More and more people must look at this and understand this
side of the story. I can’t believe you are not more popular given that you surely possess the gift.

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Shopifill by Ross Carrel says · 04.03.16

How can video marketing pack a big punch with restaurant customers.

There are also hundredcs of thousands off videos that have been uploaded in there.
Many will stand loyal to You – Tube ‘ it clearly guarantees the larger audience.

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