diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index 1c75063..7537df6 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
       "slim/slim": "^4.10",
       "rbdwllr/psr-jwt": "^2.0",
       "tuupola/slim-jwt-auth": "^3.6",
-      "ext-dom": "*"
+      "ext-dom": "*",
+      "ext-libxml": "*"
     }
 }
diff --git a/dist/api/blog/blogData.php b/dist/api/blog/blogData.php
index 358b288..e0eb5cd 100644
--- a/dist/api/blog/blogData.php
+++ b/dist/api/blog/blogData.php
@@ -145,10 +145,18 @@ class blogData
     public function createPost(string $title, string $body, string $dateCreated, string $featured, string $categories, UploadedFileInterface $headerImg): int|string
     {
         $conn = dbConn();
-        $targetDir = "../blog/imgs/" . $title . "_" . uniqid() . "/";
-        mkdir($targetDir, 0777, true);
-        $imagUtils = new imgUtils();
-        $targetFile = $imagUtils->uploadFile($targetDir, $headerImg);
+        $targetFile = "";
+        $folderID = uniqid();
+        if ($headerImg !== null)
+        {
+            $targetDir = "../blog/imgs/" . $title . "_" . $folderID . "/";
+            mkdir($targetDir, 0777, true);
+            $imagUtils = new imgUtils();
+            $targetFile = $imagUtils->uploadFile($targetDir, $headerImg);
+        }
+
+        $targetFile = array("imgLocation" => ".../blog/imgs/placeholder.png");
+
         if (!is_array($targetFile))
         {
             return $targetFile;
@@ -192,8 +200,8 @@ class blogData
             $newBody .= $htmlDoc->saveHTML($node);
         }
 
-        $stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO blog (title, dateCreated, dateModified, featured, headerImg, body, categories) 
-                                       VALUES (:title, :dateCreated, :dateModified, :featured, :headerImg, :body, :categories);");
+        $stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO blog (title, dateCreated, dateModified, featured, headerImg, body, categories, folderID) 
+                                       VALUES (:title, :dateCreated, :dateModified, :featured, :headerImg, :body, :categories, :folderID);");
         $stmt->bindParam(":title", $title);
         $stmt->bindParam(":dateCreated", $dateCreated);
         $stmt->bindParam(":dateModified", $dateCreated);
@@ -201,6 +209,7 @@ class blogData
         $stmt->bindParam(":headerImg", $targetFile["imgLocation"]);
         $stmt->bindParam(":body", $newBody);
         $stmt->bindParam(":categories", $categories);
+        $stmt->bindParam(":folderID", $folderID);
 
         if ($stmt->execute())
         {
diff --git a/dist/api/blog/blogRoutes.php b/dist/api/blog/blogRoutes.php
index fd54313..a12075a 100644
--- a/dist/api/blog/blogRoutes.php
+++ b/dist/api/blog/blogRoutes.php
@@ -33,14 +33,20 @@ class blogRoutes implements routesInterface
         {
             $data = $request->getParsedBody();
             $files = $request->getUploadedFiles();
-            if (empty($data["title"]) || empty($data["body"]) || empty($data["dateCreated"]) || empty($data["featured"]) || empty($data["categories"]) || empty($files["headerImg"]))
+            $headerImg = $files["headerImg"];
+            if (empty($data["title"]) || empty($data["body"]) || empty($data["dateCreated"]) || empty($data["featured"]) || empty($data["categories"]))
             {
                 // uh oh sent some empty data
                 $response->getBody()->write(json_encode(array("error" => "Error, empty data sent")));
                 return $response->withStatus(400);
             }
 
