vegansaurus!

forAnima has officially launched!  »

Remember I told you an online vegan marketplace was on the horizon? Well forAnima is finally here! So far, I like these chocolate skulls and the top at the bottom of the post. But give me more time and I’m sure I could rake up a few hundred dollars! I’m smart like that.

I asked for a little more info on forAnima and it sounds really cool:

ForAnima.com is an innovative platform that includes several interactive features such as “Be the Buyer” where users upload styles and items they would like to see created in an animal-friendly way, as well as “Create Collections” where users get to have fun with fashion and create collections of items they like. The site also features a recipe section with vegan meal suggestions, a collection of blogs, a community page where members can discuss everything from animal legislation to vegan fashion, and lots of resources.

ForAnima.com is aimed at people and businesses that care about the well-being of the environment and animals, including domesticated and farm animals. The mission of forAnima is three-fold: bring the welfare of animals into the “eco/organic/green” equation; provide a fun shopping experience that will appeal to vegan shoppers and animal-lovers alike; and to support, recognize, and empower businesses and individuals who personify the “be the change that you want to see in the world” motto.

I like it! I like Etsy too but, yeah, I’d rather everything was vegan. And I like that this makes it super-easy to support businesses with similar values as me. Sometimes it just feels exhausting to be conscientious, so anything that makes it easier gets an A+ from Professor Rascal. And I’m excited about the “be the buyer” thing! Because I’ve got ideas! Seriously, I’ve got ideas out the wazoo. It’s a blessing and a curse. Much like my god-given beauty.

So, give it a look and tell me what you think.

Help Animal Place while you shop!  »

The wonderful people at Animal Place have found a new way for you to support their work: The SHARES Card. SHARES stands for Supporting Humanities, Arts, Recreation, Education and Sports. They raise millions a year for various charities and now Animal Place is on board!

Details:

Get a card for FREE and every time you swipe it at Save Mart, S-Mart, FoodMaxx, or Lucky Supermarkets, a portion of your purchase goes to Animal Place. It’s available in California and northern Nevada (that’s where the stores are located). You can get a card by signing up here: http://animalplace.org/shares-card

Here are links to the stores in the Bay Area:
Lucky
FoodMaxx (you’ll have to type in your zip, but there’s one in Oakland.)
Save Mart 

In other news, meet Stanley! A recent Animal Place rescue and my new crush. Look, he’s trying to make an angry face! I know you ain’t angry, Stanley! Silly baby.

“Newest bovine rescue at Animal Place - Stanley! His likes include nomming on grass like he’s a big cow, chasing his shadow, bottle-time, and gentle chin skritches. He looks forward to meeting big brother Theo in the coming months!”

Need last minute gifts? Check out Buyer’s Best Friend in the Upper Haight!  »

Though in the past San Franciso’s Upper Haight may not have been a mecca for vegans, I can assure you that it is most definitely becoming one! Thanks to Whole Foods, I can get my fix of Food For Lovers vegan queso anytime I fancy; Sunrise Deli just opened up and man, they KILL IT with their avocado falafel sandwich; Escape From New York offers Daiya cheese; Picnic Bakery is coming soon; and we also boast one of the cutest specialty boutiques in the city—Buyer’s Best Friend!

Buyer’s Best Friend has been open for a little while now. I think they may have had their grand opening party over the summer. Every time I go in they have new and interesting products, and because they buy straight from the companies, they are able to sample out all their artisan food products! This is incredible news because most of their specialty food items are vegan, even raw! Buyer’s Best Friend also carries housewares, bath and beauty supplies, and cold-pressed Stumptown coffee!

Of course I took some pictures — let’s check it out!

All kinds of interesting, locally made, and beautifully crafted soaps, with creative names to boot!

The sales representatives were most excited to have me try this VEGAN bacon-flavored hot sauce. It was delicious, and completely cruelty-free!

Their shelves are stocked with all kinds of artisan oils, sauces, mustards, and glazes!

VEGAN CARAMEL SAUCE!

Pickled vegetables galore via Emmy’s!

Get yo’ hipster cold-pressed coffee ON.

Or you can get some beans to brew at home.

Raw vegan delights by Just Pure Foods!

Truffle oils and flour!

