So I once again decided to pack up shop and move.  This time the move is permanent though.  I am moving to my own domain.  Unlike the blogger version of Life of elle I do plan on removing this blog.  So if you have one of my designs please look in your template and modify my link.  You will see something that looks like this:

 Site Design By:<br /><a href="http://elleslife.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a112/NelleAsil/Miracle/elle.gif" border="0"></a><br />

 See where that says http://elleslife.blogspot.com (or it could say http://lifeofelle.blogsome.com)?  Please change that to www.lifeofelle.com  I would appreciate it. 

I am going to try to find a redirect, but until then this will have to work.  So go check me out at the new Life of Elle (yeah, it looks pretty much the same)  Leave me a comment and make me feel better about myself.  Thanks!

I bet you all were wondering where I was.  With 2 blogs it is difficult to keep up with all of it.  Besides it has been hot here and my office is the hottest room in the house.  To make up for my long absence I have some shiny new blog designs to offer.  You see I have secretly been working on designs to offer for free and some for a small fee.

I now have 2 blogger templates for "free" (but I really really appreciate donations for the work) and I have 3 semi-custom designs for a small price.  Check out the stuff:

I plan to add quite a few more designs to the mix, but they do take time and that is something I don’t have a ton of.  So check them out and tell me what you think. 

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I finally figured out that for the free designs I forgot to add a link to the code.  Problem solved.   

I would like to apologize to you all if you happen to get weird comments from me on your blogs.  You see… paperwork as suck all the brain capacity from me.  I am resorting to a turrets like state.  Wild twitches, off the cuff foul language.  I really think I am getting dumber by the minute.

But I do have a plan.  A good friend told me that I really need to stop reading message boards.  Of course my mom has been telling me to get away from the computer for months.  So am going to take that little bit of advice.  I am going to once again check out of some of the message boards and engage in a few of my favorite pastimes.  And since drinking alone is frowned upon in most social circles and most of you live too far away from me I will have to resort to quilting and gardening.  My plants are all secretly cheering outside.

So you will continue to get an occasional comment from me. It may be a little funky, but remember I am doing this for your safety not mine.  You have been warned. 

Don’t worry… those of you with designs in the cue… I will get to them.  You want them to look good don’t you?  Well I need a little dendrite fluffing to make that happen.  In the mean time go check out Susie and Sandy’s blogs.  Please forgive me for Sandy’s.  I am still working on it.  I am going to take a hiatus on the new people for a little bit.  I need to do some catching up.  I’ll let you know when I am back in business.

Please welcome Julie & Matt into the blog design group.  They are the newest recipients of an Elle design.  Go on over and wish them well on their trip to pick up their son Slava!

Slava Update 

I have gotten a few comments here and at Unexpected Miracles for requests for designs.  I apologized if I haven’t gotten back to you.  I am extremely flaky right now and can’t be relied upon for squat.  That being said I do want to look at working on some designs for you guys.  I can’t remember who wants designs.  So here is a lesson in following directions.  To qualify for a design you must complete the following tasks.  (did I mention designs are free?)

1. you must be an adoptive parent or Pre-adoptive parent.  Just because they need some pampering right now.  I’ll get to the rest of you in a while. 

2. email me with your name or "name" and your blog url.  You have to have an existing blog.  The trick is my email address isn’t listed on this site.  (I don’t think, remember I am dumb)  So you have to find it.  Hint: a link to the location is in this post.

3. leave me a comment to make me feel better about myself.

4. your blog must be hosted by blogger or blogsome.  My mental capacity for designing for other hosts is limited.  I am too tired to learn something new right now. 

I want your url because I do go and read everyone’s blogs.  That blog roll over there ———————>  I have read the all the content on each.  Yes, I need more to do with my life, but it is just what makes me a decent designer.  So if you follow all of these simple instructions I will consider you for the next Elle Makeover.  (no you will not be featured in a high fashion magazine with a similiar name, but I will make your blog pretty)

Looks like you found your way here.  Good for you!  Not that I didn’t think that you would.

