Blogger Buster

Bx-Errors When Uploading New Templates? The Problem and the Fix

2009-02-24T11:34:00.000Z

For around a week now, many Blogger users have experienced Bx-error codes when attempting to upload a new template to their blogs when previously these templates had worked just fine.

I discovered the reason for this on the Blogger Help Group after reading this post from Gatsby, a Blogger Employee:

Recently we changed the way our template editor accepts certain third party code, so that it is now less tolerant of certain templates. We did this because we had seen a lot of data corruption due to 'bad templates,' and we are trying to stave off some of these issues pre-emptively.

Now we realize that this has caused some inconvenience to folks, so we are re-thinking our decision and will post an update on that shortly.

At the time of writing this post, I have not found any notification that this issue has been fixed, and many of my own custom templates do not work in their initial state (I'll explain the fix later in this article). Since there are so many bloggers complaining in the Blogger Help Group, I would imagine the Blogger Team will resolve this issue shortly.

However, in the meantime, many of us are stuck wondering what to do about our templates:

Those wishing to upload a new template will at present need to fix their template in order to be able to use it.
Those of us who design and distribute Blogger templates are facing complaints from our readers (and in some cases, from buyers of our premium themes). Should we "fix" all of these templates or wait for the Blogger team to resolve the template editor issue?

Personally I would prefer to wait a few more days for the Blogger Team to fix the issue (and hopefully provide some clarification of what is expected from third-party templates!). In the meantime, there is a method which we can use to fix the templates which initially receive a Bx-error code.

How to upload templates without receiving a bX-error code

Many Bloggers who have been unable to upload third party templates have received the following error codes:

bx-bliced
bX-ev85ll
bX-39cc9q
bX-y6cz0v
bX-982020

There are several other codes too, though the issue appears to be the same for all.

Thanks to joleneliow from the Blogger Help Group, many Blogger users have reported that the following fix resolves the issue, and they have been able to upload a new template successfully. Here are the steps you should take:

First of all, try to upload your new template in the Layout>Edit HTML section of your dashboard. Not all templates have been affected by this issue, so it is advisable to check before attempting to edit your template significantly. If you do receive a bX-error code when trying to upload your template, you should proceed to step 2.
If your new template is an XML file (with the .xml entension), browse to where this is located on your computer and right click the file. Choose to open with Notepad (or your favorite basic text editor). If your template is contained within a text file (for you to copy and paste into the template editor), simply open this with your text editor.
Search for every instance of b:widget id= in your template, for example:
- b:widget id='Header1'
- b:widget id='Blog1'
- b:widget id='Label1'
- b:widget id='HTML1'
Replace each of these IDs with the next number up. For example, Header1 should become Header2; Blog1 should become Blog1, HTML3 should become HTML4 and so on.
Once you have changed each and every instance of widget id to a different number, you should save the template under a slightly different file name (to be aware of your altered file). If this is an XML file, be sure to save with the XML extension.
Now you have made these changes, attempt to upload your file again in the Layout>Edit HTML section of your Blogger dashboard. Now you should not receive the error code and will be able to upload your template.

If after following these steps you are still unable to upload your revised template, it is worthwhile to close your browser and delete all temporary internet files and cookies. Then restart your browser and try to upload again. Clearing all of these temporary files from your browser will ensure you receive a fresh page when editing your template. Previously when I have received error codes while editing Blogger templates, this technique has resolved the issue.

It may also be worthwhile using CCleaner to remove all such temporary files from your system. This is a free program which I use on a regular basis to clean up (and speed up) my computer.

I do hope that these techniques will enable you to upload a new template to your blog if you have previously received a bX-error code. If you know of any alternative solutions please do let us know about these by leaving a comment or sending me an email.

A message for the Blogger Team

I completely understand your concerns that certain third party templates may contain code which causes data corruption (and I'm sure most other Blogger users do too!). None of us enjoy experiencing issues with our blogs, and of course ensuring all templates contain no malicious code is of the utmost importance in maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for Blogger users.

If it would be possible to post some guidelines for template developers, this would be truly appreciated! This way, those of us who design templates for Blogger can ensure we meet these guidelines in order for our templates to work correctly, without causing issues or bX-errors.

Another possible solution would be to provide a repository of "approved" third party templates, much like the one provided by Wordpress.com. I do understand that this would be a huge development and require much work, though I'm sure there would be many volunteers willing to help check templates before they become publicly available (myself included) and the Blogger community in general would be thrilled to have such a feature available!

The Top 20+ Free Blogger Templates of 2008

2009-01-10T13:55:00.009Z

In 2008 we saw a surge in the quantity and sheer quality of free Blogger templates made available for us to download. Now that designers are turning their attention towards designing for this free blogging system, we can only expect this trend for increased quality to extend far into the new year.

Over the past twelve months I've published several posts offering collections of free Blogger templates for you to download. However, there are certain templates which are simply outstanding: the cream of the crop, which have proved their worth as the best Blogger templates of 2008.

Here is my personal selection of the 20 best Blogger templates from 2008 (in no particular order or preference!) with previews and links to their download sites. I hope you will enjoy browsing through these templates if you are searching for an ideal template for your blogging project or simply to be inspired by great design.

The Daily Inspired by Woork

Antonio Lupetti's fabulous design is exclusively available for use with Blogger templates. Featuring a magazine style layout with many useful features, this clean and professional design provides the perfect canvas for business, design and magazine style blogs.

I must point out that this template is an advanced layout, and you will need to be familiar with the Blogger and HTML code if you intend to use this as much editing is required for this template to function properly. In any case, this is one of my favorite templates ever created for Blogger, and I'm sure most of you will love this design as much as I do too!

View this template in action | Download The Daily Inspired Blogger template

Dreamwork Redux (Converted by JackBook)

This stunning template is a conversion of the Wordpress template by Vinh Le and includes many useful customizations. The footer section is fully widgetized while the sidebar contains integrated widgets for recent posts and comments.

I loved the original striking style of the original Wordpress theme so I personally was thrilled to see this template ported over to Blogger!

View this template in action | Download Dreamwork Redux template for Blogger

Notepad Chaos (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is a truly stunning, grunge style design which was converted from the Wordpress theme distributed through Smashing Magazine.

Besides the stunning header section, this design offers styling of appropriate widgets in the sidebar; tabs for the date headings, and an informational section in the footer.

GosuBlogger has done a great job of this conversion to ensure no functions have been lost in the conversion and that new widgets can be added with just a few clicks.

View this template in action | Download the Notepad Chaos Blogger Template

Color Paper (Converted by Falcon Hive)

This dark grunge style template is made to appear printed on colored paper. It features a fully widgetized sidebar, integrated search function and tabs for the date headings.

I've only recently discovered Alvaris Falcon's beautiful selection of Blogger templates but I'm sure his talents will spread his fame as a Blogger template designer throughout this next year!

View this template in action | Download Color Paper Blogger Template

Creative Art (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is another stunning Blogger template by GosuBlogger which is converted from the Wordpress theme by DT Website Templates.

This template uses a striking background image for the header section, tabs for navigation, an integrated Flickr photostream and fully widgetized sidebar.

Preview this template | Download the Creative Art Blogger template

Revolution Theme for Blogger (Converted by Aborregate)

Brian Gardner's themes for Wordpress are among the most popular available and virtually revolutionized the WP theme market. Aborregate's conversion of the classic Revolution theme for Blogger provices a highly useful, functional and customizable layout with an air of professionalism which makes it ideal for the business minded blogger.

This theme includes tabbed navigation in the sidebar, a three column layout and stylized icons for post meta data.

Aborregate's site seems to be down at the moment, so instead I have provided links to the demo and download locations on BTemplates.com (the premier collaboration site for free Blogger templates).

Preview this theme | Download Revolution for Blogger

WP Polaroid (Converted by eBlog Templates)

Since it's release in January last year, the WP Polaroid conversion of Adii's Wordpress theme has proved one of the most used Blogger templates ever - and for good reasons! This wide two column template is the ideal solution for a portfolio or showcase site, with space in the header section for information about the site, integrated ads above the sidebar and a sllit widgetised sidebar section with custom images for each heading.

View live demo | Download WP Polaoid for Blogger

Zinmag Remedy (Converted by Falcoln Hive)

This is a truly stunning template when seen live in action. Converted from the template designed by Jinsona Design, this layout features a fantastic slideshow below the header (great for showcasing feature posts), a truly magazine-style layout and even a video section on the home page.

Please do take a look at this template in action as I personally am awed at the excellent job Alvaris has made with this conversion for Blogger! This screenshot does not give justice to the excellent functions included in this design!

View live demo | Download Zinmag Remedy template for Blogger

Angel (Converted by Hajunik)

This beautifully simple theme was converted from the Wordpress template by Blog Oh Blog and offers a clean yet professional layout with tabbed navigation in the sidebar, icons for lists and stylish icons throughout.

View live demo | Download this template

Wordpress Fun (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is another template offering a definite "WoW" effect! Origanally created by Malleika Attawel for Smashing Magazine, this template features a stunning header image and colorful layout with plenty of room for all your favorite widgets.

View live demo | Download this template

Butterfly (Converted by Blogger Tricks)

This beautiful template features a stunning vector style header and two column sidebar for your widgets and advertisements and was converted from the original theme by Templates4All.

Although this theme offers simple functions, the beauty fo the design has ensured this template is a popular choice for Blogger users.

View live demo | Download Butterfly template for Blogger

Masinop (Converted by Falcon Hive)

Here is another amazing template conversion by Alvaris of Falcom Hive. Featuring a colorful bar set against a dark grey background, this template offers a professional yet wholly useful approach for Blogger template design.

The sidebar is fully widgetised with an integrated search bar and a section for important blog links, while the footer offers space for advertising or an "About this site" paragraph.

View live demo | Download Masinop for Blogger

Wordpress Admin (Converted by ThemeLib)

Here is an unusual and wholly elegant theme conversion from ThemeLib. This Wordpress Admin styled template is designed to mimic the Wordpress dashboard while offering a fully useful approach to the Blogger layout. I love the simplicity and professional style of this theme, and those icons for comment counts of each post are the perfect finishing touch.

View live demo | Download Wordpress Admin Blogger template

Squick Design (Converted by Blog and Web)

This elegant design was converted from the original template by Web Page Design and offers a clean, vector style layout with space beneath the header for your company motto or introduction.

View live demo | Download Squick Design Blogger template

Japanese Fleur (Converted by ThemeLib)

This beautiful template features a two column layout, integrated RSS feed icon and search functions. It was converted from the Wordpress.org theme by Lorelie and offers a beautiful template for those wanting a feminine approach to their design.

View live demo | Download Japanese Fleur Blogger template

Japan Style (Converted by Falcon Hive)

Here is another stunning design which has been converted by Alvaris Falcon. This stunning layout offers a Japanese theme with a wonderful background image for both the header and footer sections.

It offers integrated navigation buttons, feed subscription link and search in the sidebar. I'm sure you will agree this is a truly beautiful Blogger template!

View live demo | Download Japan Style Blogger Template

Emo Blue by ZixPk

This original Blogger template is a dark and sleek design which features a subtle grunge design. It is a three column layout with integrated feed links and search function and is fully widgetized.

View live demo | Download

Welcome Autumn by Gisele Jaquenod

Gisele's templates are always beautifully designed (just take a look at her blog to see the best examples). This autumn themed template features the familiar "Birdy" character above the sidebar and it's neutral color scheme enables this template to be used for a whole variety of blog niches.

Read more and download the Welcome Autumn template for Blogger

Made in Spain (via BTemplates)

According to the statistics from BTemplates.com - the leading resource site for free Blogger template downloads - the Made in Spain template is among the most popular Blogger templates of all time, boasting almost 20,000 downloads from BTemplates alone at the time of writing.

This two column template offers a notebook style appearance, tabbed navigation to the left of the main section (made to appear like post-it notes) and a fully widgetized sidebar.

View live demo | Download the Made in Spain template for Blogger

DfMarine (Converted by TemplatesNovoBlogger)

Here is a sleek and professional template which was converted from the original theme by Deziner Folio.

It features a stylish three column section for links/bookmark icons below the header, a fully widgetized sidebar, calendar icons and much more.

View live demo | Download DfMarine Blogger Template

Bonus!

Here is another AMAZING template which I'd forgotten to add to this list (thank you Daniel for reminding me!)

