Featuring Madebymelissa!

Visiting Madebymelissa's virtual store on etsy is like walking into a real-life gift shop. She resides in Dumont, NJ, and her store is stocked with handmade jewelry, kitchy little magnets, unusual crocheted items, even vintage jewelry... including hard-to-find clip earrings! She has over 100 items for sale on her etsy site www.madebymelissa.etsy.com so something is sure to catch your eye. Some of my faves:

Crocheted facial pads/makeup removers


"These facial scrubbies were crocheted with 100% 4 ply white cotton yarn. They are just under 3 inches wide and are perfect for removing eye make-up and face washing. They are soft and luxurious and provide gentle exfoliation. Stop throwing away your money on cotton balls and grab a set of these!"...a steal at $2.50! How clever.

Bottlecap Magnets:

These super cute bottle cap magnets will remind you of the important things in life - Live, laugh, love and when all else fails - SHOP!!

"These are perfect for office file cabinets, lockers and of course refrigerators."


Blue Dragonfly Ribbon Necklace




"This cute little dragonfly has 4 shades of blue going up his body and cute pale green eyes. He is slightly over an inch tall and about an inch and a half wide from wing to wing. He is hanging on two 18 inch long ribbons - one in light blue and one in royal blue - they compliment his lovely blue body perfectly!! The necklace secures with a silver plated lobster claw clasp."

Check out her vintage section too, for some great finds!

http://madebymelissa.etsy.com
http://madebymelissa.blogspot.com




I've just joined the Etsy NJ street team, and I'm looking forward to featuring local etsians. Please let me know if you have a NJ favorite you'd like to see featured here! www.etsynj.blogspot.com

i heart the crap out of wall decals!!!

How well they come off... and whether they go back on again... seems to vary. but these giant graphics for your home are SO FANTASTIC! Here's a couple of my faves.




http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_3&listing_id=13786274

Bird in Birdcage Vinyl Wall Decals Stickers Art Graphics $25 from Singlestonestudios



http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_5&listing_id=13778033

from sodeco, a delicate hippo $55





http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_11&listing_id=13497066

from oneupdesigns, asian bloom wall graphic $28


LOVE this stuff!

In the local art vein... NYC folks, you simply MUST see this show!

Prince Trevor Amongst the Elephants by award-winning playwright Duncan Pflaster has one more performance in the Midtown International Theater Festival. It is not to be missed.

Twelve powerhouse actors take the stage to tell a twisted fairy tale full of surprises. You will laugh, you will cover your mouth in surprise, you will nod your head and say, "oh, that's so true."

Eric C. Bailey*, Chris C. Cariker, Patricia Comstock, Jon Crefeld, Keith Patrick Dunn*, Carlos Rafael Fernandez, Paula Galloway, Clara Barton Green, Jason Alan Griffin*, Kelly Nichols, Luke Strandquist, and Jess Cassidy White (* denotes membership in Actors Equity Association) come together as a seamless ensemble to tell a story full of "crude profanity, full-frontal nudity, and iambic pentameter; may not be suitable for all audiences." Oh, there's giant elephant heads, too. I made them.

The final performance is Saturday, August 2nd, 9:30pm at the June Havoc Theater in Midtown Manhattan, June Havoc Theater (312 West 36th Street). BUY TICKETS at TicketCentral.com or call 212-279-4200.

For the complete lowdow, a VIDEO CLIP, and Duncan Pflaster's official website, visit http://www.duncanpflaster.com/trevor.php

Local Art

I just recently moved to Jersey City Heights, and before that I lived in Hoboken for three years. I discover new things about the arts scene in north jersey every day, and it's totally inspiring to see so much going on that you can really only call 'cutting-edge'. And not sarcastically, as in "The scene in Williamsburg is totally 'cutting edge'." It's kind of exciting to be able to use the term in earnest.

Roland Ramos is big on the scene out here. We met through Art House and DeBaun Auditorium functions, two influential theater companies in Jersey City and Hoboken (respectively). Roland, along with his girlfriend Judy Nunez, are constantly surrounded by talent. It seems that wherever they go, art happens.

Roland's recent undertaking is the curation of an art exhibit at the Monroe Center for the Arts in Hoboken (720 Monroe Street) entitled "POLITrix: Art to Reflect the Current Political Climate," with co-curator Amy Bauer. Husband Don and I went to visit the gallery this past Friday night, and as we were there early, we had the run of the place. I love smart art, and this gallery was brimming with it.

There had been a monologue performance scheduled that night, but due to some mysterious incident outside the gallery, the performance of Red Tape Monologues was canceled although the art gallery was still open. As Don and I were adding our own embellishments to two paintings that had a bucket of crayons in front of them, and an invite to help finish them, another patron flagged us down.

As it happened, one of the performance artists, Some Woman, was there to visit the gallery. A small group of us coerced her to perform despite the actual show's cancellation. We piled onto some comfy chairs, and Some Woman delivered a sassy, enlightened monologue full of commentary on modern government. Art On Demand.

Roland is also in a reggae band, a talented musician and freestyler. He also hosts art and performance gatherings at the venue 4th and Jackson in Hoboken, showing off the movers and shakers of the art scene in north Jersey.

To find out a little more about him, check out his blog Artifactions. Pictures of the opening night party, and much of the artwork from POLITrix, can be found here.

a nom for friday

One of my favorite things when i was little was banana laffy taffy.

want!

Banana lip balm from A Breath of French Air's shop!



and also: HAMANA HAMANA



fudge brownie muffin soap from www.thesoapbuffet.etsy.com
fridays are so deliciouso...

If I had a hammer...new items!

These will be up by the end of the day! I love the technique i used on the necklace and dangles... instead of using a loop or a headpin, I'm hammering the end of the wire to form a teardrop. I think they're so elegant, and I'm looking forward to playing with the style!

LoveMaryxoxo!

An Etsy Find for Friday!




Wear the key to your heart...on your arm. This steampunk french style crocheted cool amazing wrist bag in deep fuchsia, with antiqued metal features it fashionable, practical, and just plain cute. Unsnap it from your wrist, and unsap the inside pocket and put your money and small notes inside. Snap it back up and put it on. No need to carry a bag if you don't want to. Great for every day and vacation.

------------LoveMaryxoxo's store is described as "A little bit of Neo Gothic, Victorian, Euro vintage flair with splashes of African and Asian."

I also love this haircomb...



She's in the nyc area, and has free shipping thru the 27th! Swing by her etsy store and give her some love!

www.lovemaryxoxo.etsy.com