Ellen, Portia and Rachel Ray

Take a couple minutes to watch funny lady Ellen chat with Rachel Ray about the benefits she and Portia have experienced from eating vegan. Did you know that Rachel eats vegetarian a couple nights a week? Love that!

Sunday Meditation

"I hold that the more helpless a creature, 

the more entitled it is to protection by man 

from the cruelty of man."

-Gandhi

Choose love

The other day I found myself waiting for a table at a bar with a friend.  Eventually we spotted some people who were just paying their bill and leaving so we swooped in and sat down at the table before the waiter had a chance to clean it off.  There was a plate of chicken wings with four wings left.

Four little wings.

I've made the choice to be vegan so obviously I'm not a fan of eating meat. However, it saddens me in a different way when I see little body parts so casually left behind.  It troubles me deeply that any animal has to go through suffering and fear to satisfy a temporary craving, but it feels even worse when that animal endures this fate only to be thrown in the garbage.

This holiday weekend, I encourage everyone to eat consciously. Choose food that aligns with your values and then eat it with love and peace in your heart.

Here's a photo of what chicken wings really are for!

Sunday Meditation

"Animals love us with constant hearts. 

They offer us pure joy, a place to love with simplicity and purity."

-Julia Cameron, Transitions

Chance

I discovered a store called Chance last year. 

To me their simple aesthetic lends itself 

perfectly to the lazy days of summer...

which are finally almost upon us.

I have coveted the straw stitched fedora 

for two years. It's a bit pricey so

I'm still admiring from afar.

I'll have what he's having!

Hawthorn blooms

Hawthorn trees have beautiful flowers. 

But it seems to me they only last
for about 10 minutes every season.

The rest of the year they are sort of a prickly mess.

I had a Hawthorn tree in my back yard 

and ended up replacing it with a coral maple.

I do miss those sweet, brief blooms.

Luckily, my neighbor has a renegade Hawthorn 

sprouting through the fence between our yards.

So, I snipped off a few sprigs (on my side of the fence!)
to enjoy indoors before

the blooms fade.

Very pink and pretty!

TRACCEbags spring discount!

Have you heard about TRACCEbags yet?

If not, you're in for a treat.

They are stylish, handmade vegan handbags.

Better yet, they're having a 25% spring discount!

So, if you need a new handbag, why not

get one that is animal, people and eco-friendly?

Here are a couple of my favorites today...

Happy Mother's Day!

Bill Maher - Free the Animals

You can always count on Bill Maher to tell it like it is. So, no surprise that he is spreading the good word about PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's new release of her book Free the Animals.  Check out the article here.


The book tells the real-life story of the people who pull off daring rescues of laboratory test animals and the whistleblowers inside who help them.Yes, these folks are usually members of PETA, which often is perceived as a radical organization - probably because they usually take radical action. I used to think they were extreme troublemakers too. But now I think they are on the right track. Because it's the video footage from these rescues that brings issues to light and causes the (rightful) public outrage.


Picture this - Britches, a baby macaque monkey who had his eyes stitched closed and some kind of electrical box put on his head. Or the mice who are forced to swim to thepoint of exhaustion or drowning. Or the other monkeys kept in steel cages so small they repeatedly banged their heads against the wall.


Kind of a PR nightmare for the tormenters, no? That's how it works. Shining a light on this activity forces corporations to find better ways of testing. And by "better" I mean cheaper, more effective and more applicable to humans. I know, it doesn't make sense that they even bother with the animal testing. But apparently old habits, no matter how cruel and unnecessary, can be hard to break.


Thanks Bill, for spreading the word. And thanks to PETA for doing the things that the rest of us are afraid to.


Here's another picture of a Macaque monkey in a better situation who befriended a kitten and is caring for it like a baby. Apparently even monkeys know how to behave when we humans fall short.

Faux leather poufs

I love the look of moroccan poufs.

But I don't like to buy leather.

So, I was tickled pink 

(actually, purple, yellow, red and white)

to run across these faux leather poufs

by Grandinroad.

They come in pouf and stool sizes.

The purple one above is the stool.

I like the lower, pouf size better - but

this photo was better.

You get the idea...

Since they're not leather, you can even

use them outside.

The perfect perch to sit

and contemplate kindness!

Other colors:

Sunday Meditation

Arm Candy

There's nothing like a pop of color

in an accessory to take 

an outfit from boring to bombshell.

Here are some luscious new handbags

from Matt and Nat that are guaranteed

to keep the blahs at bay!

(vegan, of course!)

Buddha

Goldfrapp

Devo

White on white

All white.

Clean, crisp.

Definitely a statement.
And easy to do with some basic pieces.
A white t-shirt and you're on your way!

Some gorgeous white handbags from Matt and Nat 

to help get the look

(and no animals will be harmed along the way).

Beautiful!

Lennox

Britt

Riley

Malone

Devo