Adventures in Potty Training!

Hello blog land! Its been quite a while since I posted something here and I feel terrible. Life has really gotten hectic! This weekend we started the wonderful process of hardcore potty training. That's right, after over a year of waiting for him to decide on his own to do it, I put my foot down and got the ball rolling. It wasn't pretty... 7 accidents, lots of threats, I even started taking toys away. We've had some success, but the little man decided that he wants to sit on the potty every ten minutes! Yes, every ten minutes... we went 7 times this morning before I dropped him off at daycare and I say we because he makes me sit in there with him. I'm going to need to get up half an hour earlier tomorrow!

Now, onto some crafty news! Saint Patrick's Day is almost here, so I decided to offer free shipping (US Only) on this cute shamrock necklace from now until midnight on St. Patrick's Day. Order soon to be sure you'll get it in time for the big day!


I'll need the luck of the Irish to get me through potty training!
~Melissa~

Shop 'Til You Drop - TODAY!

Its time to Shop 'Til you Drop! Stop by TODAY and say hello!


"Shop 'Til You Drop" Holiday Extravaganza!
Hosted by the St. Francis Youth Group
Sunday, November 28 · 10:30am - 3:00pm
St. Francis Lower Church
110 Mt. Vernon Street
Ridgefield Park, NJ


Check out the event page on Facebook to RSVP!

Green for the Holidays!

Red seems to get all the attention during this time of year, but green is just as important (I'm not talking about cash here, folks, I'm talking about the color green). This one of a kind beaded necklace would make a great holiday accessory plus, you can wear it again on St. Patrick's Day and during the spring too!



Don't forget the matching bracelet! Get 15% off when you buy both!

Get ready to Shop 'Til You Drop!

Its time to start thinking about holiday shopping. And what better place to shop than a local craft fair?!? This will be my first and only show this season, so if you want to save cash on shipping, stop by and see my items in person. I will also be debuting a new product line! Curious? Well, you'll have to stop by and see what it is!


"Shop 'Til You Drop" Holiday Extravaganza!
Hosted by the St. Francis Youth Group
Sunday, November 28 · 10:30am - 3:00pm
St. Francis Lower Church
110 Mt. Vernon Street
Ridgefield Park, NJ


Check out the event page on Facebook to RSVP!

Trim the Tree with Fish?

Looking for an adorable and unique Christmas decoration? Well, look no further! Holly the Holiday Jellyfish will look simply stunning hanging from your Christmas tree this year!



Holly is versatile though and would look great hanging from your car's rear view mirror, a door knob on your dresser or pantry, hanging out next to the mistletoe or anywhere else you need a little holiday cuteness!

Don't want a Christmas themed jellyfish? Have no fear! I can create a custom jellyfish in any color of the rainbow! Just send me a convo in Etsy and let me know what you are looking for!

Treasury Fun!

Its holiday shopping time! That means fun gift guide treasuries! My favorite person to shop for is my 3.5 yr old little man. Knowing what a little boy wants is very easy - but finding it among the dresses, flowers, hair bows, baby dolls and endless sea of pink can be quite challenging!

My little guy has been asking me to make him another turtle and a snake for quite some time now, so I better get hopping on it!

Of course, I will likely give it to him as soon as its done, since he loves to watch me make toys. Maybe I'll pick up a few things from my Gift Guide for Little Men treasury to save for Christmas morning!

I've also been included in two great treasuries
A gorgeous Pink & Black treasury by BBlonski Designs featuring my hot pink make-up remover pads


And a fun treasury featuring other great EtsyNJ artists by KIRWEN1004 which includes my adorable Mandy the Octopus!


Have you started your holiday shopping yet?

Halloween Fun

It's almost time for Halloween! This is the first year that my little guy "gets" it, so he picked out his own costume this year! My little man will be Batman, the main question is - will he actually wear the mask/hood? Time will tell...



There is still time to order some fun Halloween accessories from my shop, I have cute pendants and an adorable Halloween star baby blanket.


And wouldn't Abbie be an adorable Halloween surprise for the little ones (like my son) who don't eat candy?!?


Have a happy and safe Halloween!
~Melissa~

Item of the Week - March 29

Easter is less than a week away! That means that my Easter Bunny Sale is almost over!! All bunnies are marked down from $15.00 to $12.50 until midnight on Sunday, April 4.

Take a look at these three cute residents of the Made By Melissa Bunny Patch:


Have a Hoppy Easter! ;)
~Melissa~

Item of the Week - March 8, 2010

Easter time is coming soon! Get ready to fill those baskets with handmade goodies! My goal is to list at least one new bunny every week between now and Easter. And, to make things even more fun, all bunnies are marked down from $15.00 to $12.50. No codes to enter, prices are already marked down.

The newest addition to the bunny patch is Jimmy. Jimmy is royal blue and ocean blue camo. Stop by Jimmy's Etsy listing and say hello!!



Happy Shopping!!
~Melissa~

Item of the Week - February 15, 2010

Happy President's Day! Here are some interesting tidbits about President's Day from Wikipedia:

Washington's Birthday is a United States federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February. It is also commonly known as Presidents Day.

On 1 January 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This date places it between February 15 and 21, which makes the name "Washington's Birthday" a misnomer, since it never lands on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. A draft of the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 would have renamed the holiday to Presidents' Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln, but this proposal failed in committee and the bill as voted on and signed into law on 28 June 1968, kept the name Washington's Birthday.

By the mid-1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term "Presidents Day" began its public appearance. Although Lincoln's birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday, approximately a dozen state governments have officially renamed their Washington's Birthday observances as "Presidents Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations.

