[13 Days of Halloween] Day 8 - Trick or Treat Yo Self

Treat yourself this Halloween to some of my personal favorite finds. Because you only live once unless your religion dictates otherwise.

 

I am in desperate need of this Ouija Board pillow! I will be conjuring some money up shortly to buy one!

My favorite prime time zombie is now a Pop Figure! Preorder Olivia Moore from Izombie today! She even is holding a plate of brain-food and hot sauce!

 

Bring in some good luck with this limited edition black cat pin. Scratch you're it! Creepy Co. has a lot of cool pins so pick up a few more in your cart while your there.

Burn down the house with a Buffalo Bill inspired candle, it smells like lotion - duh!

Maybe a night in is what you need. Get medicated with this Jack O' Lantern glass pipe. The vine detail is pretty cool!

Republic of the V (Berkeley, CA)

 

Bring your wallets and get ready to shop! When we stopped by Republic of the V last Saturday I wish I had won the lotto the week before. So much stuff that I wanted - things I did not even know were out on the vegan market.  So many vegan goodies from top shelf to counter - all arranged in a cool, clean space with plenty of breathing room.

Some Snacks to get you in the munching mood - from chips to jerky to loads of vegan chocolate they have all your snacking needs covered. 

Frozen food never looked so good! Pizza, burgers, taquitos and more are up in the case! 

So much stuff I could have run around and shopped for hours, but we had a BART to catch. I ended up with some new stuff to try out: Sriracha jerky, cola flavored kombucha, lip balm, chocolates, sweets, a new shopping bag. I cannot wait to head back and do more shopping.

Republic of V is located at 1624 University Avenue in Glorious Berkeley, CA. Just a few blocks from Pizza Moda! Wow! 

The Bone Room In Berkeley, CA

I checked out The Bone Room in Berkeley last Saturday. This is the type of store one can get lost in for hours. Bones, specimen, vintage medical equipment, art and a laid back yet helpful staff and owner.If you are a fan of the show Oddities and like the store Loved To Death in San Francisco, then check out this store. I like it so much more, friendlier staff, allows photos, not 20 security guards in a cramped space...Young and old were in the shop chatting about nature, bone readings and having a good time.

Fetal skeleton: could not get a great shot, it was behind the case at an odd angle. This was in the museum next door, it is an annex to the shopping store next door with more art, books and vintage/rarer stuff to buy. The owner hangs out here - he was supper nice letting me play with his vintage medical scalpels.

A fetus skull cast. Would make an interesting specimen for your coffee table.

On a budget but still want some human bones? Then go with foot bones! $5 a pop! They also had jars of teeth that were pretty cheap.

The shop was loaded with butterflies. My favorite was a Mormon butterfly (not pictured) that was black and red - super cool.

While I am not into taxidermy or animal parts, bones and creepy coffins and tools interest me and have so since I was young. My mom in fact would bring me home casket literature if she had to go to a funeral home...I walked away from the bone room with some fossils that hopefully will be made into jewelry, a broken vintage ceramic doll (they sell doll parts!) and a Bone Room patch. I can't wait to go back, my eye is set on some jewelry and books!

[Vegan MOFO] Friday Finds - 99 Cent Only

My mom who is the former Queen of Yard Sales renounced her title a few years back and now has become Queen of the $1 Stores. Growing up Saturday mornings meant sleeping in a bit, watching cartoons and either going to yard sales with my mom or having her bring home loot we could go through. I think for the most part we stayed home - she would often be gone before the first sugar crusted cereal bit hit the bowl or a toy commercial came on...

Now she is consistently searching for gems at the 99 Cent Only store(s) and sometimes she alerts me to products I need to pick up. Last weekend she told me that they had big things of Zico Chocolate Coconut Water, so I grabbed a few, great deal but one expired before I even opened it...Matt has been having a glass each morning with his breakfast and I have added it to some tea that was pretty bland and needed a pick me up.

I scored a bunch of Halloween decorations and hot sauce! I searched the hot sauce section on a mission - to walk away with a new find. 

