Add a Post Divider Between Blogger Posts

In today's Blogger tutorial I show you how to enhance your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog) by adding a post divider to your Blogger template. Used effectively post dividers can really jazz up your blog and will lend it that individual feel which most of us are hoping to create.

This tweak is very easy and well within the capabilities of any Blogspot blogger. Only a few simple changes to your Blogger template are required and these are in the CSS styling section.


By way of example I will use a divider that I downloaded from the internet free by searching for free divider graphics. Here are some sample dividers you can use to get started:

URL address:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSLXLi7GMiNDK2BJoIem13ItCVLkKlh3GAI98L3Tph3zIQuTJeB-t3PPw_wG8ZLXfmk2HojqF8RbIUpu9EvqwoEZ8OWO1YQ6zbnpESp8dgexPxG_4omJjok0MV5isJWYCS7V8U76QnzQ/s400/ribbon.gif


URL address:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDedhFr2PtUFL1ZCfBZPGPAcVn-gYHnASBRgw5PkTlqbIugTddHqhDbPynEXEvPAFzvlzyYF9eTllv-zIOKeXzL1boYBmX2ZCQ1BDuB1PaJ6Cx5Q0gdteTTjL5j0-ERt3xiy5C02NctnA/s400/bar1.gif


URL address:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWJG9vUlrR4e-IlP2MkVCHB_uZCgWgAStLDBLYsca7ok04LZk73wVWdWVKMYkjVYLUSh3S1rjnotDBevhX3f_wXSr5XW4gO4jf3rniG-J6DJcVFK94xWWk8rhJU2okz-64AhHSsOQGS8/s400/barbsmpl.jpg


URL address:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi941KMQGLga-TzXc8jJyzxXNa8rc4lnNS30nE3m99ctWq-jKEBc5MsP6Yy4P5hk30aQrCKEINM4pXBjKUd2eTahjqPiQrjm4KPTdv9FjiCjH6XmfEMLHaCgcsbLl6gntTzqM-FGk_bQ/s400/bar47.gif

How to Add a Divider Between Posts in Blogger

1. Login to Blogger if not already logged in
   
2. From the Dashboard navigate to Layout > Edit HTML
   
3. Back up your Blogger template as a precaution by downloading it to your computer
   
4. Find the following line of code in your template:
   

   .post {
   
   You are likely to have something like this in your template already:
   
   .post {
   margin:.5em 0 1.5em;
   border-bottom:1px dotted $bordercolor;
   padding-bottom:1.5em;
   }

   
   
5. Paste the following lines of code to this block making sure you paste them before the closing curly bracket:
   

   background: url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSLXLi7GMiNDK2BJoIem13ItCVLkKlh3GAI98L3Tph3zIQuTJeB-t3PPw_wG8ZLXfmk2HojqF8RbIUpu9EvqwoEZ8OWO1YQ6zbnpESp8dgexPxG_4omJjok0MV5isJWYCS7V8U76QnzQ/s400/ribbon.gif);
   background-repeat: no-repeat;
   background-position: bottom center;
   margin:.5em 0 1.5em;
   padding-bottom:1.5em;

   
   
6. If any lines are duplicated remove them.
   
7. Remove any line beginning with: border-bottom: eg
   

   border-bottom:1px dotted $bordercolor;

   
   
8. You will now have a block of code which looks like this plus any extra lines from the existing code in this block:
   

   .post {
   background: url(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSLXLi7GMiNDK2BJoIem13ItCVLkKlh3GAI98L3Tph3zIQuTJeB-t3PPw_wG8ZLXfmk2HojqF8RbIUpu9EvqwoEZ8OWO1YQ6zbnpESp8dgexPxG_4omJjok0MV5isJWYCS7V8U76QnzQ/s400/ribbon.gif);
   background-repeat: no-repeat;
   background-position: bottom center;
   margin:.5em 0 1.5em;
   padding-bottom:1.5em;
   }

   
   
9. Click on Save Template to save your changes
   
10. Click on View Blog to see your new post divider between posts

Tips and Troubleshooting

• To change the divider to one of the above replace the URL address of the image (in red) with the URL address of the new image you want to use.
  
