Vegas, Family Style!

Well, the First Annual Memorial Day Weekend Family Vacation to Las Vegas was a big success! (I say "first annual" as a hint to my mother. HINT, HINT!) We had a great time in my favorite city, strolling around, eating delicious treats, laying out, doing a little shopping... the usuals. So fun!

My cute boy - this was our first trip to Vegas together and I think Ram is a good influence... I barely gambled at all! (Maybe $50 on the Sex and the City slot machine. I'm only human!)

We ate in lots of delicious places, including Todd English's Olives, Emeril's Table 10, and my favorite restaurant Craftsteak - how unreal does this dessert look? JM chose it and we all basically fought over it - cinnamon-sugar monkey bread with brown butter ice cream. I DIE.

Silverman ladies after dinner at Craftsteak!

We spent the day on Sunday laying out by the pool at Aria. The weather was gorgeous and the water was delightful. Also delightful? The lady putting on sunscreen in front of us, totally oblivious to her boob NOT being inside her bathing suit.

Be very proud of me - I stayed strong during NO SHOPPING MAY and didn't buy a thing! However, Mommy was nice enough to take me and Bay shopping... here we are relaxing in the Nordstrom Cafe after buying a J Brand denim jacket :)

Am I a weirdo for LOVING this picture? After dinner in the Bellagio we were walking back to our hotel and I looked up and this is how the ceiling looked. I snapped a picture and put it on Instagram and I can't stop looking at how pretty the balloons look! I'm thinking of blowing it up and framing it.

On our last night Ram and I went to see Beatles LOVE! I saw it four years ago and loved it and I knew he would too, so I bought him tickets for his birthday. He was absolutely awed by it, just as I knew he would be!

All in all, it was a great vacation with some of my favorite people :) Thank you Mommy for taking us, we love you! I already want to go back!!!

What's In My Bag - Las Vegas Edition

Friends, it is the Friday before a long weekend and I am pumped. Tonight I am jetting off for a little family vacation in one of my favorite places - my mom is taking me, Rami, my sister, and her boyfriend to Las Vegas!

The weather promises to be sunny and HOT all weekend. I plan on spending the majority of our time laying by the pool reading magazines and drinking lemonade, but we've also got a few nice dinners planned, AND R and I are going to see Beatles Love!

Here's what I'm bringing along with me...

My favorite bathing suit (mine from last year is a pretty dusty pink)

A sequined clutch (I looove this sparkly mint color - mine is black!)

A couple fun scarves to tie around my waist as a sarong by the pool (similar here and here)

Super comfy suede wedges

A ridiculously inexpensive high/low dress (which I like to call a "mullet" dress)

The world's best tan towels - you know, to enhance the glow! I am OBSESSED with these.

This neon yellow BaubleBar necklace has not left my neck since it arrived (similar here)

Some of my favorite Essie colors - I'm thinking Pink Parka for my fingers and Mint Candy Apple for my toes? (Also shown - Bermuda Shorts)

This new fabulous Diane Von Furstenberg dress - I am obsessed with the color!

(This is kind of a fun little feature, isn't it? I've been trying to give you a little peek inside my suitcase every time I go out of town. See what I packed for Austin and New York last month if you missed it!)

Sun, fun, my fam, good food, and maybe a little action on the penny slots... What could be better? :) Wishing you all a fabulous Memorial Day Weekend! 

Still Loving...

A couple months ago I blogged about this dress, which I was planning on wearing to a friend's wedding. Well, you read about the wedding last week, and I have to say, I'm still loving the colorblock trend just as much as before!

And as summer rapidly approaches, I'm realizing there is nothing better than a colorblocked DRESS! It's really the easiest way to wear the trend - a girl wearing all that color needs nothing more than a great pair of earrings and some fabulous shoes to complete the look.

For some reason, all the options I've been loving are my kind of dresses - meaning, in the pink/peach/fuschia/purple family! Look how pretty...

