Monday, June 14, 2010

On the new design and an award

Good morning (though frankly, it's afternoon here...) and good Monday, good people!

I’m celebrating my 150th post with a brand new design. I’ve been meaning to update the look of this blog for a while, but due to time restraints and technical inabilities I kept putting it off. With Blogger’s new (and magic) “design” button, however, it suddenly seemed fairly easy. With the new design I hope to increase the readability of the blog, both because I finally have a template with white background for posts, which allows black text (I’ve been craving that for ages, but I was not willing to sacrifice the pretty green side panels. Now I’ve got the best of both worlds!), and because I’ve added some tabs that hopefully will be helpful for new readers (older readers are welcome to have a looksie too, of course).

Secondly I’d like to take this opportunity to pass on an award I received a while back, from Rayna over at Coffee Rings Everywhere. Rayna and I go back several years, and although we have never met in person I consider her a great friend. She always offers a (to me) exotic perspective on Indian life and culture, among other things. If you are not already following her blog, it is high time you do!

The Sugar Doll Award may have some specific requirements tied to it that I don’t know about, but I am going to interpret it like Rayna did – I want to pass it on to people who brighten my day, “Sugar Dolls”, so to speak. Unlike Rayna I will not try to keep up with who has or has not yet received it, though, because I am new to the whole awards system, and trying to keep up with them would only make me dizzy…

The first one I’d like to send this to is Jan Morrison. She administers not one but two wonderful blogs, one devoted to her writing, and one to the complex task of living a simple life. Both are great reads, and Jan is a wonderful lady who I’ve come to look up to a great deal. Her comments always encourage me greatly.

Secondly, I’d like Marjorie to have this award. She is another old buddy I have never actually met in person. Our friendship is a prime example of one thing I hope world leaders one day will learn: you don’t have to agree politically to be friends. Marjorie is also the Burrow’s very first guest contributor for a drabble feature. Her drabbles are displayed along with ours on The Burrow's website, a new one popping up each day until the end of June.

Third, I’d like to send this to Tami, without whom I probably would not be a blogger at all. Tami must surely have received this award before, but there can never be enough sugar in a tart, right? ;)

Finally, I’d like to make an exception. The name "Sugar Doll Award" implies that it should be forwarded to women. However, I believe gender equality ought to go both ways, and discrimination against men is as bad as discrimination against women. Thus I’d like to send this pink-fluffy thing to Mark at Quiddity of Delusions. I don’t care if he chooses to pretend he didn't notice I wanted him to have this, or if he (who is well in touch with his feminine side) embraces it in all its fluffiness and proudly displays it on his site. Bottom line is that Mark writes a great blog, and you should go visit it.

There are many, many, many more that deserve this award (I cleaned out my Google Reader while fixing things on the blog, and even though I deleted a few, I’m still following some 200 blogs. Weeeee), but these are the ones that came to mind today.

I should wrap things up and get back to my thesis. Nothing like a couple of wars to cheer you up on a Monday morning (still afternoon). Have a great first day of week, everyone!

12 comments:

Natasha said...

Your blog looks really nice, Mari. I was shooting for something like this (different coloured side panels,though), but ended up with what I actually have. Which probably defines me better.

And lovely people you have passed the award onto.

Unknown said...

I love the green background. It looks great. And congrats on the award.

CD

M.J. Nicholls said...

How joyous to encounter the spangly professional wowness of the new Giraffablility, and to receieve my first Fabulous Sugar Doll Award! Could this morning get any brighter? I think not.

Thank you for this great honour. I must don the pink spandex at once! :)

Cruella Collett said...

Natasha - thank you, glad you like it :) I quite like your new look as well - though I miss the butterflies.

Clarissa - thank you!

Mark - you are very welcome. Happy to have spandexified your Monday!

Mason Canyon said...

Congratulations on the award, well deserved. Love the new look (not that the old was bad).

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Hart Johnson said...

Blog looks FABULOUS!

And you know... I don't think I HAVE gotten the Sugar Doll before... I might have and forgotten--I do that now and again... but now I have a handy FOLDER for blogger awards, so I won't forget again.

*claps for Mark in his pink Sugar Doll getup* You know... all of these were good choices, but I just can't resist a man in drag...

Cruella Collett said...

Mason - thanks! I liked parts of the old look too, but I knew for a long time that it was harder to read than strictly necessary. And it felt like the right time for change.

Tami - yay, in that case it's even more deserved. (And yes, I was very pleased with my decision to include Mark)

Cruella Collett said...

melissa - thank you! Wow - a graphic designer (perhaps I should have talked to you before I redecorated my blog. You don't appear too appalled, though, so I'm gonna interpret that as "approved by graphic designer").

Carol Kilgore said...

Congratulations on your Sugar Doll award. And thanks for following my blog.

Jan Morrison said...

congrats on your award and thank you so much for passing it on to me. I will honour it! I'm going to put it on my Simple Life blog as it needs some knick knacks!
I like your blog design! I changed mine but I had a really hard time - I kind of miss my old designs but couldn't get them back. arggghh. I don't quite see how you got yours but I like changing mine up every once in awhile so I might have another go at it. I like using my own pic for the name at the top but it keeps doing it TOO fat which it didn't before. oh dear.
Get at your thesis dear person! And I'll get at my revision...
jan

Jemi Fraser said...

I like the look!

Congrats on the award :)

Marjorie said...

Thanks, Mari!I love the new layout too. I have wanted to change the look of my blog for some time, but I also wanted to keep the green. And as my blog is entitled Everything Emerald to get rid of the green would be kind of silly. I will have to see how I can change it up without losing the Emerald.

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