My Dollar Store Craft: Blue Angel Votive Candle Holder

Inspired by the fantastic blogs "Dollar Store Crafts" and the Graphics Fairy I present my very own dollar store craft: this charming little votive candle holder featuring a blue angel. I've made a dozen or so of these candle holders as stocking stuffers for my office and now I've been asked to make a special order for my boss's Christmas dinner at home!

Project estimate:

• Graphics Fairy "Best Little Angel Girl", free
• Drinking glass, on hand or $1 and up
• Homemade ModPodge, on hand or $1
• Votive candles, on hand or $1
• Wrapping paper, on hand or $1
• Blue ink pad, on hand or $1
• Glitter ribbon, on hand or $1
• Various glues, on hand or $1 
• Clear nail polish, (optional) on hand or $1
• Nail polish remover, on hand or $1
• Cotton balls, on hand or $1
• Sponge brush, on hand or $1 
• Xacto Knife or razor, on hand or $1 (for razor)
• Scissors and paper edgers, on hand
• Copy paper, on hand 

Now, at a dollar per project item, the price for this candle holder can accumulate quite quickly.  Use what you've got on hand to save on costs. The main things I purchased were the glasses, votive candles, wrapping paper and blue ink pad all sourced from my local Dollar Tree or 99 Cents Only stores. Everything else you see I had on hand but cost either only a dollar (from previous visits to these stores) or was completely free.  Please note: because of the use of sharps (razor or Xacto knife) I don't recommend fabricating this project with children for safety reasons.

Directions:

• Start with making homemade ModPodge recipe by mixing 1 part glue (Elmer's is best -- but not the school glue, the regular glue) with 3 parts water. To make it glossy, throw in a bottle of clear nail polish.  Put all ingredients in a jar, twist lid to close and shake 'til well mixed.
• Pre-cut gift wrapping paper to wrap around the glass. I chose a wedding style gift wrap that was mainly colored white, ivory and gold and then smudged it with a blue ink pad to blend and match the Graphics Fairy "Best Little Angel Girl" subject. It's hard to tell with the golden glow of the candle light in the photo but the wrapping paper background is tinted and mottled with the blue ink. It looks like it was manufactured that way.
• Coat drinking glass with homemade ModPodge. Decoupage gift wrap around the glass.  Allow to dry but check in occasionally to smooth any paper wrinkles as it dries. 
• Print out Graphics Fairy "Angel". I cut mine with Fiskars "Torn Paper" Edger scissors (discontinued). Edge with blue ink pad. 
• Decoupage angel over wrapping paper on the opposite side of the seam. Allow to dry but check in occasionally to smooth any paper wrinkles as it dries. You can smooth by hand or use a brayer if you have one handy.
• Print out the "Believe" label (or for my boss's Christmas dinner print out guest's names for each table setting) with the PegsannaHMK font available for free from Fonts101.com. I simply printed it out on regular copy paper and cut with Fiskar's "Majestic" Edger scissors. At this point you can smudge the label to distress or even edge the paper with the blue ink pad however I chose to let it remain white. Next time I would probably edge the paper just a bit with the ink pad to make it pop. Place label onto angel and then decoupage. Allow to dry.
• After glass is completely dry, carefully trim the top of the glass with Xacto knife or razor blade to remove any paper that's sticking up over the rim.
• Decoupage entire glass once more to seal. Allow to dry.
• Once dry, carefully wipe off any remaining laquer (from the nail polish in the homemade ModPodge) that's on the glass (do NOT wipe the decoupaged papers -- just the exposed glass such as the bottom and the inside upper rim) with cotton ball and nail polish remover.  You want to clean up the exposed glass and make it sparkle. It also helps to make the project look clean and professional.
• Next, apply blue glitter ribbon to the top and bottom edge of glass. Aleene's Original Tacky Glue is the best adhesive for this particular application due to it's "stickiness". That is, it stays put so that the ribbon doesn't slide down the glass as it dries.You could use regular glue but keep an eye on it as the ribbon may spring off or slide so you'll need to press it back on as it dries.
• Insert votive, light and display!

Happy holidays!

Unique Paper Mache Materials Technique and Weldbond Adhesive Product Review

New hat displays and wig stands in my Etsy shop.

