Join The Everygirl Team

Photographers
- looking for photographers who specialize in portraits, style, interiors, travel, and/or food photography
- proficient in Photoshop or Lightroom for photo editing
- include link to portfolio
- students are welcome to apply
- looking for talent in any city, state, country... after all, Everygirls are everywhere!
*Email resume and portfolio to internship@theeverygirl.com with subject "Photographer"

Graphic Design Intern
- lay out out feature stories and other web graphics
- proficient in the Adobe Creative Suites, specifically InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop
- please send us a link to your portfolio that includes at least five samples of editorial layout and other graphics work (if you have specific examples of typography work, we'd love to see that)
- must be in the continental U.S. or Canada (time zone purposes)
*Email resume and portfolio to internship@theeverygirl.com with subject "Graphic Design intern"

Chicago Intern
- assist editors in styling and executing photo shoots in and around Chicago
- assist with communications and social media marketing
- proficiency in Adobe Creative Suites preferred but not required
- must have a car
- available nights and weekends, approx. 8-12hr/week
*Email resume and portfolio to internship@theeverygirl.com with subject "Chicago intern"

As a side note, we are so honored by everyone's enthusiasm for the launch of The Everygirl, and we've been getting asked a lot about the official launch date. Please note the full TEG site will not launch until later this month. And by later we mean post-Valentine's Day. *cue smooth jazz music* Your patience is appreciated. Please stay on the line.

Restaurant Design Done Right

In preparation for the launch of The Everygirl, Danielle and I needed to get a photo of the two of us for the "About Us" page. Given the 25 degree temperature outdoors, we needed to shoot inside and wanted the location's decor to be both interesting and pretty. Because everyone has already seen inside our homes, we switched our mindset to shooting at a restaurant or coffee house. Cafe Kafka in Barcelona, pictured above, would have been the picture-perfect setting. Unfortunately, three round-trip plane tickets for us and our talented lady photographer, Maura Stoffer, just wasn't in the weekend budget. But we made due and settled on the über charming though slightly less posh local option: The Bourgeois Pig Cafe in Lincoln Park.

 

Like Cafe Kafka, it too has pressed tin, crown molding, bookshelves, mismatched chairs, unique lighting fixtures, not to mention some of the yummiest sandwiches in the city. Best part is it's right in our backdoor. Be sure to stop in next time you're visiting Chicago! And for my fellow Windy-City dwellers, if you haven't been, go. Today. You won't regret it!

words worth reading

A second tribute to the words of one of my favorite female writers, Nora Ephron

“The desire to get married is a basic and primal instinct in women. It's followed by another basic and primal instinct: the desire to be single again.”

“I married him against all evidence. I married him believing that marriage doesn't work, that love dies, that passion fades, and in so doing I became the kind of romantic only a cynic is truly capable of being.”

"I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle in your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." (When Harry Met Sally)

Read the first words worth reading dedicated to Nora Ephron here
Read all words worth reading here

Photo sources 1, 2, 3

The Floral Pants Debate

If you saw me wearing these would you be all "It's a lot of look but you pulled it off" or more "Who pulled that look? Lisa Frank?"

Be honest.

LCY in the Press

So honored...

The newest issue of online mag House of Fifty came out yesterday and I'm excited to report photos from my home are included in an article on chic rental living. Honored to be included with Design Manifest and Third Floor Design Studio. Check out page page 132 for the whole report!

Another new online publication has hit virtual newsstands and founder and editor Shirley Lau asked me to contribute decorating tips and share images of my home work space with readers. Check out page 60 of the just launched Minted Magazine. Best of luck with the new venture, Shirley!

Greek magazine Glow Living ran an article on me. Or maybe my blog. Or my home. I really don't know... Anyone out there know Greek?

This little blurb on Elle Decor is from October but it was pretty much the most exciting moment of my life to date so I thought I'd share again!

The Best Deal You'll Ever Find for a Chevron Rug

Chevron rugs are by no means a new trend. The bold geometric pattern has been appearing in shelter magazines and in designers' showcases for the past several years, with Madeline Weinrib's design leading the pack. While I'm guessing most of you have seen these lovely colorful rooms before, I wanted to refresh everyone's memory of just how eye-catching a chevron rug can look in a room. Why? Because I've found what is probably the most affordable oversized chevron rug on the market.

