Sunday while I was out doing errands I made a quick stop at Fritz Pastry for a vegan chocolate cupcake – DELICIOUS! This isn’t the best photo but last time I went I completely forgot to take one for you 
Isnt’ it cute how they do the frosting? So different than everyone else 
Over the years I’ve received several WiltonArmetalepieces but only just now found out about their concern for the environment. Their products metal are actually made from recycled metal and their glassware is made of recycled soda bottles. Their literature and packaging are produced with recycled paper and corrugated materials, which hopefully consumers recycle at home. My latest piece of WiltonArmetale is this Chip & Dip plate that we got as a wedding gift. Their products are super cool – you can cook in them on the stove, oven and grill. So, rather than dirty one pan to cook on and then another to serve in, you use just one item, so less washing up! The metal holds temperature well, so hot or cold, it’ll keep your food at the correct temperature for longer than conventional platters.
Check out this video to see that they really are multi-functional pieces!
Yesterday afternoon we had a lovely meal at RJ Grunts in Chicago. We live a few blocks away and have never been, so we finally made a point to stop over. Everyone raves about the salad bar and they claim they were the founders of the salad bar idea. To be honest, I wasn’t drooling over it. So…I opted for the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich with their homemade cottage fries. I had everything on the sandwich but instead of the cheese added avocado and it was delicious!
These foldable speakers from OrigAudio are super cool. They’re made of recycled materials and fold up for easy transport. They work with any device that has a headphone jack – so computer, ipod, etc. Time listed these as one of the 50 best inventions of 2009! The company is based in Chicago which I think is cool that in purchasing from them I’m supporting a local business. Not only do they make some cool speakers, but they care enough to support non-profits – Music National Service.
You can even create your own foldable speakers…designed however you want them! I’m not sure what the minimum order would be but if you were using them as a business gift or something where you needed a large quantity they’d be a fun idea!
I must admit that as eco-friendly as these are, I didn’t purchase them so I can’t say first hand how they are. I did however purchase the Sphere…of all their products it has the best sound quality so I just decided to go with it. It’ll be great to take on the honeymoon next week! I haven’t tried it yet but I will this weekend, so I’ll report back on the sound quality
$29.99
Sunday I checked out Sweet Cakes here in Chicago for the first time and was in heaven! I can’t wait to go back! I had an organic iced tea, but most importantly a PB&J cupcake!!! YUM! Forgive me, I forgot to take a photo so I borrowed on from Caitlin L on Yelp. I was SUPER IMPRESSED with the amount of vegan goodies - cookies, scones, cupcakes, breads…and more! There are NEVER that many vegan options at bakeries! It was so much fun and so difficult to decide. They have more seating than I expected and offer free WiFi! Their flatware and cups are made from that corn based plastic which is always great to see.
Talk about some amazing vegan cupcakes at my wedding last Saturday!!! Aren’t they pretty? AND they were DELICIOUS!! They were from Molly’s in Chicago. I was enjoying the night so much that I didn’t even remember to have one until I was walking out the door and there were only a handful left! Luckily I still got a filled one – cookies n cream – although my favorite are the chocolate with peanut butter filling, but apparently everyone else loved those too so I didn’t get one of those 
So…I’m getting married TODAY! I can’t believe how fast this year of planning has flown by!! Aren’t my leather-free shoes from Spring adorable for this fabulous occasion? They’re now on sale for half price! – too bad I missed that deal! Ha ha, I still only paid $40 which was far below what I’d budgeted! Animal friendly, eco-friendly and budget conscious – I did well!
$19.98 - Spring Shoes
