retro – Melodrama

DIY: Here’s How I Colored My Appliances with Heat Wrap Vinyl

Published on May 10, 2019June 30, 2022 by Krys17 Comments

Ok, I’m going to make this super quick because I was supposed to post this a year ago, BUT that’s ok, because now I can tell you it has held up super well over the last 11 months.

I’m a renter so anything I do in my apartment has to be put back to its original condition when I move out. Because of this (as you may have noticed from the rest of my apartment) temporary wallpaper has basically become my best friend. I even covered my modern refrigerator in a cute retro blue before I brought in my vintage GE. Unfortunately, temp wallpaper isn’t ideal for stoves because of the whole ‘they get hot’ thing. Even though my oven door never gets hot to the touch, I wanted to be safe. I reallllly wanted a pink stove, but none of the vintage ones I was finding could fit in my kitchen. Besides it was already a pain in the ass to swap out the refrigerator. I looked for a solution similar to peel and stick wallpaper and that’s when I thought of heat wrap vinyl!

Update: my friend Cyn, a very talented set designer, used car wrap vinyl on her apartment’s vintage wall ovens and made a video tutorial for Instagram that you can watch here!

Anyway, I looked online and found a shimmery vinyl (you can find several brands and colors online) and set out with my hair dryer, a squeegee, and an exact-o knife to bring a little color to my kitchen.

The good news is this stuff is very forgiving! Look up some heat wrap or car wrap tutorials and you’ll see, its super pliable and molds to the curviest of shapes with the application of heat. It also has no or little adhesive so it peels off clean.

I took off all the handles and applied the vinyl as flat as I could to the front of the stove doors while smoothing and stretching as needed while applying heat from my hair dryer. Then I used heat and the corner of my squeegee to press and mold the vinyl into the curves and crevices around the glass window. I cut around the edges with a blade to remove the excess.

I wrapped the vinyl around all of the door edges and replaced the screws and handles.

I made sure to cover the sides too! I didn’t cover the cooktop because it most probably would burn and melt, being so close to the fire and all. I used the same method to cover the front of my dishwasher.

And here’s the final result!

It took a lotttt of patience, but once I got into the groove it went on a lot faster and smoother. It’s very easy to clean and has held up really well. Even with JV cranking the oven to ungodly temperatures when he’s baking bread. When I’m ready to move out I’ll just peel it off and be good to go. Yay!

{Update: We moved and it peeled off clean! I used a little rubbing alcohol and stainless steel cleaner to buff out any markings left behind and the appliances looked brand new.}

DIY Mid-Century Inspired Colorful Metallic Sputnik Ornaments

Published on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 by Krys8 Comments

When I was gathering decorations for my space age tree I knew I wanted to try and find some vintage or retro style colorful sputnik ornaments. Unfortunately my search game up empty for exactly what I was looking for in my price range, so I got crafty with an easy DIY version.

I gathered everything I needed from my local craft store including:

Mini wooden dowels
Metallic round beads (the dowels should fit perfectly into the bead)
Glitter Styrofoam Ball Vase Filler
Metallic washi tape
Metallic embroidery thread
Craft glue

First create a loop with a piece of embroidery thread and insert both ends through the bead opening. Next, insert the mini wooden dowel into the bead opening. This should hold the thread in place.

Then wrap the wooden dowel in metallic washi tape. The best way to do this is cut strips the length of the dowel and wrap it lengthwise like you’re rolling a j….nevermind you get the idea ;).

Finally dip the end of the dowel into craft glue and insert the dowels into the styrofoam ball in a sputnik type pattern.

You’ll end up with ornaments like this!

Told you it was easy! Get creative with colors and patterns! Be sure to tag me at @melodrama or use the hashtag #krysmasgram on Instagram to show me your creations!

DIY No-Sew Retro Atomic Space Age Tree Skirt

Published on December 12, 2018 by Krys10 Comments

One of my favorite things to do each year is make new no-sew felt tree skirts. They’re super easy and fun to make and don’t require any skills except being able to use scissors and glue. You can see past tutorials with measurements and instructions here and here.

This year I needed something to match my office’s retro space age theme, so I used flying saucers and atomic shapes like boomerangs and starbursts.

I used the method detailed here to cut my skirt out of green felt. Then I cut my shapes out of sheets of different colored felts. I used silver metallic rick rack to add rays to my flying saucers and shiny snowflake starburst buttons for a little extra shine. I finished off the edges with silver metallic fringe! I always use standard craft glue to adhere all of it.

Here are the shapes I used to make your felt cutting life a little easier! Print on a standard piece of paper. (Opt to scale to fit paper on your print settings if possible.)

Tada!

