A Stitch In Time: Buttons

It is necessary to try to pass one's self always; this occupation ought to last as long as life. –Queen Christina of Sweden

We've just kicked off another year, with plenty of potential do knock a few projects off those WIP, UFO and Ph.D lists. I'm excited to host a monthly linky party again this year. I'd like to send out a special thank you to The Fat Quarter Shop, who will be sponsoring the giveaway each month. As I did last year, there will be a new button for each month, which links back to that month's specific post. The month-specific button should be included in any post you link up during that month.

New for this year, I've made a general-purpose button for your sidebars. It is a link to the main linky party index page on my blog {the A Stitch In Time tab, above}, which always shows the current month's linky party and includes links to previous months. Just copy and paste the code into an HTML gadget on your layout page to save it to your sidebar and you can always find your way to link up when you have a finish.

<center><a href="http://emsewandsew.blogspot.com/p/a-stitch-in-time.html" target="_blank" title="A Stitch In Time Linky Party"><img alt="A Stitch In Time Linky Party" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZUqnmB6necy2Gd3KS_n1ayAOXnnDALFBCWnG2u4QKgrxh1gJaWIeYGBf9Z4NQRmn5eHPnu3ZT6nlkM9tgtZV-zgjDM2mqSPjc9J-qnFI-qNjTFieKnX5T8HzSwrGdINdVX7TYNCJWz-A/s255/A%2520Stitch%2520In%2520Time%25202013%2520Sidebar.jpg" /></a></center>
I like to keep an index page of my finishes each year. It is nice to have one place to keep track of everything. Plus, I can't link up to my own party {although I really wish I could. The Fat Quarter Shop always has something really nice they are giving away}, so I have to have somewhere to show it all off, right? Keeping an index page of your finishes is not required to participate in the monthly linky parties, but if you'd like to keep track of your finishes on your own blog feel free to use this button, which you can put in your sidebar and have it link back to your index page.


Here are instructions on how to do make the button link to an index page you create on your blog:
• After you have posted your index page, click on View Post {instead of View Blog} so that only your index post is open and showing on your blog page.
• Copy the code below {the button is 165 x 255}.

<center><a href="PASTE YOUR URL HERE" target="_blank" title="My 2013 Finishes"><img alt="My 2013 Finishes" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluwef1kR0yX7sMsxuXEcuO3l4MgwVdEoKhUE1S-BQ9_890UGw1cvGHKf-2I2RSyCRdFN8I0toUBPDo0moSd7fo3wtTvbBMfVdo2KRuw3WWnFKOmzMkPtBo2uX5BZyPM_sNoDq6CufnflR/s1600/A+Stitch+In+Time+2013+My+Finishes.jpg" /></a></center>
• In a new tab or window, open up your blogger Layout page.
• In the sidebar area, click on Add a Gadget and select HTML/Java Script from the menu that pops up.
• Paste the button code into the text box.
• This is the important part — your button won't work as a link to your index page unless you do the following: go back to your index page and copy the URL {starts with http://} from that specific post and paste that over top of the text in the button code that says PASTE YOUR URL HERE. The URL should sit directly in between the quotation marks in the code, with no spaces before or after or any other characters in that area.
• Save the button to your sidebar. When visitors to your blog click on your button, they will be taken to your 2013 Finishes index page which {hopefully} has a list of everything you finish this year.
• Make sure to update your index page as you post about your finishes this year. If you want, include links to each individual post for easy reference back to your finishes.
• Leave me a little note in the comments with a link to your blog so I can come and visit you and see your finishes.
• Have fun with your finishes!