Cellar Heat (Converted by MagzNetwork)

This fabulous template displays posts in rows of three, side by side on the home page, while on item pages the posts are expanded to fill the main area. It includes a single sidebar to the right of the posts column and three widgetized sections in the footer area.

Originally created by Evan Eckard for Smashing Magazine, I am awed by the wonderful conversion made by Magznetwork and truly recommend this template for those who desire an edgy, grunge style theme.

View live demo | Download Cellar Heat Blogger Template

Overview

While some of these templates may be familiar from my previous Blogger template articles, I've only recently discovered most of these templates and feel it only fair to share the best of my discoveries with you.

There are dozens more beautiful Blogger designs I have encountered over the past year and this is my personal selection of favorites. So if you feel I've left out an outstanding design or would simply like to share your own favorite designs, please feel free to discuss this in the comments below.

"Premium" Blogger Templates now available from Theme Forest

2008-10-03T18:00:00.000+01:00

Theme Forest is the first template marketplace I've encountered which offers premium Blogger templates for download, alongside web templates and themes for other CMS's.

At the time of writing, there are 7 premium Blogger XML templates available for download, though I suspect many more will become available in the coming weeks as more designers create themes for our favorite blogging platform.

These themes are very reasonably priced (between $10 and $12 at the moment) and as they are offered as premium downloads, they have been designed exclusively by the theme author.

My offerings on Theme Forest

For some time, I have considered designing premium Blogger templates, but had been anxious about the amount of time and work involved in creating a site through which to sell these. So when I discovered Theme Forest, I decided this would be a much better entrance for me into the realm of premium template sales.

At present, you can find two of my own Blogger template designs available in the marketplace: Lotus and Underland:

Both of these themes are three column designs and, as you should expect of a premium theme, these offer many non-standard features. The download files include all template images used in the theme and a comprehensive PDF which includes instructions for upload and set-up.

Here you can browse the full selection of Blogger themes on Theme Forest.

I also have two more premium themes in progress which should be complete and ready for sale in the next couple of weeks.

Will I still be creating FREE Blogger templates?

Of course! Blogger Buster is my pride and joy: I love writing about Blogger and creating templates for others to use, and I assure you that I'll continue to create free templates too.

As I'm sure many of you will understand, I do still need to put food on the table. Anything I earn from designing for Theme Forest will be extra income which enables me to spend more time researching and blogging than working on freelance projects.

Downloading themes from Theme Forest

Theme Forest is one of three marketplaces housed on the Envato blog network (the others being FlashDen and Audio Jungle).

To purchase a theme or other offering from these marketplaces, you need to register your free account and make a deposit (min $20) which can be spent on any of the marketplaces, and on any theme.You can make a purchase by choosing the "purchase" link on any theme page, and as far as I can tell, these downloads are available for you to access at any time, ensuring you can download any updates or changes to your themes which have been made by the theme author.

Become a Theme Forest author!

Those of you who design Blogger templates may be interested in how easy it is to become a theme author, so I'll fill you in on the details.

To become an author, you first need to register your account, then read through a comprehensive tutorial which explains the process and responsibilities of becoming an author.

Before you can upload files, you need to complete a questionnaire to ensure you understand the terms and conditions, and how to organize/upload your themes and files. After this, you will be able to upload your templates and themes for review by a member of staff.

How themes are priced

Once you have uploaded themes for review, your work will be assessed for quality and assigned a price (we cannot choose the prices for our own work at present).

Wordpress themes seem to attract the highest prices, while Blogger and general Site templates are priced bwtween $10 and $15.

Earnings and referrals

When you first become an author, you will earn 25% of all sales. Once you have sold more than $500 worth of themes, you will be offered the opportinity to become an "exclusive author": this means that you can choose to sell your themes exclusively through the Theme Forest marketplace, and your commission will increase to 35% (and possibly up to 50% in the future).

To many, this may see, a very low commission for theme authors (I must admit I'm a little disappointed to earn only $2.50 each time one of my own themes is downloaded). However, I should point out that Theme Forest take on the responsibility of advertising, hosting, distribution of files and so on. This means that authors have no other work than designing and uploading their themes, as all other requirements are taken care of by Theme Forest staff.

Referrals generate 50% in commission. This means that if you refer a new user who deposits $20 across the Envato marketplace network, you will earn $10. This offers much more incentive for authors to generate referrals for their themes and for users to promote the availability of themes from their own sites.

What do you think?

I would love to know your opinions about Theme Forest as a purchaser or author, and any feedback you may have about the premium Blogger themes I have created, so please feel free to leave your comments and opinions below.

Premium Blogger Themes by Amanda

2008-09-25T22:54:00.000+01:00

In addition to the free Blogger templates offered here, I also design premium Blogger themes which are distributed through ThemeForest.net.

My premium Blogger themes are high quality, original templates with exclusive designs and increased functionality. They are also very reasonably priced: each theme or theme package costs only $10!

Here are screenshots of my latest premium Blogger themes with links to their download pages on ThemeForest:

Planet Play

This is a playful, colorful theme with a space-cartoon theme.Features of this theme include:

Image-heavy, highly stylized graphics throughout
PSD for header background and logo included
Memorable “Subscribe” area in the sidebar, with integrated email subscription box which requires minimal configuration
Icons for list items in the sidebar and footer, which are configured to match the widget type (ie: folder for Archives, page for Recent Posts, etc)
Integrated recent posts widget (to display 10 latest items) and recent comments (which includes details of post author)
Post information appears below each title, supplemented by appropriate icons
Very easy to set up and begin using right away!

Elegumus Business Theme Package (Two for one!)

This theme package includes two distinguished and professional themes in one download: the neutral version (pictured right) and a dark version too.

Features of this theme include:

Integrated menu bar, easily customizable through the Blogger dashboard
Built in search form
Custom header style (with PSD source files)
“Featured” section on the home page, ideal for products/featured links/other important content (Includes “equal columns” script to ensure these widgets always display at the same height)
Tabbed sidebar navigation, easily configured through the Blogger dashboard (based on Yahoo! TabView)
Page numbered navigation on main pages
Author comment highlighting, to distinguish between author and reader comments
Fully widget ready
Easily customized through the Blogger dashboard

Read full details and download from ThemeForest

Underland

Underland is a striking three column template for Blogger, which is highly configurable with many dynamic elements.

Features include:

Page numbered navigation
Integrated related posts function
Facilities for Twitter updates, Flickr Photostream, and recent comments
Stylized sidebars with hover functions
Integrated subscription links in header
... and much more!

If you are looking for a beautifully designed, professional template for your Blogger powered blog, this is certainly a template worth looking at.

Read more and download from ThemeForest

Lotus

This is a unique three column template for Blogger based on a grid style layout.

The main features include:

Navigation bar above the header
Numbered page navigation
Sidebars to the left and right of main posts column
Post meta data styling
Three column footer, with code for integrated Flickr Photostream
...and much more!

Lotus is not a standard Blogger template. It is an original design (not a Wordpress conversion!) with many useful features not available by default in Blogger templates.

Included is a full “Readme” file with instructions, widget codes, images and the template XML file for easy upload to Blogger.

Learn more and download from ThemeForest

More from Theme Forest

ThemeForest is a relatively new site where you can find premium, high quality web templates and themes for most CMS platforms (including Wordpress, Joomla, Expression Engine and, of course, Blogger!), all at affordable prices.

In addition to my own premium themes, you can find quality Blogger templates by other authors too!

There is a thriving community at Theme Forest which enables you to post comments or ask questions on a theme download page before purchase, or participate in the forums. So if you have time to browse through some high quality themes, please visit Theme Forest to take a look at what's on offer - you may even be tempted to become an author yourself!

Grid Focus - New Blogger XML Template

2008-08-14T22:00:00.000+01:00

Generally I prefer to design Blogger templates from scratch than convert existing themes, but for Grid Focus, I made an exception.

This beautiful, grid based design is among one of the best and most customizable themes I have ever used. Converted from the original Wordpress theme by Derek Punsalan of 5thirtyone.com, it features a neat three column layout, an amazing navigation bar and integrated links for the home, main-content and blog feeds. Take a look at this theme in action in the demo blog, or read on for download and installation details.

Here is a full page screenshot of the Grid Focus theme for Blogger:

All of the colors in this template can be changed from the Fonts and Colors section in your Blogger dashboard. So if you prefer to have a bright pink background and electric blue links, you can change these features with ease!

In the download package for this theme, I have included both the XML template and a text version of the template. Full instructions for upload and editing of links in the navigation bar are also included in the download.

If you have any problems downloading this theme, please let me know by leaving a comment below. Full support is offered in the Blogger Buster forum if required.

Credits and Copyight Notice

This theme is conveted from Derek Punsalan's original Grid Focus theme for Wordpress and is released under a Creative Commons Non Commercial Attribution License.

This means that you can use this theme in your own personal projects, but you cannot sell this theme!

Please remember to give credit where credit is due! The credit link to 5thirtyone.com must remain intact in this template (this is a condition of use from the original designer).

Over to you!

I hope you enjoy this Blogger template and find the customization options to be suitable for your needs. Feel free to tell me your thoughts and opinions by leaving your comments below.

New Blogger XML Template: BT Dark Green

2008-07-01T22:00:00.001+01:00

BT Dark Green is my first Wordpress conversion. Originally created by Blogging Tips, this is a slick and professional looking widget-ready theme (for Layouts blogs) with mouseover effects for sidebar links and navigation tabs. You can see the BT Dark Green template for Blogger in action here.

This template is very easy to set up and configure to your tastes. Simply download the XML template, upload this as a complete file to your blog, and add links as required in the "Link List" widget (which is built into the template). A "Home" link is already set up to lead back to your blog's home page.

Once installed, most of the fonts and colors can be changed through the Fonts and Colors section of your blog's dashboard, so if the default color scheme is too dark for you, this can be adapted to your personal needs.

The sidebar links and tabbed navigation buttons feature a nice mouseover effect to complement the color scheme of the template, and sidebar headings all have the matching icons to complement the green highlighting.

In the demo, the header includes a custom logo to match the theme. You can download this and change the title to suit your own blog. If you prefer not to use this logo, the header will instead include your blog's name and description (or you could design your own header banner instead).

There is also a built-in blog search function, which uses the default Blogger search function to return entries from your archives.

You may also notice on the Home and Archives pages that a message appears above the posts ("Latest posts" on the home page, and "Archives for [day/month/year]" on archive pages.

How to install this template

First you need to download the BT Dark Green template. This is an XML file contained in a Zip folder (which also includes instructions for use).
Once downloaded, unzip the contents of the folder and save to a location on your hard drive.
Log in to your Blogger dashboard and select the blog where you want to install this template.
Go to Layout>Edit HTML and look for "Upload a new template from a file on your hard drive". Click on the "Browse" button, and locate the bt-dark-green.xml file on your hard drive. Then select "Upload".
This will upload the complete template file to your blog.

Please note that you may be prompted to delete some existing widgets when uploading this new template. This happens when installing any third-party template. If you need to retain all of your existing widgets, you can either make copies of the content to save on your computer, or transfer widgets over using the method described on this page.

I hope you enjoy using the BT Dark Green template! This is my first ever Wordpress theme conversion, though in the next few weeks I hope to convert other Blogging Tips themes for use with Blogger blogs.

Please let me know what you think (and also if you experience any problems with this template) by leaving your comments below.

Demo/Download BT Dark Green Blogger XML Template

PS: I've almost finished my next eBook: Choosing and Using a New Blogger Template which includes detailed informations and methods for all your template needs. Be sure to subscribe to Blogger Buster to learn when this eBook is released for download.

50 More Fabulous Blogger Designs to Inspire You

2008-06-09T23:00:00.000+01:00

Discovering great blog designs provides me with inspiration for the templates I create. Since the success of the 54 Inspiring and Original Blogger Designs post, I have been bookmarking every great Blogger design I could find to present you with another showcase for your creative inspiration.

Here you will find a further 50 beautiful and unique Blogger powered designs, organized by style. I hope you will enjoy looking through these amazing blog styles as much as I have discovering them!

Pick of the Bunch

These designs are truly awe-inspiring!

Sketchblog

When I first saw this fabulous design featured in Smashing Magazine's latest showcase, I could barely believe this was powered by Blogger!

To truly appreciate this blog design, you really must pay this one a visit!

Great Design

The sketchbook style of James Powell's blog reflects the subject matter perfectly.

Nox Mysterium

This design is incredibly stylized, with each post designed to match the overall theme.

