Hello! We are the team of It’s a ‘MELANIE’ , Melanie and Tim Kellogg, Sr. The following is some information on how we got to be where we are today.
The summer of 2005, we started out in local church bazaars and small craft fairs. It was a perfect way to start off because we were unaware of what to do and how to set up and all the other things that go with it like, how much time you need before a show to set up, etc. The following year we ventured out and applied to a few juried art festivals. To be juried into a show and to be accepted is like receiving a trophy. The requirements are rigid. The jury panel consists of artists who critique the pieces entered for uniqueness, quality, and craftsmanship.
By the year of 2007, we were juried into 33 Art Festivals such as Block Island, Mattoon Street, Berkshires, various places in Cape Cod and CT. The best part about being in these shows is that you never know who is buying and critiquing the pieces. We have been requested to be in Fine Art Festivals such as on Long Island and NYC. Our creations are in various boutiques across the country, MA, CT, RI, NY, IL, and soon to be CA, NJ.
Melanie, The Wife
I asked my mother recently, when did I start liking beads? She replied…
“Don’t you remember when you where 4 years old? You sat in the driveway forever rolling up tape so that the sticky side is out and you rolled it in these tiny seed beads. You then proceeded to place all these little pieces of tape all over your bike. It was so sparkly.” — Mom
Well of course I do not remember that. But I do remember when I was 10, I had this baggie full of these white and black beads to make friendship bracelets. Well somehow the bag had a hole in it and all the beads fell to the hardwood floor. Being 10 and adventurous, I put some socks on and had a ball sliding on the beads. I was having a heck of a time. Then my father came up and saw what i was doing. All of a sudden, I wasn’t having fun anymore. I got in a lot of trouble by making deep marks in the hardwood floor. Oops!
But it didn’t stop me from making my bracelets — especially because I had all the time in the world to do it since I was grounded. I still dabbled with beads and then I went into sewing. Sewing became my new passion and I did it for years.
Then one day one of my girlfriends came over with her beads and that’s how it all started again. This time the creations were much more elaborate.
Tim, The Husband
For years I was giving them away as gifts. Until one day my husband said…
“No more giving your pieces away. It is costing you an arm-and-a-leg. And besides, everyone loves your creations. You have people offering you money. Why don’t you just sell them.” — Hubby
One evening as my husband was fooling around bending some wire when he realized that he had some creativity in him. He ended up making this 3D sculpted figurine that looked like a human in action. He even used some jewels to have sparkling eyes. I said to him that he should really get into this and make more. He makes the figures out of a thicker gage copper wire and them sculpts them into action figures that are about 12″ to 16″ tall. He even makes trees that you can hang jewelry on. He has had request for trees so people can use them as money trees for Jack ‘n’ Jill’s, to put little picture frames on them to display their favorite pictures, and plain so they can decorate for the seasons, and jewelry trees. He enjoys doing them so if you have an action request — let him know and he most likely can do it for you.
