Happy Holidays and Shopping!

Happy Hanukkah and almost Christmas! 

If you haven't finished your holiday shopping yet, here are some gift ideas from a Fox & Friends segment I put together last Friday. I usually do segments on the weekends so it was fun getting to go on a weekday  and work with former View host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. 

Here's the segment and links on where to buy the gifts I featured:

Ann Taylor embellished knits: These jewel studded sweaters, hats and gloves will keep you chic and cozy.

Pottery Barn enamel jewelry box and frame: Available in festive colors with free monogramming.

Ann Taylor's Hope Strength Love bracelet trio (displayed inside box): Give back with this gift. Ann Taylor donates 50% of the price to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Estancia Wine-Infused Bakery Box: A fun twist on a traditional bottle of wine are wine infused dessert bars from Silverland Bakery. 

Bella portable slow cooker with searing pot: Cooking and hosting can be a breeze with this all in one device that allows you to brown and sear then slow cook all in one dish. 

Aerie sleepshirt sets: Softest PJs ever! 

And don't forget to look for local small stores and pop ups in your town. I wandered into Creeds Collective holiday pop up on Crosby Street over the weekend and found some really unique gifts, from fun throw pillows to unicorn wall art!

Speaking of unicorns, here's a photo from our Halloween costumes as a cheerleading squad called the Unicorns. 

We wanted to be a group of cheerleaders originally, then we just needed a team name and were inspired by the Crazy Hot Matrix video as well as the Unicorn Club in the Sweet Valley High books. 

Happy shopping and happy holidays to all!

Follow me on Instagram @cristinablairgibson and Twitter @cristinagibson

Montauk to Mexico: My Summer So Far

I can't believe we're more than halfway through summer and it's already August, but I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. Last weekend, our Montauk house officially ended. We had a great time with an amazing crew at 64 Grant Drive. Here are some highlights from my summer so far:

Beautiful beach days

Family dinners...and having the blondest house in the Hamptons, hands down

Our housemate and resident deejay Kyle doing ridiculous living room workouts

Sundays at Surf Lodge. Surf is fun any night but Sundays have the best crowd and best performers and you can even bring your dog. I'm proud to say I didn't miss a Surf Lodge Sunday all season! 

Trying yoga on a paddleboard for the first time. It was such a fun workout! We did it at PaddleDiva in East Hampton and I wrote a story about it for SheKnows.

Getting to borrow a Jaguar F-Type for 4th of July weekend...such a sweet ride!

Seeing so many stunning sunsets

Getting to spend quality time with friends, both new and old

Going boating and being out on the water...nothing like it

Although our Montauk house is over, luckily, the boating adventures continue. Katie and I are off to Mexico in two weeks to take a Sunseeker on the Sea of Cortez. The Hamptons have been a blast but I'm looking forward to exploring some new places.

Despite what it may look like on Instagram, I've actually worked a lot this summer on things other than my tan. In addition to my daily articles for Cambio and weekly stories for SheKnows, I did a Fourth of July segment for Fox News featuring festive cocktails, snacks and games to play at your celebration.

You can see the whole segment here and I even got a shout out from Diddy himself since I used his Ciroc vodka in the cocktails, which I was pretty excited about!

@foxandfriends and @cristinagibson share @ciroc sangria cocktails for July 4th. Check it out at: http://t.co/1S7Wejsfw9
— Diddy (@iamdiddy) July 2, 2014

 I also wrote my first story for Hamptons magazine about the renovation of Gurney's Inn. The property is so beautiful and the new restaurant, Seawater Grille, serves delicious food. It's the perfect place to stay if you're visiting Montauk.

I also started writing for Yahoo! Travel, which has been really fun since I've always been a huge travel enthusiast. One of my stories for them was even picked up by the New York Post, and it was a big thrill to see my byline there unexpectedly. 

