Outfit: Las Vegas

Packing for an exciting vacation can be as stressful as missing a connecting flight if you fail to use color schemes. To improve the versatility of your looks it is important to find items that go with more than one other piece in your suitcase. A trip to the Sin City in the middle of January warranted one color scheme: Black. 

Mirror pics with my girlies :: Totally Vegas

Grab some fantastic heels :: Ones you can walk in after a couple Long Islands

Sparkly accessories :: The ones you would think twice before wearing at home



Short black dresses that can mix and match with jeans and skirts :: Necessity

Cheap Pleather Jacket (preferable $30 or under) :: You wont cry about leaving this in a taxi

Shoes
Left: Nasty Gal (similar)
Right: Nordstroms

Accessories ::
Studded bag - Forever 21
Clutch -Target
Earrings - Claires
Necklace - Nordstroms (similar)
Hair Ties - Emi & Jay

Outfits ::
Simple -  Nasty Gal (similar)
Leather - Forever 21 (similar & totally love this better)
Lace - Asos (similar)

Jacket ::
Forever 21

Of course I brought a couple other items for wandering the strip during the day but honestly, a pair of jeans and a couple tanks is all that is needed :)

VEGAS ADVICE: Advil, flat shoes for recovery during the days & Happy Hour.

Happy Travels

Maddie

Outfit: Workday Wednesday

Thrifting is the theme for today's Workday Wednesday!  I recently got this skirt at my local Goodwill, such a fun find and a perfect skirt for a Wednesday outfit. I love how the skirt has lots of different colors, so you have a variety of options when accessorizing. I added a chunky red and gold necklace from To Zion, my favorite jewelry store in Joseph, Oregon, as well as a thrifted red Pendleton coat.

Do you have a favorite place to go thrift shopping?  I love my local Goodwill Super Center, it is a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon and I always find that if I am patient and take my time I can find some true gems hidden in the racks.

Ellie

Food: Cowboy Party!

Every year Jay and his best friend, Greg, have a joint themed birthday party. This year the boys decided on a cowboy theme. Secretly, Kelsey (Greg's girlfriend) and I love planning themed parties and the guys' birthdays are a perfect excuse. Here are some pictures from the event. 

Birthday Boys! 

 We named and labeled all of the food after famous Westerns and their characters! I made two recipes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, which Jay requested. Together we cooked the rosemary scallop potatoes and a beef tenderloin, delicious! Kelsey made, chicken, her famous coleslaw from a secret family recipe, and corn salad!

 
 This is the gorgeous cake Kelsey made.  She got the recipe from the Vintage Cakes cookbook, this is the Goober Cake! Perfect for Jay and Greg who love peanut butter and chocolate! I keep telling her she needs to start a side business, all of her cakes are beautiful and so scrumptious.

  

 The party was a blast, lots of great food, costumes, drinks and a few rowdy games! What is your favorite theme party? We need ideas so we can start planning for next year!

Ellie

Outfit: Workday Wednesday

Start with the basics! A simple black pencil skirt and sweater is an easy neutral base for any work outfit. Then, add some colorful accessories. Having a different scarf or necklace for everyday of the week is much less expensive then a different pencil skirt. Adding textured tights and fun boots also adds dimension to the outfit. The scarf was a gift from my California best friend, and definitely cheers me up on the rainy Oregon days.

 

Honesty, I wear some combination of a black pencil skirt and a colorful piece at least twice a week. My basic black sweater is a go to as well. What items in your work wardrobe are essentials?

Ellie's Outfit:
Sweater: J Crew
Skirt: Banana Republic
Tights: Nordstroms (Similar)
Boots: Frye
Scarf: Gift

Ellie

Fitness: Weekly Pilates

Tuesday night is our family's night to get together. We chat about the week,  do some pilates, and eat  yummy Thai food at Jade. It is a great way to see each other, and pilates is a relaxing way to start the week! Anne McCranie is our awesome pilates instructor and the founder of Fluid Movement and Massage. Every month, Anne puts together five exercises, which we practice each week along with previous ones we have learned. The January Five are hundreds, leg circles, down dog, triangle, and seated twist. Here are our attempts. You can find the instructions for these five and also other helpful health and fitness tips on her website.

Triangle ::



Hundreds ::

Leg Circles ::

Seated Twist ::

Downward Dog ::

Have a healthy and happy weekend!

Maddie & Ellie

Craft: Boot Cuffs

Although big socks with leggings and boots is an adorable look, sometimes shoving a thick sock into a boot can be cumbersome. The alternative: the boot cuff! Ellie had a professional development today,  a work day spent in meetings, so she was doubly productive knitting these cute cuffs and learning.

Ellie got this  Sol Maldonado. pattern from Ravelry. The cuffs were fairly easy to knit, with a basic front cable pattern and different combinations of knit and purl. Maddie got to model them!

Ellie & Maddie

Outfit: Happy Birthday Jay!

This weekend we took a trip to Bend to celebrate Jay's birthday! We went skiing yesterday morning with our good friends and then headed out to hear music and celebrate. I wanted to wear an outfit that was festive but also practical for being out and about in the cold. My favorite dark jeans, a flowy blouse and a bright necklace will work perfectly.

Ellie's Outfit:
Jeans: Paige Jeans Nordstroms
Blouse: Target (Similar)
Shoes: Target
Necklace: J Crew
Coat: Thrifted

My friend Megan took these photos in her front yard. Isn't her canoe pretty amazing!

What fun plans do you have for the long weekend?

Ellie

Outfit: Cozy Comfort

When putting together a cold weather outfit for an outing in Portland I often ask myself the same question, "Is anyone actually going to see my blouse?" More often than not, the answer is "no". So, I have begun to develop my outfits around the jacket itself rather than what is underneath. The important thing then becomes what will be seen on top of the jacket! Cute scarfs, boots, and a fun bag can easily dress up a plain coat. Another trick I love is to wear a long sweater underneath so that even if your jacket is all zipped up, you can still see a little glimpse of what is underneath! 

Maddie's Outfit:

Cowl: Anthropologie

Boots: Frye

Purse: Vintage Coach

Jeans: Gap

Jacket: ASOS (similar)

Stay warm! What are your favorite winter outfit tricks?

Maddie