Iain Dale's Diary

Fresh, clean and very indicative of content, Iain Dale's blog is among the most professional designs I've ever seen.

Max Black

A simply beautiful, one column blog design.

Rames Studios

Rames really takes the grunge style to a new level in this elaborate design.

Creative and Elegant

This selection of Blogger layouts are unusual, creative, and stylish designs:

Katherine Gallia

Katherine's elegant layout features color changes according to the time of day!

The screenshot above was taken late morning, though altogether there are six different color schemes to reflect the time.

Tales of a Gecko

This simple, two column layout is set of perfectly by the creative header and the monotone theme which is continues throughout.

Vincent Liu

I love the calm simplicity of this template. The RSS icon stands out perfectly, yet doesn't interfere with the ambiance of the design.

Scribbit

Michelle Mitchell's blog about motherhood in Alaska is a joy to read. The continuity between design and content cannot be appreciated without a visit to the site...

WallStreet Fighter

The header banner really sets the scene for this financial blog.

The Offended Blogger

Elegant, feminine and incredibly funny: implied by design and supported by content!

I'm Just a Blogger

Chica's blog was featured in the previous showcase of Blogger designs, but being recently updated, this beautiful layout deserves a second mention.

La Vida Dulce

I love the understated elegance of this simple layout.

Shakesville

It's hard to describe how well this calming design sets off the content presented, though if you pop over to read a few posts for yourself I'm sure you'll understand what I mean...

Clean and simple designs

The following selection of Blogger designs are all clean, simple with lots of white space:

A Little Hut

Here you can see the vivid color of the posts perfectly stands out against an almost monochrome layout.

Sonying

A pale design with touches of color in all the right places.

BLDGBLOG

This layout reminds me of architectural structures with its clean lines and simple monochrome design.

Take a look at the simple cover of the BLDGBLOG book in the right-hand sidebar: it matches the theme so well!

Orangette

The overall layout of Orangette is very simple and clean, but the choice of header image for the banner is incredible! (Almost as delicious as the content itself!).

For me, this is an excellent example of how effectively a striking banner can completely change the whole blog design.

Bunch of Me

Here is another example of how an eye-catching header image can set the scene for an otherwise uncomplicated design:

Susanna Loewy

Simplicity is given a unique twist with visual navigation links below the header.

Decor8

When I think of Decor8, the first word which springs to mind is "Fresh". While the overall layout is white, Holly adapts vivid colors to the header, sidebar and photographs in posts so the content which matters really stands out from the page.

Media Culpa

It would be difficult to find a blog design more minimalistic than this!

Naked Capitalism

Another simple yet effective design. Take a peek at the incredibly functional navigation menu.

Dark Designs

From the pale and simple, we now go on to the dark side of Blogger designs...

Mac Tips and Tricks

Features a consistent Mac OSX theme throughout, from the stylish header to the sidebar icons.

Dark Roasted Blend

While exemplifying the theme of coffee breaks throughout, Avi's incredible layout succeeds in drawing readers further into the archives due to the unique presentation. To understand how this works, a visit to Dark Roasted Blend is well worth a visit (but be warned: this site truly is addictive!)

Delite Designs

Quirky and distinctive, Delite Designs home page is as unique as the layouts she creates.

Foganozos

Some simple modifications to the Rounders template helps this design stand out from the crowd.

How to Do Stuff

Simple and sleek, this design features defined sections for content and is stylish without appearing over the top.

JaKel Daily

With the playful header and professional appeal, Jakel Daily hits the spot with celebrity gossip. Even the ads are well designed!

My Old Kentucky Blog

The calming blue tones of the header section work well against the dark background. I love how the ads match the color scheme, and the quirky introduction of the "Colonel"...

Picturia Press

Features a simple three column layout with an unobtrusive logo centered above the content. The posts are highlighted in a slightly paler shade which provides a nice contrast with the pale text.

Unusual Layouts

Generally speaking, most blogs feature a wide header banner/section, a wide posting area ans a sidebar or two for extra content and navigation. This selection of Blogger templates break the "rules" of web design in some way: their layouts are innovative, interesting and altogether unique.

Wear Palettes

This design uses a narrow, three column design where the main content area is only as wide as the sidebars. This draws the readers focus clearly to the colorful posts:

2 Dolphins

This is a great example of a one column layout. While many bloggers would feature links and archives in a sidebar, here you can see this in the footer section, allowing much more emphasis to be placed on blog posts.

Internet Marketing in Nottingham

This blog is integrated into the main website. What strikes me most about the design is that it's a fluid three column template. Even the compass changes position when the screen is resized!

Pruned

Unlike most blogs, you won't find Pruned's header above the content (the logo appears in the sidebar instead). This puts a great deal more emphasis on the content and photography of the posts:

Smart Pad

This appears more like a magazine layout than a regular blog design!

Orange Girl Photographs

This is another stunning example of how well a single column layout can work. The header is a flash photo-stream which changes every few seconds or so, while meta-information is presented above the main posts column:

Yet more great Blogger designs!

I had problems categorizing these last few designs, but they are worth mentioning nonetheless as examples of great Blogger layouts:

Designers Block

While the layout here may be simple, the use of beautiful photography throughout really makes the overall design come alive:

Dezacrobat

I love to see examples of how bloggers transform default templates into something unique. Dezacrobat is based on the popular Rounders theme, but the clever use of color and a striking logo make this template much more memorable.

Dumb Little Man

This blog appears more like a magazine, with the most recent post appearing above links to previous posts, and a segmented sidebar for ease of navigation.

Finger Tips

Very sleek, this design is one which you will easily remember.

Gorilla Vs Bear

A colorful design with a truly great header section. Take a look at the music player feature in the bottom left corner.

Growling Dog Games

Growling Dog Games has just undergone a great makeover (lucky I checked back while writing this post up!). The overall layout complements the theme of video games perfectly, reminding the reader of other sites they may have encountered and reinforcing the sense of professional style.

Music Thing

The feature I love most about Music Thing's overall design is the consistency of color highlighting: the header, post meta-data (date and number of comments) and important sections in the sidebar use similar shades of yellow and orange to draw attention to them.

New Scientist Technology Blog

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that New Scientist (a popular magazine) uses Blogger as their blog publishing platform! While the overall style of the New Scientist blog family are fairly similar, I prefer the overall appearance of the Technology blog the most (perhaps it's my bias of interest...)

Poppy Talk

When I look at Poppytalk's design, the only phrase which springs to mind is "handmade elegance". I can't think of a better way to describe it! The header is so well designed, perfectly in theme with the blog content. Even the ads are a complement: they appear as though designed to match the template rather than something which was added afterwards.

The Devil's Kitchen

I like how the informal "torn paper" (or should that be burned paper?) is used to great effect in this template.

The Pajama Pundit

With cool calming colors throughout, this template makes excellent use of tabs and mouseover effects.

Drawing Day

Recently featured in Blogger's Blogs of Note, Drawing Day is another blog which is well integrated into a static website (and features a great logo too!).

I hope you have enjoyed perusing these excellent examples of unique Blogger templates, and that this post may provide you with inspiration for your own designs!

Which one do you like the most?

"A New Day" Blogger XML Template Download

2008-05-02T12:00:00.002+01:00

Here's a new Blogger XML template download for you: "A New Day".

Take a look at the demonstration blog for this new template to see it in action.

This is a pale, two column template with a wide posts area and sidebar (which should be wide enough to accommodate most wider styles of widgets, Adsense and possibly video too!).

You can download both the XML file and the HTML code for this template. Full instructions and download links are provided below.

Features of this template

A New Day is a wide two column template, providing ample room for posts and also provision for wider sidebar widgets.

The header section features an integrated "navigation" links list widget, so you can easily add and edit links to the main pages of your blog.

Other useful features include:

Rounded corners for the sidebar widget headings
Fonts and colors can be changed within the "Fonts and Colors" section in your Blogger dashboard.
Author comment highlighting (with a different color heading for author's comments)
Automatic "copyright" (according to blog title) in the lower footer section.
Comment count below post titles
Unique header image which spans the entire width of the page.

Using This Template

I have tried to ensure this template is as user-friendly as possible! A New Day should work "right out of the box" once this is uploaded to your blog.

The only thing you may need to configure is the "Link List" widget in the header section, which you can access in the Layout>Page Elements section of your dashboard. In this widget, you can add links to the important pages of your blog (such as your "About" and "Contact" pages. Or if you prefer not to feature such links, you can simply delete this altogether!

Fixed elements of this template

The main background, and the background images for the main area of the blog are embedded in the template code. As such, the colors of these areas cannot be changed, unless you are willing to alter these images and upload these to your own image host.

However, I do plan to bring out a darker version of this template in the near future for those of you who would prefer a darker color scheme for your blogs ;)

Other than this, all other elements of this template may be changed, including all fonts, font colors and the border colors (which will also alter the color of the sidebar widget borders).

You can change these elements dynamically from within the Fonts and Colors section of your Blogger dashboard.

Download Options for this template

There are two options for downloading this template: the XML template (which should be uploaded to your Blogger dashboard) and the HTML Code (a text based file which you should copy and paste).

Here are links to each download version, along with full instructions for your to upload this to your blog.

XML Template Download

The following is the XML version of the "A New Day" Blogger template. To download this template, right click and choose "Save As".

Download XML File

Save this XML file to a convenient location on your computer.

Then go to Layout>Edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard. Near the top of this page, you will see a section which appears like this:

Use the "Browse" button to locate the XML template on your computer, then click on the "Upload" button to upload the "A New Day" template to your blog.

Once you have uploaded this template, you can then begin to add widgets, change the layout and tweak this template to your needs.

HTML Code Template Download

For those who prefer to copy and paste template code for their Blogger blogs, I have also provided the full HTML code for this template as a text file.

You can view or download this file using the link below:

Download HTML Code

You may either view this code by following the link in your browser, or download this text file to your computer.

To upload this template using the HTML template code, simply highlight all of the text and copy this to your clipboard. Then go to Layout>Edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard. Highlight all of the code in the box, then paste the new code instead of the existing code.

Finally, preview your Blogger template to ensure everything looks well. If you have done this correctly, you should receive no errors and can proceed to save your new template.

Usage and Copyright Notice

All images featured in this template are hosted by Blogger Buster; you do not need to host these yourself (unless you would prefer to do so!).

This template is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

This means that you may use, redistribute and modify this template in any way you like, so long as you provide correct attribution to the original author of this template in the form of a link back to Blogger Buster.

I hope that you enjoy this new template as much as I enjoyed creating it! Originally I had planned on using this for a new blog I've been working on, though as I was rather happy with the end result I didn't want to keep this to myself :)

Please do let me know your opinions or any questions about this template by leaving your comments below.

54 Inspiring and Original Blogger Designs

2008-04-04T18:00:00.005+01:00

When I begin devising a new Blogger template design, the first thing I do is look for inspiration. CSS galleries and design showcases are among the first places I visit to be inspired, but one thing I have noticed is that there are rarely any Blogger powered designs on show!

So over the past few weeks, I've been searching for the best Blogger powered web designs to provide a source of inspiration particularly for those who use Google's Blogger platform.

In this article you will see 54 unique and inspiring Blogger powered designs: some of these seem based on generic/free templates, while others are so far from the generic norm that it was difficult to believe these are powered by Blogger at all!

For your visual pleasure, here are these 54 excellent Blogger powered designs, organized by category. I hope you enjoy looking through these designs as much as I did finding them!

My Favorite Five

These designs are my absolute favorites of the bunch, whose designers should be particularly proud of the excellent overall appearance and functionality of their blogs:

Woork

Can you believe this site is powered by Blogger? Woork is a magnificent design, and the content is truly awesome! I was glad to have found this site to be able to subscribe and read these great posts, not to mention the inspirational design this is packaged in...

La Blogueria

This monochrome design is truly stunning in every way. SO much work has gone into making every aspect of this design fit with the main theme. Just take a look at the animations and mouseover effects. And don't forget to take a look at the camera-phone in the top left of the screen...

Lawrie Malen

This mere screenshot cannot possibly give justice to Lawrie's fabulous design. This one really takes my breath away...

Powered by Flash (yes, I did say flash!), this unique Blogger design is truly inspirational. I have never seen a blog quite like this before, much less one which utilizes Google Blogger!

Uptime Studio

This site is a fabulous example of how Blogger may be used as a CMS (content management system).

This charitable photography site has been featured in many CSS galleries and uses W3C valid HTML markup. The slideshows are truly stunning and contribute to the overall make up of this beautifully designed site.

