By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor

Just before Christmas I went to Chicago to visit my friend Anne-Marie.  She took me to the One-of-a-Kind show, which features artists from all over the States and Canada.  It was quite a show and discovered all sorts of neat things and met some very interesting people. One of the people I met was  Annie Duggan. She and her sister, Mary, started a company called the  DugganSisters that helps people transform their lives.

After both women recovered from various illnesses and injuries, they decided to share their amazing transformation stories and to dedicate themselves to helping others transform their lives also. Their stories are truly amazing.  One of their passions is healthy breasts and they started the DON’T BE A BOOB campaign  linking breast cancer and bras and the role of the lymphatic system in maintaining good health.  They preached about how bad deodorants were but found natural deodorants quite  ineffective.  So, the Duggan Sisters, naturally, went about creating their own deodorant called LifeStinks™ . Their LifeStinks deodorants are made with 3 simple ingredients: aluminum free sodium bicarbonate, tea tree oil and lavender or cedarwood oil that are made with the highest quality Australian botanical oil infusions.  They do not stain and completely rinse off clothes.  It goes on dry to keep you dry and requires no mid day touch-ups.

I had to try this.  My mother-in-law, Betty, is a breast cancer survivor and I knew I had to get her a LifeStinks kit. I told her the story and she confided in me that she’d always hated wearing store-bought deodorant but felt she had little choice because the natural stuff never worked for her.  She absolutely loved the Lifestinks product!  Not a big fragrance fan, she still found the lavender very pleasant (I personally love it, but then I am a fan of essential oils).  She stayed with us for a month during Christmas and never looked back at her store bought deodorant again. In fact I found it in the bathroom waste basket after she had left. Now that is a testimonial!

You can buy the LifeStinks Deodorant right from the Duggan Sisters’ website where you can also read more about their amazing stories.

I have been following Courtney Laine’s work for a number of years now, always in dreamy adoration of her Passementerie line and now of the Laine collection (Laine houses Courtney’s latest line, higher-end one-of-kind collectible pieces while Passementerie features Courtney’s classic designs).

You would never guess it but Courtney is completely self-taught, except for a few metalsmithing classes and graduate gemology classes that she has enrolled in to get a better understanding of the precious gems that are used in her designs.

I am entirely self taught, which has allowed me to take my time, to truly explore the materials that I work with and perfect my craftsmanship. This self-taught approach has given me the freedom to explore alternate techniques of working with gemstone beads, which lead to the development of some of my most treasured signature designs: cascading tendrils of the finest gems & pearls perched atop exquisite gemstone briolettes, lush clusters of gems accented by miniature curls of solid 18k gold, platinum & sterling silver, my signature gem encrusted chains, and the Modern Heirlooms collection which combines antique lockets & findings with fine gems & pearls.

As she looks back to the historical for inspiration, Courtney has evolved her jewelry-making techniques to keep up with her vision. I think that it is her very passion for “beautiful things preserved” that has had me hooked on her work. Courtney’s jewelry defies trends to become classic heirloom-worthy pieces. Or rather “Signature” pieces as she justifiably calls them. That is not just so because of their beguiling aesthetic beauty, but also because of the quality of the materials she uses in all collections which consist only of the finest gemstones, 18-24k gold, platinum and sterling silver and antique findings for

Read the full story »

Rain can be so romantic, but never more so than with this adorable heart shaped umbrella. It’s available in 12 other colors (like white if you don’t want to wear your heart on your sleeve so extravagantly!) through the fab Russian design site Art Lebedev. They ship from Europe but you should get it in time for Valentine’s Day if you order it real soon.

I think you’d be warming the cockles of every passerby’s heart as you walk through the rain with this.

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor

We all know about the benefits of aromatherapy in the bath but what about the shower?

Hydra, a San Francisco bath products company, first created the Chill Pill, aromatherapy bath fizzes and have now created Chill Pill Shower Steamers, aromatherapy for the shower. Since most of us don’t have time for a luxurious bath soak on a daily basis, the fragrant Shower Steamers – made with 100% essential oils, all natural – are a great way to still experience the benefits of aromatherapy. Plus they create a spa like feel in the shower.

