Thanks and Noel Hand Painted Word Candle Upcycled Jelly Jars

I am just a little late with this post, LOL. Sorry about that. My mother, for some reason, had a whole bunch of jelly jars cleaned and saved. Maybe she was going to put homemade jelly in them. I don't know, but she offered them to me. Since they were all the same size, I took them. Then using letter stencils I created a set of THANKS and NOEL painted candle jars. The Noel is not pictured, but they are the same coloring and design. You can add a tealight or a votive candle, but I like the tealights because they come right out to be replaced. You could also put in those battery operated candles, but I don't find they last very long for what they cost. They look lovely on a dining room table, or mantel like I did. If I had more of these jars, I would do a set for my store. Maybe I will start looking for the jars now, then I can have them in time for next year. We don't eat a lot of jelly, lol. These do take a while to make. You need several layers of paint, and then sealing. That is after you have cleaned and removed all labels.

Melissa's Jewelry in Candles Store

I had looked at opening a Jewelry in Candles ecommerce store, a few months ago. I decided it wasn't something I wanted to do at that time. I decided to order one of their candles, for a friend for Christmas. It came yesterday, and the candle is lovely. You can smell it through the box, and packaging. It was packaged nice, the box was nice, and I hope the jewelry she finds inside it, is nice too. So, I decided to sign up for an ecommerce store. I will share a candle every now and then, but there will be a widget on the side bar where anyone can click through and buy from my store. If you love candles, and jewelry, I would love to have you as a customer. I ordered the Cinnamon Rolls, for my friend and like I said it smells superb. They are soy candles. Check out the one below for a man. I think men are hard to buy for, especially if they like candles. My husband likes candles, so candles are not just for women. The jewelry in the candle, can be a mans or woman's piece of jewelry. You pick and decide. A leather scented candle. How awesome would that be for your beau for Valentines Day. Check it out, and all the other candles and wax tarts. I prefer tarts, myself, and yes they have jewelry too. Check out Melissas Jewelry in Candles Store, that's me, lol, and I will be using the hashtag #melissasjicstore

What Is Your Birthstone?

Every now and then, I like to share videos about birthstones. I am always amazed how many people don't know what their birthstone is. For the month of December, the traditional birthstone is Blue Zircon, a rather expensive stone. Turquoise was added to the list, but Blue Topaz is often used in place of the Blue Zircon, due to its affordability. Blue is the most popular color gemstone in the USA, according to a report I read. When you watch the video below, not only does it show you the traditional color of your birthstone, but other colors the stone comes in. For example Zircon comes in all shades from white to black, and in between. So does Sapphire, for September, Diamond for April, and even Amethyst comes in both purple and green. The only one I kind of don't like, is the March birthstone, depicted in the video. The birthstone for March is Aquamarine, which is of course a beautiful blue color gemstone. In the video he shows other members of the Beryl family, such as Morganite and Goshenite, which are pink and white gemstones. They are not Aquamarine. Aquamarine only comes in shades of blue green, and blue. Other than that, I loved the video. I forgot to say, that a few years ago Tanzanite was also added as a December birthstone. Good luck getting a good quality, as well as good price on one of those. Don't forget to check out my Ebay store, select items on sale right now, and my Etsy store.  My Etsy store will mainly be for made to order items, but I am still going to have a small inventory of on hand items as well.  If you know of something you want, and think maybe I could make it, contact me. 

Painted Christmas Ornaments Fun With Friends

A while ago I had bought this pink fluff stuff. Caitlin was supposed to use it for a 4H project, but she changed her mind. So, it set in my craft cabinet. On Tues, we went to have some Christmas fun with good friends. I decided we would make some cute ornaments, using the pink fluff. This was so easy to do. I printed off some cute faces for each of us to choose from. Using paint pens each of us painted on our faces, then signed and dated the back. DJ painted black hair on his, as pink fluff wasn't really appropriate. This works best on the larger ornaments, and the non shiny ones. The pink fluff was put on first using super glue. You can see the results below. These did not take long, and are a super cute way to keep the kids busy for a few minutes. The kids then had lunch, and played while the other mom and I got to visit. Merry Christmas.

I Love Nativity Ornaments

Are you ready for Christmas? I have just a couple more gifts to wrap, and one has not been delivered yet. That is kind of annoying three days before Christmas, but I should have ordered earlier. I have had some stressful life changes, over the past month. It was both relieving and stressful. But, now it looks like it was a good thing. All things happen for a reason, I truly believe that. If you follow this blog, then you know I am quite sentimental about Christmas ornaments. I am always looking for new ones to create. I have several ideas already working for next year. I have already begun thinking of Easter and Valentines Day too, lol.

