In a former life (read: college) I worked at the GAP. After spending lots of time re-folding shirts and cleaning out dressing rooms, my manager noticed my knack for outfitting even the most desperate woman with a pair of GAP blue jeans that would make her grin like she had just won the lottery. I was quickly given some additional training, the cutesy title of “Denim Specialist”, and permanently stationed by the denim wall (that would be the place where there are blue jeans as far as the eye can see) with a headset. I knew the details of every fit, the fancy names for each wash (color) like “Sandstone”, but more importantly, I had a natural eye for figuring out what jeans would look best on a woman based on how she was built. This made the GAP happy because they made sales, and it made me happy to have a woman hug me on her way out and gush that she has “never owned a pair of jeans that she was comfortable in” before.

I rocked. I mean, duh. Can’t you see the headset?

Fast forward 8 years with me. (Wow, writing that almost hurt – it feels like yesterday.) I’m married, a mom, a professional, and I still love my denim, but WOW. The choices have really expanded now – designer denim is mainstream and oh-so-worth-it if you can afford to spend your precious economy-conscious dollars on it. Or, if you choose to. I mean, really, the days of spending in the single digits for a pair of jeans are well over, and and even the most thrifty have come to realize that it’s true. After all, a great pair of jeans really can speak volumes about your personality, not to mention what they’re saying about your body. And hey – if my jeans are speaking for me, I sure hope they’re calling me hot!

This fashionista is ready to move into the world of designer denim – but when I started shopping I quickly became overwhelmed. Where do I start? What fits are best for my curvy, longer-legged shape? The options are endless – 7 for All Mankind, True Religion, Citizens of Humanity, Rock and Republic, Hudson, Paige, I mean wow – the list just goes on. I want a pair of jeans (or 3 or 4 if I can afford it!) that make me feel fantastic. Where do I start?

So, I decided to turn to you for advice! This “Denim Specialist” needs to grab her title back, and fast! What jeans do you love? What fits you best? Have you tried any of these brands above? Why or why not? What jeans or brand of jeans can’t you live without – which ones will you never buy again? Share with me in the comments box – I want to hear your denim stories and learn so I can end up feeling great in a pair of blue jeans again!

So that’s it, you’ve witnessed it first hand. I’m on a quest to find the perfect pair of blue jeans for every occasion, and to learn about them all along the way. I want the perfect pair of skinny jeans, the perfect dark wash jeans, the perfect pair to wear at night, and the perfect pair to wear all day. Yes, it may be greedy, but I want to find them all. And don’t worry – I’ll let you know what I come up with. Maybe I’ll even vlog it. ;)

Read the original In Search Of: The Perfect Pair Of Blue Jeans on Chic Shopper Chick.

With the Holiday Season comes the P & E — Parties and Entertaining! From office parties to parties with family and friends, you will likely have more than one occasion to show that you are the “Hostess with the Mostess” or a gracious party guest! Of course, we wouldn’t leave you hanging for this very important part of the Holiday Season, so Chic Shopper Chick has got you covered with everything you’ll need to survive this season of Holiday Parties!

The Perfect Holiday Dress — Each year I go in search of the perfect dress to wear to Church on Christmas Eve, as well as to all of the various parties and events that we attend throughout the season. This year, I am so thrilled to say that I already have my dress, well before I moved into panic mode! This year I will be wearing a flattering and gorgeous little number from ShapeFX! When I pulled the dress out of the box I thought, wow, this isn’t going to look on me like it does on that size 2 model. Guess what? It looks fantastic (You know, I mean, if I do say so myself)! I would be proud to model it anywhere — sign me up to be the new SpokesMom for ShapeFX! Any dress that makes hubby do a double take MUST be a keeper! Check out the full line of products from ShapeFX, including their shapewear, pants, and special occasion line! I have no doubt that you will love this stuff as much as I do! To prove it to you, I plan to do a post soon with some pictures of me wearing this amazing dress!

Entertaining — When I entertain, I love to have people walk in the door and say “mmmmm” because it smells so good. Maybe it’s because of your fantastic cooking, or it could just be from a really well-scented candle. I love to burn candles in my house, and I really like to choose ones that smell like food, like cinnamon, or buttercream. Yankee Candles make some really great scents, and they even have a special line for the Holidays. I especially love this Christmas Cookie Candle by Yankee Candle. Nom Nom Nom!

Don’t forget that you also need to send out the perfect Holiday Party Invitation. I love the great Holiday Cards from Tiny Prints! I know that you will be able to find the perfect card or invitation for your event from their hundreds of cards.

Need a great appetizer that is easy but will make your guests go “ooooh, this is fantastic!!”? If so, check out the recipe that I posted on my blog today for an easy baked brie.

Need to jazz up your kitchen? Check out some of the fantastic cookware, bakeware, and tableware from Emile Henry. Their wares are simultaneously classic and modern, and I could really do some damage to my account on their website!

