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!

Pizza Moda - Berkeley, CA

Matt and I (especially me!) were craving pizza! As many know - a good pizza makes both of us happy. After doing a bit of searching I came across Pizza Moda and it fit the bill and then some. I was looking for a cozy place with a good amount of seating, a few vegan pizza options plus a salad and good feedback.

Pizza Moda has a private parking lot! Yes!!! No driving around for a half hour trying to find a place to park, then walking five blocks to find the restaurant is booked for two hours. Upon arriving the atmosphere is nice, vintage Italian movie posters on the wall, spacious seating, a warm cozy fire, a clean bathroom.
Service is prompt, we were seated right next to the fire, I got nice and toasty. We were served olives and wine glasses of water. We settled on the vegan kale Caesar and the Calabrian Chili pizza with vegan cheeze (Daiya) and vegan sausage.

The kale salad came out first and it was awesome! The dressing was creamy, the kale was soft and all the flavors balanced it out well. The crunchy topping was yeasty and cheezey. I told myself to save it to go with the pizza - I could not stop grabbing bites of it though!

Shortly after the pizza came out. We dug in right away. The crust was good - even though we both like a thicker crust - we liked this one. It held it's shape and did not get soggy or fall apart.  The chili added a nice kick to the pizza (I even added red pepper flakes because I like it hot). The toppings were nice - the perfect amount.

The staff checked on us numerous times, refilled our water glasses and were super nice. We had the option of two types of vegan cake at the end but passed, we had to get over to Whole Foods to do shopping. We will be going back for sure! Maybe this weekend! 

The Stay At Home Girlfriend #7

 

The newest issue of my zine The Stay At Home Girlfriend is out! It marks my 7th issue and 7 is my lucky number, so of course I packed it with lots of love .Inside this digest sized beauty you will find 24 pages packed with fun. I have included some new recipes from my kitchen (all vegan, most gluten free or easy to switch stuff out to make gluten free) for dips, dressings, tofu-chicken and waffles with a sweet spicy Sriracha syrup, chickpea protein sandwich and more. I have listed my fave vegan friendly places to nom from Northern CA. Also the zine is full of collage elements, doodles and music fun. 

Pick up a copy in my Etsy shop today!

Winter Dry Skin Help - My Current Fave Products

As I talked about before I get dry hands. In the winter my hands can become sore, between my fingers get dried and cracked and just hurt. I am always on the lookout for super moisturizing products that heal, smell great and of course are vegan and cruelty free! So if you have a favorite let me know so I can go try it out!

I love basmati rice -  it is my fave so when I saw Epically Epic Soap had a solid lotion with this fragrance I snatched it up! It is more floral than nutty like when I have rice on the stove top but it has a comforting warm scent. I use this before bed to sooth me to sleep. It absorbs nicely, it is non greasy and the scent lingers. It also smooths out friz in winter dry hair as I tested out this week!

Lush's Sympathy For The Skin was first sampled in December, I had never tried it before. Once I tried it the cocoa-oatmeal scent melted my heart and made me feel cozy! I went and bought a tub after my sample ran it's course. It is lighter than other Lush lotions so I really like it, I can even use it on my chest without breakouts. At close to $30 it is a treat but a nice lil treat that will last. A bit goes a long way!

Le Beuree's Beurre Shea Butter Body Cream - I received this in January's Petite Vour box and I really like it. The sent is clean and sweet and sticks around. It is a thick putty like cream, warm it up between your hands before smoothing it in for best results. I like it for my hands at night and any dry patches that pop up. I think it is to heavy for all over use - especially for the chest and back, it may cause breakouts.