From left to right, dresses by:

Flores & Flores / Marc by Marc Jacobs / Donna Morgan / Donna Morgan / Kate Spade / Taylor Dresses

I know I already own one and don't need another, but a girl can dream - I'm partial to the Donna Morgan ones in particular. So perfect for summer!

Oh My Mara

My sister and I might be best friends, but there’s a lot we don’t agree on. 

I’m all about hot pink - the rainbow-er, the better! She wears black - sometimes with a dash of grey thrown in. She loves the Real Housewives - I cannot handle them at all. I prefer to keep my jewelry simple - one big pendant, the same bracelets everyday. Bailey wears no less than 3 necklaces at any given time, and every finger is always adorned with a different heavy ring. She loves buying vintage clothes -- when I’m in a thrift store, all I can think about is “Did the last person who wore this die in it?!”

But there’s one thing we always agree on - how much we loooove Mara Hoffman.

We can’t get enough. Mara Hoffman is basically the only designer who we 100% agree on. We love her patterns, her use of colors, her tribal aesthetic, the shapes of her clothes - you name it, we like it. We regularly email each other links and call each other to drool over sweaters and dresses and bags and bathing suits - we love anything and everything Mara. 

Unfortunately, we can’t necessarily AFFORD anything and everything Mara :( Which is why when I came across this adorable, AFFORDABLE capsule collection Mara Hoffman did for Soludos, I completely freaked out. I emailed my sister immediately. She completely freaked out. There we were, having identical freakouts, 3000 miles apart!

Can you blame us? Look how cool:

Four of Mara’s gorgeous, intense, unique prints. On a pair of super comfy flats, just in time for summer. All for $45. Be still our hearts. The Silverman sisters are in love. 

Buy yours now, here! What are you waiting for?

Just Call Me The Queen of Camping

Hey yall! Camper Silverman here :) Needless to say, I survived my trip to the wilderness... and I actually really liked it! 

I'm gonna toss a term out there for you - "glamping." Like a hybrid between glamorous and camping? Because that's what we did. And that's probably why I liked it :) This campsite was absolutely beautiful - trees everywhere, surrounded by mountains, filled with little hopping bunnies. And it had flushable toilets to boot!

We arrived around 5pm on Friday to find our friends already there setting up. First things first, we had to unpack my car -- which was full of about eighty-five different things, including but not limited to three sleeping bags, a queen-sized blow-up mattress, a tent, two beach chairs, my overnight bag, Ram's overnight bag, and six bags of groceries. May I remind you we were going to be there for less than 24 hours?

Ram and Offer quickly got to setting up our tent while it was still light outside. Such manly men. I don't have a picture of our tent all set up - but it was so cute, it even had a little welcome mat outside!

Here's what I did while they were doing that -- cheered them on, while holding a cute baby: 

Meanwhile Jackie was making dinner. How's this for impressive - they accidentally forgot their propane stove, so instead Jackie built a fire in the firepit using real wood, and cooked dinner the old-fashioned way! I was so impressed I was speechless. I just ate my homemade chili and didn't say a word.

At one point Offer called upon me to help "stoke the fire." Ram took a picture of me loading another log onto the flames. Look at me! I am like an expert, living off the land!

By far my favorite part was making (and eating) smores. Is there anything better than a smore? No, no there is not. I ate so many marshmallows that R had to take my skewer away from me. 

My LEAST favorite part of the experience would have to be, uh, the sleeping part. It was freaking freezing in Malibu and newflash - sleeping on the ground (or CLOSE TO THE GROUND on an air mattress) is just not comfortable. I had a brief tantrum once Ram had zipped us up into our tent. Also, I may or may not have woken him up at 2am to accompany me to the bathroom. (HEY! It was scary and I had not ruled out the possibility of bears.) We woke up bright and early the next morning - the air was crisp and the tent was covered in dew. It was kind of nice, actually :) 

And soon after, more pals arrived - just in time for a three hour hike!

