Finding a cure for breast cancer in our lifetimes is a cause that GirlfriendCelebrations is proud to support. So, we are thrilled to tell you about The Pampered Chef’s efforts to raise funds for breast cancer education and early detection programs through its “Help Whip Cancer” campaign. There’s no better feeling than gathering your girlfriends for a girls night that contributes to a great cause. Our girlfriends at the Pampered Chef have given us a delicious *pink* recipe you can use at your next girls night in, plus a martini glass giveaway you’re going to love!

Since introducing the Help Whip Cancer campaign in 2000, The Pampered Chef has raised more than $7.9 million to support breast cancer programs through the American Cancer Society.  Last year, the campaign raised more than $875,000 from Help Whip Cancer Fundraiser Shows and special pink-themed product sales.

“Almost everyone knows someone, whether it be a mother, sister or friend who has been affected by breast cancer,” says Marla Gottschalk, chief executive officer of The Pampered Chef. “The goal of this campaign is not only to raise awareness and education for breast cancer, it’s also about supporting women who have been affected by this disease.” There are two ways YOU can help:

1. Raise Funds with a Cooking Show Fundraiser

This May, in honor of Mother’s Day, The Pampered Chef invites people to celebrate the women in their lives by hosting a Help Whip Cancer Fundraiser Cooking Show. Up to 25 percent of total Help Whip Cancer Fundraiser Show sales will be contributed to the American Cancer Society for breast cancer awareness and early detection programs. If you don’t already have a Pampered Chef Consultant, find one HERE.

2. Buy Special Pink-themed Products

A contribution of $1 will go to the American Cancer Society for every pink-themed product purchased from The Pampered Chef between May 1-31, 2010. The following special Help Whip Cancer products apply: Pink & White Dots Martini Glasses  (shown below); Pink Color-Coated Tomato Knife; Pink & White Twixit! Clip Combo Pack; Sweet Honey Vanilla Sprinkle; Help Whip Cancer Reusable Shopping Bags. Guests who spend $60 or more in May get Help Whip Cancer® Reusable Shopping Bags (a set of two) for free, and they are also available for purchase. See all the Whip Cancer products HERE. We are so ready to buy that pink tomato knife! These products are available for purchase online as well as at cooking shows.
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This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to our winner Viveca! Want to get away? Girlfriend getaways are all the rage—really.  Even the Chicago Tribune noted in a recent article, “Women are signing up in droves to vacation together.” Why? Well, as we can attest from a recent girlfriend getaway, vacationing with a group of girlfriends is a great way to remember who you are. It’s a great way to strengthen your bond with girlfriends you don’t see often. It can be more relaxing than vacationing with your family; you don’t have to take care of your girlfriends, they will let you shop in peace, and they share your enthusiasm about everything from mani-pedis to Manet. Finally, it’s just plain fun.

With summer coming up, our friends at Gracious Bridal want to help you get away with your girlfriends in style. They are giving one lucky GirlfriendCelebrations reader a fabulous Printed Oil Cloth Garment Bag in Orange Toile, along with the matching Passport Cover, Luggage Tag and Cosmetic Bag.  Total value of this package, which includes shipping, is $87.85. Read the rest of this entry »

Giveaway has ended, but enjoy the author interview! Are you happy, girlfriend? Why the heck not? Are you letting the little things get in the way? According to a new book, women tend to let their momentary mistakes overshadow  their episodes of excellence, until self-doubt shakes the foundation of even the happiest life. Unfortunately, this is the way many women think about everything—their love lives, their friendships, their bank accounts, their family life, their career, and their body image.

Lucy Danziger, editor in chief of Self, and Catherine Birndorf, a psychiatrist and expert on women’s mental health issues, teamed up to write The Nine Rooms of Happiness: Loving Yourself, Finding Your Purpose, and Getting Over Life’s Little Imperfections. (Voice; March 2, 2010; $24.99). In it, they use the simple metaphor of a house to illustrate the central problem: when women should be grateful for what they have in their lives in the room at hand, they are either seeing the room’s imperfections or, worse, worrying about another room.  The book takes women through different parts of their lives (homes), helps them understand their patterns, and gives them new ways of thinking to solve their own problems. You can find out much more about the book, the authors, and the nine rooms at www.ninerooms.com

And guess what? One whole room (chapter) is devoted to women’s friendships! So, of course, we had to find out more, because who doesn’t want to be happier? Here’s our exclusive Q&A with the authors. Scroll to the end to find out how you can win a FREE copy of the book.
Q. Let’s talk about friendship. Why is friendship The Living Room? How is it connected to the other emotional rooms?