Kokogiak

Kokogiak's design uses so many different functions, including show/hide div animations, Google maps integration, site search... It's wonderfully laid out and one of my favorite ever designs in terms of functionality and a joy to navigate.

Clean/Simple Layouts

This section features designs which are clean, simple and well laid out.

Reddit All

RedditAll

This is the personal blog of Alexis Ohanian (who designed the Reddit alien logo).

Metamorf

I love the rounded corners and subtle color scheme at play here. It's such a pity the author decided not to continue using this blog...

Why Don't You Blog

Simple, yet so effective.

Twitter Blog

Never underestimate the power of a simple header image combined with striking images in posts!

Infinite Thinking Machine

This clean layout perfectly enhances the educational content of this resource site.

Meta Microcosmos

For me, this design sums up the process of "blogging as journalling". Despite the clean simplicity, there is still excellent attention to detail. Look in the top right hand corner while the page is loading for an example...

Gem @ Blog

It's so easy to find your way around this clean design. The label cloud at the top of the page makes it easy to understand what this blog is all about, while the static link to the top of the page (bottom right) is a touch of classy usability.

Dev Blog Zone

A clean and professional layout which fits perfectly with the theme of code and development explored through the articles presented here.

ChaseJarvis

Chase Jarvis' blog was recently featured in Blogger's Blogs of Note. I love how the pale design perfectly sets off the photography and images in the posts. It's well integrated into Chase's complete website, so you can barely tell you are leaving Blogger hosting when clicking on the tabs in the navigation section.

Ficcionalista!

I adore the beautiful simplicity of this design. It's so clean and uncluttered, and the placement of every element seems so well thought out.

Dark Designs

In contrast to the previous set, these designs use darker color schemes to great stylistic effect.

Iran Graffiti and Urban Art Report

This is a really unusual design, utilizing expandable DIV sections for different areas of the blog. Iran Graffiti showcases urban art caught on camera in Tehran. It really is worth a visit to see some of the stunning designs featured in this blog.

Fonsite

This striking design makes great use of PNG transparency and even renders correctly in Internet Explorer.

Black Zedd Basic Literature

A cynically corporate design (you'd need to read this blog to discover why...) which is pulled off beautifully! The drop down menu and scrolling news ticker really add to the depth of this design.

Second Life First Person

I always love to see how people use the Blogger templates I provide here at Blogger Buster, and this customization is truly an excellent example of what can be achieved with a little imagination!

Feminine Designs

This set of Blogger powered designs are feminine, girly and inspired by women's interests (candy colored inspiration for all the lady bloggers!)

Flair in the City

I've always admired Angel's Blogger powered design which was originally based on one of Jackbook's Wordpress conversions (though you really can't tell at all which one this was!). Every element of this blog is styled to pretty perfection with an excellent choice of color scheme which really sets of the great content. If only all fashion blogs were so well designed...

Xiaxue's Blog

Xiaxue

Xiaxue's blog is beautifully designed and is such a great presentation of her personality!

I'm Just A Blogger

I'm Just a Blogger

This is such a unique and feminine design. The styling in the header is reflected throughout the template, and the bright colors complement the author's personality in vivid technicolor.

Homeschool Diaries

A lighthearted design makes this homeschooling blog a fabulous place to learn of this mommy's experiences.

Hip Mama's Place

This "Mommy Blog" is dedicated to fashionable mummies and their trendy offspring.

Girly Up The Web

A couture designers guide to business, life and all things girly.

A Woman In Full

This design is truly a work of art. It seems inspired by 1950's style movie posters and is very eye-catching!

A Mere Trifle, My Dear!

Although this is quite a busy design, I love the overall theme of nostalgia: everything is drawn together, from the flock style wallpaper to post images and sidebar icons.

Immoral Matriach

An eclectic combination of old meets new in this striking personal blog design.

Musicians/Artists/Photographers

This section showcases some of the best Blogger powered designs written by musicians, artists and photographers.

Throw The Fight

This blog utilizes flash, YouTube and other stylish elements in such a great way! Blog posts provide news to fans of the band, another great example of how Blogger may be utilized as a CMS.

Jupiter One

Here again, flash is used in the header section to provide fast loading background music.

Dangerous Muse

I love the effectiveness of this simple design, especially the huge "dates" which overlay the actual posting date.

Project 100 Animals

The simple backdrop is the perfect canvas to highlight the beautiful artwork showcased here.

Tehran Walls

A striking design showcasing urban street art in Iran.

Mid East Collective

A striking, graffiti style header combined with ultra bright colors in the sidebar creates an eclectic mix.

Il Disegno

A Manga-inspired blog about design, with intricate attention to detail.

Fabrizio Fareze

An excellent showcase of photography is perfectly enhanced by the Polaroid styling of each individual post.

Alberto Montt

Here again we see how a simple clean layout can perfectly set off such beautiful artwork. Each post is so well designed with each image framed and styled so well.

Miscellaneous Designs

A final collection of Blogger powered designs which were difficult to categorize. All are excellent and inspiring in some way.

ts0

Thom Shannon's blog screams simplicity, yet is so aesthetically pleasing in structure and form.

Obviously (The Obvious Blog)

Obviously

This is the official blog of Obvious, the company behind Twitter. I love the parchment style background combined with the striking red logo.

Odeo Blog

Slick and usable, this blog is branded with Odeo's striking logo and fits perfectly with the main site's theme.

CrazyBob.org

This design is so sleek and modern, it seems to ooze professionalism.

Grape Digging Sharon Fruits

This design really breaks convention! It's almost as though the blog posts are printed as a label on the jam-jar!

Spoiler-TV

Spoiler TV

This is just one in a series of interlinked "Spoiler TV" blogs written by Dark UFO. It's really hard to tell that these blogs are hosted by Blogger, especially with the attention to detail, the use of DOM tabs in the sidebar (which change to display recent posts, feeds, stats, translations and so on) and the slick menu bars.

Mi-Microcosmos

Another stunning design by Yo Misma which encompasses the personality of this creative blogger in both background and attention to detail.

World United Bloggers

A collaboration of bloggers from all corners of the world whose message is clearly employed in the striking header. Navigation is simple and well styled, while the sidebar sections are well organized and easily distinguished from the main content.

Ask The Admin

This blog has so much personality! Throughout the design and blog posts are funny illustrations, cartoons and such which perfectly enhance the theme of "geeky humor".

Los Malditos Samurias de Gallaecia

For me, this Blogger powered design is Eastern inspired bliss! I love the way even each post title is styled according to the theme; blog authors have their portraits framed in the sidebar and the header is just... amazing!

Mike Durrett Confidential

The style of this humor blog reminds me of Presidential campaigns, though everything on this site feeld as though it's been placed in the correct area. Even the images and quotes in posts are positioned well.

Inzitan Blog

This blog is based on the Magic Paper template, but with a little adaptation this becomes so much more beautiful. By adding the image of the little girl and the flash functionality to the header section, the author has really made this template come alive.

Tech In-Law

Here is another Blogger powered design based on an existing template. The unique header design goes a long way to explain for the casual visitor exactly what this blog is all about, while the clean content section is easy to navigate.

Fresh

The title of this blog sums up the design completely. Featuring a cool color scheme and no clutter whatsoever, this is a breath of fresh air.

Awful Announcing

One of the things I love most about this design is that even the ads complement the general theme! The over-sized navigation buttons near the header set this apart from others of a similar design.

Basic Instructions

Scott Meyer's cartoons are brought to life online in this hilarious blog! Each post is a self-contained and perfectly crafted piece of art which will have you rolling on the floor in laughter! This design is mostly monochrome, with the only elements of color appearing in the footer section as links to Meyer's other sites.

The iseen blog. unsaturated!

the iseen blog

Vahagn Mkrtchyan's blog is a creative visual resource about art, design, architecture, photography and more. Each post is almost a work of art in itself, stylized perfectly to match the overall theme of rounded corners, use of color and general style.

Final Thoughts...

While writing this post, I came across even more excellent designs and had to delay publishing so I could include these too! I know there are many more excellent Blogger powered designs to be discovered and would love to follow up this article with another in the near future. So if you are especially proud of your own Blogger powered design (or know of another blogger's work you would like to see showcased here), feel free to drop me a line or leave a comment below.

If you have enjoyed this post please consider adding this to your favorite social bookmarking service, or subscribe to the feed and receive free updates of new Blogger related articles as they are posted. As always, I would really appreciate your comments and opinions, so feel free to let me know what you think by leaving your comments below.

The Ultimate Blogger Template Resource List

2008-03-30T12:00:00.003+01:00

Searching for Blogger template providers and designers can be a time consuming task. Through my research for various articles posted here, I have discovered many providers of free and custom made Blogger templates which I have listed below by category:

Free XML Blogger Template Providers and Directories
Classic Blogger Template Providers
Professional Blog Template Designers who cater for the Blogger platform

Where possible, I have also linked to the feed for these sites to help you be updated of new templates as they become available.

I hope this resource list will be useful for you too!

Free XML Blogger Template Providers and Directories

In this section you will find links to sites which provide (or collate) free Blogger XML based layouts.

BTemplates

This is the ultimate directory of Blogger XML templates. At the time of writing this post, BTemplates features over 200 free Blogger XML layouts for free download, contributed by many different designers from the Blogger community.

Templates are organized by theme, style and also by tags which makes it very easy to search for the style of template you prefer.

Visit BTemplates | Subscribe to BTemplates

Blogger Templates

One of the oldest and best known Blogger template resources, which also features useful customization articles for Blogger.

Templates are organized by category, and there is also a search funtion to help narrow down your preferences.

Visit Blogger Templates | Subscribe to Blogger Templates

Blog and Web

Blog and Web provide an excellent array of Blogger templates which have been converted from popular Wordpress designs.

This site is written in Spanish, though you can easily translate the page you are reading using Babelfish Translator if you need to.

Visit Blog and Web | Subscribe to Blog and Web

Zona Cerebral

Zona Cerebral features some of the most beautiful free Blogger templates I have ever seen. This site is also written in Spanish and can be translated quickly using Altavista's Babelfish translator if necessary.

Visit Zona Cerebral | Subscribe to Zona Cerebral

Jackbook

Jackbook provides a range of Blogger templates which have been converted from existing Wordpress templates.

Visit Jackbook | Subscribe to Jackbook

Blog Crowds

A wide variety of well-designed Blogger XML templates are available on this useful blog resource site.

Visit Blogcrowds

Final Sense

Final Sense probably has the largest collection of Blogger templates available.

Visit Final Sense

K2 Modify

Some excellent designs to be found on this Blogger hosted resource site. The template used by K2 Modify is available for download, which is probably one of the best this site has to offer.

Visit K2 Modify | Subscribe to K2 Modify

Suck My Lolly

Some beautiful, quirky and feminine designs to be found on this site. Many include customizable header images so you can add your own blog title to the design.

Visit Suck My Lolly | Subscribe to Suck My Lolly

Gisele Jaquenod

Gisele's designs are beautiful, feminine and unique!

Visit Gisele Jaquenod's Blogger Templates page

GosuBlogger

GosuBlogger converts and creates Blogger XML templates. Be sure to visit to see some truly unique designs.

Visit GosuBlogger | Subscribe to GosuBlogger

BlogU

Annie has created some beautiful Blogger templates for free download. Here you will also find some very useful articles about blogging with Google Blogger.

Visit BlogU | Subscribe to BlogU

Free Blogger Skins

A collection of free Blogger XML skins which are easily viewable on the home page.

Visit Free Blogger Skins | Subscribe to Free Blogger Skins

Fresh Blogger Templates

A great selection of Wordpress conversions, many of which can be seen on the front page.

Visit Fresh Blogger Templates | Subscribe to Fresh Blogger Templates

e-Blog Templates

A directory with over 130 free Blogger templates available to download.

Visit e-Blog Templates

Gecko and Fly

Fans of Gecko and Fly's Classic Blogger templates have converted these to XML format which you can download from this site.

Visit Gecko and Fly's Blogger XML Templates Page

Our Blogger Templates

A range of Blogger XML templates in different colors and styles (formerly Dzelque.blogspot.com)

Visit Our Blog Templates | Subscribe to Our Blog Templates

Free XML Blogger Templates

This site features both original and Wordpress conversions for Blogger XML users. Updated regularly with new templates being uploaded often.

