I really like the back end of Wordpress and I would probably be using WP now if it wasn't for their lack of template options for free blogs. I am a design freak and I love tweaking my virtual "environment" so the lack of interesting templates and the inability to change little things like font style made me head over to Blogger for good.
When I started up again, I got straight to searching for colorful blog templates. There are literally hundreds out there and I wanted one that really spoke to me and represented my personality.
I found some really beautiful free backgrounds at Shabby Blogs that are super easy to install. There is no crazy editing of your blog template, you just copy the code and install it as an HTML widget on your Blogger Layout screen. (This is a good option if you want a simple way to change your blog style frequently.)
Then I stumbled upon Blogger in Draft. Essentially it's the regular Blogger with ramped up features like Template Designer...a design and color lovers dream!
Template Designer offers customizable templates with simple layouts along with scores of colorful patterns and background images from iStockphoto.
I read a lot of Blogger powered weblogs and I don't think many people are aware of the features offered by Blogger in Draft. I haven't run across one blog that is using the backgrounds yet. I can easily see why because I would never have known about it myself had it not been for me stumbling over it while searching for templates.
To access Blogger in Draft, just go to http://draft.blogger.com and click on "Layout" - you'll see a link to the "Template Designer" on the far right. You'll be able to test the template design features before committing to anything - just don't click "Apply to Blog"!
FYI - Draft Blogger does not work with IE6 so you'll need to upgrade to the latest version...or move over to Firefox. (You'll thank me later.)
Thanks for this, Eve! I had been thinking about a redesign for a few weeks, but didn't want to bother with it. I did run across another resource I thought I'd tell you about - The Background Fairy http://www.backgroundfairy.com is similar to the Shabby Blog link you mentioned. But the Blogger in Draft is much easier (probably because I'm already used to the Blogger editing format)
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