Like my new digs?  I thought it was pretty. Sure I should be packing, stressing over having to travel 1/2 way around the world, doing laundry, or some other housewifey duty, but none of those things are fun.

I got all the old posts moved, but not the comments.  Sorry guys.  You will just have to start over with making me feel good.  The links within the old posts might not work so well either, but I wasn’t about to go back an fix 4 months worth of posts.  Live with it.

 Let me know what you think!

I think Elle might have found a new mark for a bloggy make over. There is a newbie on the scene in the world of Russian adoption. Jen and her husband Mike are going to adopt a little girl. They already have 3 biological boys. They need some estrogen in their house I would say.
Go check out Jen’s blog if you haven’t already done so. Adopting from Russia

Of course Jen has to agree to the Elle makeover first. In the mean time let’s all welcome Jen to the world of waiting. *Welcome Jen!*

I am still taking orders for any other adoption bloggers that might like a bloggy makeover. Just have to let me know.

We are up to day 22 of rain. I am actually surprised that the news isn’t covering massive flooding at this point. I guess the rain is so slow that the flooding hasn’t set in yet. I gave in to the weather with my hair. As the old adage goes, if you can’t beat em join em! So I went around with curly hair for a few days. Today is a straight day because I just can’t stand that much product in my hair for long periods of time.

I got my first assignment from a person wanting a blog design! I am sooo excited. Margaret is yet another adoptive mom waiting for the now infamous reaccreditation. So for her long wait she gets a pretty blog. Going to take some time though. I am getting to be a perfectionist with this kind of stuff. I will let you know when it is finished. In the mean time go read her blog. It is great!

I thought the last blog template looked really nifty, but since I finished Rhonda’s I thought mine could use a little sprucing up. So here you go! Bright Bold and if I must say BEAUTIFUL.

Things are going to get even better once I get cooking on the whole photoshop thing. Of course by that time my trial of PS CS will run out and I will be relegated back to my Elements version. Damn Adobe for making things so darn expensive.

As far as a weather report goes, I was mistaken yesterday. It wasn’t 17 straight days of rain is was 18! So far today is just light grey with a chance of showers. Man I need some sun big time.

As far as the church ladies go I was blessed with some white cake confection this morning. I tell you that working here will certainly cure that weight loss from stress thing! Cake, cookies, donuts, you name it.

I just finished a template for a "customer". Actually she isn’t really a customer since I don’t get paid. She is one of my blog buddies. I just emailed her the code and she is probably at work and won’t get it until later tonight. That’s ok. It will be a nice surprise once she gets home.

I had a good time with this one. I found the graphic on istockphoto.com and immediately thought of Rhonda. Well worth the credits for that one!

Hopefully tomorrow I can add another to my portfolio. I have one more done, but I need the official stamp of approval from D. That one will be really cool since all the graphics are mine!!! My photos even.

This programming thing isn’t that hard. Anyone else game? I am starting with the adoption blogs, since those are my faithful readers. Let me know. I work for cheap. Free even.

If you are inquisitive enough to actually find this blog then welcome! This is the life of Elle. That’s me. I am forging a new path into the world of html and blog design. Our original blog started as a way for us to communicate with our family about our upcoming Russian adoption. My husband started the blog and I regularly post to it. However, I thought it best to leave the template alone until I actually figured out how to design blog templates.
This one is my first creation! Took me a good 3 hours and it isn’t even that fantastic. Man this is going to be hard work. Evidently for good design you have to know how to program html code and css code. (sound overwhelming? it is)

Don’t expect long elloquent posts. Do expect the template to change frequently though. I hope to design templates to assist in the battle to rid the internet of ugly blogs. Once I get there I will let you know. You might even be graced with a new template of your own. In the mean time, check out some designers that rock! Miss Zoot is one of the best out there. (although due to a new infant unit recently installed into her house she has suspended blog creation) The ladies at Ciao my Bella also do a killer job.

So enjoy!