BIG REVEAL: The Everygirl 2.0 and Shop!

For the past few months, we've been working on a "top secret project." We can be dramatic.

Today - it's here!

A fully redesigned The Everygirl site and Shop!

We teamed up with a small group of web designers and developers here in Chicago, and we are so thrilled with what they put together for us. There's a new fancy navigation, sorting by cities, filters, a lot more articles on the homepage, related articles within stories... basically all the practical functionality we never thought to add to the original design seeing as we are not UX experts and just cared about it looking great. Now that's all fixed! Not to mention it's FAST FAST FAST! No 5 second load time. 

You can read more of the details on what the new site offers here.

Or click over to The Everygirl Shop to snatch up stocking stuffers for all your loved ones and girlfriends!

Christmas 2012 Revisited

Has Christmas really come and gone already? This holiday season was a bit rougher than most. As I've mentioned before, a few large changes have happened in my life the past month (all will be shared soon enough), but annual gift exchanges, homemade mail-delivered treats, packages at my doorstep, Christmas parties, friends, puppies, babies, and wine helped get me through it with a genuine smile on my face. I'd love to share some snapshots of the past couple weeks with you here. Odds are if you follow me or The Everygirl on Instagram, you've already seen a few of these.

Sarah Winchester, an Everygirl photography contributor and friend, sent delicious homemade peppermint bark that I enjoyed while watching Christmas movies and periodically staring at my new graphic living room rug from RugsUSA (sneak peek above). Tuck loves the bark and the rug.

Speaking of Tuck. He's always been a very intelligent but odd dog... and this time he's taken it to a new level of creeping. This might be his best move yet. I was sitting on the couch hanging out and chatting w/ Caitlin, when I looked over and realized Tucker was sitting perfectly still near the mantel, partially behind the tree, just staring at us. So weird. I love him. (Isn't it crazy how different he looks pre- and post-grooming?)

In other news, I wore my sequin-collared top for a festive look at Danielle's Christmas party (you might remember it from fashion week activities). The same party where she and I met two years ago, which we mention in our About Us bio on The Everygirl. She did such a lovely job hosting. I'm thinking this will have to be an annual tradition.

Gifts were a bit frugal this year since I had quite a few friends to buy for. Each of the girls got a great pair of J.Crew socks (my favorite, but at $12.50 a pair, a real treat), mini disco ball ornaments from CB2 (that I recommended keeping out year round! I have mine on my bulletin board), and a set of colorful hair ties from Mane Message. The neon tags and white and gold boxes plus some baker's twine made charming and colorful–albeit untraditional–gift wrapping. It was my neon-colored version of Santa's workshop.

My high school girlfriends and I participated in our annual Secret Santa gift exchange–a tradition we've been doing for... oh gosh... if we started in 8th grade, that means I was 14-years-old, which means it's been going for... 14 years. Crap, that's a long time. It was just as fun as always!

Danielle joined my family and me at my mom's to celebrate on Christmas Eve. It was so nice having her there... my older siblings are married so I'm usually the lone ranger when we get together. It was nice having a person there! You can't tell in this photo, but she wore green and I donned red. Always complimenting one another's outfits. It's really quite perfect.

She loved the mini disco ball.

...almost as much as Fiona loved the fire.

Speaking of the pups, Danielle brought Buddy along since we were spending the night (lots of wine), and we were pleasantly surprised the puppies got along splendidly! Tuck has some territorial issues, but he handled having another man there just fine.

Danielle brought her festive albeit it absolutely ridiculous hats! Shortly after gifts we changed into our cozy clothes...


...and spent the rest of the night playing games, watching holiday flicks, drinking vino, and eating cookies. It was really quite perfect.

Spent some quality time with my new niece and nephew, Lucy and Jack.

...and here we are Christmas morning. College sweatshirt and plaid flannels. (Not even my college.) Not sure I changed out of that outfit all day, which is just how I like it.

How was your holiday? Cozy and happy, I hope.

from my home to yours...

