New look, new name, & new URL!

I am so excited, you guys!  If you haven't seen my posts on social media lately, I am really pleased to announce that my blog has a new look, and a new name!!

Please say hello to Stormy Heart!

I am kind of in love with the font on my new header, you guys.  It is so, so gorgeous.

New Blog Name!
So why "Stormy Heart?"  Well, I'm a sea witch, so I draw a lot of my power from storms - especially thunderstorms and hurricanes.  I feel pretty energized by tornadoes, too, but we don't get many around here.  (Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever posted the story of how I conducted my tool charging ritual in a hurricane.  I will have to write that post soon!)  My magick and spirituality is definitely influenced by that energy - it can be wild and swirly, but there's a definite "eye of the storm" center somewhere inside me that helps focus and direct it, and keeps me grounded.

New Look!
Before I had even decided on a new name, I decided a new look was in order.  I found a spiffy free template online that was very blue and very blocky looking.  Unfortunately after a couple days of working with it on my blog I realized it was terrifically buggy, and wasn't really fitting the aesthetic I wanted after all.

So then I decided to start over (again) by creating a header image, and going from there.  I ended up going back to one of the standard Blogger templates and customized away - and I am much, much happier with it!

I still have a few tweaks to make, like the social media buttons in the corner, but overall I'm rather pleased with it.  I hope you like it too!

New URL!
Anyway, you may have noticed the new URL: http://stormy-heart.blogspot.com.  I set up a permanent redirect from http://heartacheintobeauty.blogspot.com, so hopefully that will help folks finding me.  And I'm in the process of changing my name & URL over on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin, etc.

However, I strongly recommend you update your RSS feed readers, bookmarks, etc. to pull from http://stormy-heart.blogspot.com from now on, to make sure it brings up the right posts.  (If you click on the RSS button in the top right corner of my blog, that's the easiest way!)

So, yay!  Seriously, I actually feel excited to blog again.  I haven't felt this motivated about blogging in a long time.  Is that weird?  It feels like part of what I really needed to get my creative mojo flowing again was to freshen things up around here.  And having a name that fits me and my blogging interests better makes me feel more authentic as a blogger.

Happy 3 years to me, and new blog design coming soon!

The 3rd anniversary of Heartache Into Beauty slipped by quietly this year, just like it did last year.  Happy (very belated) blogiversary to me!  I can't believe I've had this blog for over 3 years!

I know I haven't been posting very much since my last blogiversary, mostly because until recently I've been massively busy at work, leaving me too mentally and physically exhausted at night to work on personal projects.  I've also been struggling really hard with my depression and anxiety this year, which has been killing my motivation to do creative things like blogging.  I haven't even done anything with my new book of shadows, although at least I finally figured out what to call it: it will be my Book of Lore & Craft.  That name resonates so well with me :)

Thankfully, with the shifting weather (and less work craziness) I'm starting to feel my own shifting  - I feel a bit rejuvenated, and my creative impulses are starting to fire again.

I think that positive shift merits some external changes to this blog, especially considering that after 3 years there have been definite changes to what I'm interested in posting about.  I found a spiffy new design that I love, and I'm going to be rolling it out soon - that is, as soon as I figure out how to install an .XML file into my blog layout and customize its features.  Err...  Any advice for a blog design newbie?

I'm also pretty sure I want to change my blog's name.  "Heartache Into Beauty" had a lot of meaning for me back when I started this blog in 2011, but the content and tone of my posts has changed dramatically since then.  Obviously if/when I decide on a new blog name I will post here, there, and everywhere about the new name and any URL changes, etc. that will affect the way you read this blog, so that you can update your feed readers and what have you.