Collecting sea shells, when we go to the beach, is one of my favorite activities. Sometimes I can only find really small ones, though, and I have to buy some at my local craft store. They are already cleaned and bleached if you buy them. Anyway when I saw this ornament idea in my head, it was amazing. The nativity on a three shell scene. So, this morning I got out my shells, and painted them. I can see where they need just a bit more touch up, but that is OK, they are not completed yet. I have to figure out how to attach them. I tried my glue gun, which normally holds anything, but apparently either it is old and not heating enough, or my glue sticks are bad. At any rate it didn't work. Then I tried Super Glue. That didn't work either. Someone on FB said I should drill a hole in them, but I am afraid they will break. I might have to do that though. I am going to see if I can wire wrap them first, and then attach to each other with jump rings. I think that will work. I have completed several other items as well, that I just have to share. Then, I have a few that need completing, lol. I have had 5 Ebay sales this month, so far, no Etsy sales though. I am in the process of making my Etsy store for new products, and made to order. I may also list my paintings there, that have not been listed more than 4 times. Two of the Ebay sales were handmade items, and three were not. What do you think of my Nativity ornaments?

 If I don't get back before Christmas, and I might not, Merry Christmas to you in whatever language you may speak it in. May your day be merry and bright.

Hand Painted Wooden Family Name Plaque Signs or Wall Art

The sign shown is actually meant to be hung on the wall or set on a shelf. It is a special Christmas gift for my in laws. It is listed in my Etsy store as a custom made to order item. Check it out if you are interested in having one made.

4 Ebay Sales This Month So Far, 0 Etsy sales

This is just and update, as I am working feverishly on new items for my Ebay store.  I am continuing my Etsy store to finish up current listings, then my Etsy store will be made to order handmade items.  As for Ebay, two of the sales were handmade items, and two were items we were cleaning out.  All to different buyers.  So, if you think handmade can not sell on Ebay, that is simply not true.  Ebay, is different than Etsy, and you do have to adjust to them.  If you have any questions about this topic, please share them in the comments. 

New In My Etsy Shop Hand Painted Snowman Mandala Ornament

Yesterday, for Art class, the kids and I sat down to paint some faces. I let them decide what face they wanted to paint. I was going to do just a Santa, Snowman or Gingerbread face on a glitter ornament. But, I changed my mind and painted the snowman mandala shown below. I am really pleased with how this came out. It is available as a made to order item, in my Etsy store. 



 So far, I have had two sales in my Ebay store. 

How To Make A Ladder Weave Beaded Bracelet Tutorial

This looks so pretty. Give it a try, and let me know how it works for you. If I get a little extra time, I will try it.

Why I Love Christmas Ornaments as Gifts

I love Christmas ornaments, making them, giving them, and receiving them. Why? Because, our Christmas tree is the story of our lives. I have in my personal collection of ornaments, ornaments my sisters and I made as kids, ornaments my Mom made and hung on our family tree when we were kids, ornaments I bought as an adult, ornaments I made, ornaments my kids have made, plus a few special ornaments that my husband has collected over the years. One of which is a special ornament that was his mother's, who is now deceased. For the longest time, every year I bought a new ornament for all four of us. So that one day, when my kids had their own trees, they could take their ornaments with them to their new trees. After a while I had too many ornaments, and not enough tree. So, we bought another tree, lol. Then a bigger tree. Now, I have lots more room for ornaments. The one tree, it is small, is our angel tree. It has all angels that I have collected through the years, plus our deceased dog's name tag, and some nurse ornaments given to me years ago. Our big tree, is the story of us. No theme, just a montage of our lives, the things we love, admire, and make us feel special. That is why I love ornaments as a gift. They are generally affordable, and you can find one that surely everyone will love. Between my Ebay and Etsy stores, I have tons of hand made ornaments to choose from. Below you will find links to them all. I only shared two pictures, because it would just be a huge blog post otherwise. Check them out, and see if someone in your life could use a special ornament. I can add dates too, or names to most of them. Just ask me. I offer free USA shipping, too. If any of the Ebay links don't work, check to see if the item was relisted.   Some are ending soon, and not sure if they get the same number or a new one.


 http://www.ebay.com/itm/231408669129?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231409244025?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231378634450?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231378638262?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231378640307?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/231378793100?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

https://www.etsy.com/listing/194551775/blue-and-white-girl-holding-flowers? 

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/179033114/huge-resin-heart-with-peacock-feathers?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/161959601/angel-white-turquoise-wire-wrapped-angel?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/202721413/hot-neon-pink-resin-3d-spider-pendant?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/202709228/large-neon-blue-3d-resin-spider-pendant?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/202355080/pink-and-white-cherub-angel-green?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/202365935/faux-amber-light-orange-resin-with-real?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/202107614/one-of-a-kind-soaring-bald-eagle-resin?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/201663842/lovely-teddy-bear-baby-blue-angel?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/187629148/pear-shaped-resin-angel-christmas?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/201284892/heart-blue-glitter-resin-paperweight?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/201191166/babys-first-christmas-baby-foot-prints?

