start with a template

To make this blog you can start with a template that blogger provides, or ...

1. Find a template that inspires you. Mashables lists 50 template designs that kick ass. Check it out.

2. When you find the template you like, download the xml file to your computer.

3. On your blog dashboard go to your Blogger dashboard and go to Layout, Page Elements> Edit HTML.

4. Look for the section near the top where you can browse for your XML template:

In the end, I stuck with a blogger template because the mashables either didn't fit what I needed or they had coding errors.