mipmup.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• cute invites.  i kind of have this anti-shower thing going on, but when i saw these, i issued a temporary cease and desist. aren't they to die for? don't say "baby" or you won't win the prize. 31.25 for 25.

• marimekko rain clogs. do you remember that i'm obsessed (obsessed!) with all things marimekko? do i need these or what? 116.25.

• make your own wine. um. yes, please. from 4,000.

• sweet pouches. i could use about a half a billion of these. 55.

• shoooz! i've been having guilt about shoes lately. i really want these supersexy wedges i've had my eye on, but they are suede. therefore, i will probably settle for these, which are vegan. that isn't a bad thing, of course. just not sexy. but not sexy is cool, right? right? 80.

photo credits: urbanbaby . marimekko . crushpad. see jane work .  simple

i have questions.

i walk a lot each day and i have mucho experience with my likeminded compatriots. i have questions for them:

• do you have to hawk a loogie while running? is this a law or something?
• dude. if your shorts are that short and your chest is that bare, why don't you just run naked?
• why, oh why, must you sing along with your ipod while running?
• do you realize no one cares if your front gardener is communicating with your back gardener? or that your maid must be reminded to wash the whites with whites and the darks with darks?
• heads-up: do you think it's proper etiquette to pet my dog whilst there's sweat dripping from your body into her adorable eyes?

ps cyclists: i hate you, you obnoxious bunch you. sure, i'll get out of your way if you stop at the stop signs while i'm driving next to you.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• emigre ceramics vase. i love this vase created by a really great typeface designer. [thanks to my buddy for the heads-up.] 48.

• stylish dog toys. sick of the cartoon faces and ridiculous dr. seuss characters squeaking away? check out these extra-sophisticated playthings for your pup! anything "...inspired by ancient chinese motifs and imbued with feng shui symbolism" is ok by me. but are they too nice to chew?  from 10.

• tissue holder. i am a big tissue person (gotta have 'em all the time), but i hate folding them up in my purse and i don't like the pre-packaged kind — too scratchy. i need my aloe-added softies. therefore, this little holder is a perfect solution for me. 10.

• letterpress gift tags. you know me and letterpress; born to be together. how great are these?! 2.50 each.

• embroidered shawl. these shawls are handmade by afghan women. i'm a big fan of this company. their designs are interesting and unique and they are doing good things. you can read their story here. 165.

photo credits: emigre ceramics . unica home . lekker . little paper company .  tarsian + blinkley

on vegan fare.

i've been a vegetarian since 1992 and a strict vegan since 2004. this fact is somewhat surprising considering i am the granddaughter of a butcher, grew up eating cow's tongue and counted coke, doritos and hot tamales (which are vegan, btw) as my closest food friends.

yes, i'm a now a vegan, much to my family's dismay (i "bmom," bring my own meals, because they just can't go there for whatever reason). and i love to cook. it's brought me much joy — relaxing me and fulfilling me. therefore, when i come across articles like this one, i cringe. in "vegan venture: going all-veggie in the company of carnivores," the author bridget bentz sizer makes a vegan dinner for four panelists to try. while i giver her props for bringing veganism to the mainstream, her dishes — squash soup, seitan satay, nut loaf and chocolate cake — attempt to approximate an omnivore experience rather than exploring the flavors vegan cuisine has to offer. the author's nut loaf, as she put it: "a nod toward traditional vegan fare?" it sounds incredibly bland, even to me, the "target audience."

vegan fare should be exciting, satisfying, flavorful and beautifully presented. explore fatfree vegan kitchen to get a sense of what vegan food can be.

it's akin to the conversation i've had with my friend many times about eating at vegetarian/vegan restaurants. i don't have to eat at a vegetarian restaurant to have a satisfying meal. in fact, many of the vegan meals i've enjoyed have been at steakhouses. it's not necessarily about the fact that the food is vegan. it's should be about the fact that the food is good. many vegetarian restaurants make the mistake of creating flavorless food no one wants to eat.

but some don't.

i had the pleasure of eating at millennium restaurant in san francisco, where the food is brilliant. and i look forward to dining at madeleine bistro here in la, where dave anderson is the chef. he has this to say about his approach to vegan cuisine:

i want to show that anything, absolutely anything you can dream up, can be carried out in the vegan realm. we make meringue, we make cheese, we make whipped cream. that’s why i got my education at [esteemed rhode island culinary academy] johnson & whales instead of going somewhere like the natural gourmet cookery school in new york. too many vegan and vegetarian chefs are ignoring thousands of years of culinary history. they’re cutting themselves off from so many resources and knowledge, and starting all over again. i thought to myself, okay, once i understand how a meringue works, and why it does what it does, and how to make it do what i want it to do, it’s going to be a hell of a lot easier for me to duplicate that. whereas if i’m just saying, well i don’t know, i’ve tasted meringue before, now i’m just gonna veganize it by mixing up some tofu in a blender — i’m never going to get there. [full article]

i think some people are surprised when they say i cook well "being a vegan and all" and it's unfortunate. once diners and consumers — and my brother-in-law — start associating being vegan with good taste instead of viewing it as a barrier, we'll be making progress.

suggested reading:

why vegan?

fundraising.

in honor of the memory of eric w. shaffer, who passed away last friday at just 25 from acute lymphocytic leukemia, i'm asking your support for two charities selected by his wife, amanda, who was contributing editor for health + wellness at blogher. it's impossible for me to understand what she must be going through, but this is my way of trying to help in some small way.