A. The living room is where all your socializing takes place. It’s where you interact with your neighbors, your friends, where you entertain and throw parties, and where you end up comparing yourself to other women, for better or worse.

How you behave in the living room is not exactly how you behave in other emotional areas of your life…you’re typically on “good” behavior, trying to look and act your best and put forward your social self…but this doesn’t always equate with how you feel on the inside. Many women feel insecure in this social arena, and it can come from feeling like a nerd as a high-schooler (these memories are stored in the basement) or being more concerned about how you look in your jeans instead of who you are talking to (body image belongs in the bathroom).

Q. Why is female friendship so important?

A. We know from extensive research that strong social ties can make you healthier and happier. The more connected you are to your community, and the happier you are, the healthier you are. The two are connected. So keep those friendships intact, for their sake and yours!

Q. What are some of the most common problems or issues women have with friendship?

A. From the women we spoke to for our book, and we interviewed hundreds, we found that saying “no” was a major struggle. Women seem hard-wired to help, to give and to do it at their own expense. This is where our key process:  too much of a good thing is a bad thing… So the takeaway message here, or “pearl” is: you have to know your limits.

Having limits and sticking to them is essential. Women can feel selfish when they say “No, sorry, can’t help out today,” or I have to cancel because I am totally worn out, but in fact, we tell women in the book that this isn’t selfish, it’s self preservation. You simply have to take care of yourself…because only then can you be healthy and happy and giving to those around you, including being a good friend. BTW, this is why we sometimes call the living room, the “giving room”.

Q. How can we be happier in regard to friendship?

A. Many women believe that a happy friendship is one without conflict. We hear lots of women say they don’t like to disagree with their friends. They believe that really close friendships should always run smoothly. But this may be because you are smoothing over differences or issues that actually need to be discussed. If you don’t figure out how to disagree or tolerate a difference of opinion, you can end up with lots issues getting swept under the rug. And then the rug or the atmosphere in the living room becomes problematic, bumpy,  or messy, since always avoiding conflict leads to a whole new problem!

One of our favorite key processes in the book is: “It’s not Either/or, .. instead think Both/and”… which means that you can be both best friends and disagree on something. In other words, conflict is okay. (We love our siblings and often disagree with them… sometimes our gal pals become surrogate sisters, but the fights are uncomfortable because unlike the family room, where everyone has to love each other no matter what, girlfriends can choose to break up or move apart, and that often happens because there’s a breakdown in communication. You have to tell each other when you’re upset. (For friends who are different and disagree, but love each other through thick and thin, think of the great movie and TV rolls where the conflict is played out in dialogue, like in Sex and the City or Friends!) But you may have to learn to live with a little discomfort in the name of a healthier and ultimately happier friendship!

Q. What is your favorite thing to do with girlfriends?

CB: Almost anything that involves talking…especially sharing a cup of tea or taking a long walk.

LD: I talk with my best friends too, but usually it’s either while we exercise or while we eat! I do different things with different people, so it’s often their call.

Lucy Danziger has been editor-in-chief of Self magazine for over eight years. Catherine Birndorf, M.D., is a psychiatrist and the founding director of the Payne Whitney Women’s Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Both women live in New York City.

And now for the giveaway

You have TWO chances to win a free copy of The Nine Rooms of Happiness, courtesy of Hyperion Voice. Read the rest of this entry »

Loneliness may be the most dangerous epidemic women face, according to this guest post by Shasta Nelson, founder of GirlFriendCircles.com, a web-based service that matches its members with potential girlfriends offline, in real life. Lucky for us, she has some concrete ideas on how to beat loneliness and make new friends in this new year. Shasta also puts her money where her mouth is: She’s giving away a six-month GirlFriendCircles membership to one lucky GirlfriendCelebrations reader! In addition, she is offering YOU discounts on membership and other GirlFriendCircles events. See below for all the details.

