Lanyapi's Holiday Gift Guide Series: Geek Fanatic

Today's holiday gift guide is dedicated to all those self proclaimed dorks and geek lovers. These gifts are sure to be appreciated by all your smarty pant friends and family.



1) Book Safe. These are so nifty! Put them on your book shelf and store your secret stash of important goods. No one will no because it looks just like any other book. Our friends made us one and I just bought the above one for my brother but you can find them all over Etsy!



2) Robot Motif Bowls. These are a great gift for a quirky guy. Make breakfast more interesting!



3) Informational pencil set. These colorful beauties are a great gift for a friend who is always pulling out random trivia. I got these for my brother for his Birthday and I think they'll be a hit!



4) Know it all cup cozy. This cute little cup cozy is great for your geeky green friends! Customize it with a cute and funny name.



5) Star Wars Cuff links. These are great for a guy who likes to show off his quirky personality. Now available on Etsy.



6) Nerd Albert Einstein Toddler Shirt. This is perfect for all those future nerds! So adorable!



7) Eye Chart Necklace. This necklace, now available in my shop is perfect for all those four eyed friends of yours. A funny yet stylish piece!

Lanyapi's Holiday Gift Guide Series: Travel Fanatic

The fourth installment of Lanyapi's Holiday Gift Guide Series is all for the travel fanatic in your life! If you have traveled a bunch in your life, you know it's the small things that make a trip more enjoyable. These gifts will be appreciated and well used!



1) Travel frame with recordable device. Record a message for your loved one before they take off for a trip and they will love to listen to it during their travels. A cute idea for a partner who jets around for work all the time. I found this one at Bed Bath and Beyond.



2) Foldable tote. I love throwing these foldable bags into by purse and having one when I happen to buy something throughout the day. They are great for traveling because they fold up very small and are great when you do some vacation shopping and need an extra bag when coming back home. I love this one now available on Etsy.



3) Travel humidifier. Great to travel with in those cold dry months. Small and compact and uses a water bottle. What could be cooler? Available at stores and online.



4) Passport cover. Keep your documents safe during travel with a cute passport cover like this one available on Etsy. Customize it to your taste!



5) Bon Voyage Necklace. A perfect gift for the jet setter in your life! Now available in my Etsy shop!



6) Travel Journal. Encourage your friends and family to keep a journal with them when they travel. It's always fun to read back on your travels and a good way to kill some extra time at the airport! I love this one made of maps available on Etsy.



7) Cute weekend bag. When traveling for a quick over night trip, you should travel in style. Give your travel buddy a stylish bag like this one!

Hope you liked the picks for today's gift guide. Stay tuned for the next guide all about NERDS! :-)

Lanyapi's Holiday Gift Guide Series:Beauty Fanatic

The third installment of Lanyapi's Holiday Gift Guide Series is dedicated to the beauty fanatic. As a young girl growing up with 4 brothers and no sisters let me tell you I gravitated to all things beauty. Instead of hand me down eye shadows and dresses I literally got hand me down Bugle Boy shorts but I made it work like I always do. Here are a few gifts ideas that any sister would love to get from their testosterone filled brother.



1) Wave Hair Crimper. Always wondered how Taylor's swift gets those awesome waves in her hair? She uses a wave crimper. I picked one up at Sephora for only $20 and I love it! Great way to jazz up your hair for all those holiday parties.



2) Elizabeth W Bath Pouches. I bought some of these little pouches to give to my mom and mother and law for Christmas (opps I hope they don't read this post!!). They are filled with bath salts and you let them soak with you in the tub. You can scrub em on your body and they smell delish! Available now at Nana in DC.



3) Nail Polish. Inexpensive and great stocking stuffer. My signature hues of the season are taupe, turquoise and Christmas red!



4) Flavored Lip Balms. (Petite) Threla has amazing and unique scented lip balms. Again a great stocking stuffer. I love the Jasmine and Lemon Grapefruit Flavors. Visit their etsy shop or their new bricks and mortar store if you live in Boston.



5) Make-Up. Etsy has tons of great vegan and mineral makeup that is great for your skin. Pick out a few shimmery eve shadows and your gift shopping is complete!



6) Perfume jewelry. I love carrying around perfume with me in interesting ways. I have a ring that opens up to reveal solid perfume and I love this vintage strawberry perfume bottle necklace in my shop. Just fill it with a girl's favorite perfume and your sure to be a winner!

Hope this lesson in beauty was a helpful one. Next gift guide is all for the travel fanatic. Stay tuned.

Upcoming shows!

I'm counting down the days till my honeymoon. Only 11 days to go! But I'll be a busy bee up until my hubster and I board that plane. Come visit me at my next two shows before I jet off. I'll have all my jewels with me, which make excellent Christmas gifts! Hope to see you there!