...wishing you all a very merry christmas.

i realized i hadn't shown you all my tree.

isn't it lovely? yes, it's very real, smells fresh and christmas-y, and was carried home from the nearest lot just like the past couple years. the ornaments are a combination of childhood ornaments, christopher radko's i have been gifted since i was young, newer ornaments i picked up from target, pottery barn, west elm, world market, etc., and candy canes. the needlepoint stocking w/ my name on it is another piece i've had since i was a child. my mom finally gave all of us ours to keep in our new homes. this is the first time it's actually hanging from a mantel. i love this little scene–complete with the sunburst mirror from layla grayce and paris ferris wheel print from the paris print shop–and i'll be cozying up here all weekend with my favorite christmas movies, some tea, and my pups... until monday when i'll be heading to the suburbs with danielle to celebrate christmas eve with my family.

i want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your support, kindness, and patience this past year. i know my posting was sporadic to say the least. 2012 - the past month in particular - has brought about a lot of change in my life, a lot of which was beyond wonderful and more than i ever could have expected in my life. and recently, some very scary but exciting changes are on my horizon, all of which i will share with you after the holidays.

in the mean time, i hope you all have a peaceful, wonderful holiday with your friends, families, and loved ones. and please keep the families, victims, and all those affected by the tragedy in connecticut in your thoughts.

- alaina

six festive looks for six holiday fetes

these ladies sure know what they're doin'. so honored to be able to work with such kind, talented, generous women. check out the holiday fashion feature on the everygirl today.

big thank you to Liz Schneider of Sequins and Stripes (christmas party), Alicia Lund of Cheetah is the New Black (work party), Krystal Knight of The Feisty House (bundle up!), Sally and Molly of A Piece of Toast (christmas morning), Julia Engel of Gal Meets Glam (christmas day), Kendi Skeen of Kendi Everyday (new year's eve) for making this incredible, budget-friendly, inspiring holiday fashion feature happen!

and if you haven't, check out these other everygirl #holidayweek features:
FOOD: 5 non-cookie holiday dessert recipes
SHOP: the ultimate, budget-friendly gift guide
DECORATE: 12 tips for bringing holiday cheer into your home (when you don't have a tree!)

the everygirl's gift guide

You may have heard it's Holiday Week on The Everygirl and our gift guide is live! In typical Everygirl fashion, almost all of the 95 items in the gift guide are under $50, except for a few "splurge" favorites we couldn't leave out. We have a little something for everyone–the ladies, fellas, little ones, home, office, entertainer, and cook. And we've asked some of our favorite bloggers to share their picks under $30.

Have at it! We dare you not to buy at least one thing.

In other news, things have slowly gotten a little better for me this past week... the support from everyone - in my personal life and across the blogosphere - means more than you realize. Thank you.

The Everygirl Event at Kate Spade

As promised, a lil' candy-colored image recap from last Thursday's event at Kate Spade w/ photos directly from the iPhone of yours truly. To see far prettier photos from the professionals, visit The Everygirl today!

Hostesses with the mostesses. Or something like that. Decked out in Kate Spade because the brand is truly awesome like that.

Pretty maids all in a row.

Loved that so many Everygirl staffers and contributors came out! Including but not limited to...

our Everygirl copy editor Lisa Sanchez, straight from Boston

our super wordsmith Elizabeth Fitzgerald

Danielle and I w/ Everygirl alumn Caitlin Brown and Mary Mullen and our fall writing intern/in-house fashionista Annie Walsh

our dynamite photogs, Maura and John Stoffer, whose beautiful photos from the event you can see on The Everygirl today!

...and there were friends and loved ones! Not to say staffers aren't friends, obvi. But you know what I mean.

with the lovelies Taylor of Curly in the City and Gina of River North Paleo

 

Skirt PR represent! Clair and Caitlin (future and former Everygirls)

 

this tall glass of water surprised me and stopped by

...the only man in a sea of women and glitter who wasn't paid to be there (literally the only other men were photographers and waiters). #makesmyheartsing

And then there was my favorite part... meeting readers! No surprise how personable, smart, and stylish all these ladies were. And friendly! Many of them are from Chicago, two sisters were from Alaska! Their careers varied from PR to tech consulting. Boy would I love to get together with a big group some time and really talk - more than you can in the five minutes of chatting at a cocktail party. I'm sure we'd all become fast friends.

Seriously - how fashionable are these ladies?!

Yay Kate Spade!

Yay surprise write-up on Vanity Fair's blog!

Yay prettier event pictures by John and Maura!

Yay Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I'm finally going to Michigan to hang with my new niece!

What are your plans for my favorite holiday?

NYE 2011 Revisited

Wow - what a week! I've regressed to the likeness of a lazy college student for the past seven days (we get the week between Christmas and New Year's off work). This of course means all productivity and motivation went out the window and was replaced by a constant stream of merriment and spirits. That being said, my roommate and I did throw one heck of a New Year's Eve party... so I guess I get some points there. Yes? Maybe?