the first is free care friends at the children’s hospital of pittsburgh which provides care to patients and their families regardless of ability to pay. to ensure this mission is met year after year, children’s hospital established this free care fund.

the other charity is clearwater conservancy, a land trust and natural resource conservation organization formed to promote conservation and restoration of natural resources. through land conservation, water resource protection and environmental outreach to the community, this organization works to protect natural beauty and the environment in the heart of pennsylvania.

amanda has also encouraged us to write to congress and urge them to oppose the president's proposed budget cuts in funding for cancer research and programs. i agree, as i just found out that my cousin, age 33, was diagnosed on thursday with lymphoma and my another family member has brain cancer.

note: the firstgiving site works better in safari than in firefox.

photo credit: clearwater conservancy.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• beautiful sleepwear. i'm sure this nightgown would give me sweet dreams, but i'd probably be too afraid to wear it, it's so lovely (and expensive)! 245.

• big red sun. these "retro" botanicals are incredible. i had the chance to see some at a store in los angeles last week and they are just beautiful. this place also provides floral for events. woo! prices vary.

• orla kiely wallet. i don't know when oliebollen.com started carrying stuff for "big kids," but i'm one happy camper. i love the colors in this (non-leather, yay!) wallet. 65.

• reversible tote. you can't carry this handmade reversible tote until you firmly believe in the power of spring. 28.

• watermelon pet bed. do i really need to say anything about the cute factor? didn't think so. from 49.

photo credit: fig leaves; big red sun; oliebollen.com; shiela d.; trixie + peanut.

alternative therapies series.

i just completed a series of guides on "alternative" therapies for blogher (still in beta), where i am contributing editor for health + wellness. some of you have asked me for health information, so i hope this will provide you with a good start on which to base your health decisions. if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

• the abcs of homeopathy
• all about naturopathic medicine
• ayurveda 101
• exploring herbalism
• intro to traditional tibetan medicine
• traditional chinese medicine in brief

this is my blogher rss feed.

photo credit: publix

free veggie burgers!

in honor of the great american meatout this monday, 20 march, johnny rockets is offering up free veggie burgers all month as a "gift with purchase." they're boca burgers, too, my favorite. just make sure your other meal is veggie, too.

and won't you take a moment to let the restaurant know you like their style? i realize it's primarily a burger joint, this is a step in the right direction.

enjoy!

check out my related post at blogher.

update: i wrote johnny rockets to let them know i appreciated the free veggie burger offer and to inquire if the patty was vegan. here is the response i received.

"thank you for taking the time to contact us; it is always nice to hear from our guests.  the veggie patty that we use in our streamliner is made boca burger original and it is indeed a vegan product.  our spec hamburger buns should not contain any dairy or other animal-derived ingredients. unfortunately we cannot guarantee 100% that during cooking there will not be contact with some tiny amount of material from another item that is of animal origin.  for this we apologize. therefore, while the boca burger patty we use is vegan, we cannot designate the streamliner as a vegan hamburger.

at johnny rockets we strive to meet the needs of all of our guests. please be aware that we designate a special area of the grill on which to cook only the boca burger and we do everything in our power to keep the area free from other materials.  we also have special color-coded turners and tongs which help to keep cross-contamination to a minimum.  however due to the limited space and tight kitchen layout at johnny rockets we cannot guarantee that there will not be unintentional contact with some small amount of material from an item which is of animal in nature. therefore, and in respect of an individual's religious, ethical, or dietary concerns, we cannot claim anything prepared at johnny rockets to be vegan or vegetarian."

as i stated, a step in the right direction in any case.

friday favorites.

here are my favorites for this week:

• herb set. this looks way cuter in the catalog when it's filled with fresh herbs. i like to give herbs as housewarming gifts. i usually go the terra cotta route planting some basics. i then attach a small, homemade gift card to a skewer using some tape. just stick it in the soil and you're done. it's super easy and encourages the recipient to use them while cooking. this little set is quite charming and at just 24.95, even more so.

• boys' tee. people love buying clothes for little girls, but the poor boys get left out. i was happy, therefore, to come across this site that specializes in clothing for boys. with a gigantic family, this is one page i needed desperately. i especially like these numerical tees (though i think it would be great on a girl, too, but that defeats the purpose). 28.

• blossom glassware. these are dainty and delicate. they remind me of all my grandma's great antique glassware that my mother is hiding somewhere in her house. i'm going to hunt it out yet! until then, these would do mighty fine. set of six, 78.40, regularly 98 (enter "luckymag" upon checkout).

• bad attitude wristbands. ok, ok, enough of the "cause" wristband. however, i would wear one of these gladly! my cause just happens to be (pick one!): irony, ennui, confused and misanthrope. set of four, 6.95.

• recycled kenyan glass bead jewelry. i'm pretty much in love with the (handmade! recycled!) three-strand choker. 279.

photo credits: crate&barrel; monkeemoos.com; clio; archie mcphee; vivaterra.

national day of solidarity.

in honor of the guy i saw yesterday wearing a "cure abortion" shirt, i'm honoring national day of solidarity for south dakota today. planned parenthood offices across the country are holding rallies and events to show our support for the women who happen to live in a state that doesn't respect their right to control what happens to their own bodies. click the link to find one near you. and if you haven't already sent in your letters, please do so now.