It's been such an amazing summer so far but I have the feeling the best is yet to come. I hope that your summer is going spectacular as well and that you're making the most of the season. Enjoy the great weather, take some time to relax and make lots of magical memories. Until next time, cheers!

Follow me on Twitter @cristinagibson and Instagram @cristinablairgibson

The Met Gala, Mother's Day and My Sister's Single

So in case you were living under a very unstylish rock, the annual Met Gala was last night here in NYC and basically every celebrity in the world was there to show off their fiercest fashion. My best dressed awards go to Emma Stone wearing Thakoon and Rihanna rocking Stella McCartney. These ladies were killing it in their crop tops.

How did we all feel about Beyonce's face net and plunging studded sheer dress? I kinda love it. Golf claps for Jay-Z, who suited up nicely for the occasion in his white tuxedo jacket. Despite his hit "Tom Ford," Jay's dapper look is not by the designer. Both Bey and Jay wore Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci for the Costume Institute Gala and they win my best dressed couple award (sorry, KimYe).

Worst dressed of the night has to be Katie Holmes in this Marchesa mess. I love yellow but this gown is awful. Leave this look to Belle from Beauty and the Beast, girlfriend.

Lupita Nyong'o was another fashion fail in this Prada number, which totally says "Flapper on an acid trip." 

Who's look did you love and hate from the Met Gala? 

Mother's Day is this Sunday and if you haven't gotten your mom a gift yet, there's still time to get shopping! On Sunday, I did a gift guide for Fox & Friends if you need some inspiration.

Check out the segment here for some ideas. As a surprise for my own mom, I put pictures of her in the Pottery Barn frame thinking she'd get a kick of out of having a cameo in the segment, but you couldn't really see them on camera. It's the thought that counts though, right? Love ya, Mom! I wore a Vineyard Vines Derby dress that day, which you can see better in the pic below. Shout out to my roomie Lindsay for waking up bright and early with me at 5:45 a.m. and coming along to help out! After I finished with work, I went to meet my sister Erica for brunch at Agave, who was in town for a meeting about her new song.

My sister is a music teacher as well as a singer/songwriter and her single "Take Me Over" with Tim White is out on iTunes today! Listen to it below and go buy it here...super catchy. Congratulations!

Follow me on Twitter @cristinagibson and Instagram @cristinablairgibson

Happy New Year! 2013 Highlights and Inspirational Interviews

Happy New Year! 2013 was an amazing one where I got to continue and grow my freelance journalism career, travel to lots of fun places for both work and play and meet many wonderful people. I welcomed 2014 at a huge Host Committee party at 55 Gansevoort thrown by myself and some other friends.

Before ringing in the New Year, I joined Fox & Friends again to recap the biggest celebrity moments of 2013. You can watch the segment here...love her or hate her, you have to admit that Miley Cyrus definitely was a hot topic all year. Twerking is working, at least in terms of making headlines and getting people talking (and I'm not gonna lie, her new album is pretty good.)

I also had the pleasure of interviewing Tracy Anderson, fitness guru and Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer and BFF, for SheKnows' January Girl Crush. I met Tracy at her NYC home and she was so sweet and fun to talk to, not to mention in amazing shape for having two kids.


Hear the petite powerhouse and single mom explain why she hates juice cleanses and the best thing about having Gwyn as a best friend. After our sitdown, I took one of Tracy's famous cardio classes at her Tribeca studio and it was an intense yet fun workout.
For anyone who doesn't know me, I'm an avid reader (I think I'm the only one of my friends who carries a library card and actively uses it) so I also picked up a book she recommended for some New Year's reading called Within by Dr. Habib Sadeghi. I'm only a few chapters in but it's about the mind body connection and how it relates to weight loss and achieving your ideal self. The science behind it is fascinating and argues that we have complete control over the thoughts and feelings we create and the power of positivity. Good food for thought for 2014 if you're into that sort of thing.

