Champagne Tuesday

Counting down to True Blood? Meet Charlaine Harris

2011-06-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

I, along with the other CT girls (except Quilly) are anxiously awaiting next Tuesday's premiere of the new season of "True Blood". A heaping serving of Eric, with a side of Vampire Bill? Yes, please!

If you're a true fan, perhaps you already know that "True Blood" is based on a series of books by Charlaine Harris. If you're a super fan, you might be one of the people who bought her newest book "Dead Reckoning", and made it #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. If you did, here's your chance to meet the woman whose writing has inspired a new interest in hot vampires, Louisiana swamps and all things supernatural.

Charlaine Harris will be at the Main Library in Downtown Cincinnati on Saturday at 2pm to sign copies of her newest book, "Dead Reckoning". If you're planning to go, I'd go early!

Posted by Monika

Champagne Tuesday at Cheers to Art!

2011-04-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

The girls and I visited a cute new place in Madeira called Cheers to Art! I found out about them because they're a Cincy Chic client! It's a painting studio with a bar... so I thought how PERFECT for a Champagne Tuesday outing! We're all very creative gals, so it was fun to see us show our personalities through our painting!

We got there and they had a few big tables set up with canvases and brushes at each seat. At the front of the room was the inspiration painting that the owners of Cheers to Art! (a super cute married couple) picked out. You can go on the calendar on their site and see what they'll be painting that night, or you can book the place out for a private party if you have a big crowd. It was me and three of the CT girls, and then there were two other big groups of fun gals.

We painted a little black dress at our night while enjoying a couple bottles of Poema sparkling wine. Jill, one of the owners, helped us learn how to paint the dress, but encouraged us all to take creative license, which we did... especially after a few sips of the bubbly! :)

At the end of the night we went around the room to look at everyone's paintings and it was so fun to see how different everyone's turned out. Just even within our group, we had Aymie's who's was full of fun and flair, Monika put a cute belt on hers, I put some tulle on the bottom of mine (a painting technique I figured out accidentally but ended up teaching another girl across the room) and Lauren painted a brown dress that we affectionately called "Mr. Hanky." hahaha!

The CT girls and I had SUCH a great time! Check out the video below to share in our fun that we had at Cheers to Art!
- Amy

Spoon with Your Champagne

2011-03-03T03:35:00.000-08:00

Girls love to spoon. And us girls love champagne. So, why not spoon with our champagne?!

It's probably not what you think, though. Did you know that dropping the handle of a metal spoon down the neck of the champagne bottle will keep it fizzy and drinkable for at least another day? Well, neither did I until we went over to our friend Tari's house for Champagne Tuesday.

After she poured our champagne and we toasted (to probably something really hilarious that I don't remember), she put a spoon in the top. I know we're all a little quirky, but putting eating utensils in champagne is just loco.

I asked her about it and she swore it would keep it fizzy longer. I didn't believe her, but I looked it up and it's apparently true! Read this article about some research that was done to test out what I originally just thought was an old wives' tale.

We drank some yummy Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut Sparkling Wine. This California-made sparkling wine is fruitier and sweeter than fine French Champagne. It's more of an introductory sparkling wine, but at approx. $15 a bottle, it's an excellent value. Times are tough... and us CT girls aren't picky. We just want to spoon. :)

- Amy

Champagne Tuesday Girls Give "Fiddler" Four Flutes Up!

2011-02-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

We mixed a little culture with our champagne this week! The CT girls got all fancied up, shared a toast at Palomino's and went to see "Fiddler on the Roof" together. It was so nice to break from the norm - although I did miss the hours of convo and catching up we usually do at CT - but it was a fab show we all enjoyed!

Each CT gal gave her mini-review on the show below, and also shared her fav scene. Enjoy! We recommend you see it! "Matchmaker, matchmaker, [we found you] a match!" :)

MONIKA
This week's Champagne Tuesday outing was of the more cultural variety -- my fave girls and I got our theatre on by attending "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Aronoff. Having grown up hearing songs from this musical (nothing compares to watching my cousins do a beachside rendition of "Matchmaker, Matchmaker"), I couldn't wait to see this production. No disappointment here...the show was fantastic from start to finish.

My favorite part of the show was more a character than a particular scene. I'm adoring Teyve, because his character reminds me of a historical mash-up of my dad and my grandpa. Watching him try to guide his daughters in their lives, first through tradition, then by viewing their actions through a more modern lens, I'm reminded of several times where my dad and my grandpa had to adjust their view of my world to accommodate my crazy antics. I'm sure it's no surprise that I was always the one to push my luck right to the edge!

