Free HTML and CSS Tutorials at BeepTheGeek.com

Many of my tutorials here on Blogger Buster help Blogger users learn how to customize their Blogger templates by manipulating the template code. When customizing our Blogger templates, we need to use a combination of HTML tags and CSS in addition to Blogger template tags.



While I try to make my tutorials easy to follow, I understand these are also contextually aimed at a specific task, and that many of you would like to learn more about HTML and CSS in general in order to make your own unique customizations and templates.



Over the weekend, Gagan of BeepTheGeek.com let me know about a new course he has started to help bloggers learn the basics of HTML and CSS: HTML Tutorials. This is a weekly course specifically designed for those who want to learn the basics of web design which is just as important for customizing Blogger templates as designing stand-alone web pages.



Beginning with an introduction to HTML tags, Gagan hopes this free online course will enable everyone to understand the basic concepts of HTML and how this may be applied to blog template design:

The series will include all HTML concepts and will teach you everything about HTML along with CSS tips and tricks for fast and easy designing. I’ll start from the basics so that each and every concept is clear to you. By the end of the series you will be able to edit your templates.

At the end of the course, Gagan will publish the entire series of tutorials in an eBook for easy reference. 



I hope this free course will be of interest to those of you wishing to learn more about Blogger template design. Pop over to BeepTheGeek.com to take a look at the course and let us know what you think.



Image credit: eelke dekker

Bx-Errors When Uploading New Templates? The Problem and the Fix

For around a week now, many Blogger users have experienced Bx-error codes when attempting to upload a new template to their blogs when previously these templates had worked just fine.



I discovered the reason for this on the Blogger Help Group after reading this post from Gatsby, a Blogger Employee:

Recently we changed the way our template editor accepts certain third party code, so that it is now less tolerant of certain templates. We did this because we had seen a lot of data corruption due to 'bad templates,' and we are trying to stave off some of these issues pre-emptively.



Now we realize that this has caused some inconvenience to folks, so we are re-thinking our decision and will post an update on that shortly. 

At the time of writing this post, I have not found any notification that this issue has been fixed, and many of my own custom templates do not work in their initial state (I'll explain the fix later in this article). Since there are so many bloggers complaining in the Blogger Help Group, I would imagine the Blogger Team will resolve this issue shortly.



However, in the meantime, many of us are stuck wondering what to do about our templates:

• Those wishing to upload a new template will at present need to fix their template in order to be able to use it.


• Those of us who design and distribute Blogger templates are facing complaints from our readers (and in some cases, from buyers of our premium themes). Should we "fix" all of these templates or wait for the Blogger team to resolve the template editor issue?

Personally I would prefer to wait a few more days for the Blogger Team to fix the issue (and hopefully provide some clarification of what is expected from third-party templates!). In the meantime, there is a method which we can use to fix the templates which initially receive a Bx-error code.

How to upload templates without receiving a bX-error code

Many Bloggers who have been unable to upload third party templates have received the following error codes:

• bx-bliced


• bX-ev85ll


• bX-39cc9q


• bX-y6cz0v 


• bX-982020

There are several other codes too, though the issue appears to be the same for all.



Thanks to joleneliow from the Blogger Help Group, many Blogger users have reported that the following fix resolves the issue, and they have been able to upload a new template successfully. Here are the steps you should take:

1. First of all, try to upload your new template in the Layout>Edit HTML section of your dashboard. Not all templates have been affected by this issue, so it is advisable to check before attempting to edit your template significantly. If you do receive a bX-error code when trying to upload your template, you should proceed to step 2.


2. If your new template is an XML file (with the .xml entension), browse to where this is located on your computer and right click the file. Choose to open with Notepad (or your favorite basic text editor). If your template is contained within a text file (for you to copy and paste into the template editor), simply open this with your text editor.


3. Search for every instance of b:widget id= in your template, for example:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • b:widget id='Header1'
   
   
   • b:widget id='Blog1'
   
   
   • b:widget id='Label1'
   
   
   • b:widget id='HTML1'
   
   
   
   
   Replace each of these IDs with the next number up. For example, Header1 should become Header2; Blog1 should become Blog1, HTML3 should become HTML4 and so on.
   
