I want it - Golden Citrine Fine Silver Earrings

I love New Hope Beading! I have a custom mother's peapod necklace and gorgeous freshwater pearl earrings from her shop. Now I'd love to add these Golden Citrine Fine Silver Earrings to my jewelry box!


After you check out the New Hope Beading's Etsy shop, hop on over to the Facebook fan page, and let her know that Made By Melissa sent you!

Team Tuesday - New Hope Beading

It's time for another EtsyNJ Team Tuesday!! This week I'd like to feature Caroline from New Hope Beading. Caroline donates a portion of her proceeds to the Epilepsy Foundation of NJ and in an effort to raise awareness for epilepsy, she is participating in Purple Day on March 26. In honor of Purple Day, Caroline is generously donating 100% of the sale price of these Lavender Jade and Sterling Silver Earrings!



Caroline also has pea pod necklaces in her shop, I love pea pod necklaces!! And what makes hers so cool, is that you can customize them with the birthstones of your little peas!!



I only have one little pea, but I think this necklace would look awesome with my birthstone, my hubby's and that of my little pea!

Please take a look at Caroline's shop, every purchase helps a great cause and when you are done shopping, check out the rest of the Team Tuesday fun!!

Least Views

I started talking about views a couple of days ago before I got distracted by all the cute Santa items from my fellow EtsyNJ and EtsyBloggers folks. I showed you my item that had the most views in my shop. Now, I'd like to call some attention to the red headed step child of Made By Melissa, that's right, the least viewed item...

I wish I could say why these earrings have only ten views, perhaps the picture isn't the greatest, but I must admit, its really hard to get a good picture of something that is clear! Anyway, these super cute glass stars are accented by charcoal grey seed beads and hung from fish hook ear wires. Adorable, classy and shiny! Please hang these from your ears!

A Shinnig Star Glass Beaded Dangle Earrings

Thanksgiving Sale - LAST CHANCE!

The EtsyNJ Thanksgiving Sale ends tonight at midnight! Get a free gift with every purchase in my shop!

Your free gift could be a keychain, a ponytail holder, a pair of earrings, a pair of facial scrubbies or a washcloth! The bigger your purchase, the better your gift!


Take me home, please!

Visit the EtsyNJ blog and EtsyBloggers.com for more details and a list of participating shops!

Tis the Season to Accessorize!!

The holiday season is upon us and many are beginning their gift buying. Not feeling the Christmas cheer yet? Well, then you need a fun holiday themed accessory (or two or three...) to get you in the mood!!

Jingle Bells Beaded Necklace


Santa Claus Charm Earrings


Let It Snow Glass and Crystal Snowflake Bracelet


Also available are festive ornaments, scarves and plushies!

Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~


PS - Don't forget about the EtsyNJ Thanksgiving Sale and the EtsyBloggers Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale! I will be including a free gift with every purchase!

Thanksgiving Sale Starts Today!!!

The EtsyNJ and Made By Melissa Thanksgiving sale starts TODAY!! From today until midnight on Cyber Monday, November 30, get a free gift with every purchase, simply put "EtsyNJ Thanksgiving Sale" in the notes to seller.

There are over 50 shops participating in this year's event. There is so much to choose from, you can complete all your holiday shopping while comfortably sipping a cup of coffee or tea in your cozy slippers and pj's!

Search "EtsyNJ Thanksgiving Sale" at Etsy.com.

Reminder: Check each shop description for more details. Sale ends Monday 11/30 at midnight, unless otherwise specified by the individual shop owner. You must pay each shop individually, contact shop owner with any questions.

To browse participating shops by sales promotion, click on the following links:

Free Shipping

10% - 20 % off entire purchase (not including shipping)

Free gift with every purchase

BOGO - Buy One Get One Half Off

Halloween BOGO Sale - Starts NOW!!!

Get ready for Halloween with my BOGO sale!! Buy any Halloween item and get the second Halloween item of equal or lesser value for 50% off! Most Halloween necklaces and all Halloween earrings are just $5 each! That means you can get two for just $7.50 plus shipping!



All purchases will ship the next business day after payment is recieved via USPS first class mail leaving plenty of time for them to get to you before Halloween!



(Refund will be given by PayPal. Send me a conversation in Etsy if you would prefer a revised invoice or listing)

I Want It! - Tiger Lilly Earrings

These Vintage Purple Tiger Lily Cabochon Earrings from Venetia Jewelry are really pretty and would be a perfect match for my purple striped blouse.



Be sure to take a look at her silk ribbon bracelets, I've never seen anything like them before and they are definately versatile!

Hey! Your Ears are Naked!

Do you have naked ears? GASP! You do?!? Well, these vintage pink crystal earrings will remedy the situation!

They are super sparkly and are made with reclaimed crystal beads from a broken vintage necklace. There are two crystal beads accented with a silver plated spacer bead and a tiny sterling silver bead hanging from an ear wire. The earrings measure 1 inch long not including the wire.



Pink isn't your color? No worries! Check out the earring section of my shop for more colors and styles. Just in case pink is your color, click here to see all the pink goodies in my shop!