-            $insertedID = $this->blogData->createPost($data["title"], $data["body"], $data["dateCreated"], $data["featured"], $data["categories"], $files["headerImg"]);
+            if (empty($files["headerImg"]))
+            {
+                $headerImg = null;
+            }
+
+            $insertedID = $this->blogData->createPost($data["title"], $data["body"], $data["dateCreated"], $data["featured"], $data["categories"], $headerImg);
             if (!is_int($insertedID))
             {
                 // uh oh something went wrong
diff --git a/dist/blog/imgs/placeholder.png b/dist/blog/imgs/placeholder.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf1d310
Binary files /dev/null and b/dist/blog/imgs/placeholder.png differ
diff --git a/src/api/blog/blogData.php b/src/api/blog/blogData.php
index 358b288..e0eb5cd 100644
--- a/src/api/blog/blogData.php
+++ b/src/api/blog/blogData.php
@@ -145,10 +145,18 @@ class blogData
     public function createPost(string $title, string $body, string $dateCreated, string $featured, string $categories, UploadedFileInterface $headerImg): int|string
     {
         $conn = dbConn();
-        $targetDir = "../blog/imgs/" . $title . "_" . uniqid() . "/";
-        mkdir($targetDir, 0777, true);
-        $imagUtils = new imgUtils();
-        $targetFile = $imagUtils->uploadFile($targetDir, $headerImg);
+        $targetFile = "";
+        $folderID = uniqid();
+        if ($headerImg !== null)
+        {
+            $targetDir = "../blog/imgs/" . $title . "_" . $folderID . "/";
+            mkdir($targetDir, 0777, true);
+            $imagUtils = new imgUtils();
+            $targetFile = $imagUtils->uploadFile($targetDir, $headerImg);
+        }
+
+        $targetFile = array("imgLocation" => ".../blog/imgs/placeholder.png");
+
         if (!is_array($targetFile))
         {
             return $targetFile;
@@ -192,8 +200,8 @@ class blogData
             $newBody .= $htmlDoc->saveHTML($node);
         }
 
-        $stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO blog (title, dateCreated, dateModified, featured, headerImg, body, categories) 
-                                       VALUES (:title, :dateCreated, :dateModified, :featured, :headerImg, :body, :categories);");
+        $stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO blog (title, dateCreated, dateModified, featured, headerImg, body, categories, folderID) 
+                                       VALUES (:title, :dateCreated, :dateModified, :featured, :headerImg, :body, :categories, :folderID);");
         $stmt->bindParam(":title", $title);
         $stmt->bindParam(":dateCreated", $dateCreated);
         $stmt->bindParam(":dateModified", $dateCreated);
@@ -201,6 +209,7 @@ class blogData
         $stmt->bindParam(":headerImg", $targetFile["imgLocation"]);
         $stmt->bindParam(":body", $newBody);
         $stmt->bindParam(":categories", $categories);
+        $stmt->bindParam(":folderID", $folderID);
 
         if ($stmt->execute())
         {
diff --git a/src/api/blog/blogRoutes.php b/src/api/blog/blogRoutes.php
index fd54313..a12075a 100644
--- a/src/api/blog/blogRoutes.php
+++ b/src/api/blog/blogRoutes.php
@@ -33,14 +33,20 @@ class blogRoutes implements routesInterface
         {
             $data = $request->getParsedBody();
             $files = $request->getUploadedFiles();
-            if (empty($data["title"]) || empty($data["body"]) || empty($data["dateCreated"]) || empty($data["featured"]) || empty($data["categories"]) || empty($files["headerImg"]))
+            $headerImg = $files["headerImg"];
+            if (empty($data["title"]) || empty($data["body"]) || empty($data["dateCreated"]) || empty($data["featured"]) || empty($data["categories"]))
             {
                 // uh oh sent some empty data
                 $response->getBody()->write(json_encode(array("error" => "Error, empty data sent")));
                 return $response->withStatus(400);
             }
 
-            $insertedID = $this->blogData->createPost($data["title"], $data["body"], $data["dateCreated"], $data["featured"], $data["categories"], $files["headerImg"]);
+            if (empty($files["headerImg"]))
+            {
+                $headerImg = null;
+            }
+
+            $insertedID = $this->blogData->createPost($data["title"], $data["body"], $data["dateCreated"], $data["featured"], $data["categories"], $headerImg);
             if (!is_int($insertedID))
             {
                 // uh oh something went wrong
diff --git a/src/blog/imgs/placeholder.png b/src/blog/imgs/placeholder.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf1d310
Binary files /dev/null and b/src/blog/imgs/placeholder.png differ