A long-time web designer, blogger, mom, traveler, music-lover and free spirit who loves to dance.
I know what it’s like to start a blog with a small budget (or no budget)! Fortunately, I knew web design so I could design my own blog when I started my first blog back in 2010.
That’s when I began to realize that there were lots of bloggers, like you, who had no budget and no idea how to do it, yet they still wanted a beautiful blog. I mean, who doesn’t?
That’s how Design Your Own Blog got started.
I got such positive feedback on the content I was sharing, that my blog quickly gained a lot of subscribers. I wrote an ebook called Blog Beautiful and it sold like crazy.
I created an HTML/CSS course, Crush CSS, and people were amazed at how much practical and applicable content it contained.
Hi there, I’m Marianne Manthey.
I’ve been designing websites since 2001. After learning HTML & CSS in a 6-week class, I got my first job for an e-learning company in Boulder, CO. I learned a lot from that job, but even then, I decided to go back to school for a multimedia degree at the University of Colorado at Denver, where I learned the principles of design and how to use Adobe creative products.
After university, I worked for various corporations in the Denver area for over a decade, gaining more and more design and development skills and experience.
After moving to Costa Rica for 3.5 years working on this blog full time, I returned to the US and settled in Jacksonville, Florida where I started working as a digital marketer and web designer for a real estate company marketing company.
Proof that other people seem to like what I share… 🙂
I’ve been blessed to learn a skill that allows me to create and build the most essential part of any online business: the website.
When I see websites that have a great message or idea but a terrible design, it makes me want to cry for them because i know how first impressions make a huge impact and these small business owners are just getting passed on by. Not because they don’t have a great product or solution, but because their website is turning people away.
Unfortunately, hiring a designer is not feasible for many new business owners, like you, because you may not have the capital to do it.
Today, it’s my sole mission to help you create and design a blog you
love, through tutorials, inspiration and resources… without spending a
whole lotta money.
Sometimes you just don’t want to mess around with DIY. Or maybe you’ve spent too much time on it and you’re still not where you want to be.
That’s ok!
Enter my new service, Nine2Live, where we spend one full virtual day (9am til it’s live!) together to design you a new blog or website that you’ll love, at a price you’ll love even more!
51 Responses
Hi Marianne,
I realized when going back to ALIST that you had this blog. So here I am. I would be
interested in your help and your price list etc. I’ll subscribe and hope to hear from you.
THANK YOU again for all your help on the Forum, Beth Havey Boomer Highway
Hi beth! You should start by checking out my ebook download, I think it will really help you get off to a good start. Then if you have any specific questions, I am always happy to answer them. Currently I’m not really doing any side work but I’m open to working with you if you get really stuck, so let’s see how it goes!
Hi Marianne! Thanks for visiting my blog and sharing my SITS Day…even if it was late. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. Sounds like a nice life, like you love what you do. How cool is that?!
Hi Laurie!
Thanks for coming by! I loved your posts, they were very enlightening and fun to read.
I do love what I do! Just wish I could do it full time! 🙂 All in due time though.
Hi Marianne,
I loved your web design and all your content in it. And I am pretty much getting along with the design works. I also want to go into this field of designing and all the stuffs around related to it. I feel inspired looking at the designs over online and get a feeling that yes i can also do it. So I am on this journey now. And now your content has also inspired me. Hope to know and learn from your end in this field. Anyway Good luck and best wishes to you and your work. Enjoy designing.
https://www.facebook.com/yodesignks
#prabhatks #yodesign
Hi Prabhat, that’s wonderful! Very happy to hear this is something you want to get into and that you’ve found my site to be inspiring! I highly suggest you subscribe using the form at the top of the page to stay up to date on the latest tutorials and my upcoming book on how to create a custom design for your blog.
Okay. I will surely do and I follow your posts and updates. Really Interests me and fascinates me. Thank You for your time. Hoping to get more into it in the coming future.
Hi Marianne,
I just visited your site for the first time and love the way it looks! It feels really inviting and I can’t wait to dig in and learn from you!
Wieske
Thank you so much Wieske, that means a lot!
Marianne~ so grateful I found your blog. My sweet little blog needs some desperate help {such as- why in the world can commentluv only find my comment feed, not the actual most recent post!?… I don’t really know what I’m doing on the technical side of things}. SO, I am excited to look through your ebook. You found a kindred Colorado spirit in me- we live over in Lakewood. 🙂 I’ll probably be visiting back here quite often as I try to get my blog to look the way I dream it too. Thanks so much!
Hi Sarah, we are practically neighbors 🙂 well I hope my ebook and articles help your blog’s design to blossom!
I wish I could answer your issue with Comment Luv but I don’t know too much about that. Have you tried contacting them? They must support I’m sure.
Salam kenal mbak dari Indonesia 😀
Thank you Fajar!
Hi Marianne, nice looking blog. There are lot of things that I can learn from you and your blog. I moving towards my goal that one day I can work comfortably at my home. It not easy for me as a non native English writer to keep writing and I struggle a lot. The only easy way out is to give up but this haven’t come to my mind. I will make my dream to become reality.
