Still my soul be still
And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow

Chorus:
God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone

Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows

Still my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise
As stars appear when day is dimming

Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend

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1. Go to your Main Index PHP and find the following code:
   <?php if (!is_page()): ?><?php ob_start(); ?><img src=”<?php bloginfo(‘template_url’); ?>/images/PostDateIcon.png” width=”17″ height=”18″ alt=”" />
   <?php the_time(__(‘F jS, Y’, ‘kubrick’)) ?><?php }?>
2. After <?php if (!is_page()): ?><?php ob_start(); ?>, add the following:
   <?php if (!is_announcement() ) { ?>
3. This is basically telling the theme not to show up the date if the post is a sticky post listed as an announcement specifically. This is important, because while you can choose “no date” in the WP-Sticky setting, the icon will still appear. I’m sure you could just hide the icon, and put this in front of it instead, then you would still get your little announcement banner underneath the heading without the other icon elements. However, I chose to just have a header with nothing underneath at all, so I used this method.
4. Just one more step. Because Artisteer lists the date as time, you’ll need to change that tiny part as well. This is what you’ll need to do. In that same bit of code you were just working with, change <?php the_time to <?php the_date and you are all set.

Another note on WP-Sticky. You must choose the announcement radio button on the dashboard of the post you want to be at the top of the page. If you just choose sticky, it will remain on the front page, but not necessarily the top.

The second plugin I’d like to highlight today is Custom Post Background. It allows you to add an image behind the text of your post, which is amazingly helpful. If you’ve been trying to do this by implementing a table into your post, you know how frustrating it is! This plugin solves the problem for you sooooo easily.

Below is an example of how I used this plugin to style the sticky post for theSTOCK411.

My client wanted this sticky post to stand out from the others so it looked more like a part of the main design rather than just a post. Of course, because of the information listed, he also needed to be able to edit it on a monthly basis, so just inserting an image into the post by itself was out of the question.

So, I created a background image in a png format that matched the design I created for the rest of the site. I then used the handy plugin to insert it into the post. I did have to do a little styling to the text in order to give the text inside of the image some padding rather than being pushed right up against the sides of the image. To do this, I simply added the following code in the html part of the post editor:

<p style=”text-align: center; padding-top: 20px; padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 10px;”><strong><span style=”color: #ffffff;”>my text was inserted here and then closed with</span></strong></p>

I also made sure to center the three images below the text and add necessary margin space to them so that the entire background image showed up correctly, and so that they were spaced evenly in the post. The nice part about this is that not only do Search Engines pick up all of the text in the post, but you can also easily edit the post as desired without having to create a whole new graphic.

One more thing to remember when using this plugin: You’ll need size your image appropriately in proportion to the amount of text you want to add. the image will only appear as far down as the text goes, so if you don’t have much text your image will look cut off abruptly.

SPECIAL NOTE: if you plan to copy and paste any code from this post, please make sure to do so using a text editor and change the direction of the quotation marks.

Hope this information was helpful, and please comment if you have any additional tips or questions.

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For I consider the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us…Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… -Romans 8:18, 26-29a

What shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:31-35,37

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Other projects I’ve been working on is the logo and branding for a local church (still working on that, and will post pictures once complete.) I also just finished doing the blog redesign for My Skin Concierge, Ava which I like to describe as a Victorian Pink Explosion. It’s the ultimate “girly-girl” site, but why not with a topic like skincare? I still need to do a couple of little things on that one, and Ava will be organizing and structuring her menu items how she wants them when she has time.

I told one of the visitors to this site that I’d work on a matching WP theme, Twitter, and YouTube Channel for them, but after that I’m going to be stopping for a little while so I can get caught up on the rest of life. Thanks for your patience!

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Take care!

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I so enjoyed working with Annie from Annie Kennedy Photography as we helped to give her a presence as she starts her new business venture. Annie has a wonderful eye for photography and a great sense of style, so it was easy to come up with a great design that matches her personality with such great photos to work with as the centerpiece. First, I created her logo design and business card, then I used that logo and the styles used in the card to create a matching blog theme. A few Artisteer/Photoshop tricks used in this blog are the following:

Background Pattern

Artisteer has some tremendous pre-made background designs, but many people don’t think about editing them to create new and unique background patterns. I simply took a screen shot of both an ornate background as well as a grunge background and pulled them into Photoshop to create a completely new style. I first changed the colors to match what I wanted, then I stacked the grunge on top of the ornate and chose a blending option creating an entirely different look. I then cropped the whole image to one small column, and faded it into white at the bottom so that it could be used as a horizontally repeating background image when pulled back into Artisteer.

Glare and Buttons

Because there are so many dark colors and that rough grungy look, I wanted to balance it out with some more feminine touches. I love some of the floral glare that Artisteer has in their pre-made glares. To tie in the buttons to the theme, I again took that image, flipped and scaled it to be used in the bottom corner across the page. I then created individual layers for my buttons making them the same color as the background, but giving them a bevel so they stand out. To see more of the code in adding these to your blog, make sure to check out Blogger Scrapbook and look under the scrolling buttons category.

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Cara has a ton of helpful posts from natural food recipes to DIY, money saving tips on household cleaners, clothing items, and more. Because she has so much information on a variety of topics, we needed to organize her posts clearly by labels then create a horizontal menu with sub-menu items so that people can quickly find the information they need. Part of reorganization meant redoing sidebar items, adding easy social icons and links to the side bar, creating a customized About Me Profile, adding a footer with links, changing some of the side bar items into actual posts, and much more. Now, Cara has a blog that is easy to navigate and displays her message and pictures in a creative and easy to read way.