Oh - did you think I went on a three hour hike? No my friend, you are clearly new here. How many out-of-my-comfort-zone things did you want me to do in one day!? While the friends were hiking, I volunteered to go fetch more firewood. And by that, I mean "drive to Albertsons a mile away and buy some firewood. And get a Starbucks. And pee in the air conditioning."

The pals returned from the hike in the early afternoon and we all made turkey sandwiches and ate them in the shade of a big oak tree. Puppies ran around us and babies cooed from their strollers. It was lovely.

And then, just as soon as it happened, it was over. I had survived! Rami kissed me and told me he was so proud. I smiled sweetly and told him I had made reservations at Itzakaya for that evening and to gather his things - it was time to go :)

All in all, a great trip! Everyone is already talking about doing it again next year. I'll be ready!

Roughing It

I don’t know about you, but here’s how I usually spend my weekends: Sleeping in. Relaxing. Shopping. Brunching. Usually seeing a movie at some point. Running an errand or two. Walking to the Farmer’s Market on Sunday morning. Laying around catching up on TV.

Here’s a thing I don’t usually do on weekends: Go CAMPING.

But this weekend camping is on the agenda. Yes, you read that correctly. The Queen of LA is going camping. Get your laughter out now because it is not a joke. R’s best friend is turning 30 and to celebrate, she decided she wanted the whole group to go camping together. I love her, so I agreed.

Because this is not an activity I partake in regularly (read: EVER), naturally I am lacking in equipment I’ll need for this adventure. I turned to Facebook to inquire if anyone could lend me a tent. After 18 Facebook likes and 20 comments from my friends asking what the hell was going on, I now have a tent. And a mattress pad. And a sleeping bag. And a little folding chair. And a cooler. I am ready!

Or am I? I am scared of things like wild animals and snakes but I am putting on my bravest face and sucking it up. I plan on packing a container full of cookies and my warmest Splendid sweatpants to get me through the loooong cold night (did I mention I’m only going for one night? Or that the entire adventure will be less than 24 hours? I’m nothing if but dramatic!) Also, our friends are bringing their puppies (three to be exact) and the world’s cutest baby, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to distract me from thoughts of bears :)

This girl looks delighted to be camping. I am not this girl.

Everyone has requested - no, DEMANDED - that I take photos of this adventure. Obviously it will be documented in full - what kind of blogger do you think I am!?

So this weekend if you need me, I’m sorry, I won’t be available. Instead I will be roughing it in the wilderness (aka the campgrounds in Malibu). Hope your weekend is as adventurous as mine is! :)

Red-y or Not, Here I Come

I'm having a red moment and it's surprising me. I typically shy away from red - we all know I'm a pink girl through and through - but lately I've been finding myself drawn to it! At the market over the weekend, I bypassed my usual yellow or blush flowers and picked up a bouquet of crimson Gerber daisies...

And yesterday I got a manicure and when the manicurist asked me for my polish color, I found myself handing her Essie's Fifth Avenue rather than my typical Splash of Grenadine:

It's weirding me out! I don't consider red to be a very "spring" or "summery" color - it usually brings to mind visions of Christmas, to tell you the truth - so I have no idea where this newfound love is coming from or why it's on my mind now. Here are some other red things I'm loving right now:

Like I need another pair of J.Crew ballet flats - but these bow flats are amazing! / The prettiest ruffled swimsuit / 

A cherry colored ostrich bag? Yes please / More ruffles! I love the back of this tank 

Sky high red wedges / An amazing statement necklace / My friend Grace recently blogged about this amazing shirt (with heart elbow patches!) and I fell in love / A super sleek red dress

Wait a second... don't they say red is the color of love? Maybe that's why I'm feeling it so much these days! :)

Patio Perfection

I was wandering the aisles at Target last week (I didn't buy anything, I swear!) when I happened upon this adorable patio set:

Paired with some brightly flowered pillows and a sunny yellow outdoor rug? Perfection!

It only took a second for me to fall absolutely in love with it. It took just a few more seconds for me to mentally redecorate my entire balcony around it. Here are a few things I think would go perfectly with my future patio pal -- what do you think?

