     private func setDefaultThumbnailBackgroundForCell(cell: ThumbnailCell) {
         cell.imageView.image = UIImage(named: "defaultTopSiteIcon")!
         cell.imageView.contentMode = UIViewContentMode.Center
+    }
+
+    private func setBlurredBackground(image: UIImage, withURL url: NSURL, forCell cell: ThumbnailCell) {
+        let blurredKey = "\(url.absoluteString)!blurred"
+        if let blurredImage = SDImageCache.sharedImageCache().imageFromMemoryCacheForKey(blurredKey) {
+            cell.backgroundImage.image = blurredImage
+        } else {
+            dispatch_async(self.blurQueue) {
+                let blurredImage = image.applyLightEffect()
+                SDImageCache.sharedImageCache().storeImage(blurredImage, forKey: blurredKey, toDisk: false)
+                dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue()) {
+                    cell.backgroundImage.alpha = 0
+                    cell.backgroundImage.image = blurredImage
+                    UIView.animateWithDuration(self.BackgroundFadeInDuration) {
+                        cell.backgroundImage.alpha = 1
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     private func getFaviconForCell(cell:ThumbnailCell, site: Site, profile: Profile) {

    var profile: Profile
    var editingThumbnails: Bool = false

    init(profile: Profile, data: Cursor<Site>) {
        self.data = data
        self.profile = profile

            cell.imageView.sd_setImageWithURL(icon.url.asURL, completed: { (img, err, type, url) -> Void in
                if let img = img {
                    cell.image = img
                    self.setBlurredBackground(img, withURL: url, forCell: cell)
                } else {
                    self.getFaviconForCell(cell, site: site, profile: profile)
                }
