Weekend Flashback.

The Steele Maiden - Weekend FlashbackThis weekend was like a mini vacation packed into 48 hours.  In honor of the boy’s upcoming birthday we spent Friday night indulging in burgers and beers and playing mini golf (sometimes the cheapest dates are the most fun, am I right?).  The big surprise adventure that I hinted at here was our trip to Catalina Island on Saturday – just an hour’s boat ride from mainland California, but what felt like a world away.  We hiked, had a private little island picnic, and took in the sights of a place that felt entirely different than our day to day life (I’ll be sharing more pictures from our trip this week).  And to end the weekend, we headed into Downtown LA to explore Grand Central Market and also to spend some time relaxing in Angel’s Knoll Park (recognize this bench? It’s where they filmed those park scenes in 500 Days of Summer).  Southern California never ceases to amaze me with all that it can offer in just 2 days time.  

    

Ready for Adventure.

While I can’t say exactly where (shh.. it’s part of a birthday surprise for the boy) – I will say that I’ve got an exciting little adventure planned for this weekend.  And while we may not dance in our underwear on the coast a la Moonrise Kingdom, I’m still pretty excited to share the next couple of days making some new memories with my favorite travel partner.  Where are you off to this weekend?  Happy Friday!

   

Golden State of Mind.

The Steele Maiden - Golden State of Mind(J.Crew Factory Yellow Sweater; J.Crew Factory Leather Belt – similar here; Forever 21 Skirt – cute option here; Steve Madden Wedges – similar here)
Apparently, there is such a thing as “June Gloom” in Southern California, in which for roughly a month’s span gloomy days plague the usually sunshine cast region.  So far this has only seemed to mean slightly overcast mornings giving way to sunny, clear afternoons.  But just in case things start to take a turn for the worse – I’m preparing in advance by wearing my own sunshine…

I find myself reaching for brighter outfits like these on days when the work week feels endless, the weather looks uncooperative, or any other time where I need to make my own sunshine.  It’s difficult to feel blue when you’re wearing the brightest of yellows and a sweet little citrus print skirt.  And “June Gloom” or not, living in California these past 9 months really has made me want to wear brighter, cheerier things (I’m pretty sure this outfit would blind passerby in New York who perpetually seem to want to wear black).  Maybe sunny is just a state of mind?  

The Steele Maiden - Golden State of Mind

The Steele Maiden - Golden State of Mind

The Steele Maiden - Golden State of Mind




  

Drawer Shelves.

The Steele Maiden: Make Do - Drawer Shelves

As promised, today I’m showing you my favorite DIY home project from this past weekend.  I’d been itching to finish up our gallery wall and wanted something that would have a big impact but would be easy on our budget.  And then suddenly, these old desk drawers were left for dead outside of our apartment.  Trash you say?  Treasure I say…

I promptly nabbed the two most shallow desk drawers and knew immediately I wanted to use them as thin ledge type shelves for the wall.  I also knew I wanted to use the same stain we had used for our mantle and bookshelves to further tie the room together.  From there, the book pages lining was inspired by the idea that if you pulled open a vintage desk drawer you may find old letters inside (to that end I used an old paperback book made up of letters author Sylvia Plath had written home – plus, it only cost me $1 at a local thrift store).  A few coats of mod podge and these gems were done.  I usually am fairly pleased with my DIY’s, but I have to tell you I really love these things.  They make this gallery wall complete and also are the perfect depth for holding my mini succulents and a few favorite postcards picked up along my travels.  Also, I love that this project could be customized for any decor – how about painting the inside neon yellow with more modern decor?  Or lining them with fabric? Go crazy.  
The Steele Maiden: Make Do - Drawer Shelves

The Steele Maiden: Make Do - Drawer Shelves

The Steele Maiden: Make Do - Drawer Shelves

The Steele Maiden: Make Do - Drawer Shelves



Something Blue.

The Steele Maiden: Something Blue(Topshop Dress – similar here; H&M shoes – similar here; West Elm Vases; Marfa Prada Print – my own photograph based on this original)

I thought I’d give you all a closer look at that mantle I’ve been talking so much about for the past few days and also show you what I wore to the shower I hosted this past weekend…

To start – the mantle is perfect.  Simple, streamlined, and exactly what I was hoping for.  Just a piece of wood we picked up at Home Depot, stained to match our nearby bookshelves and mounted on brackets we spray painted black.  And by we, here I clearly mean him.  This wonder boy also happens to be the one behind the lens on all my photos, and the one who bought me the dress I’m wearing here (honestly, he’s that good).  And let’s talk about this dress.  If I could have girlfriends over for tea in the 1940’s this is exactly the dress I would wear.  However, since I can’t exactly turn back time, I wore it for this weekend’s bridal shower.  And while I’d never try and steal the bride to be’s thunder by wearing all white – I refuse to think she has a hold on all “something’s blue”.  So I wore these little blue suede shoes for a fun finishing touch (and also because when you dance around your apartment to Elvis records – you do him justice and wear blue suede shoes).  


The Steele Maiden: Something Blue
The Steele Maiden: Something Blue



The Steele Maiden: Something Blue