Here's something stripey and telephoney. I like both! It's quite cute and retro.

click for a live preview

The design works with "new" blogger - ie: it's an XML template. Please ensure that you backup your widget data, as installing a new template will wipe/erase your current widget content. The telephone photograph is by Alexander O'Neill on flickr.com.

Here's a cute design with the retro woman fixed into position (bottom left corner). If you have a super narrow screen resolution then it might look too squashed, but test it out for yourselves with the below testing blog...

(click for a live preview)

This is a XML version of this "classic" template - you may notice that the newer version is a little wider (this is a good thing) and a few minor changes. I have also enabled the background colour (grey by default) to be changeable. So now you can have whatever colour you want, very easily!

ALSO - regarding the HEADER IMAGE:
NO, your blog title/description will NOT show up. This is because I have switched that option "off" so they will not display.


"WHY did you make this design like this?"
Two reasons really - one: you can edit this header image if you want - remove the "Open All Night, Open All Day" text and put your own thing in (you can use any graphics editor to put your own text onto this banner and there are waaaay more font choices than the silly old internet can handle. DaFont: droolworthy!) and two: I just thought it would be more interesting - and things are definitely better when they're more interesting ;-)

"I don't want to edit my own header image! Can you please let me know how to make my title & description come through from Blogger?"
No. There is no way that your blog title and description is going to come through (and actually "fit" in the correct bit), so bad luck.

"What graphics program can I use to edit this image?"
I have Photoshop CS, but you can use any graphics program that allows you to open/edit a JPEG or GIF - which should be pretty much any graphics program.

"Ok, I made my own banner, now what?"
Now you'll have to upload it to some hosting on the internet. I host my files on photobucket.com (a free image hosting service) but there are more options out there.
Upload the file to the internet, then find the URL of the image.

Next, go to the "Layout" >> "Edit HTML" section of your blog.
You will need to replace the original header image - seen on this page - to be your own.

Scroll down until you find the following image path:
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa231/free_blogger/HeaderOpen.gif

hint: it's under this bit
/* ---( header and site name )--- */

.....and replace with the image path of your new title. Viola!

I plan on making a similar template but with a customiseable header image. I love the background on this one! So cute! (created by me with the help of 60s Chic & Tack-O-Ding dingbat fonts!).

Please note that I have made my own header image and installed it under LAYOUT > PAGE ELEMENTS. You can do this too - as long as the header image has a background colour of white (to be seamless!) and is 720 pixels wide. Height isn't as important as width, so it doesn't matter how high. This design will come with a plain text header by default.

Make sure that you select the following if you want to replace your header with an image:

This is what I did (thinking it would be easier than replacing the image path in the code as I have been instructing in my recent designs - the jury's out - I think I prefer the other way as it allows you to be more precise and specific).

'tis cute though!

The sidebar alignment is weird in IE6 and before - so this is recommended for those of you with IE7 - and of COURSE it looks fantastico in FF, Opera & Safari :P - if you're using IE6 and before then I may have to seriously question your sanity!

The background colour is changeable from the "Edit Colours/Fonts" area - note the cute scissors border on the side widget thingy. So cute!

ps* the inner background purple colour is #A186BE - for all those of you who want widgets to blend in seamlessly.

As I have just discovered, if you drink a hot cocoa and look at this design a lot, you may go into some kind of delicious sugar coma like I am right now. *sigh* I just love sweeties so much.

I think pictures of old fashion can be really amusing, so saying that, here's a design that's quite funky and uses some old pics of collar styles. Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's very "me" (meaning you'd be hard-pressed to find a template like this one). Perhaps I should do more "classic-ish" templates, but that's not the way my mind works most of the time.

This is a re-doing of this design (classic), slightly altered - a bit funkier than the original and this time, your heading and description is visible. Looks best with the grey Blogger nav bar.