Definitely a great eve - culture, champagne (okay, maybe it was wine) and the CT girls.

AYMIE
I always look forward to Champagne Tuesday! But this past CT was even more exciting! My favorite girlfriends, champagne and the theatre! I grew up in the theatre (on the stage, behind the stage and in the audience), so when Amy told us that we had tickets to see “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Aronoff I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Although I had seen the play before (15 times actually…only because I was part of a staging of years ago), I couldn’t wait! I love live theatre for so many reasons and one of those is that no performance is ever the same. So there we sat, the CT girls, in Cincinnati, Ohio at the beautiful Aronoff Center experiencing Broadway. And then it happened…Tradition!
This performance of the classic Broadway musical did not disappoint. We all left humming the songs and already reminiscing about one of the BEST Champagne Tuesdays EVER!!

LAUREN
Fiddler on the Roof is a gem of a musical. It illustrates the strong notion of tradition and family with interludes of love, lust and introspective thoughts from the lovable Poppa of five girls, Tevye.

My favorite part was the wedding scene. Seeing all the male dancers wooing the ladies with their leg kicks and singing, I couldn't help tap you foot along and celebrate with them. The fiddler also played a great role in the musical. He would show up and play in most of the closing scenes. If he wasn't playing, he would be scene on the roof or sitting on the ground away from the main story. This portrayed the metaphor for survival in a tangible way, as he would appear and disappear with the scenes and lights.

Overall, you know what you are going to get with this musical and the Aronoff's version was nothing short of that.

AMY
I didn't get out much as a kid apparently, because I didn't even know the "Fiddler on the Roof" story. So, the entire performance was all new to me. It was new, yet, several quotes and lots of the music I had heard countless times before. My favorite part of the performance was when I realized that Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl" song was actually sampling a Fiddler on the Roof song! I also enjoyed all the memorable quotes... some of my favorites:

Villager: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
Tevye: Very good. That way the whole world will be blind and toothless.

Tevye: [to Lazar Wolf] "I always wanted a son, but I wanted one a little younger than myself."

Mordcha: "If the rich could hire others to die for them we, the poor, would all make a nice living."

"…if our good fortune never comes, here's to whatever comes."

"Sunrise, sunset - sunrise, sunset - swiftly fly the years... one season following another, laden with happiness and tears."

Lauren's Birthday!

2011-01-24T21:58:00.000-08:00

Quilly, the bday girl!

Last Tuesday we celebrated our very own Quilly's (Lauren) birthday! We went to The Rookwood Bar & Restaurant, had some champagne and showered her with gifts!

She just got engaged and her new last name will start with "C" so we got her a bunch of fun monogrammed stuff from The Party Source!

We got her cute polka dot hand towels with a "C" on them, a silver "C" keychain, reusable cold drink tumbler, and travel wine cooler (well, in our case, it'll be a champagne cooler). We bought a bottle of Taittinger Champagne Brut La Francaise to put in her cooler... you know, just to wear it in. :)

It came highly recommended from the guy at The Party Source when I told him we like brut. It's pretty affordable too. 750ml is $37.97 -- not too bad for "real" champagne from Champagne, France! Nothing but the best for our Quilly! :)

Taittinger Champagne Brut

Here's some info about the Taittinger according to this site:

Taittinger Champagne Brut La Francaise
Varietal: Sparkling Wine
Region: Champagne , France
Size: 750ml
Price: $37.97

Taittinger Champagne Brut La Francaise has a color of brilliant golden-straw yellow. The bubbles are fine, and the mousse is both discreet and persistent. The nose, very expressive and open, is both fruity and bready. It exudes aromas of peach, white flowers, and vanilla pod. On the palate this lively fresh wine is at once in harmony. This is a delicate wine with flavors of fresh fruit and honey.

-Amy

Cupcakes and Wild Hibiscus

2011-01-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

Wild Hibiscus Flower garnish

Aymie, one of the CT girls, just moved into a new loft and her mom was in from out of town, so we had a little Champagne Tuesday shin-dig at her new place.

It was super fun, complete with her mom's significant other playing a concert for us on a keyboard. :)

I brought "Cupcake" Prosecco (because cupcakes and champagne sounded like the best combo EVER). It was a little sweet for my liking, but it was good. Plus, it was only about $10 at The Party Source.

The Cupcake Prosecco is made in the Charmat Method where the second fermentation occurs is large stainless steel tanks. This is a less expensive procedure that produces softer, slightly sweet sparkling wine.

