Desert Queen

Switching things up here for a sec. These photos are actually from September 2017, but I never posted them here, and I just recently found them again on an old hard drive and was reminded how much I liked this shoot. The dress was a 70’s wedding dress I found at Goodwill, the belt borrowed from my mom, and the hat borrowed from a local vintage/secondhand shop, Urban X Change. I needed some new images for my wedding photography portfolio (and just wanted to stretch my legs a bit creatively), so I pulled over along the side of the road near a perfect Joshua Tree grove and spent an hour drinking in the delicious evening light and playing around in a fancy dress in the desert.

Joshua Tree Dreamin'

Now that my kitchen project is almost done, my brain is buzzing with excitement for my next project, which is to re-do my '72 Winnebago Brave!  Back in 2016, just before taking her down the west coast on my Wildbride Retreat tour, I did a super quick reno on it, putting in new flooring, painting most of the walls white and yellow (I had planned on doing wallpaper on the other ones but didn't get it in time before I had to leave), painting the cabinets white, and ripping off the naugahyde on the dash.  I installed the copper pipe curtain rods and made the little white curtains with faux leather hang tabs, and did another copper pipe along the back window to hold books and things in place while we were driving.  It was a fast project, but it really changed how it looked, even though I never actually got around to finishing all the things I wanted to do.  

Fast forward two years and I would love to finally complete this project! 

• I think I'm going to rip out the floors I put in because there are some uneven spots in the subfloor that need to be fixed, and I want to put in a lighter wood. 
• I'm thinking of taking out the upper cabinets above the kitchen sink and stove (that account for quite a bit of storage, so I'm a little hesitant but I know it will open up the space significantly and make it feel way bigger, which is a big deal when it's a 20 ft RV. 
• I'd also love to actually reupholster the bench seats.  So far I've just been "slip-covering" them with blankets and fabric. Having a kid now, I'd like to get some kind of faux caramel leather that's easy to clean and wipe down.
• I'd like to finish the dash and maybe pull up the 70's carpet that's under the driver's and passenger seat up front and replace it with something different.
• I removed one section of the accordion pull down bed in the rear and turned into storage space, so I want to make that work a little better for storage, especially if we remove the upper cabinets in the kitchen.
• And I might replace the table for something more pretty.  

I'm hoping to get out of dodge here in the dead of winter because I do not do well in the grey, wet winters here in the PNW.  Dan's parents live in Joshua Tree, CA and I adore it there, So my goal is to get this ol' girl up and running (well, figuratively speaking, her engine runs fine... for now, fingers crossed!  She is old!) and head down there for an extended period of time.  By then I think Jack will be old enough that he'd have fun playing around on the rocks in Joshua Tree National Park, and of course his grandparents would love to spend time with him too.  And I get some much needed Vitamin D!  So many wins!

And speaking of National Parks, Parks Project sent me this cute Joshua Tree tee and bandana and hat (and a delicious pine scented candle too)!  I couldn't resist putting the bandana on Jack and Dusty.  Having spent lots of time enjoying the beauty of so many of our national parks on multiple RV trips, I'm a big fan of any company that is actively working to protect our national parks and protected natural landscapes here in the US.

Farmer's Market Summer Days

Is it weird that I prefer shooting my own outfit photos?  I suppose after 10 years of doing it with my me, myself, and my tripod, it makes sense that it'd be the most comfortable way for me to do things. I do like having friends or Dan shoot me sometimes, but there's something almost relaxing and comfortable about DIY outfit shoot sessions.  

Summer is in full swing here in the PNW and oh how I love this time of year here.  I'm not joking when I tell people I want to snowbird to southern California during the winter PNW months.  Sorry not sorry I'm not a fan of damp, dreary weather.  Tried it, don't like.  Give me snow and sub-zero temps over that mess any day.  I figure if I don't get a proper (snowy) winter anyway I might as well escape to the desert right?  Now I just have to convince my in-laws to let me live in the Brave in their Joshua Tree, CA driveway all winter.  I think as long as I bring Jack, they'll be down.

And speaking of Joshua Tree, last time I wore this dress was in Joshua Tree!  I guess that's actually the last time I was somewhere warm enough to wear it.  

Shop the Look

Dress : Lou & Grey via Goodwill | Shoes : c/o BC Footwear
Sunglasses : c/o Moorea Seal | Tote : DIY

---

You might also like

fringe benefits

Bangs!  I finally pulled the trigger.  And after years of requests, I filmed a DIY Bangs tutorial!!  It should be posted this week, so all you brave souls flouting conventional wisdom to never cut your own bangs can be crazy like me and do it yourself. 

This outfit has all the desert vibes because I was looking forward to being in Joshua Tree, which I am currently!  I've got some super fun shoot scheduled for the week and hopefully I can squeeze in some outfit shoots too cuz I brought waaay to many outfits.

Thankfully the PNW isn't experiencing desert-like weather anymore. The rains finally came and I know thousands of people affected by the wildfires are so thankful.  It'll be nice to go back to some fall temperatures. I do so love summers in the PNW but I'm ready for fall now.  Mostly I just feel like my forehead is too sweaty with bangs during the warmer months, so it can be fall now. 

Shop the Post