DIY Easter Garland

I love decorating for the holidays - all of  them and these are a couple of the Easter garlands I've made this year to spruce up my house for the holiday.

These are super simple crafts you can make with some material you might have sitting around the house. Plastic Easter Eggs can be strung together to make a fun and decorative garland for your front door. I even made this fun little bow for my door bunny. And, if you're interested in seeing how I made this garland, click on the link down below or visit my YouTube channel. And, if you do make your own garland, please share it with me. I'd love to see it. 

Click on the movie below to watch how I made the  garland.

 

Award-winning author Elizabeth Rusch sits down with me to talk about her new book, Zee Grows A Tree. 

She also discusses what she needs to do as a writer, to write, revise and finally see a book come to press. If you'd like to see her book trailer for Zee Grows a  Tree, check it out here: Zee Grows a Tree Book Trailer on Vimeo and for everyone who leaves a comment in the "comments" section below, you'll be entered into a book giveaway of Elizabeth Rusch's  new book. I'll announce the winner next Wednesday on my Writerly Wednesday blog and the winner can message me to have their book delivered directly to their house.

So, check out the YouTube Interview here: https://youtu.be/BNlSLNx_NpQ

And, don't forget to comment below.

5-minute Food Craft to do with kids for St Paddy's Day Movie Night

If you want to make a super simple holiday treat you can do with your kids and share with your friends and family, here's a 5-minute food-craft you can do at home with ingredients you might already have sitting inside your kitchen cabinet.

Just check out the video below, or visit my YouTube channel for more holiday ideas. 

Flosstube - St. Paddy's Day shirt and WIPS

My sister and I are taking up an old habit...of cross-stitching. And, we thought it would be fun to connect with our creative community out there. If you're interested in making a few future friends and joining us on our crafting journey, take a peek at our video below. Or hop over to my YouTube and Check out my entire Flosstube page. 

But no matter what you decide to do, I want to wish you a Bit 'O Luck this next week as St. Paddy's Day approaches!

Hashtag Heaven for Writers and Illustrators - on this Writerly Wednesday

If you're writing and looking for an agent to represent you in the wonderful world of publishing, then there are a few hashtags you really should know about and use...to find your perfect match. Writing and finding your "perfect" agent is a lot like dating. You need to search in the right places, know what you're looking for, and what would make a good fit for you...and your prospective agent. 

One of the critical hashtags for writers, illustrators and writer/illustrators is: #MSWL

This stands for Manuscript Wish List. Agents and even editors use this hashtag on Twitter to let you know what sort of stories they are searching their slush piles for. 

It's sort of  like going to a dating site and reading a bio about your prospective new Honey. You'll want to know if the person likes long walks on the beach or if they prefer to sit on the couch and watch a rousing game of football...or perhaps tennis. 

#MSWL tells you all this information - (specifically related to stories, characters, voice, submission methods, etc.) and what the agent/editor prefers plus much more. It can't be understated how helpful this one simple hashtag can be, because when you want to make a love connection (for your story or illustrations) this is the quick shortcut to finding out all the scoop on the person you're going to be sharing your "baby" with. 

But this isn't the only hashtag that will help you find a connection out in the world of publishing. And, I'm sure you're not only looking for an agent. You might want to find like minded people who love reading, writing and simply supporting one another in this lonesome journey down the path toward publication. 

So, if you're looking to make a connection with your writing community, you might want to try the hashtag #writingcommunity on Twitter. You will find more people than you could find at a beach on a hot summer day, and these people will most likely have a  lot more in common with you than those swimsuit clad beachcombers.

There are many more helpful hashtags a writer and/or illustrator can use to find a Love (or even Like) connection. But these two will get you going on the Write Track ;D So, what's stopping you? Start hashtagging away. And, if you have a few more helpful hashtags you use, why don't you share them down in the comments section? We can all work together to help build this writing and illustrating community of ours. 

So, until next Wednesday, "Write On!" 

5-Minute Floss Tube Project-Tin Tutorial

If you're looking for a place to store your craft projects that's prettier than a paper bag, here's a Super Simple 5-Minute Project-Tin Tutorial. 

Sewing Project bags may be beautiful, but they take more than a few minutes to make, while this craft project will provide a 5-minute craft and you'll be able to store these project-tins easily on a shelf. Plus, they'll look pretty too all while keeping your cross-stitch fabric from getting wrinkled.

What could be better? And, even if you don't cross-stitch, I'm sure you can find a purpose for these pretty canisters. 

Simply click on the link below or go to my YouTube channel and peruse through my floss tube episodes.

 There are  many tips, tricks and hints to getting published and you can find differing points of view any place you look but here is a golden nugget I received early on in my writing career and it's very similar to Nike's motto of  "Just Do It". The tip is not to worry about finding an agent, getting published or even how you're going to market the book and brand yourself. The best tip I ever got was:

"Write the BOOK!"

Nothing else matters until you have a "product" to publish. You shouldn't worry over word count, fret over format or stress over sequence. Just  write the book. It will definitely need to be read-over, revised and re-revised before its ready. So, don't get hung up on the  small stuff. Until you have pages to read, you don't have anything to work with. 

I've written or maybe I should say I've had 5 books published-one is even on audible. But, I've written many more than 5 books. The truth is not everything we write will ever see the light of a printing press, publishing house or book store. 

But don't worry about that. Just Write the Book! No matter what, you'll be polishing and perfecting your craft, building a better brand, and working to create a truly beautiful book. 

And here's one more tip, which applies to life as well as to writing:

Attitude is Everything

Remember telling a story is all about a journey, and we should all take the time to enjoy our own trip down the path to publication. Writers are creative people and most creative people are bound to suffer some rejection - but it's what we do with the experience that molds us into the storytellers and people we become. 

I'm not saying you have to enjoy rejection - that would be impossible - at least for me but we can all learn something from our experiences in life. 

Remember falling down is an accident - staying down is a choice. 

When you receive a rejection, don't let it keep you down. Consider  any helpful feedback, process it and then move on. But most important off all, Just

Write the Book!