Crazy Fun

If you are a fan on facebook(or even follow me on twitter...my facebook posts link there), you already know this...

It has been a CRAZY fun few days.

I decided to to a couple Ready to Ship days over on my fan page.  Keep in mind most of the time my items are made after payment.  With that said, I do try and make "extras" on some items.  BUT, because I receive so many orders a week, my ready to ship inventory changes daily.

Well...all current orders that I took before I closed up shop were filled and mailed on Monday so I decided to do a couple ready to ship days with what inventory I had over on my facebook page.

Then the fun began...

2 days of posting photos and lots of comments...led to lots of sorting and boxes...

Most of those boxes went out yesterday and a few more are going out today.

It was Crazy Fun!

I am very grateful to all everyone who purchased my Ready to Ship items.  For those of you who didn't snag something keep in mind that ALL of these can be remade/ordered when I return from vacation by either sending me a list of what you would like via e-mail (melanieadey at hotmail dot com), a PM me on my facebook page or ordering directly on my website.

Wordful Wednesday - Pixie Fairies

I have been working on beads for jewelry I am making for Lily for our upcoming trip.  Lily requested these fairies. Only 12 more sleeps.  :D

(My shop is currently closed.  I will definitely be selling them when I return from our vacation.)

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse & Fresh Mommy. 

Dear So & So

Dear Jeff,
Only 17more days left!!  I can not wait!!
=)  Your crazed Disney fan of a wife

Dear Lily,
I am super duper proud of you.  You were a trooper when it came to getting your ear re pierced.  I am happy that you are happy with your new earrings.  :D
Love, Mommy

Dear Ian,
Stop photo bombing me...it now looks like there is this tiny arm coming out of your head.
Your annoyed mother.

Dear new cell phone,
I am sooo happy that I finally have you.  After lots of research and figuring out what I want/didn't need, I am really happy with the phone/plan I went with.  (I decided to stay with the t-mobile pay as you go plan, but switched over to the $30.00 per month plan offered through Walmart.  I now get 100min, unlimited text, unlimited data (5GB at 4G) per month.) It was bumpy along the way with t-mobile switching everything over to the new plan, but all is good in the end. 
Happy Customer.

Dear customers,
Thank you for being so awesome!!  I am hoping to finish everyone's orders up over the weekend and post a ready to ship day on my facebook page sometime next week. 
Grateful artist.

Dear Mom & Dad Adey,
Look another set of 3 little red headed brothers.  :D
Love, Melanie

If you would like to see more Dear So & So's and/or participate check out 3 Bedroom Bungalow.

Packaging

It's no secret, I mail ALOT of packages.  I typically ship a couple times a week and during the holidays it's almost everyday.  I wrap my pieces in polyfil, tissue paper and bubble wrap.  I take all my boxes to the post office and mail them first class with delivery confirmation. 

I have had a few people ask me why I still go to the post office and do not use paypal shipping.  For those of you who do not know, paypal shipping is where you print out your own shipping postage which includes a delivery confirmation and you can schedule a pick up of your boxes.  Customers then get an e-mail that their packages have shipped.  The postage would be about $1.00 cheaper per package for me to do it.

I have been shipping all over the world for at last 3 years now and have debated about switching over to paypal shipping in the past.  While many businesses use paypal shipping and it works well for them,  this is why I decided not to change how I ship.

- I would have to print my own postage and buy a scale...that would cost me more money and time (which equals money).

- That bright green sticker (delivery confirmation) has saved me quite a bit (especially around Christmas). The label I would print off doesn't get noticed as much and I have seen too many horror stories on how many times it doesn't get scanned.

- That bright green delivery confirmation sticker gets "accepted" and put into their system directly at the post office.  Meaning I have proof that the post office had/has my package.  I then get a receipt with an expected delivery date.  I also can see the package scanned every time it gets to a destination.   That does NOT happen when you print one from your computer.  It generates a number, but the delivery confirmation info along the way is not the same.  (My local post office person explained this one to me a few weeks ago.)  Remember before how I said that you generate an e-mail letting your customer know you shipped their package...have you ever gotten that e-mail and tried to click the link?  It typically tells you that there is no information at this time.  The only time it tells you anything different is when the post office actually delivers the package.  I prefer knowing where my package is...ever have a package redirected?  I have, and felt better being able to tell my customer that information. 

- I would still have to drive to the PO. I want less people handling my packages...I have seen way too many people post on their facebook pages a whole patch of packages go missing or not get picked up after scheduling a pick up. 

I am all about saving money, but for my my piece of mind and my customers piece of mind I would rather charge the extra $1.00.   

On a side note...the people at my post office (along with a few other post office's I frequent at times) are awesome.  (I only have a problem with one guy...he doesn't like the small size of my packages not to mention he is SLOOOOOWWW.  Whatever, I let who is behind me go to him if he is working and wait for a different person.)  They are super sweet and Lily LOVES to visit her post office friends.

