Blog like you love it

It's been almost 3 years since I began blogging.  When I began I had no clue what I was in for.  What started as a place to record my thoughts and ideas has turned into a place to share what I love doing.  There are some things that have taken me a long time to realize and it has recently occured to me that perhaps someone might stumble across my blog and read some things I wish I had learned sooner than later.  Below is a list of things I have found (in no particular order) that might speed your journey along a bit faster than my journey has been.  Take what you need, and please share what you have learned as well in the comments.  You never know who will read it and have an "ah HA" moment.  Read on...

How to make a blog banner

It's taken me some time and messing around with different free online software programs but I finally came out with what I was after using the free PicMonkey.   What I had was a blue gray box with fuzzy writing and no texture in the background.  I wanted a textured neutral background with the heading centered and floating on top of the background.  It took several aggravating tries to come out the way I wanted it.  Because of that I decided to share what I learned and hopefully make it easier for someone else to make their own design.