   


4. Once you have changed each and every instance of widget id to a different number, you should save the template under a slightly different file name (to be aware of your altered file). If this is an XML file, be sure to save with the XML extension.


5. Now you have made these changes, attempt to upload your file again in the Layout>Edit HTML section of your Blogger dashboard. Now you should not receive the error code and will be able to upload your template.

If after following these steps you are still unable to upload your revised template, it is worthwhile to close your browser and delete all temporary internet files and cookies. Then restart your browser and try to upload again. Clearing all of these temporary files from your browser will ensure you receive a fresh page when editing your template. Previously when I have received error codes while editing Blogger templates, this technique has resolved the issue.



It may also be worthwhile using CCleaner to remove all such temporary files from your system. This is a free program which I use on a regular basis to clean up (and speed up) my computer.



I do hope that these techniques will enable you to upload a new template to your blog if you have previously received a bX-error code. If you know of any alternative solutions please do let us know about these by leaving a comment or sending me an email.

A message for the Blogger Team

I completely understand your concerns that certain third party templates may contain code which causes data corruption (and I'm sure most other Blogger users do too!). None of us enjoy experiencing issues with our blogs, and of course ensuring all templates contain no malicious code is of the utmost importance in maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for Blogger users.



If it would be possible to post some guidelines for template developers, this would be truly appreciated! This way, those of us who design templates for Blogger can ensure we meet these guidelines in order for our templates to work correctly, without causing issues or bX-errors.



Another possible solution would be to provide a repository of "approved" third party templates, much like the one provided by Wordpress.com. I do understand that this would be a huge development and require much work, though I'm sure there would be many volunteers willing to help check templates before they become publicly available (myself included) and the Blogger community in general would be thrilled to have such a feature available!

Bx-Errors When Uploading New Templates? The Problem and the Fix

For around a week now, many Blogger users have experienced Bx-error codes when attempting to upload a new template to their blogs when previously these templates had worked just fine.



I discovered the reason for this on the Blogger Help Group after reading this post from Gatsby, a Blogger Employee:

Recently we changed the way our template editor accepts certain third party code, so that it is now less tolerant of certain templates. We did this because we had seen a lot of data corruption due to 'bad templates,' and we are trying to stave off some of these issues pre-emptively.



Now we realize that this has caused some inconvenience to folks, so we are re-thinking our decision and will post an update on that shortly. 

At the time of writing this post, I have not found any notification that this issue has been fixed, and many of my own custom templates do not work in their initial state (I'll explain the fix later in this article). Since there are so many bloggers complaining in the Blogger Help Group, I would imagine the Blogger Team will resolve this issue shortly.



However, in the meantime, many of us are stuck wondering what to do about our templates:

• Those wishing to upload a new template will at present need to fix their template in order to be able to use it.


• Those of us who design and distribute Blogger templates are facing complaints from our readers (and in some cases, from buyers of our premium themes). Should we "fix" all of these templates or wait for the Blogger team to resolve the template editor issue?

Personally I would prefer to wait a few more days for the Blogger Team to fix the issue (and hopefully provide some clarification of what is expected from third-party templates!). In the meantime, there is a method which we can use to fix the templates which initially receive a Bx-error code.

How to upload templates without receiving a bX-error code

Many Bloggers who have been unable to upload third party templates have received the following error codes:

• bx-bliced


• bX-ev85ll


• bX-39cc9q


• bX-y6cz0v 


• bX-982020

There are several other codes too, though the issue appears to be the same for all.



Thanks to joleneliow from the Blogger Help Group, many Blogger users have reported that the following fix resolves the issue, and they have been able to upload a new template successfully. Here are the steps you should take:

1. First of all, try to upload your new template in the Layout>Edit HTML section of your dashboard. Not all templates have been affected by this issue, so it is advisable to check before attempting to edit your template significantly. If you do receive a bX-error code when trying to upload your template, you should proceed to step 2.


