my word...dream

ever since i was little i've been certain of two things about myself...
1) that i would always be a dreamer
AND
2) that one day i would be famous

ok so i know #2 sounds a little ridiculous...i mean i think everyone at some point growing up wants to be famous, but i was certain, and still am that one day i'm going to be a part of something that will be a big deal.  i don't know when or how, but i know in my gut that that big moment will happen in my life and i've known it for as long as i can remember.

so a few days ago i was reading the lovely casey's blog and saw that every year she picks a word for the next year...fun huh?

my word for 2013 is

i actually spent a few days thinking of several words and all of them i loved and wanted to embrace for this next year, but dream seemed to be the most appropriate for where i am in my life.
like i said, i've always been a dreamer...sometimes to a fault, but to me there is no other way to live.  

via

and sometimes i think that i don't dream big enough...in fact, i know that i don't dream big enough.  sometimes i'm afraid to think of what might happen if all of my dreams did come true.  
how would i handle that?

via

via


so for 2013 i'm going to live my dream.  i'm not going to hold back what i know i can accomplish.  i'm going to think big, work hard, and make my dreams a reality.  and who knows...maybe this year i'll be famous...

via

be pretty~melis

2012

tomorrow is new years eve and i feel like this past year has just been a whirlwind of crazy things that i never thought would happen.  so here's a few of the highlights of 2012.

at the beginning of the year i had a boyfriend who spent 4 months at bootcamp...he came home and i had a fiance during fireworks on july 3rd...and then on august 24 on a beach before sunset, i had a husband.  definitely my most favorite times this year...




in mrd land, i rocked out fashion week at Henri Bendel, had one of my designs worn by Jaime King on the CW's, Hart of Dixie(which i still have to blog about), had one of my pieces featured in Southern Lady Magazine, and met some amazing new fans and friends along the way!  i'm so excited for what's in store for mrd in 2013...big things all the way!!





2012 also consisted of new scenery for everyone in my family!  my parents and austin moved to texas in the summer, shortly followed by johnny and i.  ian moved back to chicago and laura moved to a new part of connecticut.  if you would have told me at the beginning of the year that half my family would be in texas by the end of the year i would have laughed in your face, but i'm so happy we all jumped right in and started new adventures!




overall this year is going to be a tough one to beat, but i can't wait for what lies ahead!  
bring it 2013!

be pretty~melis
















xmas fun

hope everyone had an amazing xmas!  this was the first time that the whole family has been together in quite some time and i'm so happy that i got to spend time with them.  and now for fun xmas pics!

our "normal" pic...

and the real us...

there is a whole lotta love in this family...

our new signature family pic...the blue steel

 ian and his gf julia...

 laur and her bf keisan...


 and mine and johnny's first xmas as a married duo!

hope everyone has a fabulous new year!  can wait to bring the blog to a whole new level next year!!
be pretty~melis


happy december

happy december pretties!  it's time for the most glorious month of the whole year...and why is it so special??  not because it's christmas time...not because it's acceptable to eat delicious treats almost every day...not because there seem to be an abundance of things that sparkle...it's the best time of year because it's my birthday...and this year i'm turning the
big 3-0!!!  

so to start off this month of celebration i thought i would share some things that i'm loving right now...you know in case someone wants to buy me a present...or two!


ashley from the shine project is doing amazing things and i'm obsessed with these awesome personalized bangles from her new line threads which employs students to help them pay for college!  how cool is that??  and p.s. i would want mine to say be pretty;)


i have several prints already from the amazing leonora over at yellow heart art, but i'm loving the cute feathers and even cuter quote on this print available here.


um rose gold AND a bow...done and done!  you can find this pretty here from make pie not war.


eeeekkk how adorable are these handmade heart bowls from ross lab?  i must have them!  


and what's a birthday without some sweet treats like my fave caramels from nicole at the caramel jar.  if you read my blog you already know my obsession with these goodies.  i'm thinking i need the caramel club...caramels sent to me for 6 months...delish!!