Visit Free XML Blogger Templates | Subscribe to Free XML Blogger Templates

Classic Blogger Templates

In this section, you will find links to free Classic Blogger templates which you can download for free.

BloggerTemplates.org

There are some exceptional classic templates on this site, including many Ajax-driven designs with extra functionality.

Visit BloggerTemplates.org

Template Panic

A wide selection of classic Blogger templates available on this colorful resource site.

Visit Template Panic

Templates for Blogger

Here you will find some classy and professional designs for classic Blogger templates

Visit Templates for Blogger | Subscribe to Templates for Blogger

Blogspot Templates

Loads of free classic templates available here. You can download and view many of these from the home page.

Visit Blogspot Templates | Subscribe to Blogspot Templates

Carl Galloway

This site features some well designed classic templates (plus a small selection for XML users too).

Visit Carl Galloway's Blogger Templates page

Isnaini

Here you will find an excellent selection of classic template designs. All templates are listed in the sidebar, and there are some true gems to be found on this site!

Visit Isnaini.com

Blogger Templates by Caz

If you're looking for beautiful, feminine classic Blogger templates, this site is a must!

Visit Blogger Templates by Caz | Subscribe to Caz's Blog

Blogspot Templates (A Collection)

Here are some rather unusual and striking classic templates for free download.

Visit Blogspot Templates | Subscribe to Blogspot Templates

Noipo.org

Another collection of unique and inspiring designs.

Visit Noipo's Classic Blogger Templates Page

BlogSkins

There is a huge selection of user-submitted classic templates for Blogger on this site. You will need to search through to find your ideal template though!

Visit Blogskins

Blogger Template Designers

If you're looking for a unique Blogger template design, you can hire the services of a template designer. Here are links to designers who cater for Blogger bloggers. Fees will vary between designers and the complexity of the design you require.

Blogs Gone Wild

This is probably the most popular site for custom designed Blogger templates. You can see many examples of Se7en's work in the portfolio section and prices start at $65 for a simple, two column design.

Visit Blogs Gone Wild

Everyday Design

Everyday Design is a favorite among women Bloggers. Everyday Mommy's designs are simple, striking and easy to navigate.

Visit Everyday Design

Lunastone Designs

Lunastone has produced some awesome Blogger powered designs which you can view in the portfolio section. Prices start from $50 for a Blogger design, though only classic Blogger templates are available.

Visit Lunastone Designs

Chic & Sassy Designs

As the title suggests, this designer creates feminine and sassy designs especially for Blogger bloggers. Unique custom designed templates are available to order, and you can also choose from pre-made designs.

Visit Chic & Sassy Designs

JudithShakes

Judith specializes in eye-catching designs which reflect the personality and voice of the personal blogger. She does have rather a long waiting list (which exemplifies the quality of her design work).

Visit JudithShakes

Gisele Jaquenod

Gisele offers custom designs for Blogger and Wordpress as well as her free Blogger templates.

Visit Gisele's Website

Ewebscapes

The professional designers of Ewebscapes can offer you a wholly unique and very well-designed template for your Blogger hosted blog.

Visit Ewebscapes

More to add?

If you host a directory of Blogger templates, or are a professional designer who can cater to Blogger users, please drop me a line and I will add your site to this list.

I hope you have found this to be a useful resource for all your template needs. If you have enjoyed this post, please subscribe to the full text feed to receive new articles, resources and Blogger news.

Blogger XML Template: Blue Steel (Magazine Style)

2008-03-24T17:00:00.000Z

Demo | Download

Here is a new 'magazine style' Blogger XML template for free download. This template is called "Blue Steel" and features a unique layout for the front page to include extra widgets beneath the main post section (though if you prefer you can use this theme as a regular three column template). Read on for full instructions and to download this unique Blogger template for use in your own blog.

There are many optional elements to this template. You may either use this as a magazine style theme (featuring more widgets than usual on the home page), or as a regular theme which contains only the main blog posts and two sidebars to the right.

Features of this template include:

An optional magazine style layout for the home page
Optional customized recent posts widget for the sidebar
Themed icons for sidebar widgets, post features and post options
Custom made favicon to match the blog theme
Integrated search function
Tabbed navigation with easy customization of links
Related articles beneath each post on post pages
Integrated (optional) post summary hack

Download the Blue Steel Blogger XML Template

You can download this template for free using the link below. This is a Zip file which includes the XML template and instructions to upload this template to your blog.

Download Blue Steel Blogger XML Template (Zip File)

Option 1: use Blue Steel as a Magazine Style Theme

If you would like to utilize the full potential of this theme, you will need to change a few settings and make some small changes to the way you usually post.

Display only one post on the home page

The ideal number of posts to display when using a magazine style theme is only one. Additional post excerpts will be visible from the "recent posts" widget which I will explain about soon.

To ensure only one post displays on the front page, go to Settings>Formatting in your Blogger dashboard, and choose "Show 1 Posts" on the front page.

Utilize the Post Excerpts Hack

This template includes code for you to show optional excerpts of posts on your front page. This customization was originally written by Ramani of Hackosphere, and is called "Selective Expandable Posts".

If you would like to utilize this facility, you will need to add a post template to your blog. To do this, go to Settings>Formatting in your Blogger dashboard. Near the bottom of the page you will see a box for you to add a "Post Template". In this box you will need to paste the following section of code:

Type your summary here

<span id="fullpost">

Type the rest of your post here

</span>

Then save this setting. Now when you create a new post, you will clearly see where you should write your excerpts and the remainder of the post.

For more detailed instructions about using this hack, please refer to this article.

Add the "Recent Posts" widget code to your sidebar

If you choose to use the magazine-style facilities for this template, you may also like to add the widget to display excerpts of your most recently written posts in the sidebar.

This widget was originally written by Hans of Beautiful Beta, though I have modified this slightly to make this more suitable for the Blue Steel Blogger template.

To add this widget to your sidebar, copy all of the code on this page and paste this into an HTML/JavaScript widget in the Page Elements section of your Blogger dashboard. Be sure to replace the section in red with the URL of your own blog!

Important Notes

The widgets which appear under the post on the main page will only be visible on the main page. On post pages, these widgets will not appear, so be sure to include important widgets in your sidebar instead.

Option 2: Using Blue Steel as a regular blog template

If you would prefer to use Blue Steel as a simple template (IE: not utilize the magazine style elements), all you need to do is delete any widgets beneath the Blog Posts section. The template does not require any additional settings or adjustments to work as a regular template (although you may like to add your links to the navigation bar in the header section. See below for details about this).

Other settings/widgets

Certain features of the Blue Steel Blogger template are applicable to both "magazine" and "regular" options.

Configure links in your navigation bar

This template comes with a pre-installed link list widget in the top right section of the header. When you upload this template to your blog, this link list will not contain any links at all.

To add links to the navigation bar, go to Layout>Page Elements in your Blogger dashboard and click on the "edit" link for this link list. You can then add links to the main pages of your blog and these will appear in the navigation section.

Links in the footer section

Right at the bottom of your blog template are some links which you can change to reflect the URLs of the main pages in your blog.

To change these links, find the following section of code in the Edit HTML section of your template:

<
<a href='http://yourblog.blogspot.com' title='Home Page'>Home</a>

 | <a href='http://yourblog.blogspot.com' title='About the site'>About</a>

 | <a href='http://yourblog.blogspot.com' title='Contact the author'>Contact</a></span>

Change the URLs highlighted in red to match those of your important post pages.

License and Credits

As mentioned earlier in this post, two of the scripts used in this template were written by different authors:

The Selective Expandable Posts hack was written by Ramani of Hackosphere
The Recent Posts widget was originally created by Hans of Beautiful Beta

You may download, customize and use this template however you choose. However, I do ask that the credits within the template code remain in place and that you do not redistribute this template without my consent.

Blogger template releases for 2/11/08

2008-02-11T20:14:00.000Z

Each Monday, you will now find a new feature here at Blogger Buster: listings of the previous week's Blogger template releases, with information information, screenshots and links to the download pages.

If you are a designer of Blogger templates, please do let me know about your latest releases so I can include them in this weekly digest.

Zen by SuckMyLolly

A three column template in hues of green. Both the background and main content background colors can be changed in the Fonts and Colors section of your Blogger dashboard.

Download includes: a zip file including the XML template file, terms of use (with link to upload instructions) and the header image used in the template.

Demo | Download

Hot Hands by SuckMyLolly

A two column template featuring a header image and customizable backgrounds.

Download includes: XML template, Terms of use (including link to instructions for uploading the template) and header image.

Demo | Download

Dear Diary by Blogger XML Skins

While this is not such a recent theme, I discovered this after writing the 101 excellent Blogger templates post and really wanted to share this beautiful design!

Download includes: A zip file containing only the template code. To upload this to your blog, you will need to paste this into your Edit HTML section in your Blogger dashboard, replacing the content which is already present.

Download (there is no demonstration page for this template)

Modern Paper by TemplateGodown

A clean and simple theme with two sidebars to the right of the main column. The header section features an RSS icon for linking to your feed.

Download includes: a zip file containing only the XML template. To upload this to your blog, you will first need to save this file to your computer. Then go to Template>Edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard, and choose to upload this file by clicking on the "Browse" button near the top of the page.

Demo (temporary page!) | Download

The Erudite Template by Jashan of The Erudite Blog

I was quite impressed with this template. Neat and clean with a single sidebar to the right, this template also features social bookmarking links after each post, and a customizable RSS message to help encourage readers to subscribe to your feeds. You can also choose from seven different header images to use!

Downloading this template: on the download page, you will need right click the download link and choose to save this XML template directly to your computer. However, there are very detailed instructions for installation on the download page itself.

Demo | Download

I hope you have enjoyed reading this week's round-up of Blogger template releases. If you are a Blogger template designer, please let me know about your latest releases so I can include them in future round-ups and help other bloggers discover and enjoy your designs too!

101 Excellent Blogger XML Templates

2008-02-08T10:10:00.000Z

I love designing Blogger templates, and over the past few weeks I've been scouring the web to find the best, and most inspirational Blogger XML template designs. This post is a showcase of the best Blogger template designs available for free download, collected from some of the best sources on the web. With 101 excellent Blogger XML templates in total, you're sure to find something you like in this list!

My Top 10

Aspire

Aspire by InfoCreek

I love the parchment style of this template, which comes complete with a calendar widget and customized comment count. Ported from the original Wordpress theme, this is a truly exceptional Blogger template! Demo | Download

Polaroid

Polaroid for Blogger by eBlog Templates

This is a much loved theme for Wordpress users, so I was thrilled to see this converted for Blogger by eBlogTemplates! You can change the polaroid picture to feature anything you want, and while some work is required to make all of the features work in this template, it is certainly worth the effort! Demo | Download

Iplantilla

iPlantilla by Blog and Web

Another great WP theme conversion by Blog and Web. The clean, stylish theme of this template is what inspires me. All individual widgets are styled as you see in this preview, and it's very easy to use. Demo | Download

Mosaico

I can't begin to tell you how cool this template is! With a grunge style theme and the best search box I've ever seen, this definitely deserves more than a second glance! By Blog And Web. Demo | Download

Red White

Red White template by Jackbook

This magazine style template by Jackbook has plenty of features to offer, and looks great in the bargain! Demo | Download

The Late Show

The Late Show by Liz Lubowitz (updated by Blog Crowds)

This excellent template was originally designed for Movable Type and won The Style Contest for the best blog design. After being modified by Blog Crowds, you can now use this template for your Blogger hosted blogs too. Demo | Download

Colibri

Colibri by by John Oxton and Denis Radenkovic.