2. If your new template is an XML file (with the .xml entension), browse to where this is located on your computer and right click the file. Choose to open with Notepad (or your favorite basic text editor). If your template is contained within a text file (for you to copy and paste into the template editor), simply open this with your text editor.


3. Search for every instance of b:widget id= in your template, for example:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • b:widget id='Header1'
   
   
   • b:widget id='Blog1'
   
   
   • b:widget id='Label1'
   
   
   • b:widget id='HTML1'
   
   
   
   
   Replace each of these IDs with the next number up. For example, Header1 should become Header2; Blog1 should become Blog1, HTML3 should become HTML4 and so on.
   
   


4. Once you have changed each and every instance of widget id to a different number, you should save the template under a slightly different file name (to be aware of your altered file). If this is an XML file, be sure to save with the XML extension.


5. Now you have made these changes, attempt to upload your file again in the Layout>Edit HTML section of your Blogger dashboard. Now you should not receive the error code and will be able to upload your template.

If after following these steps you are still unable to upload your revised template, it is worthwhile to close your browser and delete all temporary internet files and cookies. Then restart your browser and try to upload again. Clearing all of these temporary files from your browser will ensure you receive a fresh page when editing your template. Previously when I have received error codes while editing Blogger templates, this technique has resolved the issue.



It may also be worthwhile using CCleaner to remove all such temporary files from your system. This is a free program which I use on a regular basis to clean up (and speed up) my computer.



I do hope that these techniques will enable you to upload a new template to your blog if you have previously received a bX-error code. If you know of any alternative solutions please do let us know about these by leaving a comment or sending me an email.

A message for the Blogger Team

I completely understand your concerns that certain third party templates may contain code which causes data corruption (and I'm sure most other Blogger users do too!). None of us enjoy experiencing issues with our blogs, and of course ensuring all templates contain no malicious code is of the utmost importance in maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for Blogger users.



If it would be possible to post some guidelines for template developers, this would be truly appreciated! This way, those of us who design templates for Blogger can ensure we meet these guidelines in order for our templates to work correctly, without causing issues or bX-errors.



Another possible solution would be to provide a repository of "approved" third party templates, much like the one provided by Wordpress.com. I do understand that this would be a huge development and require much work, though I'm sure there would be many volunteers willing to help check templates before they become publicly available (myself included) and the Blogger community in general would be thrilled to have such a feature available!

The Top 20+ Free Blogger Templates of 2008

In 2008 we saw a surge in the quantity and sheer quality of free Blogger templates made available for us to download. Now that designers are turning their attention towards designing for this free blogging system, we can only expect this trend for increased quality to extend far into the new year.



Over the past twelve months I've published several posts offering collections of free Blogger templates for you to download. However, there are certain templates which are simply outstanding: the cream of the crop, which have proved their worth as the best Blogger templates of 2008.



Here is my personal selection of the 20 best Blogger templates from 2008 (in no particular order or preference!) with previews and links to their download sites. I hope you will enjoy browsing through these templates if you are searching for an ideal template for your blogging project or simply to be inspired by great design.

The Daily Inspired by Woork

Antonio Lupetti's fabulous design is exclusively available for use with Blogger templates. Featuring a magazine style layout with many useful features, this clean and professional design provides the perfect canvas for business, design and magazine style blogs.



I must point out that this template is an advanced layout, and you will need to be familiar with the Blogger and HTML code if you intend to use this as much editing is required for this template to function properly. In any case, this is one of my favorite templates ever created for Blogger, and I'm sure most of you will love this design as much as I do too!



View this template in action | Download The Daily Inspired Blogger template

Dreamwork Redux (Converted by JackBook)

This stunning template is a conversion of the Wordpress template by Vinh Le and includes many useful customizations. The footer section is fully widgetized while the sidebar contains integrated widgets for recent posts and comments.



I loved the original striking style of the original Wordpress theme so I personally was thrilled to see this template ported over to Blogger!