By Shasta Nelson
While many of us have stood in line for the flu shot, bought abundant amounts of antibacterial hand soap and increased our daily intake of immune boosting vitamins, research published last month suggests there’s something besides Swine Flu and the common cold that we need to protect ourselves from  – loneliness. And it’s apparently equally, if not more, contagious as run-of-the-mill germs.

The Impact of Loneliness

With the holidays over and social calendars cleared, January becomes one of the loneliest months of the year. A study published in December’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that loneliness not only affects our personal health and well-being and the way we treat others, but it also increases the sense of loneliness in our friends, family and neighbors. It can spread from person to person, up to three degrees of separation.

Protect Yourself

Here are three ways to help build your relational immune system this New Year:
Get a Check-Up: Determine your current relational health by evaluating your circle of friends. What friends do you have and what friends are you still hoping to find? Do you have enough local friends? Do you have the women surrounding you that help you feel rooted and supported right where you are?
Is your circle broad enough to accommodate different areas of your life? What interests or types of friends would enhance your life? Are you someone who connects with everyone but needs to pull a few people closer to you in more meaningful ways? Or do you tend to only have a few in your life so that when one of them moves or life changes that you find yourself not knowing who else to call?

Identify Long-Term Health: Write out what it looks and feels like to have a close circle of friends in your life. This step is crucial, but often skipped. While we all know you can’t go to the gym once and all of a sudden reach your health goals, the same is true for our relationships. Hold that truth with a willingness to not give up after a few scheduled events or attempts to reach out. This is one of the most significant health goals of your life and it very well may take three to six months before you can create a sense of belonging and connectedness.

Schedule your Steps: Based upon the awareness from your check-up in step one, you should be able to identify action steps that will foster more meaningful friendships in your life. For example, if you already know plenty of people but need to transition a few of them into something more meaningful, there are two primary ways of deepening friendships: more consistency (most of us will need to connect with someone at least twice a month over three months before we feel close) or more topics of sharing, which means broadening the conversations beyond the area that we currently have in common whether it’s work, our kids or a specific project. What can you commit to trying? Or, if you need to meet new potential friends, be open to trying lots of things such as joining sites like GirlFriendCircles.com, participating in a local choir, inviting your neighbors over for drinks or attending more events where your current network can help introduce you to more people.

This January, drag yourself to the gym and try to eat better, but for all the New Year’s Resolutions you may set, few of them will impact your health, physically, emotionally and relationally, more than surrounding yourself with good friends.

Shasta Nelson is a relationship and transition life coach and CEO of GirlfriendCircles.com, an online community that matches women with offline friends.

Exclusive Discounts

GirlfriendCelebrations readers, use this special discount code: “GFCELEB” to save 20% on any of GirlFriendCircles.com upcoming events:

21 Days of Friendship Journey, starts this Sunday, Jan 10 (workbook and coaching calls— participants can be from anywhere) http://newyearjourney.eventbrite.com/

Portland Speed Friending, Tuesday, Jan 12 (http://portlandspeedfriending.eventbrite.com/)

Seattle Speed Friending, Wednesday, Jan 13 (http://seattlespeedfriending.eventbrite.com/)

Or, receive 20% off membership in GirlFriendCircles.com, the only online community to match new friends offline by connecting circles of women in local areas, to expand your circle of friends!

And Now For the Giveaway

GirlFriendCircles has generously offered to give one of our our readers a 6-month membership free! GirlFriend Circles matches members up with a small “Connecting Circle” of local women first, then after that initial meeting, you are free to use its resources to find other friends in your area as well. Please note the cities in which memberships are currently available: San Francisco and Bay Area, Portland, Seattle, Chicago and New York City. You must be able to use the membership in one of these cities to be eligible.

