The International Black Belt Association is an amazing group, who recognizes the achievements of individuals within the world of martial arts. IBBA was established in 2005 and committed to being a non-political association that is open to all martial arts styles. Their membership reaches worldwide and you can find a listing of both individuals and schools who are part of the association.

They have a variety of memberships levels and their robust membership package can be shipped free worldwide.  Their secured order form is easy to fill out and they are happy to answer any questions you might have about membership or the association.

Are you proud of the black belt you earned? Reach out to the IBBA today so they can recognize your efforts!

Posted by team-blog at 9:44 AM PDT

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Are you a writer looking to expand either your skills or finding the right resources to get your story published? Then you must check out The World of Ink Network's website as it's your one-stop-shop. The easy navigation makes finding what you are looking for a snap plus each page is chock full of incredibly useful information.

The Hosts of the website are passionate about writing and love what they do. They conduct "teleclasses" and workshops for aspiring writers plus you can enjoy their online radio channel for author interviews. In addition to the wealth of knowledge found on each page, you can find interesting tidbits ranging from "Writing Tip of the Day" to "Writing Prompts" and "Writing Contests."

This site will certainly keep you sharp and excited to put your ideas and thoughts down on paper. Be sure to check them out today! 

Posted by team-blog at 2:32 PM PDT

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Have you ever had a personal passion that springs into a career and that career impacts others and improves the health and mindset of others? When you visit the Kobe Chinese Martial Arts Association’s website you will learn that is exactly what happened for John Aogishi.  He began his kung fu training back in 1980 and has since learned under the tutelage of some amazing Grandmasters.  In 2004, John moved to Japan and opened the Kobe Chinese Martial Arts Association.

At his school students of all ages learn kung fu, which is an effective self-defense system plus a fun and great way to keep in shape!  Even if you can’t fly to Japan to take a class, enjoy their website as it provides such details on the history of the kung fu system Sifu John Aogishi teaches plus even some details on the Tai-Chi classes one could take.

The Video section of the site highlights various carnivals and events that the school has performed at over the past few years.  The page also has terrific photos ranging from in-class training to kung fun stances to even old photos of John’s early days.  I recommend everyone check out the old photos to see the impressive skills this teacher has and how amazing it must be to learn under his guidance.  There is also a brief FAQ section where I learned that kung fu doesn’t go by belts (that’s judo) and that a Sifu means teacher.  All of this makes this site pretty impressive.  Check it out today!

Posted by team-blog at 12:33 PM PST

Updated: Friday, March 9, 2012 1:28 PM PST

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We have a few new styles for you this month! Some sweet, one a little rough around the edges, and one that means business! Take a look:

Banner

Want to make a subtle statement without having an over-the-top design? Banner is the perfect style for you! 

Cable Knit

Perfect for your craft site, retail site, or your personal site just because you love sweaters - Cable Knit makes your website warm and fuzzy. 

Rock Band

Rock Band is an exciting style because when you change the layout, the background image changes with you! Choose 1 column, 2 column left align, or 2 column right align to get the looks that you see below:

Heart Flowers

Heart Flowers is simple and sweet - and great if your favorite color is purple. 

Posted by team-blog at 8:32 AM PST

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Carnivals, amusement parks, state fairs - all incredibly fun and envoke specific memories of childhood and smells of cotton candy and fried food for me. To have a website totally dedicated to the jovial atmosphere of a carnival allows you to peruse all of your favorite parts of a carnival without having to wait for it to come to town! 

One of my favorite tabs on Sideshows Carnival is the Carnival Oddities tab. I always loved the show Ripley's Believe It or Not and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about people with special talents or anything abnormal. The Carnival Oddities tab gives me just that. You can watch videos of oddities and read up about Ripley and Barnum.

Of course, there are many other fun features to the site like just the general Carnival Fun tab or the "Ha Ha Center" - if you like clowns, go ahead and check out that tab too but me and my fear of clowns won't be in there with you!

All in all, Sideshows Carnival is a great feel-good website and browsing it is an awesome way to spend your time. You should also check out their Facebook page, they frequently share fun videos and posts. Check out their site at Sideshows-Carnival.com! 

Posted by team-blog at 1:47 PM PST

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Vote for the February Site of the Month at siteofthemonth.tripod.com!

We've had 4 great featured sites in February, it'll be hard to choose just one winner!

Posted by team-blog at 9:22 AM PST

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This week's featured site has a basic layout with easy to follow navigation, but it is the contents that make the site stunning and a standout. Jeanette Jones is an incredible artist that has a unique style of painting. The paintings are intricate and you can get lost in the colors and shapes, trying to find different images hidden in the swirls and bursh strokes. Some of the paintings are almost reminiscent of stained glass.

Watch a video clip to see Jeanette and other artists display their art in a gallery show, browse through Jeanette's paintings, and visit her online store to purchase one of her masterpieces for yourself! Jeanette also has embedded her Twitter feed on her page so you can read her latest posts but you should also follow her on Twitter so that you can get updates without having to visit her site daily. 

Fill out the contact form to tell Jeanette how much you love her artwork and also sign up to receive notifications and invitations for her upcoming shows!

Check out this amazing artist's work at JeanetteJones.net! 

Posted by team-blog at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Friday, February 24, 2012 6:31 AM PST

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Who's to say that dressing up is just for Halloween? The Pirate Workshop creates beautiful handmade masks for all occasions! They have nine different categories of masks to choose from: character masks, Commedia dell'Arte, masks for ball, masquerades or carnivals, masks from the Italian & Japanese traditions, and animal masks. An added bonus to the Pirate Masks website, if you prefer learning about your mask in French, the website is set up for both French and English speaking patrons!

Browse their catalogue to select your favorite mask and have it shipped right to your door. If you have specific mask needs, you can even request a specialty mask to be made just for you! Since all of the masks are handmade, your mask will be unique and can fit your specific needs. Want an elephant with a unicorn horn? You got it - just be willing to pay the extra price. 

Even if you never intend to buy a mask, the masks created by the Pirate Workshop are works of art that should be seen! Check them out at atelierpirate.tripod.com!

Posted by team-blog at 6:29 AM PST

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Celebrate the holiday by updating your site to get in the holiday spirit (or the complete opposite)! Here are a few template options that suit the holiday with some interesting background info on Valentine's Day from History.com (ref) & (ref2).

For those of you who love the holiday, here are some styles to fit the day:

Pink Pixel 

Pink Swirls

 Pink Water

Jess Effect

And for those of you who are not so fond of the day draped in pink: 

Black Lace

 iDesign

 Fleur de Lis

So Happy Valentine's Day to those who are enjoying the influx of pink and roses and candy. To everyone else, have a marvelous Tuesday!

Posted by team-blog at 2:34 PM PST

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Do you know Kevin Moore, keyboardist for the progressive metal band Dream Theater?  I certainly didn’t until I stumbled upon this fantastic site that is great for diehard fans of Mr. Moore but also is terrific for initiating newbies!

The site’s level of detail certainly shows what an appreciation the Webmaster has for the amazing career of Kevin Moore.  You can easily see the many evolutions of Moore’s group and solo work.  There is plenty to explore in the Photos, Media and Disography sections plus the site has a great Forum section to meet other passionate fans.
 
Check it out today!

Posted by team-blog at 11:17 AM PST

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