Spruce up a Gadget in the Sidebar, a Must Improvement

I want to share another improvement to my blog which you can apply. My gadgets in the sidebar usually look simple: the title is on top and the links/list follows.

Later on I noticed that uniformity makes my left and right sidebars a bit dull. To remedy the problem, I used CSS to emphasize, to liven up some parts, and to break the onset of boredom. For example the picture at the left looks more enticing and eye-catching than the one at the right; the improve version serves as an example from which you can alter to make variation like what I did.


The Transformation

First log in to your Blogger account. Go to Design, click Add a Gadget then choose HTML/Javascript. Copy and paste the following code:

style type="text/css"><!--

#eib {
      border: 1px solid #f8e69f;
      margin-top: 15px;
}

#eib_title {
      padding-left: 10px;
      background: #f8e69f;
      border-bottom: 1px solid #f8e69f;
      color: #806b18;
      font: bold 9pt arial;
      letter-spacing: 1px;
      height: 25px;
      padding-top: 8px;
}

#eib li.ctg{
      text-decoration: underline;
      font-weight: bold; 
}

#eib ul{
      padding: 8px 0px 8px 10px;
}

--></style>

<div id="eib">
<div id="eib_title">EXTRA INCOME BY:</div>

<ul>
<li class="ctg">Writing</li>
<li>Become a REVIEWER!</li>
<li>Write till you drop!</li>
<li>Blog more.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li  class="ctg">More!</li>
<li>Bookmark, socialize, and earn.</li>
</ul>
</div>

Note:

• You have to apply the CSS within <style type="text/css"> in the gadget rather than in the template.
• You can name the id (eg. #eib) with any word you prefer; however make sure you follow the format.
• #eib formats the border, #eib_title formats the title (EXTRA INCOME BY), #eib li.ctg formats the category (Writing and More!), and #eib ul gives space between the border and the list.

You will have to play around with colors, font and other properties to achieve the preferred outcome. Using this tip, you can now make a noticeable list or message with a unique style. Simplicity is beauty, but change is important to keep our blog interesting and pleasing for our readers.