Just place the Shower Steamer in your shower and let the indirect spray activate the aromatherapy experience.  Each Steamer last about 4 showers.  Their signature blends have names like “Clarity”, “Healing”,  “Refresh” and “Relax”.  Or go for their Naturals fragrances for scents pulled straight from the great outdoors.

They also have the shower Mood Busters that focus on specific issues such as headaches, stress, cold and flu, insomnia and hangovers, which to be quite honest I could have used the other day!

I bought a variety and my son and husband also use them. I gave my teenage son the Refresh Steamer (with the citrus oils of grapefruit & lavender) to help him better wake up for school in the mornings.  My husband likes the Relax Steamer (lavender & bergamot) after his evening run and to wind down at the end of the day.

You can buy them online here, individually or in a gift pack of four. Great gift idea.

A friend of mine turned me onto Groupon about five months ago. I am thankful for that tip every time I scoop up one of their great deals. I thought that I was the last to know. But, as I’ve since introduced Groupon to several equally unenlightened friends, I thought that it would be worth a mention here, just in case you were also in the dark about this great coupon site…

What is Groupon? It’s an online deal-of-the-day/group-buy website that offers city-specific deals (usually between 40% to 60% off) with a whole panoply of local businesses.  Each daily deal only gets activated if a certain number of people buy into it (which is almost always). What did I get so far? Great discounts at restaurants of all types and price points, half price off ballet tickets, museum memberships, a chocolate tour, basketball tickets for my son and nine of his friends… As a new implant in the city, I particularly love Groupon offers because it gives me a really good “excuse” to discover new services and entertainment venues in Chicago.

Groupon started in November 2008 and, hardly more than a year later, is already covering 30 markets, with more on the way. It is as great a deal for local businesses looking to gain more exposure as it is a great incentive for consumers looking to discover new businesses that they probably wouldn’t have tried or known about otherwise.

You can subscribe or follow Groupon on Twitter or Facebook to get the daily deals. If you are in Chicago, I know about other similar websites such as YouSwoop.com, ChiTownDeals.com and WeGivetoGet.com (this last one gives back to Chicago charitable organizations) that also provide substantial discounts to a variety of local businesses. You’ll have to investigate what other offerings are in your own area. Totally worth it, especially as we all look to become smarter consumers.

A simple text will donate $5 to help the crisis in Haiti. Text HAITI to number 25383 to give $5.

Or go to the International Rescue Committee’s website to donate a tax-deductible gift in whichever amount you like. Either way, it shouldn’t take you more than a minute. And, if you have an extra minute, please spread the word on Facebook. Update your status to say:  “I am donating my status update to rescue lives in Haiti.  Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to help the International Rescue Committee rescue lives.  COPY & PASS THIS ON AS YOUR STATUS UPDATE”

You know what to do.

I admit it. I am crazy about my iPhone. It is probably – even more than my computer – my most prized possession. Materialistic, I know.

Until IMakeMyCase, the extent of personalization of the über cool lifestyle tool in question went as far as our capacity to choose between the white or the black unit, and then to choose between an array of equally generic (and enormously overpriced) protective cases. I made a real big statement when I chose a clear one.

But now there is IMakeMyCase to the rescue. Just launched this past week at CES and produced in Atlanta by Case-Mate, with IMakeMyCase, you can now create your very own iPhone case based on the very cool design elements offered by designers like Chuck Anderson, Matt W. Moore and Shadow Chen, among others.

Choose an artist then go play with backgrounds and layered graphics and see what you come up with. Be warned: this is a highly addictive process.

Your finished design (or one already created by the artists) will cost you $39.99 with free shipping if you choose the regular USPS shipping option. The website says that they will start shipping at the end of January.

Here’s what I came up with. Hey. I’m still working on it but it’s a vast improvement over what I have now.