Make sure to tag @melodrama or use the hashtag #krysmasgram on Instagram to show me your creations!

DIY Retro Inspired Christmas Space Age Reindeer

Published on December 12, 2018December 15, 2018 by Krys12 Comments

As you saw from my previous post I went full on atomic space age for my home office. I had to do a few DIYs to make it exactly what I wanted it to be, but my favorite is probably this astrodeer!

This project required some Frankenstein style surgery, but I’m really thrilled with the way it turned out. Here’s what I did!

Supplies

Paper Mache Deer
6.5″ Round Glass Terrarium
Aluminum Foil Tape
Utility Blade
Hot Glue
Craft Glue
Silver Tinsel Garland
Silver Tinsel Stems
Craft paper or paper bags

Ok I’m going to admit right now I didn’t take process photos because I’m the worst and I wasn’t even sure it was going to work, BUT luckily it’s a pretty straight forward process. (Note: I’m going to make one for a friend so I’ll try to update this post with photos when I do!)

In order to get the deer’s head into the terrarium, but still have the helmet in the position I wanted, I had to make cuts on the points shown below.

I added paper ears and eyes and placed the head in the terrarium. Once the head was in the terrarium (from here on known as the helmet) I reattached the bottom part of the antlers, and the upper part of the neck with craft glue and used chopsticks to help get where I had trouble reaching. Once it was dry, I used wet strips of paper bag and glue to cover the cut seams.

Then I used hot glue to attach the rest of the antler to the top of the helmet, and the helmet to body. I used a black sharpie to draw on the hooves and a nose, then I covered the body in foil tape, and covered all the glue joints with tinsel wire and garlands.

There it is! My new spacey pet. Isn’t he a cutie?

How I Fixed Up My 1950s Refrigerator

Published on June 28, 2018June 28, 2018 by Krys10 Comments

A couple of months ago I found a busted down vintage GE refrigerator freezer combination with original ice tray online for about $100. The owner told me it didn’t work but that it should be an easy fix, so I took the risk and drove a couple of hours to San Diego to pick it up. It was in muchhhh filthier condition than the pictures lead on, and had some old wires sticking out of the back, but I figured I’d already invested the time and money to rent a pickup truck and drive out, I might as well just lug it home and see if I could bring it back to life. It’s hard to find the right sized vintage appliances to fit apartment kitchens, and this one was the PERFECT size for mine so I didn’t want to give up. I should note I also drove to Newport Beach, another couple of hours from San Diego, on the same day to pick up a 1950s gas stove that didn’t end up fitting my kitchen. More on that later, but I was extra determined to make the fridge work after that defeat.

Here’s what I was working with.

Rust, scratches, dirt, grime, and slightly corroded chrome. Not terrible.

But inside was much worse. Rust, mildew, a weird smell, so much grime. What did I get myself into?

Since this was going to be the place I stored our food I wanted to be cautious about what I used to clean the inside. I didn’t want to use anything that would leave a lingering chemical smell or residue so I turned to the following products and methods, and used A LOT of elbow grease.

First, I removed all of the shelves and drawers and soaked them in my sink and scrubbed the hell out of them. Then I did a whole general scrub down with Simply Green and let it air out with the doors open. I did this a total of four or five times until it was clean enough to move on to the rust and mildew.

For the mildew and rust I used a mixture of good old baking soda and vinegar, a Scrub Daddy sponge, and a toothbrush. The gaskets were still supple and the seal on the doors were good (test with a sheet of paper, if it slides out get new gaskets), so I just I applied the baking soda and vinegar paste and scrubbed over and over until the mildew was completely gone. Some of the rust spots corroded the paint, but I was able to use extra-fine sandpaper to buff it smooth and applied appliance touchup paint over the smaller chipped spots as needed. On the bottom the rust was too extreme so I used a couple of coats of white automotive spray paint. I wouldn’t recommend painting the whole thing that way, but it worked for this small part.

Now onto the outside! The original paint was mostly in ok condition, so I just wanted to fill in a couple of scratches and bring some lustre and shine back to it. For this I used automotive detailing supplies. I applied several layers of a buffing cream and car wax with an electric orbital buffer. Just as you would detail an old car. I used a chrome polish and superfine steel wool to bring as much shine to the chrome as possible.

And there it is! The only thing was it still had a lingering smell. Not a horrible smell, just that general old freezer smell. The only thing that worked was these miracle Arm and Hammer Fridge-n-Freezer Packs. They’re super cheap so we replaced them every couple days until the smell was completely gone. That took about a week and now we replace it as needed.