Atlas Holiday Show. I'll be there again THIS Saturday!
When: Saturday December 11th 2-8pm
Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC
What: Live stage and musical performances, a café serving snacks and beverages, and an open market of arts, crafts, and baked goods by local artisans!



Trunk Show at Nana.
When: Thursday December 16th 5-7:30pm
Where: Nana, 1528 U Street NW, Washington, DC
What: A cozy trunk show at my favorite boutique. Stop by before grabbing dinner and drinks with friends on U. It will be the very last trunk show at this location. Nana is moving to Mount Pleasant in the new year!

Lanyapi's Holiday Gift Guide Series: Cooking Fanatic

Lanyapi’s second Holiday gift guide is for the cooking fanatic. My hubby and I love to cook and have received so many great kitchen gifts for our recent wedding. We are Top Chef addicts and have been known to own a few too many geeky kitchen tools so I wanted to share with you a few gift ideas for the chef in your life.



1) Cheese Knife. I first saw a version of this slicer at a friend’s house and was immediately attracted to how perfect it cut slices of cheese. My dad would love this and you can find them at Target for less than $10!



2) Vintage Ice Cream Maker. I've been really interested in making more and more of my meals 100% from scratch including the hard stuff so I actually know what I am putting into my body. This awesome ice cream maker doesn't use electricity so is perfect for your green friends!

3) Julia Child Necklace. This necklace is for the foodie in your life. It features a mini knife, spoon, and fork. So adorable



4) Kitchen Towels. We got these lovely towels from a dear friend as a wedding gift. Pick out your family’s home state or favorite place to vacation. We have DC (where we live now), Texas (where I am from), and France (where we got engaged). We are sure to add to the collection soon. Bonus- these double as great bathroom hand towels too! From Cat Studio.



5) Cheese Platter with Glass Top. This is perfect for the family with a sneaky dog or cat who try to steal food when you’re not looking (my kitty loooooves cheese!). Simply put the top on and voila your food is safe! Great way to get your cheese to room temperature before guest come over too! I just bought this lovely vintage one from Etsy for only $7.50!



6) Spices. I love giving spices as gifts and my favorite are hands down by Waverley Kitchens. Thought there was no way you could make Indian food? Well WK makes it simple and fun. And their new Holiday Spice pack lets you pick out 3 blends and comes in cute seasonal packaging!

7) Cooking Classes. I bought my hubby cooking classes a few years ago and he loved it. He got to learn how to pair flavors really well and still uses the tools he learned from those classes today! Great for all skill levels.

That's it for today's gift guide. Stay tuned for the next edition which is for the Beauty Fanatic!

2010 Atlas Holiday Market!

I'll be selling my jewels at a fabulous holiday market this Saturday! Please stop by and visit!

When: Saturday December 4th 2-8pm (I'll also be there the following Saturday too!)
Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC
What: Live stage and musical performances, a café serving snacks and beverages, and an open market of arts, crafts, and baked goods by local artisans!



Haven't explored H street? It's one of DC's hippest neighborhoods. Grab a bite to eat at one of the numberous yummy restaraunts and then stop on in the market.

Here are just a few of my favorite eats on H:

For yummy Moroccan Tapas you have to try Souk. My hubby and I love to take friends there!

The Liberty Tree has amazing pizza and seafood dishes. My hubby took me there for our last date night and we thought it was so cozy! Made us feel like we were back in the North End in Boston and come to find out the chef is from Massachusetts!

Hope to see you at the market!

Lanyapi's Holiday Gift Guide Series: Fitness Fanatic

I always get stumped by what to get my friends and family by the time the holidays roll around, so this year I am creating a series of themed holiday gift guides to inspire me. Today's edition is for the fitness fanatic in your life. I'll have to restrain myself from buying all these gifts for moi!

My hubby is in the middle of law school final exams so lately it's been hard for him to get to yoga class. He's taken to meditating at home when he finds a time that works for him. I love this yoga mat with built in speakers. Just plug in your ipod and listen to your favorite meditation series or instructional yoga. It's a great gift for those who are too busy for group classes because you can roll out your mat at your convenience at home. Runs for about $32 and made by Gaiam



Saw this awesome hat on my latest trip to the sports store with my cousin while we were stocking up on winter running gear over thanksgiving break. The best part? It has a hole for your hole tail! We got a kick out of that. Tons of different brands out there including Nike and REI. Runs for about $20



Know someone who accomplished their fitness goal this year? I wanted to compete in a triatholon and ended up doing two! I just met a few girls who completed their first ever marathon. Celebrate your accomplishment with pride. I made this marathon necklace for all those bad asses who comleted one!



Trying to find a gift for someone who has everything or who has tried everything? Why not buy them classes to get dive certified or learn the art of trapeze. A fun and active way to stay fit and two things that are on my list to try in 2011.



Stay tuned for the next edition which will be for the Cooking Fanatic!