I just uploaded my latest creations of mixed media wig stands and hat displays in my Etsy shop and now I want to break it down as to how I made them. If I knew how awesome they were gonna turn out, I would have photographed a full on tutorial. But I didn't. When I started making them, I was just going by intuition so now I need to back track a little bit because I want to talk about some of the techniques and materials I used.

We'll begin with the fact that I wanted some pretty models for my vintage hats that I've have listed on Etsy.  So far I've used a beauty school dummy head (image left) which I think is OK, but I wanted to try something else.

For my fairy kei wool dread falls, I use an average Styrofoam wig stand (image right) because I need to pin the falls into the head to make them stay on so I could photograph them. Now I think white Styrofoam looks cheap in a photo so I spray painted it gold to simulate a skin tones. I love the face on these displays, but I hate that Styrofoam. It makes it look like the skin is reptilian which is cool if you're going for that effect, but not good if you're trying to sell dread falls. I mean, wool dread falls are pretty avant garde already, but the reptilian skin is distracting and freakish and I think takes away from the product you're trying to sell.

So here comes my ideas for hat displays for my latest round of vintage hats.  I took the same Styrofoam head style and made "Becky" (image left). I paper mached her with coffee filter paper and wallpaper adhesive that I got at Lowes with the idea that the face's skin would be smoother.  I made three layers of paper mache and let it dry for a day in between.  Then I sanded it smooth.

This is the paper mache technique I'm talking about: coffee filters and wallpaper adhesive!  I had both of these on hand so instead of running out to get more supplies, I just used what I got with great results.  Just shred the coffee filter paper by hand and as for the paper mache paste, simply add water to a glop of wallpaper adhesive until you get a consistency you like.  I can't really advise as to what the water to adhesive ratio is.  I just added water and stirred it with the wallpaper adhesive until it was thick and creamy.

What's great about using these two materials for a paper mache pulp is that when I went to color the head with walnut ink (that I also make and sell on Etsy) the paper mache grabbed the ink the way I wanted it to.  Also, wallpaper adhesive is anti-bacterial. It's meant to be that way so that mold doesn't grow between the paper and the drywall when used as indicated. So that means your paper mache work won't rot either! 

Now for shabby floral hat display (image right). I saw in the blog DIY Lunacy how Madz made a hat stand using Styrofoam ball.  I thought a paper towel holder would be perfect as a base because I wanted to mount the paper mache dress form you see pictured on the hat stand to use as a jewelry display.

To make this, again I paper-mached the Styrofoam ball with coffee filters and wallpaper adhesive to get a smoother texture.  Originally I  thought I was going to use the piece of metal that's on the side of the towel holder to mount the dress form but it just wasn't positioned where I wanted it to so I just removed the stick completely and mounted the dress form (as well as the ball) to the base using Weldbond glue.

Let's talk about Weldbond glue! It's pretty amazing!  All this time I've been using E-6000 for any and all serious hardcore adhesion applications. But now I think if I can use Weldbond on a project, I'll opt for that instead.  I love it because it's just as strong as E-6000 but not as stinky. So no fumes and no headaches.

Weldbond is also elastic and stretchy like E-6000 so things you adhere with it won't crack off as easily like hot glued projects. I also love Weldbond because it acts like your average Elmer's white glue when you apply it, so therefore I have a better experience in working with it to get the results I want.  E-6000 is more gooey and tacky like a relentless booger and I find it really hard to work with.  But Weldbond is water based glue therefore if you get it on something like your clothes, you can rinse it off with cold water. Just be sure to do it RIGHT AWAY before the glue hardens and sets.  Finally, Weldbond can be tinted with tea, paint and even nail polish.

Now I don't want to bash E-6000. It's still great stuff. I've been using it for years and will continue to do so with the right application to a project. For the record Weldbond has it's limitations but they weren't applicable to my hat stands and wig displays so I gave it a try and as you can tell, I really like it.

As things turned out, both these hat displays are really pretty in and of themselves but as a photographer's model for my vintage hats I find that they distract the eye.  I can't tell whether to look at the featured hat or look at the model.  I think they work as a unique piece of home decor or even better as a display in a boutique or crafts booth. So it looks like I'll keep experimenting with some ideas but use the old beauty school dummy head until I get the right model!

For the records, I am just a crafty vixen and not an employee for Weldbond. Furthermore, I have received no compensation to blog about them. However, if you work for Weldbond and you're reading this blog, can you please kick down some free product for me?  I'll try to think of more projects to make with it! =)  And if you're a rep for E6000, if you guy's kick down some free product I'll come up with unique and fantastic project that only E6000 can handle. XD

How To Easily Clean A Vintage Coffee Percolator

Today's blog post is brought to you by... C O F F E E ! ! !