Hi Cena! You and I have the same goal. You’re on the right track: don’t give up, keep pushing towards your dreams!
Hello Marianne !
I would like to ask for your help , because I can see other people’s blog that their blog post is shorter while mine has a longer post like you can read the whole blog post while theirs.. you can click the continue reading and I don’t know what html should I put to be able to have a continue reading thing on my blog please help me 🙂 Thank you so much Marianne
Sincerely
Molly
Hi Corinne! It looks like you are on Blogger so here is a pretty quick tutorial on how to do this in Blogger: https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/154172?hl=en Hope it helps and let me know how it goes!
hello, im new with blogging, i recently started a fashion blog mainly for men, and Im still learning about designing my blog to make it myself.
That’s great! I hope you find some useful information here then. Good luck with your new blog!
Marianne, you have such a beautiful “About Marianne” page. Such a precious story about you and your family. I pray you and your family make that move and continue to enjoy life. I too, want to get out of the rat race, and am working hard and steady with my blog and digital products. Thank you for sharing. Kris Manley
Hi Kristine, thank you so much for your sweet words! I so appreciate your prayers and I hope for you to get yourself out of the rat race soon too! Life is too short!
Hi Marianne…so glad I came across your blog and this group on Fb….I am in so need of skills in this area. I am not very techy and find the design stuff of blogging VERY frustrating, some days that part of it really wants to make me just quit. I have hired some of it out, but was not so happy with the results…Looking forward to connecting ,engaging and learning more…
Best to you,
Valerie
Hi Valerie I am so glad you found me then! I am happy to help where I can, just let me know if you’re looking for anything specific at any time, k?
Hi,Marianne!
Thanks,It’s Really cool… 🙂
Hi Marianne! I am a beginners beginner so bare with me please! You offer themes, logos, & fonts for websites that have already been built? This means one would have to already be tech savvy right?
Hi Alicia
I don’t currently offer themes, logos or fonts myself but I do suggest ones by other designers and have some favorite resources to go to that I mention in my posts and tutorials. I try to make all of my posts for the non-tech savvy user, but would love to hear from you if you feel that you don’t understand any of my posts.
Thanks for coming by!
Hi Marianne,
Thank you for your inspiration, now I can do a little bit of web design, just bought a new theme and change it here and there.
Cheers,
Kristina
Oh that is so awesome Kristina, I am so happy to hear it! Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Move to Costa Rica? Oh fun! My dream is to have a small home somewhere in the French Riveria and run a little cafe… and listen to French music, drink coffee and read amazing books. J’adore tout les choses francais. (Did I write that correctly?)
Oh Suzi, you’re speaking my language, ha! Your dream sounds amazing, I’d love to end up in France one day, but I have to convince my husband first. For now, we at least agreed on the beach! Yes I believe you did write that correctly btw 🙂
Just stopping thru to say hi!
Hey babe! 🙂
Hi, Marianne,
I found your website while looking for web designers. I designed a Blogger blog four years ago for nine women Photographers to collaborate. It is called Focusing on Life and we not only focus on photography but other subjects of interest to women. I designed our blog as it is currently but we are wanting to do an update. I know how to do some of the things we want to do but others I am having problems with. Do you have a service where you assist people by helping them in certain problem areas? For example, some of the things I’m trying to do require HTML changes and I’m not by any means an expert in that area. We could discuss this further if this is a service that you offer. Thanks for your consideration.
Hi Terri. I am about to start offering some custom services, but have not yet gotten into structuring packages. I would love to hear what you have in mind and see how I can help. Feel free to send me a message via my contact page and I’ll be sure to reply as soon as possible.
Hi Marianne love the site! I was signed up on your Facebook page and now looks like i was kicked off. If I was kicked off do you now why? I am trying to build up my site and found your site very helpful.
Hi Marcie, first of all, sorry that I’m just now seeing your comment, for some reason it was sitting in my spam folder 🙁 As far as the group, not sure what happened there. If you’d like to rejoin, go ahead and request in again!
Hi Marianne! I’m so glad I found this group! I’m just getting started. Thanks for the add to the FB group!
Thanks for joining Melissa! Welcome and I hope you find it very useful! 🙂
Hi Marianne,
Thanks for the informative content.
Regards,
Gayyemko
Hi! I was trying to email you. What is your email?
Hi Nadia, you can send me a message via the contact form here: https://designyourownblog.com/contact/ 🙂
Creating a good website is based on a good design. You need to have the right people to work on your website and have inputs on the design you choose.
I am thankful to you. Thanks
Hey Marianne, am brand new to your blog and am loving it a lot.
The content, the branding, the design and the community make me feel at home.
It’s really interesting to find other people who have already been doing, for years, what I’m aspiring to do.
I can learn a lot from you.
Looking forward to engaging with you.
That’s kind of you to say Ken, thanks for sharing with me. 🙂
Great read, thanks for sharing the post. I will share it with my team.