Cupcake Prosecco is a very light golden yellow, with lots of soft bubbles. The nose is fruity with grapefruit, peach and orange, with a hint of buttered bakery goodness on the finish, but not pronounced like champagne. This is a great palate cleanser or an aperitif.

Aymie is the hippy in the group, so leave it up to her to give our champagne some flower power! She bought Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup to garnish our champagne.

They made our champagne flutes look SO pretty, and they were actually really good to eat! We highly recommend them if you want to make your bubbly blossom!

-Amy

Personalized Champagne

2011-01-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, we decided to get together once on a Saturday instead of Tuesday. We did it during the holidays so we could exchange gifts, get dressed up and stay downtown.

The CT Saturday bottle I made on MyMoet.com

This year’s “CT Saturday Holiday Celebration” was so much fun! We went to Bistro, FB’s and then Knock Back Nats. (yes, the night got progressively less classy) : )

Part of my gift to the girls was a bottle of Moet. I didn't have time to do it, but they had a cool option to get the bottle personalized at MyMoet.com. It was so cool I had to share. You just go to the site, choose your size of bottle, type in your message and then you can preview it and buy it if you want!

Thought I’d tell you about it! How cool would it be to bring a personalized bottle as a host gift to a party!?

- Amy

HAMBingo

2010-04-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Reasons Champagne Tuesday at Hamburger Mary's was off the chain...for me at least:
1. I'm hungover today due to the number 69.
2. I have a multi-colored array of condoms in the trunk of my car, this still after I tried to pawn one off to a tranny and some inner-city youths.
3. I need to brush up on my Spanish.
4. Mr. Sushi closes at 11pm and so does every other venue Downtown that serves food.
5. I woke up without pants, but did manage to still be wearing a shirt with BINGO written on it.
6. Bella doesn't like me when I drink.
7. I have 64 pennies in my purse, but my drivers license has disappeared.
8. 2010 taxes will include a donation to Planned Parenthood.
9. My alter-ego is Nancy from Weeds.
10. We were two CTers short, but we still managed to live it up BINGO style.

-Lauren aka Nancy Botwin
"Yes, this is actually totally NORMAL. We are ALL normal."

ZZ's Pizza

2010-02-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

Every now and then you just want a chillax night out with your friends. This has happened more recently than not, especially considering the ridic snow, rain and general winter nonsense here in the Tri-State area. Thus, the CT girls were at it again at the newely reopened ZZ's Pizza. And when I say at it again, I mean we've been there like 5 times this year to celebrate Champagne Tuesday.

ZZ's in conveniently located on Gilbert Avenue close to Downtown and has fabulous pizza and lasagna. If you save enough room, their desserts are delish too. Check 'em out on Facebook. More importantly and not-so-secretely now..they a BYOB policy! YES. Hot, fresh, veggie loaded pizza on crispy crust..and all the booze you can drink! WE HEART ZZ's.

Sitting next to the window, watching the beautiful snow fall while noshing on food and sipping our drinks, it's assumed we have it all. And sometimes, that's true.

- Lauren

New Year, New Us?

2010-01-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

Not really!
It's been a whirlwind of celebrations from last time's postings but as far as new news on the CT front is concerned, there really isn't any!

As our holiday celebrations came to a close and a new year was born, we probably realized something that none of of felt before or may have felt a long time ago at one point. We're dang lucky. We've got our health, our family, employment and true friends.  I may not have been lucky enough to win the Powerball, but I was lucky enough to have those things.

For me, parts of 2009 were notsogood. I lost my job. I fell behind on my Home Depot credit card payments. My dog's leg broke.  My 401K became a 201K. I actually went to the Bramble Patch more than once. I smelled like coffee for a good portion of the year.

But really, this stuff doesn't matter. What DOES matter is that I have an amazing boyfriend who among other things, continually teaches me to live in the moment, give back and find joy wherever I can.  He loves me. And I love him back. Without him would be dark and lonely.

I have the best friends I could possibly ever imagine having and continually count these blessings every day. I'll go alphabetical here with my accolades. Amy has shown me what hard work and determination can buy. Her dedication to Cincy Chic is something I strive to have with all sorts of aspects in my life. Does she ever sleep?  No. She's amazing and makes me feel proud to call her my friend. And believe me..I've called her. At any hour she has answered and was happy to help. She's one of the most saavy, smart, generous, reliable, trusting, beautiful woman I know. How freakin' lucky she's my friend! That being said, I still want to kick her ass at Wii.