Click image to embiggen

Warning: I'm obsessed with ways to make good coffee on the cheap so I think several upcoming posts are going to be about coffee!  I'll resume my regular standard posts as soon as I get over this kick.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm totally into making coffee with a percolator.  It turns out, the brand I own is called a "Universal Coffee-matic" (image left) which was made by an American company called  Landers, Frary & Clark throughout the 50s and 60s. The company manufactured housewares from 1865 until its assets were sold to General Electric in 1965 when the brand itself faded into obscurity.

Landers, Frary & Clark may be a thing of the past, but my fantastic Coffee-matic still works and brews some excellent hot coffee.  I use it at work, where I bypass the crappy drip coffeemaker they've got going in the kitchen and percolate a batch every morning. Since I only consume one single cuppajoe a day, I share the remainder of the pot with co-workers.  The fun part is it's becoming a stone soup situation wherein they bring in delicious roasts from their local mom and pop coffee roasters for me to brew.

How To Clean A Vintage Coffee Percolator

Daily

On a daily basis, the interior of the pot (NOT the heating element) needs to be washed with hot soapy water after every use.  DO NOT IMMERSE the pot in water if you're using a Coffee-matic (like I am) or any non-immersible brand percolator or you'll destroy the heating element. Also: remember to unplug the darn thing before cleaning.

Monthly

On a monthly basis follow the steps below to really deep clean your percolator and get the most flavorful cup of coffee. I also recommend this method if you just purchased a used percolator. You'll need these supplies on hand: vinegar, baking soda, towel, toothpick, needle, pipe cleaner, dish brush, soap and water.

1. Throw in 2 tablespoons of baking soda in the coffee basket and add water to the pot.  Turn it on and let it run through a percolating cycle. After it's complete, turn it off, wait for it to cool and then throw the liquid out.
2. Fill the pot a second time with a 50/50 mixture of water and white vinegar and once again run it through a percolating cycle. Wait for pot to cool and throw the liquid out.
3. Finally, fill the pot a third time this time with plain water and let it run through a percolator cycle.  Empty the water and allow the pot dry.  
4. Wipe down the exterior with a towel but do not apply any scouring device, cleaning powders or steel wool because you will only damage it.
5. Remove the pump tube and basket and thoroughly clean any debris or coffee residue with a combination of toothpick, needle, pipe cleaner or a brush as needed. Allow to dry.
6. Inspect the washer and perk tube flange for debris.  If this element does not rattle upon shaking it, poke the holes with a needle, toothpick or pipe cleaner until it does.  Rinse and allow to dry.
7. Reassemble all the pieces of your percolator and you're good to go!

In my next post, I'll offer my recipe for cold brew coffee!

"This Is Coffee" (1962) or "How To Percolate Coffee"

Last summer I went camping and enjoyed the best cup of joe I've had since my travels in Europe when I graduated high school. Maybe it was the great outdoors. Maybe it was the fresh clean air. My friend who brewed it fresh every morning swore it was the fact that it was percolated using a camping percolator coffee pot.

Life was good.

Summer came and went and along with it was those mornings of fresh coffee brought to my tent.

Sigh....

Cut to: this year where I'd been laid off and out of work for almost five months. Fun-employment can be pretty brutal and not so very fun so every day I went to my local multinational coffee chain store, paid $2 bucks for a cup of drip coffee and hammered away on my computer utilizing the store's free WIFI in search of my next gig which I got at the end of April.

Now I'm in a 9-5, at a desk with no windows so I remember fondly last summer's camping trip and the great coffee. I remember and wonder about my pals at my morning coffee klatsch as we pored over job listings and Craigslist posts.  But one thing's for sure: I don't miss spending $14 a week on coffee.

Do. The. Math: a two buck-a-day habit multiplied by 365 days and your average coffee expense amounts to a whopping $730 a year! That's a round trip ticket to Paris or a cruise in the Hawaiian Islands, egads! I mean, that's a lot of money, especially when you're coming off an extended bout of unemployment and accepting significantly less pay than you're used to because of this economy.

Now my new gig has a coffee service, and the coffee is just OK. The brand is good, so I'm thinking that maybe it's the coffee maker itself from which flows this mediocre coffee and wouldn't you know it? I was right!