View this template in action | Download Dreamwork Redux template for Blogger

Notepad Chaos (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is a truly stunning, grunge style design which was converted from the Wordpress theme distributed through Smashing Magazine.



Besides the stunning header section, this design offers styling of appropriate widgets in the sidebar; tabs for the date headings, and an informational section in the footer.



GosuBlogger has done a great job of this conversion to ensure no functions have been lost in the conversion and that new widgets can be added with just a few clicks.



View this template in action | Download the Notepad Chaos Blogger Template

Color Paper (Converted by Falcon Hive)

This dark grunge style template is made to appear printed on colored paper. It features a fully widgetized sidebar, integrated search function and tabs for the date headings.



I've only recently discovered Alvaris Falcon's beautiful selection of Blogger templates but I'm sure his talents will spread his fame as a Blogger template designer throughout this next year!



View this template in action | Download Color Paper Blogger Template

Creative Art (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is another stunning Blogger template by GosuBlogger which is converted from the Wordpress theme by DT Website Templates.



This template uses a striking background image for the header section, tabs for navigation, an integrated Flickr photostream and fully widgetized sidebar.



Preview this template | Download the Creative Art Blogger template

Revolution Theme for Blogger (Converted by Aborregate)

Brian Gardner's themes for Wordpress are among the most popular available and virtually revolutionized the WP theme market. Aborregate's conversion of the classic Revolution theme for Blogger provices a highly useful, functional and customizable layout with an air of professionalism which makes it ideal for the business minded blogger.



This theme includes tabbed navigation in the sidebar, a three column layout and stylized icons for post meta data.



Aborregate's site seems to be down at the moment, so instead I have provided links to the demo and download locations on BTemplates.com (the premier collaboration site for free Blogger templates).



Preview this theme | Download Revolution for Blogger

WP Polaroid (Converted by eBlog Templates)

Since it's release in January last year, the WP Polaroid conversion of Adii's Wordpress theme has proved one of the most used Blogger templates ever - and for good reasons! This wide two column template is the ideal solution for a portfolio or showcase site, with space in the header section for information about the site, integrated ads above the sidebar and a sllit widgetised sidebar section with custom images for each heading.



View live demo | Download WP Polaoid for Blogger

Zinmag Remedy (Converted by Falcoln Hive)

This is a truly stunning template when seen live in action. Converted from the template designed by Jinsona Design, this layout features a fantastic slideshow below the header (great for showcasing feature posts), a truly magazine-style layout and even a video section on the home page.



Please do take a look at this template in action as I personally am awed at the excellent job Alvaris has made with this conversion for Blogger! This screenshot does not give justice to the excellent functions included in this design!



View live demo | Download Zinmag Remedy template for Blogger

Angel (Converted by Hajunik)

This beautifully simple theme was converted from the Wordpress template by Blog Oh Blog and offers a clean yet professional layout with tabbed navigation in the sidebar, icons for lists and stylish icons throughout.



View live demo | Download this template

Wordpress Fun (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is another template offering a definite "WoW" effect! Origanally created by Malleika Attawel for Smashing Magazine, this template features a stunning header image and colorful layout with plenty of room for all your favorite widgets.



View live demo | Download this template

Butterfly (Converted by Blogger Tricks)

This beautiful template features a stunning vector style header and two column sidebar for your widgets and advertisements and was converted from the original theme by Templates4All.



Although this theme offers simple functions, the beauty fo the design has ensured this template is a popular choice for Blogger users.



View live demo | Download Butterfly template for Blogger

Masinop (Converted by Falcon Hive)

Here is another amazing template conversion by Alvaris of Falcom Hive.  Featuring a colorful bar set against a dark grey background, this template offers a professional yet wholly useful approach for Blogger template design.



The sidebar is fully widgetised with an integrated search bar and a section for important blog links, while the footer offers space for advertising or an "About this site" paragraph.