Before Buyer’s Best Friend opened, I had never had Cocomel’s coconut-milk based caramels. These caramels are definitely one of my most favorite things, ever!

Most of these chocolate delectables are vegan! Some are even raw!

Buyer’s Best Friend is located at 1740 Haight St. in San Francisco, between Cole and Shrader in the Upper Haight!

Spencer’s online market carries artisan vegan products!  »

You know we love Spencer’s Market, but do you? Here’s a new reason: They just picked up my girl Ilsa’s tasty product, Nacheez!

Spencer’s Market looks like an awesome place to obtain new, gourmet vegan food products. When you set up an account, which only takes a few seconds, you can check a box that ensures you view only vegan products. You can also check other dietary needs, like gluten- or nut-free! Let’s eat some artisan vegan snacks and then brag about how fancy we are. Deal?

Rumor has it that there may be a new flavor of Nacheez out in the near future!

[Nacheez photo via Spencersmarket.com.]

Easy activism: Go shopping to help the thousands of chickens rescued from Cali egg farm!  »

Here’s a simply amazing video documenting the rescue. Incredible. Watch it and then I defy you not to donate. The song is perfect too. Excellent work! PS: Can’t see the video? Watch it on Vegansaurus.com

The 4,460 hens rescued from the 50,000 hens left to starve in Stanislaus County—the Turlock Hen Rescue—still need our help. What can you do? Go shopping! Food Fight Grocery and some other fine retailers are going to be donating a portion of their sales on these specific days:

• Food Fight will be donating 10% of all online sales (and in-store for those in Portland) on Saturday, March 3.
• Herbivore Clothing will be donating 10% of all their online sales (and in-store) March 3rd and 4th (someone said they’d be donating sales now as well but I can’t confirm)
• Purrfect Pinapples will be donating 20% of this weekend’s sales too. Cruelty-free lingerie! Handmade! Wow!
• Blue Strawberry Scents will donate 10% of their sales for the next week. Buy you some cool soap!
• And I just saw on the event page that for the next month (to March 24th) Veganville on Etsy will donate 15% of all online sales to Animal Place. 

Check out the event page for more info and updates. Food Fight adds this note:

If you were planning to place an order, please do it on Saturday, and if you don’t need anything, maybe go here and donate directly.
If you can’t spend any money right now, then please spread the word about these fundraisers and about the rescue.

And don’t forget to sign the petition started by Harvest Home to bring the man responsible for this catastrophe to justice. 

Update!: Never Felt Better Vegan Shop in Sacramento is having a bakesale on Saturday from 1pm to 4pm for Harvest Home!

All-vegan boutique in SF: the Detox Market!  »

Last week I got the scoop about an all-vegan market in the Mission. The Mission?! I’m there all the time (burritos and bars). How did I not know? 

The Detox Market is amazing. I was so nervous to be going to a beauty boutique, looking like a hot mess after work, but it was so soothing in there! Clean, bright, and very well organized. Inside I met Rachel (hey girl!), who walked me through the store and explained all of their products and philosophies.

The Detox Market sells organic, vegan (and local when possible!) products. In each genre—be it tea, toys, lipstick, salt, chocolate, candles, NAIL POLISH—they only sell one brand! Rachel explained that they choose the best of the best! The highest quality of everything! Believe me, it shows.

I can’t possibly go over every product in the store, but I’ll show you what stuck out to me. You’ll just have to check it out yourself!


The Can-Can Cleanse! Rachel offered me a sample of the green juice and it instantly revitalized me. For a split second I thought, “Maybe I can do a juice fast!” Anything is possible, right?

TAZA chocolates! Valentines Day is coming up. Or someone’s birthday, I’m sure.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that nothing good comes out of Florida. They are wrong for two reasons: 1.) I was born there; and 2.) The Spice Lab salts come out of there! Florida FTW!

Of course there were many different varieties, but OMG! Truffle salt? Yes please and thank you.

Water-based nail polish! Just what Sarah and I need when we have girl’s night with cake vodka and sing-alongs to Katy Perry!

