We adopted Whitman 1 year ago today. Lucky us.

It’s so simple.

If you’ve been thinking of bringing a new friend into your life- ADOPT!

VOILA! You are now part of the solution to this national epidemic that is 100% preventable. Here’s the fact- 3-5 million healthy beautiful dogs and cats are put to sleep EVERY SINGLE YEAR in the US alone just because we A. don’t spay and neuter our pets and B. still buy from breeders & pet stores, when there are SO MANY dogs and cats who are literally dying for a new home! It seems like such a small thing- but if choosing a friend you’ll have for 10+ years, it’s not much to spend a little time finding one to rescue who really needs you, instead of supporting someone making money off of breeding more into an overpopulation.

Plus, with sites like Petfinder.org listing thousands of dogs and cats who need homes right NOW, there’s no excuse not to adopt if you know. NONE. Yes, I’m putting that on you-  now here are my tips.

TWO WAYS to find your new best friend:

1. Scour shelters in person! Most shelters are unfortunately underfunded & understaffed, this means that there are often dozens more at their shelter that need a home than they are able to put pictures and bios up of on their website. SO stop in during visiting hours and say hey there in person… visit a few shelters and take some time with the lovebugs that you think might have a future place in your casa. Keep in mind that they are probably scared, stressed, and upset at what’s going on and living in a shelter not sure what will happen next… & even if you’re just spending a few minutes with them, give them a good loving visit to tide them over until their next.

2. So you think you know exactly what size/breed/age/gender friend you want? Well, first I’m going to give you my adoption two cents from working at a shelter 3x a week helping dozens of families find their new friends… this list you have? It’s like the “perfect husband” list. Every girl thinks they want “tall dark and handsome”, but what if you fall for a “short- blonde- and hilarious” instead? Sounds like a better deal to me. In the end, it’s about your connection with that specific pup/kitty/, and there are also tons of other breeds/mixes that will meet your real list- which is probably more about your lifestyle (jock? couch potato? social butterfly?) than about a specific breed or size.

Okay, now that I’ve given you my two cents… I want you, Miss or Mister Particular, to know 2 things.

1. YES SHELTERS HAVE PUREBREDS. 25% of shelter dogs & cats are purebred, and there are breed rescues for specific breeds in every state. (Though mutts are my favorite! So unique and often with less genetic issues.)

2. YES SHELTERS HAVE PUPPIES & KITTENS. Yes, people who don’t plan for it and never spay/neuter have animals who, surprise! Have babies. These babies need homes. You can adopt one. (though I prefer adult dogs, which is what your pup will be in 6 months or so, and then you’ll know their personality, size, & temperament.)

HOW TO SEARCH for a Specific Breed/etc:

1. Find your nearest breed rescue and ask them who’s looking for a home right now. Google the breed, state, and the word “rescue”, for example: “greyhound rescue IL” check out their site & say what’s up.

2. Search on Petfinder by age, size, breed, sex, and type of animal. For example if you’re searching for something very specific and in demand like- Golden Retriever puppies & you live in Orland Park, IL, you’d see this.

3. Keep an open mind. Again- you probably don’t need a specific breed/age/size but more of a good match for your lifestyle. Let yourself fall in love with a homeless dog or cat who really needs you, and realize that you probably need him/her too… ah, symbiosis. I love it.

POST-ADOPTION TIP.

Sign up for training & HIT THAT LIBRARY UP!!  Please don’t get me wrong & think of rescued animals as necessarily in need of training any more than new puppies  would be (reasons for give-ups I’ve heard range from “didn’t match the furniture” to “grew up to be larger than we expected.” these have nothing to do with behavior, and puppies ALWAYS need training too.) Of course, there are some whose people didn’t train them as babies properly, or were abused, and therefore need special care, attention, and treatment… something you might be especially or especially not suited for (know your limits.)  Bottom line- bringing a new companion into your family means establishing a strong relationship with discipline & communication. (And psst! The Dog Whisperer episodes make great cliffs notes.)

Too easy to save a life, right? Now that you know, don’t go breaking my heart… please! For the love of dog, ADOPT.

warmest,

“I was the snow, and everywhere it landed, everything it covered, you scooped me up..." Sigh, love that.

Just watched the Family Stone for the umpteenth time, really hit the spot!

“I want to see that thing that felt like a hole in the center of that guy, the thing he needed to make just so he could sleep.”

“Do you feel like you chose– chose your life? Said- “this is the thing I want to do, these are the things I want.”? …not necessarily because you were good at this one thing or because everyone told you that it’s what you should want, (or) because everybody said that’s who you were… “

And my all time favorite: “You have a freak flag, you just don’t fly it.” 

Oh Luke Wilson! How your words go straight to my heart! Reminds me of what Anne Jackson says in the fantastic free e-book by Seth Godin (you can download it here):

“Until Fear is gone, (and realize he may never completely leave) make the decision to be courageous. the world needs your story in order to be complete.” In other words- fly it high!!

To your flag + mine,

LOVE my Eternal Web Scarf (it's vegan, duh! and handmade in Peru!)... get yours at CowJonesIndustrials.com $48

Whitman loves it too <3 (or is sick of macbook shoots.)

