Bios Part 5 - Kokomele - melsie

My name is MeLisa (pronounced Mu (like mum) - Lisa) and most people know me as: Mel, melsie, lttltrefrog, baltem or as Kokomele.

I am currently a stay at home mom (SAHM) of Kaylee Adeline, born 12/29/08. We call her our little tax deduction since she was not due to arrive until the second week in January. I have been married for a little over 4 years to Chris (c3photos.etsy.com) who I just so happened to meet on the internet!

I went to college for 5 years at Frostburg State University pursuing a BS degree in Information Systems Technology. I wanted to be a computer programmer... That was until I decided to leave college after 5 years (and 3 classes shy of my degree) to be with the man of my dreams (my now husband). Which also coincided with the tech bubble bursting. So I fell back on what I was good at, administrative work and front desk/receptionist work. Finally after 5 years I found a job working for the worlds largest comic book distribution company that also happened to need a database developer... which of course I was qualified to do! Then my husband and I found out we were going to be parents... which changes EVERYTHING.

I had always considered my self to be a little "nature" girl, even as a child, but in college I embraced the more natural way of things as I was finally free to make the main decisions in my life. When I met my husband, he was the anti-nature man... his idea of roughing it is the motel 6, while mine was backpacking for 3 weeks in the Shenendoa Valley. But, we all make sacrifices for the ones we love.

Being a mom allowed me to focus more on what was important in my life again. I started looking at what we ate, the goods we consumed, the lifestyle and spending habbits we entertained. And slowly i've started to make those "green" changes again.

I don't consider myself a "crunchy" person, but I do drive a Subaru (which I hear is very "enviro chic" these days) my daughter was breast fed till 5 months of age, we buy local and organic produce and meat when available, recycle what the city allows us to and cloth diaper most of the time.

All that being said, I wish my "craft" was more of an Eco Friendly one. Its not. But I do pour a little of myself into each piece I create... which in itself is the nature of life and love. I strive to create every day pieces for the every day person. De-cluttering our lives is so important these days, it helps us to value what we have and not our "stuff". So that choice necklace or bracelet that you wear every day, and may even choose to pass on, its what I strive for in each item. Every item is made with love, hand crafted and individually designed. No two pieces are alike. And every item is made to stand the test of time and was created to be worn.

I also stand behind my work. I offer a free repair policy (with limitations on beads and availability of supplies) with each piece. I also want to make sure you love your item as much as I do, and also offer a 30 day money back guarante on each item (custom items may be returned with a stocking fee / re-design fee)

There is always something on sale so don't forget to look at the "sale" section!
kokomele.com --for my gallery and custom pictures
kokomele.etsy.com -- for my currently for sale items

Current picture of myself and Kaylee at the zoo:


Picture of my husband and I on our honeymoon 4+ years ago: