Meet MDKM Artz

Melissa Mercer of MKDM Artz specializes in unique jewelry designs and a small variety of findings and journals.

Tell us a bit about your work and inspiration:
"As long as I can remember I have always been doing something crafty. I mostly make jewelry now but I like to mix it up & make a quilt, a card, a journal or scrapbook. I always have a list of projects I want to do.
I started making jewelry almost 2 years ago. Stampington’s Belle Armoire Jewelry publication really inspired me. Ever since then one of my dreams was to be published in one of Stampingtons’ publications. Well, on April 1, 2010, that dream came true. One of my necklaces & rings were featured in the premier issue of Stampington’s Jewelry Affaire."

One of Melissa's current goals is for Nordstom's to begin offering her Sparrow necklaces & Vintage Butterfly & Dragonfly rings.

You can follow Melissa and view her full collection on facebook and on her blog.

Meet Nicole's Homemade Treats!

Nicole of Nicole's Homemade Treats is a stay-out mom of two “lovely little men! Zachary and Gabriel. They are the joys of my life and make my days brighter!” She works out of her fully licensed kitchen in New York State. She offers a variety of Belgian chocolate treats and snacks that include Dark Chocolate Truffles; Ooey, Gooey, Goodness; Peppermint and Dark Chocolate Spoons; Chocolate Pecan Pie Candy and many more. Her Chocolate Caramel Truffles were featured on the front page of Etsy!

Nicole uses only all natural, preservative free products, and as many organic ingredients as possible. All of her packaging is made from recycled products, or purchased from ecologically conscious companies.

“I am really conscious about who I purchase my products from - the majority come from local companies, farms, and shops, however if that is not possible I buy from companies that are known to be eco-friendly/green themselves.”

Nicole’s inspiration came from her love of good food. “Candy making is a great stress reliever and creative outlet for me! Selling my products locally and online is a fun and rewarding endeavor!” One of her best-selling products is her all natural, healthy Granola. Several of the local restaurants even feature her Granola on their menus. All her goodies are made in small batches to preserve the taste and quality of the product, and to ensure that there is no waste.

Nicole's other shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/nikid2.

You can follow her on her Blog http://www.nicoleshomemadetreats.blogspot.com/, Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicoles-Homemade-Treats/74886477777, and Twitter http://twitter.com/nikid70.

Meet CrosStitching

CrosStitching

Erin Cross at CrosStitching is a happy wife and stay at home mom of a sweet 1 yr old boy. She has been sewing and crafting since she was little with her mom and sisters. She was taught to crochet by her great grandmother at 11yrs old. Crafting is something she has always enjoyed as a hobby and was delighted when she could turn the hobby into her first Etsy store in December of 2008.
Erin loves sewing and crochet. Her favorite products are those she makes for babies such as crochet hats, outfits, hair clippies, booties, and headbands. She sells a variety of items in her store and enjoys designing new items.
Functionality plays a big part of what she makes. Erin designs many things for her son and for friends before selling them on Etsy. She is inspired by what she sees, and any fun materials she comes across. She was recently drawn to vintage style rosette fabric that "wanted to be bloomers, twirly skirts, and sundresses." She says to be on the look-out as those items begin to make their appearance.
Erin offers discounts to her shoppers every month in a different way that is posted on the shop's Welcome page.

Other shops she works with are:
CrossRowDesigns
DesignsByKandL

Her Blog can be found at http://erinsnewleaf.blogspot.com/
She also writes freelance work for Associated Content.