Well I'm actually glad to say I have no plans to wear a little black dress this weekend, looking forward to casual. But I do believe everyone needs a great black {or navy} dress in their closet. This is slightly conservative in the front and party in the back, and I love the idea of a back necklace with this dress, it could work year round with high boots or tights and pumps in the colder months {apparently these exist somewhere.}
As I am looking through these pictures, I am dreaming of a Vegas Vacation. If you know me at all, you may be surprised that I dream of Vegas, but in fact it is one of my favorite quick vacation destinations. My husband and I may be the only people that travel to Vegas and don't gamble even a penny. So why do we love?? Let me tell you...
First - It is a quick inexpensive plane ride, {and now a car ride} with no time change, which means 3 nights is perfect, which means we can manage to get a sitter for the kiddos easily which means it is realistic for us to have a couples vacation!
Ok but really there are amazing hotels for inexpensive. The only two I stay at are The Trump Towers - no smoking in the entire hotel and no casinos in this 5-star resort. It is an oasis a block off the strip, right across from the Nordstrom's entrance to the mall, need I say more. They have a lovely pool with yummy poolside food and drinks {and I'm picky}. Most of the rooms are suites with luxurious beds and bathrooms. And second - The Encore/Wynn. Also 5-star, the only hotel that somehow succeeds in pumping out the cigarette smoke so it doesn't stink, the decor is unreal, and the rooms, well the bed is the most comfortable ever and the flat screen tv swivels around the room, they sort of thought of everything. The pool - amazing, especially when you order mojitos with sugar cane stir sticks. Recently, Aria, also 5-stars, has been recommended to me, and 4.5 out of 5 stars on tripadvisor.com speaks very highly, so maybe I will branch out...
Where else can you find 5-star resorts for 90$-150$??
Great food...mac-n-cheese from Fix, Lobster roll from Society, Margaritas from Mesa Grill, Pizza here. Sushi at Social House. We pretty much eat our way through.
Great shopping, you have the over the top window shopping in the hotels along with an awesome mall with every store I could ever want.
Great shows, night life, and people watching - my husband and I are the call-it-a-night-stay-in-our-hotel-room-pjs-and-a-movie kind, if not for all nightlife happening all around you in Vegas, you can't help but participate, and enjoy an evening out. We have found great deals on Cirque De Soleil on Vegas.com.
You can actually book your entire trip on Vegas.com and find some major deals, I'm already dreaming planning my next rendezvous.
and last but not even close to least...to dress up - Vegas is a fabulous reason to get fancy and go all out. This jumpsuit is Vegas perfection. And jewelry inspired temporary tattoos, these must happen for poolside glamour, or a glitzy night on the town, don't they scream Vegas in the most appropriate way? Fashion is whatever you want it to be in Vegas, but I like that there is a more sophisticated side too.
it was a good, albeit busy week. I love instagram, it is my catchall for small and big moments in my week, and someday I am going to use persnickety prints to print them all and make an amazing project. #todolist
if you want to follow along on my moments, I'm thekirstyfiles.
my newest necklace design with vintage and recycled silver and leather. Haven't quite managed to upload to the website and only have two left. If you are interested email me!
If we can't have rain, we will draw it, in sidewalk chalk, that never gets washed away because we have no rain. #ironic?
Montana fry-bread {okay this is from the week prior I admit}. It is off the charts yummy, how could it not be - white flour and lard fried and slathered in honey butter. dress. booties.
How to keep your two little princes from running into the street or photo bombing your shoot - give them props. Funny, these are rarely used for actual lighting purposes. Have you ever seen two cuter assistants? I'm slightly biased.
Jenn challenged me a few weeks ago to pull out the tulle skirt and style it yet again, it has made a few appearances here, here, also here. So how to change it up? I thought this Wildfox pink polka dot sweatshirt was perfect, and bonus is its crazy soft and pajama level comfortable, and on sale. This outfit feels very girly to me but with a little bit of an edge thanks to my Sam Edelman lace up heels I snatched up from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, they're just awesome.