soooo happy shopping...uh i mean happy december!

be pretty~melis








finding balance

so if you're one of my real life friends or follow me on twitter, you've probably been seeing a lot of posts revolving around my family.  part of the reason  johnny and i moved to texas is because my family moved and my family is my everything....
and part of the reason it was so easy to just pack up and move is because until we figured out what we're going to do or what part of texas we ultimately want to live in, we had somewhere to live...
with my parents.


yes that's right...i'm about to turn 30 (6 more days!!!) and i'm back at home...but can i let you in on a little secret?  i was super excited about it...i mean i spent so much time at my parents house back in illinois that for me this wasn't that big of a deal.  it meant instead of forcing my new hubby to watch every show on bravo i had my mom...perfect right?  

well it has been about three weeks since we got here and i'm not ready to kill anyone...yet.  all the things i thought would be annoying or difficult to get used to haven't bothered me...but the past week i have felt...unbalanced.  


back in illinois i worked full time during the day, did mrd at night & did hair every few weeks.  i loved having multiple jobs...it helped me managed my time, kept me on my toes, and really just kept me sane.  back in illinois i also had a car....which did not make the trip to texas with me...honestly i'm surprised it  lasted as long as it did, but not being able to leave the house whenever i want has started to make me crazy.  and while i have wanted to have mrd be my full time focus for so long, i'm finding it hard to do all mrd all the time, since i've grown so used to having at least 2 jobs at a time.

so i had my few days of feeling lost and unbalanced and had to snap out of it and design some pieces that make me happy...and while i think some of you are afraid of my bigger mrd's, nothing makes me happier...can we please look at this pic??  that is pure joy on my face!


hey i'm in texas now....everything is bigger!!  i know finding balance will be something i have to consistently work on, but i've got nothing but time.  so get ready for a lot more blogging and lots of new mrd's!





be pretty~melis



southern lady

even though i've been making pretties for a while now,
it's still crazy to me to see something that i've made 
in a store or a magazine.

i never even really dreamed something like that would be possible...
and now i can't wait to dream even bigger!!

so a big fat thank you to 
Southern Lady Magazine
for including mrd's "blissful bloom clip"
in your nov/dec issue!!




where will mrd pop up next???
be pretty~melis


the new normal

sometimes you need a change...
you need to breathe in fresh air, spread your wings, and fly...
it's so easy to get stuck in what's comfy...
what's "normal"...

and while that may work for some, i just get bored...easily....
i get antsy and anxious and want to try something new...
but packing up my whole life and moving somewhere new never really crossed my mind.

and then my family moved to texas this summer...
my parents who were stuck in "normal" and have lived in illinois their whole lives
made the decision to move...and they actually did it.
they spread their wings, and they jumped, not knowing if there was anything there to catch them...
and they landed just fine and started fresh.

so after johnny and i got married we surprised my parents in texas for a little visit,
and when we got back home something didn't feel right...
we both looked at each other and knew that we didn't belong in naperville anymore...
it was time for us to fly...


so, johnny transferred national guard units and without giving it a second thought we moved to texas...
no hesitating, no second guessing, no doubts...




lets just say that packing day sucked....
it was like 40 degrees and raining and i had to guard truck to make sure no one stole my shoes....
can you imagine how horrible that would have been??







 above...all the layers we shed when we finally got to texas
below...the huge smiles we had from shedding said layers






sometimes you need a change...
so we held hands...
smiled...
and embraced our "new normal"

be pretty~melis

our elopement...the final pics

so in the midst of crazy party planning and condo packing,
i realized that i didn't post the rest of our elopement pics...
and some of these are my absolute faves!  

so enjoy the rest and stay tuned for our 
1920s party pics from our 
reception/going away party we just had!














overall our elopement was perfect!
i wouldn't change a thing about keeping it just between johnny and i...
and after our long weekend of excitement we had one more stop to make...
and that was to san antonio for a SURPRISE visit to see my parents!

it was by far the most perfect ending to our new beginning!

be pretty~melis