One of the biggest reasons we started SocialLuxe Lounge (besides getting a chance to party with all of you!) was to recognize all the fantastic women bloggers out there. The BlogLuxe Awards were a great way to do just that. It gave everyone a chance to nominate their favorite blogs and give those hardworking bloggers some well-deserved public recognition.

This year we want to keep the spirit of BlogLuxe alive, but in a different way. There will be no voting. No competition. No big award ceremony. But there will be stories. Stories about the blogs that have inspired you most. Stories about the blogs that have changed your life, in both big and small ways.

Blogs inspire us. Whether it's a food blog that finally got you cooking for your family, a blog that made you laugh when that was the best medicine, or a blog from a woman simply sharing an inspiring story, these blogs make a positive impact that matters. We know there are blogs that have made a difference in your lives and we want you to tell us about them!

It's time for you to share your stories. Please email us at BlogLuxe2011@thisweekfordinner.com and tell us about the blog (or blogs) that have inspired you the most or made a big difference in your life. Be sure to share the following information in your nomination:

• Name of blog you are nominating
• URL for the blog you are nominating
• Why this blog has inspired you or changed your life
• 1 or 2 links to your favorite blog post(s) from that blog
• Your name

Marie, Allison and Jane here. Many of you have been asking about SocialLuxe Lounge in San Diego. After all, party time is only 2 months away!

As of this week, we have decided not to hold a 2011 SocialLuxe Lounge. Due to circumstances among all three hostesses, the stars just simply are not aligning this year. Which we are beyond disappointed about. But we feel good about the decision and know it's the right thing to do.

While we will miss desperately partying with you at the lovely SocialLuxe Lounge, we will still see you at BlogHer, ready to party it up! And just because SocialLuxe Lounge isn't happening this summer doesn't mean it's dead. We don't go down that easily! If there is a SocialLuxe Lounge in our future, we will be sure to update you here on the blog, on Twitter and on Facebook.

And remember...just because we won't see each other at SocialLuxe this summer doesn't mean we don't expect you to PAMPER, POLISH, PRIMP and PARTY whenever you can!

Have a fabulous time at BlogHer! Hugs and kisses to all!
Marie, Allison and Jane

The 2010 Avery SocialLuxe Lounge from Joseph Litzinger on Vimeo.

In 2009, swag was a major post-conference topic, partly because there had been some bad behavior related to it. We experienced some of that at the 2009 Swiffer SocialLuxe Lounge. A few folks figured out how to steal swag bags. That was so surprising to us. And, when we ran out of bags as a result of the stealing, a few people who should have gotten bags didn't...and a few of those people got very upset. I had a heavy heart for weeks. We threw a really beautiful party for a group of really beautiful women, complete with free food, drinks, giveaways, massages, nails, henna, hair and makeup. The party would have been just as amazing and worth people's time with or without swag bags. It just plain stunk that swag added a negative vibe to what was otherwise a really positive and wonderful event.

Fast forward to 2010. Based on last year's experience, Allison, Marie and I thought long and hard about how to curtail the security issues we experienced in 2009. In the end, we decided the only way to avoid the mess we'd experienced in the past was to: 1) cap the party at 350 instead of opening it to all conference attendees like we did last year, and 2) pass the bags out at the beginning of the party when guests were checking in with their IDs, assuring everyone who should receive a swag bag did.

As some attendees learned, registration took far too long at the start of the party. As quickly as we possibly could, we figured out the best way to speed things up but still maintain security. We felt terrible that people had to wait. There was a really rockin' party inside that we wanted them to experience. For heaven's sake, that's why we were throwing the party.

The swag bags this year were amazing. We worked really hard to make the 2010 Avery SocialLuxe Lounge a truly top notch experience for bloggers, so we only accepted items for the swag bag that we believed people would actually want/use/love/need. And, since we love our guests so much, the bags ended up being a little full (okay, a LOT full). Which we were excited about! We couldn't wait for people to get their bags! Until...

...well, until people started complaining about having to carry their bag around during the party. Suddenly, my heart was heavy once again.

Swag is the main reason we had to cap the party guest list. Swag is the reason we had to create a strict registration process. Swag itself is the reason we had to pass bags out at the beginning of the party. The swag, once again, is taking center stage.

I've heard several people say that they waited forever to get into the party, then, when they finally got in, their bag was so heavy they decided to just leave. UGH. That kills me. SocialLuxe is NOT about the bag. It's about the PARTY. A beautiful, pamper-licious, full-of-drinks-and-food party that celebrates bloggers. To think that someone missed out on the party because of the swag makes me sick to my stomach.

It's not about the swag. It just isn't.

I don't regret giving out swag bags. We love giving the best that a swag bag has to offer. We love showering women bloggers with gifts from companies that value their voice. I do believe there is a place for swag, a place where it doesn't dictate how things are done, a place where it is not the focus but simply a nice benefit. We're slowing finding that place. We'll get there.

For as many people who were bummed out during or after the party, there were way more people who were excited, grateful and just downright positive. And that is what SocialLuxe (and really the entire BlogHer weekend) is all about - the joy of all coming together for a great time!

Allison, Marie and I love doing SocialLuxe. It's empowering, challenging and fun. We love throwing a free party for amazing women bloggers, from the newest blogger to the most established and well-known out there. We love bringing all those people together for the greatest Girls' Night Out you can imagine. Whether or not someone wants the bag of goodies, we just want everyone to have a great time. We hope that's what happened. We know we had a blast.