Do you ever go to the $1 stores? If so score anything good? Last month I picked up bags of mini Chick-O-Sticks at the Dollar General and vegan nail polish! I guess you never know what you may find!

Sacremento, Sizzling Tofu And More

We went to Sacramento on Saturday. We had not been up there for awhile and wanted to do some shopping and eating. We had lunch at Pita Kitchen which is always tasty. The headed over to the mall and did shopping. My score of the day is this Juicy Couture ring:

I have been wanting this cuff  in black but it was leather and I have not found an alternative. I figure the ring captured the style and it was on sale!

We stopped into a new fave store in the K Street  mall called Good Stock. I found some fun jewelry and Matt found a hat. We then made our way to Lush were I spent way to much. I am in love with Let The Good Times Roll, it smells like candy!After that we went to Whole Foods and were disappointed in the selection of to go stuff, no vegan pastries and hot case items...boo! Oakland Whole Foods really worked it's magic on us.

Dinner was Loving Hut in Elk Grove. I ordered a stand by noodle bowl and it arrived with faux shrimp, I had to pick those out, the make me squeamish. Matt tried a new special, a sizzling tofu plate, pictured above. I sampled it and it is really good!

Fun day and it made me want to go back to Sacramento again soon to the stores we missed out on.

Vegan Razors - A Good One To Get

Vegan razors are sometimes hard to come by, even if you do come by one chances are they suck! What makes a razor non-vegan? The strip can contain animal products such as lanolin and most popular razors are made by evil companies that test.

Schick Xtreme 3 eco is a great disposable razor! I called the company, they do not test on animals and this razor does not have animal bits in the strip. They are made from 100% recycled plastic and the package is also made from 100% recycled paper - win! I had a hard time tracking these down locally, I finally found them at Ulta. If you cannot find them locally DrugStore.com has the cheapest price for them right now.

Do they work? Yes, the shave is close, the blades are gentle enough not to hurt my skin (my pits are sensitive). The handle is comfortable, not to thin - causing an awkward grip or to chunky causing a weird claw type grip. The only problem is I left one out in the shower and the water damaged the strip overnight. If you store them in the shower keep them away from water flow - no brainier right? Sometimes I do not think about simple things!

Oakland - San Francisco Eats & Shopping

Saturday was spent in Oakland and San Francisco. I wanted to promote Yes, It's Vegan and do some fun stuff.

Lunch was at Peeple's Donut Farm - I picked the most unusual item on the menu - gravy covered doughnuts! Matt played it safe with his fave mole burrito! The food was great and the service was super friendly like always. We took a banana fritter to go for our ride home later that night!

First stop after getting out of our taxi was Japan Town! I had to do some light shopping - some cute stationary and fashion magazines. Since the last time we went there they have put in a small arcade full of games. We thought we would make it back but totally forgot - next time!


We headed to Mission in search of dinner. On our walk around Matt pointed out the VegNews offices, Matt went book shopping  and did some movie gawking at Lost Weekend Then I got happy because we came upon Detox Market - with a sign in the window saying 'be back in 5' - we waited andddd waited. I found them online and wanted to check them out so I was pouting thinking I missed my chance. They had a big ol' banner for Hurraw vegan lip balm in the window with a display, I wanted lip balm!  The shop owner came from the back to inform us they were actually closed but let us shop anyway! Matt spoiled me with tea and lip balms and I picked up some tea as well. We headed over to Dante's Weird Fish - since they switched back to having vegan options and added the Dante's to the title. We ordered food (+ wine for me) and while somethings were different the meal was good, plus we did not have to wait for a table for hours like previously!

It was a fun day...However later that night I ended up getting sick (possible food allergy) and have felt off since then. However I am already planning another trip to the bay!

Black Keys & Sacramento

Last Saturday we got to see the Black Keys play with the Arctic Monkeys in Sacramento at the Power House Pavilion. I bought the tickets like 6 months ago to celebrate Matt's birthday this week (he saw them like 7 years ago!). It was a huge concert and the show they put on was really great!

