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

Introducing my Chicago friend, Angie, who you may or may not remember me visiting back in September. She gave me some good insights into her favorites in life right now. The first? Well, I’ll let Angie speak for herself…

Like many people who attempt to be fashionable, I made a pact to myself to never, ever purchase Crocs.  That said, when I was shopping for a pair of simple brown work flats, I came across these. I was thinking how cute they were when I noticed the brand- they were Crocs!! Crocs with a slightly different brand name called “You by Crocs”.  So now I own a pair of Crocs, a cute brown, super comfy pair  that go well with my work pants as well as my skinny jeans! I am even thinking about ordering them in black… - Angie

I must admit, I feel like a changed woman now that I’ve seen these. Good find, Angie!

Today we are kicking off our holiday wishlist officially (I know that pretty much everything I post about it wishlisty for someone). Gleegarden readers submitted their wants and desire for the holiday season, and there were so many great ideas. They will definitely be the focus for the next few weeks. Great gifting for one and all.

So here is the first reader inspiration, Plywerk frames. The perfect example of going tete a tete with readers…what a cool thing to hear about! These simple frames allow you to mount your photos or art on inexpensive panels. No pricey framing in order to display your work in a nice, clean way. They offer a variety of sizes and the price is oh so right!

So much this, that and the other has been going on that I almost forgot about my follow-up post to this initial one talking about cooking inspirations via the internet.

As I previously said, for our October giveaway, gleegarden members submitted their cooking inspirations for a chance to win this awesome cookbook.

Here are the non-website cooking inspirations (and maybe a few websites because I forgot them last time – really losing it here!).

One of the best cook book I’ve used lately is called something like Artisan Bread in 5 minutes/day.  It’s SO easy and really does make beautiful loaves for barely any work.  The absolute yummiest thing I’ve made recently Tres Leche cake.  You must try it if you haven’t. – Megan

I have the red and white checkered cookbook, Better Homes & Garden New Cook Book.  It was the book every housewife had in the 50’s!  I use it all the time, but tend to update the recipes with fresh or better ingredients! – Debbie

Due to health issues I have to live gluten-free, but the gluten-free goddess has been a major help.  Her sweet potato cornbread recipes from a few years ago is PERFECT for autumn–try it and taste how good gluten free can be!! – Keira

My new inspiration for cooking is my subscription to Cooking Light magazine. It was a wedding gift and it kicks 1000 asses. It has recipes from easy (me) to very difficult and recipes with as few as three ingredients to those with many many more. Here is the website, which is also great. – Lani

Thanks one and all, once again, for the cooking inspirations. So much good food to delight in!

Friday Guy Day! I must admit that I’ve never given guy’s underwear much thought, unless it relates to checking out certain gentlemen in less clothing. Now I’m thinking I need to get a bunch of these for Jason.

EMS Techwick Boxer Briefs: Best underwear. Gotta go with wicking underwear! I’ve pretty much swapped all my underwear out for these. Fit great, look great and wicking/technical fabric underwear isn’t just for sports it is good for everyday. – Tim

One of my absolute favorite gift ideas this year is seminars through the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park. They have great choices like kayak/snorkel trips through the mangroves, Pastel Workshops, Eco Spa Days, and more. And this particular organization is also having an on-line auction in December.

How fun is it to support a great cause while getting something fun and fabulous? I think it is the best idea yet. Just check in on your favorite organizations and causes to see what they have going on. I guarantee a feel-good gift is lurking out there for you and your loved ones. Just sayin’.

Marimekko always makes me quite happy, and these tea towels are no exception. What is it with tea towels lately? It is like they are collectible pieces of art now. Affordable art. Love.

And Oh my LORDY…let me just say one thing that makes me soooo incredibly happy about these. It wasn’t but a few minutes ago that I was looking at the Sanna Annukka website and wishing I could afford the art there (I’ve been coveting for awhile now). WELLLLLLL, they designed these tea towels for Marimekko! Totally a random coincidence, but I am quite happy about it.

I sure do have a lot of wants. Now I just need the dolla bills.

I have received lipgloss sets from Benefit in the past on a few different occasions, and let me just say, excellent gift.

These go everywhere with me. I like that I can switch up colour on a whim. What a sweet relief to get those lips prettied up when you need a little perking.

Whether you are shopping for yourself, or any deserving lady in your life, this Glitz, Glam, & Gloss set from Benefit is an excellent choice for a very nice department store make-up product (at a reasonable price!).

Smooches.

Okay, so for those of you on the gleegarden email list, you received an email last week about the November and December giveaways. It asked for wishlists and gave a few examples of possibilities. One of those was the Absolutely Fabulous DVD set (Ab Fab for the shows fans). Whooooaaaaa! Little did I know…so many responses told me that they absolutely wanted Ab Fab on their own wishlists. Ladies after my own heart.

I have been wanting this for years myself (I hope the proper people are reading this post). Here is the latest and greatest set that I’ve found with 5 seasons and loads of extras. God I love those Absolutely Fabulous, Absolutely Hysterical, Absolutely Ridiculous ladies. Too true to life sometimes.

When this whole Gleegarden project started last summer, I went to my good gal friends and asked them to give me little write-ups on their favorite products/doodads/whatnots, thus originating Gleepeeks.

Well, most of the gals launched off huge lists, but my friend Rainey? Nah. She gave me two things (see her other GleePeek here). I love Rainey, and I think it speaks volumes about the way she lives her life and the way a lot of us live ours. She is BUSY! She is raising 3 children and dealing with all the life stuff that just gallops over us. When I asked her for her faves, it took her quite awhile to come up with anything. Then I get the list of two. Two things that are necessities for her in a life where she doesn’t have the time to really give her self much thought. These must be good! I know I pay attention when she tells me what’s what. Without further ado, Rainey’s latest recommendation…

Exact Eyelights by CoverGirl – This is for those women, should there be any, that find themselves needing a great mascara. Now, I’ve tried mascaras that are supposed to be the next big thing, and have upscale names and prices at the mall, all the way down to the clearance rack at Walgreen’s. So I decided to give Cover Girls exact eyelights a try. – Rainey

I am a firm believer that a great mascara is crucial for every make-up wearing lady (and should be for some of the non-make-up wearers). Exact Eyelights apparently has hints of metallic colour that brighten eyes. Definitely have to give this one a go! I’ve certainly been failed by every single one of the expensive mascaras I’ve encountered too.

Thanks Rainey! And if you ever get another inspiration, let us know.

Bells. I love bells. Why do they say ‘holiday’? I do not know. But what a beautiful decoration, I say.

Get some little ones to go around the stems of wine glasses, tie them to doorknobs, make a delightful napkin ring accent. So many possibilities!

I love these bells as a decorative centerpiece. I would want them up year around!

Thanks for tuning in to this holiday party week! It was fun and could’ve gone on forever and ever. Much like the holidays, good things come to an end so that we can appreciate and anticipate their return.

*In the spirit of love and glee-filled lives, I am sending my deepest love and sympathies to the family of my dear friend Toni. She was a great gleegarden supporter and she will be missed. She lived well and was loved deeply by our community and beyond. There is a piece missing in our hearts.