1. You avoid making sidebar changes because the idea of dealing with HTML makes you want to pull your hair out.
2. You have 35 plugins that are all out of date.
3. Your spam count resembles the national debt.
4. You’d rather floss your teeth than deal with your widgets.
5. You signed up for Twitter 6 months ago but still haven’t linked it in your sidebar.
6. You need to add a page to your blog, but it keeps ending up at the bottom of your to do list.

Well, guess what? You’re in luck. In an effort to better serve my clients, I’v decided to offer blog design retainer services. This way, I can offer very individualized services for each blogger. If you’re unfamiliar with how retainers work, its a fee paid up front on a regular, predetermined basis for certain services. Here’s what my retainer service looks like:

1. We’ll sit down and chit chat about exactly what you need. Everyone is different, but you’re probably looking at something around $75-$125 per month.
2. Your services can include database/core file backup (WordPress), platform updates, sidebar & page updating, email support, discounted or free a la carte service (like ad buttons, etc., depending on your preference and need), head of queue placement for a la carte services, and free access to How To Blog: Video Tutor library.
3. Each month you’ll be automatically billed via a PayPal subscription.
4. After 3 months, we’ll look at the hours vs. the cost and reevaluate if needed.
5. Retainer can be canceled at any time; no minimum number of months are required.

This is a great option for:

• new bloggers
• business bloggers
• review bloggers
• any blogger wanting to focus on the writing

Now here’s the catch. I can only take on so many retainer clients and I currently have 5 spots available. 5 spots, people! So speak up…if you want to consider this service, contact me!

Now off to the orthodontist…to pay for that other kind of retainer.

Client: Meghan

Blog: Spicy Magnolia

Scope of Project: Blog Design

Focus of Blog: Motherhood, food, faith and more

Platform: Typepad

Client: Libby

Blog: Libby Wilkie Designs: An Eye For Detail

Scope of Project: Blog Design, Business Cards

Focus of Blog: Inspiration through Details of Design

Platform: Typepad

Team sports are ending.

The school year is coming to a close.

Summer is upon us and for me that mean one thing…

3 restless, active boys at home for 8 weeks. But this year I’m a little more prepared than most. I have plans to do a whole lot of nothing and a whole lot of fun, all wrapped together. There will be a lot of swimming, Scrabble, cheap theater movies, a few day camps and I’m sure some Wii games. And maybe we’ll throw a few trips to the ice cream shop in there too.

So I may not be around quite as much, though I still plan on posting once a week. There may not be a lot of dissertation and discourse type posts, and probably no giveaways. But I’ll poke my head in here and there to say hi and let you know I’m still alive. I just have to soak up this time with these growing, changing-before-my-very-eyes boys.

I knew you’d understand.

But I cant go before telling you about a new and exciting feature on The Pixel Boutique. Let me give you a tiny bit of background.

As you know, I design blogs. This means working with a lot of different aspects of blogging…the graphics, the coding, the layout and template design on three different blogging platforms. I get tons of questions every week from bloggers and clients that need answers to some rubber-meets-the-road, mechanics of blogging questions. I wish sometimes I could just pop on over, sit down at the computer with them, and walk them right through it. Its so much easier to see it visually than to read it over email…for both of us.

In the past, I’ve done many free video tutorials and they generate a lot of views and interest. It’s clear to me that people want to know more about their blog and how to maintain and modify it, but they don’t know where to find quick, easy and thorough answers for the basic (and not so basic) questions they have.

So born out of that, I’ve decided to develop several video tutorials on many different topics. Without further ado…I present to you…

What’s in it for you:

• Lessons on blogging with WordPress, Typepad & Blogger
• Lessons on Photoshop Elements and other topics on graphics
• How-to tutorials that you can play, pause, rewind, play again, etc.
• A permanent file you can save and come back to in the future
• Easy, step by step instructions as I do the process myself on screen or a minimal fee
  

What’s in it for me:

• An easy way to cover a topic that would take 3 times as long to explain in an email
• The satisfaction of knowing I’ve practically helped you
• $3 per video

Yes, you read that correctly. Each video has an introductory cost of $3. Why, you ask? Well, it takes time to research the topic, create the video and, well…a girl can’t give away all she’s learned and studied over the years for nothing, now can she?

But, because I’m a nice gal, each new video added after today will remain FREE for one week before going into the for-purchase video library. And that’s not all (I hear infomercial music…)! If you buy multiple videos, you get the following discount:

• Purchase any 3 videos = $8.25 (9% savings) – Enter 3VIDEOS at checkout
• Purchase any 6 videos = $12 (17% savings) – Enter 6VIDEOS at checkout
• Purchase any 10 videos = $24 (20% savings) – Enter 10VIDEOS at checkout

As you can see, I have a lot more topics to add…and more beyond what is listed. I welcome any suggestions for topics.

So check back often or subscribe to my RSS feed to be notified when new videos are added.

Happy blogging!

Client: Shara

Blog: Goody Girl Red

Scope of Project: Blog Design

Focus of Blog: Estate Sale finds transformed into art

Platform: Typepad

Client: Leslie

Blog: Leslie Sarna

Scope of Project: Blog Design

Focus of Blog: Vegetarian & Non-Vegetarian Cooking & Entertaining

Platform: Typepad

Client: Michelle

Blog: Michellany

Focus of Blog: Meditations and musings on motherhood

Platform: Typepad