• To use your own divider image download to your computer from the internet and then save the image to a photo image service like Photobucket. Replace the divider image URL address (in red) with the URL address of your new image
  
• To increase the padding around the divider change the following line of code:
  

  padding-bottom:1.5em;
  
  to
  
  padding-bottom:2.5em;

In today's Blogger tutorial you have learned how to insert a divider between your Blogger posts to enhance the look of your Blogger template (Blogspot template). You can either make your own post divider or download one from the myriad of free website dividers available on the net.

Add or Change Background Image of a Blogger Template

In today's Blogger tutorial (Blogspot tutorial) I will show you how to both add a background image to a Blogger template if you don't have one already or change the existing background of your Blogger template.

I have chosen to write this article not because there aren't any how to articles already on the net but because they assume quite a bit of knowledge. I have taken a different tack with this post in that I assume you are an absolute beginner with no knowledge of Blogger templates.

For this reason I have provided some sample backgrounds for you to play around with. By just cutting and pasting these images you can see first hand how dramatically adding a different background to your Blogger template can change it. You will see that replacing your background image with these images isn't that difficult and hopefully it will give the confidence to branch out further and change the background of your Blogger template to suit your own needs. All that is needed is to insert a small snippet of code into the CSS styling section of your Blogger template and hey presto your Blogger template will take on a whole new look.

How to Change the Color of a Blogger Background (Default Templates)
If you are using a default Blogger template then you already have the option to change the background color to your own taste by going toLayout > Fonts and Colors. Some third party custom Blogger templates have this option too but by no means all. For instructions on changing the background color of custom templates see tips and troubleshooting below.

How to Add a Background Image to a Blogger Template

1. Log in to Blogger if not already logged in
   
2. Go to Layout > Edit HTML
   
3. Back up your Blogger template as a precaution by downloading the full template to your computer
   
4. Find the following line in your Blogger template
   

   body {

   
   
5. Add the following line directly after this line 

   background-image: url(URL address of your image);

   
   Your block of code will now look like this:
   

   body {
   background-image: url(URL address of your image);
   (existing code in this block)
   }

   
   
6. Now replace the code in red for the URL address of your image. Choose an image from the selection below to practise with or use your own image. Note if using your own image make sure you read the tips and troubleshooting section below.
   
   
   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6iB8pT-S8N3SDEicWIam_nveWMZihlr3BDExygjhdxy5o-tUNWFB3PgQOMWgZH1zAp9KJ8UPYYkQvoFVW8x0YB5Yl9mtr4Gk6FdcP1s2y_OnDYGp7WKXKvdIGYv2mIFykHJeya8Aftk/s320/background_047.gif
   
   
   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgZxMqdpXyjgOWKIzEJgj2PTK9gFPGeUbRLg262t0SjuQ53NcR_7C2SSfsDtRrIF-7bKQ9kSoVs5mWJNRIJkzuIFCsP09SZmvUs1F2u6cGqeeF1H8BpCi0AAGTkZQLSZLep1eLlN0Cyo/s320/background_104.gif
   
   
   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmUE-6D_oTEaklbaruRVqKlGf4bvE3o5xzCXolZ_z94RIRzyk3JOeVzwGBlUAGcFkUldLnoUHEpg-8l9zhPafwKWYh_Z5Gbzeq5iKMvHxWFJjMicUq0k0lYna2q-9s-z7PNf8toOrLlWc/s320/background_126.gif
   
   
   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7OpSL4k6ExBw9Dwkm0c_SQB2Sv7-nkKWJKriFtEfPHEkvALxk2Bzn0yLn4VDkH2cAaNIWZyfkFcTpesVWLuTgI27H4LE2sZLALs-FchZ6eQ4ecrgatdcyei074XTHZX4vxeoHX_mfbI/s320/background_073.gif
   
   
   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hxOGKGcUXn7QcvNoW9jOM7_aHsis9oFtKRHtUe0g1WCUgcvE7G8gZ7-GNAZxlMQO_kJBjT5Ie11Tb92RqA-OWjUXofyL96PFxpbjV6FIKNg0Uv4sI_QtxKK9oxrkWXpoBb2Q1RKyBmU/s320/background_083.gif
   
