A few weeks ago I shot a video at Micheal Levine’s fabric store in downtown Los Angeles. Micheal Levine’s has a terrific selection of faux-leathers to offer as an alternative to cow’s skin when you are upholstering furniture. Cow skin, aka leather, is not fabric and I wanted to debunk the idea we hold that […]
Olsenhaus Shoes – Animal-Free from Head to Toe #fashionablyvegan
June 7, 2015An overcast day in Los Angeles was the perfect excuse to bring out my Olsenhaus boots! Elizabeth Olsen makes outstanding vegan shoes free of all animal-products. I fell madly in love with these boots but after tottering a bit with an extra half inch of height I brought them to Sam (at Fast and Best […]
Cliff Belts: All Tree, No Cows Involved
May 14, 2015I’m magically in love with these belts. I was looking for a good non-leather belt that wasn’t stiff or prone to shredding to sport my favorite Heidi Abra belt buckles when I learned about Cliff Belts. Cliff Belts are made from sustainably harvested cork. Cork is the outer layer of the cork tree which is […]
Flowers: Faux to Real and the Ugly in Between.
February 17, 2015I love flowers! I love how they brighten a room, or tell someone you love them wordlessly… but I was stuck reconciling my love for flowers and the damage I believed flower farming did to the planet. My first solution was to stick to artificial flowers which didn’t appear to be harmful to anyone and […]
Saving Plastic from Itself and the Oceans
February 9, 2015Its Sunday. And every Sunday I return from the Farmers Market in Hollywood with a half dozen Baggus (everyone should have a dozen of these) full of my favorite fruits and veggies which I freeze or store in plastic bags….
Change Your FLOR, Not Your Room
January 13, 2015In honor of the new year, I propose we start off on the right foot! What better way to embrace 2015 then by considering the foundation of our homes. The floors of our home can make or break how we experience a room. Clean, well-cared for floors provide the base for our furniture and our […]
The Sun Will Come Out….Tomorrow…
January 3, 2015…but until then…keep your feet warm and dry with my new favorite throw-on, all-purpose, retro-chic and very vegan boots Bogs Boots. I wore Uggs for years. Like most people I never considered what animal was being destroyed to make my warm calf-high boots, I just liked that they were indoor/outdoor and easy to put on. […]
Have a Happy, Kind and Vegan Holiday!
December 25, 2014I love this time of the year because, to me, the holidays really emphasize how important it is to be kind to one another. With every email that ends “Have a Happy Holiday!” I’m reminded that during the rest of the year we often let the busy-ness of our lives overtake our sense of humanity […]
Peaceful Dreams in a Compassionate Bedroom, Your Quilt!
December 13, 2014In my ongoing attempt to continue to make my bedroom as harm-free as possible, I recently said good bye to my feather duvet. I must admit I had a very sentimental attachment to my feather duvet because I bought it years ago when I lived in London — years before I considered that ducks would […]
A Kitty’s Letter to Santa Paws
December 6, 2014As the holidays approach, please take a few minutes to consider what your furry friends might want to bring in their own new years. Or, if yours are bold like mine, perhaps you will find a list. Here are our top 7 favorite holiday gifts for kitties (and pups!) alike! 1. Molly and Friends – […]
Animal-Free Hair Care for the Busy and Gray Rooted
October 30, 2014I am gray. Which apparently isn’t as much due to my age as it is to my stressful lifestyle choices. My hair stylist found my first gray at 31. I was horrified and have waged a red-haired war on those little wirey strands ever since. To quote my favorite playwright: I am not going gently […]
When the Rescuer Becomes the Rescued
October 18, 2014Mark and Kiwi met 4 years ago when Mark saw her photo on a Facebook page for the Baldwin Park County Shelter in Los Angeles. He went down to the shelter to adopt her at the same time as a few others. Everyone was told to return the next morning. Mark was the only person […]
No Scaredy Cats or Unkind Tricks in Our Happy Halloween!
October 17, 2014Nothing is as much fun as Halloween in Los Angeles. Between our warm fall evenings and our infinite creative talent (I mean we invented movie makeup and special effects), this city gives a great All Hallow’s Eve. I love wandering the neighborhoods, family in tow, ogling the kids and the dressed up homes. What […]
Not Down with Duck? DIY Feather-Free Pillows
September 1, 2014I think few books made as much of an impression on 7 year-old me than Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Make Way for Ducklings, written in 1941 and Caldecott Medal winning a year later, tells the tale of a duck family and their relationship to the city of Boston. I was so captivated […]