Big round placemats / A fabulous monogrammed lucite ice bucket / Handy white lacquered tray table / The cutest polka dot coasters / Graphic striped salt & pepper shakers (on sale for less than $30!) / A bright yellow tray / A three-in-one beverage dispenser (sparkling water, fruit punch, and mimosas?!) / Patterned acrylic tumblers

Summer is right around the corner and what could be more perfect than a yellow patio set? Nothing on earth. I love it. I NEED IT. Consider it wish-listed! In the meantime I'll be over here if you need me, dreaming of eating leisurely brunches on my beautifully decorated patio all summer :)

The End of An Era

Tonight marks the end of an era. Tonight, one of my best friends is leaving LA for good.

I have been friends with Anna for almost ten years. We met in college. We were roommates senior year. After graduation, she and her fiancee Erez moved to Los Angeles so she could attend grad school at USC. Since 2007, she's been by my side as we navigated this new path as grownups, right alongside each other.

When Greene Bean moved here in 2008, our little twosome became a party of three, and oh did we have fun! And in 2010, after months of whispering to GB every time Anna refused even a sip of alcohol, we were the among the first to know that our very first friend from college was going to be a mom :)

"Everyone is jealous of us!" we told each other happily all through the pregnancy. But I don't think either of us were prepared for the love that we felt the day Eytan was born. I certainly wasn't! After waiting hours in the hospital while Anna was in labor, when I held that baby for the first time, the fifth or sixth person to ever lay eyes on him, I burst into tears and cried hysterically. My best friend was a mom!

And over the past year, watching that baby grow up - I can't even begin to put it into words. He started out as a tiny little nugget - and has now grown into the most adorable, hilarious, walking and talking little man. I adore every bit of him. The thought of not getting to see him every day is killing me.

Because now it's over. Anna and Erez and Eytan are moving to Memphis tonight. From now on, I won't be able to stop by their house, even just for a minute, to hug and kiss them and squeeze that baby. I won't be seeing my friend at any more community events and get to sit next to her and whisper gossip while we're pretending to be professional. I won't get to call them and convince them to come meet me for lunch with just a few minutes notice.

Weddings, graduation parties, baby showers, birthdays, holidays - we've celebrated them all together. We've flown across the country to meet our friends for girls weekends. We've spent mornings at the farmers market, afternoons at the movies, evenings at dinner. We've eaten takeout on each others' couches, gone to Dodger games, ran our errands at Target and Costco together. We have taken turns puking in the bathroom after a particularly rough New Years Eve and then recovered in time to head out for brunch. We have laughed and cried and emailed and texted and talked for hours. We are more than friends. We are family.

I told Anna last week that when we both first moved back to LA after graduation, life was completely different. I had no job, no apartment, no boyfriend, no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Bush was in the White House. I had a flip phone, for gods sake!

It truly is the end of an era. But I guess this is what it means to be a grownup - to be able to say "see you later," not goodbye, and mean it. Because I know Anna will be my friend forever - no matter where we live. We will still laugh and chat and email and call each other all the time, and we will still see each other as often as we can.

But I am still going to miss her so much.

Wanty McWanterson: NO SHOPPING MAY Edition

A week and a half has passed since the NO SHOPPING MAY ban first went into effect. That's eleven days without shopping, yall. Needless to say I am suffering.

It doesn't help that the weather in LA is absolutely beautiful and in addition to wanting to buy new flat sandals and wedges to show off my pedicure, I am not trusting myself to go on any "casual walks" around outdoor shopping areas like the Grove or 3rd Street Promenade. We all know how that will end.

WAH WAH WOMP WOMP enough whining out of me. I started this NSM ban and I'll finish it! But in the meantime I will delight your eyes with a little compilation of things I WOULD be buying if I could :)

The cutest J.Crew striped sweater - "swing" style, so flattering!

An awesome "preppy & tribal" neon green necklace found on Etsy

Colorblock ballet flats - I NEED.

