Calling All High School Seniors: Scholarship Opportunity!

Hi Y'all! My Junior League offers a few $1000 scholarships each year for High School Seniors in Kane & DuPage Counties in Illinois.If you know of anyone who would be interested and qualifies, please have them check out the opportunity at:

WWW. JLKD.ORG

JLKD is an organization of over 160 women from throughout DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties which focuses on improving the quality of life for children at risk in the community by providing critical resources and programs through our trained volunteers.

For more information, visit www.jlkd.org, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/JLKDServes and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JLKDServes.

Brand Profile: High Cotton Ties

Continuing on my Tie theme, I think I'll name December "Tied to Christmas" month!

 Another unique company I've come across is High Cotton Ties. This is a true story about a Southern Mother's devotion to style and culture. These wonderful cotton ties were created out of need within the medical profession. A few years ago when H1N1 was going around, doctors were told not to wear ties as they are typically silk, and therefore aren't washed frequently and tended to carry diseases. To combat this decision to remove a piece of attire that provides professionalism and a sense of style, the founder of High Cotton Ties created a cotton tie that could be thrown in the wash as frequently as needed to prevent the spread of sickness. How neat is that?!

Not only are they functional, but they're so stylish!

Coming in a variety of colors and patterns these ties make a great addition to any gentleman's look for either the tailgate or the executive office.

I found this picture on their site, and I had to include it as it looks like our good friends (who just got married) dog Stout. L & C - how much would you have loved him to walk down the aisle with this adorable bow tie!?!

Ties aside, High Cotton also offers a wide range of Headbands... Ladies, if you've ever wanted to match your accessories to your man's (and let's face it, who hasn't?) here's your chance! Perfect for any occasion, now you aren't just limited to color coordinating.

Additionally, most true southern gentleman have a tux hanging in their closet for those coming out balls, cotillions, formals, and other soirees. High Cotton offers matching cotton cummerbunds as well!

I had the opportunity to catch up with the co-founder of High Cotton ties, Mr. James Hill. Checkout the summary below:

When did you first decide to start your company?

The story behind High Cotton is pretty amazing. In January of 2010, Judy Hill’s son Cameron came home from UVa medical school and informed her that all of the doctors were being discouraged from wearing neckwear of any sort due to the outbreak of H1N1 since guys rarely dry-clean their neckties and they were risking the spread of infection in the hospital. Judy, who is one of the most outstanding Southern women you may ever meet, has been sewing her entire life and thought it would be a sweet thing to sew Cameron a cotton bow tie so he could wash it after work and wear it the next day. Little did she know that she actually had stumbled upon a much bigger idea and once Cameron's new cotton bow tie began attracting attention around his medical rotations, she knew there was a strong market for her products. What started off as a gift for her son in medical school, quickly turned into something that was extremely preppy. The connection that cotton has with the South and its inherent easy-going quality makes it something that is very easy to wear, and something that is very easy to look good in while wearing.

What is your inspiration?
The inspiration for the patterns of the fabric themselves as well as the shape of our bow tie all derive from our owner and fashion director, Judy Hill. She was inspired by her three boys to find something that was clean, comfortable and classic that was fun to wear and always attracted ‘the right type of attention’. We accomplished that by developing a bow tie that allows your personality to take the forefront of the outfit and hopefully assists in making a good first impression. With novelty bow ties dominating the market, going back to what we call ‘classic southern mainstays’ seemed like a refreshing break from the norm that we hope never goes out of style. It is definitely fun to sell something that you believe in and something that you feel represents your lifestyle. We always say that we are glad we aren’t selling something like computer paper because it just could never be this much fun.

What do you hope your products will convey about yourself and your style?
We are firm believers that bow ties should be a regular part of a gentleman's wardrobe, not simply reserved for formal events. By avoiding novelties and embracing traditional patterns, we create our bow ties with the expectation that they will be worn often and be admired just as frequently.Simply put, we not only trust that you will fall in love with our bow ties and cummerbunds, but we also expect them to become a long standing member of your wardrobe. We understand that when you choose a bow tie to wear, it will end up saying a lot about your character. It is our hope that High Cotton Ties will be able to extend itself to our customers as a helping hand to properly reflect their individuality, in good conscience and in good style.