Available at my girl Donna’s all vegan & super chic shop- Cow Jones Industrials for $48, HERE!

Also in Black and Gray. Super cute hats & gloves too!

warmest,

See THE Mrs. Degeners in person! Just try not to faint!

OMG Ellen. ELLEN! Who is not inspired by this world-brightening piece of pure joy! (I’m a fan, can you tell?) Well today is the LAST DAY to bid to win VIP tickets to see her! And the best part? It’s all for the animals… you can also big on other such loveliness like a super cool dinner date including Ginnifer Goodwin (who-cough-cough has the Blue Vaute coat, just saying!), meet the amazingly gorgeous Alicia Silverstone, and cool memorabilia like the Volturi Crest from New Moon- (don’t hate me, but can someone explain what that is?) and of course, a Vaute Couture Vaute coat. <3

Check it all out: Farm Sanctuary Charity Buzz Auction!

All of your bid goes to the amazing people and work for the animals at my favorite- the Farm Sanctuary!

happy bidding!

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gorgeous hand crocheted turquoise acrylic beret from mehran.etsy.com, $32 perfect pop to add to your black pea or ivory vaute coat.

Thanks to Jocelyn & Panderbear’s lovely suggestion, here are some of my favorite cruelty free hats and scarves to keep your extremities nice & toasty & adorable at once. I swear I originally meant to find multiple sources for gorgeous vegan hats but in the end I kept coming back to nearly only one etsy shop- Mehran. Love!

***For all finds- click on the pic to visit the shop it’s in.

This is only the tip of the iceberg lettuce (which we all know is the worst base for a salad, hello dark leafy greansssss!), if you have other suggestions for vegan winter accessories, please leave them below!

xo!

warmest,

Clementine Orange Handknit beret (acrylic), great over your long waves, with your gray dawn bomono, also from Mehran.etsy.com $32

Sweet Blue Crocheted Hat, $29, gorgeous with your ivory or gray el, made by Mehran.etsy.com <3

the Accidental Cowl Handmade Scarf by theHouseofHemp.etsy.com, $65 I haven't tried it yet, but I think this shape might be perfect for the El coat <3

Adorable, right? Handknit acrylic scarf, perfect pop of color for your Pea coat, especially with a cobalt blue one! $31 PhylPhil.etsy.com

2890 Arne & Carlos Hooded Scarf (left) $48, Acrylic, and Deena & Ozzy Wrap (right) Acrylic, both at UrbanOutfitters.com $48, perfect pashmina alternative scarf- both hot with your ivory or black El Coat!

A SPECIAL SCARF TIP for EL COATS! The best scarf for this style is a pretty Pashmina lookalike (except vegan, of course– available at Urbanoutfitters, Target, etc… just read the label and avoid wool by any other name- ie cashmere, pashmina, merino, as well as UGH- angora-rabbit fur.) Often called a “Fashion Wrap” what you want is a wide super soft wrap (like the one on the right above) that you can loop on one side, and put the other side through it, then tuck it into your El to ensure closure from the elements (to look like artist Dallas Shaw originally envisioned, on left!) Oh, it’ll make sense when you’ve got it in your hands… at least I think it will? Hope that helps!!! Share tips!

PS! Oops! I stayed up a little past my bedtime and of course, that’s when it’s most fun to do things that aren’t really on my to-do list. Hope this helped a little bit, and hope you are staying warm in this crazy country wide blizzard (it isn’t even official “winter” yet- insane, right?) xoxo

Nothing prettier than a big ol’ question filled brain, that’s what I always say- mwa hahaha!

 Meet Elite Model Kelly Kohnen, Neurobiology Major first. On a beautiful autumn day at the Bird Sanctuary at Montrose Beach, we tested the hypothesis that wearing a vegan chic coat makes you smarter… the results are astounding, I think. You see for yourself.

Shot by Jon Cancelino, Vegan Shoes by Kailia Footwear, makeup by Danielle Detorre.

Directed & styled by yours truly.

Kelly says the state of the atomosphere with an Ivory Vaute on is just perfect.

Appeared to also create lightness of step (all net profits to the Farm Sanctuary)

And the Recycled Pea Coat had a great attraction to the elements of the earth.

Affected gravity? unfortunately findings are inconclusive.

The blue El coat may cause desire to visually inspect for abnormally long periods of time.

And no question here- aids in osmosis of literary facts. yellow increases commutable qualities.

The gray bomono is great camouflage for a ninja rabbit in waiting. (although unsure as to relevance of such finding.)

 

 

And lastly- sunlight rewarded a willingness to think now, pose later.

Director’s note  No direction was made to increase subject’s tendency towards thoughtful or super natural activity (meaning these captions were written post-shoot by a non-scientific director and not created or formed during  the shoot itself, so if photographic evidence is lacking for you and/or findings are poorly formed or written, please do not discount claim, merely consider getting one such vegan chic coat from Vaute Couture’s coat shop yourself, to test & repeat.)

Photographer Bio: Jon Cancelino is a Chicago based photographer who regularly shoots  fashion editorial for Chicagoland magazines for JWC Media. He has a  personal interest in creating work that carries a narrative to the spectator. You can see more of his work in his online portfolio at JonCancelino.com.

 

 

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