Monday, May 24, 2010

If you haven't checked out Xomba yet. . . .

you really should. Check out Xomba.com, I mean.

For the past year, I have been the featured Family and Home writer for Xomba.com,a profit sharing online writing community. Since of late, my interests have changed from matters of home and hearth to my main hobby, crafting.

So, last month, I wrote a sample article about a picture frame I made for my mother-in-law for mother's day. I submitted it to my editor with the request that he switch me from Family and Home to Hobbies and Crafts.

And then I waited. My article got many rave reviews from people on and off the website. Figuring I was on a roll, I wrote a second craft article. This one was on using natural ingredients to make your own hand sanitizer. This article did even better than the first one.

Today, I checked the website, and Yay!, my editor switched me to the featured writer for the Hobbies and Crafts section. I am so happy, and I can't wait until my next article is published. I am learning lots of techniques from my beloved mentor, Candace at Wye River Designs, and plan of writing all about the things I am learning, both here and on Xomba.

So if you haven't discovered Xomba yet, check it out. And don't just read my articles, but investigate further. There are a lot of talented writers just waiting for you to discover them.

And by the way, my pen name under Hobbies and Crafts is Tiffayres. Check it out, and support Art in this world!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Save the Indoor Playground

I am taking a break in talking about my projects to let you in on a project of a good friend of mine. Her name is Kim.

Kim was the manager of a little place called the Island Secret Garden on Kent Island, MD. The ISG was a wholly wonderful place. It was the nicest indoor playground anyone could ever ask for. It had climbing equipment, slides, ball pits, and bikes. Everything kids need to stay active on rainy and snowy days. It provided plenty of opportunities for dramatic play also, with many play houses, cushions, beautiful murals on the walls, and puppets. There was a cozy area for parents to relax with magazines, books, or each other's company, with a view of the entire play area. For many of us with small children, it was our home away from home.

But if this place was so wonderful, you might ask, why isn't it around anymore? Why indeed?

It turns out the building the ISG was housed in wasn't built to withstand three major snowstorms within weeks of each other. By the last blizzard, the roof had caved in, and the ISG had lost the rights to their space.

There is something everyone can do to help, though. Kim has found another space for the ISG, which she has now renamed the Kent Island Discovery Zone, or KIDZ! The only thing she is lacking for reopening is the capital necessary.

And no, I am not asking for money. I wouldn't do that. But if you would like to help us get our beloved indoor playground back, click on the link below and vote for KIDZ to receive financial help from the very nice people at Pepsi! It's doesn't cost you anything, but the couple of seconds it takes to click the link, and you would be making lots of Delmarva children (and their parents) very very happy.

http://www.refresheverything.com/kentislanddiscoveryzone