What has been the hardest thing about starting your own business?
The hardest thing about starting any sort of business is the same thing we keep in mind everyday as we continue to grow, that you cannot be 'everything to everyone'. At first, it might be tempting to go out of your comfort zone and expand your line to gain some business, but in reality making all sorts of different products at a mediocre level is a compromise High Cotton Ties was unwilling to make. We should credit our 70 retailers in the southeast for reminding us that we should continue to "do one thing and do it well". That advice has taken us a long way and although we may introduce new products in the future, we hope that our patience, attention to detail, and ability to find a meaning behind our product that our customers can connect with will help us to "do many things and do them well".

What other products do you hope to add to your portfolio?
We have created a real niche for our brand by creating a market for cotton bow ties, so we will always be sure to put a primary focus on our flagship product. We will be releasing our 2012 Spring Collection which is absolutely stunning. We have a lot of styles in nearly every color imaginable and we also have a few tricks up our sleeves that no one has ever seen before, so be sure to keep an eye on our website for the release. You can also look forward to the addition of croakies to our line as well as some new spring t-shirt releases made from our signature Carolina grown cotton.

How would you define today's 'Preppy' and how do you think it compare to the preppy past decades?

Where some might argue that 'preps' have lost their gentlemanly quality over the past few decades and become more insubordinate, we feel like the 'prep lifestyle' is still alive and well-behaved. The world has changed significantly over the past few decades and arguably manners have faded, but we get to hear from people all the time who are the exception to the rule. Everyone we speak with is wonderful to do business with and it always makes our day to hear from the gentleman wearing our products. The only common thread is that these folks were gentlemen long before wearing High Cotton Ties, but feel wearing one distinguishes them from others. Just because you put on a bow tie does not make you are a gentleman, and as long as the High Cotton Ties brand continues to attract people that know the value of being a gentleman at all times, then we will wholeheartedly embrace the 'prep' label.

What to learn more about High Cotton Ties? Check them out here:

Website: www.highcottonties.com

Twitter: @HighCottonTies

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/HighCottonTies

And as always, if you have any companies you think I should check out and feature on my blog. Please let me know!

Weekend Recap - Christmas in NYC!

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to take a fairly last minute trip to NYC for a much needed girls weekend!

First, I've only ever been to NYC like 3 times, twice in July and once in February for my 23 birthday. However, most importantly, NEVER at Christmas!

I was so incredibly excited for the time to spend with my girlies exploring the city and seeing ALL the lights.

Friday night, SS and I flew in to Newark to meet up with KD. After about 4 trains and loads of confusion we made our way to Jersey City before heading into the city. 

 We had reservations at John's Pizza off 44th before our Rockette Show at Radio City.

After a fabulous, amazing show, we checked out the Rockefeller tree before stopping by a bar owned by a cousin of KD's, 48 Lounge.

The girls & I at the Tree!

But it was quite late at that point, and my ball gown was turning into jeans and a slinky shirt... regardless I was very tired and we managed to figure out the PATH train back to Jersey.

Saturday, we got to sleep in a bit, before enjoying an awesome breakfast at KD's grandparents.

Then we headed into the city to visit Macy's Harrold's Square... 

 but really... to have TEA at the PLAZA! Chello Eloise, much?!

The girls about to head in.

The Plaza Windows

Eloise's tree in the Lobby

She even wrote a little note on the mirror on either side of the tree.

The amazing ceiling of the Palm Court

The Place setting and the Tea Menu

We had a 1:30pm reservation, however with the holidays they were running a bit behind. So to compensate us for our trouble, they gave us a complimentary bottle of Campaign!

Beautiful SS & KD!

HJ & I, childhood friends who always seem to do NYC right (it all started at sweet 16).

HJ met us for our reservation, and I couldn't have been happier to include her! I missed her when I was home for Thanksgiving and I'll miss her when I don't get to go home for Christmas. Every year for as long as I can remember we've spent Christmas Day (and so many others) together... sharing the awesome toys we got and dressing up in her AMAZING Scarlett O'Hara dress! (yes, I brought it up again! It was just THAT amazing!)

SS, HJ, & I all got different Tea Settings, and KD got the hamburg. Overall it was just so amazing and tastey. (I think at this point, I've probably run out of synonyms for AWESOME! Stellar? Spectacular? Stupendous?)