RugsUSA is selling a chevron rug in brown, black, and light blue, and the price for a 7'10"x10'10" is $215! Smaller sizes are significantly less. Don't dilly dally there, pretty lady! These sell out fast! I'm thinking of scooping up a smaller black and white one for my office. (Correction: just did!)

**And thank you, Jill ---> the chevron rug is an additional 35% off with coupon code DAG35. That means you can get what is essentially an 8x10 rug for $140. Bananas. And THAT my friends is how The Everygirl shops.

And if anyone caught the movie quote in this post, you get extra cool bonus points from me. ;) 

***Ding ding ding! We have a winner. Thank you, Alex, for figuring out "Don't dilly dally there pretty lady!" is said by the darling Luke Wilson in what is one of my top three favorite movies: The Family Stone. You can see it here at the 0:40 mark!

Thrifting in Chicago: Berry Hill Furniture and Millionaire Rejects

This weekend I was on a mad hunt for new nightstands. The budget for my lady's boudoir makeover is stretched thin as it is, so an affordable vintage/Craigslist makeover sounded just right when recalling that the total cost of my dresser makeover was around $55, my dining chairs were $90, and the chair in my living room was $35. So Saturday afternoon I hit up a couple of my go-to thrift stores in Lakeview and Lincoln Park. First stop was my beloved junk shop, The Brown Elephant on Halsted. But I left there empty-handed and ventured to two other resale shops, both of which are brilliantly curated and offer fantastic (although not always cheap) goods. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, I had zero luck in the nightstand department, but I wanted to share some other great pieces these stores were offering.

First stop...

BERRY HILL FURNITURE

2517 North Halsted Street
Chicago, Illinois 60614

This braided gilded mirror was only $100 and would easily work in a bedroom, dining room, entryway, bathroom... pretty much anywhere.

The unique designs of these orange velvety nailheaded delights reminded me something I'd see in Elle Decor. Truth be told, I think they were priced accordingly.  The set of four was over $1000.

Oh, how I loved these stools! Would like to see them opposite my couch in the living room. Lacquer up the base and reupholster the tufted seat - perfection. And the set was just $150.

And English roll arm sofa for $900? Originally from Room and Board. Would definitely need to be reupholstered (I'm thinking yellow - a la Jenna Lyons'), but it was still a great price for such a large couch.

Next stop...

MILLIONAIRE REJECTS

1131 W Armitage Ave

Chicago, IL 60614

Loved the tufting and shape of this lil' chair. I can picture it recovered in a blush pink! You'll notice it's only $150; I'm guessing you could have gotten it down to $100. Not bad at all.

Loved these cowhide pillows. And there were a gagillion mirrors lining the wall and stacked on furniture around the store. Perty.

This minty green and gold collection of Noritake China - we're talking 11 full place settings plus a whole lot of serving pieces - was $250. Considering a five-piece Noritake place setting sells for a little less than that at Macy's, this was an unbelievable steal. And the color! I LOVE minty green.

I probably would have purchased the set of China had I not given my heart away elsewhere. I saw this striped velvety bag in a glass case, and I got all starry-eyed with little birds and butterflies fluttering around my head. Turns out it's vintage Roberta Di Camerino, an Italian designer, and similar styles go for $500+ on eBay. This was $250, which was still a lot more than I was planning on spending that day. Of course, it's two days later and I'm still thinking about it.

Lucky me did find and purchase this vintage YSL evening bag. Loved the tassel, the gold tips on the strap, and the funky shape. It holds all the bare essentials: iPhone, credit cards, lipstick, keys. I already wore it out Saturday and love the fact it can be draped cross-body to free my hands for dancing and sipping cocktails. Best part? It was $30! I know. Amazing.

In other exciting news...

...this pink geometric rug arrived and is laying cool in a top-secret location in my home. All part of my colorfied 2012 home makeover goal.

How was your weekend?!

Keeping Good on My New Year's Goal

No, I haven't booked my trip to Paris. And I kinda sorta haven't cooked a single thing (yet). But there is one New Year's goal I am rocking. #2 Add bright colors to my home and wardrobe. Behold...