Waiting For Christmas Painting and Painted Moose Picture Frame

One of these is a gift, but will a made to order item in my Etsy store. The other is a completed project and will be for sale in my Ebay store.

The first item is a hand painted oval pine wood painting titled, Waiting for Santa. This is my first attempt, and am very pleased with it. You have a little boy, and girl, their kitty cat, and teddy bear, sitting by the Christmas tree, and watching the fireplace for Santa. It will be available in my Ebay store tomorrow, 12/1 for purchase. It can be hung on the wall, or put on a shelf or mantel. To find my Ebay store, scroll to the bottom of this blog, and find the widget. 

The second item is a wooden picture frame, painted with moose heads on it. This is a gift for my mother, who loves moose. It will have a special picture in it. This item will be available as a made to order item in my Etsy store.

Moose and Baby Polar Bear Snow Scene Painted Wood Garden Stepping Stone

Yesterday, Caitlin and I sat down to paint the last two wood slices, from our cut down tree, that will be wood stepping stones for our garden. Mine is a moose and baby polar bear in the winter snow. Caitlin painted a wolf on hers, but did not finish it yet. I will share it when it is completed. I did get some more wood items at the craft store. I already started a picture frame, with moose heads, that will be a Christmas gift. I didn't finish it yet, so that will come later too. These are not available for sale, but I think I am going to do some more of the moose, I love them!

Challenging My Crochet Skills and Some New Wooden Pieces To Paint

I have so busy with homeschool stuff, that I have not had time to paint, crochet, or nothing.  Now we are on an extended Thanksgiving Break, and I have lots of time.  Well, I still have paper work to do, but that is not a big deal.  I went and bought some new wooden pieces to paint on.  A frame, a little box, and a plaque.  No art paper, and no canvas.  I love wood.  It is the best thing to paint on, in my opinion.  I also have a baby cocoon and a baby blanket to ship out to Newborns in Need.  They should go out next week.  I decided to challenge myself, and attempt a long duster sweater style jacket.  I do not follow patterns well, but I am  hoping it comes out good.  So far it is slow going, lol.  I will share pictures of all items when done.  Don't forget to check out my Ebay store, and Etsy store.  Come February, my Etsy store will just be for made to order items only. 

Pilgrim Boy and Native American Boy Painted Thanksgiving Wood Garden Stepping Stone

This is my latest wooden garden stepping stone. I now have four completed, with two more to go. They are done on wood slices from a tree we had to cut down. This one is for Thanksgiving, featuring a Pilgrim boy and a Native American boy. I have to improve my skin tone coloring, and still eyes and mouths need work. Getting better, but still a lot of work to go. Practice makes perfect, that is what I always say. I am not sure what I want to paint on the last two. Maybe flowers and butterflies. These go in my garden, where I will be making a small water garden come Spring.

November Birth Stone- Citrine

Citrine is the birth stone for November. Imperial Topaz is the original stone, for November, but due to it's rarity it was changed to Citrine. Almost all Citrine is created from heat treating pale Amethyst. There are natural Citrines, but they are rare. I have two other Citrine pieces in my Etsy store, the ring shown below is Citrine and White Zircon, and is available in my Ebay store. 

New in My Ebay Store Baby's First Teddy Bear and Blanket

These are the two colors I currently have made up. These are available in my Ebay store. The first one is White and Mistletoe yarn. The second is Purple, Blue and Cream. The teddy bears are about 8 inches tall, with the matching blanket. Perfect for little hands to hold and drag around with them. Crochet blankets are exceptionally warm and last forever. Check them out in my Ebay store. 

Snowman Mandala Hand Painted Gift Bag and Snow Church on Wooden Stepping Stone

Monday is the day I get to paint. Shown below is my third wood slice stepping stone, with a beautiful snow scene painted on it. I am getting better at buildings. This church didn't come out too bad. It will now join the other two I painted in the garden. I think I am going to be listing these in my Etsy store as made to order items. I decided to take my Etsy store off vacation, until my current items run out, that I already paid for. Then I will be listing made to order only items on Etsy. All new inventory, and inventory that ends on Etsy will go in my new Ebay store. I have several jewelry auctions running right now. So, hop over there if interested.


I also drew and then painted the Snowman Mandala gift bag shown below. That is available in my Ebay store only. I love painting the gift bags, because they can be re used and, or the art work can be cut off and framed. I love that idea! I find more buyers actually prefer Ebay, as opposed to Etsy. 