After our luncheon/tea, we made our way around the corner to 5th avenue and....

TIFFANY'S!

We didn't get to spend a ton of time in there (although, it was super crowded as always so not as enjoyable :( ).

We cruised all down 5th avenue again, hitting up a few more shops, before grabbing a trains south. We dropped HJ off to head to her evening plans. After saying adieu, we made our way to ours.

FAIR WARNING, The below may not be appropriate for all audiences.... If you are of a conservative mind set, you may not appreciate.

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KD had found this deal for a dinner and entertainment special at.... Lucky Cheng's in... I'm not going to even pretend that I know what that neighborhood is known as. So basically it's a dinner & drag place. I've personally never been to a place like this, and really didn't know what to expect. Apparently it's been on Sex & the City and several other shows. It seems to be quite the place for bachelorette parties... seeing as how there were 3 in our company.

Meet Paulette... our Host(ess)

This is "Crazy Chinese Dragon Bitch"... that's not me insulting her, that's literally what she went by!

Everything was very funny and the Chinese-American meal was pretty good.

We were feeling pretty good after our tasty cocktails, and almost went in search of another hot-spot, however upon secondary thought we decided to head back. We figured we'd save some money and grab something on the way home to watch cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies.

I sadly had to make the girls get up fairly early as I had an 11am flight out of Newark back to O'Hare, so we stopped for Bagels... REAL NYC bagels!

Overall, it was a never to be out done (without significant effort) weekend. 

Dear Ladies,

You are incredible friends and I had a fabulous time! KD, thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality (as I am a true southern lady... your Thank You note was put in the mail yesterday).

XoXo

More pics to follow!

Southern Tide Giveaway - WINNER!

Thank you to Southern Tide for hosting the a $100 Gift Card Giveaway!

AND THE WINNER IS:

Thank you to all who particpated! I will be in touch with the winner to for her $100 Gift card to Southern Tide.

Keep your eyes peeled for another giveaway coming soon!

Holiday Guest Blogger: Charise from "More Bread and Cheese, Please!"

Hello, Prep-in-the-Midwesters! I'm Charise, and I blog over at More Bread and Cheese, Please! I mainly write about recipes from my kitchen, but there's some entertaining/party and travel write-ups thrown in for fun. I know Megan through our Purdue tailgating crew.
Anyway, I love, love, LOVE the holidays and am big on creating traditions. Since moving to Columbus, Ohio, right after college (Boiler Up!) 6.5 years ago with my then-boyfriend, now-husband, Ryan, there's a few things we do every year.

1) Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo Columbus has a zoo ranked tops in the nation, which is not surprising considering famous animal caretaker Jack Hanna was its long-time director. Although I usually have a short attention span for looking at captive animals, I do love seeing the place entirely blanketed in millions of lights every winter. Snow, carolers, reindeer, polar bears, holding mittened-covered hands, and sipping hot chocolate (hidden flask of peppermint schnaaps and Bailey's optional ;)) - what's not to love? If you are ever in Central Ohio between Thanksgiving and New Year's, I'd recommend checking it out.

2) Annual Christmas Party
Beginning the year after moving to Columbus, Ryan and I have thrown a big holiday shindig. We alternate the themes, one year doing the classic ugly holiday sweater party, and the next hosting a pajama jam. (I can't be the only one who always got new pajamas every Christmas Eve, right? It's my homage to that, and an excuse to still buy a new pair of fun-patterned fuzzy pj pants every December.) We may mix it up for the sixth year and do a dressier cocktail party, but we'll have to see about that!
We consider the party our Christmas gift to all our local friends, and go all out - keg, spiked hot chocolate, champagne punch, and I spend multiple days cooking and baking up a holiday feast. The spread always includes a couple seasonal desserts. Last year's peppermint oreo truffles were quite the hit, and are easy, if a little time-consuming, to prepare. Recipe included at the end of this post if you'd like to try them out. 

