24 Hour Champagne Diet

New Years Eve is just days away and I still have no idea what I am wearing for the festivities!! The last few years I have been in Lake Tahoe, although this year I have 8 people coming into town so I'm playing hostess and sticking around here which I could not be more thrilled about. I'm typically the one stuck in charge of party planning, I'm not complaining but it can be a lot of pressure making sure everyone has a good time. I made reservations at a causal Mexican restaurant in the Marina {I love the idea of being dressed to the nines in a dive-y place} followed by a house party {no lines for drinks, bathrooms or taxis} to ensure a good evening! Even though I'm not a  huge fan of over-the-top celebrations for New Years I am, in fact, a huge fan of over-the-top dressing on New Years. Above are a few looks I created on Polyvore that I'd love to wear as I ring in 2011. Hope everyone has a happy and safe New Years Eve wherever you may be celebrating, extravagant or not. 2010 was a great year, although I can't wait for 2011 I have so much to look forward to! Cheers!

I'll be playing this song on repeat while sipping bottomless glasses of champagne . . .

Have a Jolly, Holly, Christmas!

{images via, weheartit}

The holidays this year have been really special for me. I am so grateful for the abundance of time I have already spent with family and friends, eating, drinking and being merry. Christmas eve was spent at the San Francisco Nutcracker followed by dinner at the beautiful Jardiniére and today we are hosting dinner and a cocktail party at our house. My mom will never let me forget how I cried when I found out Santa Claus wasn't real and to tell you the truth, it still makes me pretty upset... Even though I know St. Nick won't be making his way down my chimney, there is nothing like Christmas morning and the anticipation of opening all the gifts under the tree!!

 Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, as we celebrate let's remember those who are in foreign lands serving our great country.

xxo, Gigi

Candy Cane Lane

My Gingerbread House Creation . . . the Love Shack.

This past Friday I hosted my first annual gingerbread house decorating party! It's hard for me to let a holiday pass without planning some sort of a celebration and Christmas is absolutely no exception. Trying to gather a group of social butterflies during the holidays is merely impossible but luckily I managed to get quite the group together! I started planning way in advance, collecting gingerbread recipes, a template for the houses, a dinner {truffle mac + cheese} recipe and even sent out invites via snail mail. The process of baking 20 gingerbread houses from scratch was no easy task although all the hard work paid off as I laughed till I cried watching some of my creatively challenged friends try to assemble a masterpiece. My dad crashed the party {per usual} and became the self proclaimed 'judge' which made for more laughs and an embarrassing moment for my friend who placed her snowmen in compromising positions, ha! I loved having so many of my great friends together in one place indulging in holiday traditions & treats. It truly was a festive fete.

{my personal favorite: created by Jennifer with some help from muah!} 

It's A Girl Thing

{ballet flat slippers $24, gold spike love bracelet $150, chandelier earrings $8.80, all other images random, forgive me for forgetting!}

I spend a sickening amount of time on the Internet, fact. Between online shopping, catching up on my favorite blogs, writing my own blog & frequenting social media sites, I probably spend more than half my day perusing the world wide web. As I hop from site to site I typically save images I love leaving my desktop a complete cluster f**ck {excuse my french}! This evening as I was clearing my desktop I stumbled upon all these images I have saved over the last few months. I clearly have some sort of an obsession with pale pink, opalescent, gold and inspiring little quotes . . . Who's shocked?    

Jon K

Nothing like a little Jon Kortajarena to add a lot of hotness to this chilly Monday morning, {for realz}! I'm starting my Christmas shopping this week and after watching these videos I'm thinking I'll find the perfect winter fashion wear for my brother at h&m. 

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! xx

Frisky Friday

{images via studded hearts}

Here are a few surefire ways to spice up your wardrobe for the holidays . . .

1. Top Shop - Pleated Black Chiffon Sequin Hot Pant Skirt $110

2. Top Shop - Black Bodycon Dress $90

3. Urban Outfitters - Bandana Suspender Tights $28

4. Forever 21 - Large Drop Earrings $3.80

5. Shop Bop - Hanky Panky After Midnight Peek-A-Boo Set $75

6. SoleStruck - Jeffrey Campbell Leopard Invisible Wedge $179.95

{Mexico Part III.} A Palatial Property

Here is the third and final installment of photos from our Thanksgiving trip to Cabo {yes, after this I promise no more talking about the sunshine as we are currently being poured on}! My tan is beginning to wear off but the scent of the ocean air and freshly fried sugary churros is still lingering on my mind. I wanted to give you all a little photo tour of the villa we were invited to stay in at the Esperanza, a gorgeous palatial property I was lucky to lay my head for the long weekend. I have always loved the idea of indoor/outdoor living and this place was designed just like that. The large windows slide open converting the living room into an extension of the patio with breathtaking views of the Baja peninsula. With my kindle and ipod fully stocked I could lounge around and soak up the sun for hours. I was reading the book "Front Row" an inside story about the editor-in-chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour and her rise to power. I have yet to finish but I would definitely recommend it to any aspiring fashion journalist or any fashion lover for that matter!!

After a sunset stroll we arrived back at the the villa to the chef's cooking up a delicious traditional Mexican feast including chili rellenos, enchiladas, fresh tortilla chips & guacamole. The evening was seemingly perfect until an impromptu firework show erupted over the villa changing the night from perfect to perfectly spectacular.