View live demo | Download Masinop for Blogger

Wordpress Admin (Converted by ThemeLib)

Here is an unusual and wholly elegant theme conversion from ThemeLib. This Wordpress Admin styled template is designed to mimic the Wordpress dashboard while offering a fully useful approach to the Blogger layout. I love the simplicity and professional style of this theme, and those icons for comment counts of each post are the perfect finishing touch.



View live demo | Download Wordpress Admin Blogger template

Squick Design (Converted by Blog and Web)

This elegant design was converted from the original template by Web Page Design and offers a clean, vector style layout with space beneath the header for your company motto or introduction.



View live demo | Download Squick Design Blogger template

Japanese Fleur (Converted by ThemeLib)

This beautiful template features a two column layout, integrated RSS feed icon and search functions. It was converted from the Wordpress.org theme by Lorelie and offers a beautiful template for those wanting a feminine approach to their design.



View live demo | Download Japanese Fleur Blogger template

Japan Style (Converted by Falcon Hive)

Here is another stunning design which has been converted by Alvaris Falcon. This stunning layout offers a Japanese theme with a wonderful background image for both the header and footer sections.



It offers integrated navigation buttons, feed subscription link and search in the sidebar. I'm sure you will agree this is a truly beautiful Blogger template!



View live demo | Download Japan Style Blogger Template

Emo Blue by ZixPk

This original Blogger template is a dark and sleek design which features a subtle grunge design. It is a three column layout with integrated feed links and search function and is fully widgetized.



View live demo | Download

Welcome Autumn by Gisele Jaquenod

Gisele's templates are always beautifully designed (just take a look at her blog to see the best examples). This autumn themed template features the familiar "Birdy" character above the sidebar and it's neutral color scheme enables this template to be used for a whole variety of blog niches.



Read more and download the Welcome Autumn template for Blogger

Made in Spain (via BTemplates)

According to the statistics from BTemplates.com - the leading resource site for free Blogger template downloads - the Made in Spain template is among the most popular Blogger templates of all time, boasting almost 20,000 downloads from BTemplates alone at the time of writing.



This two column template offers a notebook style appearance, tabbed navigation to the left of the main section (made to appear like post-it notes) and a fully widgetized sidebar.



View live demo | Download the Made in Spain template for Blogger

DfMarine (Converted by TemplatesNovoBlogger)

Here is a sleek and professional template which was converted from the original theme by Deziner Folio.



It features a stylish three column section for links/bookmark icons below the header, a fully widgetized sidebar, calendar icons and much more.



View live demo | Download DfMarine Blogger Template

Bonus!

Here is another AMAZING template which I'd forgotten to add to this list (thank you Daniel for reminding me!)



Cellar Heat (Converted by MagzNetwork)

This fabulous template displays posts in rows of three, side by side on the home page, while on item pages the posts are expanded to fill the main area. It includes a single sidebar to the right of the posts column and three widgetized sections in the footer area.



Originally created by Evan Eckard for Smashing Magazine, I am awed by the wonderful conversion made by Magznetwork and truly recommend this template for those who desire an edgy, grunge style theme.



View live demo | Download Cellar Heat Blogger Template

Overview

While some of these templates may be familiar from my previous Blogger template articles, I've only recently discovered most of these templates and feel it only fair to share the best of my discoveries with you.



There are dozens more beautiful Blogger designs I have encountered over the past year and this is my personal selection of favorites. So if you feel I've left out an outstanding design or would simply like to share your own favorite designs, please feel free to discuss this in the comments below.

The Top 20+ Free Blogger Templates of 2008

In 2008 we saw a surge in the quantity and sheer quality of free Blogger templates made available for us to download. Now that designers are turning their attention towards designing for this free blogging system, we can only expect this trend for increased quality to extend far into the new year.



Over the past twelve months I've published several posts offering collections of free Blogger templates for you to download. However, there are certain templates which are simply outstanding: the cream of the crop, which have proved their worth as the best Blogger templates of 2008.



Here is my personal selection of the 20 best Blogger templates from 2008 (in no particular order or preference!) with previews and links to their download sites. I hope you will enjoy browsing through these templates if you are searching for an ideal template for your blogging project or simply to be inspired by great design.