Beautiful, isn't it? While not quite as functional as some of the other templates I'll cover here, this is certainly an awe-inspiring design. Download

iPhone

iPhone template by Geekhacks and Jackbook

Yes, the iPhone is everywhere these days, and now you can have an iPhone as your Blogger template design! But it does look great, doesn't it? Demo | Download

TypoXP

Typo XP 2.1 by Ustadz

A web 2.0 style template for Blogger with navigation links and icon sets for the sidebar headings. Truly unique! Demo | Download

Hemingway

Hemingway by Kyle Neath and Blog Crowds

A beautifully simple monochrome template. You really need to see this in action to understand why I love this one so much! Demo | Download

Emire

Emire by Gecko and Fly

Simple and elegant, this template is a firm favorite of many Bloggers. Demo | Download

The best of the rest

While these Blogger templates didn't make it to my personal top ten, the following are excellent Blogger templates! So in no particular order of preference, I present a further 91 stylish and well designed Blogger templates which are all free to use and download:

Andreas 02

Features tabbed navigation and an excellent header section. By Gecko and Fly Demo | Download

Rotterdam

By Pannasmontata Demo | Download

Glossy Blue

Hi tech, glossy magazine style with mini icons in the sidebar Demo | Download

Wow (Smashing)

The Jackbook conversion of an excellent (OMG! style) template, with all features intact Demo | Download

Semipro

With tabbed navigation and a web 2.0 feel. Designed by Dzelque Demo | Download

Semipro II

A dark version of Semipro, by Dzelque Demo | Download

Sky3c

Unique icons and title styling. Modified for Blogger by Blog Crowds Demo | Download

02

A slick Web 2.0 style template featuring all the right styles, designed by Blog And Web Demo | Download

Neo

A lightning fast, Ajax powered Blogger template which was designed to be customized with your own styling. Designed by Hackosphere Demo | Download

Enlighten

A beautiful glossy blue and black theme with a feminine touch. Designed by Zona Cerebral Demo | Download

Gluttony

Monochrome and very professional. By Zona Cerebral. Demo | Download

Premium Brown

Yet another delicious template from Zona Cerebral. Features 125px square ad spaces in the sidebar, plus excellent use of icons throughout the template. Demo | Download

Decorativo

I like the stylish curled corner in the top of the sidebar! Overall, a professional and well designed conversion by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

Butterfly

Here's one of my own designs: the Butterfly template which features animated butterfly in the sidebar. This is probably the most downloaded template I have produced so far, and it's usable "right out of the box". Demo | Download

DF Theme (3 Column)

Based on the classic Deziner Folio theme, Jackbook has converted this to a three column version for Blogger. Demo | Download

Gossipcity

Another excellent conversion from Wordpress. By Blog And Web Demo | Download

Resurrection

Dark and imaginative, with function for your Twitter feed and a great RSS/Feed icon. By Zona Cerebral Demo | Download

Summer Love

A feminine two column theme by Blog Crowds Demo | Download

Shylapa

Another finalist from the Style Contest modified by Blog Crowds. Demo | Download

Mistylook

A classic and timeless design. By Blog Crowds. Demo | Download

Cool Blue

A pale blue, Web 2.0 style template of my own design. Features unique sidebar design and calendar widgets. Demo | Download

Red Web 2.0 template

A red version of the Web 2,0 style template Demo | Download

K2

Another classic theme by Gecko and Fly Demo | Download

Erudite (3 column)

A three column template for the guys... By Gecko and Fly. Demo | Download

Flower Pink Border

And a template for the girls, by SuckMyLolly Demo | Download

Smashing (magazine)

Based on the Smashing Magazine theme, by Blog And Web. Demo | Download

Clean Elegant

Simple and fresh, by Jackbook Demo | Download

Drivin to L.A.

A retro feminine theme by SuckMyLolly Demo | Download

Underground

A simple but effective template by B-Themes Demo | Download

Minyx

Another great template from B-themes which was converted from a Wordpress theme created by Mauricio Caballero. Demo | Download

Quirky Valentine

A candy cute girly theme by Better in Pink Demo | Download

City Tree

Yellow themes seem few and far between, but this one carries it off SO well! By Dan S. Demo | Download

Terminal Black

A classy dark three column theme by Charm Skins Demo | Download

Terra Blue

Clean and blue with an RSS icon in the sidebar. This template was designed by Charm Skins. Demo | Download

Tropical Retreat

Doesn't this theme make you want to start a travel blog on a beautiful desert island somewhere..? Theme by Free Blogger Skins. Read more and download

Beauty Beach

Another cute template by Free Blogger Skins Read more and download

Simplicity

A fresh and feminine theme by Fresh Blogger Templates Demo | Download

Terra Firma

A beautifully designed two column template. Converted from Wordpress by Fresh Blogger Templates Demo | Download

The Missing Piece

Originally designed by CSS Templates, this theme has been converted for Blogger by Fresh Blogger Templates Demo | Download

Beautiful Day

A serene, feminine template by Templates for You. Demo | Download

A day without Chocolate

Delicious! A girly theme by Annie of BlogU Demo | Download

Midnight

A widgetized version of the popular Blogger template, by Template Panic. Demo | Download

Shinobi

A smooth dark Web 2.0 style template by Blogger Buster Demo | Download

Aquaria

Shiny, Web 2.0 style template with an aquatic theme. By Templates for You. Demo | Download

She's got style

This would be a great theme for a fashion blog or budding fashionista. Originally a Wordpress theme by Grab a Theme and Sweet Melancholy, ported to Blogger XML by Templates for You. Demo | Download

LikeWise

This one's unusual: one wide main column with three columns in the footer. Ideal for Bloggers whose content is of first and foremost importance! By Thurbroeders. Demo | Download

Snow Below

I just love this template by Annie of BlogU. It's so serene and pretty! Demo | Download

Bloggin Out Loud

A well designed three column template by Gisele Jaquenod. Read more and download

Birdies Secret Garden

A cute birdy themed template by Gisele Jaquenod. Read more and download

Maserati

Simple two column theme with masculine elegance. By Final Sense. Demo | Download

Agua

This cool minimalist template features header navigation links and a smart sidebar. Adapted for Blogger by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

Dead

Dark and gothic, this theme will certainly have a fond following... Created for Blogger by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

Autumn Grass

I love the concept of this template: a wholly interactive header with vertical links navigation, ad spots and even support for videos! Designed by K2 Modify (a variation of this theme is used in this blog) Read more and download

Classic ProBlogger template

If you're a fan of Problogger, you may well regognize this theme. Created for Blogger by K2 Modify Read more and download

Basic Black YouTube template

So you want to feature YouTube videos in your blog header? Then this design by K2 Modify is for you! Read more and download

Eclipse

A simple dark theme with sidebar icons and header navigation. By Planet of Free Blog Templates Read more and download

Hobbit

For Hobbit fans, this would make an excellent choice! By Hans of Beautiful Beta. Read more and download

Flower Girl

Sweet and feminine without being tacky. By Free Blog Skins. Read more and download

Bloggerized Adsense

Plenty of ad slots in this template, which makes it ideal for those who make money online! By Blogger Beta. Demo | Download

Buy iPod

Great navigation in this tech-style template! Created by Jackbook. Read more and download

Red Glow

Moody and dark, this template somehow reminds me of The Ghosts of Mars... Great template nonetheless! And very stylized. Designed by Jackbook. Demo | Download

Fluid Solution

As the title suggests, this is a fluid template which will stretch to fit the browser window. Clean and simple, you can change the logo to suit your own tastes. Ported to Blogger by Jackbook. Demo | Download

Mushblue

Another great Wordpress conversion by Jackbook. Demo | Download

Gemstone

A lightweight blue and black design with many links in the header. Great for gadget/technology blogs. Originally designed by GemStone CSS, of Arcsin, and now ported by Erica Akira of Templates for You. Demo | Download

Rosa

A simple two column blog with a STUNNING header! Designed by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

Wordpress Admin

Would you like to confuse your visitors into thinking they have stumbled across your Wordpress admin page? If so, take a look at this "Wordpress Admin" themed template. Jackbook even did a great job of confusing me... Demo | Download

JournalRed

Stylish and classic design by Dzelque. Demo | Download

Tierra

A striking, earthy design by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

Zen

Professional and relatively simple. Another great theme by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

NeonNeon

Daring and inspirational, this template really hits the mark. by Blog and Web Demo | Download

Sandpress

Professional and light, converted for Blogger by Zona Cerebral. Demo | Download

Paper Border

Features a paper effect around the whole blog. Designed by Template Panic. Demo | Download

Home Sweet Home

Monochrome template with a quirky, homely feel. By Template Panic. Read more and download

iwork

Such a slick and usable theme! Converted from the original Wordpress theme by Jackbook. Demo | Download

Neosapien

Striking and original, by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

Candy Colored Dreams

A retro style theme by SuckMyLolly. Demo | Download

Magic Paper

Mystical and artistic. A wonderful Blogger port by Blog Crowds. Demo | Download

Top Secret

Make your blog appear as a top secret file! Ported to Blogger by Blog Crowds. Demo | Download

Cat Crazy

Perhaps it's the cat lover in me... A cute and stylish template by Fresh Blogger Templates. Demo | Download

Provincia

A shiny Web 2.0 style theme by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

Sweet Dreams

This is quite an old theme now, but it's still one of my favorite designs. Demo | Download

Firefox 2

Firefox fans will love this clear and simple theme by Final Sense. Demo | Download

Gourmet Menu

A template for food lovers, by Blogger Buster. Demo | Download

Fluid Width Three Column

Designed by Vin of Beta Blogger for Dummies, this theme will adjust fluidly to fit the browser size without breaking the template. Includes navigation links in the header section, and is optimized for search engines. Demo | Download

Styleicious

This fresh and funky theme was converted from a Wordpress theme by Blog and Web. Demo | Download

Yoghourt

The original Yoghourt Wordpress theme has always been one of my favorites, so I was really pleased to see Jackbook had converted this for Blogger! Demo | Download

My Valentine

One of my most recent themes, this was designed in honor of Valentines'd Day, though it is a feminine and pretty blog theme which could easily be used all year round. Demo | Download

Compaq

This unusual theme makes your posts appear as though on the screen of the computer! Designed by Final Sense. Demo | Download

Pink Diva

A simple and "oh-so-girly" theme from Fresh Blogger Templates Demo | Download

Voodoo

A cute, yet arguably sinister theme by SuckMyLolly. Demo | Download

Super Custom

My latest template is probably the most customizable Blogger XML template yet! Users can change almost all background and font colors for each section using the Fonts and Colors interface, and do not need to hack the template code! This is optimized for ads with a wide sidebar which can include two 125px square ads side by side, and since there are no images used in this template, you can be sure it will load super fast! Demo | Download (XML file)

I do hope you have enjoyed reading this article as much as I have enjoyed researching it! I would love to know of your favorite templates from this list, or of any other sites you know of which offer Blogger XML templates, so please feel free to leave your comments and opinions below.

"My Valentine" - A new Blogger template available for download

2008-02-04T20:11:00.001Z

Demo

It's been quite a while since I last uploaded a Blogger template for you all, so in the spirit of the season, I have created a feminine Valentine themed template, "My Valentine". You can see a screenshot of this new template to the right.

This is an XML based template for layouts blogs, and is fully widget ready.

In contrast to some of my previous templates, you do not need to edit the HTML at all to configure the template for your particular blog. There are a couple of optional widgets, most notably the stylized MyBlogLog Recent Readers widget and the Flickr Photostream widget. These are optional widgets, rather than built in to the template. The styling code is already present of you do choose to use them, but if you prefer not to, the template will still work absolutely fine!

You can preview the My Valentine template, or read on for download instructions.

Download the My Valentine template

You can download this template as a zipped folder, which contains the XML file, plus all related images and scripts for this template below: Download My Valentine Blogger Template (Zip File) Once you have downloaded this file, unzip the folder and save all files to your computer.

Installing the XML file

To install the XML template to your blog, you need to go to Template>Edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard. Click on the "Browse" button near the top of the page, and locate the my_valentine.xml file which you have saved to your computer. Then click on the "upload" button. This will upload your new theme to your blog.

Upload the HTML code (alternative upload method)

If you prefer, you can upload this template using only the HTML code. For this method, you should go to Template>Edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard. Highlight all of the code in the code box (key CTRL+A as a shortcut). Then copy all of the code from on this page to your clipboard (CTRL+C). HTML code for My Valentine Template Finally, go back to your Blogger dashboard, and paste this entire section of code into the Edit HTML box, replacing the code which is highlighted (CTRL+V). Now you can preview your template to see how the Valentine template will appear in your blog. If you like this, you can then save your template.

