{Easy Fall Centerpiece Tutorial}

One of my favorite parts of entertaining is decorating the house. I'm still slowly decorating here and there for our family Thanksgiving in a little over a week. We are estimating about 20-30 people over at our house that day and are so very excited to see family and eat good food!

Here's a quick tutorial for a simple centerpiece. You don't have to use the exact materials I did. I just "shopped" my own house! Meaning, I took items I already had in the house and recycled them for this look. Enjoy!

{Easy Fall Centerpiece Tutorial}

Step 1: Grab a clear vase. I used a pair of footed hurricanes | Step 2: Add moss or other filler on the bottom | Step 3: Add candle. I used a battery operated pillar candle | Step 4: Add pine cones or other filler that has a more "Fall" feel (i.e. fall leaves, acorns, etc.). Repeat for the second vase.

xx, Shiela

{Burlap and Moss Wreath Tutorial}

I've been searching for the perfect year-round wreath to decorate our front door for a while with no luck. I found a good preserved boxwood option at Target but after reading its reviews, customers commented that it turned a brownish yellow if placed outdoors.

Although I knew that I wanted a good-sized green wreath with a burlap bow I still scoured Pinterest for other ideas and was hopeful that one would take me to a link to an online store where I could easily purchase. I found these beautiful wreath inspirations...

 {This green moss wreath was a great option without the 

green organza bow, pine cones and ornaments}

{This chunky moss wreath without the white satin bow is another great option. Plain enough to display year round}

Unfortunately, I couldn't find just the right wreath so I decided to make it! 

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: You'll need a straw wreath, a bag of moss (not pictured), spray glue, pair of scissors and burlap ribbon. 

Step 2: In small sections, spray a light layer of glue on the wreath. Take some moss and pull it apart slightly to achieve a less chunky look and to ensure that the moss sticks to the wreath. Repeat until the front of the wreath is completely covered. 

Step 3. Repeat Step 2 on the other side of the wreath. 

Step 4. After you complete covering the entire wreath, double check for patchy areas and add more moss. 

{Final Product}

Happy Crafting!!!

xx, Shiela

{Fall Love}

Although I was sad to see summer go, it made ending the season easier knowing that soon I'd be sitting cozy in a knit sweater and boots sipping on a pumpkin spice latte! The sights, smells and feel of Fall make me giddy!

As soon as I could, I started to decorate around the house. 

(Here's my dining area at home.}

Also, I haven't slacked on the comfort food eating! A couple weeks back D wanted biscuits for breakfast. I was happy to oblige since I love biscuits with melted butter and strawberry jam!

(Home made biscuits and a steamy cup of coffee!}

The next week, I was craving cinnamon rolls. These are the Pillsbury ones you can get in the refrigerated area of your grocery store. They're not as good as the real thing, but we made do!

{Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls}

After church this past Sunday we decided to try a new brunch spot we have been hearing about called Bacon and Butter. 

{Here's a snapshot of the apple and bacon fritters we started with.}

This week, I made a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookies. These ones are my spooky Halloween version!

{Spooky Halloween Chocolate Chip Cookies}

Happy Fall!!!

xx, Shiela

{Summer Recap}

Summer 2013 will go down in my personal history as one of the most memorable! Despite some lows, there were definitely more exciting highs, super fun trips, lots of food and awesome memories made. I couldn't have asked for a better summer!

A handful of snapshots from the summer...

{4th of July in San Francisco}

{Drinks at the Vdara in Las Vegas}

{A view of the Bellagio fountains from our hotel room in Vegas}

{Our hotel room in Vegas}

{Labor Day camping trip with the family}

{Hanging on to the last days of summer with a bright bouquet of flowers}

xx, Shiela

{This & That}

It's been a while since I've posted something on this blog. I've been absent for many reasons. When I first started this blog, I thought it was going to be fun and something that would come easy. I mean, what else is easier than talking about the things you love, right?! Wrong. I wasn't even blogging long until it started to feel like a chore. I wasn't even sure if I was posting good content. So, I took a little break.

During this break, lots has happened. So, I'm hoping those events will make for a long list of blog topics for future posts. One of the main things that happened (if you haven't yet noticed) is the name change of this blog...

{Re} introducing...SMITH STREET!

There was nothing wrong with Golden State Gal. I mean, I do live in California. However, it never quiet fit and never quiet felt mine. Then, one day I was sitting on my couch and the first street I ever remember living on popped in my head. All of a sudden, I wanted to name everything, including this blog and all of my future inventions, after it!