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Here are some simple tips to help you make your blog or site keep more viewers. (Note: not all of these tips are even used on my own site, but should be.

Content:

• As everyone knows, content is king in the web world, and if people don’t immediately know what your site is about at first glance, you’ve already shot yourself in the foot. Make sure that your title is clearly visible, easy to find and read, and clearly communicates the purpose of your site.
• SEO: Search Engine Optimization is very important.
  
  1. While it’s great to have a beautiful title, make sure to also have text that search engines can read (whether it’s visible to the human eye or not) so that people will be able to find your site.
  2. If you are using Wordpress, I recommend checking out the Platinum SEO Pluggin.
  3. Make sure to put plenty of tags in your posts, but make them applicable to your content and not too random.You want people to come who are really interested in what you have to say or they won’t stay.
• Displaying Ads: Almost everyone wants to display ads, but most blogs are overpowered by them so that not only is it difficult to see what your site is all about, but it also just turns people away.
  
  1. Put only ads on a page that apply to that topic, and limit the number of ads to just a few really targeted ones.
  2. Try creating a separate page for resources that you use or recommend, and create a post or page for each ad telling why it’s worth looking at.
  3. If you are using Google Adsense, make sure to design your ads so that they blend in to your site, but are also in easy to find places (such as before or after posts, or close to your main content in the sidebar).
• Organization: Nobody wants to be fumbling around through your site trying to find that one post they were looking for. Let’s face it, who really cares about looking for a date of a post from a calendar or your archives? They really want to find a specific topic or category. Here are a few simple organization tips for your content.
  
  1. Make an easy to navigate menu that links to your main categories and subcategories.
  2. If you can’t make a menu, make your own menu in a sidebar widget or gadget by simply creating links to these categories and subcategories.
  3. Place the most important info or links toward the top of the page in your sidebars. If you are using a search feature, put it right at the top or in your header. Otherwise it will never get used.
  4. Label your posts very specifically, but with several different words or phrases that mean the same thing. Then, make sure to put a search box at the top of your site so that people can easily search for a word or phrase and find just what they are looking for. Quick Hint: If you want to know how search friendly your site is, do a quick search for a topic you know you wrote about a while back and see how long it takes you to find it.
  5. If you are using a 3 column design, organize your sidebar by the content you are displaying in them. For example, you can use one sidebar for info about you and your site or ways to follow you, and the other for ads and links to other sites.
  6. LESS IS MORE! The more content on a page, the shorter amount of time most people will stay on that page. This is why menus and sub-menus are soooo helpful. The main visible menu shows the main categories, and helps people focus on what direction they want to go in. Once they’ve chosen a basic direction, than you can give them more specific options within that direction.

Design Elements:

• Who doesn’t love a beautiful design?! However, your design should never overpower your content. Your design should direct the reader to the content not only by drawing their attention to it, but also by giving a visual message of what your site is all about.
• Avoid Loud colors or large graphics. Not only do they distract the eye and can overwhelm the senses, but they can also take a long time to download. If you want to use patterns, try to use a repeating pattern for the background so your page loads faster.
• Three column designs are a must if you intend on displaying a lot of widgets or gadgets. No one wants to have to scroll forever.
• Header Design: Try for a clean, uncluttered header that clearly depicts what your site is about, and contains links or buttons to what you really want people to go to.
• Footer Design: Don’t put important content in your footer that is not displayed elsewhere on your site, especially if you are using a blog. Most people don’t make it that far down the page. Footers should be eye friendly, and contain links or items that are either mentioned elsewhere already or are not as important.
• Scrolling Buttons: These are great for items you don’t want people to miss, and they also give you more room in your main content. Just make sure that they blend in nicely with your theme and don’t detract or distract from the main thing. A back-to-top button is also a great way to help people quickly get back to the header without having to scroll a long time.

To wrap it all up, here are a few questions to see if your site is welcoming and easy to navigate.

• Can someone tell what my site is about within seconds of viewing it?
• Does my theme compliment my site or detract from it?
• Does my theme match the message of my site?
• Can people easily find what they are looking for on my site?
• Are people directed to what I want them to look at immediately on my site?
• Do people see my content first or annoying ads first on my site?
• Do people ever see the ads on my site and do they compliment the content that they just read?

Those were just a few simple tips, and there are a ton more. Please leave a comment if you have other tips to add, or if you have a question. Also, let me know if you are interested in a customized Wordpress or Blogger theme design.

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Simply print, cut out the graphics along the edges, and hole punch as necessary. Note: I’ve included two separate versions. One includes text that matches the free prayer journal I’ve made available on this site, and one has no text so that you can add your own as desired. Hint: You can easily open these graphics in a Word Document, add your own text, and print to your own printer if desired. These would be ideal for a special event or as gifts. Each down-loadable graphic pack comes with the following:

• One high resolution cover graphic (dimensions 8.5″ x 6.75″)
• Four high resolution tab insert graphics (dimensions 8.5″ x 5.75″)
• One high resolution binder graphic (dimensions 8.5″ x 1″)

Click this button below if you would like to purchase and download the full text version to match the free prayer journal. After clicking on Buy Now and entering in your payment information, you will be able to download the zip folder containing all of the graphics. You can print these graphics as much as desired, but please do not alter the images in any way.

Binder Graphics Pack With Text Included – $10

Click the button below if you would like to purchase and download the text free version to edit yourself. Again, while you are free to add your own text into the blank fields, please do not edit or alter the image itself in anyway.

Binder Graphics Pack Without Text – $10

Please contact me if you need customized binder graphics for a business or ministry event. I offer exceptional prices and very quick turn around, and would be happy to discuss your graphics needs.

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