How to: Setup a Decorative Blog Background

Here are some step-by-step instructions to help you navigate your way to installing one of my decorative blog backgrounds to your blog. The process is fairly simple and the best part is once done, you can easily change your background whenever you like. 

All of my blog themes are now meant to be used with a modified version of the "Picture Window" template so if you don't have that installed or need help tweaking it you can follow along with this tutorial first: How to: Setup & Adjust the "Picture Window" Template.

Before we begin~
Within each of my designer blog themes and backgrounds are boxes filled with code...

This code is what we use to install a decorative background onto our blogs.  To begin you will need to select a background you want to uses. You can peruse my library of blog themes and backgrounds by visiting this link: http://plumroselane-bckgrnds.blogspot.com/p/backgrounds-themes.html

Once you've selected a background you will need to copy the code and paste it into a temporary location ~ I like using a text document, such as "Notepad" (Windows users) since it's an easy place to temporarily store a snippet of code or text.

What's behind this? This code is used in a sidebar gadget to tell your blog to load a background image and where to draw that image from.  The image itself is stored on a designated location on the internet.  

So let's begin...

Begin by logging into your blog, then click the "Design" link in the top right corner of your blog...

Next click on the "Layout" link in the left side link area...

In this next screen we can see a type of skeletal version of your blog layout with rectangular boxes representing different aspects of your blog...

I find it easier to store my decorative background code at the bottom of my blog so that it's out of the way and I don't get it confused with others,  so let's scroll down to the bottom and click on the "Add a Gadget" link...

  A pop-up window will appear with all the various gadget choices Blogger offers...

We will be using the "Html/Java Script gadget so scroll down to that and select to add it, either by clicking on the title or on the blue + button...

 In the next window we see a large empty rectangle under the title "Content"....

This is where we will paste in the background code we have saved from earlier.  The code may look slightly different that what's show below, depending upon which of my codes you're using, but go ahead and paste the entire code into the box...

Once you have your code in place you can click the "Save" button...

That's it!  You can now check your new blog background by clicking on the "View Blog" button at the top...

 ♫Ta-da!♪

You now possess the knowledge to change your blog background whenever the mood (or season) strikes you ~ Congratulations!

Enjoy~