Features of this template:

Comment and labels icons beneath blog posts You can easily see how many comments each post has due to the comment icons and display directly beneath each post. This link will take you directly to the comment section of the post, even if you are reading on the home page. The label icon (a small folder) will display next to the labels you have used for each post. If you do not add a label to a particular post, this icon will not display. Calendar Widget To configure the calendar widget for your blog, you must change the date format in your settings. Simply go to Settings>Formatting in your Blogger dashboard and change the date format to YYYY-MM-DD. This enables your calendar widget to be properly displayed. Adsense/Description widget in header The pink rounded box in the header has been optimized to include an Adsense banner no wider than 234px, though you could just as easily add a description, link list or even an image of you prefer! Navigation bar To configure your own links, you need to add links to the Link List widget which is housed just under the header section. Your links will then display inline as in this demonstration template. Most users would like these links to include their Home, About and Contact pages, for example. Recent readers widget You can choose to include a stylized "MyBlogLog recent readers" widget in your sidebar. There are two methods you could use to do this:

Copy the following section of code, changing the MyBlogLog id number (highlighted in red) to your own ID number instead. Then paste this into the content area for the widget:
<script src="http://pub.mybloglog.com/comm2.php?mblID=2007110415055475&c_width=270&c_sn_opt=n&c_rows=4&c_img_size=f&c_heading_text=Recent+Readers&c_color_heading_bg=ffffff&c_color_heading=ffffff&c_color_link_bg=FFFFFF&c_color_link=cd0000&c_color_bottom_bg=ffffff" type="text/javascript"></script>
You can find your MyBlogLog ID by logging into MyBlogLog. Choose to create a new widget (though you won't actually need to create one for this method), and scroll down to the "Top Links Code" section. YOu will see your MyBlogLog ID# in the code box, as highlighted in red below: Simply copy your own MyBlogLog ID number, and replace the code in red (above) with your own number.
Alternatively, you can create your own Recent Readers widget by logging in to MyBlogLog, so you can simply copy and paste the relevent code into your HTML/Javascript widget. For the style of the widget featured here, I used white for all color options except for c_color_link which is red. For best results, choose your widget to be no wider than 280px, do not use image names, and choose for avatars to be "half size". Using these options will ensure your widget displays the same as it does in this demonstration template, though of course you are free to choose whichever color schemes you prefer!

Flickr Photostream Widget I finally figured out how to achieve this, which is a feature I've noticed in so many great Wordpress templates recently. Due to the DIV enclosure and the stylized background image, it would be better for you to simply modify the code I used than to create your own. Assuming you already have an account at Flickr, you will need to find your Flickr user ID. The easiest way is to use idGettr, a free service which extracts your user ID (or group ID) based on the URL of your photostream on the Flickr site. Once you have your Flickr user ID, copy the code below and change the ID in red to match that of your own user ID:

<div id="flickr_stream"><table id="flickr_badge_uber_wrapper" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10"><tr><td><table border="0" id="flickr_badge_wrapper" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="10"> <tr> <script src="http://www.flickr.com/badge_code_v2.gne?count=9&display=latest&size=s&layout=h&source=user&user=8131003%40N03" type="text/javascript"></script> </tr> </table> </td></tr></table></div>

Then paste this entire section of code into an HTML/Javascript widget in your footer. The code is already configured to display 8 images as square thumbs with the background you see in this demonstration template. Image and Script hosting All images and scripts are hosted by Blogger Buster, so you do not need to upload or host them yourself. However if you do choose to do so, all images and scripts used in this template are contained in the Zip folder download. To host these yourself, you will need to upload these to your own server and change the URLs in the template to match those where the images and scripts are hosted on your servers. Copyright notice This theme is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. This means you can download and use this template for free, for any purpose, and modify this however you choose. While you are free to remove the credit link in the footer, I would appreciate it if you would retain the author details which are contained in the source code. Please do not redistribute this template without providing a link to the original author!

Please do let me know your opinions of this new template by leaving your comments below.

Another spooky template for Halloween

2007-10-29T17:52:00.002Z

Here's another "spooky" Blogger template for you to download: "Lament", which is inspired by the infamous puzzle box of the Hellraiser series...

This one wasn't strictly designed as a "seasonal" template, as I prefer to create templates which could be used year round. Instead, Lament features an elegant, yet sinister theme, and also includes many of the new features I've been working on lately, such as the calendar widget and footer columns.

The "Lament" template features:

Web 2.0 style layout, with divided sidebar column and three footer columns for extra content
Customized header background
Favicon to match theme
"Post-options" and "Related posts" on post pages
Stylized calendar widget

You can take a look at the Lament Template demonstration blog to see this template in action.Please do take a look at the post pages to see how the post footer sections work too.

Download this template

You can download the XML file for this template below:

Download the "Lament" Template (Zip folder)

This download contains the XML file for you to upload to your blog, plus a help file and all images that are used in the template.

All images for this template are hosted by Blogger Buster, though if you prefer to have control over these images you can upload these to your own image host and edit the template accordingly.

Template code

Alternatively, you can copy the template code below and paste this into the Edit HTML area in your Blogger dashboard:

The calendar widget
This widget parses your date header to display the calendar icon. To ensure this works properly, you will need to change the settings for your date-header format in the Settings>Formatting section of your Blogger dashboard. The date header needs to be in yyyy-mm-dd format, like the example below: It is only necessary to change this one setting, then everything else in this template should work just fine!

Using this template

This template is free to use, and you may customize the template in any way you wish. However, I do ask that the author details remain in the template itself, and that you do not redistribute this template without a link back to Blogger Buster. A link back to Blogger Buster is always appreciated!

"Halloween themed template" available

2007-10-27T17:12:00.000+01:00

As it's Halloween just around the corner, I quickly whipped up a seasonal template for you to enjoy. The "Halloween Skulls" template (featured on the right) is the first of two spooky themed templates, which is available for download now. Read on for more information and to download this new template.

The "Halloween Skulls" template features:

Three column design
Sinister header and background image
Icons beside sidebar titles
Skull post dividers
Three columns in the post footer for extra content space (widget ready)
AddThis bookmarks at the end of each post, styled to match the theme of the template

This was quite a rushed template (as someone kindly reminded me that I ought to create a seasonal template), but I do have another in the pipeline which is based on Lemarchand's box (from the Hellraiser series of films) which will be a more colorful template if this is what you prefer.

You can preview this template in action on the "Halloween Skulls" demonstration blog.

Please use the link below to download this template in Zip file format. This file includes the XML file for you to upload to your blog, plus all of the images used in the blog in case you would like to host them on your own servers.

Download Halloween Skulls template here

All images used in this template are hosted by Blogger Buster in case you are unable (or prefer not) to upload these to your own hosting account.

Please let me know what you think of this template by leaving your comments and opinions below.

Technorati Tags: halloween | template | blogger | layouts | spooky

How to install a new template using the HTML code

2007-10-23T17:05:00.001+01:00

The Blogger templates offered here are now available in either XML or "template code" format in the Templates section of this site. To learn how to install the XML templates, take a look at this tutorial which explains the process in detail. For those who prefer to copy and paste the code for new templates, here are some tips to help make the process easier.

The template code for each template can be found on the download page in the "templates" section of this site inside a scrolling "iframe" section. To use this, you will need to paste the entire section of code into the Edit HTML section in your Blogger dashboard, instead of the code which is currently there.

Often readers contact me because they have experienced errors when installing new templates in this way. Usually such errors are caused because a part of the template code has been left out when copying, or because a part of the old template still remains.

The method I use to install the HTML code for new templates prevents the dreaded "your template could not be parsed" error code from appearing by ensuring all of the new template code is copied, and none of the old template remains in the Edit HTML window when the new template is installed. This method uses keyboard shortcuts, which simplifies the process, and is also much faster than other methods too!

How I install template code

Fisrt, make a backup of your existing template in case you decide to revert back to this later on.
When you have decided on the template you would like to install, put your cursor inside the scrolling iframe box which contains the template code (it doesn't matter where, as long as it's inside this box!). Then hold CTRL (or CMD for Mac users) and press A. This should highlight all of the text within the scrolling box. Then while this text is highlighted, key CTRL/CMD + C, which will copy all of the highlighted text to your cliploard
Next, go to Template>Edit HTML in your blogger dashboard. Check the "expand widget templates box" and again, place your cursor inside the box containing your template code.
Once again, key CTRL/CMD + A to highlight all of the text within this box. Then key CTRL/CMD + V. This function will paste the new template from your clipboard over the existing template, which ensures the old template is completely removed.
You can now preview your new template to ensure you like the new appearance before saving it. Using this method, if you decide you don't like the new template, you can simply click the "clear edits" button, and your old template will still be in place.

I hope this method works well for you too. It certainly is worth giving this a try if you have experienced error messages when trying to paste the html code for a new template.

Please feel free to leave your comments and opinions below.

Technorati Tags: blogger+templates | html | cannot+be+parsed

"Cool Blue" Web 2.0 style template available for download

2007-10-22T14:48:00.001+01:00

Here is a pale blue version of the recent Web 2.0 style templates I have created. This version is called "Cool Blue" and features muted blue tones for an eye-pleasing theme suitable for many types of blog. This template also includes many advanced features, such as the three footer columns and calendar widget. You can see the screenshot to the right (click for full-sized preview), or read on for further details and download information.

As the title suggests, this template has a pale blue theme. It features a clean and simple layout, and very few images. Combined with a small javascript, this ensures the blog loads very quickly, and is able to deliver powerful new features which are not available in other templates I have created.

These features include:

Fast page loading time
Themed favicon already in place (see top left of the address bar)
Integrated blog search form
Web 2.0 style logo
Navigation bar (which can be customized to suit your needs)
Calendar widget
Unique wide sidebar layout, featuring a combination of wide and dual narrow columns
Three widgets available in the footer section
Unique post footer sections, which include a "What next" section for email post links, social bookmarking and "add a comment"
Related posts section also in post footer, to link to posts of the same label
Author comment highlighting on post pages
Rounded corners achieved by CSS instead of images

Plus a few other features too!

You can see the template in action on the Cool Blue Web 2.0 Template demonstration blog. Please do take a look at the post pages to see how the post footer sections work too.

Download this template

You can either download the full zip file for this template, which includes the XML template, plus all images and a help file, or copy and paste the code further down this page into the "edit HTML" section of your Blogger dashboard.

Download Cool Blue Web 2.0 Template (Zip folder)

This download contains the XML file for you to upload to your blog, plus a help file and all images that are used in the template.

Template code to copy and paste into the Edit HTML section of your Blogger dashboard:

All images for this template are hosted by Blogger Buster, though if you prefer to have control over these images you can upload these to your own image host and edit the template accordingly.

How to set up this template

This template will work without much modification, though there are two things you may want to change:

The calendar widget
This widget parses your date header to display the calendar icon. To ensure this works properly, you will need to change the settings for your date-header format in the Settings>Formatting section of your Blogger dashboard. The date header needs to be in yyyy-mm-dd format, like the example below: It is only necessary to change this one setting, then everything else in this template should work just fine!
The navigation bar
This is set up to feature links to your blog's home page (Home), an "about" page (About) and a contact page or link (Contact). In the default installation, I have been able to set up the "Home" link which points to your blog's front page. However, you will need to set up links to your About and Contact pages manually. You can also choose to change these links or add more links as required.

The navigation bar is highlighted with comments in the template, and looks like this:


<div style='height: 40px; padding: 10px 0 0 0; margin: 3px 0 0 0;'>


<a class='nav-section' expr:href='data:blog.url' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>Home</a>


<a class='nav-section' href='#' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>About</a>


<a class='nav-section' href='#' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>Contact</a></div>


Simply change the "#" for the links to point to your own posts/web pages, or copy the link style to create new links instead.

Using this template

Red Web 2.0 style template available for download

2007-10-20T23:45:00.001+01:00

Now there is a red-themed version of the "Girly Web 2.0" template available for download. This template also includes many advanced features, such as the three footer columns and calendar widget. You can see the screenshot to the right (click for full-sized preview), or read on for further details and download information.

As the title suggests, this template has a red and silver theme. It features a clean and simple layout, and very few images. Combined with a small javascript, this ensures the blog loads very quickly, and is able to deliver powerful new features which are not available in other templates I have created.

These features include:

Fast page loading time
Themed favicon already in place (see top left of the address bar)
Integrated blog search form
Web 2.0 style logo
Navigation bar (which can be customized to suit your needs)
Calendar widget
Unique wide sidebar layout, featuring a combination of wide and dual narrow columns
Three widgets available in the footer section
Unique post footer sections, which include a "What next" section for email post links, social bookmarking and "add a comment"
Related posts section also in post footer, to link to posts of the same label
Author comment highlighting on post pages
Rounded corners achieved by CSS instead of images

Plus a few other features too!

You can see the template in action on the Red/Silver Web 2.0 Template demonstration blog. Please do take a look at the post pages to see how the post footer sections work too.

Download this template

Download Red/Silver Web 2.0 Template (Zip folder)

This download contains the XML file for you to upload to your blog, plus a help file and all images that are used in the template.

