Atlanta Web Party- Friday Night

Check this out- Friday night (Dec 26) is the 1st annual Unwrapped Atlanta Web Party at Vinyl @ the CW Music Complex in Midtown. This event should be a lot of fun, as it is a chance to meet and hang out with local bloggers, designers, developers, and Facebook junkies.

Beyond being a fun thing to do on a Friday night following Christmas, the event supports a great cause- One Laptop Per Child. Their goal is to help create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative and self-empowered learning. I saw a story about the company on 60 Minutes (yes, I do watch 60 Minutes occasionally) and it truly is a fantastic company.

Click here for the Unwrapped website for detailed information including driving directions.

And make sure you stop by and say hi to GrabMol and me- we are sponsors!

Happy Holidays!!!!

We just want to take this time to thank everyone for their amazing support, kind enthusiasm and of course, snarky comments. Hope you have a wonderful holiday (Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Years, Chinese New Years, Shabe Yalda, Winter Solstice, etc....)

Thank You!!!

Oh, and if you need a great e-card, (or bored and want a laugh) check out this site....
someecards.com- these are awesome.

Ooh! 20% off at Kiehls!

Check this out- save 20% on all your purchases in- store and online. Kiehls makes amazing products for everyone (even pets). My favorites are their ultra rich moisturizing cream and pineapple face scrub (I can't live without this scrub).

Use the code FAMILY when you checkout (both in store and online)

In Atlanta, they have a brick-and-mortar store in Lenox Square Mall (right by Mark Shale and David Yurman- I was born with map of all malls imprinted in my DNA).

30% off Shop Bop

Now through Wednesday, you can save 30% on all regularly priced items at ShopBop.com.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this site. I feel that it is one of the most comprehensive shopping sites out there; in brands, type of clothes, trends, and style.
My top picks right now are their jewelry. I think these pieces would make fab gifts, and who doesn't want to save a little when they spend?

Use the code HOLIDAYLOVE when you check out.

Love this wrap bracelet- And this ring-

And this bracelet too:

La Perla- Crazy Sale at Saks!

For those of you who love La Perla, heads up that they are having an AMAZING sale right now at the Saks at Phipps Plaza.

I spoke with Sak's La Perla rep and she said that the prices now are even below cost (which is nuts). I got several beautiful items for less than you would pay at Gap Body or Victoria's Secret. As in, items marked down from $350 (who spends THAT much?) to $50. I would go ASAP as their selection is dwindling.

They also have some other great brands on sale like Wolford and Natori. But why buy those when you can have La Perla!?!?!

On the 3rd floor of Saks Fifth Avenue, Phipps Plaza.

Top Chef ketchup

I'm finally caught up with this season of Top Chef. Normally, I'd be all over this but, for some reason, I'd totally missed each episode up until now.

I'm not completely on the edge of my seat this season. I guess I'm rooting for Jamie and Stefan. Speaking of Stefan, why does everyone hate him so much? He doesn't seem like such a bad guy. Plus! He gives Jamie fun little gifts. So he can't be all that bad, right?

And what is with Rocco DiSpirito appearing on every slightly cooking related reality show? Go away, Rocco. And while you're at it, Top Chef execs, please bring back Anthony Bourdain. He makes the show infinitely more entertaining.

Not naming names but

...methinks a certain restaurant group could use a website revamping.

Kelly's Closet Annual Holiday Party is TONIGHT

I just got this information about Kelly's Closet's holiday party. I love this store and would highly suggest checking this out on your way home tonight. Kelly's Closet is a great place to find a fab and fun party dress for an upcoming holiday event! You can never have too many dresses.

This party is always a fun time and a great opportunity to get a good deal on something you have had your eye on in the boutique. This year will certainly not disappoint! We are serving up cocktails, appetizers and yummy chocolate fondue courtesy of the Melting Pot as well as special savings. During the event you can save 40% on any one, regularly priced boutique item or an additional 20% off any one, sale item. Plus you can combine these deals to get something for you and the special someone on your shopping list. Please stop by and have a cup of cheer with us!

The Event is from 6pm-9pm

Grower Champagne Dinner at The National

If you know me in the very slightest, you know of my obsession with sparkling wines. So when I dined at The National in Athens recently, I was excited to see that they are having a Grower Champagne Dinner.

A terrible iPhone pic of a dinner I had at The National.
Please note my glass of prosecco to the left!

