MelissaBeth Gets a Facelift.... that's the website not the designer!

If you haven't already noticed MelissaBeth.com got a facelift!

We feel 10 years younger already!!

Our new website isn't just about looking good (although our new website is v. pretty!) - now when you shop its WAY easier to find what you are looking for.

Check out our list of cool new features that make shopping online a breeze!

1) Sort by size or sort by color

If you are like me than you know what you want, so just click on the top right sort by laptop size by or color section and you can easily see a list of items that fit your criteria.

2) Refer a Friend

When you refer a friend to our website (and they make a purchase) we send you a free gift certificate for $25.00! Who knew making money was this easy!

3) Product Views

Want to see every angle of our products? Just click on our alternate views to check out additional views.

4) Retailers Section

Want to check out a bag in person? Check out our new retailers section which helps you find a store closest to you. You can even view the stores on google maps.

5) Featured product section

Like to be the in the know? Now with our specialized feature product section and easy access to our newsletter you can be the first to know the latest deals at Melissa Beth

Get a $10 coupon at MelissaBeth.com

Be the first to know about the hottest new products, events and sales!

Sign up today for Melissa Beth's newsletter and you will receive a $10 coupon to use online at www.melissabeth.com

Design Inspiration + Ice Cream

Mention the word ice cream and my ears perk up!

Well, how convenient that on a quest for some design inspiration Ben and Jerry's sponsored an article with resources to help inspire designers.

My two loves: designing + ice cream

Check out the link below for some great resources to give your creativity a jump start.

If that doesn't work - eat some ice cream!

http://mashable.com/2010/06/24/design-inspiration-resources/

What's in a name?

In early October, or maybe late September, I will launch my most exciting product to date, my first BABY!! Bad joke I know, but I made myself chuckle. Designing this "product" was far easier than any MB product. (tee hee)

Lately, I find myself trying to find perfect name for my baby. Something classic, yet unique. Something everyone will love (ya right!) and something my child will one day turn to us and say, "thank you mom and dad, I love my name". Clearly I am delusional.

I started to wonder what is in a name?!

Melissa, for instance is means "honey bee" in Greek. But what does that even mean?!

Believe it or not, I've met dozens "Melissa Beth's" who all seem to be stylish, creative, fun-loving and colorful.

Is the name "Melissa" synonymous with being all these things? It might be?!

There are also so many designers whose name is Melissa that I adore.

Melissa Sweet

Designer of gorgeous wedding gowns. I even wore one of her designs to my own weddings.

Melissa Shoes

Cute Jelly shoes for adults and now babies (see last weeks post)

Melissa Davis Photography

Super cute design templates.

Melissa and Doug

Amazingly life like stuffed animals

Baked by Melissa

Delicious and adorable mini cupcakes in NYC.

Melissa Beth

Stylish laptop and travel accessories.

So what's in a name?! I guess a lot.... pressure much?!

Accepting name suggestions from non-relatives.

BisBuzz: Tip of the week "Increase Your Newsletter Subscribers"

One of my goals for the year is to increase our newsletter subscribers. MelissaBeth.com sends out quarterly newsletters with special deals, new product info and upcoming events. Currently have about 3000+ subscribers. I would LOVE to double this number by the end of 2010.

I found a great article about ways to increase newsletter subscribers. Don't go back to the website and judge me yet- I haven't quite put these into effect yet. But I will! It is a work in progress. And, if you are reading this and you haven't signed up for our newsletter- SIGN UP NOW!!! Please!

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5 Tips to Increase Email Newsletter Subscribers by Online Marketing Inside Out

Here is a brief synopsis of the article... but the article goes into more detail about how to bring these ideas to life.

1. Run a Contest

2. Offer Coupons/Discounts

3. Ask at Checkout

4. Use a Pop-Up Window on the homepage

5. Promote it on ALL of your communications

Attn Model Mayhem Members/CraigListers

Melissa Beth Designs is NOT looking for models.

Melissa Beth does NOT have any affiliation with Model Mayhem or ANY agents that claim to represent Melissa Beth. Melissa Beth does not have any postings on Craigslists.