WHY?! There are many reasons. The main one is that Smith Street reminds of me of humble beginnings and makes everything posted on this blog that much more meaningful.

And so, it starts again...

I'm excited for future posts. For now, I'll leave you with a quote that stopped me in my tracks a last week.

Via

xx, Shiela

{Dream Kitchen}

We moved into this house a year and half ago and I've had such a fun time decorating every room exactly the way we want it. I think because this is our first home, I went a little crazy and wanted to do EVERYTHING I had in mind! While I love creamy whites and calming neutrals, I also love very masculine severe decor. I love fresh new modern lines but get weak in the knees for unique vintage pieces. I have gotten very lucky with some rare finds on Craigslist but definitely have some very rigid rules as to which items I will NEVER buy used. I can find something I love and wouldn't change in every single room in the house. That is, except the kitchen.

You see, I've always loved, ADORED, sought-after, dreamt about, a white kitchen. White cabinets, marble countertops and sparkly stainless steel appliances. Our current kitchen couldn't be more opposite. We have deep cherry cabinets (i.e., masculine and severe), large pewter floor tile and cream countertops with gray tile detail. Let me clarify, I DO NOT hate my kitchen whatsoever. I actually really loved it when we first moved in. We looked for a bit for a home with white kitchen cabinets but around here, they're rarely done right. I've come to terms that if I ever want my dream kitchen, it will have to be born through a new home build or a kitchen renovation in our next home.

Crisp white cabinets and gorgeous marble countertops.

An oversized island for family and friends to gather around.

Pendant lighting.

A cozy banquette.

Last but not least, a ridiculously large and organized walk-in pantry.

Luckily, we don't plan for this home to be our forever home. So, for now, we're frantically saving for the next one in hopes to be able to build our kitchen exactly how we want! In the meantime, I'm pinning away and and patiently waiting for my dream kitchen.

xx, Shiela

{Health and Fitness Lately}

I've gotten a bit busy lately. So, my fitness routine has morphed a bit. I haven't had the time to make it to the gym or Bikram class as much so I've been doing a lot of my work outs at home. Here are some of the workouts I've been doing!

The weather has been gorgeous out, so I've been taking advantage and doing a little running. I run around our neighborhood and the long way around is about a mile.

I have 3 and 5 lb. free weights at home so I do arm routines in front of a mirror. 

Sample Routine: I use my free weights and do 3 reps of 15. 

Shoulder Press

Hammer Curls

Lateral Raises

Arm Flies

Tricep Curls

I've also been doing lunges! Walking lunges are my favorite. I add weights to make it more challenging and also do 3 reps of 15 for each type of lunge exercise. 

Of course, abs! Working out my abs is my biggest weakness. I often skip this. So, I'm committing to making sure to do my ab workout every single time. 

I hope this shows that you can squeeze in workouts even when you're busy! Working out is one of the things that so easy to set aside when life gets busy. As I get older, I know that this is something that I have to make a priority. I'm hoping to start going back to the gym on a regular basis. In the meantime, this works out for me.

xx, Shiela

{Style Crush: Kourtney Kardashian}

Kourtney is by far my favorite Kardashian - mainly because of her fashion sense. She can go from cool boho chic to a high end designer glamazon. Below are some of my favorite looks!

Effortless in an oversized white blazer and jeans and perfect top knot.

Fearless in these OTK boots!

Fab in his and hers blush.

Love the designer belt detail in this black and navy ensemble.

And of course, her pregnant style!

xx, Shiela

{San Francisco Shenanigans}

This weekend was D's birthday. We both took the day off on Friday and drove to San Francisco. We stopped over at Livermore Paragon outlets and did a little shopping. That place is massive and would take all day to navigate! We only had a few hours so we only went to a few stores.

From Livermore, we went straight to an early dinner. If you've ever been to San Francisco, you'll know that the city is very eclectic and is host to many yummy places to eat! For this trip, we went to Park Chow. A charming little restaurant that serves comfort food!

{The food was delicious!}

{The ambiance was perfect for the chilly, cloudy San Francisco day}

After dinner, we went to a San Francisco Giant's baseball game! D and I try to go to a couple or more each season. We scored great seats and the best part is, they won!!!