To enter:

1. Simply leave a comment on this post that says why you would like to try the GirlFriend Circles membership.

2. Tweet this contest for an extra entry.

3. Blog about it, linking back to this post, for an extra two entries.

Contest will remain open until 11:59 PM CST on Friday, January 22, 2010. Winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries. Good luck, girlfriends! Read the rest of this entry »

Congratulations to our winner Sarah D.! Contest is now closed, but read on for GREAT New Year’s Eve party ideas. What are you doing New  Year’s Eve? No plans, you say? Well, we bet you have some gal pals in the same boat. Why not invite them over for an easy appetizer party and ring in the New Year together? With a little help from our friends at The Pampered Chef and their you can easily make an elegant appetizer buffet for your girlfriends to enjoy. We’re giving away this cocktail shaker and ice bucket to a lucky girlfriend to help you have a successful girls night in. But we’ll have to hurry to get it to you by New Years Eve, so this contest will end Sunday, December 27. Read on for party ideas and contest details. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s another great party idea designed to help you fit some girlfriend time into the busy holiday season, while doing good for the planet (more multitasking – we love it!). Our friends at Florida’s Natural want to help you host a holiday brunch for your girlfriends while promoting the selection of locally produced foods. We think this is a great idea! 

The concept is simple: Invite some girlfriends to your home, collect ingredients, use specially-prepared recipes and secrets, cook together, then enjoy the brunch.  It’s a fabulous way to share news and tips about what each of us can do to save our environment and develop more healthy eating habits one step at a time. And we’re sure you can inject some holiday spirit into your girlfriendly gathering as well.

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Congratulations to Trin! Thanks to all who entered. Hey, girlfriends! As you may know, we just opened our t-shirt and gifts shop on Cafe Press, and we’d sure love you to consider our “Girlfriends Make Life Better” items when you’re making up your holiday gift lists. We’ve added some “gifty” items to the top of the shop for the holidays.

You’ll find aprons, ornaments, and more. Scroll down a bit and you’ll find t-shirts for any body— from organic fitted, to ringer tees to plus size. We’re so excited about these cute designs that we wanted to give away a t-shirt to celebrate! So, just to say “Happy Holidays” to our readers, we are giving the t-shirt of your choice to a lucky winner!

How to enter: It’s SO simple!

1.Just visit our Cafe Press shop RIGHT HERE and have a look around.

2. Then, come back and leave a comment telling us which item is your favorite. We’d appreciate any feedback you have on the items too! Read the rest of this entry »

Wouldn’t you love to give your best friend (and yourself) a girlfriend getaway for the holidays? Now that would be the ultimate girlfriend gift—but it may seem way out of reach in the current economy.  To help girlfriends “get away,” our very own contributor Casey Wohl, founder of  the Girls Getaway Guide, has announced The Getaway Girl’s® third annual “12 Days ‘til Christmas” holiday promotion—a chance to make your travel wishes come true! Visit the Girls Getaway Guide online at www.GirlsGetawayGuide.net to sign up for more than $7,000 in fabulous giveaways.  The winners will be selected on each of the 12 business days starting December 8, with the Grand Prize selected on December 25. Look what you can win:

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CONGRATULATIONS TO CALISTA MYERS! THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED! Hello girlfriends! If you are reading this, you probably met one of the Girlfriends-in-Chief at BlogHer (for those who don’t know, BlogHer is the world’s largest conference of women bloggers. We’ll be attending it this weekend in Chicago). Or, you found out about our Blogher contest on twitter. Welcome! We’re so excited about meeting new girlfriends at Blogher that we’re having a fabulous giveaway just for you, thanks to the generosity of Liz Claiborne New York. You can be the proud owner of this beautiful Heritage Plaid large tote, which was created as part of the LCNY line, designed by Isaac Mizrahi. This bag makes a fabulous carryon or weekend bag, has a pink interior that just makes us happy, and it’s is HARD TO FIND! It was never actually sold in stores, and only a small quantity were made. It’s gorgeous! A real traffic-stopper, and there are goodies inside. You might see Dawn carrying one in the hotel at Blogher but that one is HERS and this one will be YOURS! Here is a another photo from an in-store event which might give you a better idea of the size of the bag. And guess what you will find inside?