They have sooo many flower essences. Which I always just kind of brushed off as a hippie thing, but after my visit, I’m reconsidering. Rachel held up a card featuring about eight pictures of flowers; I was to point to the one that visually appealed to me the most. The one I choose, which looked like a bird of paradise, was “Quiet Mind.” I was thinking it meant that I was mellow and introverted, but I was wrong! She told me it means I’m really stressed and need to calm down, try to focus and find clarity. Then she sprayed me with my appointed flower essence. She’s good—I want to go back and get Quiet Mind essence! And spray it all over myself the recommended five times a day!

Guess what? Soy wax is out and coconut wax is in! That’s what these Pure Light candles are made of. Let me tell you, they smell delightful. Mother’s Day can’t come fast enough. (My mom loves candles!)

Don’t these Inna Jams look pretty? They are made in Berkeley! Local product alert!

Last but certainly not least is the Kusmi Tea collection. This tea is from Paris. So fancy! I smelled a couple different varities and it’s good. I’m not even really a tea person, but I’d brew myself a cup of this stuff (probably the detox one).

There is so much more at the Detox Market, including skin care, makeup, and sunscreen. Seriously, all organic and top of the line. Toothpaste even! Rachel gave me a sample of some acai toothpaste that I just love. LOVE! Get up and go! If I had known about this place before Christmas, my shopping would have been so much easier. You can find something for almost anyone here. Or just go treat yourself.

The Detox Market is located at 969 Valencia St., between 20th and 21st streets in the Mission. There is also a shop in Los Angeles, at 8380 Beverly Blvd. Happy shopping!

This week only: Vaute Couture shirts on sale at Vegan Cuts!  »

What time is it? SHOPPING TIME. And as a thoughtful, stylish vegan consumer, you want to give presents that your friends and family will cherish forever. Or, you want to buy yourself stuff because you’re tired and it’s only Tuesday but it’s almost December, where does the time go, you deserve a present.

Vegan Cuts to the rescue! This week only, they’re selling two Vaute Couture tees for 25 percent off! One style is brand new! They are both adorable, made of sustainable, fair-trade materials, and really the biggest problem here is deciding which one you want, because you’re limited to one per person.

Maybe get your friend to buy one and you buy the other and you can share them! Or convince your relations that they should buy one of each style and give them both to you! Or, you know, buy one as a gift for someone you love, because now is the season of being less selfish.

The deal expires this weekend, so get to Vegan Cuts and buy a shirt! Only if you like deals and shirts, though. Maybe saving money and putting fabric on your body aren’t your things. That just means more awesome clothes for the rest of us.

Save money and help animals with Boygirlparty!  »

Happy news! When you use the coupon code “VEGANSAURUS” on Boygirlparty’s Etsy store, you will get 10 percent off your order AND Boygirlparty will donate an additional 10 percent of the sale to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary! Huzzah! The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary is a magical place that deserves our help, PLUS this stuff is so cute! It’s a win-win! Bonus: Susie Ghahremani, the crazy talented artist behind Boygirlparty, is super committed to eco-friendly printing—a win-win-win!

Susie also says that if you want to forgo your discount, she will donate 20 percent of your purchase to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary—just don’t use the coupon code and leave a note at checkout! You saintly bastard! 

Everything in her store is adorbs, but here are my favorite things! First of all, try not to die from the sweetness of these mini notebooks:

I want to take these tiny books and write tiny genius thoughts in them.

And I love this octopus to-do list notepad:

I don’t know if your mom is anything like mine, but my mom is ALL ABOUT to-do lists. Like, cray cray. I’m sure any to-do list enthusiast would be super happy to get this! Or get it for yourself and get your shit done in the cutest way possible. 

Susie has also created a bunch of sweet recipe cards, like this elephant one:

Kick it old-school with handwritten recipes! Or bust out the typewriter and type them up. People will think you are cool.

The holidays are coming up and a nice notebook like this owl one always makes a good present:

It’s cute and useful! And in these superficial and overcrowded times, it’s all about the aesthetics of utility. That’s my word.

There’s also a ton of really pretty cards but I especially like this bird notecard set:

It’s super classy to mail people cards. Nobody does it anymore. People don’t even give cards with presents! But you give someone this card and they can stand it up like a little piece of art and you will be an old-world hero. 

So those are my top picks! Susie also has great shirts and jewelry so check those out as well. Now, get to shoppin’ for a good cause!

[All photos by Renée Chartier]