A Whole New Look

Welcome Back!! Notice anything different??

Remember this? In the words of N’Sync….. Bye, bye, Bye…

It has been an incredibly stressful, enjoyable, crazy, energizing, tiring and blissful experience re-designing the site. I am so thrilled to have finally gotten the ‘look’ I have been envisioning for quite some time now!

Remember our post in February 2010 on our One Year Blogiversary? No, Oh my goodness {just kidding}. I mentioned to you guys that we were planning a site re-design and that I had BIG PLANS for A Design Story. Fast forward 8 months, sweat, sleepless nights, tears & strategic planning and here I am blogging on my new site!

We are still working out some of the ‘bugs’ and adding things here & there. We’ll get to everything shortly, but today there might be a few things ‘out of place’, a few links that aren’t attached etc. We have moved hosting and created an entirely new site… it is to be expected!

Here’s a little bit of what I was  hoping to accomplish with the new design:

• Update the look entirely! I wanted the website to reflect “me”, my personality and my style!
• Lighten up a bit! Although the old website served me well, it had gotten a bit “dark” for my taste!
• Improve the functionality and navigation of the site to make it easier to discover all things there are for you to see!
• Add new features I have been ‘dreaming’ of incorporating for quite some time!
• Re-designing our E-Design Page
• Re-visiting our menu formats
• & more…

Just for kicks & giggles, I decided to virtually walk you through A FEW of the latest & greatest….

New features:

The home page looks completely different! The slideshow will feature new projects {both e-design & local}, fun blog posts, items from our shop & more! I also a bulletin board where you can find the latest & greatest like coupon codes, blog series info, announcements & more. Also new, a ‘thought of the day’ where I will share fun design quotes, tips, cleaning ideas & more…

Re-Formatted Pages:

1. Design Services: You can now click on Interior Design or Styling & Events for information on those services. We still have a little work to do on this page, but now you get the details on each service separately!

2. E-Design: We have an entirely new shop!! Come by and check out our virtual design services! Can’t find one that fits your project? I can customize one tailored to your needs & wants!

3. Portfolio: Peruse our projects by category! We have A TON of projects to add to the list, so stay tuned on the latest & greatest designs we are working on! There will be a beach condo, rehab houses & more….

Sub Tabs:

1. Blog Info: Everything you want to know about the blog is here and now you don’t have to go searching far for it! Search by archives, see our frequently asked questions, get information on getting featured on our blog and grab a button for you blog!!

2. Advertise: We have new advertising sizes and information {media kit coming}. Get in on our re-launch celebration and take advantage of our temporary discounts! In the mood to sponsor a giveaway, we have that info too!

 

 3. Videos: Yep. We did it. All of our videos are in one place now! Believe me, these are our first videos and we plan on making a bunch more soon!!

4. Loves: Want to know more about me and what makes my heart flutter? Well all of my favorite things are listed on this page! My favorite TV shows, books, magazine and more!

5. DIY Projects: Looking to start a new diy project soon? We just made it easier to look through all of our diy projects! More projects coming in the next weeks…

6. House Tours: This is actually something I have been meaning to do for quite some time now. Kevin and I want to open our own home to you guys and let you in on the design happenings inside! We also are beginning to rehab homes again and we want to show you the ins and outs of each home!! Stay tuned… these will be updated soon!

7. Family + Living: I have been wanting to blog about family, living & everything in between since I started the site. I really wanted a separate ‘spot’ where I could share about our life, budget, family ideas, traditions, recipes & more.

Sidebar: We have an entirely new sidebar!!! I really wanted this sidebar to look “fresh”, “clean” & organized!

Search by keyword, subscribe, search by archives & categories or advertise! Contact me, search by shortcuts, find the blogs we love & get info on giveaways! {Fun, right?} Plus you can find all of our social media outlets, email & a-store info…. they are just a click away!

 

See these buttons? There new!! I have a buyer’s guide chock full of great resources you can search through by category when your shopping for something specific. Looking for new bedding… we have got you covered!

Love weddings? Well, you are cordially invited to view ours virtually! Kevin and I got married July, 12, 2009 and since our wedding day happens to be one of the best days of our lives, we want to showcase it!

We also have new ad sizes for our new sidebar… here are the sizes below! We love, love, love our sponsors! They are amazing and we appreciate them teaming up with us month after month! We have new sponsors coming, so watch for those & a few giveaways!!

We also have our favorite items listed right here…. This is something that will change monthly, weekly, or even daily… who knows 😉 I plan on adding items we “want”, items we recently “bought” and items we think are just fabulous… Most will come from our lovely Amazon a-store!

Still to come…

Some tweaks here & there…

The Shop…. I am opening an online shop full of graphic prints, photography, paintings, home décor & vintage finds. Stay tuned for that launch soon! I mentioned it to you last year that this was in the works… now it will be reality!

Portfolio… I have many new projects to add {both e-design & local}. I am really excited about showcasing the interiors I have designed recently!

House Tours… We are currently in the process of shooting pics of our house and the home we are currently rehabbing… I can’t wait to let ya in!

Blog topics— I have new ideas for topics for the blog. I want to explore an entirely new way of blogging this go around… I am so excited!

 Want to know all the ins and out of this lovely website re-design and how I got to this look? No worries, I am going to dish it to you in the coming days! For now, as the song in Beauty & the Beast says ‘Be Our Guest’ and take a look around!

What do you think? Love it as much as we do? Have ya missed us? We have missed you all!