Hostess Gifts — You can’t be a gracious party guest without bringing the perfect hostess gift! You don’t have to spend a fortune, but something small is always a nice token of your appreciation. I really like this Half Apron by Jessie Steele in a Paris Print – I think it is a really sweet and adorably retro gift that any hostess would LOVE! If you are close friends with the hostess and you know she has a sense of humor, I think she would enjoy this reprint of the classic book Entertaining is Fun!: How to Be A Popular Hostess. Orignially published in 1941, some of the advice is outdated, but it is still a really fun read. Not all of the advice is outdated however, because class never goes out of style! Want to go with something smaller? Try giving her a set of these awesome Effervescent Holiday Bath Balls – she can soak in the tub and relax after the stress of planning and hosting a Holiday Party! Lastly, you might opt to give your hostess something that tastes as yummy as it smells! If so, then you definitely want to order a keepsake tin of these amazing handmade bon-bons from South n France — but good luck getting them to the party without eating them! (If you missed it, you can check out my review of South n France, but I’ll warn you, it might make you drool!)

Win it! South n France has graciously offered to give away a 20 piece tin of handmade bon bons to one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader! To enter, follow the easy-peasy rules below. (And trust me, you WANT to win this delectible treat!)

• Visit South n France and tell me which Holiday Gift or flavor of bon bon is your favorite! Leave a comment here telling me about it!
  
• Earn extra credit! You may do these for extra entries.
  • Blog about this giveaway and link back here and to South n France. Tell me about it in a separate comment.
  • Subscribe to my RSS feed via email or in a reader and tell me about it in a separate comment.
    
  • Stumble my main webpage (www.chicshopperchick.com) and leave me your Stumble Upon name in a separate comment.
  • Get a Gravatar! I’m sick of seeing those little blue and white icons. Gravatars are universal avatars used for lots of sites, including this one – just register it with your email address. Let me know about it.
  • Add me to your blog roll. Not just my button in your sidebar, I’d love to be on your blog roll! Let me know about it in a separate comment!

That’s it! Good luck! Oh, and the official rules and legal jargon are below.

US entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here and on Prizey Fetch, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contests ends at 11:59 pm CST on November 20th, 2008.

Don’t forget to check out the great hostess gifts and entertaining ideas that Christine at From Dates to Diapers and Kristin at An Ordinary Life have to offer you today!

Read the original Christmas Gift Guide 2008: Entertaining and Hostess Gifts on Chic Shopper Chick.

Welcome to the first day of the 2008 Holiday Gift Guide here on Chic Shopper Chick! To kick off the guide, today we are going to focus on family Holiday Traditions. I am going to share a few of our Holiday traditions with you, and I hope you will leave some comments here telling me about the traditions in your homes!

For us, and I know for lots of families, the Christmas season is full of special family traditions that have been passed down for generations. Or perhaps they haven’t been passed down for generations, but they are things that you started that your family now treasures and loves to do every year. My family always loved to decorate the Christmas Tree together. We would turn off all distractions, put on Christmas music, and my mom would give us all Egg Nog sprinkled with nutmeg. It is a tradition that hubby and I still do, minus the Egg Nog, since I can’t get him anywhere near the stuff! I know that Little AG will love this tradition too as she gets older!

Here are some great traditions that you can enjoy with your family!

Elf on the Shelf – Create a new Christmas tradition for your family by picking up a copy of Elf on the Shelf. The Elf shows up at the beginning of the Holiday season, usually around Thanksgiving, and moves to a different location each night to keep an “eye” on things for Santa. Your kids will tear out of their rooms every morning to find out where the Elf has moved to for the day. It also helps you with a little extra “control” for your kids around this blissfully magical but hectic time of the year, because your kids will know that the “Elf” is always watching! To learn more read my post on “Elf on the Shelf” and enter for a chance to win a copy for your family! Or, if you already know you love it, you can buy The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition on Amazon for $29.99 and free shipping!

The Flight Before Christmas – I love to watch Christmas movies with my family, it makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. The Flight Before Christmas is a new DVD just released for this Christmas season, about a young reindeer named Niko who is determined to improve his flying skills in the hopes to be just as great as his father. But after wandering from Home Valley to practice, he catches the attention of the infamous Black Wolf who follows him back. In order to protect Santa and the other reindeer from the claws of Black Wolf, Niko must team up with the other forest animals to prevent any trouble that comes their way. Read my post today on the Flight Before Christmas and enter to win a copy for your family! You can also buy The Flight Before Christmas on DVD on Amazon for $14.99.

Family Christmas Pajamas – I always loved seeing all of the pictures of families in their matching pajamas on Christmas morning, and if I can convince hubby to do so, I would love to do that this year! It just seems like one more great way to get in the Christmas spirit. I know some families find new pajamas in their stockings on Christmas Eve and wear them to bed Christmas night. It really does make for great pictures, not to mention great memories. This year I am so excited to have found the most adorable family Christmas pajamas at Snug As A Bug, so head on over to read my post about Christmas Pajamas from Snug As A Bug and enter to win a set of pajamas for your entire family!

