While I had loved spending time scrolling through all the theme options and later header image options when initially creating my blog, my banner needed an upgrade. Despite choosing a different header image than the default that accompanied my theme, my banner still did not represent me. And, so, I began the banner creation process.

I started by finding one of my favorite photos that I took while away with my husband on our honeymoon in Bora Bora a few years back. Whenever I see photos from this trip, specifically of the beaches, I instantly feel relaxed and calm. I also incorporated an image of my Bitmoji lounging and reading (following Bitmoji’s Brand Guidelines for non-commercial use) on the Tahitian sand.

To create this banner, I had to do some prep work with my Bitmoji image to eliminate the white background that initially was part of the image. I used the video below to help with that.

Then, using Pixlr Express, I put it all together. I uploaded my Bora Bora beach pic and resized it to reflect the size of my theme’s header image within the adjustment menu. I used the “Add Image” option within the adjustment menu as well to add my Bitmoji image. I chose to not use any options from the effect menu to avoid severely altering the natural colors of the landscape. But, I did use the overlay menu to take advantage of the “Color Correction” option which only enhanced the original image’s colors and helped make them stand out even more. For the border, I used the “White Ripped” option and chose “Arton” to give the outline of the image that ripped and weathered look as if it had been beaten by the ocean breeze a little bit. And, lastly, I added some text using the type menu to note the location and year of the photo.

I chose to incorporate those two specific images into my banner as a way to represent my outlook on this blog. Because my intention is to learn and be reflective, I need to be in a state where I am relaxed, calm, and open to the process of reflection. As I mentioned earlier, these images from my honeymoon really help put me into that mindset, which I think is necessary for successful self-reflection. I included the image of my Bitmoji reading because I also intend to gain more knowledge from this process. I want to take everything in and build off of the information and resources presented to me.

Overall, I found this banner creation process to be pretty fun. I loved being introduced to a new resource I’d never explored before: Pixlr Express. And, while I know I could have spent hours more finding the perfect photo combination and playing around with all of the menus and tools, this process forced me to be decisive and create a visual that sets the tone for all that I hope my blog to be.