2 New Ebay Auctions and Unique Handmade Resin Butterfly Christmas Ornament

I have added the neon pink baby girl cocoon with hat, and the orange and cream baby blanket to auction format, in my Ebay store. You can view items in my Ebay store by scrolling to the bottom of this blog, and view the widget. The widget does not show all items, so be sure to click an item to go directly to my store.


The item below is a unique large heart shaped resin Christmas ornament, with a lovely peach pink and black butterfly with glitter embedded. These will last forever, and make great gifts for the butterfly lover in your life. I offer free USA shipping, always, everyday of the year. If you got questions, you can ask them here, or on Ebay.

My First Three Ebay Auctions Are Up and Running Amethyst, Garnet, and Hummingbird

My first three Ebay auctions are up and running, and I have added other inventory to the store.  In all the years I have been selling my crochet baby cocoons, never has anyone ever asked a question, or showed much interest.  I have already had two questions, in one day.  To me, this is optimistic.  I have always said that Etsy is a website of sellers, with very few buyers.  It is a very long process moving my inventory to a new store, so that might take a while.  Especially since I have to work this weekend.  My first three auction items are my Ruby Throated Hummingbird painting, Amethyst ring, and a Raspberry Pink Rhodolite Garnet ring.  Christmas is coming, take advantage of these awesome auction items.  5 days and 9 hours left.  The links are below, so you can see each item.  I am still offering FREE USA shipping. 

Amethyst Ring

Rhodolite Garnet Ring

Hummingbird Painting

Some Important Changes

For the time being, and as a trial run, my Etsy store will be on vacation until further notice, and I am opening and Ebay store.  I used Ebay stores before, and had very good success.  I switched to Etsy a few years ago, and sales have been dismal at best.  So, I am returning to Ebay at least for now.  I will give further info once it is up and running.  This allows me to auction off items something I can not do on Etsy.  I can not run two stores, so for now it is Ebay. 

Happy Halloween Now Get Ready for Christmas

Halloween is almost over, and that means it is time to get ready for Christmas.  I am promoting buying handmade items for the holidays this year.  I am sure there is something for everyone in the world of handmade.

I just finished the cutest teddy bear last night.  It was my first attempt, and I love it.  I was going to give it a santa hat and sell it that way, but I decided to make a baby blanket to go with it, and list them together.  Baby's first teddy and blanket, so cute.  I won't share pictures until the blanket is done.

I tried the wire wrapped ring tutorial, that I shared a few days ago.  That was not a real success, lol.  It ended up being a pendant, lol.  I will share that one after I complete the choker that will go with it.  It is a luscious brown like Smokey Quartz, and big and bold.  Love it!

Stay tuned for all those items to be shared.  Be safe if you are out and about tonight.  We will be going to a Fall Festival later this afternoon.  I have to work tomorrow night so no Trick or Treating this year.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday!  Make this year the biggest turn out ever for the midterms, and vote, vote, vote!!!!!!

Painted Snowman Coasters and Painted Snowman Wooden Garden Stepping Stone

As you can see I put the poinsettia painted wood slice into the ground, yesterday. Last night I finished painting the next one, a snowman at night, with snowflakes. That one still needs to be sealed before I can put it in the ground. I will be making a water garden, hopefully in the Spring, and these are a nice touch. I think I am going to make them as made to order items in my Etsy store, but first I have to see how they hold up outside in the elements.

The set of three snowman coasters, is available to purchase in my Etsy store. They have been sealed and are ready to ship. There are only three, because that is all I could get from the tree of that size. They are hand drawn, and hand painted. Check them out in my Etsy store. Wonderful gift idea. I offer free USA shipping every day of the year, and a free layaway service.

Countdown To Christmas Painted Snowman, Snowman Coaster and Some Projects In Progress

I think I really need to be sure and blog at least 4 days a week. I have so many things already in my store, that I have not shared here yet. I try to be creative everyday. Some weeks that just is not possible, and some weeks it seems like I am just creating like crazy, lol. This week, so far, has been very productive. For those of you who blog, here is a question for you. If you have an Etsy store, where does the most of your non Etsy traffic come from? In other words, not people who favorite your item because they are in a team, but traffic from elsewhere. Mine are Facebook, and this blog. It is hard to say for Twitter and some others because they count in Direct Traffic ads and that could be a lot of different things.