Aymie is one of the most connected people I know. She has introduced me to so many new people and has done it with open arms. You go out with Aymie and you feel good. I go out with Aymie and feel good! She is so accepting, exciting, open, trend-setting and willing to make you part of her crowd, whomever that crowd may be. No matter how crappy of a day I've had, Aymie would rectify it with a Hot and Dirty or some free champagne she scored.

Monika, THE RedKatBlonde, to put it mildly...is fabulous. She loves her job industry and stays on top of the newest trends like white on rice. Monika knows her stuff inside and out. If she doesn't, she'll find it out! Monika is everywhere at everytime everyday. I can count on her to show up, which says a lot. If I'm in a pinch, Monika would be there. She don't take crap from anyone. She's truly a go-getter with bright ideas, a big inviting smile, a shoulder to lean on and some kick-ass shoes to match. Plus, she helped me set up IM and taught me how to use an iPhone.

Renie is a Rockstar. She's probably the most awesomely anal friends one could ever have. She gits-er-dun and does it well. Renie is there for me morning, noon and night telling me great stories with an open heart and willing to listen to my great stories. Her sense of humor cracks my sh*t up. I've developed more smile lines and eye-crinkles just thinking about how she lights up a room and has truly lit up my life. Aww!! We all wouldn't be as cool without her, nor would we have been able to do things that require more than 10 minutes of planning.

That being said, I'm ready for 2010. I may be a little rounder around the middle and a little softer around the heart, but I'm ready to take this year by storm! My New Year's Resolutions are written down. And Champagne Tuesday embarks on a 2010 adventure. I can't wait.

- Lauren

Champagne Tuesday Spa - Monika's Mani

2009-10-14T04:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the most fun you can have with your BFF's is weeknight spa/pampering. With the CT girls, we not only do spa night, but we do it up right! Whether we're doing mani/pedis, paraffin wax dips, makeup tips or hairstyle ideas, we all are girly enough to love it! One recent CT we did manis, and by popular demand (Amy, Lauren) I'm sharing my tips for a perfect at-home mani.

Monika's Perfect Mani
1. Remove nailpolish (self-explanatory)
2. Shape nails with a medium-grit file. The best ones I've seen are the blue files available at any CVS, Walgreens. Decide if you want to do a round tip or a square. To determine what works best for you, look at the shape of your hands. NOTE: File in one direction! If you go in different directions, you'll wind up with little nail bits on the tips.
3. Use a buffer block to smooth out any splits in your nails or any weird chips in the surface of your nail.
4. Grab the olive oil out of your kitchen cabinet and pour a little into a small dish. Take a small paint brush and swipe the olive oil over your cuticles. You can brush all the way up the side of your nail if you want extra moisturizing. Let this soak into your cuticles for a couple minutes.
5. Take an orange stick and gentle easy cuticles back. Don't push too hard that you cause yourself pain.
6. Go to the kitchen sink and wash your hands. Wash them thoroughly...don't leave any dust or oil on the nail itself.

Here's the point where you start the actual manicure. Line up your polish bottles on the table and make sure you have the lids loosened so that you don't mess up your mani. Each coat is done one after another...don't wait between. Think of your polish as doublesided tape...the bottom coat adheres to the next coat, etc. Don't do thick gloppy coats either...a simple thin coat is sufficient. Finally, don't worry about color not looking bright. You'll need to do two coats of polish. If you go outside the lines, again, no worries. The color will either come off after your polish is dry and you wash your hands, or you can use polish remover.

You'll need the following:
-Chip Skip
-Nail Envy
-Polish
-Top Coat

7. Start with a coat of Chip Skip or something like it to keep polish chips to a minimum.
8. Immediately after the Chip Skip, use a coat of nail strengthener like Nail Envy or one of the Sally Hanson Hard as Nails products to encourage nail growth.
9. On to the color! Pick whatever color you like. Note that darker colors will be a bit tougher to paint on because they can look streaky after the first coat. You'll do two coats, one right after the other. Start with one swipe of polish up the middle of the nail, pushing down on the nailbrush gently. You'll get a nice stripe of color. Then, angle the brush slightly and paint each remaining side. You don't need to go all the way to the side. It's a visual trick - most manicurists don't actually paint all the way to the skin. They leave a little space on the sides, which makes your nail look longer and thinner. The bonus is that this helps keep painting outside the lines to a minimum, so keep this tip in mind!
10. Once you've done your two coats, take your top coat and do a thin layer on all your nails.

