MERRY CHRISTMAS

I wish you and your loved one(s) a very Merry Christmas! I am grateful for your continued support and the best gift is you stopping by to read a post on here. I hope gift giving Santa was generous to you and hope you gave back in a noble capacity. Here's to last days of 2011.

NECOLE BITCHIE HOSTS X-RATED LIQUEUR CHICAGO

Blogger and entrepreneur Necole Kane better known as Necole Bitchie  was in Chicago on Thursday Dec. 15, 2011 hosting the Chicago stop of the X-Rated Fusion Liqueur Tour. The event was held at Hebru Brantley's space at the Lacuna Artist Loft (2150 S. Canalport). Ms. Kane has expanded her brand from self blogger to strategic partnerships with corporate brands.  I had the opportunity to briefly speak with Ms. Kane, who offered some behind the scenes insights and what it takes to run Necolebitchie.com

BEHIND THE SCENES -JEFF SCHEAR

A lot of times, the people that work behind the scenes making the scene rarely get recognized for their work. SociaLifeChicago will spotlight the amazing people that make you and your event look great.

Chicago based photographer Jeff Schear is synonymous with great events and event better pictures not only here in Chicago, but nationally and internationally.  I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jeff on a rare day off (he had most of that week off, his first in quite some time). Public Hotel library was the perfect setting to sit down and get to know Jeff Schear the man behind the lens.

GIFT IDEA #17-VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME

They say time is money and often times in this fast paced, technology driven world we live in, we don't have time to devote to everything we would like to let alone volunteering. Volunteering your time is a gift idea more for yourself than for anyone else. The gratification felt after spending an hour making a difference does more than writing a check, some might say it adds a certain glow a Dolce & Gabanna bronzer or NARS body glow can't replicate. Chicago has hundreds of non-profit organizations that can use your time.

I've been volunteering in different capacities since I can remember. A lot of it stemmed from catholic school obligations and my parents, but as I grew older it became natural to volunteer anytime I could. The best thing about volunteering in Chicago is there are organizations that allow you to volunteer without all the commitments (Chicago Cares, One Brick). You can volunteer as much as you like(as little would be defeating the purpose, no?). Besides helping a great cause, some of the perks as a result of volunteering include: meeting new friends, a new job opportunity, meeting your partner or future spouse. When you volunteer with a certain organization, you know the people you will be around are also there for the same reason. 

Chicago Cares is an organization that allows you to volunteer as much as your schedule will permit. This organization co-founded by Neil Bluhm's daughter Leslie Bluhm and Mary Prchal 20 years ago, does a great job of partnering with different organizations to accommodate different schedules.

Some of the best places to start volunteering are your local hospital, museum, food pantry, soup kitchen, animal shelter, house of worship.

JOFFREY BALLET NUTCRACKER DINNER

Cindy Burns, Melissa Babcock, Candace Jordan, Sonya Jackson

The Women's Board of the Joffrey Ballet hosted the annual Nutcracker dinner chaired by Women's Board members Cindy Burns and Sonya Y. Jackson.

After the spectacular ballet performance, guests arrived at the Grand Ballroom of the Palmer House Hilton and were greeted by a myriad of activities and treats. Magnolia bakery provided some of their signature treats such as the banana pudding, Peanut butter no bake bar"just like Grandma used to make" and cranberry chocolate chip cookies. There was a candy station for kids to make mixed bags of their favorite sweet treats. While the kids were treated to juices in champagne flutes, adults had wine and signature mixed drinks that were passed around.

The whole room was whirling with activities from the video game station to the arts and craft center, face painting and the cookie decoration area. All the kids in attendance were having so much fun before dinner was served.

Dinner commenced in the grand ballroom with Executive Director Christopher Clinton Conway and Artistic Director Ashley Wheater welcoming guests and thanking them for their support. Mr. Wheater encouraged the kids to "take the time to say thank you to your parents, you are very lucky."

