Over the last few days I’ve been making some changes to my blog. I finally took the plunge yesterday and bought my own domain so my blog is now rathertoofondofbooks.com (all my old links with wordpress in will still work). I just feel so sure now that I will continue blogging for the foreseeable future and wanted to do something to mark that.
I’ve also been working on a new look for my blog. I’ve been thinking about giving it a makeover for a while as I’ve never liked the theme I had but it all takes time. Anyway, my lovely husband has kindly taken some fab photos of my books for me to use as headers and in my blog posts and I’m very happy with those. I just don’t have an eye for photography at all so I’m over the moon with my lovely new book images.
Just for comparison, this is what my blog looked like before…
I used this photo of my books as my old header because it’s the only photo I already had of my bookcases but I’ve never really liked the picture. I’m so pleased to now have a header that looks smarter and is more reflective of me and the books I love.
I’m going to be creating some new post headings too, so everything will have had an overhaul and been brought much more up-to-date.
Anyway, you can see my new look right here… what do you think? I hope you all like it and that it won’t take you long to recognise the new me!
RatherTooFondofBooks 
Lovely! I love the picture your husband took to use as a header! 🙂 Also, the choice of colors is great, the new look is awesome. I changed my theme in April too, it came with the spring cleaning 🙂
Thank you so much. 🙂 He took lots of great photos for me so I’m going to be making new graphics for my blog posts too. I never liked how my blog looked before so I’m really happy to have got it looking nice.
New look is clean and modern I like it☺
Thank you, that’s exactly what I was going for – clean and modern. My old theme, and the way I’d set it up, was too cluttered so it’s much nicer now. I’m very happy with it. 🙂
I like it too. Clearly reflects your blog, it’ll be good to see whe everything is done. Please don’t get rid of the name though! We can all identify with it!
Thank you so much. I hope to get it finished over the weekend – I’m definitely keeping the name, that’s the only thing I’ve kept from the old blog! 🙂
Congrats on your own domain name and new look! The picture in your header looks great. I really need to give my blog a refresh, I’ve just been so lazy with it recently! Loving your new look though 🙂
Thank you so much. It feels really good to own the domain. I’m so happy with my new look, I never really liked how I had things set up before so it’s good to have a change. 🙂
Love your new look blog Hayley, I keep thinking about getting my own domain name, think I will do it on my 1st blog anniversary
Thank you so much. That’s a good idea to do it then. 🙂
It’s very stylish and I love it. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the changes as well.
Your husband takes a lovely photo.
Thank you so much! 🙂 He’s so good at photography, I’m always very envious of his eye for taking a good photo. I hope to get my new images sorted for my blog post soon so I can start using them.
Love the new look Hayley x
Thank you so much! 🙂 x
It looks so fresh Hayley! Congrats. I must pick your brain sometime about getting your own domain, I’m debating that myself.
Thank you, I’m really pleased with it.
I just registered and paid for my domain but I’m not self-hosting yet as I don’t know enough to do that but it’s what I’m working towards doing next. I figured registering my domain was the first step of the process.
Fabulous! And congrats with the domain name :). I’ve been playing around with my design as well last week, but it takes up so much time and it still looks shit! Having a hubby who makes such gorgeous photos for you sounds like a blessing alright 🙂
Thanks so much. 🙂 It took me ages to get my blog sorted out – just trying to pick a design that worked for me and then getting my header image done, and then making sure it all works on mobile etc. I think I spent two or three full days in all working on it – I was tearing my hair out by the end! It was worth it though as I’m so pleased with the final result.
Loving your new header and the new look – you have been busy!
Thank you! 🙂 It took ages to do but was worth it as I’m really happy with how it all looks now.
Lovely! Congratulations – it looks great 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂
Great look and congrats on the domain name! It must be really awesome having it now! I really need to take the plunge and make over my whole blog as well 🙂
Thank you so much. I’m really pleased with my blog’s new look and that I now own the domain too. It was so much more time consuming than I expected it to be doing the make over but it was worth it. 🙂
Looking fab!
Thank you 🙂
Very nice site! Here is some useless trivia for you about one of the books in your header photo. Where The Heart Is (which I loved) is written by Billie Letts (a woman). She is the mother of Tracy Letts (a man), an actor who played the nasty CIA head in the third series of Homeland. Tracy also won a Pulitzer Prize for his play August, Osage County (which I loved).
Thank you so much! Wow, that is great trivia – I never knew all that about the Letts family. I love Where The Heart Is, it’s one of my favourite books.
Hayley the blog looks fab, I love the new theme you’ve used!
Thank you so much 🙂
I love the new look and the new header photo is great. I’d like to move my blog to a website of my own as I find Blogger a bit too restrictive but I’m a bit scared of losing everything!
Thanks so much. 🙂 I’m actually still on WP for the moment as I don’t know enough about self hosting to do that yet. Buying my domain name was just the first step of the process. I think you can download your blog as a file and then if you go to WP there is a place to upload it so it should be quite straightforward. I’d be nervous to do it too though just in case, especially when you’ve been blogging a long time and have a lot of content. Good luck if you decide to do it.
Looks so modern! I need someone like that in my life! Do you mind if I crassly ask how much it costs for your own domain name? And you’ve reminded me – I need to spend a wet afternoon going over old reviews and putting photos up, tagging them, etc – I was utterly clueless when I started, I just wrote a post and put it up!
Thank you so much. It cost $18 (approx £12) per year on WordPress, I think there are other companies that you can do it with but I stuck to WP as I know that they’re definitely legit. I’m not self-hosting though – I think that would cost around $100 per year (if I remember rightly), but I don’t know enough to do that yet. So I just own my name basically for $18 per year.
I had to go back and tag all my posts a while ago too as I was the same as you when I started, I didn’t have a clue about anything.
Congrats in taking the plunge and what a splash! Great site and I look toward to reading on and going back(have been missing a few blogs lately and plan on having a greatly enjoyable catch up very soon!) xxxxx
Thank you so much. I’m really pleased with how it all turned out – it was much harder work than I was expecting but all worth it now it’s done. I’ve not been keeping up with blogs very well recently so I have catching up to do too. xx
I love the new header! I can’t see the whole look properly yet as I’m still in bed on my phone – but I’ll check it out. I’m going to be overhauling my blog as well. It must be Spring in the air! I’m glad you’re planning on staying. And nothing says that like your own domain name. 😊
Thank you so much, I’m really pleased with how my overhaul turned out. I love blogging so much, and it seemed fitting to buy my domain name as it makes it feel much more permanent. 🙂 Good luck with your blog overhaul, I hope it goes well.
Thank you. I looked at doing it today but I think I’m going to do it at the weekend… Eek.
Congrats on the domain, and I love the header, the new blog looks good!
Thank you so much. 🙂
Great new look – no wonder you’re thrilled:).
Thank you so much. 🙂 I really am so happy with it, it makes me smile every time I’m doing something on my blog now.
Which is a great feeling:))
I like this new look! It is much cleaner and streamlined. How great that your husband helped you out!
Thank you, I’m really pleased with this new look. I never liked my old theme at all but was too nervous to change it in case I messed the settings up – thankfully my knowledge and confidence has improved over time and I could make these changes.
Looks great, Hayley! Love it.
Thank you so much! I’m really pleased with how it turned out.