 Yesterday, I finished a red and black, plaid, baby cocoon. It is so adorable, and I will share it here on the blog later. It is available in my Etsy store. Today, is painting day. My husband, finally, cut me some more wood slices from the tree we had to cut down. Unfortunately, I only got three that are small enough to be coasters. You can see one below in the early steps of painting it with an adorable snowman. Those will be available for sale, when I get them finished. I also painted one of the larger slices, white, and it too will have an adorable snowman painted on it. If you follow this blog, you know I did some poinsettias a few weeks ago. They are large, thick and heavy, so I will not sell them in my Etsy store. But, tonight as I was thinking about it, I am going to put them in the garden as wooden stepping stones. I think that is such a lovely idea. I also did a gingerbread painted gift bag, that too will be another day.

 Last but not least, I found these foam snowmen at the Dollar Tree. I painted the hat, the face, added some pine with holly berries, and snowflakes to the body of the snowman. Then I added the numbers 1-25, and crocheted a carrot nose. The nose moves to point to how many days are left until Christmas. These are not very big, and can be reused as long as taken care of. It is about 6 inches tall. This one is ours, because I am not crazy about how the numbers came out, but they will be listed in my store as made to order items. I think I have 5 more snowmen I can create. My kids love the advent calendars, and this one is so adorable. You will find it available in my Etsy store within the next few hours.

Make A Wire Wrapped Gemstone Ring Tutorial

I have to perfect stone to try this wire wrap technique with. Now, I have to see if I have any wire, lol. If mine comes out as good as his, I will try to make a video to share. I can not promise that though. My video taking skills are real stinky.

Poinsettia Doodle Tangle Art Pencil Drawing Black and White

I am really pleased with how this Tangle Doodle came out. I actually had started to draw this, a few weeks ago, when I was drawing poinsettias on the wood slice. I set it aside, and forgot about it. Last week, I came across it again, and finished it. It is black and white, all done completely in pencil. Drawn on water color thick paper, because I love that paper. It is thick and sturdy. I do not like my Art tablet drawing paper. It just seems so flimsy. This Poinsettia Tangle Doodle Drawing is available in my Etsy store. I am currently working on a Tangle Doodle Turkey. Hope to have it finished very soon. I am hoping for an optical illusion look. We will see.

Pink Peatunias Soft Baby Girl Cocoon with Pink Boa Fringe

Continuing with my goal to make a bunch of pink items for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Is this not the cutest thing ever? This is my first time using this bulky yarn. It is so soft, and wonderful. It feels like our rabbit's fur, it is so soft. It is a little more expensive, and kind of hard on the hands, but so worth it. I will be using more of this yarn, for lots of projects. I couldn't get the hat to come out right, yarn was too bulky. But, it is adorable all by itself. This is a baby cocoon for a newborn infant girl. These make awesome photo props for photographers, or parents who just want to take their own shots without spending a fortune. It is also a sleeping cocoon, for warmth in the cold months. All yarn is warm, but this is super warm. The boa is attached but can easily be removed. I do not suggest letting baby sleep with the boa on. It would be very dangerous to do so. So, please remove it when done with pictures. I also think my cocoons would make great kitten, or cat caves. They would have a ball with any of the cocoons available in my store. You can see all my cocoons by visiting my Etsy store. I really want to get some new jewelry pieces created, so I have to get going on that.

Pink, Red and White Painted Poinsettias on Wood Cake Stand

I love painting on wood! This piece is a couple of firsts for me. It is my first time painting on wood in its rough form, and first time painting poinsettia flowers. About a week, or so ago, we had to chop down a dead tree. I mean it was dead. This was not from that tree. We noticed another tree that was obviously diseased, so we opted to take that one down too. I am a bit of a tree geek, so it broke my heart. I had my husband cut two slices, one for me, and one for my son. He will be making a friend of his a birthday gift with his, and mine has been reformed into a rustic cake stand as shown. It is a bit thick, so I really can not sell it. So, it will become part of my Winter table decor. The tree still has large parts sitting in our front yard, waiting to be burned. I have asked my husband to cut me some smaller, and thinner slices, before he burns them all. That way I can create some pieces I can offer for sale. I can buy wood slices, but how nice that it came from my tree. I did not sand this wood, so it was definitely in the rough, lol. I had to apply two layers of the black base paint, then draw on the flowers with a white pencil, then paint three layers of the flowers and outlines. Very time consuming, but I love the results.