Template code to copy and paste into the Edit HTML section of your Blogger dashboard:

All images for this template are hosted by Blogger Buster, though if you prefer to have control over these images you can upload these to your own image host and edit the template accordingly.

How to set up this template

This template will work without much modification, though there are two things you may want to change:

The calendar widget
This widget parses your date header to display the calendar icon. To ensure this works properly, you will need to change the settings for your date-header format in the Settings>Formatting section of your Blogger dashboard. The date header needs to be in yyyy-mm-dd format, like the example below: It is only necessary to change this one setting, then everything else in this template should work just fine!
The navigation bar
This is set up to feature links to your blog's home page (Home), an "about" page (About) and a contact page or link (Contact). In the default installation, I have been able to set up the "Home" link which points to your blog's front page. However, you will need to set up links to your About and Contact pages manually. You can also choose to change these links or add more links as required.

The navigation bar is highlighted with comments in the template, and looks like this:


<div style='height: 40px; padding: 10px 0 0 0; margin: 3px 0 0 0;'>


<a class='nav-section' expr:href='data:blog.url' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>Home</a>


<a class='nav-section' href='#' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>About</a>


<a class='nav-section' href='#' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>Contact</a></div>


Simply change the "#" for the links to point to your own posts/web pages, or copy the link style to create new links instead.

Using this template

"Girly Web 2.0 " style template available for download

2007-10-13T12:34:00.001+01:00

I have just finished work on a new girly template which has a simple "Web 2.0" style, but also includes many advanced features you won't find on other Blogger templates. The screenshot of this template is on the right, and you can read on for full details and download information.

As the title suggests, this template has a feminine pink theme (don't worry guys, both a blue and dark version are in the pipeline and will be available soon). It features a clean and simple layout, and very few images. Combined with a small javascript, this ensures the blog loads very quickly, and is able to deliver powerful new features which are not available in other templates I have created.

These features include:

Fast page loading time
Themed favicon already in place (see top left of the address bar)
Integrated blog search form
Web 2.0 style logo
Navigation bar (which can be customized to suit your needs)
Calendar widget
Unique wide sidebar layout, featuring a combination of wide and dual narrow columns
Three widgets available in the footer section
Unique post footer sections, which include a "What next" section for email post links, social bookmarking and "add a comment"
Related posts section also in post footer, to link to posts of the same label
Author comment highlighting on post pages
Rounded corners achieved by CSS instead of images

Plus a few other features too!

You can see the template in action on the Girly Web 2.0 Template demonstration blog. Please do take a look at the post pages to see how the post footer sections work too.

Download this template

Download Girly Web 2.0 Template (Zip folder)

This download contains the XML file for you to upload to your blog, plus a help file and all images that are used in the template.

Template code to copy and paste into the Edit HTML section of your Blogger dashboard:

All images for this template are hosted by Blogger Buster, though if you prefer to have control over these images you can upload these to your own image host and edit the template accordingly.

How to set up this template

This template will work without much modification, though there are two things you may want to change:

The calendar widget
This widget parses your date header to display the calendar icon. To ensure this works properly, you will need to change the settings for your date-header format in the Settings>Formatting section of your Blogger dashboard. The date header needs to be in yyyy-mm-dd format, like the example below: It is only necessary to change this one setting, then everything else in this template should work just fine!
The navigation bar
This is set up to feature links to your blog's home page (Home), an "about" page (About) and a contact page or link (Contact). In the default installation, I have been able to set up the "Home" link which points to your blog's front page. However, you will need to set up links to your About and Contact pages manually. You can also choose to change these links or add more links as required.

The navigation bar is highlighted with comments in the template, and looks like this:


<div style='height: 40px; padding: 10px 0 0 0; margin: 3px 0 0 0;'>


<a class='nav-section' expr:href='data:blog.url' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>Home</a>


<a class='nav-section' href='#' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>About</a>


<a class='nav-section' href='#' style='color: #fff; text-decoration: none;'>Contact</a></div>


Simply change the "#" for the links to point to your own posts/web pages, or copy the link style to create new links instead.

Using this template

Download the "Shinobi" template

2007-09-28T10:39:00.000+01:00

Here is a new template I've been working on for a while now: the "Shinobi" (Ninja) template. This template features a unique "Web 2.0" style theme including inline comments. Take a look at the screenshot or preview the blog in action on the Shinobi Template demonstration blog. Read on for more details and to download the XML template.

The Shinobi template features:

Unique theme with rounded corners and ninja-style header.
Inline comments on post pages, so readers can leave their comments without having to leave the page.
Complementary label cloud.

You can download the XML template using the link below:

Download the Shinobi Blogger Template (Zip File)

Included in the zip file are both the XML template and a help file with details of how the template can be installed and configured. If you would also like to copy over your widgets from your existing template, please refer to this post which explains the whole process.

All images used in this template are hosted by Blogger Buster, so you do not need to upload them to your own servers. Feel free to modify this template as you wish. However, I do ask that the credits within the template itself remain intact. Please do not redistribute this template without a link back to the original author!

As always, your comments and opinions are much appreciated!

Technorati Tags: blogger+template | templates | xml | layouts | web+2.0

How I copy widgets from one template to another

2007-09-21T17:31:00.000+01:00

When you choose a new default Blogger template, all of your widgets are copied over to the new template. However, if you try to upload a customized template (such as the ones featured here), you will probably get a message asking if you want to delete most of your existing widgets. I am often asked "how can I copy my widgets over to a new template?", so in this tutorial I will share the method I use to do this quickly and painlessly.

Your blog widgets are saved in your Blogger account, rather than in the actual template of the blog. The widgets are called to your blog by anchors within the template which look like this:

<b:widget id='HTML1' locked='false' title='My Widget Title' type='HTML'/>

As you can see in this example, each widget in your blog is given a unique identity (in this case, "HTML1") and a title, which is the same as the title you provide when you create the widget.

If you upload a template to your blog which contains the same widget identifiers, then the widgets will be called from your account by the template, and will display in your blog as normal. On the other hand, if you upload a template which does not contain the same widget identifiers, you will be prompted to delete widgets from your account.

So to ensure you can maintain your widgets from your existing blog template in your new blog template, we must copy these widgets over to the new template before uploading this to your blog.

The method I use to accomplish this is by using a second "test blog". I have explained all about creating and using a test blog in this post. If you don't already have a test blog available to use, you will need to create one temporarily to help you copy your widget identifiers over to your new template. Once you have created your test blog, here is the method for copying over your widgets from your old template to your new one:

Log in to your Blogger dashboard.
You will need to be able to edit both your existing blog template and your test blog template, so it's advisable to have two browser windows (or tabs) open at the same time. You can easily do this by keying CTRL+N to bring up a new page. So for the moment your Blogger dashboard will be available in both browser windows.
Now, in the first browser window, select your test blog and go to Template>Edit HTML. Click on the "Upload New Template" link near the top of the page and upload the new XML template you wish to adapt for your main blog. Once this template has uploaded, deselect the "expand widget templates" box.
In the second browser window, select your existing blog template and again go to Template>Edit HTML. Do NOT check the "expand widget templates box", as this will make things much easier for you. Now, locate the widget content identifiers in your template sidebar. Most likely, the section will look something like this: The code featured inside the red box displays the identifying code for your widgets, which calls the widgets to appear in your blog. You need to copy all of these <b:widget...> sections to yout clipboard, or paste into Notepad for easy editing in a few moments.
Once you have copied the widget identifiers from your old template, go back to the browser window in which you can edit your new template.
Find this section in your blog template:
<div id='sidebar-wrapper'>
<b:section class='sidebar' id='sidebar' preferred='yes'>
There may or may not be content here... </b:section>
</div>
If there are any widgets defined here, it is advisable to delete them. Otherwise you may end up with duplicated widgets. Then in their place, paste the widget codes from your old template:
<div id='sidebar-wrapper'>
<b:section class='sidebar' id='sidebar' preferred='yes'>
Paste the widget identifiers here </b:section>
</div>

If there are no widgets present in the sidebar of your new template, the code may look like this instead:
<div id='sidebar-wrapper'>
<b:section class='sidebar' id='sidebar' preferred='yes'/>
</div>
In this case, you should delete the trailing slash from the end of the line (highlighted in red). Make a line break then paste your widget content as before. Then finally create another line break and add the following line:
</b:section>
The finished result should look something like this:
IMPORTANT! Do not preview your template at all during this process! If you do, you run the risk of duplicating the widgets which will cause you many problems. This seems to be a glitch on Blogger's behalf rather than an error of this method. In any case, do not preview the template.
At this point, you should save the test blog template, after which you can view your blog in the normal manner. You will notice that no widget content is actually showing, only the widget titles. This is perfectly normal: as I mentioned earlier, the widget content is stored in the settings for your original blog.
Okay, now we have copied over the widgets, we can download the XML template ready to transfer over to the original blog. To do this, go to Template>Edit HTML and select "Download full template" near the top of the page. Save the template to your computer with a name you can easily identify.
Now back to the other browser window where you should have the Edit HTML page for your original blog still on the page. Here you should look for the "upload new template" section near the top of the page. Browse for the template you just downloaded from your test blog and upload it. You should NOT receive any error messages, like this: If you do see such error messages, take note of the widgets the template wants to delete, then choose to cancel the process. You should then copy the appropriate widgets from the old template into the new template in your test blog (as before), save the template and attempt to upload it again.
If you receive no error messages, your template will be saved, and you can now view your new blog template with all your old widgets still in place. You can then move the widgets around however you wish in the Layouts section of your dashboard.

I hope this tutorial helps you easily copy your widgets from your old template to your new one. Please leave your comments and opinions below, and feel free to contact me if you have any problems doing this in your own blogs.

Technorati Tags: widgets | templates | copy+over | test+blog>

Tic Tac Green Three Column Template

2007-09-15T21:24:00.001+01:00

Sorry for the delay in getting this template ready for download! Here is a screenshot of the modified Tic Tac green template for your perusal:

You can download the XML file for this template using the link below (this is contained within a zip file which you can save to your computer):

Download three column Tic Tac (green) template

All images are hosted by Blogger Buster so you do not need to upload them to your own servers. Feel free to modify this template as you wish; however I do ask that the author credits remain intact within the template. Please do not redistribute this template without a link back to Blogger Buster!

For loads more free Blogger template downloads, be sure to visit the Blogger Templates section.

Technorati Tags: blogger+templates | tic+tac | three+column | template | green

Tic Tac Three Column Template (Blue) available to download

2007-09-12T19:39:00.000+01:00

As requested by a few people now, I have modified the Tic Tac Blue template to add a second sidebar. Here is a screenshot for you:

You can see a demonstration of this template in the Tic-Tac Three column demonstration blog.

You can download this template using the link below. This is a zip file which contains the XML file for this template.

Download Three Column Tic Tac template (blue)

To use this in your blog, you should extract the XML file from the zip folder and save it to your computer. Then go to your Blogger dashboard, and click on Template>Edit HTML. Near the top of this page you will see a link where you can upload a new template from a location on your computer. Browse for the saved template file and click "upload". This will then install your new template in place of the old one.

All the images used in this template are hosted by Blogger Buster. You do not need to upload them to your own hosting providers.

You are free to modify this template as you wish, however I do ask that the author credits within the template itself remain in place. Please do not redistribute this template without a link back to Blogger Buster!

Very soon I will also be uploading the "green" version of the Tic Tac template available for download, along with widened versions of both the blue and green templates (which feature more space for blog posts).

Please leave your comments and suggestions below.

Technorati Tags: templates | xml | tic+tac | three+column

"Gourmet Menu" themed template available for download

2007-09-04T23:27:00.000+01:00

I have just finished work on a rather interesting template called "Gourmet Menu", which you can see as a screenshot below:

This is a food themed template, featuring a complementary label cloud and customizable fonts. You can preview this template in action on the Gourmet Menu Demonstration Blog. All images are hosted by Blogger Buster, so you only need to install the XML template.

You can download the Gourmet Menu template using the link below. This download is a zip file, which also includes a help file to assist in customizing the template.

Download Gourmet Menu Template here

You are free to modify this template as you wish. However, I do ask that you leave the credits intact within the XML template. Please do not redistribute this template without credit to the original author. A link back to Blogger Buster is always appreciated!

For more free Blogger templates, be sure to visit the Blogger Templates section of this site.

Technorati Tags: blogger+templates | downloads | food+theme