We got up to Sacramento late. We had a late lunch at Pita Kitchen Plus - my new favorite place! Really good sandwiches and vegan baklava! The mint lemonade is so yummy - I described it as a mouth orgasm! We did a bit of shopping at Whole Foods, hit up Never Felt Better and while we were waiting for food for a light dinner ( I had two $2 tacos - pictured above and a bite of Matt's Reuben)  to be prepped at Sugar Plum Vegan* I bought a zine and some local music at Phono Select.

A really fun day in Sacramento and I can't wait to go back and have more baklava! 

*New owners, same problems. Food running out and service that is slow and not really organized.

Saturday Shopping & More In Sacramento

We had a fun time up in Sacramento. The beauty class I spoke at had a great turn out - you can read about it over on Never Felt Better's blog. I got to finally check out the new location and do some shopping - the new location is great! Shout out to Vegan Flower - I saw someone looking at your dog treat book - I told her how awesome you are - she bought it!

Before the event we tried to do some shopping - everything was packed, we could not even get into the Arden mall. We headed to the K St. mall which was pretty empty as far as malls go. We got our Lush fix. My favorite product is the Snowcake soap...


As Matt and I where checking out - I picked up a hunk - sniffed it and then passed it to Matt - who said it smelled like Playdoh and so I had to get some!


I hope to go back to Sacramento soon and do some shopping and looking around! We have been so busy - our house proves it - we still do not have our tree up. At this point - I am like why bother!

Anniversary - Easter Weekend

Over the weekend my boyfriend and I celebrated our five year anniversary. We headed up to Sacramento for a day of eating, shopping and having fun.



First stop was to Never Felt Better where we restocked the store with our goodies and picked up some stuff - like Nacheez - which I will review this week! Jen always carries the coolest stuff!


We had lunch down staires at Sugar Plum Vegan. I had a yummy tofu frittata!


We walked off lunch around mid town. We heard about a designer toy store on our last trip to Sacramento so we searched it out. Dragatomi could easily clear out my bank account. Matt bought me a Bossy Bear and I bought a blind box Miss Cupcake - which was turned out to be the strawberry character - awesome! I am lusting after the kitties pictured! We also discovered Spanglish art gallery/store/work space! I was really into the photos on display by Amanda Lopez. I can't wait to take a screen printing class in the summer!


We looked around Ikea and got some ideas, bought some vases then headed to another part of town. At the mall Matt stocked up on Lego bricks as we sipped a supper yummy blueberry - pineapple kona pop iced tea from Teavana. We stopped at Whole Foods and made our way back home.

In Elk Grove we stopped at Loving Hut for dinner. We had golden rolls and for dinner I got the Golden Beauty with brown rice. Super crispy tastiness!


The Easter bunny brought Mar a cat bed that is shaped like a cat face - he loves it! Also he got a natural paper poof ball as you can see in the corner!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Bag Lady

I got two new bags last week that make me so happy! I have received many compliments on both so far! I figured if I bought a new bag I would be forced to clean out my old bag. It worked! Plus two weeks ago I cleaned my closet for a yard sale and got rid of about 8 purses, 4 pair of shoes and some other forgotten about stuff. I have been lusting after Lux De Ville's super rad bags for awhile. I just never got to get my hands on the perfect color combo until this beauty came into play. I love it! It holds a lot, has feet protectors at the bottom and matches all my leopard gear!


My boyfriend knows I am a sucker for pandas so he bought me this lil guy to organize my 'on the road' cosmetics. My last makeup pouch recently was compared to a Harry Potter contraption after it was dumped on the ground in search of something. I knew it was time to clean it out!

I will make a effort to clean my purse out every week! Yes I will!

A Day In SF

My boyfriend and I went to San Francisco last Saturday to see Best Coast and Wavves in concert. We went up early in the day to eat and do a bit of shopping.


I had to go to Chamalyn for bubble tea! Last time we went it was closed and I really love the girl behind the counter and the selections of kawaii stuff and vegan bubble tea! I got a strawberry bubble tea, some litche candy and some cute toys! This is one of my favorite San Francisco stores!