We guess there were at least fifty people in our apartment Saturday night. It was chaos. And by chaos I mean it was awesome. We hung the mirror ball in the dining room, made some tasty appetizers including this Gruyere and chutney grilled cheese, stocked the fridge, and wore sparkles. What better way to ring in the New Year than with fifty of your closest friends? And by 'closest friends' I mean I didn't know most of the people in my home. I'm reading that as a great sign for 2012.

And based on this Morning After snapshot, all signs point to a good night.

If you're wondering where I scored the amazing gold sparkly table cloth, it's five yards of this "Confetti Dot" fabric from Joann Fabrics. I have no doubt I'll be reusing it time and time again.

How was your holiday? Excited to get back in the swing of things? I am!

Christmas 2011 Revisited

I'm alive! Sorry for the radio silence the past few days. I've been busssssy. Relaxing. Eating. Drinking wine. Sleeping. Enjoying the Holidays just as they should be enjoyed. Let's review...

I decided we don't eat enough au gratin potatoes in my family. So to remedy that, I gave each of my family members this Le Creuset au gratin baking dish and topped it off with a bundle of rustic potatoes. Anyone have other recipe suggestions for what to bake in this dish?

I baked more shortbread cookies with chocolate and walnuts. They were a hit.

I always joke that my very talented brother-in-law (the one who renovated a hoarder's house into the beautiful home it now is) is the living example of someone who lives creating himself. He's constantly picking up new hobbies. Learning new trades. Building furniture for my sister's and his home. If something is broke, he'll fix it. If he doesn't know how to fix it, he'll figure out how and then do it. Lucky for us...! We are on the receiving end of his newly acquired skills. For example, he gifted this hand-crafted cutting board to each of us. Isn't it stunning? Like a work of art for my counter-top. I'm pretty sure he'll be selling the fruits of his labor online soon. Stay tuned.

I gifted each of my best girlfriends these monogrammed letterpress notecards from Paper Source. They'd also make a great hostess gift or stocking stuffer (keep in mind for next year!).

Christmas morning, I rocked these Santa slipper socks, gifted to me from one my besties. They're fun.

In true Polish tradition, we do the big Christmas hurrah on Christmas Eve with extended family and all (it's called Wigilia - pronounced vee-GEEL-yah, and we eat fish and pasta instead of meat. Isn't learning fun?). So Christmas day dinner, there were just three of us. And I cooked. (If you know anything about me, cooking is not one of my strengths. But try, try, and try again I do...) And sometimes... I SUCCEED!

I used the simple pan-searing method to cook filet mignon with red wine reduction sauce. Use this simple four-ingredient recipe. It's supes easy and turns out delicious.

And I test-drove the au gratin pan I gave my mom and used The Pioneer Woman's recipe.

Sauteed some 'shrooms.

And serve.

The food was fancy...

...even though I was not. In honor of it being the happiest day of the year, I stayed in my pj's all day. It was gloooorious.

Naturally, Monday was spent sifting through sales and standing in lines at the mall. I avoid Black Friday like the plague but rejoice in the day-after-Christmas sales. I got some good deals, including this adorable coat from Anthropologie. It was originally $250. I paid $75. Win win. I have an irrational obsession with cute winter coats and own a couple more than anyone actually needs. But take my advice: ALWAYS buy your winter coat after Christmas and never pay more than half of what they originally charge. Or you're a fool. A fool I say!

I also invested in the 12" Le Creuset iron fry pan that I used to cook the filets. It was originally $150 on sale for $100 at Williams-Sonoma, and I used the $20 gift card I earned when I bought my family's Christmas gifts, so in the end, I paid $80. Wham bam thank you ma'am. How Everygirl of me?!

So that's what I've been up to.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Any great gifts or sale purchases you care to brag about?! Sorry I've been a bad blogger this week. Hope you forgive me!

We carried the tree home When Harry Met Sally style

 

Decorating the tree is one of my favorite things to do. I look forward to it all year. Fortunately, my roommate was just as eager to carry the tree home from the lot in true When Harry Met Sally city-dweller fashion. I mentioned last year that in lieu of a $100 tree skirt or something cheap and fuzzy from Target, I use two yards of burlap to hide the stand. $4 can buy you that much charm.

I'll be staying home for the holidays. Despite the lovely dusting last weekend, looks like it will be sunny and 40 degrees here Sunday. Lame. Either way, I'm excited to relax with the family for a few days. Games, wine, great food, and nonstop Michael Buble's Christmas await. What are all of your plans? Going anywhere? Some place warm?  Some place with snow?

Whatever you are doing, I truly hope you have a wonderful holiday, surrounded by the ones you love! Thank you so much for sticking with me all year. It means the world.