• A gray-and-white, silk LCNY logo scarf,
• a “Liz Rahi Miz Claiborne” t-shirt (one size fits all)
• a copy of Isaac Mizrahi’s book How to Have Style,
• LCNY blank book, mouse pad, and more.

All courtesy of Liz Claiborne New York. WOW! Here’s all you have to do to enter:

1. Sign up for our weekly email by clicking . All new signups by midnight on Weds., July  29, 2009 will be automatically be entered. You must sign up for emails to be entered. Now, if you want extra entries:

2. Tweet this contest AND leave a comment saying you did so.

3. Blog about this contest AND leave a comment saying you did so.

4. Add our button to your site (grab code from the right-hand column) AND leave a comment saying you did so.

5. Leave a comment telling us your favorite thing to do with your girlfriends.

If you do them all, you can have up to 5 entries. w00t!  U.S. shipping addresses only, please. Winner will be drawn at random from all eligible entries received by 11:59 PM on Weds., July 29, 2009. Tell your girlfriend–you don’t have to be attending BlogHer to enter. Good luck ladies! Read the rest of this entry »

Summer is wedding season!  As those of us who have been bridesmaids or brides already know, weddings are expensive, and the list of expenses goes on and on. If you’re responsible for throwing the bride a bachelorette party, you can reluctantly add another “cha-ching” to your list, OR you can have a fabulous bachelorette party without going into debt. We thought you’d prefer the latter, so we asked some of our girlfriends for their best tips on budget bachelorette parties. And if you add a tip of your own, you can enter our giveaway for a great little bachelorette gift at the end of this post. Photo via flickr.

Skip the bar-hopping

This post from MSN Money estimates that a typical bridesmaid spends $75 – $100 on the bachelorette party. That’s just too much for many girlfriends right now. Most of the cost of traditional bachelorette parties comes from spending the night out on the town at pricey restaurants, bars and clubs, drinking expensive drinks, hiring limos, and seeing tacky shows. The obvious way to cut your costs? Host part or all of the evening at home. 

There’s no need to drink expensive cocktails out when you can recreate specialty drinks at home for a fraction of the cost! Burst Bar Shots are a great way to offer your guests a delicious shot to get the party started without having to fuss with multiple mixers and alcohols. The newest flavors include Sex on the Beach (our favorite), Lemon Drop and Alabama Slammer. Priced at only $10.99 a bottle, they are a great value, and a fun, festive and easy way to start your evening. We brought these to a party last weekend and they were quite a hit!

Our girlfriend Jennifer Luby, home entertaining blogger at Second City Soiree, suggests starting the party with your own ginger martinis (find the recipe at www.domainedecanton.com) and then visiting just one favorite watering hole. Or, she suggests, “skip the bars and hit the late-night fast food stands” if you crave some people-watching. If you must go to the hottest club, Jen suggests going early to avoid the cover charge.  ”Also, some clubs have restaurants attached, and if you eat there, they’ll often let you in the club for free.”

 

Get Cooking

And speaking of dinner, you don’t have to blow out your budget with a spendy restaurant dinner. You can have just as much fun, Jen says, if you potluck at home. “Everyone but the bride brings something; just be sure to have a balance of food types.” Or why not take this thinking a step further and have a more creative type of bachelorette party? We asked our girlfriends at Gracious Bridal to put on their thinking veils for us, (they are in touch with brides-to-be and their wedding parties every day, after all!) and they suggested a cooking party. We think this is a fabulous idea for girlfriends who have had their fill of clubbing. Some of the best girlfriend bonding times come from hands-on activities. Here’s how to do it:

Have the Maid of Honor pick a couple of her favorite recipes (the bride-to-be needs a break from decision making). You can all pitch in on providing the ingredients. Then, proceed to make a feast together! Show off your culinary skills, have fun with the girls, and of course, enjoy a glass of wine while doing so. Have each bridesmaid walk away with a decorative recipe card (and of course a belly full of fabulous food). Gift the bride-to-be with a Jessie Steele Vintage Apron for all of her future culinary endeavors.  Read the rest of this entry »