Thank you all for reading my blog and articles over the years and for your support! I feel truly blessed for all of the fantastic people in my life and that I get to make a living everyday doing something that I love. Wishing everyone all the best for a wonderful year ahead filled with happiness, health, love, prosperity and peace. Here's to making all your dreams come true in 2014!

Follow me on Twitter @cristinagibson and Instagram @cristinablairgibson

Merry Christmas from Fort Myers!

It's Christmas Eve and my presents are all wrapped so I hope yours are too if you celebrate! I did a segment last weekend on Fox & Friends for SheKnows about great gifts for women in case any of you are super last-minute procrastinators and need some inspiration. You can view the whole segment here.

Thank you to Banana Republic, who dressed me in this red number from their limited edition L'Wren Scott Collection. It's much easier looking put together early in the morning when you have something great waiting for you to wear! I loved how festive and flattering this dress was...it's perfect for a party (or morning TV show).

Although I was born and raised in New Jersey, this year, we're celebrating Christmas in Florida, where my parents have a place and spend most of their time since retiring. Although it's definitely different doing Christmas among the palm trees, there are some perks, like getting to go boating in December. We went to Marco Island Monday and found Flipper and his friends.

I even got to captain the boat myself on our way home, which I've never done. I love holiday traditions but it's also fun to make new ones. For Christmas dinner, we're having stone crabs just to go with the FL theme.

Merry Christmas to you and your families and best wishes for a wonderful, blessed and prosperous New Year! May you spend it with your loved ones and get lots of rest and relaxation before 2014 arrives. Cheers!

Follow me on Twitter @cristinagibson and Instagram @cristinablairgibson

Fox News & Fitness Classes

I can't believe November is here already! It's been a busy week. While most of my friends were out continuing the Halloween celebrations Friday, I had a bright and early segment for Fox & Friends Saturday morning, which meant a 6 am wakeup call.

This segment was a bit different than previous ones I've done since it was more of a roundtable discussion about a 23-year-old Canadian chick named Erin Wotherspoon who has a blog all about how she goes on first dates with guys she meets online just so they'll buy her expensive dinners. You can watch the whole segment here, but my two cents is that it's really lame and tacky. Hasn't she heard of happy hour or perhaps getting a job? Feigning interest in men you don't want to see again for a free meal is not cool. Also, note to guys: don't take girls to dinner on a first date if you've never actually met them in real life.

Speaking of good dinners, I took myself out The Chester last night, a restaurant that recently opened at the Gansevoort Hotel in the meatpacking district. It's a great spot for groups of friends or dates, so check it out if you're in NYC. My highlights were the Hellfire cocktail, prosciutto flatbread and jumbo shrimp with orzo. Yum.

Last week, I actually spent a fair amount of time uptown, too. The New York Marathon was on Sunday and I also interviewed Kelly Ripa for SheKnows at the opening of AKT InMotion, a cardio dance studio on the Upper East Side last week. Since Kelly's a Jersey girl like myself and has an amazing broadcast career, I've always been a fan of hers and this interview only confirmed her awesomeness. She was super candid and said the best beauty product she's found is Botox and that she likes any free products that come in gift bags. Most celebrities are shorter and smaller in person, but Kelly is extra tiny! You can read our whole interview here.

I also worked on my own fitness Tuesday and tried a new class at Belleon Body, which was taught by Carlos Leon aka Madonna's ex husband. Obviously their marriage didn't work out but he knows how to work out. The class consisted of cardio intervals with repeated drills and pylometrics...I'm feeling it today! I took the class with a bunch of other editors to kick off New Balance's Lace Up for the Cure 365 program, which celebrates their 25 year partnership with the Susan G. Komen foundation. 5% percent of the retail proceeds from the collection will go the foundation and last year, they donated  $1.9 million to the cause. Plus, these hot pink sneakers are so cute it makes me want to work out just to wear them! I'm actually headed to the gym, because next week I'm covering backstage at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. If that isn't gymspiration, I don't know what is!

Get all the action in real time on Twitter @cristinagibson and Instagram @cristinablairgibson