Object of My Affection: Kling Clutch

How sleek are these leather-free, tuxedo-inspired clutches from eco-friendly, vegetarian, pet-owning designer Natasha Kimling Kwan of Kling? I heart 'em big time.

Enjoy your long weekend, all! Mine starts early in 3+ hours...hooray!

When My Day Goes to the Dogs

Some of the happiest moments of my week occur when I combine two of my obsessions: my dogs and urban parks. Specifically, when I head a few blocks from our house to SF's 37-acre Buena Vista Park with King Oberon, aka Oe, and Cole. I go whenever the whim strikes -- an eclectic mix of times and days, so don't bother trying to stalk me, please. Besides Cole may look sweet (pictured above) but he will eat you alive. The following is a photographic ode to my love affair with Buena Vista. Long live dog-friendly urban parks.

Oe asked me to trigger the wind machine to get his mustachio just right for this shot.

Rising Tide Fair Trade Bag Sale!

Oooo la la...30% off!

Bling for a Cause

25% of each stylin' Tirana bangle sold goes to the Lupus Foundation of America, a non-profit that supports research, education and advocacy initiatives to bring an end to lupus, a chronic, autoimmune disease most common in women. $200 here.

Fab Friday Find: Willow Tree Tank Dress

OMG, guess what? The sun is out in San Francisco! At 8:30 in the morning! In August! Oh, happy, happy Friday!

It's enough to make a gal want to wear something flowy, gauzy, and white all day and pretend she's on vacation in Mexico. This organic cotton maxi tank dress from Raw Earth & Wild Sky would fit the bill perfectly. I'd add a long necklace, a few hammered gold bangles, flops, tuck a bikini in a brightly colored organic cotton bag, and be good to go for the whole weekend. Buy the LA-made, Mexico-ready dress at BTCElements.com.

Meet My New Artsy Friend: Ugallery.com

Maybe I use the term "green" too loosely, but I tend to include artists and artwork in the green category. My justification is that buying from artists usually means supporting an independent business with a (generally speaking) small carbon footprint. So I was excited to learn recently of Ugallery.com, an online gallery of reasonably priced student art. Don't worry, the site isn't a hodgepodge of any old student shlock--a panel curates the site and only accepts about 25% of the work submitted for sale. A few of the pieces that caught my eye: Robert Beck's "Wagon Hill Farm" (top, $80); Bart Dluhy's "Pile Up" (middle, $90); Brian O'Doherty's "DC Curve" (bottom, $70).

Bambinos and Kiddies: ECOZOO Backpacks!

Pretty darn cute, eh? These ECOZOO backpacks are made with organic cotton canvas, non-toxic dyes, recycled plastic components, and sustainable wood accents. It's never too early to get the lil' whippersnapper his or her own elephant!

Object of My Affection: Roger La Borde Recycled Paper Journals

I'm kinda finding myself infatuated with the chic, botanical designs on Roger La Borde's recycled journals! Just think of all the earth-shatteringly poetic sentences one of these would inspire. Plus one of the designs is on sale for $4.75!

PS: I love long weekends.

PPS: Sometimes when I accidentally eat an entire bag of chips, I eat a piece of fruit and feel a little less guilty.

Friday's Find: VivaTerra Recycled Globe Lanterns

Love the Moroccan flair of these recycled metal globe lights from VivaTerra!

Happy almost-weekend!

This Just In: Amenity Does Tabletop!

I've been a huge fan of Amenity for ages now--and really, what's not to love? Using only organic and/or sustainable fabrics in eye-catching nature-inspired prints, Amenity is a green design junkie's dream come true. And now...drum roll, please...they're expanding with a new tabletop collection, holiday collection, and totes! It's far too early to share the holiday collection, but expect more on that later in the year. For now, I'm loving their placemats, tablerunners, napkins, and bags. Buy 'em here.

Object of My Dog's Affection: Bella Beds

I love the coiled look and dog-friendly "cave shape" of Bella Beds. I recently discovered them while perusing the new online retailer StructuredGreen.com, which carries very stylish home items from 30+ manufacturers of green products. The Bella Bed is made with Eco2 cotton recycled from pre-consumer apparel fiber and is stuffed with recycled soda bottles, or PET. Our one-year-old pup, Cole, might try to uncoil the bed, but our twelve-year-old Portuguese water dog, King Oberon, would definitely plop right in for a nice, snore-filled eco-slumber. Available here for $79.99 and up.

Boho: New Green Mag Hitting Newstands

A new green living mag is hitting the stands this month, and boy is its website cute! Power to you, boho mag!

Object of My Affection: Phunk Lab Art

How cool is this custom art that Leah (of fab blog More Ways to Waste Time) first posted about over at Shelterrific? The art is by Phunk Lab - you send them a digital print (below) and they transform it (probably through magic) into rockin' canvas piece (above). Lots of size and pricing options available, but a 20 x 24 inch gallery-wrapped canvas will run you $139. Check out Phunk Lab's Etsy shop here.


PS - In other fun Friday news, Fashion Ethic is having a one-day, lucky 8/8/08 sale! Git over there.

Take Me Away To: La Zucca Magica in Nice, France

(Image: Nora Feller for The New York Times)

Love the article in the NYTimes about delish-sounding vegetarian restaurant La Zucca Magica in Nice, France. Vaca, anyone? They have a constantly evolving menu of five-course meals, with super rich dishes such as:

Risotto- and mozzarella-stuffed chard leaves!
Artichoke lasagna!
Fresh pasta with chef Mr. Folicaldi’s "genuine pistou, a blend of not only basil but also at least a touch of whatever wild herbs are growing in the nearby hills."

Merci, author Mark Bittman, for the fantastic article (quoted and paraphrased above). And now I'm starving. Bring on the fatty French/Italian vegetarian food!

Calling All Crafty McCraftersons

I really wish I were craftier. Just learning about interior designer Emily Siwek's company Sample Craft gets me itching to sign up for a sewing class. Sample Craft gathers discontinued and leftover fabric from the textile industry and resells it to artists, designers, and crafters. I love how these reclaimed fabric bundles look, but have no idea what I would actually do with one. How about all you incredibly creative crafters out there? What would you do with a bundle of fabric remnants? Sina Pearson Textiles Fabric Bundle, $9.50 at Sample Craft's Etsy shop.

Deep, Stylish Breathing

Whew - there we go. Wanted to post this yesterday but Blogger was quite feisty about not letting me post images. Better mood all around today, clearly.

This mini air filter from Blueair is incredibly stylish, no? Never thought I'd be commenting on the prettiness of an air filter, but there ya go. Life is full of surprises. And with this nifty little gadget, lots of fresh air too. It's even small enough to travel with!

(Via Ecofabulous.com)

Salma Hayek Digs Jurlique's Biodynamic Beauty Line

4 things making me happy today:

1. It's my 200th post on SSTW! Whoa. That's a lot of posting.

2. It's Friday. 'Nuff said.

3. It's SUNNY in SF! Major joy.

4. Jurlique has a new line of biodynamic beauty products that I might just need to try out. Jurlique's PR rep let me know about the star-studded launch party in LA (to which I wasn't invited--ballsy!) and sent along pics of celebs getting slathered with product. The one of Salma Hayek below was my fave. Man. That's the life.