1. When Handsome Will of Bright Bazaar posted these colorful chevron towels, I immediately clicked over to purchase. Unfortunately, they are from H&M Home - amazing store, doesn't ship to the States. Naturally. But no worries. I sent my friend Handsome Will a message, and he so kindly picked two up for me and sent them my way. My home is getting more colorful by the minute...
2. Second piece of evidence. I color-blocked a neon green sweater with hunter green pants over the weekend while I was running around Chicago working on a photo shoot for The Everygirl. It was fun, bright, and a little more out there than normal preppy Alaina would wear. [Pats self on back.]
3. Neon argyle socks?! Don't mind if I do.
4. Fun fact about me, I only drink water. And lattes. And wine. But sodas and juice just aren't my thang. I was pretty hooked on Diet Coke and Diet Iced Tea Snapple (peach flavor) for a while, until I realized they are chalk-full of cancer-causing aspartame. No thank you. And while I like a glass of OJ whenever I feel a cold coming on, it's just too sugary for me. Well, I recently I received a coupon to pick up a free bottle of Trop50, and after researching that it does NOT have any unhealthy artificial sweeteners, I figured why not? So readers, I'd like you to meet my new most favoritest drink. No aspartame. Half the sugar of usual Tropicana juices. And my favorite flavor - Raspberry Lemonade - comes in a perfectly happy and bright shade of pink. What's not to love?

In other news, Trop50 is actually running a fun campaign called True Resolutions. And the idea behind it is "What's the real reason for your new year's resolution?" Ya know, things like "I want to lose ten pounds... so I look amazing when I run into my ex," and "I want to start my own business... because I cannot stand the people I currently work with." Which led me to think... what are the real reasons for my five goals?


Well, I'll let you all in on a little secret. My place is being photographed for a print shelter magazine this year. I know. Whoa. But since photos of my apartment have circulated around the internet, I want to change it up as much as possible without going into crazy debt so that it looks different for this feature. And that my friends, is the REAL reason behind New Year's goal #2: adding more bright colors to my home.

What are the real reasons behind some of your new year's goals? Come on, we're all friends. You can be honest!

"I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany." // Thoughts on Men's Style Part Three

Behold, a man's apartment. Where so little can say so much. I don't think I've ever walked into a straight guy's place and thought, "Wow! He knows what he's doing." My rating of his home is normally based on cleanliness and whether he took to the time to hang something - anything at all - on the walls. If both of those check out, I'd say he's doing ok.

But what baffles me about a guy's place - much like men's fashion - is that you can accomplish so much with so little. Colors don't have to be outrageous. Textiles and furniture - like a classic button-down shirt - can be simple and unfussy. It's amazing what a mix of whites, greys, and black can do, sprinkled with navy, green, perhaps a punch of red or orange. Yet somehow, in my experience, men have a tendency to find the most awful, oversized, overstuffed, gaudy furniture there is. And furniture sets. What is it with men and furniture sets? Dressers that match nightstands that match headboards. Coffee tables that match end tables that match TV stands. My hope for men everywhere: stop buying furniture in sets! I don't care if it's easier. Unless you want your wife or girlfriend to sell it sooner rather than later, take the extra time to mix and match. It'll do wonders and save you money in the long-run.

But enough of my complaining, let's take a look at one guy who seems to have it all figured out (probably because he's Seattle-based interior designer, Brian Paquette). He managed to pack so much cool into 200 square feet of space, as seen in the latest issue of Rue.

Tips we can all learn from Brian:
Sports memorabilia: Unless you have some super sweet autographed jersey (which on occasion is acceptable so long as it's properly framed), just go vintage. It's easy to find, affordable, and looks oh-so much better than Jordan's Wings poster. In fact, let me just state for the record, nothing should be Scotch-taped or pinned to a wall. Anywhere. Ever.

Bed: White sheets and a grey, brown, or navy duvet. Avoid pattern. Stripes are the exception. Easy. Done. And if you can afford it, maybe invest in a headboard. Even if it's kind of ugly, it shows effort, and women like effort.

Bathroom: Go to West Elm and buy a nice looking bathmat and a coordinating hand towel. I'd recommend Target, but there are too many scary options available there that could trick you into messing this one up. Maybe hang something on the wall for bonus points. Oh, and do everyone a favor, and stick a nice scented candle in there while you're at it.

Kitchen: I actually have very low standards when it comes to a man and what his kitchen looks like, so long as it's clean. But I do advise having a set of 4-8 plain white plates and bowls, and glassware (including wine glasses). Throw out the plastic mugs complete with team logo that you got for free at a football game. Sadly, college has come and gone.

And one last tip from me to men everywhere:
The Couch: Please, please find the will to avoid living room furniture that reclines. Pretend we live in a world where La-Z-Boy doesn't exist. Please.