{Lily last Friday all ready for her Pre-K Graduation.}

Wordless Wednesday - Brave

I am super excited for the new Disney movie Brave!!  Are you going to see it?  Lily can not wait to meet the new princess on our trip to Disney World. 

On a different note...wish my brave little girl luck.  Today we are taking Lily back to get her one ear re-pierced.  (Last week she got both ears pierced and there was an issue with the one side.)  She has been asking everyday since last Wed. how long we had left to go get it re-done. 

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse & Fresh Mommy. 

Productive

It's been a productive week. 
(most of these items will be shipping out today)

I have been really really busy. I still have a LONG list I need to get done before I leave. 

Only 20 days left! 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Flag Day!

Only 25 more days left until our vacation!!

Wordful Wednesday - Ears Pierced

Lily has been asking to get her ears pierced for a few months now.  We explained the pain and rules that would go along with having pierced ears.  We waited a bit just to see if she would change her mind.  She didn't.  I told her yesterday we would go today.  She came into my room after she woke up and asked me when we were going.  She knew it was going to hurt and that there would most likely be only 1 person working (aka...each ear done one at a time instead of together) and she as ok with all of that.  So we went as soon as the mall opened.

She was such a trooper and she LOVES them.

Unfortunately I had to take the one out of her right ear (left looking at her) today and will be taking her back next week to get it re-pierced.  The earring went in at an angle going down.  :(  I knew it wasn't right, the woman that pierced her ear knew it, too  (I could see it in her face).  You could see the earring backing while looking straight at Lily.  I tried all day to not let it bother me and tried to convince myself that it would be fine....nope, that didn't work.  After I talked to Lily about it, I called the place where I took her and we took the earring out and are going to take her back to get that side re-pierced next week.  I feel terrible asking her go through that again.  She shed some tears when I told her that it we would have to take it out and re-do it.  A few hours later when I told her sorry for the 4302 time she said, "it's ok mommy, at least I don't have to get both sides done again".  What a trooper.  She wanted to go back tonight and get it re-pierced.  She just wants the pretty periwinkle flowers in both ears.

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse & Fresh Mommy. 

Dear So & So - Madagascar Edition

Dear Jeff, Ian & Lily,



Love, Me  :D

Dear Dad,
Click through the link in your e-mail and actually open my blog....and then watch the clip above and smile.
Love, Melanie
ps....play it for the girls.  :D

Dear McDonalds,
I was so excited to see you had the Madagascar toys....but was soooo disappointed to see there is not a Polka Dot Afro Zebra.  Obviously that was really poor planning by someone.  I am sure I am not the only person that was surprised that there wasn't one.
Disappointed Customer

Precious!

This photo is just precious!

I love to see how customers use my creations!  Thank you for sharing and congrats again!

(The elephant photo holder was a custom order.  You can see a close up photo of him here.)

Wordful Wednesday - Orange

Last night I finished up 115 pumpkin photo holders.  I was having flashbacks to these I made a few years ago.

Now I just need to make a bride and groom. 

For more WW check out 5 Minutes for Mom, Seven Clown Circus  Parenting by Dummies, Project Alicia, The InfoMouse & Fresh Mommy. 

Sneak Peek...

of what I am working on today...

Dear So & So

Dear Melanie,
You forgot to write a Dear So & So post last week.  Not to mention you have been slacking on the posts again.
Sincerely, your blog

Dear Blog,
Sorry about that.  I was a bit busy trying not to panic too much over all of the orders.
Will try and do better, your creator.

Dear Facebook,
Grrr!!  You have been very frustrating lately.  :(  While I am not a fan of change typically, I do try and go with the flow.  This week asking "fan pages" to pay per post to have their fans see their posts is just ridiculous and frustrating.  Not to mention, I don't see most of the things I want to see on my personal page anymore.  I am sorry, but something someone posted 6hrs ago is not most recent.  Yes, that may be in the top stories...but NOT most recent.  I have too many friends and 'like' lots of pages for that to happen.  Not to mention the last week after changing everything, FB has been SLOW or not working. 
Frustrated Facebook User

Dear Heidi & Vincent,
Happy Anniversary!!  Sorry you were feeling under the weather sis!
LOVE, your favorite sister

Dear Jeff,
Remember when Ian was a little peanut?

{Ian 5-31-03}

all dapper at my sister's wedding.

Sigh.  Damn. WE are getting old. 

{Lily 7-8-08}

Love mel.  (PS, so what if I have lots more grey hair?)

Dear Ian,
I was and am very proud of you!  You did a wonderful job on Saturday! 
Love, mom

Dear Lily,
Thank you for starting to eat again.  Yes, it makes me happy to see you actually eat what is put in front of you without giving me a hard time.  Let's keep it up.
Love, mommy

Dear Jeff,
Only 38 more days until our vacation!!!  Doing a little happy dance.  It's so close I can feel it.  WDW here we come!
Love, mel





If you would like to see more Dear So & So's and/or participate check out 3 Bedroom Bungalow.