Now on to the item of the week! I don't have anything presidential or historical in my shop but, I do have some very patriotic critters to share with you. Meet Sam the Octopus and Alice the Snake, while they may never run for office, they sure would love to move into a new home!


Get $2 off either plushie or $5 off if you order both, between now and midnight on Saturday, February 20 just by putting "Happy Presidents Day" in the notes to seller at checkout. Refund will be given by PayPal, or convo me after purchase for a revised invoice.
(I know the weekly sale usually runs through Sunday evening, but I will be at a craft show February and will not be able to access my email and PayPal for the day)

Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from Made By Melissa!!



Enjoy some sugar hearts and chocolate covered caramels!!

~Melissa~

Happy New Year!

Don't forget, my Ring in the New Year Sale ends at midnight TONIGHT, so get those orders in ASAP! Here's the details from my original blog post a few days ago:
I'd like to ring in the new year with a SALE! From now until Midnight on January 1, 2010, get a FREE GIFT with every purchase from Made By Melissa. And, as an added bonus, get 10% off orders over $10 or more! And, just in case that isn't enough, FREE US SHIPPING on orders over $30 or more! Simply put Happy New Year in the notes to seller to receive your free gift and your discounts!



(10% off and free shipping given as refund via PayPal, or send a convo for a revised invoice or special listing)





Happy and Healthy New Year to all of my awesome friends and family!
~Melissa~

New Year's Fun

Well, 2009 is almost at its end and 2010 is on the horizon. It wasn't a terrible year, although, I do admit it could have been much better. It was filled with car troubles, lost jobs, slow craft shows and slow web sales, but it was also filled with fun, love and laughs from my friends and family (both online and offline).

This brings me to the EtsyBloggers blog carnival question:
Tell us about your plans for ringing in the 2010 New Year!! Staying home/going out? Getting drunk, falling about?

Ha! There shall be no drunkeness in my home this year, although we used to throw quite the party back in the day. Its been a few years now and we are in a smaller apartment, the dog doesn't appreciate overnight guests and its hard to have a rockin' party when your toddler goes to bed at 9 PM.

This year, we'll be spending New Year's eve and day quietly at home. The little man will finally have some quality time with all his new toys from Christmas and hopefully I can get some crocheting done and get some items listed in my totally empty Artfire shop and add some new items to my Etsy shop.

I am hoping for a healthy, happy, quiet and prosperous 2010 for all of my friends and family!

Please don't forget to check out my Ring in the New Year sale, it ends at midnight on January 1. See this blog post for details.

Be sure to visit Joey & Aleethea on Monday, January 4 to see all the other great entries into this blog carnival!

Holiday Recipes - Cranberry Sauce

Earlier in the month, the EtsyBloggers wanted to know about our favorite holiday recipes, I missed the blog carnival, but I'd still like to share this simple recipe that is sure to impress - homemade whole berry cranberry sauce, that's right FROM SCRATCH. Those two words seem to make people go totally insane "oh my god, you made it from scratch?!?!" Yes, my dear friend, I did...

I always make cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving, then we started having ham on new year's eve, so I would make it then too. This year, we are likely having ham on Christmas eve, so I will make it then. Its really so simple, you can make it anytime you want, assuming you like cranberry sauce enough to eat the whole thing before it goes bad.


Picture from http://www.cookingdebauchery.com/ (I never went to their site, I just Googled pictures of cranberry sauce)

Ingredients:
1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water

Rinse cranberries.
Boil water and sugar, add cranberries, simmer until cranberries pop open, stir occasionally.
Remove from heat, allow to cool, refrigerate until serving time.

Some recipes say to toss it all in the pot and boil it together, you can substitute juice and fake sugar, but it won't gel like regular cranberry sauce will.

If you forget any of the specifics (I do, all the time, I know, how I can I forget the 3 ingredients), doesn't matter, it ALWAYS on the back of the bag of cranberries!

Enjoy the holidays!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town - EtsyBloggers Style

Woo-hoo! Christmas is just four days away! Santa and his elves are putting the finishing touches on the gifts and wrapping them up, the reindeer are getting ready to fly! The excitement is in the air. The EtsyBloggers have some awesome Santa Claus items to get you in the holiday spirit!

Retro Santa Claus Pom Pom Ornament by AForestFrolic


Candy Cane Elf Hat with Holly Berries and Bells by RagamuffinDesign


Santa Claus Goat Milk Handmade Soap by Sweet Sally Soaps


Santa Claus Is Coming To Town -- Sassy Vintage-Inspired Christmas Cards by macaroniandglue


Merry Christmas!
~Melissa~

Needed: Warm, Loving Home for the Holidays

Clyde the Christmas Octopus has a cheery smile on his face and is hoping that somoene will take him home with them for the holidays! He'd love to have a human friend to snuggle with and share secrets with.


"Take me home, please!"

Clyde wants a new home so badly, that I will discount the price from $17.00 to $15.00 to anyone who puts "home for the holidays" in the notes to seller.

Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~

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!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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.

See other participating EtsyNJ shops by visiting the EtsyNJ Blog!

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

Featured EtsyBlogger - The Fab Miss B

November's featured blogger is the Fab Miss B! Her friends call her Becky and she has two wonderful Etsy shops:

Becky Kazana - http://www.etsy.com/shop/beckykazana
The Fab Miss B - http://www.etsy.com/shop/thefabmissb

Her cards are just too cute, you certainly need to pick up a few for the holiday season!


Be sure to visit her blog and leave a comment so she knows you were there!