My three favorite purchases from the Nordstrom Anniversary sale just happened to go perfectly together.
sweater - I have had in my mind a red patterned sweater every since I saw this great outfit on a gal at disneyland. So when I saw this one on the Nordstrom Sale, I was hoping it would be right. The fit can be hard with fitted sweaters - I may opinion they can often be too tight on me in the shoulders and upper arms, it is not flattering and just adds bulk. And why do they always put seams right in the middle of your upper arm? Well I am so pleased with this one. The weave of the sweater keeps it snug but not too snug and the seams are in the right spot to be flattering. Its a great length to slightly tuck {love a mullet tuck} or to wear long with a shirt underneath over leggings. And I am in love with the lumberjack chic pattern. So now I just need some cooler weather...
jeans - this is my first pair of Rag & Bone jeans {mainly because they are so dang expensive}. I would definitely recommend going up a size. I am amazed at how tight yet flattering these jeans are, it is quite a feat getting these puppies on. My husband even approved the backside fit, I tell you this because this is rare that he likes a skinny jean. I love the ankle zipper which makes them so much easier to get off and fit snug all the way down, and of course the zipper detailing. The darker wash is a bit fancier than all of the sun-bleached, distressed, destroyed denim I have been gravitating toward lately. These are a great addition to my closet.
shoes - the best for last. leopard and d'orsay. and a great heel height, not too crazy tall. These are awesome, so is the price. I couldn't be more excited to finally add some leopard to my shoe collection. They also come in an awesome gray leopard. My favorite purchase of the sale.
glasses - Warby Parker {great company, post coming soon}
and can I just give a shout out to the sample tube of mascara I found in my drawer as I was in a pinch and couldn't find my go to Diorshow. Benefits They're Real, its what Jenn uses for her awesome lashes and I thought yeah great but I already love what I use. Well it is fab, besides having to be careful of the medieval spike ball wand, which is amazing at creating lash length. I can't even believe I may be switching it up.
If you happen upon our home please know it is not a trash site. Those containers are painstakingly put together by small little hands to hold all the bugs the world presents us...which is a lot. In the words of a 4 1/2 yr old, its a bug museum, and what fun California is to present us with so many new to us species. Not so fun when they find their way inside.
It is uncanny how well my child can spot caterpillars in particular.
Happy Saturday!
Here are a few of the items I picked for my little men for back-to-school from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. And if I had a girl, these last two would be on my list.
Honestly this week has been challenging for me. I am thankful for this 3rd {!!!} weekend in July, that we are all together, healthy and experiencing life. This is how I am going to try and soak it up this weekend.
Saturday morning definitely will start with a cup of cold-brew {I'm obsessed, post coming soon} and snuggling in our favorite blanket {yay sample sales!} while reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Oh my gosh its so good, I want to keep reading. Can I get an amen to a book series that we all can enjoy.
a date night in these jeans, they are amazing. Yes to mid 70's and not a degree higher you hear me!
And if my kids can go two more nights with no accidents {yippee!} we will go see Planes Fire and Rescue. And I'm stoked, both for no more pull-ups and to see this film, and because I love a good animated flick. Just saw How To Train Your Dragon 2, darling.
Going to start this book for book club. Because we are getting together next week, each making a recipe for book club. Then, in August I plan to eat at Delancey in the beloved Seattle neighborhood of Ballard, but I'm getting ahead of myself...
I really want to do this with my instagram pics of my family, but probably not this weekend.
So much of my childhood was spent in the mountains of Montana, it is still one of my very favorite places to take my family, and to be with family. I forget how ingrained this place is in me, my very soul. I step off the tiny prop airplane, and take a deep breath. My lungs are filled with the freshest air imaginable, part glaciers, part pine tree, and I'm immediately flooded with nostalgia.
Now that I have two rambunctious boys this place is even more magnificent. Even with all the advances in our lives, this place still manages to pace itself a little slower and remain relatively untouched. My husband says its the only place he can truly relax.
In a life that is moving far quicker than I like, this place is my constant. And my love tank was overflowing being with people I love so dearly.
I found this darling dress in a small shop in town. I love the dip-dyed color that makes it a bit unique, and the easy throw-it-on-and-go-ness. Plus its so comfy and light, when the temperatures are rising, this will be happening, then in the fall how easily I can layer a chunky sweater over the top and swap tall boots.
As I was searching for it online for this post, much to my surprise, they have it at Urban Outfitters. So I guess I didn't have to go all way to Eureka MT for this treasure.
I had to put this one in because I look like I'm 15, what??