We then headed over to Gracias Madre for lunch. We both held off on this place for a long time because we are Mexican food snobs. There were some major hits and some dishes I was not so happy with. The best part were the gorditas! So yummy and dream worthy. I also should state - I had sangria, I got a bit tipsy and my boyfriend discovered the best beer ever!

While in the Mission we went to Good Vibrations and encountered a guy who made a purchase from my boyfriend's Etsy store the day before. I noticed his Lego brooch, not my boyfriend's design, we all started talking and he recognized my boyfriend's name! What a cool event right? We also headed over to Needles and Pens where I picked up some food zines for inspiration.

We then headed back to BART and made our way to West Field mall to do some shopping there and around Union Square. My two favorite shops in West Field this time around was Melvita where I bought some new products I will review soon and Lupicia - for tea time (I bought Strawberry Vanilla tea - so yummy).


We were not really hungry after our huge lunch so we got combo plates from Loving Hut for dinner before the concert. After the concert we took a taxi back to BART and made our way home! Fun day and night!

Day Trip - Sacramento

So last weekend we headed a hour up north to Sacramento. Over the last few years I have really fallen in love with Sac! From vegan restaurants and Whole foods to walking around mid town and all the little shops.

Here are some of my favorite Sacramento places, some big and some small - however they are all worth checkin' out!

-First up is what I like to think of as the 'vegan house' on K Street. Sugar Plum Vegan and Never Felt Better team up to offer food, baked goods, stuff for the house and all your vegan cheeze needs! I love having so many choices under one roof!

Potato mashers at Sugar Plum:


-Staying on the grid I like going over to the Gluten Free Specialty Market that carry a lot of vegan products! Even if you are not GF (I am not) it is worth seeing what vegan stuff they have to buy!

-Lush in Macy's at the K Street Mall. The staff at this location are super nice, some of the nicest sales people I have encountered!

-Queen Sheba has a all you can eat vegan buffet for lunch Monday through Friday. The best day to go is Friday for the tofu tibs. The bread is so tasty you will want to smuggle it out in your pockets!

-Teavana in Arden mall is a good place to sample a lot of teas. I love the fact that they have sample stations and little cups you can help yourself to trying some exotic blends. Matt who is not a big fan of tea even likes the Strawberry Paraiso White Tea with popcorn bits...

-Whole Foods on Arden gets Bicycle Bakery fudge cake in - so damn tasty, you need a slice - now!

-On our way home from Sacramento we have been stopping at the recently opened Loving Hut in Elk Grove. We love starting off with something fried - which is a rare treat and I then take 20 minutes trying to pick something since I want to try it all!


Bonus picture - Matt at his gallery debut at Side Show Studios. There was a lot of cool art going on that night! I can't wait to go back and get tattooed by Char!

[day 18] Interview With Jen - Never Felt Better

Last month I got to check out the new all vegan shop Never Felt Better in Sacramento creating a buzz! Not only does Jen - the owner know how to pick some awesome stuff (including some of my handmade goods)she is super awesome and all around nice!

I got to ask Jen a few questions about being vegan in Sacramento. I can't wait to be back in Sacramento next month for shopping!


-what gave you the idea to open Never Felt Better?
i have always wanted to open my very own store. in the early 90's it was a flower shop, then a buy-sell-trade, then a craft co-op. when we lived in portland we saw how successfully herbivore/foodfight! grocery thrived within the vegan community and it became a no-brainer. i think with NFB, i have found a marriage of my passion for veganism and handmade that can be sustainable here in sacramento.

-how do you pick what goes into the shop?
i love to support my friends who work so hard at their businesses and who have supported me over time. i have had a mental checklist of folks whose items i have fancied for years since going vegan that i would love to carry in the store. i like to think the handmade items i buy are not only cute and well made but things people want to spend money on.

-what are your favorite items you carry?
the vegan dish pottery bowls and mugs, herbivore tee's, and all the food items. especially now i have a fridge full of sweet and sara smores and marshmallows!

-what is your favorite place to eat in the Sacramento area?
we love au lac veggie, of course sugar plum vegan, loving hut in elk grove and zpizza in roseville. we love to eat out so i could not even come close to choosing just one.