"Grower Champagne Dinner
Wednesday, December 10, 7:00pm
at The National
$95 per person

oyster soup with fideos and saffron
Pierre Peters, blanc de blancs, grand cru, Mesnil

salmon "slider" with avocado, fennel,
roasted tomato-mayo and romaine
Alain Soutiran, perle noir, blanc de noir, grand cru, Ambonnay

fried Cornish game hen, chopped watercress,
caramelized onions and apricot aioli
Gaston Chiquet, tradition, 45% meunier, 35% chardonnay,
20% pinot noir, premier cru, Hautvillers

braised pork shoulder, crispy prosciutto and sofrito
Aubry, rosé brut, 60% chardonnay, 40% pinot noir
and meunier, premier cru, Jouy les Reims

French cheeses with toasts, lavender-honey and almonds
Jean Milan, tendresse, blanc de blancs, sec, grand cru, Oger"

What is Grower Champagne, you ask? Here is a site with more information on Grower Champagne and an excerpt from that site is below:

"The biggest problem in Champagne is that there are 15,000 growers in the region who do not make their own wine. If more growers produced their own wines instead of selling their grapes to the houses and cooperatives, the power of the houses would diminish and quality would rise due to competition. But it’s very easy for the growers to sell their grapes to the houses and so the majority of the growers choose this route."

The National
232 W Hancock Ave
Athens, GA 30601
706.549.3450
www.thenationalrestaurant.com

By the way, my other obsession is taking pics in the mirrors of restaurant bathrooms. Please to behold the picture I took at The National.

What to Wear? Michelle Obama's Inaguration Gown

I have to admit that I love Michelle Obama. She is the epitome of intelligence, grace and style. I was excited to read that tons of designers are clamoring for the chance to design her inauguration ball gown. Click here for a slide show of some of the submissions she has received so far courtesy of WWD. They also a slide show of dresses for Malia and Sasha Obama- I love the cute little coats!
I have to say that my favorite 2 are by Monique Lhuillier (#2 in slide show and red dress below) and Diane Von Furstenberg (#8 in slide show and white dress below).
No matter what she chooses, she will be stunning.

Madonna for Louis Vuitton!

I am really excited that Madonna is going to be in the new campaign for Louis Vuitton- it is going to be amazing. Apparently this idea was randomly blurted out by Marc Jacobs during a meet and he texted Madonna to see if she would consider. According to reports, in less than 5 minutes, she wrote back "I'd love to." How cool would it be to get a text from MJ!!!
Click here to read the article in today's Women's Wear Daily.

Ugg.. I LOVE these pics! Word is that the campaign will have a very Parisian theme. I can't decide which I want more, the shoes or that bag. I'm thinking shoes...

Fun Tiffany Event-who doesn't love a blue box?

Before heading over to the DI/Urban Cottage Event on Saturday, check out Tiffany at Phipps mall for some fun-

Nothing says luxury during the holidays like a gift wrapped in Tiffany blue, and while you search for holiday gifts, Tiffany & Co. is providing options to help along the way.

This Saturday, Dec. 6, Tiffany & Co. Phipps Plaza will host a Holiday Open House, offering customers complimentary machine engraving (for up to three letters), and providing treats such as Tiffany blue candy canes and pettifours for anyone who browses through the Atlanta store. From Dec. 3 – 7, Tiffany is offering complimentary ground shipping on new purchases in all U.S. stores, including Atlanta's location in Phipps Plaza.

And of course, Tiffany & Co. can help customers select the perfect gift – right in their price range – by showcasing gifts at various price points throughout the store.

Why not...tay

This morning, I was in a HUGE rush to get to work. I completely overslept and it was not a pretty sight.

Bedhead, exhibit a.

On mornings like these, coffee is particularly important. But I can't just run out and grab it - I'm already late. And, generally, I am not a fan of prepackaged coffee drinks. They are usually too sweet and have too many calories for my taste.

Fortunately, Yenta Girl and I were lucky enough to be invited to try out Atlanta's own, Whynatte Latte a few weeks ago and it changed my perceptions of ready-to-drink coffee drinks.

the cans are pretty cool, right?

It isn't sickeningly sweet, it only has 100 calories a can, and it is sweetened with beet and cane sugar - no high fructose corn syrup for this latte!

The most interesting thing about the Whynatte is that it actually started as a mixer - like a Red Bull and vodka except not disgusting. I've been told that if you go to Front Page news and ask for a Whynatte, they'll know exactly what you want and serve up tasty, alcoholic and coffee beverage!

In fact, the Whynatte Latte is available at quite a few places around town like Alon's, Parish Market, Fox Bros BBQ, Danneman's Coffee Shop, with many more to follow. So, you can pick up a few cans and be ready for slow mornings like I had today. Or, just try it as a mixer. (There are a few recipes below for you at home bartender types.)

Check out their site for more info on the Whynatte Latte and for a complete list on where to pick up your own can to try.

