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

Sometimes I really find it hard to believe that while I am overheated wearing shorts and going to the beach, that it is still winter in most of the States. Don’t hate. And not only is it winter, but the WINTER OLYMPICS! Whoo hoooooo! Although I don’t have a TV, I have a neighbor who is so obsessed with the games that he is taking time off work to stay home and watch them. No joke. So for today, a warm necessity, SmartWool socks. Makes me feel like hunkering down with some buttery, nutritional yeast popcorn and watching me some Olympic sports.

The other day I posted this nice little bag. A gleegarden reader and friend, Crystal found an even less expensive alternative.

Reptile Print Hobo – I ran across this reptile print bag today and I thought it might be a nice alternative to that bag you posted on gleegarden last week. I hardly ever spend that much money on purses because I beat the hell out of them. Particularly on St. John, where a purse has to double as a beach bag/bar napkin, it’s hard to worry about a bag that you’ve spent a lot of money on. This is pretty silly, but fun. And super cheap! – Crystal

I am totally on board with this suggestion…

Delias.com – Yes, it’s a teeny bopper site but my goodness do they have a great, affordable shoe collection! Even your standard staples (like these sweet denim Van’s).  They ship fast, are true to size, and are easy on the pocket book. – Jacynth

It is good to have a credit card, you know, to build credit and whatnot. But which one shall you chose? Here’s a suggestion from Jacynth…

Wondering what credit card to sign up for? I got myself, a Nordstrom Visa about a year ago and have definitely reaped the rewards. You earn points as you spend and double when you spend at Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack. They, in turn, send you Nordstrom “bucks” to spend at their stores and it’s splendiferous! – Jacynth

Um, okay. I am going to go on a Didi suggestion binge here. She gave us yesterday’s goody (as well as many others), and since she has a lot of good ideas to get through before I give myself a break from the website, I’m giving you another! Home goods for her Brooklyn apartment…

C2B Couch/Daybed – It’s expensive, but hip and the fact that you can make it into like a double person bed is hella cool for the spacially challenged, like me. – Didi

I sooooo know what Didi is talking about on this week’s GleePeek. I hadn’t been to The Body Shop in years, but I could not be more thrilled that they are now in airports because it has me back on the bandwagon with a few of their products. Especially now that it is harder for us to carry our goods around due to all the regulations. Didi’s suggestion…

Body Shop Hemp Hand Cream – I haven’t been to a Body Shop in ages, but  there’s a reason they have one at the Sea-Tac airport: because you feel all mashy and meh when you travel, and going in to smell the smells and try on a couple creamy products makes your flying day better.  About 3 years ago, I picked up a tube of this hand cream and have been hooked ever since (I’ve only gone through 2 tubes so it’s a nice lasting amount).  When you’re 40,000 ft in the air, nothing make you more comfy than slathering some hemp over your dry, air-cracked, hands.  Well, that or a H1N1 covered blanket…. – Didi

I have an addiction to handbags. C’est vraie. It seems like only yesterday that I wouldn’t touch them, thought they were stupid and useless. Oh, how silly and young I was. Bags are beautious, beneficial, and beat having to put things in pockets or grapple with carrying in one’s hands. Like I had to tell YOU that!

What I am looking for right now would be some subtly fun colours and classic styling. What some OTHER ladies have been looking for is an alternative to the cartoony, pastel diaper bags that seem to defy any sort of style sense. I think this does the trick (and the PRICE is right)…

Perhaps where you are, it is not the time of year to be thinking about your garden. But perhaps it is! My friend Joy in Seattle has been building an awesome garden where she spends quality time every day. I must admit I am a bit envious and I absolutely cannot wait to get a REAL house with a REAL yard so I can get to work with planting. Here is what she has to say about a great gardening resource (and I would certainly be needing one of these to help with my ‘brown thumb’)…

Ed Hume — he is great. I am addicted to his show Gardening in America and his website is awesome. Perhaps not so much a pretty web site, but very useful!!! I love the calendar feature — tells me what to do!). He is a bit focused on Northwest gardening, but nonetheless, is a fabulous resource for us begining gardeners. – Joy

The Kleen Kanteen is one of my faves for sure. Mine goes with me everywhere (filled with iced tea at the moment). It is the most up-to-date alternative to those old plastic Nalgenes we aren’t supposed to be using any more, and I must say, it is a ton better. Why didn’t we go with stainless steel to begin with? It just tastes so refreshingly clean without having to worry about nasty chemicals infiltrating out bodies. I definitely recommend the wide mouth, and get at least the 40 oz. size. Everyone should be carrying these with them everywhere.

So I sent out a message to Gleegarden subscribers yesterday letting them know that I am going to have a crazy next few weeks of reader suggestions for all my posts. Why? Because I am feeling a bit over-burdened with my busy life and I felt it was taking its toll on the quality level here on the website. So after I am done posting favorites that have been submitted to me by all my friends and readers, I am taking a break. For a yet-to-be-determined amount of time.

Thank you sooooo much to my loyal readers. Your support and comments have kept me plugging through day after day. And the content ideas you all have shared have been my favorite part by far. Since I still have a cache of these saved up, it is time to start the extravaganza.

Today I have a submission sent to me from Beth in Denver. She has been a great Gleegarden fan, and I am really down with her plan to stay cozy in the Rocky Mountain winter.

Rosette Quilt from Anthropologie – I just bought this bedspread last weekend and I totally love it! It’s soft, warm and totally girly without being overly so. I paired it with a persimmon colored throw and shams, and cream colored sheets. I want to lay in bed all day! – Beth