November 2009 • Eat, DINK and Be Merry

Las Vegas getaway

By Amber, on November 5, 2009, at 8:37 pm

Mark and I spent an extended Halloween weekend in Las Vegas for our anniversary and my birthday. We met up with some friends and we all stayed at Encore, which is the second phase of the Wynn.

Encore (photo from time.com)

Getting there had its ups and downs, like my checked bag arriving on the flight after ours and some minor chaos around the pre-arranged ground transportation, but once we had my bag and arrived at Encore, everything was perfect. Due to low occupancy, we were able to upgrade our room at an irresistible rate. We were about 50 stories up with an amazing view of the strip and the golf course. I loved watching the lights below every night.

The Encore is a beautiful hotel with an upscale, contemporary feel. I especially loved the main level’s red chandeliers, mosaic floors, and textile-covered walls. We took full advantage of the dining, the spa, the pool, and the casino, and had a fantastic weekend.

There are a lot of beautiful hotels on the strip, but I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be back to this one. (Hint hint, Mr. Wynn!)

Sonam earrings by Amrita Singh

By Amber, on November 3, 2009, at 8:50 pm

The ones that (almost) got away:

sonam

These are the earrings that I ordered from Editors’ Closet and was later told would not arrive. Well, Editors’ Closet had an Amrita Singh handbag sale coming up and I went directly to the Amrita Singh website to get a sense of whether I’d be interested in the goods, as well as what the normal prices were. While I was there, I did a quick check for these earrings, and they were on sale for only $10 more than I had agreed to pay at Editors’ Closet (see, I told you their prices are good!). They were such a perfect match for a dress I already had that I decided the price was worth it.

What’s better is that I found a 20% off coupon on retailmenot which negated the shipping price! Don’t you love it when that happens?

More decorating with dead things

By Amber, on November 1, 2009, at 10:00 pm

Meet my cicada’s friends:

framedbutterflies

In my fantasy life I’m a naturalist who travels the world, sketching and collecting interesting species from jungles and mountains. In my real life I go to an office every day, but it pays the bills for species that somebody else has collected.

I have always wanted a wall full of mounted insects, but they are not cheap. I love to window-shop at God of Insects and figure out which specimens are must-haves (too many to list, but I would almost certainly start with a few beauties from the family Scarabaeidae). I anticipate that stocking my personal museum will be a lifetime endeavor.

But! The framed collection above? Got it for $50. We were looking for interesting mirrors in various Houston antique stores (um, we ended up buying them from Home Depot), and found this gem in a cramped, smelly, hot, outwardly unremarkable shack which also housed the angriest kitten I’ve ever seen. The proprieter had two of these sets and we chose the one that looked to be in better condition. There is a little curling of the mat from age and improper storage, but I like to think my naturalist persona can appreciate the signs of an old treasure.