3) Homemade Chinese Food and Movies on Christmas Eve
With divorced parents who live in different states, we do a lot of traveling for all holidays throughout the year. We've made an effort to make Christmas Eve *our* time, where we don't go anywhere and don't have any guests. This does not always make my family happy, but we're our own little family now, too, and have to do what's best for us.
Since we cook a fancy dinner on Christmas day, for Christmas Eve I stir-fry a couple better-than-restaurant quality versions of Chinese food - general tso's and mongolian beef are our favorites. Then we hunker down on the couch with some adult beverages, our spiffy new pj's, and watch It's A Wonderful Life followed by Love Actually with the Christmas tree twinkling next to us. If we're still up for it, we'll throw in A Muppet Christmas Carol, but that often waits until Christmas morning.

Peppermint Oreo Truffles

(makes 8 dozen; via A Southern Fairytale)

2 packages of Trader Joe's Candy Cane Jo-Jo's or Peppermint Oreos

2 packages of cream cheese (I always use 1/3 less fat)

5-6 4 oz bars of bittersweet chocolate (like Bakers or Ghirardelli)

1 package of 12 candy canes

1. Place one package of oreos in a heavy-duty ziploc bag and crush with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Empty in to a large mixing bowl and repeat with second package. There should be some larger chunks, some crumbs, and some powdery pieces. (You can use a food processor, but what fun is that?)

2. Add the cream cheese and mix to combine. We just jump right in and use our hands so we don't break up the cookies any further with a mixer.

3. Form into about 1 in. balls, rolling bits of dough in your palms. Place on wax paper on cookie sheets. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. Melt your chocolate in a double boiler (I use a medium metal mixing bowl over a medium saucepan with about 1-2 inches of simmering water in it).

5. Using two forks, roll each ball around the mixture, let some excess drain off, and place back on wax paper. Every 5-6 balls, stop to sprinkle your candy canes or other toppings before the chocolate hardens all the way.

6. Stick back in fridge to harden up. I'm store mine there but they should also be fine in a covered container at room temperature.

Holiday Guest Blogging

This Holiday Season I wanted to kick of a new tradition: Guest Bloggers!

I am blessed to have so many wonderful friends all over the country and the world! Each of them is unique and special in their own way, and have their own holiday traditions. I asked them to share them with you through my blog each week so for those just starting your traditions (like me) can get ideas!

I will publish at least one Holiday Guest Blog each Thursday, but depending on the amount of input I receive, might also have a weekend publication. Keep your eyes peeled!

Christmas Is Here!

While home for the Thanksgiving holiday Sister reminded me (and the rest of the family), how she thinks the psycho Target shopper is me.... So I'll embrace it... for now...

In the spirit of the season (as it starts tonight with the lighting of the Rockefeller Tree), I thought I'd post about all the companies making ornaments for this holiday season. With last week's Black Friday, this week's Cyber Monday, I can't even begin to tell you the amount of emails I've received from so many companies touting their Holiday wares.

I like a good Christmas Sweater, or mitten set just as much as the next prep, but I REALLY love ornaments! I love putting up my tree and having it glitter at me while I wrap presents and listen to holiday music. Also, ornaments don't require fitting rooms which will likely remind you, you probably ate too much turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving... but that's neither here nor there.

One of the companies that recently came out with their own line of Christmas ornaments was Smather's & Branson!

S&B do a phenomenal job when it comes to needle point products and these are no exception. I've purchased many a key fob and flask, if not belt from them in the past, and these ornaments look awesome. 

This reminds me of something you might find tucked away from the 40's in your grandma's old ornament stash. I love the old timey Santas! Especially the old Coke Commerical one!

I'm a sucker for Nutcrackers. My Mom used to take us down to the Atlanta Center for Performing Arts to see this every so often and I just love the story of Clara looking for her Prince!

And for $25, these things are a steal, because no way (even as crafty as I am) do I have the skills or the time to try to replicate these!

Vineyard Vines also has some pretty cute ornaments this year. I can't say if it's their first year doing this, because quite frankly, I don't recall, but they did a great job!

Of Course I'm going to show the awesome Whaler! Got to represent the Brand!

But Most particularly, I LOVE their mini-ties!

Prices vary, but either way your tree would look super studly in these!

And of course, I have to include the ULTIMATE in all Sterling Silver.... TIFFANY'S!

These will obviously be a BIT more pricey, but they're just so PRETTY!

If you see any more BEAUTIFUL Christmas ornaments you think I might like, PLEASE pass them along! I'm an avid collect!

Happy Holidays!