I went out to my local thrift shop and got a good old-fashioned electric coffee percolator, cleaned it out really good with vinegar and starting making my own fresh perc'd coffee and let me tell you (exaggerated sotto voce): it tastes 100% better.

But it took awhile to get it right. At first, I was flummoxed. I paid only $4 bucks for the percolator but I didn't have the foggiest idea on how to use it. My camping buddy made the coffee daily, so while I was blissfully caffeinated I was also an utter doofus for failing to get the instructions on how to make it from him.

So I went on-line and found several forums and tutorials. There seems to be a huge debate from many coffee snobs who argue the merits of drip or even French pressed coffee over  percolated coffee.

However, for me, percolated coffee tastes better, is darker and stronger, and the equipment is much less expensive. There no filters to change or buy so I save the trees while making things easier on my wallet and the environment. Not only that,  but my co-workers also think it's better tasting than the company's coffee maker or the local multinational coffee chain store down the street.

I think the trick is I make it strong and the percolator dispenses it hot so like, who doesn't like strong hot coffee? Right?

This documentary was brought to you by the Coffee Brewers Institute and produced by Visions Associates. On one forum I read where this guy took a class from the institute back in the fifties when he claims he was the night manager at Hody's Restaurant in Hollywood.  He said that upon completion of instruction "We were awarded a 1/2 gold colored coffee cup and hung it over the entrance to the bar."

So when you get a moment, would you be so kind as to put down that cuppa joe and let me know your secret for the best method for making coffee? Cheers!

How To Add FancyBox to Blogger/Blogspot in 7 Steps

Hello everybody!

Long time no post, but I'm back today with a nifty tutorial on how to add lightbox effects to photos posted to Blogger/Blogspot.

Did you notice I didn't entitle this post "How To Add FancyBox to Blogger/Blogspot in 7 Easy Steps"?

That's because adding this feature takes some pretty advanced coding skills so be prepared to spend some time with this and look up other tutorials on the Web if my directions fail to give you results.  I installed this feature through trial and error and took me about four hours to get it right.

We'll be using a free tool called FancyBox which displays images, html content and multi-media "lightbox" that floats overtop of web page. Click on the photo (above left) of the glamourously bombastic Audrey Hepburn to see what I'm talkin' about!

FYI: this  photo and more very high quality images of famous screen stars can be grabbed for free from Dr. Macro's High Quality Movie Scans.

OK! Now that you've seen what FancyBox can do you want it too,  right? Let's get crackin' on how to install it!

HOW TO ADD FANCYBOX TO BLOGGER

Step #1
First of all BACKUP your template just in case you want to revert back to it.

Step #2
Download FancyBox for free!

Step #3
Rename the downloaded FancyBox folder to something simple like "fb".

Step #4
Upload the folder to your webhost. In this case you will need to use a hosting service to store the FancyBox files because Blogger/Blogspot does not offer storage capability. If you don't have a hosting service, you can get 2gb of storage from Dropbox for free ⬅ Please use this URL so I also can get some free additonal storage in referring them to you!

Step #5
Open the file "jquery.fancybox-1.3.4.css", change all the image URL to the correct image path. Scroll through the text box directly below to view an example of what it's supposed to look like. Remember to change all the URLs in the css document to your webhost. Upload the css file to your hosting site after you're done editing it.




Step #6
On Blogger, go to Edit HTML tab under Design, paste the following code before the </head> tag:



Make sure to change the js and css files to the correct path. I've highlighted the required changes for you!

Step #7
Upload your photos to your blog as you normally would. Then modify the code for the image under the "Edit HTML" tab from this:

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZlLsSFm68lCu0HW7grOzO3Ma680lILv8farAewzo2Acxne3fTm6g33I6m-PVTZVmCWVQMpGBQW_i0eKf-3lxjv-wR3IsyE64ZU9pKAmLCd4IOAzSjAqtHXlj5YZ2SejXW2oNWpNUmyTC/s800/Annex%252520-%252520Hepburn%25252C%252520Audrey_061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZlLsSFm68lCu0HW7grOzO3Ma680lILv8farAewzo2Acxne3fTm6g33I6m-PVTZVmCWVQMpGBQW_i0eKf-3lxjv-wR3IsyE64ZU9pKAmLCd4IOAzSjAqtHXlj5YZ2SejXW2oNWpNUmyTC/s800/Annex%252520-%252520Hepburn%25252C%252520Audrey_061.jpg" /></a>

 to this:

