The story ideas should come from your own imagination, just like the names. I think the first step to creating a good blog is having a story in mind already. Something you want to tell and are sure of, otherwise it's something you'll throw to the wayside rather easily.
In terms of a blog being aesthetically-pleasing, it would help to look at existing blogs. Not just simlit, but also those. See what works and what doesn't, for you but also for others. Looking at popular blogs can help with that. Wordpress has some great templates to work with, although it is a bit tedious to get into. There are plenty of other blogging platforms out there, but I only have experience with Blogger and Wordpress myself. Wordpress is the one with more customization options from what I've seen.