Castraveight: New Site Design & Rebranding

Note: I recently posted a Q&A video and I realize that since it was embedded, it may not have shown up for email subscribers. You can check it out here. Also, due to a death in the family I will be taking a blogging break for the rest of this week, but please check back soon for new posts.

Hi friends! You may have noticed that the blog is looking a bit different. (If you’re reading via email, you can hop over to the blog to see the changes.) The site has undergone a redesign, and I am rebranding the blog. I hope you like the more sleek, modern, simple look! (Also, please note that it will look different on a mobile device too since it is mobile responsive.)

Why the redesign?

A few reasons. First of all, you all know how often I switch things up in my home. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I have grown tired of the look of my “home” here on the web, and after a couple of years with the same design, I felt that it was time for a change.

What inspired the new design?

I’ve always loved the look of modern, sleek websites, so I knew I wanted a clean black and white design. The feathers in my header are actually images of the watercolor feather that I painted. (You can see the original here, or download a free printable feather print here.) I designed the new site myself this time. (Too cheap to higher a web designer! Plus it was fun.)

I even DIY-ed my new photo! Ha. (Again, cause I’m cheap.)

What does rebranding mean? Why are you doing it?

First of all, there are a lot of components that go into building a brand. (My blog is my brand, and it represents me and my home, and generates an income for my family.) “DIY on the Cheap” belongs in a very targeted niche, and in the beginning it was an accurate representation of everything my blog was about. It still is, for the most part, but I feel a little bit trapped and limited by the name. The fact is, while the majority of my projects are budget friendly and qualify as “DIY,” not 100% of my content is DIY (some of it is interior design and decor ideas, for example) and not 100% of the things in my home are “cheap” (relatively speaking — plus everyone’s definition of “cheap” is different). I would like the freedom to post other home related content without feeling like it contradicts my blog name and without confusing readers. I’ve had a few readers send me angry emails because certain posts aren’t “cheap” enough, etc., and after a few of these types of messages it really made me think about how this blog has evolved and how I want to represent myself. I just don’t feel like the name is true to where I see my brand headed. Does that make sense? Now, that said, not much is going to change at all as far as content. It’ll still be the same old stuff (decorating ideas, crafts, and DIY projects), but I’d like the leave the door open to share an occasional family/personal post, travel posts, more lifestyle content (maybe even a recipe or two? I know… crazy. I don’t love cooking, so it won’t happen often), and perhaps an occasional style post someday down the line (this won’t happen often either, or at least I don’t have plans for it to. It’s just something I enjoy.)

I don’t want to scare you away and make you think that everything is going to change drastically. It’s not! I promise. I’m still documenting our home as it evolves and sharing my projects with you. I just want to share other things sometimes too, and I hope that’s ok with you!

I still plan for this blog to be 95% home & DIY, with maybe 5% “lifestyle” content added to the mix. I felt the best route to go is to change the blog to my actual name since 1) My name isn’t going to change, and 2) Pretty much every other blog name under the sun is already taken. Seriously. I haven’t changed the URL yet but that’s coming later in Phase 2. Don’t worry though, if you go to DIYontheCheap.com you will be automatically redirected to the new site, so the change won’t affect you being able to access my site if you have it bookmarked or something. I still own my current domain and plan on keeping it and redirecting it to erinspain.com down the line. (Not yet though.) I will slowly transition, so the URL is staying the same for the time being.

Anyway, I hope you will stick around as this site continues to evolve. My hope is to make this blog even better, and I have worked hard since day one on improving everything from photography (eek — I have to shield my eyes when I look at photos from year one), to content, to challenging myself to learn new skills and step out of my comfort zone with design. I love sharing my projects and ideas with you, and I love (hopefully) inspiring and empowering you all to not be afraid to try new things. Stepping out of your comfort zone can be a good thing. At the end of the day (ugh, that phrase is so cliche), it’s just decorating. It’s supposed to be fun. It’s a way to express yourself by pouring your creativity into your home and then being surrounded by it all the time. Thank you all so much for being a part of this journey and following along with this blog. And if you’re new here, welcome! You’ve joined me at a very exciting time.

Share your feedback!

Now is your chance to let me know what types of posts you would love to see here on the blog, aside from the usual content. Are there any specific DIY/decor questions you have, or things you’d like to learn more about? Are there any non-decor/DIY lifestyle topics you’d like me to cover? Leave a comment or send me an email and let me know!

Also, since I just launched the redesign, there may be kinks to work out. If you notice something that looks a bit wonky or isn’t functioning properly, please send me an email and let me know! I’m also still working on organizing the categories in the sidebar which will take a while since every post in the history of ever needs to be indexed. I’ll be working on that in the coming weeks. Thanks!

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