I Want It! - Classic Pearl Studs

I love these classic pearl studs from JuliaCatherine! The name says it all - they are classic and every woman should have some pearls in her jewelry box!

My New Toy

I love earrings! And during my last round of craft shows, displaying my earrings was one of my biggest problems. I had a pretty French memo board that my earrings looked great on, but the board kept falling and the earrings kept sliding and frankly, people were afraid to touch them! So, I decided to bite the bullet and buy an earring display stand. I browsed Etsy and there are lots of options. I finally settled on a simple black acrylic display from MoriJewelrySupply.

I was so excited when I got it that I immediately took out all my earrings and put starting arranging them. I love it!



Earrings show the best when they can dangle freely and when the light can hit them their sparkle really show off.



I can't wait for my next craft show to see how this little baby changes up my table's look.

Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~

EtsyBlogger Featured Member - Designs By Nora

The featured EtsyBlogger for the month of March is Designs By Nora. I admit that I have not visited her shop before, but as soon as I clicked through and it loaded up, I said to myself "I want it!!".

These flower stud earrings are just perfect for my current fashion taste. I like to wear earrings, but I need to wear small earrings that won't catch my toddler son's attention and thus make him say "oooohhhh" and grab at my ears. But, at the same time, I want something that is pretty and that will make adults say "oohhhh pretty" (b/c most of the adults I know, will not tug and yank on my earlobes).


As I am writing this, Nora has the flower studs available in ten different yet equally fabulous colors as well as star studs. So, hurry on up and grab yourself a pair, she's having a sale and these pretty earrings won't be hanging on for long!

Bring the Luck of the Irish to your Accessories!

St. Patrick's Day is almost here but you still have plenty of time to buy your shamrock themed accessories! These five items are ready to ship and they are all under $10 (including shipping!).



Shamrock Earrings, Charm Bracelet, Clay Beaded Bracelet, Shamrock Bracelet, Shamrock Ribbon Necklace

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
~Melissa~

Valentine's Day Happenings

Valentine's Day has never really been a big deal for me. My mom always gave us a little box of chocolate and conversation hearts and a cute card. My hubby and I exchanged small gifts for a while, but lately we haven't done much. This year however, I think we will plan a "grown-up" fondue dinner which will occur after my son has fallen asleep (hopefully we can wait that long to eat!).

My son is 20 months old now and thinks that coloring is the greatest thing in the whole wide world (next to milk and Disney's Cars movie). So, I plan on cutting out little contruction paper hearts and helping him made Valentine's Day cards for my parents, my sister and my grandmothers. I think they will get a big kick out of his artwork and he will have a ball coloring all weekend long.

Here's an example of his fabulous artwork:

Look out Picasso!

If paper hearts aren't your thing, take a look at these heart earrings that are available in my Etsy shop:


I have them available in several colors, click here to see what I have in stock.


Don't forget, there is still time to enter my One World One Heart Giveway! I'll be drawing a winner on Feb 11.

Happy Valentine's Day!
~Melissa~

Christmas Blog Carnival! Ho-ho-ho!

Ho-ho-ho! Its almost Christmas! I can't believe how time flies! The EtsyBloggers have two very good Christmasy questions for this month's blog carnival.

1. Christmas traditions & recipes - Share Christmas traditions or your favorite holiday recipe.
2. Christmas spotlight - Show & tell of a Christmas item in your shop or your favorite gift idea in someone else's shop.

I can't decide which theme to go with, so I think I will have to address both of them.

Christmas traditions: When I was growing up, my family ALWAYS went to the children's mass on Christmas eve. We'd have antipasto before we went and then my parents would cook dinner when we got home. Well, my sister and I would be FAMISHED!! In order to pass the time while they were cooking, I would read my sister The Polar Express. We would sit on the couch in the living room with facing the Christmas tree with just enough lights on so that we could see the book without dimming out the tree. Then after reading it a few times, I'd go to the record player (yes, that's right, record player) and put on the Sesame Street Christmas Album. We'd lay under the tree and sing along until dinner was ready. Then right before bedtime, we'd get to open our Christmas pajamas.

Christmas Spotlight: I made two dozen pairs of these adorable jingle bell earrings last year. I sold about half of them last year and this year they were a big hit at my craft shows. This is the only pair I have left:

For now, they are in my shop, not sure if they will stay there, I might decide to keep them for myself!

Happy Holiday Shopping!
~Melissa~

Meet them on Saturday at Om Baby Part 2!

OK, so in my effort to feature as many sellers as possible who will be at the EtsyNJ craft show at Om Baby Yoga Studio in Point Pleasant NJ THIS SATURDAY from noon to 5 PM I present to you three more fabulous EtsyNJ sellers!

Dragon's Den makes awesome candles, soaps and lotions and donates a portion of each sale to the Cancer Research Foundation. Get gifts for everyone on your list who likes to smell pretty and help find a cure for cancer at the same time - that's a double gift!! I simply love this Christmas Candy Chunk Pillar Candle, I think it would be a great gift for my mother.

