Designed by Lara

My Birthday Sale!!!

OK, March is my birthday month…I was thinking…why get down in the dumps about being another year older??? I want to celebrate the business and creativity gifts God has given me with a HUGE sale! Below are several codes that can be used depending on what you are looking for. ENJOY!

Note: All offers expire March 8, 2010 @ 11:59 pm EST…ALSO… images may not be included depending on what is ordered. Contact me if you have any questions.

Custom Personal Blog Design 25% off

CODE: BDBlog

Click link (http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=42) to see Custom PERSONAL blog Options.

Business Blog Designs 20% off

CODE: BDbizBlog

Click link (http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=51) to see Custom BUSINESS blog Options.

Branding Logo Design 15% off

CODE: BDBrandingLogo

Click link (http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=21) to see Branding LOGO Options.

CUSTOM Boutique Designs 20% off

CODE: BDboutiques

Click link (http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=45) to see Custom Boutique Design Options.

Premade template sale (all premades from blogs to boutiques) 25% off

CODE: BDpremades

Click link (http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=40) to see Premade BLOGGER Templates.

Click link (http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=41) to see Premade WORDPRESS Templates.

Click link (http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=44) to see Premade OOAK Boutique Templates. (cart not included…and you do NOT have to use our cart)

Click link (http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=43) to see Premade LIMITED EDITION Boutique Templates. (cart not included…and you do NOT have to use our cart)

EVERYTHING Else! 10% off

CODE: BDgeneral

Browse our whole shop: http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/

So, what you want is not listed above? No worries….All other offerings at Designed by Lara are 10% off with code EVEN if they are ON SALE!!!

ENJOY!!!!

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How To: Set Page Order for Wordpress

Wordpress has so many awesome features. I will be doing a tutorial series on How To’s for Wordpress. Our first one will be how to set your page order.

Setting Page Order for Wordpress Navigation Quick Edit

This is great if you have several pages that are not ordered and you want to set the order up quickly.

Step One: Go to wp-admin–>pages (this is located on right sidebar of your Wordpress admin.)

Step Two: Decide order. Jot it down on piece of paper for easy viewing.

Step Three: Click on “Quick Edit” for each page one at a time, starting with page that will be number 1.

Step Four: After you click “quick edit,” you will notice information the drops down about that particular page. On the right side, you will see “order.” Type the number 1 in the box.

Step Five: Click blue “update page” button.

Repeat for remaining pages.

Setting Page Order for Wordpress As Page is Created

This is for when you create a page from scratch and you want to set the page order. You can also go to a current page and edit it. However, the quick edit option above is easier for that.

Step One: Go to wp-admin–>pages–> ad new (this is located on right sidebar of your Wordpress admin.)

Step Two: Set up page title, content, etc.

Step Three: On the right side of the blank and ready to be created page you will see “attributes.” Under it you will see; parent, template, order, etc. Put the number the page will be in the “order” box.

Step Four: Click blue “publish” button.

Repeat for future page creations.

I hope this how to article for Wordpress is helpful to you! If you have any tutorial requests for Wordpress, please contact me here!

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WIN a Blog Design!

I want to kick off the new year with a blog design contest!

Who: Anyone who participates

What:

Runner Up (2) –> $25 design credit

First Prize (1) –> $50 design credit

Grand Prize (1) –> Custom blog design with logo design, contact form, socials, twitter and seo plug ins, matching twitter design, signature and a matching 125×125 button. IMAGES NOT INCLUDED. You will need to provide images. Value if purchases from our shop: $700+

When: 1/15/10 through 1/31/10 Winners will be announced the first week of February on this blog.

How: All you need to do is reply to this post with 3 reasons why YOU should win.

For additional entries do any or all of the following.

YOU MUST REPLY SEPARATELY for EACH task you do below or it will NOT be counted as an entry.

Tweet about this contest using the following: WIN a blog and logo design #DBLwinn http://designedbylara.com/2010/01/15/win-a-blog-design/ This counts for 1 entry for EACH tweet. Make sure you reply that you tweeted in a separate comment!
Post about contest on your blog and share what you like from our portfolio. Link to contest and home page required. 10 additional entries for this task. (if you have more than one blog post for even more!)
Put a button on sidebar of your site linked to our home page or shop page. 5 additional entries for this task.
Join our affiliate program. 3 additional entries for this task.

Note: winner is subject to our design schedule and is responsible for providing image(s). Our policies are still in effect as well.

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STILL Time for TAX Write Offs!!!!

Buy a COMPLETE site ready to go:
http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=46

OR go for a new custom blog design! Our BOGOF blog designs are running until 12/31/09 @ 11:59 pm. Buy one for you and a friend…OR…go in half and half. STILL Buy one get one FREE of equal …or lesser value!!! ->
http://www.designedbylara.com/shop/catalog.php?category=42

Mention this blog post and get a freebie with ANY Designed by Lara purchase! Value of freebie will depend on what is purchased. However, EVERY purchase gets a FREEBIE…even sale items!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

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Use a Social Plug In to Increase Blog Traffic

I love Wordpress. One of the many reasons is their huge amount of plug in choices. One of my absolute favorite ones is the Sociable Plug In. You can pick it up here: (yoast.com/wordpress/sociable/)

What does it do?

Well, it allows you to add an array of social bookmark buttons at the bottom of your posts. It is very user friendly as well. With a few clicks of the mouse you can choose out of the many ones they offer what socials you want to appear in the footer of your posts. You may even choose the order in which they appear and whether or not you want them on your pages as well.

