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Friday Faves #10: a weekly dose of lovely design inspiration – free is good

Friday Faves #9: lovely design inspiration – Think Pink! www.DesignYourOwnBlog.com

Freebies, Resources + Inspiration Packed!

Do you like free?

This week I’ve got lots of free resources for you!

Not that I usually don’t but I think there’s a lot more free stuff this week than usual. Or maybe I’m just crazy πŸ˜‰

DYOB goes pink!

Did you notice my pepto-bismol pink header? Last week Friday Faves went pink. You can read all about my why here. But then I decided to take it a step further and… well there you have it!

What’s Up with Me?

Did you know it takes me about 8 hours to write a post?? It’s crazy really but between the research, the writing, creating images and then formatting the post in WordPress it’s a lot of work! That’s why I don’t end up posting that often.

So I’ve noticed that a lot (not all) of the blogs I follow seem to post almost every day! Usually they are smaller posts like “hey check out this thing I just discovered.”

Currently I post that kind of stuff on my Facebook page and then my favorites go in Friday Faves.

So the reason I’m telling you this is because I’d like you to tell me which you would prefer: less frequent in-depth posts or more frequent short posts? Or if you don’t really care let me know that too. I just want you guys to be happy here! πŸ™‚

Well enough about me, let’s get onto the good stuff!

Recent posts:

46 Pretty Blog Opt-In Forms + Buttons at www.DesignYourOwnBlog.com

Get your subscribe button and form inspiration here!

I already told you about last Friday Faves, so I’ll just talk about my newest post this week.

I showcased 46 (yes I know, odd number) really cool looking opt-in forms and Subscribe buttons for your inspiration. I even go into why you should have one on your blog if you don’t already.

Emerging or Current Design Trends

I think it’s important to stay up on current fashion and interior design trends as well as graphic/web design trends. But you don’t have to worry about that, I’ll be sharing this new section of Friday Faves here.

I find it kind of funny that all the different trend-following companies out there seem to say different things when it comes to color, but nevertheless, here is TrendBible’s color combinations for Fall/Winter 2013/2014:

TrendBible's fashion color trend for Fall/Winter 2013/2014

Does this color trend forecast for Fall/Winter excite you?

Is it just me or do you find this combination a little drab?

Favorite Friday Font

I was so excited about this free font from Creative Market this week because I’ve been really into the botanical look that’s been super popular this year and continues to trend! This font is PERFECT for Botanical designs.

In fact, I used it in my last post (see image above).

Aeterna Small Caps Old Style Figures for your Botanical design projects

Aeterna Small Caps Old Style Figures for your Botanical design projects

It’s only available til Sunday so hurry and get on it!

Also, check out my Botanical design Pinterest board for inspiration.

Free Downloads:

Such great free photo stock this week!

Free stock photos this week. Click the links below to download full sizes now!

Free stock photos this week. Click the links below to download now!

top left: Arctic Icebergs Greenland from iStockPhoto
top right: I Love Candy from Love from Ginger
bottom left: Ole Miss Car Park from New Old Stock
bottom right: Lonely Boat by Anton Sulsky from Unsplash

I’m working on a big post right now that lists at least 20 websites where you can find free stock photography from so stay tuned!

Free Blogging Resources:

Are you making this big blogger mistake? I was until this I read this post, I had no idea!
Can you see what I’m doing differently? If not, read The Biggest Mistake Every Blogger Makes (And How to Avoid It)!

Blogging Urban Legends! 14 Things About Building a Blog Audience That You Think Are True (But Aren’t).

Wow another AWESOME freebie graphics site called Luvly with ALL super cute GIRLY stuff!

Lovely Blog Themes I Found:

For Blogger:
I was seriously blown away that you could actually do this with a Blogger blog! PLUS it’s responsive! Download it free here.

For WordPress:
Ok I’m breaking the free stuff streak here, but I just had to share this WordPress theme I’m crushing on. It’s not free but it’s seriously so gorgeous (minus the butts)! Buy it here for $55.

Lovely Logos:

Need a cute logo? These logos from Luvly.co (again) are adorable and SUPER cheap compared to a custom logo! When I did logos, I didn’t do them for less than $500 so this is a steal!

Blogs I Love:

Have you seen this site, Brit + Co? I just freakin’ love everything about this site: the design, the layout, the content. You can get lost for hours!

Friday Funny:

This week’s funny has nothing to do with blogging, but when I saw this I seriously died laughing!

We're gonna rock down to Electric Avenue! Let me take you higher!

We’re gonna rock down to Electric Avenue! Let me take you higher!

Ok Folks, That’s It!

Have a fabulous weekend and don’t forget to let me know if you prefer long, infrequent posts or short, frequent ones in the comments below.

Got other lovely design faves or recommendations you’d like to share? Maybe even your own? Leave those in the comments as well.

For more Friday Faves posts, click here.
If you like tips like these, you’ll want to follow my Facebook page and Pinterest boards where I share a lot more of this cool stuff every single day!

Did you find this helpful? Won’t you please share it? Just click one of the links below!

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10 Comments

  • Rach says:

    I love these big posts but I would be happy to have them bite sized too. That doesn’t help does it! As Long as your great finds keep coming through I think it’s okay with either format πŸ™‚

    • Marianne says:

      Thanks Rach, actually that helps a lot. Maybe I need to mix it up a little. I guess I’ve been too afraid to bombard my RSS email subscribers that I’ve been backing off!

  • The consistency vs. quality debate. I struggle with this too. To write an informative post + formatting takes me around like 3 hours. I wish I had an answer for the right choice. That being said, I wouldn’t mind more frequent post even if they are only bite-sized. That is about all I have time for most days!

    • Marianne says:

      Ah very good point Susan! I guess bite-sized posts are definitely quicker and easier to read when we’re so busy huh? Ok awesome, I am loving the feedback. That really helps!

  • Thanks for the mention, Marianne! πŸ™‚

    Keep the inspiration coming!

  • Hi Marianne

    I get too many emails now so would rather have the in-depth rather than more frequent. That way I can set aside the time to really go through the post and take advantage of all the lovely goodies you find for us. For me, the shorter posts are shoved aside and I always think I’ll go back and take a look but never do, plus if there is certain information I have seen I never remember which post I saw it in.

    • Marianne says:

      Hi Deborah,
      Thanks for letting me know. I understand that and I’m trying not to bombard anyone’s inbox.
      If my posting DOES get too frequent for you in the future, know that you can always change the settings by clicking the link in the email and change to only receive my newsletter, instead of every time there is a new post. I am trying to get that out twice a month, but at this point, it’s only about once a month πŸ˜‰

      Marianne

  • Hi Marianne,

    Thanks so much for the shout out about our Blogger contest and our logos πŸ™‚

    We are hoping to add WordPress templates soon.

    Lauren
    Luvly.co

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