<a class="default" rel="fancybox" title:"Download FancyBox" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZlLsSFm68lCu0HW7grOzO3Ma680lILv8farAewzo2Acxne3fTm6g33I6m-PVTZVmCWVQMpGBQW_i0eKf-3lxjv-wR3IsyE64ZU9pKAmLCd4IOAzSjAqtHXlj5YZ2SejXW2oNWpNUmyTC/s800/Annex%252520-%252520Hepburn%25252C%252520Audrey_061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="240" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZlLsSFm68lCu0HW7grOzO3Ma680lILv8farAewzo2Acxne3fTm6g33I6m-PVTZVmCWVQMpGBQW_i0eKf-3lxjv-wR3IsyE64ZU9pKAmLCd4IOAzSjAqtHXlj5YZ2SejXW2oNWpNUmyTC/s800/Annex%252520-%252520Hepburn%25252C%252520Audrey_061.jpg" /></a>

That is to say to insert the code class="default" rel="fancybox" title:"Download Fancybox"
in between the the "a" and "href" of  "a href=".

I'm still pretty new to this so I'm not sure if I can assist you if you have any issues.  I had to fiddle with it for awhile to get it to work, but it was worth it.  If you need support, your best bet is to read the "How To" page directly on the FancyBox website.  If you have better methods on how to install FancyBox, I'd appreciate (as would other readers of this blog) if you would post your tips in the comments below.

How To Install an .XML File for Blogger in 9 Easy Steps!

Ever since I released my FREE modified 3 column Minima templates for the Blogger/Blogspot platform I've been asked a million questions on how to install'em.

As I've suggested before (and now I'm gonna do it again) Sharnee at YummyLolly.com has a kick-ass tutorial that's all in text. It's concise, well written, and super informative.

But if you're anything like me, I never read the directions. Nope! Not me! I push forward and explore by trial and error.  O_o

Yep! That's how I process and integrate information. It's really true what Marshall Mclaren meant when he said "the medium is the message" because now that we're all connected digitally we are literally changing our brains. I mean there are so many ways to exchange information and ideas it's truly freaking amazing that I can share with  you this little video.

Now some folks learn aurally, others learn visually and still others learn kinesthetically.  I know this because used to teach private post-secondary vocational education and it was my job to make sure my students "got it".  If they didn't, well it was all on me for being a poor communicator.

Anyway, so I created this video for those who learn better by watching and doing.  All you have to do is follow along with me and click the "pause" button when you need to. The same steps in the video are also below.

I know this screen is teeny and it's difficult to see what exactly it is I'm doing. So if you click on the little expander on the menu of the player the video will blow up to full screen and you can see all the details.  If this doesn't work then by all means head on over to my YouTube channel 'cuz I know it will click to full screen there.

Remember: before you begin remember to back up your original template before installing!

Now, here's how you install a new one:

1. Click on "Download" button and save file to your hard drive.
2. Extract or "unzip" the file you just downloaded. The .ZIP file opens into an .XML file. UPDATE: 3/17/2010 I no longer zip these files because too many users were complaining they were unable to open them.
3. Login to your Blogger dashboard.
4. Click on "Layout" tab in the dashboard panel.
5. Click on "Edit HTML" menu item.
6. Click the "Browse" button and look for the extracted .XML file on your hard drive.
   (It may be in your Downloads folder or your desktop.)
7. Only select the .XML file. Do not select any other type of file.
8. Click "Upload" button. Be sure to "Keep Widgets" when asked in the pop-up menu.
9. Confirm this action and hit "Save".

Voila! You have a new template! Woo hoo! U R so kewl!

I may go back later and record a voiceover track for those of you who take in information better through their hearing but we'll see.  Somebody is going to have to request that by contacting me or leaving a comment!

Until then, I look forward to bloggers sharing with me what they've done to customize this modded 3 column Minima template and how they skinned it! 

Blogger Trick: How To Remove Banner Border (for Courtney)

Courtney from BeautyandtheBride just installed my 3 Column Minima (Wide) template and had the following question:

I am in the midst of uploading the Minima wide three column template you created for blogger (Thank you!) and have a question. I have a banner/image that I would like to install on my blog. In the fonts and colors area I clicked on the border color to white, so there would not be any lines around my image, but one gray line still remains. Is there any way to get the gray line out from around my image? Thank you again for a cool template! ~ Courtney

OK, Courtney.  This is pretty simple and I'm  going to break it down in 4 easy-peasy steps.