Hilarious globe featuring ONLY Los Angeles landmarks

Tiny skull rings with diamond eyes - I'll take the rose gold one, please

Stunning colors in this Michelle Armas print - will definitely be buying this, only $30!

Coral tassel earrings! Also available in turquoise, yellow, blue, grey, and black

This colorblock skirt from Target would be perfect all summer long

For the girl who hates sneakers - glittery espadrilles. LOVE. 

Here's to staying strong for two and a half more weeks! Oy, I may have teared up just writing that :)

The Most JOYOUS Austin Wedding Ever!

WELL! I am back from an exhausting but freaking AMAZING weekend in Austin, Texas and I have approximately one billion photos to share :) that's what happens when you get to reunite with all your best friends for a very special celebration in honor of two very special people!

I flew to Austin Friday and got in on Friday night just as the first wedding weekend activity was kicking off - a cocktail party by the bride's parents' pool. As soon as the cab dropped me off I ran up the stairs and into the arms of my friends and the fun began immediately!

Everyone looked beautiful... ESPECIALLY Gerrick, considering she and I were wearing the exact same outfit - brightly colored jeans and a shirt we both bought last year while shopping in Houston! Since we no longer live in the same city I forgot how often that used to happen :) (oh and if you're wondering how the hell I'm so tan in all these pictures, YUP I got a spray tan!)

After that party Friday night and a few hours at a bar dancing to Lady Gaga and catching up over Abita Strawberry, we got some rest in time for our first fun-filled day. We spent Saturday walking around South Congress, visiting Austin's food trucks, and eating some crawfish as a little appetizer before lunch at South Congress Cafe. So fun - but so goddamn hot. It was 100 degrees and like 90 percent humidity!

That night we all got ready for the rehearsal dinner - held at the famous Salt Lick BBQ! I loved how pretty and colorful everyone looked - so summery.

I will point out something you may have noticed in the above picture - guess who is the only one who DOESN'T own cowboy boots? (Anna has a pair but didn't bring them.) You can take the girl out of California but you can't take California out of the girl - I opted for a very LA-esque pair of suede fringed sandals instead :)

The rehearsal dinner was fantastic - heartfelt speeches, tables covered in red gingham tablecloths and flowers stuffed into cowboy boots as centerpieces, and of course, all you can eat BBQ :) I posed for lots of pictures with pals in my sassy polka dot dress:

Arizona AEPhi FPC 03 + Justin :)

No trip out of town is complete without some awkward photos posing in bars - this one is no exception.  Fun fact: when someone or something is being super awkward, I like to pose with one or both of my arms at a right angle dangling next to my body. Obviously you can see my friends have picked up on this quirk as well :)

Next Sunday rolled around and it was time for the wedding! Half our pals were off being bridesmaids so in their absence, we toured Austin some more and posed by the famous LOVE graffiti before heading back to the hotel to get ready...

And then it was time to board the busses for the wedding! I wore my new Pour La Victoire wedges and this gorgeous Julie Dillon dress. Me and Greene Bean matched in our Kendra Scott Danielle earrings, too!

As for the wedding itself... it was beautiful. It was outside on a hill overlooking the most beautiful Texas landscape and the moment Joy stepped out, I burst into tears. I NEVER think I'm going to cry at weddings and yet I ALWAYS do... but I just get so happy for my friends I can't help it. (I am going to be a goddamn wreck at Gerrick's wedding, I can't even.)

As soon as the rabbi pronounced them husband and wife, Joy and Justin had a little surprise of their own for us - "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" came over the speakers and the entire bridal party danced back down the aisle. So funny! Look how cute these newlyweds are!

Three gorgeous bridesmaids and a lady in stripes :)

The rest of the night was perfect - the band was fantastic and we all had so much fun dancing with each other for hours! And of course - we squeezed in one more group shot :)

Now the weekend is over and I'm back in LA, but I know two things for sure - I have the most amazing friends in the world, and the new Mr. and Mrs. Solomon are going to be very happy together for the rest of their lives :) Congrats, you two! I am so lucky to have friends like you and I'm so glad I could be there to help celebrate!