Placing line to left and right of heading text

Question

I want to create a line separator before and after a title. The line and text must have a transparent background to be able to position them on a textured background.

I am trying to take this approach: Line before and after title over image

However, my lines are on top and bottom instead of left and right:

<div class="widget widget-catalogsale-products">
    <div class="page-title category-title">
        <h1>Special products</h1>
    </div>
</div>

.widget.widget-catalogsale-products {display: block;}
.widget-catalogsale-products { 
    background: url(../images/widget-catalogsale-products.gif) repeat left top; 
    margin-left: -500px; 
    padding-left: 500px;
    margin-right: -500px;
    padding-right: 500px;
    padding-top: 106px;
    padding-bottom: 50px;
    margin-bottom: 46px;
}
.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1 {
    color: #548891;
    width:100%;
    margin:0 auto;
    overflow:hidden;
    text-align:center;
    line-height:1.2em;
}
.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1:before,
.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1:after {
    content:'';
    vertical-align:top;
    display:inline-block;
    width:50%;
    height:0.65em;
    border-bottom:7px solid #e3edef;
    margin:0 2% 0 55%;
}
.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1:after {
    margin:0 55% 0 2%;
}
.widget-catalogsale-products .price-box .price-label {display:none;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .mini-products-list .product-name {margin-left: 0;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .product-name {margin-bottom: 5px;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .block-content li.item { border: 0; padding:0 0 25px 0; }
.widget-catalogsale-products .products-grid {margin-bottom: 0;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .products-grid .product-image {padding: 5px; border: 0;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .products-grid .product-image:before {border-width: 5px; border-color: #D2B696;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .products-grid .product-name a {color: #fff;}

Can anyone find the bug in my CSS? http://jsfiddle.net/6o9m30tv/

Answer 1

Seems like the margin sizes you set was causing the pseudo elements to break to the next line..

here is a snippet how I got it to align and the codes i commented out

@import url(http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans:300);
body{
    background-image: url(http://fr.playstation.com/media/5ZfqPjVF/BigSkyInfinity_Hero_EN.JPG);
    background-repeat:no-repeat;
    background-size:100% auto;
    font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif;
}

.widget.widget-catalogsale-products {display: block;}
.widget-catalogsale-products { 
	background: url(../images/widget-catalogsale-products.gif) repeat left top; 
	margin-left: -500px; 
	padding-left: 500px;
	margin-right: -500px;
	padding-right: 500px;
	padding-top: 106px;
	padding-bottom: 50px;
	margin-bottom: 46px;
}
.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1 {
	color: #548891;
	width:100%;
	margin:0 auto;
	overflow:hidden;
	text-align:center;
	line-height:1.2em;
}
.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1:before,
.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1:after {
	content:'';
	vertical-align:top;
	display:inline-block;
	width:20%;
	height:0.65em;
	border-bottom:2px solid #e3edef;
	/*margin:0 2% 0 55%;*/
} 
/*.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1:after {
	margin:0 55% 0 2%; 
} */
.widget-catalogsale-products .price-box .price-label {display:none;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .mini-products-list .product-name {margin-left: 0;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .product-name {margin-bottom: 5px;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .block-content li.item { border: 0; padding:0 0 25px 0; }
.widget-catalogsale-products .products-grid {margin-bottom: 0;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .products-grid .product-image {padding: 5px; border: 0;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .products-grid .product-image:before {border-width: 5px; border-color: #D2B696;}
.widget-catalogsale-products .products-grid .product-name a {color: #fff;}

<div class="widget widget-catalogsale-products">
        <div class="page-title">
            <h1>Special products</h1>
        </div>
</div>

Answer 2

You're missing comma/minus in your margin. Change it like this:

.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1:after {
    content:'';
    vertical-align:top;
    display:inline-block;
    width:50%;
    height:0.65em;
    border-bottom:7px solid #e3edef;
    margin:0 2% 0 -55%;
}
.widget-catalogsale-products .page-title h1:after {
    margin:0 -55% 0 2%;
}