Also be sure to check out her beeswax candles, I think they are so incredibly cool!

Capital City Crafts makes stunning sterling silver jewelry that really makes a statement. And her photography skills are awesome! These round midnight earrings are sure to make a statement at this season's holiday parties!

Also be sure to check out the Jet Holiday Sale section, but make sure you do it before 11/8!

Heart of Nature has gorgeous photography and Saturday will be her first ever craft show! Check out her shop for greeting cards, matted photographs and so much more. I simply love her 8x10 muscle love photo:


See you Saturday!
~Melissa~


EtsyNJ Presents Handmade @ Om Baby Craft Show!
Originally uploaded by madebymelissa

I love handmade!

I didn't realize how many handmade items I use everyday until recently. I get up every morning and use some nifty crocheted cotton face pads made by yours truly! After I get dtressed, I accessorize with a bracelet I made myself that has the birthstones of myself, my son and my hubby and I put on the super cool star earrings I bought from Capital City Crafts. I take care of my dry skin with some tasty vanilla bean hand lotion from Lollibomb and protect my lips from getting chapped with some equally tasty coconut lemongrass lip balm from You Stink Soap.

Then I grab the tote bag I got from Bugga Love aka ALaine Designs this past Christmas and I pack my son's bag for daycare, next I grab my totally awesome hooker tote bag from Trashed Clothing and pack my lunch.

Once everything is packed and everyone is dressed, I rummage through my bag from Tracy Joy and look for my car keys which are attached to a fabulous wristlet keychain from PurpleLicious.

I finally then scoop up my son and walk to the car. His sweet little neck and cheeks are protected from the stiff car seat straps by blue fleece protective covers from Handcrafted Baby Accessories by Georganne (bummer! I see that she's closed her shop! How sad!) and since its been so cold latey, I toss the blanket on his lap that I made for him when I was just barely pregnant.

And that sums up all the handmade items I use on a daily basis. Have you taken the handmade pledge yet??




Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~

Spooky Fun for Halloween

I was sitting here thinking, I feel like writing a blog, but what should I write about?? Do you ever feel that way? I'm almost positive I'm not the only one because otherwise there would be no such thing as the Etsybloggers Blog Carnival!! So, the topic this time around is this: Spooky: Tell a spooky story, real or made up. Or present a Halloween crafting project or something in your shop that will give us the creeps .

I don't really have a spooky story, I was never much into telling tall tales of ghosts, goblins, aliens, wolfman or whatnot. But, I did love to read them way back in my pre-teen years. I particularly enjoyed Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan.

Now though, there isn't much time for reading, although Halloween is still lots of fun! This skull necklace would be a great accent to any spooky costume:


And these cute purple spider earrings would be perfect for us who can't get dressed up in costume for work, but still like to show a little Halloween spirit!


Remember, you have to jump on these soon in order to be sure to get them in time for Halloween! And if you visit my shop between Friday night 10/24 and Saturday night 10/25, there won't be much there as I'll be packing up for the Handmade Faire.

Have a spooky day!
~Melissa~

Favorite Color?

The EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival theme this time around is: "pick a favorite color, and show it in your work". My favorite colors are red and black, but you'd never know it by looking at my shop. If I sent you to my shop and said "Guess my favorite color", you'd probably feel pretty confident saying PURPLE!!! There are 21 purple items in my shop at this given time. I'll highlight a few of my personal favorite purple items.

1) Purple Glass Beaded Dangle Earrings


2) Purple Heart Bracelet


3) Purple Shell Beaded Earrings


4) Deep Purple Fancy Bowl - Upcycled T-shirt


5) Lavender Baby Blanket


So, there you have it! Pretty purple, deep purple, light purple, shiny purple.... all purple! Do you have a favorite color?? Do you see something in my shop that is your favorite color? Simply put "My favorite color is...." in the notes to seller at checkout and I will refund you 15% of you total purchase, excluding shipping, via PayPal!

Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~

Free Shipping Sale!

For a limited time, get FREE SHIPPING on any jewelry, vintage and destash item in my shop. Just put FREE SHIP in the notes to seller at checkout and I will reimburse you the shipping fees, or you can request a revised PayPal invoice.

If you pay using Revolution Money Exchange, I will give you free shipping and 10% off your purchase! Just put RME FREE SHIP in the notes to seller along with your email address and I will send you an invoice. If you haven't signed up for RME yet, click this link to sign up:
https://www.revolutionmoneyexchange.com/ReferAFriend_landing.aspx?referreremail=littleone78@yahoo.com

I am also offering a multiple item order discount to my blog readers. If you order two or more items, I will take an additional 10% off your entire order! Just add the code FREE SHIP BLOG when you check out.

Bracelets: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=28859§ion_id=5016771
Anklets: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=28859§ion_id=5391489
Earrings: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=28859§ion_id=5016768
Necklaces: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=28859§ion_id=5016770
Vintage: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=28859§ion_id=5438057
Destash: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=28859§ion_id=5395035

Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~