Melissa Beth is NOT creating a jean line or a clothing line and we are NOT looking for models for ANY type of product.

Yes, Melissa Beth is a cool company and should possibly consider these avenues but we LOVE bags that is our core focus.

If you have further questions please contact Dean at Model Mayhem

mods@modelmayhem.com

Model Mayhem has also updated their website to inform you about scams and how to further report these. Please see the link below.

http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=575330

Or make sure to mark the craigslist posting as serious spam.

The Proposal

My love for Ryan Reynolds has grown even stronger now that I have seen the Proposal.

Who would have thought this Van Wilder hottie would still be making ladies go "ga-ga" for all these years?! Is he Canadian too, or am I dreaming?

Check out this great picture of Ryan holding a Melissa Beth bag on the new DVD cover of the Proposal. Okay, so this may be super-imposed but how else can I rant about Ryan Reynolds- I had to make it somewhat relevant..

What's the WagJag?

What's the Wagjag and why should Canadians get excited?!

WagJag.com is a fun, exciting, and lucrative place that offers you and your friends amazing deals on the coolest events, restaurants, fashion finds, activities and adventures. We can offer major deals because we assemble a group of buyers - bulk buying power! - and only activate the deal if enough people join in before the clock stops ticking. If you buy something from WagJag.com, and I think you are going to find the deals very compelling, you will not be charged until enough people buy it.

WagJag.com is meant to be fun and to be shared with others – friends, family and colleagues – after all, you can only get the deal if enough people sign up, so it makes sense to spread the news.

The site will be launching sometime over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I invite you to sign up to become a WagJagger at www.wagjag.com so you will receive email alerts about offers in your city. Simply enter your email address, choose your city, click submit and confirm by clicking on the link in the email you will receive. You can also join the facebook and follow them on twitter.

Share the site with your friends - trust me, they will thank someone for showing it to them...so, you might as well take the credit!

Who knows... you may even see a Melissa Beth deal on wagjag.com!!

Melissa Beth Photoshoot

After a long day we managed to get some great lifestyle shots.

The on again, off again rain made it tough but our models were troopers.

Thanks to our beautiful models, fab make up artist, wonderful hubby/photographer and the best photo assistant/stylist ever (Julia this is you)!!

Check out some of my fav shots!

MB feature

Check out our latest press feature :)

Beautiful Life Sara Paxton hearts MB

Check out this season's hottest new show "The Beautiful Life" with one of our favorite celebs: Sara Paxton!

The show premieres September 16th and it's destined to be a huge hit with celebs like Mischa Barton and hotties Nico Tortorella & Ben Hollingsworth.

I love this fab picture of Sara with our sky blue Pocket Full of Puter laptop bag.

Do women do better in a recession?

Female managers just might have an edge in a rotten economy, says the author of a new book. Here's why, and how men and women can learn from each other's strengths.

NEW YORK (Fortune) by Anne Fisher -- There's one sure-fire way to start a heated argument, whether around the water cooler or at a dinner party: Just say something that suggests women manage very differently from their male peers. Then stand back and watch the fireworks.  

Controversial or not, it's clear that women are doing something differently: Of the roughly 6 million Americans who have lost their jobs since the recession started in December of 2007, 80% are men, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. No doubt, a big part of the reason is that men tend to dominate in the cyclical businesses which have been decimated by the downturn, including manufacturing, construction, engineering and finance. Female-dominated fields like nursing and education have been less hard-hit, at least so far. 

To read more of this article click here..

Graduation Gifts for Tech Savvy Fashionistas

So your little girl is graduating high school, college, university, post grad or elementary school. These days she is so into her laptop, facebook, twitter and anything technology related you wonder if you will ever be able to relate to her.

Well, here are five sure fire ways to not only relate to your tech savvy gal, but also get her a graduation gift she will love to bits.   Grads- you can thank us later! 

1. The new iphone  What young lady wouldn't love the new iphone? You might even want one for yourself! There are so many new cool applications that will make your young lady's life a lot easier at the touch of a button! You can even track her whereabouts at all times through google mobile friend tracker if you have one too!