You're done! I like to let my nails dry for a full hour to make sure they don't get nicked or dented. Any questions? If so, leave them in the comments. My disclaimer is this - I'm not a manicurist, but as someone who likes pretty nails, these tips work for me. Enjoy!

- Monika

Lexus and Chez Nora, That's How We Roll

2009-09-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

Fall is here! I cannot believe we've been celebrating Champagne Tuesday for about a year and a half now (that's like 8 seasons of clothes too). Last night my Girlfriends and I sauntered over to Lexus Rivercenter to check out their local farmer's market. Walking into the oh-so-swanky car dealership we found ourselves greated with endless bottles of wine and a plethora of fresh produce and delicious homemade (well Jean Francios made) Belgian Waffles and cheese plates. Amy was happy with her fermented jars of kimchi, my sweet tooth was happy with the delicious waffles and fresh apples, Renie was happy talking about Napa and winning a large new bag via a silent auction and Monika was pleased to learn we would be grabbing some real food at Chez Nora later to curb her growling stomach after her second day on a new job. Thus, Champagne Tuesday was in full effect. We did have to call our other Aymie to wish her a happy day, after finding out she was in Diamond Seats at the Reds game without us. We all have very sad and lonley lives, I tell you.

When we arrived at Chez Nora, we popped open two bottles of 1/2 priced Korbel and ate our 1/2 priced apps. Tuesdays are great for special prices and discounts. We don't complain.

People may wonder what girls do for hours upon hours of this Champagne Tuesday celebration. What we do can be answered by what don't we do. We've done it all, talked about it all and will live on to tell our children about it all. I do know for certain, we are all very different and come from very different backgrounds, living in very different stages of our lives with different goals and ideas of happiness. We are all striving to better ourselves while trying to reach our goals and find happiness in life's twists and turns. Without these ladies I would not feel satisfied. It's all very Jerry McGuire, they complete me.

I know I can rely on my friends to bring out the best in me. They call it like they see it, care how I feel about it and will tell me if my ass looks big in last years pants. It's eight shoulders to lean on, eight ears to talk to and eight arms to fall into and hug out life's circumstances. These women rock.

Tuesdays are my favorite night of the week. It's easy to see why. I'm already anticipating the next one.

- Lauren

Bras And More..

2009-09-23T06:18:00.001-07:00

Although last night was missing some lovely ladies from the CT Group, we managed to drink up and enjoy the atmosphere at Tino Vino. They served wonderful drinks and allowed us to freely create all of the Bras for the Square that our little hearts desired.

As for next week's plans...we don't have one. Any ideas are welcome!

Cheers!

- Lauren

We HEART Champagne...and Boobies

2009-09-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so we will be celebrating. Last year we all participated in Bras with Flair on the Square, each creating a special bra to remind everyone the importance of getting your boobies checked. These specially crafted bras were all on display on Fountain Square and up for auction. The proceeds from the auction benefited the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Some people left with some fancy bras, I tell ya! And, we had a blast styling our bras for auction and drinking the bubbly to get our creative juices flowing.

Tomorrow, we will be raising a toast to boobies. And, we will remind ourselves to get checked and make sure all of our Girlfriends get checked.

- Lauren

Champagne at Oktoberfest?

2009-09-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Well... no champagne was a-flowin', but we made it out to one of Cincinnati's finest events in a hastily planned text-messaging campaign. I have been going to Oktoberfest Zinzinnati for a while now and this year proved to be fabulous. Having a solid group of girls to Prost to while checking out the insanity of men in leiderhosen and women wearing chicken hats, you can imagine a fun night was had by all.

We came from different areas of town and congregated on the wonderfully redesigned Fountain Square to not only celebrate an annual festival, but to also celebrate each other. I'm so proud to call these amazing women my friends and more importantly very proud that I didn't have to drink beer at Oktoberfest after finding a Barefoot wine booth. Pinot Grigio and I get along. And, thanks to Amy, we got a long for at couple more sips than I anticipated. But that's the thing...being spontaneous, having fun, sharing stories and laughing about life's misfourtunes on a beautiful end-of-summer evening among an entire group of amazing ladies happens even when it's not planned. And that's what I love most.

Taking the Shuttle back to Newport, I couldn't stop smiling. My friends make me happy.

-Lauren

Hello World!

2009-09-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is our first of many blog posts here on the new and exciting Champagne Tuesday blog! We'll share tips and tricks we learn about the lively libation we love so much. We'll also share our experiences at the new venues we check out all over the Tri-State. So, grab a glass of bubbly, make sure you bookmark this page, and join in our Champagne Tuesday fun!