   Green Paws Background
   
   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpc6Dcb5aYegaLoY5NR_ghQaj-MLgyMs7mKGpmZtyMUh_KaMmnrA-Nhb3Ra3xVIUpncwOx3LKz22IVCx6u8SLzghzCpptJLAW4J2LC5v2b6q1bzcHZk4Xq6t0yqPkueObN5D1YuceRHUs/s320/green-paws.gif
   
   Musical Notes Background
   
   https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVnAnrtr88eJjKp3uDNW4uQqSzTvi5InlWb4fgaLA3PsoGxmwsx9a6MwHILW1ShUcBY16ga44t0K_T_TLsKbFdpHmyiCUQdqBaWa9o0MYn0AZaSsTPiYZGEoKyCBLbkikq-ZmSrqKanI/s320/melody.gif
   
7. Use the Preview button to see the effect of these different backgrounds on your template. It will help you get an idea of the kind of possibilities out there.
   
8. You are welcome to use one of the above Blogger backgrounds as they are all free to use without any restriction. If you decide to use one of these simply click on Save Template and you are in business. Alternatively go ahead and find your own background image on the net and follow the instructions below to insert it into your Blogger template.

Tips and Troubleshooting

• To Add Your Own Image to a Blogger Template
  There are huge number of backgrounds on the net that are suitable for Blogger. Search under free website backgrounds in your favorite search engine to find these.
  
  Simply download your preferred background and save to an image service like Photobucket, Flickr.
  
  Make sure the file format is either a .jpg, .gif or .png and that its size does not exceed 100kbs. As a rule of thumb an image size of around 30kb or less is about right if loading time speed is not to be compromised. Larger images can be resized quickly by using an online resizing service such as Shrink Pictures.
  
  Follow the instructions above to change the URL to that of your image.
  
• To Change the Background Color of Your Custom Blogger Template
  If there is no option to change the background color of your Blogger template in Layout > Fonts and Colors you can still change the color manually.
  
  1. Follow steps 1 to 4 as above
     
  2. Find the line beginning with :
     

     background-color: #

     
     
  3. The hex color will be different for each template. We will change the color only
     

     background-color: #change hex color code to your chosen color;

     
     
  4. Replace the existing hex color code with the value of your chosen hex color. List of web safe hex colors. For example insert the following code to change the background color to:
     
     Denim Blue

     background-color: #336699;

     
     Black

     background-color: #000000;

     
     White

     background-color: #ffffff;

     
     
  5. Use the Preview button to see the effect of each color before you save it.
     
  6. Once you are satisfied go ahead and click on Save Template

Today's Blogger tutorial (Blogspot tutorial) aimed at Blogger beginners continues the series on CSS styling for Blogger. You have learned how to add the background image to your Blogger template or change the existing background image. To help you gain confidence in changing the background image I have provided some sample images for you to practise with. Also in this Blogger tutorial you have learned how to change the color of your Blogger background if you prefer a plain solid background color rather than a background image. As always if you strike any problems implementing the tips in this tutorial please let me know.

Add CSS Styling to Blockquotes in a Blogger Template

Today I continue the series of Blogger tutorials (Blogspot tutorials) by showing you how to apply CSS styling to blockquotes in a Blogger template. Other articles I have already published on the subject of CSS styling include:

How to Add, Delete or Remove Blogger Image Borders
How to Align and Justify Posts in Blogger
How to Add a Divider Between Blogger Posts
How to Add or Change a Background Image in a Blogger Template.

Today's tutorial on Blogger blockquotes will be useful if you are using a default Blogger template or a third party custom template. It will show you how to change your blockquote area in the following ways:

• Add a background color to the blockquote
• Add a border around the background of the blockquote
• Add or change the color of the blockquote text
• Add or change padding around the text
• Add or change the margin
• Add a background image

Blogger beginners you can relax as I have written this Blogger tutorial with you in mind. I will walk you through the steps of styling the blockquote section and you will see that it is not as daunting as it first appears. This Blogger tutorial assumes no knowledge of CSS styling. I have rated the difficulty level as easy to medium because it does involve making adjustments to your Blogger template.

