Change of name

Due to a very long-winded and boring reason, all to do with Google accounts and domain names and yawwwn, I've ditched my custom domain name (beadsbylaurablog.com) for this blog. Every year, renewing it is such a pain in the neck. This is because when I first registered it six years ago it was done through Blogger, which is part of Google but then I changed my email address and then Google changed stuff and logging into the account I needed to in order to sort it all out was a nightmare. The only way Google will let me access the dashboard I need to access now is to pay for a Google 'work' account and just no. I'm not paying for a Google account just to get access to a domain name that I already pay for, so sod it. I've reverted back to the original domain name which is http://www.laurasparling.blogspot.com. Please update any bookmarks accordingly. If you subscribe via email you shouldn't need to change anything; you'll still receive updates whenever I post.

I don't think many people read my blog anyway so I'm probably just waffling on into a void here but still, now you know.

Earring Pairs

Hello you! Did you have a good weekend?
I had a bit of a busy Bank Holiday weekend and as such I only have these few beads to show you. These silvered ivory and fine silver earring pairs are for sale over in my Etsy shop as I type .....
Eagle-eyed readers may notice that if you click my blog header a different web address appears in your browser bar. That new URL is www.beadsbylaurablog.com and it is my new blog address. Fear not, you don't have to change a thing as Blogger will redirect the old address to this new one so the transition should be nice and smooth for you. However, if you find things aren't showing up as they should on the old Blogspot address (such as the Followers displaying incorrectly) I suggest that you re-bookmark the new URL instead.
Have a good Tuesday! I'll be back later with beads.

Blogroll

I've just added a blogroll to the right hand side of my blog. I read loads of blogs but I've set my blogroll so that it only shows the twenty five most recently updated blogs that I follow or you'd be scrolling down the page forever! I like blogrolls - they're a good way of finding new blogs to read.

(How many times can I write the word 'blog' in one post?!)

A Bit Quiet

I tend to go a bit quiet and mopey at this time of year so I do apologise if I update a tad less than usual.

Huge thanks to everyone who emailed me about sock blockers. You're a fab bunch! You all sent me so many links to wonderful websites and I did order a pair.

I've just finished the huge bead order that I mentioned the other day but seeing as the weather is as grey as grey can be the light is pretty naff for photography so I'll take a few pictures tomorrow when the light's better and post about them then.

Lonelies and blog stuff

I've been sorting through my Lonelies jar and I've split this little lot up into three batches that will be available in my Etsy shop later on today.

Oooh - I've just noticed that Blogger have fancied up the Followers section over there on the right. I like what they've done! I'm going to be having a sidebar tidy-up soon and I'll be altering the way I display my list of favourite blogs so if you want a direct link to your blog from mine then 'following' is the way to go. Click the 'Follow' button to add yourself and your blog to the list.

Also, did you read the interview I did with Janine Byrom of Cherished Trinkets last week? At the end of that I mentioned that I'm looking for more people to interview and feature on my blog but not one single solitary person has contacted me about that! I fear that I didn't quite explain myself properly so I thought I'd clarify what the interview thing is all about. Here goes :

If you have an arty-crafty-makey business (and no, it doesn't have to be jewellery or bead related) then contact me with details of your work and your blog/website/Etsy shop etc. I'll then take a look at your work and send you a few questions about what you do. Then I'll publish your answers on my blog along with lots of lovely photos of your work and an advert in the 'Featured Artist' section of my sidebar. Your advert and link will be displayed, totally free of charge, for about a month. Now, how does that sound? If you're interested in participating in an interview then please send me an email at laura@beadsbylaura.co.uk . Thanks muchly!

Follow Me!

You may have noticed the 'Follow Me' thing over on the right hand side of my blog. This new 'Follower' gadget allows you to keep track of blogs that you read. It also adds a thumbnail of your profile photo to my sidebar. I'm a nosy blogger and whenever I see one of those thumbnails on someone else's blog I'll click and have a read of their profile. This normally leads to me reading their blog. I've found some really good ones since Blogger introduced the Follower gadget!

When you log into the dashboard of your Blogger account there's a new panel titled 'Blogs I'm Following'. Just click the 'add' button and follow the instructions to make a list of all the blogs you like to keep up to date with. Blogs thrive on links and comments and the Follower gadget boosts that - we all join cyber-hands and create some blog traffic. Yeah!

Talking of links, I've cleaned up my links list and removed some blogs that haven't been updated for a long while. That's nothing against the writers of the blogs, it's just a tidying up thing. If you're one of those people and you get blogging again, give me a nudge and I'll stick you back on the list. I'm just trying to keep things organised. I'm going to be having a link clear-up on my actual website soon too.

I'll probably be quiet for the next few days. Lots going on. Packing to do. I've made my last beads in the shed and now I've got to empty it. *Sniff!*

Have a good weekend whatever you're up to!

Blogger Favicons

Favicons are those little images that appear in the address bar of your web browser, on the tabs in tabbed browsing and also in your favourites list. Up in the left hand corner you should see that my favicon is a red heart bead. Most Blogger blogs display the orange Blogger logo as the favicon but why have that when you could have an icon that's a bit more relevant to you and your blog?

I'm not a techno-geek but little things like favicons make me happy and knowing how to make and use them makes me even happier! I've written a tutorial to show you how you can add a favicon to your Blogger blog too. Please click here if you'd like to read it.