And, if you want to try a can for free, cans of Whynatte Lattes will be included in the 50 gift bags at the Urban Cottage & Disposable Income event this Saturday. So be sure to get there early!!

Whynatte Recipes

Classic Whynatte
1 shot Jagermeister® herbal liqueur
6 oz Whynatte Latte
Pour 6 oz Whynatte Latte into a pint glass. Drop the shot of Jagermeister into the pint glass (shot glass and all) and pound.

Southern Espresso
2 oz espresso flavored vodka
2 oz Whynatte Latte
Pour vodka and Whynatte Latte over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass.

The Cunningham
1 oz vodka
1 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1 splash Whynatte Latte
1 splash Coca-Cola®
Mix ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Strain into a shot glass, and serve.

Slim Mint
1.5oz vanilla vodka,
.5oz Whynatte Latte
.5oz crème de coco
.5 oz light crème de menthe
Pour ingredients into a stainless steel shaker over ice, and shake until completely cold. Strain into a chilled, stemmed or rocks glass filled with ice.

Vanilla Ice
2 oz vanilla vodka
2 oz Whynatte Latte
Pour vodka and Whynatte Latte over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass.

Nutty Latte
.5 oz Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
.5 oz raspberry vodka
2 oz Whynatte Latte
Pour ingredients into a stainless steel shaker over ice, and shake until completely cold. Strain into a chilled, stemmed or rocks glass filled with ice.

We love our Google Map- Check it out!

In case you never noticed the Google Map link on the right side of our page, I highly recommend checking it out. This map has all the locations we have blogged about plus others that we think are great spots. All stores are in pink and all restaurants are in purple. It is a great way to see what stores/restaurants are in a particular area of Atlanta. Use it to plan your holiday shopping!

Let us know if you have a spot we should add to the map.

Countdown to Urban Cottage + DI Event!!!

Only 4 days until the Urban Cottage and Disposable Income Event! We are so excited if you couldn't tell.

Last night we went over to Urban Cottage and picked out our favorite things. On Saturday, you can check out what we love and get a discount on those items. I already ended up buying an amazing long cotton sweater coat (and trust me, there are at least 10 other things that I am going to get on Saturday).

The store is all decorated for the holidays and looks so great (this coming from someone who doesn't even celebrate Christmas).

We are also gearing up for the gift bags for the first 50 people. Each day we keep getting more items added to the bags. Some of the highlights include gift cards provided by Fifth Group Restaurants, a CD, and Whynatte Latte samples (A dedicated post with more info on Whynatte Latte is to come - but we LOVE them).

Make sure you bring all your friends. There will be yummy snacks from Aurora Coffee, Woodfire Grill, Bella Cucina and more.

Saturday, Dec. 6 from 6pm-??
See you there!

Drink Coffee and Give Back (Plus a DI Giveaway!)

Unless you've been living under a rock, you are probably well aware of the (RED) campaign. (If happen not to know, (RED)'s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and money for the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.)

Now Starbucks is joining companies such as GAP, Apple, and Hallmark to help the Global Fund fight AIDS in Africa through some exciting initiatives:

Today Starbucks will donate $.05 from every beverage purchased at participating stores nationally.

Here in Atlanta, Starbucks is having their (RED) event at the Dunwoody Village store (5561 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Dunwoody, GA 30338) from 2-4 p.m. today with giveaways, free samples and an opportunity to learn more about Starbucks partnership with (RED).

And, from now until Friday, January 2nd, if you purchase any Starbucks RED Exclusive beverage - Espresso Truffle, Peppermint Mocha Twist or Gingersnap Latte - Starbucks will donate $.05 to The Global Fund to help save lives in Africa. (For more information, visit joinred.com.)

To celebrate their partnership with (RED), Starbucks is giving Disposable Income readers the opportunity to win their new Starbucks Gold card (more info about that card is below) or one of their new espresso drinks (Espresso Truffle, Peppermint Mocha Twist or Gingersnap Latte).

So, I'm making this really easy on you guys. The first five people who write me at Disposable Income and can correctly tell me when and where the first ever Disposable Income event is (hint: scroll down) will when either the new Starbucks Gold Card (the first 2 people to correctly answer) or a free espresso drink (the next 3 people to correctly answer).


Starbucks Gold, Starbucks new membership program, is a card for people who visit Starbucks so frequently, the baristas can guess their order before they place it. The annual membership fee is $25 and, in return, members receive 10 percent off on most purchases at participating Starbucks – from espresso beverages to espresso machines. And after registering at StarbucksGold.com, members will receive:

* Complimentary beverage on one’s birthday
* Exclusive offers and discounts
* Free Wi-Fi access for 2 hours each day
* Members-only website