How to Change the Blockquote Section of a Blogger Template

First of all let's take a look at the CSS Styling for the blockquote section of a default Minima Blogger template. 

.post-body blockquote {
line-height:1.3em;
}

.post blockquote {
margin:1em 20px;
}

.post blockquote p {
margin:.75em 0;
}

As you can see the blockquotes area of this Minima template has minimal styling. Apart from line height and margin indentation there has been no additional code added to improve the look of the template. 


Let's go ahead and give the blockquotes in your Blogger posts some styling. I will use the Minima template to show you but you can do the same for another default template or custom template. As always back up your Blogger template by downloading it to your computer before you begin to make any changes.

1. CSS Styling to Add a Background Color to Blockquotes
   Adding a background color to the blockquote area can be achieved in 1 of 2 ways.
   
   1. One way is to enter the hex color directly into the styling as I have done below. This code will add a light grey background to the blockquote area.
      

      .post-body blockquote {
      line-height:1.3em;
      background-color: #cccccc;
      }

      
      
   2. Another way to add a background color using CSS styling for the blockquote area is to make use of the variable names already set up. The border color is light grey #cccccc by default in a Minima template. The advantage of this option is that if you decide to change the border color under Layout > Fonts and Colors the blockquote color will automatically change to the new color too.
      

      .post-body blockquote {
      line-height:1.3em;
      background-color: $bordercolor;
      }

      
      If you wanted the background color to be the same as the blog title color rather than the border color you would write this instead
      

      .post-body blockquote {
      line-height:1.3em;
      background-color: $titlecolor;
      }

   
   
2. CSS Styling to Add a Border Around Blockquotes
   You have your background in place now let's add a narrow border around the background to add some more definition. The following will add a 1px solid border around the outside of your blockquote area in your Blogger posts.
   

   .post-body blockquote {
   line-height:1.3em;
   background-color: #cccccc;
   border: 1px solid #cc6600;
   }

   
   or if using variables
   

   .post-body blockquote {
   line-height:1.3em;
   background-color: $bordercolor;
   border: 1px solid $titlecolor;
   }

   
   
3. CSS Styling to Add Padding Around Blockquotes
   Now if we were to leave the styling at this point one of the problems would be that the text would butt up against the background which is not a good look. To create some space between the text and the background edge all the way around we use CSS styling to add some padding like this:
   

   .post-body blockquote {
   line-height:1.3em;
   background-color: #cccccc;
   border: 1px solid #cc6600;
   padding: 20 px;
   }

   
   or if using variables
   

   .post-body blockquote {
   line-height:1.3em;
   background-color: $bordercolor;
   border: 1px solid $titlecolor;
   padding: 20 px;
   }

   
   
4. CSS Styling to Add or Change the Text Color of Blockquotes
   If you want to accent your blockquote area in your posts one effective way to do this is to make the blockquote text color a different color from the text color of your pages. We do this by picking a color and adding the following line to the code:
   

   .post-body blockquote {
   line-height:1.3em;
   background-color: #cccccc;
   border: 1px solid #cc6600;
   padding: 20 px;
   color: #cc6600
   }

   
   or if using variables
   

   .post-body blockquote {
   line-height:1.3em;
   background-color: $bordercolor;
   border: 1px solid $titlecolor;
   padding: 20 px;
   color: $titlecolor;
   }

   
   

Tips and Troubleshooting
If you want to add further modifications to the blockquotes area of your Blogger template here are several other possibilities.

1. CSS Styling To Change the Margin of Blockquotes
   You can increase the margin from 1em to 1.5em by changing the margin line to

   margin: 1.5em 20px;

   
   
2. CSS Styling to Add a Background Image to Blockquotes
   You can have your own image as a background in your blockquotes area of your posts by adding this line:
   

   background: url(http://URL of your image.jpg);

In today's Blogger tutorial (Blogspot tutorial) you have learned how to add CSS styling to the blockquotes area of your Blogger posts. I have shown you how to add a background, a background border, change the text color, add padding, change the margin and add a background image to the blockquotes code block. If you have a moment please let me know how you got on customizing your own Blogger template. Any questions please ask.