With winter in full force, don’t let the idea of six more weeks of snowy cold give you the blues! Warm some hearts today by planning a charitable card party for your girlfriends. Sharing fun times and memories with the ones closest to your heart is a great way to stir up one’s soul in the still of winter. Girlfriend Celebrations has planned a unique way for you to show appreciation to friends who are loved, provide inspiration for charitable giving, and celebrate the life you cherish with your girlfriends. In honor of February’s American Heart month or March’s American Red Cross month, why not host a unique charitable hearts party for your next girl’s night in and spread some love. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy New Year, Girlfriends! It’s time to reflect on the year that’s been and claim the year to come. Instead of running into your year, stop, reflect, give some real and wise thought to 2010 and move forward with focus, intention and heart. Get your Girltalk…Taking it Deeper™ group together and use this January discussion guide by Christine Arylo to take your year in the best possible direction. To download a printable PDF of this month’s discussion guide, click here. To learn more about starting your own Girltalk group (it’s totally free and you’ll receive the discussion guide each month), click here.

Be Real. Every year, it’s the same old drill, isn’t it? We start off with the best intentions, with gusto, resolved to reach our goals and make this ‘the’ year. But by February that gusto has been drained down by the overwhelm, pressure and realities of day-to-day life. Come October, we’re wondering where the year went, and not feeling quite as successful as we had hoped we would when the year started. And then without warning, it’s Thanksgiving, then December and a flurry of presents and parties. Before we know it, January 1 has arrived, and with it the immense pressure to make this ‘the’ year.

If you are a Type A person, you likely go into New-Year’s-resolution and goal-setting mode. If you are the Type B variety, you’re likely more relaxed and avoid serious goal-setting, stepping into the new year with faith that it will all work out. The truth is that neither of these strategies work. Type A or Type B, these approaches are insane. They keep you doing the same thing year after year expecting different results, which by definition is insanity.

Be Wise. This year, instead of running from the holidays into the New Year without really stopping to decide where you want to go before you take off full force to get there, dare to take a pause! Dare to avoid the three biggest mistakes people make when approaching their new year, and instead take the wiser path. Which ones have you fallen into? And what is the deeper wisdom?

Mistake #1: Not stopping to reflect on the year that has passed. Going from one year into the next, without stopping to recognize all that has happened, is like living your life like a mountain climber, arriving at the mountain top of each year, but not stopping to take in the view that you worked so hard to achieve. Instead, you just take a quick breath, and keep pushing up the next mountain, the next year, without celebrating my successes or learning from your failures. No wonder you are exhausted. No surprise that you don’t feel like you really accomplished what you wanted; all you could see was the next mountain.

Wise Truth: In order to grow, we must stop, celebrate, reflect and learn at the end of every cycle.

Mistake #2:   Pressuring yourself to have your entire year mapped out by the first week of January. Read the rest of this entry »

The change of seasons and chillier temperatures are enough to make you want to curl up indoors with a good book. But wait! Why not celebrate the season with your girlfriends? Yes, plan your own outdoor Patio Crawl. Savor some fresh Autumn brews and bites, and catch up with your buddies. What could be better? It’s reason enough to start planning right now! Read on, legal-drinking-age girlfriends: GirlfriendCelebrations has the how-to for an outdoor brewfest you and your girlfriends will remember.

Setting and Setup

First, decide who in your circle of friends will be among the hostesses of the patio crawl. The key ingredient to a successful crawl is a group of patios or decks within walking distance of each other. And take note: Even apartment dwellers can get in on the action. A huge deck/patio isn’t necessary—just one that’s big enough for a few people to go outside to enjoy some cool air and warm conversation.

The number of patio stops is up to you. A good number to start with is five. Plan on 30-45 minutes at each patio/deck.

It’s nice to print out an itinerary for each of the guests. This can be handed out at the first patio and will serve as a guide on where to go during the night.  Be sure to include the time you move on to each stop and specifically where each stop will be. You may also want to include the beers that will be served and a place to rate them from one to five. The list of beers can be a handy keepsake just in case your guests fall in love with some of the choices and want to purchase them later.

Invitations

It seems we are all becoming frugal consumers of late. So, conserve money for the party by sending simple invitations. Buying a simple invitation from a retail store such as Target or Goody’s is an inexpensive option. It doesn’t have to be fancy; sometimes the wording can say it all. If, however, most of your group is computer-savvy, Evite is the perfect tool for the frugal hostess. Your invitation might read something like this: Read the rest of this entry »

Hey, Girlfriends! Just checking in with some interesting links for you to check out. It’s that time of year when we’re seeking something different to break up the monotony of winter (at least in our part of the world). Here are a few unique party ideas for your next girls night in. Try one; your gal pals will thank you!

Mardi Gras is going on now in New Orleans. About.com’s Donna Pilato has written a nice guide to hosting a Mardi Gras Jazz Brunch in your home. Festive, ladylike, refined (but not too)…give it a try, and your girlfriends will feel pampered, we guarantee! Photo via Flickr.

In case you missed it, our Karaoke girls night with a pop-Japan flavor is just the thing to melt away your winter blahs. Sing your hearts out, ladies!

Finally, we recently learned about House Party, a company that lets you host a house party to introduce a consumer product to the market. Products range widely, from coffeemakers to chocolate to hair color. If you are selected as a host, you receive a “party box” with free stuff (product samples, goodie bags) to share with your guests. The freebies vary by party, but the idea is to gather some friends and have fun while trying a new product. It’s a low-cost way for these companies to get word-of-mouth advertising. Celebrating a new product is not for everyone, but we know how some of you love free stuff! It might be a fun way to get the girls together for a change. Let us know if you try it!

What is your girlfriend group up to right now? We’d love to hear from you with any weird, wacky, unique or just fun girls night ideas. (Send pictures too – we love them!) Read the rest of this entry »

How much convincing would it take for you to attend a chocolate exchange? Not much, right? Mmm-hmm, we’d be there in a heartbeat! Our girlfriend Vicki Maday recently emailed us to tell us about a “Pink Elephant Chocolate Exchange” she hosted in honor of  a girlfriend who is a breast cancer survivor. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we thought this would be a great time to

Read the rest of this entry »