Cooking and Family Recipes – A lot of the traditions in my family seem to revolve around food, so today on my blog I posted my favorite recipe for a Bûche de Noël – the traditional French Yule Log or Christmas Cake. It’s a dessert that comes with hundreds of years of history and has been a long-standing Christmas tradition in many families for ages. Starting last year I devoted Christmas Eve to baking two of these scrumptious treats, and I’m hoping that Little AG will join me in the kitchen as she gets older! I have the recipe for the best-tasting Bûche de Noël anywhere on the internet (I’ve tried roughly 30 different ones!), so head on over and check out my Bûche de Noël recipe and join in the fun with my family’s newest tradition!

Christmas Ornaments – At the very beginning of our relationship, I went to France for my first ever visit. When I came back, I had a special gift for my then-boyfriend, now-husband — a Christmas ornament from Paris with Santa climbing up the Eiffel Tower. That started our tradition and love of unique Christmas ornaments from all of the places that we travel to. We have a Christmas tree decked out with ornaments from England, France, the Bahamas, and places from all over the US. When you look at the ornaments on our tree, they truly represent who we are as a family. Of course, we also have the traditional Our First Christmas and Baby’s First Christmas Ornaments as well. That is why I really like Keepsake Ornaments, like the Hallmark My First Christmas Ornament for babies or the Lenox 2008 My First Christmas Ornament. For new couples, you’ll also like the Lenox 2008 Our First Christmas Ornament and this gorgeous “Our First Christmas” Waterford Crystal Ornament.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaways that go along with today’s Christmas Traditions Guide! You can win a copy of The Elf on the Shelf, a copy of the Flight Before Christmas DVD, and a set of matching Christmas Pajamas for the entire family! Lastly, don’t forget to check out my feature on my blog today for making your very own Bûche de Noël!

Also, don’t forget to visit my fabulous fellow Christmas Gift Guide Bloggers, Kristin from An Ordinary Life and Christine over at From Dates to Diapers! They both have some fantastic suggestions for you as far as Christmas traditions go as well, not to mention they are always giving great stuff away!

I’m glad you stopped by to read about the Christmas Traditions that we have in our household! I love Christmas, and I’m always up for starting new traditions, so please leave me a comment and let me know about your most treasured Holiday Traditions!

Read the original Christmas Gift Guide 2008: Traditions on Chic Shopper Chick.

If you were reading Day One of the Christmas gift guide, today is all about traditions! One of the traditions that I love the most and would love to convince hubby to do is wearing matching Christmas pajamas for the entire family! Some friends of mine growing up used to get pajamas in their stockings on Christmas Eve, and they would all wear them to bed and all had the cutest pictures for Christmas morning. (Ok, I’ll be honest, I saw her pictures from last Christmas and I’m pretty sure they all still participate in this tradition, even though she’s an adult now!)

Anyway, I came across this great website called Snug As A Bug that sells matching Christmas pajamas for the whole family! They come in sizes ranging from Newborn to XXL, and they can even outfit your pets with a matching scarf or bandanna! How awesome is that! Seriously, looking at these pictures makes me want to go out, buy a Christmas tree, and come back here and hop in some matching pajamas to listen to Christmas music while we hang ornaments and lights. Did I mention we would be sipping hot chocolate? Or maybe egg nog…

Snug As A Bug specializes in pajamas for everyone in your life all year round, but I think this is an especially fun Christmas tradition!

Win it! Snug As A Bug has graciously offered to outfit the family of one lucky Chic Shopper Chick reader in their very own set of Christmas pajamas! The winner will receive matching pajamas in a pattern of their choice for two adults and two kids. To enter, follow the easy-peasy rules below!

• Head over to Snug As A Bug and pick out your favorite Christmas Pajama pattern. Then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which one is your fave! (Initial Entry)
  
• Earn extra credit! You may do these for extra entries.
  • Blog about this giveaway and link back here and to Snug As A Bug. Tell me about it in a separate comment. (1 Entry)
  • Blog about my gift guide and link back here, as well as to An Ordinary Life and From Dates to Diapers. Come back here and leave three extra comments with the link to your post in one of them. I will verify it! (3 Entries)
  • Subscribe to my RSS feed via email or in a reader and tell me about it in a separate comment. (One Entry)
    
  • Stumble my main webpage (www.chicshopperchick.com) and leave me your Stumble Upon name in a separate comment. (One Entry)
    
  • Follow me on twitter if you aren’t already! (One Entry)

That’s it! Good luck! Oh, and the official rules and legal jargon are below.

US and Canadian entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here and on Prizey Fetch, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contests ends at 11:59 pm CST on November 26th, 2008.

Read the original Christmas Pajamas keep me Snug As A Bug! (Giveaway!) on Chic Shopper Chick.