2. Netbook Now that your graduated girl is moving up the ladder in life she will clearly need to be connected. Technologically connected that is. It's no surprise that these cute light weight netbooks (mini 8"-10.2" laptops) are the fastest growing area in computers.  There has been evidence to suggest that females are noted as heavier users of laptops than their male counterparts. So of course, any gal, at any age would jump at the chance to own a light weight, easy to carry laptop.  I think Toshiba is even making them in pink.

3. Laptop Sleeve Now that your girly grad is fully understanding her laptop why not keep her laptop pretty protected with a feminine laptop sleeve . Be sure to get one that has ample foam protection and reflects her feminine side.  Check out our luxe laptop sleeves and velour laptop sleeves.   Need a netbook laptop sleeve?  Not to worry- check back with us in August (or email us to pre-order) when our new pretty printed neoprene netbook laptop sleeves will be available. 

4. Skype Credits So is your graduated darling leaving town? Nervous she wont call you? One of the best and most affordable ways to keep in touch is through Skype. You can video conference through your computer for free once you have account. Okay, so you may be "old-school" and prefer a typical phone call. Buy her some skype credits and she will be able to call you from her computer for much less than using a regular phone. And since most parents help out with the bills these days for college kids- you will be able to save a little and stay connected?!

5. Still can't decide?  How about a gift card to her favorite mall or online store. She will be able to buy anything she likes and it will save you a trip because you wont have to do a return.

Good luck gift givers.   

Don't stress to much- it's the thought that counts!

I heart Miss Piggy

I always liked Miss Piggy growing up.     

She was a strong, passionate and determined woman (well i guess she is a pig really).   

She knew what she wanted (Kermit and fame) and went after it!!    You go girl! 

Anyway I loved her growing up and I still love her now.   

(I wonder if the Swine flu will effect her popularity?!)  I hope not. 

Here is my first painting.  My brother is an incredible artist and assisted me by teaching me some techniques.   He also supplied the paint and canvas- thanks J! 

I think its pretty good for my first painting.      

What do you think?! 

Win a FREE Kiss and Make Up Case

We want to hear from you!!!
We love giving stuff away to our customers.

Let us know why you need this FREE "Kiss and Make Up" make up case and you could win one!



Be sure to enter by April 30, 2009.

Melissa :)

Women Rock

Today I came across a great article about how female entrepreneurs are taking over the world.. 

I am not surprised! 

Women are so amazing at multi-tasking.    

Check out the article "Women Entrepreneurs, The Next Wave of Leaders".   

It is from one of my favorite new blogs- The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.

 

I don't fit neatly into one category

I don't fit neatly into one category.   But who does?! 

I have had this blog domain for weeks now and I've been thinking about the best way to use a blog on melissabeth.com.    I have zillions of posts (and by zillions I mean 8) sitting in my draft file waiting to be posted.  But, I've been too scared to make the wrong blog category choice.    Those of you who know me well know I am sometimes slow when it comes to making a decision.

I've himmed and haaahed about whether my blog should be about fashion, style, only melissa beth designs topics, laptop bags, technology, bags in general, inspirational businesses and the list goes on and on...

But today I have made my choice.  As the sole writer of the blog (for now).   The blog will be about all of the above.    Everything that interests me, my likes and dislikes.    Ultimately, I think this is what will make my blog interesting.   I am not only interested in fashion or talking about my amazing Melissa Beth Designs products.

I love business, beauty products, bags and traveling.   I am a mild tv-aholic with a lot of thoughtful insight into the world of LOST and other amazing reality tv shows.    I am a young woman who started a business at the age of 23 and now, 5 years later, is faced with the challenges of growing a business in a sour economy.

Maybe I am about to commit blog-suicide, or maybe I am a blog genius and I just coined a new word.  But, I, much like my business Melissa Beth Designs, fit into many categories.   

My blog will offer insight into not only the coolest fashion finds and beauty products but also provide business and life lessons as I experience them.