Pink Tourmaline October Birthstone

I think I am going to start making gemstone videos for learning about gemstones. Youtube has millions of videos, but I have a hard time finding good ones explaining gemstones. If you are a woman, you probably love the color pink. I do! I wear a Pink Tourmaline and Diamond ring, as part of my wedding set. My engagement ring was a Morganite in rose gold. I love pink! The Morganite got sold after I got married. I should have kept it for my daughter, but oh well. The Pink Tourmaline I wear was not made by me, but I did buy from an Etsy Artisan. It was easier than trying to find a white gold setting in my very small finger size. Anyway, one of the two birthstones for October, is pink tourmaline. Below, is an interesting video about Pink Tourmaline. I do not currently have any for sale in my Etsy store, but I hope to have some new settings and pieces created soon. Here are some other interesting facts about Pink Tourmaline: Tourmaline is naturally found in Maine and California. Most Tourmaline appears to come from Sri Lanka. Tourmaline comes in a wide array of colors, similar to sapphire or spinel. It can be heat treated, or irradiated. It is a durable gemstone with a 7-7.5 hardness. There is a blue green Tourmaline from Paraiba Brazil, that is no longer being mined. It is one of the most beautiful colors of Tourmaline.


Do you know what the other birthstone is for October?  Stay tuned I will share it soon.

Flash Sale for October 2nd 2014 Buy 1 Painted Gift Bag Get the 2nd Bag Free

If you saw my post from the other day, then you know that I am doing a flash sale every day, until after Christmas.  Hopefully I will not forget any when I have to work.  They will not all be posted here on the blog.  But, if you look for my Facebook app on the left hand side, you will see the sales there.  Today the flash sale is, buy 1 painted gift bag of your choice, get the second free.  I will have to refund the price of the second bag after you have checked out.  This is for painted gift bags only.  I have quite a few in stock and you can check them all out by visiting my Etsy store.  This sale will end tonight at 10 PM Eastern time.  I offer free USA shipping, so this is a steal of a deal. 

Custom Painted Truck for Little Boys Room

I had so much designing this truck. I actually drew it all out last week, and then didn't get time to paint it until yesterday. It took a long time, but I finally got it how I wanted. It is silver with all kinds of cool custom decals, bats, vampire eyes, guitars, fishing pole, baseball and bat, flames and more. If you have a special little boy in your life, this would make an awesome gift. It is signed and dated, and available in my Etsy store. I did my second pencil drawing of a covered bridge. I am still not completely pleased with it, though it was a huge improvement from the first one. I think the lesson on Perspective is the hardest of all the lessons. I will share those in a future post. Have a wonderful Tuesday evening!

Getting Ready For the Holidays and Some Odds and Ends

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  So, this blog will be changed to all pink for the month of October. 

As you probably know the holidays are quickly approaching.  I have been racking my brain feverishly thinking of all the things I want to create by then.  I don't think I have enough time, lol.  I just finished a crocheted orange and black blanket that I absolutely love.  I used a different method for changing colors and it was so much easier.  It will be in my Etsy store tomorrow.  I must tell you if you are a Cincinnati Bengals fan, or love tigers you might want to check it out.  My goal, eventually, is to make a crocheted blanket in every color combo for every football team. 

To help my readers, and followers on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook, I will be doing a flash sale every day until December.  There will be a different special each day.  To ensure I do not attract re sellers, my jewelry pieces will not get drastically marked down.  Sorry, but if there is something I can't stand is someone buying something they did not create with the soul purpose of selling it for more.  My Twitter is @melissasjewelry, Pinterest is iaminterested, and Facebook Melissa's Menagerie of Stuff.  Look me up and follow along.  I will not be posting all the flash sales here on this blog, so you will have to follow along in one of the other places.  It will show up on the Facebook widget on this page, so you could still visit this blog and find it easy enough. 

Speaking of jewelry.  I was so happy to see some of the jewelry casting sellers, that I used to buy from on Ebay, selling on Etsy.  Though I am currently learning new ways to create jewelry, I have always loved and been drawn to traditional settings.  So, I will definitely be making some new pieces using those traditional settings.  Just not sure when, lol.  I guess you will  have to visit this blog often and find out. 

I have noticed one thing, about Etsy.  There is a whole group of people who do not think that making jewelry with traditional settings is handmade.  Trust me I can tell you hand setting gemstones in those settings is for sure handmade.  Maybe I don't melt the silver, and then cast the setting myself, but I do hand set the gemstones, and it is not easy, and it takes a long time to learn how to do it too.  It is a craft, and if they want to be rude so be it. 

Have I Been Busy?

Yes, I have been very busy. So busy I feel like I can't keep up with my blogs. Some of that has to do with the fact that the kids and I are back to homeschooling. As you can imagine that takes up a lot of my time. The other day I was really feeling the need to draw. So, I drew out some pieces, and now I have to either paint them, or color in with colored pencils. Drawing takes a long time, at least I think it does. Since I am new to drawing, it takes me even longer. I have a very special truck drawn out for a boy's room. I will share when I am done. The gift bag shown below, was painted black and then the pink cat painted on. I love painting the gift bags. I have sold one, a penguin bag, but would love to sell more of these. They are great as gift wrap, then the person it was used for can frame the art and keep it forever. Check out my Etsy store to see all my hand painted gift bags.

Christmas is Coming Buy Hanmade Ornaments as Keepsakes and Gifts

One of my favorite gifts to give to family, and friends, are special keepsake Christmas ornaments. Why? Because ornaments are special. They can be used for years, and handed down from generation to generation. I love Christmas ornaments so much, that I decided to start making some special ones. I had done some painted ornaments, and I think two or three of them sold. So, those became part of our annual Christmas tree. Now, that I feel my painting skills have improved since then, I may try painting some again, no sure. But, I have a whole bunch of resin Christmas ornaments, in various sizes, shapes and colors, plus some of these crocheted ornaments created with cabochons and yarn. This one is for a dog lover, more specifically a Maltese dog lover. My mom used to own Maltese and she just adores them. You can purchase this ornament, or any of my ornaments, in my Etsy store. I will be adding new ornaments along the way to Christmas.

Teal and Orange African Butterfly Acrylic Painting

I love butterflies!  I have decided to do a new set of paintings of butterflies.  I also want to do some holiday gift bags, and still drawing with my children.  So, I have a lot of Art in my future.  I am also working on a Tiger stripe blanket.  This is an African butterfly.  It only lives there, and I so wish it would visit my yard.  But, I can still appreciate its beauty in my art work.  The only thing I did not consider is whether Forget me Nots grow in Africa.  It is signed and dated, and available in my Etsy store.  All my paintings are originals and one of a kinds.  If I do decide to paint something twice, it will not be the same as the original. 

Orange and Black Infant Baby Pumpkin Cocoon with Hat

I love making these crochet baby cocoons. I make them in the designs and colors of my choosing. They make great photo props, Halloween costumes, and also to keep baby warm at night. The cocoon is like a warm, and safe sleeping bag. This one is a Halloween pumpkin. The hat is the carved face of the pumpkin. So adorable. This will fit a newborn infant, boy or girl, and up to one month old. Check it out in my Etsy store. 

How To Make Easy Jewelry

I Am Having A Giveaway You Get To Pick Your Prize

This is a Facebook event.  I hit 300 likes on my Facebook fan page, so I promised a giveaway.  It is simple.

You must live in the USA, Canada or Great Britain.  You must like my Facebook page and join the event.  Joining the event counts as your entry.  Everyone who joins will have their name put in a hat, and my ten year old will pick the winner.  One lucky winner gets to pick their prize from my Etsy store, value of 24.99 or less.  Please be sure and read the whole event description before joining.  You can find it on my Facebook page.  I will try to bump it to the top, to keep it in view.

Come on and join.  Everyone loves free stuff!

For All You Spider Lovers Hot Pink and Neon Blue 3D Spiders

I know there are people who love spiders. I can't say I love them. I leave them alone, as long as they are not in the house. I was bitten by a Brown Recluse two years ago, so I have a respect for them that others may not. One day, while in my local Dollar Tree, I found these awesome spider molds. Of course I bought them. I made these lovely hot pink, and neon blue resin spiders. They both have had a hole drilled, and a wire wrapped bail. These could be worn as a pendant, hung on a Halloween or Christmas tree, or a keyring applied for a super cool keychain. Check them out in my Etsy store. I only have the two shown, so you will have one of a kind pieces.

Learn to Crochet Single Crochet is First

My daughter is ten, and she thinks she wants to learn to crochet. I tried a couple times to teach her the single crochet chain, and it didn't go well. It is easy for me to do, because I have been doing it forever. Not so easy to teach it to someone else. So, I am gathering some how to crochet videos for anyone who wants to learn to crochet. I find watching someone else do it more helpful than reading or looking at pictures in a book or post. Watch for new videos. I will try to share a new tutorial, for crocheting at least once a week, or every other week.

White Lace Infant Baby Girl Angel Cocoon Halloween Photo Prop With Pink Wings

The wings are sold separately from the cocoon and headband. Some people might not want the wings. The wings do not attach, they just lie behind baby. The cocoon is a crochet v stitch that looks like lace, and is my favorite stitch. It is white for a newborn baby girl to three months. The headband has tiny pink pearls at the tips. These make awesome sleepers to keep baby warm when sleeping, photo props, Halloween for baby's first Halloween and this one I think would be beautiful for a Christening. It is available in my Etsy store now.