The last thing I needed to tackle was the mechanics. After all of that cleaning the damn thing didn’t work. I consulted a few vintage message boards, and spoke to a repair shop, and was confident it just needed a new relay. The problem is the replacement relay for this model is long gone so I had to rewire it with a new universal relay. This was way easier than it sounds, you literally just follow the directions on the package. Definitely consult with a repair shop or the manufacturer if you have questions though.

As soon as I plugged it in the compressor kicked on and I jumped up and down and ran around in circles because WOW WHAT A PAY OFF! IT WORKS!

I know old refrigerators have a reputation of being energy suckers, but our bill and usage hasn’t gone up at all compared to our modern fridge. From my understanding the high energy consumption comes from older models that incorporate an automatic defrost system. This model needs to be defrosted every couple of months, but I simply use a blow dryer and old towel and it takes me about 15 minutes. Another issue of concern for some people is size. It is smaller inside than a modern refrigerator, but we don’t store very much food at once, so that hasn’t been a problem for us.

Here it is living happily in our kitchen! Perfect fit. I love it.

Spring Wardrobe Update with Rit Dye

Published on April 24, 2018 by Krys2 Comments

Hey, fam. I’ve been busy at updating some rooms and my back patio for spring and thought it would be a good idea to update some of my wardrobe too! While going through my closet I found this white dress I got last year from Tatyana that I haven’t worn in foreverrrr. Rather than giving it away I decided to try to dye it using Rit’s new coral color. I love that they came out with this color because I used to have to custom mix a few different shades together to make color, but now it’s ready to use! I figured if it didn’t work out I could just use Rit’s color remover, which I’ve had a ton of luck with in the past.

The cool thing about this dress is that the fabric has an iridescent sheen and a subtle retro bubble pattern. My hope was that the dye would bring out the bubble pattern and leave some of the sheen.

The fabric is mostly polyester so I was worried it wouldn’t take the dye, but as soon as I dunked it into the dye bath it soaked it right up and I was not disappointed.

The way I like to dye everything, including synthetics, is to make a very hot dye bath in my sink with hot, hot water and a few drops of liquid soap. I let the garment soak for about an hour, stirring and shifting the fabric every 15 minutes or so for an even dye. Then I rinse with cold water and Rit’s color fixative. Then I line dry.

See how the fabric took the dye and made the pattern pop? I love the way it turned out!

Now I have a spring-y new dress to wear while pretending I’m good at gardening.

This post was sponsored by Rit but all ideas, opinions, and words are my own.

Pink Rose Valentine’s Day Cocktail Recipe

Published on February 14, 2018February 14, 2018 by KrysLeave a comment

Happy Valentine’s Day, sweethearts!

I’ve got a quick little retro cocktail recipe that is perfect for date night or just drinking alone while you curse Cupid. It’s perfectly pink and has a kick!

Pink Rose Cocktail

1 ½ ounces gin
1 egg white
1 tablespoon grenadine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cream

Shake well in a cocktail shaker with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

That’s it! Enjoy

Melodrama’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Published on December 19, 2017December 19, 2017 by Krys1 Comment

OK, this gift guide is totally last minute, like my shopping. My gifts always arrive late, but to me that just extends Christmas a little more and you end up with a little New Years gift. Right??? I am who I am.

If you’re like me and still need gift ideas for the hip and happening people in your life here’s a list of some of my favorites!

Cone Vase by Baigelman Glass

Flamingo Tiki Glasses by Love and Victory

Hand Painted Plaques from Everyday is a Holiday

Bad Girls Throughout History by Ann Chen

Subscription to Atomic Ranch Magazine

Betty Boomerang Subscription Box

Eliot Sunglasses from Hello Holiday

Ban.do Rose 17 Month AgendaFor the kids…

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Star Diner Restaurant

For the pet lover…

Modern Pet Feeder by modernmews

The splurge…

Roccbox Portable Pizza Oven

What’s on your list? Tell me some of your favorite things in the comments below!

DIY No-Sew Mid-Century Inspired Christmas Tree Skirt

Published on November 27, 2017November 27, 2017 by Krys7 Comments

It’s that time again! Christmas time! I love this time of year. No matter what is going on in life, good or bad, decorating my Christmas tree always cheers me up. This year we switched things up a bit and used our fake pink tree instead of trying to find a natural, flocked one here in the desert. We even got a rotating stand so the whole thing spins!

I badly needed a new tree skirt since my last DIY one got ruined during our move. Wahhh.

I used the same tutorial and materials as my previous no-sew felt Christmas tree skirt (pictured above), and put a different spin on it.

First you need a couple yards of 72″ felt. Then you make a circle in your desired size. I explain this in more detail here.

Then use pieces of felt in various colors to create curved rhombus shapes that were popular in the 50s and 60s.