First, let's establish our goal: we want to remove the double border around the top banner. See the "before" and "after" photos below. If you need more clarity simply click on images to embiggen.

 

 This is pretty cinchy! Here we go:

#1

First of all, head to your Blogger dashboard and go to Layout → Fonts and Colors (see above).


#2

 

In the colors box on the left scroll down to "Border Color" and change the border from "Pink" to "White".  (See above).

Then hit "Save Changes".

In some templates this should do the trick. But Blogger is funny and sometimes there's a little code monkey running around in your code that will only allow you to remove just one border outline (not both).  I don't know how it got there and I don't know how to get rid of it. However, I can tell you how to remove the second border.  But I have to tell you now: you're gonna have to go into the HTML code. But don't panic! We can do this! Here we go:

#3

Go to Layout → Edit HTML (see above)

Scroll down until you see the following code:

#header-wrapper {
width: 1000px;
margin:0 auto 10px;
border:1px solid #cccccc;     ← CHANGE THIS VALUE
}

#4

 

Change the part where the hexidecimal color code* (aka HEX) says #cccccc (gray) to #ffffff (white). (See above). 

#header-wrapper {

width: 1000px;
margin:0 auto 10px;
border:1px solid #ffffff;       ← TO THIS VALUE
}

And voila! The color is now white, blending in with the background of your template. (See above).

Hit "Save Changes" and you're good to go!

------
* FYI the HEX code for black is #000000 and here's a table of other color codes.

How To Remove the Navigation Bar From Blogger

It's pretty simple to remove the navbar from your Blogger blog. Just follow the directions in the video above cut and paste the following code below into your template.

#navbar-iframe {
display: none !important;
}

Important: Cut and paste the snippet AFTER the credits as indicated in the video but BEFORE the variable definitions code. Let me know how it goes!

Removing the navbar from blogger disables the "follow" feature for your blog. Be sure to include the "follow" widget in your layout if you want to make it easier for others to follow your blog. Likewise, keeping the navbar brands your blog as a Blogger blog which really is a good thing. It means you're part of the the bigger community of bloggers who use this platform as opposed to WordPress or TypePad. According to Wikipedia, Blogger is ranked 16 on the list of top 50 domains in terms of number of unique visitors in 2007 so you're in good company. Leave the navbar on if you like it, remove it if it interferes with your design. Whatever you decide, I hope you found this tutorial useful.

Oh, and BTW... there's still time to enter my current contest giveaway. More information here.

How To Purchase A Custom Domain Name Through Blogger

This tutorial will show you how to purchase a domain name through Blogger. For those of you new to blogging this means that your Blogger blog will appear at its own domain name (i.e. "http://www.MyGreatBlog.com" instead of "http://MyGreatBlog.blogspot.com". The nice part is that Google makes the process a snap.

I can attest to the ease of setting up your domain name through Blogger as all my previous domains were purchased through GoDaddy and their checkout process is very confusing! Now I'm somewhat of an intermediate level geek -- I love tech -- but even so, I've ended up making purchases for things I don't need when using GoDaddy's bamboozling checkout system.

Another plus if you purchase through Blogger is that the WHOIS ownership of your domain can be made private which is a service that GoDaddy charges extra for! The funny thing is, Blogger is a reseller for GoDaddy so you end up with them anyway but without the extra fees or confusion.

Remember to keep in mind that you just need to buy the domain. You don’t need hosting, because Blogger handles that.

If my tutorial leaves you with some questions, I suggest you go over to Blogger support and see if your problem can be resolved there. If you're still stuck I will try to answer questions via comments left below.

UPDATE 6 October 2009 - I decided to transfer my domain "GlamourBomb.com" which I have at GoDaddy to point to this blog. So I didn't have the option to do the above video for this particular site. I managed to do it successfully but it was a complex procedure. I strongly suggest if you're pointing a GoDaddy name to a Blogger blog to follow these directions carefully. I would make a video but I think it's better if you just do it the way it's laid out out step-by-step.

How To Install Wool Dread Falls

Easy, step-by-step instructions on how to install wool dread falls and dread combs for bangs.