I suggest you go with their css styling option, unless of course you want to invest the time to style it yourself! LOL. If you leave it at the default setting, it lays it out vertically instead of horizontally. Their styling also offers a nice roll over affect. You can see it in action at the footer of this post and all the posts on my site.

To get it to look like it does at the end of my posts, once it is installed,go to: settings->Sociable-> then click on box next to “Use the sociable style sheet?”

What’s all the Fuss about Social Bookmarking?

Well, quite simply, it allows for readers to favorite a post made by you and for them to find a popular posts. If you write posts with valuable information, you will get more traffic. The Sociable plug in simply makes it easier for readers to give you the kudos you deserve!

Another positive about Social Bookmarking, and by far the best reason, is the one way back links it gives you. It is also an easy way to gain steady traffic.

Next Step

If you have not dove into the world of social bookmarking yet, start signing now!

sign up for a few social bookmarking sites like; digg, delicious, reddit, facebook and twitter.
Get the Sociable plug in
Visit sites with good content, bookmark them
Leave comments
Oh, and fav your own stuff!

Soon you will be a Social media guru!

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Why Have a Boutique?

Do you really need a boutique or store? Yes! Sure, you can go with mass market “hosts” like esty. However, if you really want to brand yourself and are serious about your business, your own store is the best option for you. People will see that you are serious and not just another part time wannabe business person.

Having your own store does not cost as much as you think and can be very easy to run!

All you need is…

a professional looking logo and store design
a place to host your store
products to sell

I can help with all three.

Professional Logo. This is your mark. When visitors come to your boutique, your logo is what they will see first. It will help them associate you with what you offer. A good logo is a must!

Host.DBL offers a great Ecomm Cart. From what I can see they are affordable and priced competitively. However, there are many options out there. Drop me a line and I can send you a few links.

Products to sell. This is where you come in. You will need products. Adding them is simple, and I can show you how to do that!

Well, there you go. A boutique can really make a difference and I can help get you going. Just ask for Snap!

Ta for now,
Snap

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Tutorial: How to Upgrade Wordpress

Upgrading your Wordpress blog may seem like a daunting task. However, if you follow these simple steps, you should have no problems at all.

IMPORTANT! Always back up files before messing with technical stuff! NO exceptions. I cannot be held responsible for errors. YOU must back up files.

There are two ways to upgrade your Wordpress blog. One is through the admin section and one through ftp. It really all depends on what version is being used and what method you are most comfortable using.

Before you begin, make sure you back up everything. THEN read ALL directions carefully.

Upgrading Wordpress Through Admin

IMPORTANT! Always back up files before messing with technical stuff! NO exceptions. I cannot be held responsible for errors. YOU must back up files.

If an upgrade is needed, you should see a little notice at the top of your admin dashboard saying something like; WordPress 2.8.1 is available! Please update now. If you do, then do the following:

Step One: click on the link, “Please update now.”

Step Two: click on “upgrade automatically” button (if not there, you are using older Wordpress version and cannot use this method to upgrade, move onto ftp method).

Step Three: Enter information in the provided spaces.

Host Name: this is your url. Example: www.designedbylara.com would be mine.
Username: this is the username for your website’s cPanel, ftp or website back office. NOT your Wordpress log in.
Password: this is the password for your website’s cPanel, ftp or website back office. NOT your Wordpress log in.
Make sure ftp is checked
Click “proceed”

Step Four: wait for upgrade to take place. It may take a few minute. Once complete, it will tel you it was successful…or…

Step Five: If you encountered a problem, do the ftp method instead.

Upgrading Wordpress through FTP

IMPORTANT! Always back up files before messing with technical stuff! NO exceptions. I cannot be held responsible for errors. YOU must back up files.

Step One: download latest version of wordpress through your admin or from main site wordpress.org to your computer.

Step Two: Unzip

Step Three: log into website through favorite ftp software (I use filezilla)

Step Four: on your website side of the ftp, go to where Wordpress files are located (example: yoururl.com/blog), delete the admin and includes folders ON THE BLOG SIDE OF FTP. Do NOT delete the content files.

Step Five: Now, on COMPUTER side of ftp NOT blog side, delete content folder. You are deleting the content folder from the NEW version of Wordpress. NOT what is already on your site. DO NOT touch that at all when doing upgrade. Period.

Step Six: transfer admin and includes folders AND all other files FROM computer side of ftp TO blog side. DO NOT transfer content folder. That should have already been deleted in step 5.

Step Seven: when transfer is complete, log into your wordpress admin.

Step Eight: if it tells you to upgrade database, click “upgrade now.” If it does not, you are good to go.

If you still do not feel comfortable upgrading Wordpress on your own, contact me, and I can do it for a nominal fee.

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Two New Premades for Sale!

We just put up two new premade Wordpress themes up for sale. As always, they are only sold ONCE. Click on each image to see more about that theme and how to purchase.

Electric Beauty – 2 Columns Premade Wordpress Theme

Razzle Dazzle 1 – 3 Columns Premade Wordpress Theme

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New Affiliate Program!

We now offer an affiliate program. It is a great way for clients to make some extra cash promoting our services and spread the love. It is also a great way for blog owners and affiliate marketers to make some extra cash. We offer a two tier program at 20% with awesome bonus opportunities and higher commissions during the holiday season.

For more information on how YOU can make some money helping promote quality web design, click here! OR, just sign up!

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Simply Organic Recipes – FOR SALE!!

This will be your site to do what you want with. You can delete all content and start from scratch or keep the “starter” content there. The only thing you cannot do is claim you wrote the content or remove the designer and hosting credit links.

For more information on Simply Organic Recipes website and what comes with it, CLICK HERE!

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