Thanks to everyone who came this year, for sharing your time with us, for letting us hang with you and have a little fun.

What? The 2010 Avery SocialLuxe Lounge is over? The 2010 BlogLuxe Awards have been announced? Say it ain't so!

It's sad but it's true...the 2010 party is done and a thing of the past. A GLORIOUS past. We are still reeling from the fun we had with all of you on Thursday night. The sponsors were wonderful, the pampering indulgent, the BlogLuxe Awards exciting, the feeling of community amazing, the cookie decorating inspiring, and the waiters oh so polite (what did you think I was going to say?).

Since Allison, Marie and myself aren't quite ready to let the 2010 Avery SocialLuxe Lounge go, we want to read all of your blog posts and continue to share the memories from such a fabulous evening with you. If you write about the party, the sponsors, the BlogLuxe awards, the swag, the non-profit Drop In and Decorate or any other SocialLuxe-related topic, please post a comment with a link to your post(s).

We will certainly have photos and recaps of our own to share in the coming days as well!

THANK YOU to everyone who made SocialLuxe what it was. MWAH!

Photo from Casey Mullins.

Here they are in each category:

• Avery’s CEO Chief Executive Organizer: Petit Elefant & Simple Mom

• Best Eye Candy Blog: Chookooloonks & I Heart Faces

• Funniest Blog: Cake Wrecks & The Bloggess

• Guilty Pleasure Blog: Go Fug Yourself & Mama Pop

• Most Provocative Blog: PHD in Parenting & Her Bad Mother

• Tastiest Blog: The Pioneer Woman Cooks & This Week for Dinner

• Blog You’ve Learned From: Enjoying the Small Things & Extraordinary Ordinary

• Most Inspiring Blog: Nie Nie Dialogues & The Spohrs are Multiplying

We'll be having light hors d'oeuvres served from 5:30-7:30, but you might want to plan dinner on your own. There will be drinks at a few sponsor stations and we'll provide you with one drink ticket for any beverage you'd like (we suggest the Averytini that will be ready to go). After that, it's a cash bar.

See you in just a few days!

Without further ado, meet our 2010 Avery SocialLuxe Lounge VIPs!

Ree Drummond www.thepioneerwoman.com

Jaden Hair www.steamykitchen.com

Elise Bauer www.simplyrecipes.com  

Christine Young www.fromdatestodiapers.com

Lori Falcon www.acowboyswife.com

Heather Spohr www.thespohrsaremultiplying.com

Christine Koh www.bostonmamas.com 

Laura Mayes  www.kirtsy.com

Karen Walrond www.chookooloonks.com

Stephanie Roberts   www.shuttersisters.com

Ciaran Blumenfeld    www.momfluential.net

Kim Orlando    www.travelingmom.com

Amy Clark www.momadvice.com

Renee Ross www.cutiebootycakes.com

Deb Rox www.debontherocks.com

Cecily Kellogg www.cecilykellogg.com

Megan Jordan www.velveteenmind.com

Catherine Connors   www.herbadmother.com

Tracey Gaughran-Perez www.sweetney.com

Amy Corbett Storch  www.amalah.com

This grassroots movement is made up of like-minded organization junkies fighting the good fight and trying to bring order to a chaotic world. These are moms who are driven to share their hard-earned mommy expertise so that together they can change the odds and vanquish the chaos that’s camped outside the door. Using strength of will and an eye for order, Organization of Moms members will do whatever it takes to beat down the age-old enemy, even as it seeks to barge in, break pencil points and clutter desks in the name of entropy.

If you're ready to join the movement, head on over to their Organization of Moms facebook page to see what great tips and tricks for staying organized have been shared.

And make sure to visit the Avery sponsor booth at the Avery SocialLuxe Lounge this Thursday to find out more about their fabulous organizing ideas!

Isn't she a fox?  Should we all look so good.  Heather is actually a fashion designer by trade, working with biggie names in the business like P. Diddy {fo sho}, J. Lo {totes}, and Beyonce {I want an introduction please}.  Having the background she does, she was able to infuse a bit of style into shapewear.

Stop it, style and shapewear?  In the same sentence?  I know, right?  Heather wanted to make sure that all of us, even those of us who don't look like models {all of us} have the ability to flaunt the hotness that we really are.  But most of us, {all of us} need a little help sometimes from our friends.  Heather, she's that friend.  Yummie Tummie is on trend, high quality shape wear for every body.  It fills the gaps in the market, and I love them for it.

The other cool thing about Yummie Tummie is their new line of ready to wear apparel with shapewear built in.  Did you read that?  I'll type it again so you can be sure: ready to wear apparel with shapewear built in.  Stop it, that's just amazing.

When Heather's not busy designing shapewear to make the general population look hot, she's also quite a philanthropist.  After Heather's son Jax needed a life-saving liver transplant she became a serious advocate for organ donation of every kind: blood, tissue, bone marrow.  She's been a fierce advocate and is ready to take on Washington D.C. in support of legislation that would make it easier to stay "opted in" for organ donation than "'opting out" on your driver's license.  I agree.  After watching my friend go through the tragedy of losing her son in a car accident two years ago, she felt a small token of happiness in knowing his organs were donated to make someone else's life possible.

Go Heather.  I'm behind you 100%.

Heather will be on hand for the 2010 SocialLuxe Lounge, and I for one can't wait to meet her.

In the words of the designer herself, "Stay Yummie!" 

Don't mind if I do.