The New Look

So here we go. I realize that the format of my blog won't rocket it to success or anything, but I felt like I needed a clean slate if I was going to get back into it the way I really, really, want to. Basically I looked around at the blogs I found physically enjoyable, not those that I like to read, but the ones that provided what I felt was the most direct interface to the stuff readers want, and I gathered a few common themes:

• Simple lines, clean background- with the exception of those who blog for business and therefore use their sidebars as revenue generating space, I think the plainer the better.
• Black font on white background- sounds obvious but I finally realized it is more comfortable to read stuff written this way, not really sure why, but it is.
• Simple fonts- Arial seems to be the font of choice, but no one who is taken seriously is writing in crazy fonts.
• Cute headers- while the basic outlines and backgrounds do best relatively plain, a bold, but streamlined header seems to claim the space as your own without gumming up the content with lots of graphics and distracting backgrounds.
• Not many blogrolls- or at least simple ones that are not taking top billing. I personally want to keep mine running just because I like it, but it should be a list of good reads and not the main focus of your sidebars.

So there you have it. Taking all that into account I did away with the backgrounds and color schemes. Made a bright and pleasing, but still pretty simple, header and redid my sidebars to be neater and less cluttered. I also removed the crafting blog stuff from this blog, with the exception of the link to my own sister-blog of course, since those items don't really belong here. Now I feel like I have a fresh clean slate on which to do some real work.

Any other tips or suggestions? I realize everyone has their preferences, but did I miss any major design elements common to nice blogs?