Creating Sidebar Gadget Titles

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This has been a much requested tutorial, but it’s so easy that I’m a little afraid you’re going to be disappointed– like I’m taking the magic out of Christmas or something.
But you asked, and so I acquiesce ๐Ÿ™‚
Like just about everything else, creating sidebar gadget titles are just knowing how to create an image, copying that image URL, and pasting it into the right bit of code.
1. Create an image (I use Picmonkey) from a white starter image.
  • Make sure the white starter image is sized correctly before adding words or graphics. The width should be about 5px less than the width of your side bar (ie: my sidebar is 300px, so the width of my image is 295px). I usually start out with the height at about 100px to give a little wiggle room, and then crop down to about 65-75px at the end.
  • You can either get the URL by right clicking on your image in an online album or in a blog post– select “copy image location.”

3. Paste the Image URL into this code:

  • <center><a><img src=”IMAGE URL” /></a></center>

4. Copy and Paste the code from Step 3 into an HTML gadget on your Page Elements (or layout) page.

  • You can sometimes put the code for the gadget title into the same HTML gadget box on the layout page. For example: if your social media icons are in your sidebar (mine are not, so don’t look to my blog as an example)– you can put the title for your icons (like: “Connect With Me”) in the same HTML gadget box as the code for your icons.
  • Sometimes you have to put the code for the gadget title into a separate HTML box. For example, a gadget like a Search Bar (like in my side bar) does not allow you to add any additional coding.

5. Move the HTML box wherever you want the gadget title to appear in your side bar. Be sure to CLICK ON SAVE up top.

  • If the code for the gadget title can’t be in the same HTML box as the gadget itself, just move the HTML box to be right above the gadget box.

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24 thoughts on “Creating Sidebar Gadget Titles”

  1. I just wanted to drop by and let you know how much I appreciate your tutorials! I have been having the BEST time working on my blog for the past couple of days. I have had your blog open for three days with PicMonkey open in a tab right next door so that I can easily switch back and forth! It is so exciting to finally be able to get my place fixed up a little bit.

    Reply
  2. I cannot tell you how amazing your site is and how helpful it has been! YOU ROCK! I can’t stop reading all the DIY. I hired someone to do my blog (its not done yet), but I am not liking what I am seeing so far.. boo to spending all of that money!

    Reply
  3. Thanks so much for your blog design tutorials! They have helped me tons! But for some reason, even though I have refreshed this page many times, I cannot get the code to show up that is needed to paste the image url into. Could you please tell what that code is? Thanks so much!

    Reply
  4. hi, I am trying to set up a blog for my daughter. I haven’t blog in a while and I wanted to ask some questions. First off, it seems that googles’ site, BlogSpot has changed some. I want to add pictures to the sides as well, and I am not sure how to do that. I never did that on my own blog.
    You can tell I don’t blog much, but it is something that I wish to do better at.

    Reply
  5. HI THERE! first off thanks so so so much for the tutorial. Also, for the search/categories/archive gadgets – they won’t let you run without a title right? So how can I eliminate the title(when I’ll be putting the gadget title image in a seperate HTML gadget)?
    Help. Pwease.

    -Aish xx

    Reply
  6. Ashton, thank you so much for these design posts! My blog would still be a total bore if it wasn’t for these. I do have one question that I don’t believe you’ve posted on yet. How do you get a cute looking search bar?

    Reply

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