The Daily Inspired by Woork

Antonio Lupetti's fabulous design is exclusively available for use with Blogger templates. Featuring a magazine style layout with many useful features, this clean and professional design provides the perfect canvas for business, design and magazine style blogs.



I must point out that this template is an advanced layout, and you will need to be familiar with the Blogger and HTML code if you intend to use this as much editing is required for this template to function properly. In any case, this is one of my favorite templates ever created for Blogger, and I'm sure most of you will love this design as much as I do too!



View this template in action | Download The Daily Inspired Blogger template

Dreamwork Redux (Converted by JackBook)

This stunning template is a conversion of the Wordpress template by Vinh Le and includes many useful customizations. The footer section is fully widgetized while the sidebar contains integrated widgets for recent posts and comments.



I loved the original striking style of the original Wordpress theme so I personally was thrilled to see this template ported over to Blogger!



View this template in action | Download Dreamwork Redux template for Blogger

Notepad Chaos (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is a truly stunning, grunge style design which was converted from the Wordpress theme distributed through Smashing Magazine.



Besides the stunning header section, this design offers styling of appropriate widgets in the sidebar; tabs for the date headings, and an informational section in the footer.



GosuBlogger has done a great job of this conversion to ensure no functions have been lost in the conversion and that new widgets can be added with just a few clicks.



View this template in action | Download the Notepad Chaos Blogger Template

Color Paper (Converted by Falcon Hive)

This dark grunge style template is made to appear printed on colored paper. It features a fully widgetized sidebar, integrated search function and tabs for the date headings.



I've only recently discovered Alvaris Falcon's beautiful selection of Blogger templates but I'm sure his talents will spread his fame as a Blogger template designer throughout this next year!



View this template in action | Download Color Paper Blogger Template

Creative Art (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is another stunning Blogger template by GosuBlogger which is converted from the Wordpress theme by DT Website Templates.



This template uses a striking background image for the header section, tabs for navigation, an integrated Flickr photostream and fully widgetized sidebar.



Preview this template | Download the Creative Art Blogger template

Revolution Theme for Blogger (Converted by Aborregate)

Brian Gardner's themes for Wordpress are among the most popular available and virtually revolutionized the WP theme market. Aborregate's conversion of the classic Revolution theme for Blogger provices a highly useful, functional and customizable layout with an air of professionalism which makes it ideal for the business minded blogger.



This theme includes tabbed navigation in the sidebar, a three column layout and stylized icons for post meta data.



Aborregate's site seems to be down at the moment, so instead I have provided links to the demo and download locations on BTemplates.com (the premier collaboration site for free Blogger templates).



Preview this theme | Download Revolution for Blogger

WP Polaroid (Converted by eBlog Templates)

Since it's release in January last year, the WP Polaroid conversion of Adii's Wordpress theme has proved one of the most used Blogger templates ever - and for good reasons! This wide two column template is the ideal solution for a portfolio or showcase site, with space in the header section for information about the site, integrated ads above the sidebar and a sllit widgetised sidebar section with custom images for each heading.



View live demo | Download WP Polaoid for Blogger

Zinmag Remedy (Converted by Falcoln Hive)

This is a truly stunning template when seen live in action. Converted from the template designed by Jinsona Design, this layout features a fantastic slideshow below the header (great for showcasing feature posts), a truly magazine-style layout and even a video section on the home page.



Please do take a look at this template in action as I personally am awed at the excellent job Alvaris has made with this conversion for Blogger! This screenshot does not give justice to the excellent functions included in this design!



View live demo | Download Zinmag Remedy template for Blogger

Angel (Converted by Hajunik)

This beautifully simple theme was converted from the Wordpress template by Blog Oh Blog and offers a clean yet professional layout with tabbed navigation in the sidebar, icons for lists and stylish icons throughout.



View live demo | Download this template

Wordpress Fun (Converted by GosuBlogger)

Here is another template offering a definite "WoW" effect! Origanally created by Malleika Attawel for Smashing Magazine, this template features a stunning header image and colorful layout with plenty of room for all your favorite widgets.



