Melodry Creations

Melody is Mel, one of my dearest friends, and I's craft creations.

 

Our friendship works because of our frugality, plus, our business works because of our creativity and our endless love for bright colours.

 

Together, we have made a few sweet crafts. Wanna see?

 

The top image is my personal poster mod. I took the large poster of the men eating lunch a beam, cut it into a few pieces, and stapled them to a canvas. I used 3 12"x18" canvases (one of which is hiding) and 2 8"x10" canvases.

The second picture is a scarflet I made for Abby. It doesn't fit her, but it was fun to make and I now have a pattern to make more kid sized scarflets. It's a great alternative to a scarf, and neck warmers can be a bit boring! Especially for little girls.

The last one is one I made to sell. I haven't yet sold it, so if you are in the market for a scarflet - let me know! They make great presents!

 

These are some awesome earrings that Mel has made. And by some, I really mean a small fraction! She is my earring goddess! She is making her bridal party, earrings to wear for her wedding (it's my first pair of earrings from her, as well as my first time being a MOH!).

 

Now - I must preface my next set of pictures. For those of you who know my mother, you know how wonderfully talented she is! She has been a part of Melodry recently - her skills are a great asset to us! I'm not gonna lie, I have definitely inherited some of her talent, but still!

This is my wedding dress, which was only one of the many outfits my mom made for our special day.

 This is some of her awesome jewelry...

 These are 2 different sized fabric book covers...

 Some reusable totes...

And of course, no collection is complete without a purse. Each embellishment was sewn on individually.

 

We have a few more craft ideas up our sleeves, so tune in for the opening of our Etsy shop!

Coming fall 2012.

 

See anything you like? Let me know and you can have your very own! We can also make anything similar and we will ship it to you!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

{Daily Odd Compliment: You're the fanny pack of life. Cool, but in your own way}

 

 

 

Big Girl Room Part 2

I thought I should write a post about a few of Abby's bedroom amenities, enjoy! 

 

My personal favourite is the headband holder, for which my inspiration was drawn from Jessica at Sunny Tuesday.

 

I love how easy it was for me to make! In hindsight, I should have measured the area between the buttons because I made a few spaces too tight for some of Abby's headbands. However, I was able to put some hair clips in those spaces.

 

 

My next coolest project I stole from Laura at Come Together Kids.

 

Instead of using a beanbag chair cover, to make a seat out of stuffed animals, I used a Princess sheet that wasn't being loved. I folded the sheet into 3 and measured the length to make it even.

 

How could I actually think I can do work without the help of the dog?

 

This is what the seat looks like once it is sewn. Since I realised it was waaay too big, I cut a section off after it was sewn to make a pillow, where all the doll blankets are kept (when I have a more time, I will sew the opening shut a little more).  

 

 

I think she likes it! Success!  

 

Another neat thing Abby and I made together is her jewelry organiser. I have seen some that are much fancier, but I wanted to make her something personalised, simple, and of course, awesome.

I glued one of Abby's pictures, as well as a few bows I cut out of a colouring book, and some stickers. I used my favourite craft supply - Mod Podge. 

 

To finish it off, I screwed in some picture hooks and attached a ribbon to it.

 

 

And, every room needs some art. This was another collaborative project that my sister and I made.

We took some of Abby's artwork and cut it to fit the 5x7 frames. Then, I laid out the puzzle pieces to get an idea of how I wanted them. I used double sided foam tape to affix the pieces to the glass. You can't really see it in this picture, but the puzzle pieces stick out a little, which I like.

 

All in all, I had a lot of fun putting this room together for Abby, and she is actually trying to keep it clean! Go team!

 

 

{Daily Odd Compliment: I can't live without you. I said to my computer. But I'd say the same thing to you}

 

Big Girl Room

I finally did it! I cleaned and cleared out Abby's room!

I have spent 4 years trying to figure out how to best keep things under control and I think I am getting closer. Here's a rundown of what I did...

First, I purged!

Then, I moved her furniture around, and cleaned the floors and baseboards.

 

 

Her room isn't very big, so lastly, I tried to hang as much as possible. I made a few crafts to incorporate her useful items and have them at her reach.

 

I put her clothes in bins, with labels...

 

      

I separated her most played with items - dolls and their accessories into one drawer, and all her barbie stuff in the other drawer...

 

I made her a shelf, using an old cabinet door, and I glued a Princess gift bag to the top of it. I also made her a jewelry hanger, using the other cabinet door and a couple drawer pulls (I left the original door pull on there since it's useful)...

 

 

 

 

 At the entrance of her room (top) I hung a shelf that my mom painted with Winnie the Pooh to hold her valuables that I don't want her playing with. I also made her a headband holder (middle) for which I drew inspiration from here. Then I used a picture hanger to hang an old closet organiser that was just sitting in my closet, for her belts (bottom).

 

Overall, I am pretty proud of my accomplishments.

 

Next up, The Professor's room! Do you have a room that you are neglecting out of frustration?   

 

{Daily Odd Compliment: You're the prettiest thing I've seen today. And I was looking at, like, a bunch of sunset pictures this morning, so...)

 

Mission: Purge. The Begining

I have too much stuff.

I know I'm not alone when I think that, but I hate admitting it. I am really bad at remembering where I put stuff. Until very recently, I just put everything in a box or closet and called it done. Now, my closets are overflowing and I have simply run out of physical space to put another object.

My goal is to get rid of 1/3 of the contents of our home by the time we are ready to put the house up for sale. So far, I have cleared out a lot of stuff! If we (all family members) don't use it or love it - it's gone!

This is a basic idea of how I purge...

First, I loosely sort everything. I put everything that needs to go to another room in one pile, and everything else in another pile (sometimes I use empty baskets/boxes). I have a garbage can in everyone room of the house (except the living room, close to small hands) and I throw out anything that is either garbage, or over loved.

Next, I get rid of the pile that doesn't belong in that area (I usually focus on one room or closet at a time, based on necessity/time). I then sort everything that belongs into little piles in front of me. Once I am able to tell what size bins I need, I grab empty storage bins and fill them. I try to put labels on the containers if they are not clear, but I don't always. For Abby - it's a must.

Lastly, "I - wait! I can't believe I almost gave you the secret ingredient!" -Monica

You'll have to stay tuned to see how I finish dealing with the the stuff!

I will leave you with one of my favourite blogs to draw inspiration from... Happy purging!

{Daily Odd Compliment: You're like a baby's first steps. Exciting, cute, and kind of awkward}

The Challenge

I think I'm going to start this off with a bang.

The upcoming school year always gets me a little giddy. It used to be my favourite time of the year, and not just because my birthday is half-way through September! I can't help but feel all the excitement restlessness of all the kids about to put on their new clothes and backpacks. I am, unfortunately, not going back to school this year, but it will be the year I splurge on a new pair of shoes for my baby girl. I can live through her.. right? Of course, I always look for the light up shoes!

So, this year, the ringing of the school bell (in 5 days *gulp*) will be my cue to get my butt in shape! My baby weight must go! OK - who am I kidding?! It's totally ice cream and candy weight - but it still must go! I am challenging myself to fit better in my clothes. I don't own a scale, so keeping track of pounds is a little tricky! My goal is to feel better about myself. I can do that within 30 days!

                                                        The beautiful side of stretch marks


Stay tuned at the end of September for my update! Do you have lingering baby weight? Take the challenge with me!

{Daily Odd Compliment: I hope none of your relationships end up like a Taylor Swift song}