 

Team Support and Promote Red Theme Blogpost

Only two participants again this month.  Running a blog doesn't take a lot of time, and it is a wonderful way to share your knowledge and creativity.  I am a leader for Team Support and Promote on Etsy, and this is the third team blog post.  The theme was fire hot, because it has been so stinking hot.  Below you will see the two items shared, and links to visit each store.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/194370233/geometric-beautiful-red-ruby-in-resin?ref=teams_post

https://www.etsy.com/listing/173967322/baby-animal-hat-lady-bug-photo-prop?ref=teams_post

Blue Seashell with Turtle Coral Resin Christmas Ornament

I have probably mentioned this before, but I love Christmas ornaments. I have ornaments given to me, from my mother, from when I was a kid. I used to buy a new ornament each year for my kids. I only stopped because we had no room left to hang any more ornaments on the tree. However, now I have two trees, lol, so ornaments are on my mind again.

 This ornament, designed and created by myself, is a seashell I painted blue, then added the turtle bead, some coral roses, and some dried flowers, and then filled in with resin. I used a hot glue gun to fasten the loop for hanging. This is available for purchase in my Etsy store. Be sure to check out all my awesome ornaments. I offer free usa shipping, and a free layaway service too. Give a special gift this year, that won't break your bank account.

Orange and Yellow Mums and Bunny Art Solar Garden Light

Be sure to visit my Etsy store, to see all my items available for sale. I try to get them all onto this blog, but it doesn't always work out that way.

 I only have one bottle left, for the garden solar lights. I think I will put a Sugar Skull on it with some Ancient Tangle Doodle Art. Stay tuned for that. Yesterday, per request of my daughter, I did a bunny sniffing some garden flowers. You can see the results below. The bottle will get a solar light in it and be added to my garden. The painting is available for purchase, in my Etsy store. I offer free USA shipping on all items. Free shipping for paintings only applies to the painting, not framing. Please read my listings carefully.

 I think I will be returning to my first love, soon, setting my gemstones in traditional settings. I will continue with resin, crochet and painting too. I just really miss making the gemstone jewelry.

For My Halloween Loving Readers Hanted Houses A Witch and A Pumpkin Patch Tangle Doodle Art

My daughter and I are looking forward to Fall, and decorating for the season. Of course Halloween is in Fall. I have been working on some new items for Halloween, and Fall. The two glass bottles, are done with a Halloween theme. The witch with her cat and tangle doodle full moon, and the mast that looks deceptively like a butterfly, are both going into my garden with a solar light in them. I have two bottles left, and by request of my daughter one will have a bunny with daisies. I have not decided for the last one. The Haunted House is done in ancient tangle flower patterns. It is actually really pretty for a haunted house. The second painting, I just finished Monday. I wanted a black and white look, with a little color. So, I painted the pumpkin patch at night, with a few critters. I have one other haunted house painting in my store. You can purchase all my Halloween paintings by visiting my Etsy Store.

Baby Boy Newborn Camouflage Crochet Cocoon Sleeping Bag

I do not have a baby boy doll, so I had to use the girl doll. She doesn't really have hair, so I guess she kind of looks like a boy. This will be my last cocoon, for a while. I will be working on my crochet squares for Warm Up America. It is a great cause, and you can help too. Check out their website to learn more. I also donated two more of my cocoons, that had been in my Etsy store for some time. I donate them to Newborns in Need, the Gainesville office. You can check out their website, it you are interested in helping out, Newborns in Need. They are one of the few charities that will accept handmade items to be donated, as is Warm up America. The cocoon, or sleeping bag, shown below is camouflage yarn with matching hat. It is great for a photo prop, first Halloween costume, or just for baby to sleep in and stay nice in warm. It is four newborn to three months. It is not listed in my store yet, but will be later today.

Starry Night Black Resin Candle Holder

I got my birthday resin in the mail, and could not wait to create some new pieces. Yesterday morning, I set out deciding what to make, and how. This is one of them. I used black acrylic paint to dye the resin. The mold is actually a bangle bracelet mold, that I over poured to make the cavity for a candle to sit in, or on. I added blue and gold glitter with the star stickers to make it look like the night sky. You see the results below. I ordered two molds, also. A pendant mold, that came today, and a snowman mold that is not here yet. I love snowmen, can't wait to create some cute ornaments. The pendant mold is nice, and can't wait to give it a try. Now, I have a bunch more resin pieces to decide what to turn them into. A couple pieces, that had flaws, I used the new resin to fix. I was very pleased with that, except for one. I finished a beautiful baby cocoon as well, and two new paintings. Yesterday, was a very crafty day. That is what happens when it rains, lol. Today, I started an infant baby boy camouflage cocoon. Can't wait to offer that up for sale.


Remember, my Etsy shop offers FREE USA shipping, all year, every day. Plus a layaway service too!

Team Support and Promote Pink Theme

This is an Etsy team Support and Promote blog post. This is only the second team post we have done. This time the theme was pink items. Please browse the pictures, and visit each shop for more details on the items.

Girl's Maroon Crochet Headband with Resin Heart and Pink Flower.

Pink and White Crochet Baby Blanket