View live demo | Download this template

Butterfly (Converted by Blogger Tricks)

This beautiful template features a stunning vector style header and two column sidebar for your widgets and advertisements and was converted from the original theme by Templates4All.



Although this theme offers simple functions, the beauty fo the design has ensured this template is a popular choice for Blogger users.



View live demo | Download Butterfly template for Blogger

Masinop (Converted by Falcon Hive)

Here is another amazing template conversion by Alvaris of Falcom Hive.  Featuring a colorful bar set against a dark grey background, this template offers a professional yet wholly useful approach for Blogger template design.



The sidebar is fully widgetised with an integrated search bar and a section for important blog links, while the footer offers space for advertising or an "About this site" paragraph.



View live demo | Download Masinop for Blogger

Wordpress Admin (Converted by ThemeLib)

Here is an unusual and wholly elegant theme conversion from ThemeLib. This Wordpress Admin styled template is designed to mimic the Wordpress dashboard while offering a fully useful approach to the Blogger layout. I love the simplicity and professional style of this theme, and those icons for comment counts of each post are the perfect finishing touch.



View live demo | Download Wordpress Admin Blogger template

Squick Design (Converted by Blog and Web)

This elegant design was converted from the original template by Web Page Design and offers a clean, vector style layout with space beneath the header for your company motto or introduction.



View live demo | Download Squick Design Blogger template

Japanese Fleur (Converted by ThemeLib)

This beautiful template features a two column layout, integrated RSS feed icon and search functions. It was converted from the Wordpress.org theme by Lorelie and offers a beautiful template for those wanting a feminine approach to their design.



View live demo | Download Japanese Fleur Blogger template

Japan Style (Converted by Falcon Hive)

Here is another stunning design which has been converted by Alvaris Falcon. This stunning layout offers a Japanese theme with a wonderful background image for both the header and footer sections.



It offers integrated navigation buttons, feed subscription link and search in the sidebar. I'm sure you will agree this is a truly beautiful Blogger template!



View live demo | Download Japan Style Blogger Template

Emo Blue by ZixPk

This original Blogger template is a dark and sleek design which features a subtle grunge design. It is a three column layout with integrated feed links and search function and is fully widgetized.



View live demo | Download

Welcome Autumn by Gisele Jaquenod

Gisele's templates are always beautifully designed (just take a look at her blog to see the best examples). This autumn themed template features the familiar "Birdy" character above the sidebar and it's neutral color scheme enables this template to be used for a whole variety of blog niches.



Read more and download the Welcome Autumn template for Blogger

Made in Spain (via BTemplates)

According to the statistics from BTemplates.com - the leading resource site for free Blogger template downloads - the Made in Spain template is among the most popular Blogger templates of all time, boasting almost 20,000 downloads from BTemplates alone at the time of writing.



This two column template offers a notebook style appearance, tabbed navigation to the left of the main section (made to appear like post-it notes) and a fully widgetized sidebar.



View live demo | Download the Made in Spain template for Blogger

DfMarine (Converted by TemplatesNovoBlogger)

Here is a sleek and professional template which was converted from the original theme by Deziner Folio.



It features a stylish three column section for links/bookmark icons below the header, a fully widgetized sidebar, calendar icons and much more.



View live demo | Download DfMarine Blogger Template

Bonus!

Here is another AMAZING template which I'd forgotten to add to this list (thank you Daniel for reminding me!)



Cellar Heat (Converted by MagzNetwork)

This fabulous template displays posts in rows of three, side by side on the home page, while on item pages the posts are expanded to fill the main area. It includes a single sidebar to the right of the posts column and three widgetized sections in the footer area.



Originally created by Evan Eckard for Smashing Magazine, I am awed by the wonderful conversion made by Magznetwork and truly recommend this template for those who desire an edgy, grunge style theme.



View live demo | Download Cellar Heat Blogger Template

Overview

While some of these templates may be familiar from my previous Blogger template articles, I've only recently discovered most of these templates and feel it only fair to share the best of my discoveries with you.



