The best stuff ever in the whole entire world for hip, happening ladies!

The Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago made me a very, very happy gal. If you have never been fortunate enough to attend one, I suggest you check out their website and make a point to get to one of their events. Amazing! Such talent, such creativity. A very inspiring lot.

So, I decided to showcase some of my favorites. I don’t know how long it will take me to get through all of them, but these artists definitely deserve recognition for their fine work.

Today I am starting with some porcelain decor and tableware from Raquel Masri. She takes an old theme – lace, ornate leaves and flowers – and uses wonderful modernish colours on simply designed pieces.  Below are some of my favorites from her etsy store.

Still working on the website fixes, so patience, my dears. In the meantime, another Lani favorite…

Anthropologie Cowlneck Tunic in taupe. This is my new favorite item that I’ve purchased. Light, airy, fun, cute – Lani

Indeed, another all around sort of wardrobe piece. I also really like the basic white and black colours. Looks super comfy too.

And since I am a somewhat cruel friend and posted a ridiculous picture of Lani from her wedding this past summer on her previous GleePeek, here is a kinder version of the beautiful bride…

Mkay. Know why these totes from Bloomindale’s are so dang cool? A few reasons.

1. Each one has an awesome look created by a different designer

2. 100% of the proceeds is donated to Dress for Success (charity that helps women get on the way to earning a viable living)

3. They are affordable at $35

4. You need a tote (or more than 1 tote)

Fall 2009 and for life…the 1 or 2 button black blazer is a wardrobe style staple for every lady. Here is an affordable one from Express:

Apparently! This dress rocks. It can be wrapped and changed in so many ways that it is incalculable. Tons of colour options and fits sizes 2-16. A “Miracle Dress” that is also maternity and bra friendly (that’s what the website says!). Plus, love the softy jersey.

Rainey has been one of my favorite girl friends longer than anyone else. We endured the trials and tribulations of being in a small town Wyoming class together from Kindergarten through Buffalo High School graduation.

She also happens to be the most ‘adult’ amongst my friends. She has a husband and 3 kids, yet manages to stay the hilarious, hip lady with an exceptional mental encyclopedia of good music knowledge.

Rainey lives a fairly casual, stay-at-home mom lifestyle. I was so happy that she let me in on what makes her life go-around for this week’s GleePeek. I haven’t seen her in several years (although we phone chat regularly), so I feel like this is getting back in the loop a bit with what’s happening in her world. Here’s this week’s GleePeek, compliments of my dear old friend:

-Jedidiah Clothing Because I’m small time and stay home all day, I find myself always wearing jeans and a t-shirts. Lately I’ve been kind of obsessed with a company called Jedidiah clothing. For the most part, they work with artists I really like, (like Kelly Murray), and this is the selling point for me. They have a mission to just be awesome.  They’re working to eradicate hunger, and homelessness, and poverty and everything wrong in the world.  So, not only do you get an original shirt to wear everywhere, but you’re helping someone.  Truly helping them.  Take the time to read their blog…you’ll see. – Rainey

Agreed. How I love GleePeeks! Shopping list growing larger every day. The t-shirts here are so cute, and indeed, each one’s description says exactly to which charity the money goes, and how much. Here is one of my favorites. It has the story that inspired the design printed on the inside of the tee. Sweetness.

Back from an amazingly magical weekend in Chicago. ‘Magical’ may seem like an interesting descriptive word, but it was so truly fantastic…a love affair with friends old and new.

We stayed with one of my best gals, Angie, and her fiance Michael. If you want proof of the happiness, here is a lovely shot of Angie and me being super-psyched-super-fans on our girls night out.

At any rate, I came across oodles of amazingness (and apparently even more superlatives) to bring to Gleegarden. Much gratitude for this going to the Renegade Craft Fair. More on that later.

For now, a few of the many highlights:

-Arrival, delicious beers and food, Michael circumcises a 46 year old man on his urology rotation (his first surgery – so proud)

-Touristy things, hang with St. John-now-Chicago friends for deep dish, Angie and Moriah tear up the town

-Renegade Craft Fair, meet new friends, rage

-German fest beer drinking and weiner eating, followed by amazing lakeside performance.

-Leave. Sad.

Another double-dose-post day for you all. Tomorrow, I am heading out to Chicago for a long weekend with close friends. German festival, sight-seeing, birthday parties, some sort of circus performance and apparently the most amazing craft fair ever are on the agenda.

I hope to pick up a thing or two to pass on to you all…some sort of awesome new must-have goods. In the meantime, I thought I would skip picking a fun product and just show you an evening view shot from the villa we hung out at for my birthday this past weekend (looking over to adjacent St. Thomas). Good thing about the slow season is empty villas. That means pool parties!

I’ll be back in the ‘office’ on Tuesday, so until then…a Glee filled several days to you!

It has been years since I have lived through a late summer-into-fall season change, and I miss it. In the Caribbean it just gets hotter and more muggy, with a chance of hurricanes.

But nostalgia still lingers for the crisp evenings, leaves changing colour, and making the most of the last warm afternoons with barbeques and drinks al fresco. It is not quite summer, and not quite fall…and it can feel magical.

I found the perfect thing that is fashion forward and affordable to ease you into the chillier season. A lovely shoe…

And throw some tights on with it in the winter to keep the look going strong through the seasons. My favorite colours are the grey above, and the violet or whiskey for a little more fun.

I thought that since this is a short week, made even shorter because of the fact that I am taking off Thursday morning for a long weekend in Chicago, that I would throw out another GleePeek.

This one is from my good friend Jacynth, who also celebrated her bday this past weekend. If you want to believe the astrological hype, she is a picky, clever, critical thinker who would never settle for less than the best. A Virgo through and through. Heed her advice! Here are some of her faves in life:

-Drink: A little numminess that is awaiting a name: 1 shot of Makers Mark, 1 shot of Disaronno, a splash of soda water, and a cherry.  It’s a dessert in your mouth!

-Health: Vitamin D.  I live in San Francisco and have the best doctor in the world. He alerted me that we San Franciscans don’t get enough Vitamin D throughout the year due to our geographic location. He told me that I could run around naked on Baker Beach all day long for every sunny day that we had and I still wouldn’t get enough natural Vitamin D.  So, I take Vitamin D supplements every day.  Nature Made is my choice!

-Food: instead of lettuce, I use shelled edamame as the base for my salad.  It’s very healthy and adds a nice crunch to your salad!

Here is a picture of Jacynth when she visited me on St. John several years back. Funny Jacynth fact: David Sedaris (the hilarious, irreverent author) once told Jacynth that she had the most f*$%ed up name he had ever heard. That is saying something! Her pre-marriage surname was Lemaistre. A problematic mouthful at times.