guest post + giveaway: moe of five-sixteenths

I'm so excited to introduce to you one of my sponsors, Moe of the Five-Sixteenths blog. I love her blog and her sense of style and I know that you will too.

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1. Tell me about yourself in a few sentences

I am Moe, a twenty something Southern girl who blogs about her post grad life, DIY inspiration, blogging tips, & style over on Five Sixteenths Blog.  About a year ago, I graduated from a small Virginia college, I found a job, I packed up all my bags, & moved in with my best friend.  Now, this year, I am packing up my bags (again!) to set off on a journey up north to join my boyfriend in Indiana.  Life is an adventure & I can't wait to see where it takes me!

2. How did you get into blogging and blog design?

When I was younger, my dad had this program on his computer called Arts & Letters where you could design posters or flyers or banners with a bunch of clipart.  That was my first encounter with 'design'  As I grew up I took a lot of web-based classes over summer enrichment programs with school...then came myspace.  I hate admitting this, but I learned about HTML from MySpace! Then I found blogging & learned about customizing a template.  I'd spend hours cutting, pasting, adding, subtracting, etc.  After about 5 years of designing my own blogs, a friend suggested I give designing for others a try...so I did & it's been so fun :)

3. What's your favorite part about blog design?

My favorite part about blog design is seeing the design come together. Whether its a premade design or a custom design, I love seeing others make the design their own.  I have up in the shop a design called Diagonal Arrow, & it's really not my favorite.  However someone bought it & once it was installed, I really liked it! I try to design & make products in a unique way so that it finds the person it is intended for & they can make it their own.

4. What makes a "good" blog design-- like spacing, colors, etc?

There are very many things that make an overall design well executed but the top three things are:

image quality - use the most of your posting space by making your images fill up that space.  My posting area holds images up to 650 px wide.  The leaves very little white space so that your readers eyes don't wander...also, it makes your picture easier to see :)

use of fonts - a common design rule is to use no more that 2-3 fonts in your design.  I actually found a great resource (here & more here) about pairing fonts.  This example is regarding Google Web Fonts & a lot are already a part of the Blogger Template Designer.  Avoid using cursive fonts in the main content part of your design, it's hard to read!

organization - To me, a blog is like a magazine & when you read a magazine you want to know where to find things.  Make sure you have a link designated as 'home', an about page, an easy way to find your email & social networks, etc.  You want your readers to be able to interact with you so make it easy for them to stay on your blog

I wrote a really simple tutorial here on using some free software (if you don't have fancy software) & online resources here.

5. What's your goals for your blog/ blog design biz/ etc

My goals right now are to build my portfolio.  I really like blog design but I also want to see my whole business take off.  I really want to see my ceramics & jewelry designs be a part of my success too.  I just like having an all around creative business!

6. What are your favorite things to do in the summer?

Oh my goodness, Summer is such a fun time! Although the heat is ridiculous...my favorite summer past times involve water.  I love going to the pool, to the lake, to the amusement parks, etc.  I also just love hanging out with friends and family.  Right now I am trying to get the best out of my last summer here in Virginia for a while.  But I can't wait to make a few memories on the shores of Lake Michigan.

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Moe is graciously giving away a design package from her shop!

One person will win:

- choose one design from this section of the shop

- will receive custom color palette upgrade with two revisions (this listing)

- 4 social network buttons if the design they choose doesn't include any

- Blog button in a square size that matches the design

- installation

here's how to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

xo, erika