Howdy ya'll.
Okay, now that that's over. Lolz.
I'm just so excited you guys are here and experiencing my new site design! You maaaay have noticed things are looking a little (or a lot) different around these parts of town. Blondes & Bagels got a major makeover.
Let's talk about why I made such a massive change and take a little tour of all the fun new features of the site!
Inspiration
There came a point in time (about three months ago) when I just stopped writing. And I love to write. The truth is I felt crazy uninspired. My blog is sort of like my bedroom or my living space. I have to love it and want to work in it. I started to look over my website design and felt more and more like it no longer fit my personality and my brand. It was time to reevaluate.
Before even thinking about partnering with a designer and developer, I wanted to make sure I had a clear idea of what I wanted to see out of a new design. I put together this little mood board below, pulling inspirational images from my Tumblr and Pinterest. I love making mood boards! They're an easy, but high impact way to get across a point.
My point? I wanted my new design to feel more edgy, clean, and masculine with just a hint of feminine flair. I'm a tomboy with an appreciation for the perfect handbag. I choose sneakers over heels. I love the color black. When it came time to interview designers I was able to pass off all of my inspiration so that they had a clear idea of what I expected to see out of a design once we got rocking and rolling!
This exercise is also helping me while curating new content. I'm able to filter all my new ideas, photos, videos, and graphics through this branding filter to help me make sure I'm only creating content that feels true to myself!
Slider
Welcome to the homepage slider! This lil' nugget isn't all that different from my old site design. I like to have a post slider up at the top of my blog designs to allow you to find the newest or most popular posts easily without having to dig. I typically have 3-5 posts rotating in this slider at any given time.
Do you prefer to see the most recent posts or the most popular posts? I'm definitely curious so let me know in le comments below!
Currently Loving
Right below the slider I've had my designer enter in a little "Currently Loving" section. Here I'll be able to drop in links to all my fave things I'm loving right now. It ain't all about the clothes! I'll include links to everything from the best eyebrow gel to my favorite noise cancelling headphones. If you follow me on Instagram you'll get a glimpse at all the things I'm loving (and yapping about). This "Currently Loving" space will be a place for you to quickly reference the items I mention - and also see items that are on my wishlist!
Popular Posts
My designer and I felt it was super important to give you guys easy access to all your favorite posts. These are the posts people are loving lately. Maybe you've read them, maybe you haven't - they'll be right here for you to peruse!
Category Boxes
Looking for a topic real quick? I've got you covered. This little category box section highlights my most popular topics in one place. Simply click on the boxes to explore all the posts under that category.
New Post Features
You'll find some exciting new changes to my posts! I've made sure to stick with a big, bold post title as well as a brief description of the post itself. You'll be able to get a good idea if the post is of interest to you thanks to these little previews!
With this new site design I wanted to make sure I was focusing big time on two things I've neglected in the past: travel and making my site shoppable.
My designer and I have added two awesome factors to help add extra umph in these areas.
The first of which is an awesome location tag! I'll now be able to tag the locations of my posts so as to create a more comprehensive travel section. I'm so excited to start writing more travel guides and itineraries.
We've also added the ability to add shopping widgets to the bottom of each post preview. Here you can check out the items featured in the post and get a quick idea of what you're in for!
Shop My Wardrobe
In the spirit of making the site more shoppable, I've also added a small Shop My Wardrobe section at the bottom of the homepage! I'll update the outfits in this little section for you to easily shop my latest looks from both blog posts and Instagram.
Latest Videos
You guys have made it loud and clear on Instagram - you want to see more video content from me! I'm kind of a major goober and I think that level of real really resonates on camera. I'm making a massive effort to create more video content so that you're able to digest my posts in whatever format you love most!
This nifty little Latest Videos section at the bottom of the homepage will be a one stop shop for all my most recent YouTube videos. Make sure to subscribe to my channel and check back here to see what's new!
Updated Travel Page
You guys I am so excited to introduce you to my brand new Travel page! KB and I used to be so good about taking trips and although we've fallen off the bandwagon a bit, I'm super stoked to get back in the saddle and get to traveling!
Get ready for international itineraries, road trips, and fun features. I'm planning on plenty of staycation activities (SF has so many awesome sights I'd love to show you!) and lots of travel in 2018. I can't wait to take you around the world with me!
On this Travel page you'll find all my past travel articles as well as my fave feature of the new site design - my interactive travel map! Simply roll your mouse over the countries and click where you'd like to explore. You'll be redirected to a page filled with all the posts I've written about that part of the world.
Right now all my articles are focused on North America and Europe. I'm hoping to take more international trips soon, but am also excited to say I'm accepting contributors! If you've been to Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe, or South America and have a topic you'd like to pitch - email me for more information!
Let me know what you think of the new site design! Thank you babes for coming on this journey and growing with me - love each and every one of you!
Kelsey, the new design looks AMAZING. I just updated my design recently, but now you make me want to do it all over again! Maybe in a year or so, who knows… is B&B run on WordPress or Squarespace? I have WordPress myself and didn’t even think you could have the different sections (like currently loving, shop my wardrobe, etc.)!
Kendal // Life With Kendal
Aw, Kendal you just made my day! Thanks so much for the compliment on the design!
B&B is run on WordPress, self hosted through BlueHost! What I love most about WordPress is the ability for customization. I’m definitely not that tech savvy – but designers are able to really manipulate the look and feel of your site! So you can TOTALLY add these types of things to your site as well! 🙂
xoxo Kelsey
Kels, this is SO beautiful. It feels so clean and aligned with you and your vision. I am so happy and excited for you!! The map is AMAZING!!!
OMG thank you! Literally sitting here finishing up everything for our day together Saturday! I’m SO EXCITED!!!
Kelsey,
Your blog looks absolutely amazing! I love that you shared with us the entire process and your inspiration. Congratulations!
Darrian | http://www.darrianmichelle.com
Absolutely love the sleek new look, Kelsey! Just wanted to point out: The hover link on “latest videos” (the white text in the black box) directs to another person’s channel.
I love your new site design – it fits your mood board so well! Every update is so fun and helpful for readers – and thank you for sharing the process and idea behind everything!
xoxo, Cecilia // sunnysidececilia.com
Love your new design! I noticed your new outfit posts have the “+” signs to show outfit details– is that part of the design or a separate widget? 🙂
xx, Aditi
ADIMAY.com
Hi Aditi!
That’s actually a rewardstyle widget 🙂