The Co-chairs of the Nutcracker Dinner Sonya Y. Jackson and Cindy Burns recognized and thanked all the Sponsors and staff and everyone that was involved in the process of making the dinner a success.

After an intense game of head & tails, The winner of the iPad2 was Olivia 

Guests in attendance included: Goodman Theatre's Regina Taylor, Women's Board president Melissa Babcock, Candace Jordan, Odele Hawkins, and a lot of adorable well dressed kids.

GIFT IDEA #18-MUSEUM PASSES

Co-chairs of Museum of Science and Industry Columbian ball 2011

The greatest treasure sits right under our noses but we never take the time to see it. Chicago has one of the biggest and greatest collections of museums in the country, if not the world. We are blessed to have institutions such as: Museum of Science and Industry, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, Shedd Aquarium, Illinois Holocaust Museum, DuSable Museum, Adler Planetarium, Chicago History Museum and many more. These museums are great treasures within our city that are not only for children or school field trips, they can also serve as sources of inspiration and out of the box fun. For example The Museum of Science and Industry is a great date spot where you can partake in intellectual conversation. Museum of Contemporary Art has different engaging events(First Fridays, Culture Catalysts) in addition to the great works of art on display.

GIFT IDEA #19-SOBEWFF FESTIVAL TICKETS

The 11th  Food Network South Beach Food and Wine Festival presented by FOOD & WINE which will take place February 23-26 2012 in South Beach,FL is where the real foodies meet. Its a weekend long fest of fine food, great chefs and drinks.

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE is a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world's most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities. Hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University(FIU), the festival benefits FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. To date, the Festival has raised more than $14 million for the School.

CHICAGO HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ALL ABOARD! WONDERLAND EXPRESS DINNER

Chair Susan Tupper(Lake Bluff) and vice-chair Susan Spears(Riverwoods)

The Chicago Horticultural Society hosted their sixth annual All Aboard!Wonderland Express dinner at the Chicago Botanic Garden on Dec. 1 with over 300 guests in attendance. The dinner raised $285,000 that will be used towards the: Garden's Community, Windy City Harvest and Green Youth Farm programs at the Chicago Botanic Garden. These programs aim to help enhance the lives of those living in low-income neighborhoods of Chicago, North Chicago and Waukegan. The dinner was chaired by Susan Tupper of Lake Bluff and Vice chair was Susan Spears of Riverwoods.
The All Aboard! Wonderland Express dinner was presented in three themed rooms: Jaipur, India; Stockholm, Sweden and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Calihan catering provided the sumptuous appetizers to match the theme of the evening as well as dinner consisting of braised short ribs, lobster macaroni and cheese, haricot verts and desert.

GIFT IDEA #20-SOMETHING HOMEMADE

Homemade is defined as:

something made in the home by one's own effort

Homemade items conjure warmth and thoughtfulness. If you’re looking for a slightly inexpensive gift that will will wow the receiver, make something homemade. Word of caution, if you are not a baker or adept around the kitchen you might want to skip this gift idea. I wouldn’t suggest this as your experimentation time and also stay away from allergens such as nuts & berries.

I decided to make homemade pound cakes for my co-workers. Its something that I like to eat and its comfort food. I found the perfect recipe on Epicurious

J.CREW PRIVATE SHOPPING PARTY WITH THE BREAKFAST CLUB

The J.Crew store located at 900 N. Michigan Avenue was buzzing with eager shoppers Tuesday morning as Shauna Montgomery and Whitney Lasky hosted a breakfast shopping party. The two ladies invited some of their closest Breakfast Club friends to join in their secret fashion weapons: Personal shopper Shellie Thompson and the amazing clothes at J.Crew. The  staff at the store welcomed guests  with warm smiles and blue plate catering provided the delicious mimosas, nosh and sparkling water. The hostess' were dressed in head to toe J.Crew and Ms. Lasky topped off her look with a pair of Brian Atwood shoes. Ms. Montgomery's daughter, Meredith, was one of three models, the other being Lynne Bredfeldt.