There are dozens more beautiful Blogger designs I have encountered over the past year and this is my personal selection of favorites. So if you feel I've left out an outstanding design or would simply like to share your own favorite designs, please feel free to discuss this in the comments below.

"Premium" Blogger Templates now available from Theme Forest

Theme Forest is the first template marketplace I've encountered which offers premium Blogger templates for download, alongside web templates and themes for other CMS's.





At the time of writing, there are 7 premium Blogger XML templates available for download, though I suspect many more will become available in the coming weeks as more designers create themes for our favorite blogging platform.



These themes are very reasonably priced (between $10 and $12 at the moment) and as they are offered as premium downloads, they have been designed exclusively by the theme author.

My offerings on Theme Forest

For some time, I have considered designing premium Blogger templates, but had been anxious about the amount of time and work involved in creating a site through which to sell these. So when I discovered Theme Forest, I decided this would be a much better entrance for me into the realm of premium template sales.



At present, you can find two of my own Blogger template designs available in the marketplace: Lotus and Underland:

Both of these themes are three column designs and, as you should expect of a premium theme, these offer many non-standard features. The download files include all template images used in the theme and a comprehensive PDF which includes instructions for upload and set-up.



Here you can browse the full selection of Blogger themes on Theme Forest.



I also have two more premium themes in progress which should be complete and ready for sale in the next couple of weeks.

Will I still be creating FREE Blogger templates?

Of course! Blogger Buster is my pride and joy: I love writing about Blogger and creating templates for others to use, and I assure you that I'll continue to create free templates too.



As I'm sure many of you will understand, I do still need to put food on the table. Anything I earn from designing for Theme Forest will be extra income which enables me to spend more time researching and blogging than working on freelance projects.

Downloading themes from Theme Forest

Theme Forest is one of three marketplaces housed on the Envato blog network (the others being FlashDen and Audio Jungle).



To purchase a theme or other offering from these marketplaces, you need to register your free account and make a deposit (min $20) which can be spent on any of the marketplaces, and on any theme.You can make a purchase by choosing the "purchase" link on any theme page, and as far as I can tell, these downloads are available for you to access at any time, ensuring you can download any updates or changes to your themes which have been made by the theme author.

Become a Theme Forest author!

Those of you who design Blogger templates may be interested in how easy it is to become a theme author, so I'll fill you in on the details.



To become an author, you first need to register your account, then read through a comprehensive tutorial which explains the process and responsibilities of becoming an author.



Before you can upload files, you need to complete a questionnaire to ensure you understand the terms and conditions, and how to organize/upload your themes and files. After this, you will be able to upload your templates and themes for review by a member of staff.

How themes are priced

Once you have uploaded themes for review, your work will be assessed for quality and assigned a price (we cannot choose the prices for our own work at present).



Wordpress themes seem to attract the highest prices, while Blogger and general Site templates are priced bwtween $10 and $15.

Earnings and referrals

When you first become an author, you will earn 25% of all sales. Once you have sold more than $500 worth of themes, you will be offered the opportinity to become an "exclusive author": this means that you can choose to sell your themes exclusively through the Theme Forest marketplace, and your commission will increase to 35% (and possibly up to 50% in the future).



To many, this may see, a very low commission for theme authors (I must admit I'm a little disappointed to earn only $2.50 each time one of my own themes is downloaded). However, I should point out that Theme Forest take on the responsibility of advertising, hosting, distribution of files and so on. This means that authors have no other work than designing and uploading their themes, as all other requirements are taken care of by Theme Forest staff.



Referrals generate 50% in commission. This means that if you refer a new user who deposits $20 across the Envato marketplace network, you will earn $10. This offers much more incentive for authors to generate referrals for their themes and for users to promote the availability of themes from their own sites.

What do you think?

I would love to know your opinions about Theme Forest as a purchaser or author, and any feedback you may have about the premium Blogger themes I have created, so please feel free to leave your comments and opinions below.