It was a fantastic start to a fun-filled birthday weekend for D! If you've never visited San Francisco, I definitely recommend! This post doesn't even scratch the surface of all the fun to be had in the city!

xx, Shiela

{Party Decor How To: Wrapping Paper Tissue Poms}

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It's been a weird couple of weeks for me. And by weird, I mean rough! I won't go into details but, let's just say I couldn't for the life of me complete a post on anything! No matter what I started to write about, I ended up deleting the entire post. Anyway, it's Monday and a brand new week! The weird/off/bad last two weeks is now in the past and o.v.e.r. Thank goodness!

I decided to start with a fun, lighthearted post. Last Saturday, I went to a baby shower. I was in charge of making tissue paper poms. I've made these before for D's birthday party (in brown to fit in with the BBQ theme) and another time for my niece's birthday tea party. Needless to say, I'm the go-to gal for making these party poms in our family. Luckily, they're easy to make and reusable. Which is great since buying packs of tissue wrapping paper over and over can get pretty expensive.

Step-by-Step Instructions:
1: Tools - scissors, stapler and string | 2: Stack at least 8 sheets of wrapping tissue paper neatly and position with the shorter end nearest you.  Begin folding approximately 1 1/2 inch sections | 3: Keep folding back and forth until the entire stack of tissue paper looks like an accordion| 4: Staple the middle of the stacked tissue paper to secure | 5: Optional - cut a half circle on both ends | 6: Tie a string around the middle and staple string to secure | 7: Gently pull apart each individual sheet and fluff towards the middle | 8: Repeat on the opposite side | 9: Fluff, adjust and repeat.

Repeat using different colors and sizes. To make different pom sizes, cut the tissue papers in half. 

xx, Shiela

{Louis Vuitton Base Shaper: UPDATE!!!}

In my last Louis Vuitton base shaper update blog post, I reviewed the base shaper I purchase (and later returned) from an Etsy shop. During my initial search, I came across The Base Shaper Store but opted to try the Etsy shaper first. I'm obviously regretting that decision...but, you live and learn!

Anyway, back to The Base Shaper Store shaper. It is made simple and very effective. I'm a huge fan of the fact that it's clear, lightweight and has smooth edges. It doesn't have fancy pockets which I'm fine with since I typically keep my makeup, receipts and other loose items in separate pouches anyway.

{The base shaper is made of acrylic}

{The corners are smooth to avoid damaging the interior of the bag}

{No worrying about matching the interior with the clear acrylic!}

The most important thing is that it does its job! As you can see in these pictures, visually, the difference is very subtle. But, the fact that this simple technology preserves the overall shape and integrity of my bags, makes me an instant fan!

{Before LV Speedy 30}

{After LV Speedy 30}

I also purchased one for my LV Neverfull GM. I hesitated for a second because for this bag, I thought having interior pockets was important. This bag is HUGE and from other reviews, it's easy to  "lose" items in it. Ultimately, I decided to purchase one for this one too...and, I'm VERY glad I did!

{Same clear acrylic, only a bit larger to fit in this beast of a bag}

{The base shaper isn't skimpy. It fits very snug against the corners of the interior}

{Before LV Neverfull GM}

{After LV Neverfull GM}

Another plus is that I'm still able to take advantage of the extra feature of cinching the sides of my LV Nevefull GM to change it's shape when I need to. 

I highly recommend this base shaper. I've already told a good friend who has a huge Louis Vuitton collection and she's ordered a couple and loves them! I hope this helps some of you out there!

xx, Shiela

| Note: Item(s) mentioned above were purchased with my own money. I was not paid to review |

{Hair Envy: Short Cuts}

Simply put and just as the title of this post reveals, I have hair envy. Short hair envy to be exact.  I have been contemplating cutting my hair for several years now. D, doesn't prefer it, but if I ultimately decided to do it, I know he'd get over his long hair obsession as well. I'm constantly pinning short hair and these are a few of the ones I love!

{I love the look of Mena Suvari's longish bob}

{ And the effortless but sleek look of this shoulder grazing classic bob}

{ This short version is probably the most extreme, but gorgeous on this gal nonetheless}

My fear is that I will regret the decision and it would take forever to grow back! Plus, I'm not so sure short hair is a good look for me since I have a very round face. I had short hair at one point in my life, I think it was around 7th grade. Since growing it out after that time, it's been and stayed pretty long. Okay, my hair is mega long! My hair dresser won't let me do it in just one hair cut session. She suggests that if I ever really decide to do it, that we should cut in stages. This way, if I chicken out then it won't be too dramatic. We'll see!

{Pardon the backward selfie. Ha!}

xx, Shiela