Like so!

Then just simply use fabric glue to adhere them to the felt skirt in whatever pattern you desire.

And there you have it! A quick and easy DIY tree skirt for your retro tree.

Happy tree trimming!

Be sure to tag your Christmas photos with #Krysmasgram on Instagram!

Checking In: A Weekend at The Parker Palm Springs

Published on August 3, 2015August 4, 2015 by Krys4 Comments

As you may have guessed by now, I have this love affair with Palm Springs. Funnily enough while I was growing up and living there I couldn’t wait for any excuse to get out, now I can’t wait for any excuse to go back. It’s one of those weird things where you don’t appreciate something until you’re a grown up I guess. Or maybe it’s because Palm Springs is totally making a come back as the hottest (literally) vacation spot around for millenials. Since the 1920s Palm Springs has been the quick getaway of choice for Angelenos, and I’m no exception. I’m not entirely sure that I’ll ever live there again, but I do like making the trip as often as possible.

This time we stayed at The Parker Palm Springs. Once you see the pictures, you’ll know why I love this place.

Built in 1959, it was originally California’s first Holiday Inn. In 1961 Gene Autry purchased the property and changed its name to Melody Ranch. Throughout the 90s it took on a few other identities, but in 2003 it became The Parker we know today. The hotel is fabulously decorated and set on a 13 acre secret garden-esque property, where getting lost isn’t so bad. Don’t worry they give you a map upon check-in.

Let me take you on a little photographic tour.

When you drive up to the secluded property you’re instantly greeted by the most photogenic brick wall and the friendliest valet around.

After you pass your keys along to the nice guys in the colorful shorts, stop and take a deep breath, because you’re officially about to experience what The Parker is all about.

Pass through the big orange doors and straight into the lobby.

The hotel, which was decorated by one of my favorite designers, Mr. Jonathan Adler, has the kind of colorful, eclectic, retro vibes that I live for. JA is great at mixing vintage and mod styles with humor and unexpected touches. Like the cheeky DRUGS sign that hangs on the wall.

You’ll notice is there is plenty of lush seating areas and colorful glasswork featured throughout the lobby.

That mid-century Flintstones-like wall kills me. Behind it you’ll find what reminds me of a 60s party pad, in the best way possible. I mean LOOK.

There’s a firepit and hanging basket chairs. What, what, WHAT?

There are three places to eat on the property – Mister Parker’s, Norma’s, and the Lemonade Stand. Mister Parker’s is open for dinner and features a posh, dark dining room where they serve french bistro style fare.

Norma’s is most known for its impressive breakfast and brunch menu and casual dining experience. I love the cute ambiance and colors of this place and the round chair cushions make me insanely happy.

Norma’s also has a small dinner menu and PIE SHAKES. That’s right…PIE. SHAKES. You pick the ice cream, filling, and topping. Like pie a la mode in milkshake form.

If you’re looking for something more of the liquid diet variety there’s the Lemonade Stand. Here they serve up refreshing and delicious alcoholic drinks.

I’ll be honest, at first I was a little shocked by the price on my tab(around $30 for 2 drinks), since the drink prices aren’t listed on the menu, but when you take into account the size of the drinks and the quality and amount of liquor they use, it’s not really any more expensive than other places. The drinks really are delicious and sizable. I definitely caught a buzz.

The Lemonade Stand is a bar conveniently located next to the main 24 hour adult pool so you can sip and sun your way through the weekend.

There is also a family pool (which was closed for renovations during our stay) and an indoor pool at the resort’s luxe spa, PSYC.

The grounds also have plenty of little secluded pockets featuring fire pits, hammocks, and lawn games where you can lounge and play.

We stayed in one of the 465 square foot deluxe patio rooms situated near the back of the property.

I loved this spacious room. It was a little dark because it’s on the ground level and has a private fenced patio, but it was nice and cozy and good escape from the heat and sun. The king sized bed was comfortable with soft pillows and good linens. I slept SO well. Oh! And free wifi!

Jonathan Adler everywhere!The spacious bathroom has double sinks and a soaking tub.Our favorite part of the room was the private patio that has a small table with chairs and a HAMMOCK. The hammock is great for private outdoor napping and milkshake sipping. Warning: the hammock is so exciting you might get a little too eager and fall out like my husband did. See what I mean about those Lemonade Stand drinks? Don’t worry. He’s ok!Now you’ve gotten a full glimpse of one of my favorite hotels in Palm Springs. I can’t wait until the next time we get to spend the weekend. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you guys there.Thank you to the Parker Palm Springs for a wonderful stay.

The Parker Palm Springs
4200 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264
(760) 770-5000

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