Cute DIY Cupcakes

The Date: Friday, July 30
The Delivery: A cupcake kit, The Tourist Trail by John Yunker, and Through a Dog's Eyes by Jennifer Arnold
Staff Pick: The Saint Cupcake kit

The DL: This company hails from Portland, Ore., and specializes in making cupcakes that you can assemble yourself. Though not an entirely vegan line, they feature a few flavors of vegan cupcakes daily. They look adorably delicious!

The world's largest survey of vegetarian people, places, and products starts August 1—The VegNews Veggie Awards, that is! Get ready to vote.

Celebration Cake

The Date: Thursday, July 29
The Delivery: The greatest gift one could ever receive
Staff Pick: The Banana Split Ice Cream Cake from MaggieMudd

The DL: This cake was delivered this morning as an anniversary gift from Sara Sohn of Sweet & Sara. Yes, we will be devouring it at lunch. Thanks so much, Sara!

Come on out to SF Vegan Drinks tonight if you're in the area. Though we can't promise to save any cake, there will be vegan Orange Creamsicle Martinis!

Delicious Desserts

The Date: Wednesday, July 28
The Delivery: A children's book, a vegan dessert cookbook, and some delicious-looking treats from Good Stuff by Mom & Me
Staff Pick: Are You Sure That's Vegan? by Claire Gosse

The DL: Our mouths are watering just flipping through this cookbook, which includes a ton of color photos of each recipe. We want to get back in the kitchen and start baking right now!

Speaking of baking, if you're in the SF Bay Area this Saturday, July 31, come out to the Vegan Bakesale. There will be sweet treats galore and you'll be supporting a great cause!

Helpful Advice

The Date: Tuesday, July 27
The Delivery: A book
Staff Pick: Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob

The DL: Deliveries were down today, so we couldn't be too choosy for the Staff Pick. Although this book isn't really relevant to the vegan cause, it does look helpful if you're an inspiring food writer.

Speaking of writing, do you have questions for Howard Lyman, author of Mad Cowboy? Head over to the VegNews Book Club to submit questions to be answered by Lyman himself!

Some Good Reads

The Date: Monday, July 26
The Delivery: No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O'Connor and Alexandra Spunt, and It's a Long Road to a Tomato by Keith Stewart
Staff Pick: No More Dirty Looks

The DL: No More Dirty Looks looks inside the beauty industry to find out the real definition of those unpronounceable ingredients on the back of shampoo bottles and lipsticks. And we're guessing the results aren't pretty.

Wrapping the Week Up

The Date: Friday, July 23
The Delivery: Evol Mediterranean and Curry wraps
Staff Pick: Both!

The DL: Apparently today is a slow-delivery day, the VNHQ did not receive any love via mail. We did, however, get the chance to try these wraps at lunch. See how the tasting went at Café VegNews!

Sweets from Sjaak's

The Date: Thursday, July 22
The Delivery: Yes to Blueberries skin-care collection, Sjaak's chocolate-covered hazelnuts and almonds, and Sjaak's English Toffee
Staff Pick: Sjaak's chocolate-covered hazelnuts

The DL: Everyone has had chocolate-covered cherries, peanuts, and strawberries—but how often do you get vegan, organic, Fair-Trade-certified chocolate-covered hazelnuts delivered right to your door? We can't wait to try these delicious looking treats.

A Butter Scrub for Fall

The Date: Wednesday, July 21
The Delivery: Non-vegan Simmer Sauce, Kombucha, Cleansing Cream, Enzyme Peel, and Body Butter
Staff Pick: Pumpkin Spice Butter Scrub from The Body Deli
The DL: Everyone needs a good exfoliator now and then, and The Body Deli's Botanical Body Scrub promises to do just that. We're excited to slather this completely raw and organic stuff on, and the pumpkin spice flavor smells just like fall.

Amazing Assortment of Raw Chocolates

The Date: Tuesday, July 20
The Delivery: Wellness guides, olives, biscotti, and raw chocolates
Staff Pick: Raw chocolates from Veggie Brothers

The DL: We received another shipment from the Veggie Brothers today, and these chocolates have the potential to be our favorite of their treats. All the chocolates are raw, organic, and vegan. The Veggie Brothers sent us the "amazing assortment," so we're excited to try any of the goji berry, raspberry, walnut, cherry, pistachio, pecans, coconut, strawberry, or cashew chocolates.

Aprons with Sass

The Date: Monday, July 19
The Delivery: Wine Guide, aprons, and notepads
Staff Pick: Apron from She's SO Creative

The DL: She's SO Creative produces goods with cutesy sayings that are, well, creative. We chose this apron with the saucy hens that seem to be enjoying themselves, and the caption "French chicks." Added bonus: The packaging is made of recycled products.

Pin-Up Pink

The Date: Friday, July 16
The Delivery: Make up and the DVD Should I Eat That?
Staff Pick: Pink Grapefruit vegan lip gloss from Pin Up Cosmetics

The DL: Pin Up Cosmetics, a local, all-vegan company, sent us this adorable bright pink lip gloss, sure to make your lips pop! We can't wait to pop it in our purses this weekend.

Pretty Palette

The Date: Thursday, July 15
The Delivery: Shower gel and leave-in hair treatment from Earthly Body, and a very cool make-up kit
Staff Pick: Urban Decay's Limited Edition Vegan Palette

The DL: The VN staffers have fallen in love with this vegan make-up kit, which includes eye-shadow primer, six shadows, and a black eyeliner, all in an adorable, artistic case. Love it!

Reads to Please

The Date: Tuesday, July 13
The Delivery: Three books—one not vegan
Staff Pick: The advance copy of The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman

The DL: These two authors have been busy writing. Their last book, 500 Vegan Recipes, came out last November and this one's set to come out January 2011. The recipes look delish!

Better Beauty

The Date: Monday, July 12
The Delivery: Products from Arbonne including detox tea and several vegan protein shakes
Staff Pick: The set of Shea Butter hand and body wash and lotion

The DL: We've heard good things about Arbonne's vegan line of skincare and health products. We're excited to try this quality-looking wash and lotion!

Bug Out

The Date: Friday, July 9
The Delivery: Some cruelty-free mosquito repellent, a couple CDs from Putumayo World Music, and the Annmarie Gianni Skin Care line (mostly vegan excluding one product)
Staff Pick: The Heartbroken Mosquitoes vegan, 100-percent natural mosquito repellent

The DL: This seems like a good summertime find, especially if you're a fan of camping this time of the year. This line is on Vegan Etsy and is DEET-free, which we think is super cool. Have a great, and bug-free, weekend!

Made to Order

The Date: Thursday, July 8
The Delivery: Bread and bagels from Spelt Right Baking, and samples from a new vegan food company
Staff Pick: The Grilled Mahi Mahi with fresh organic rosemary from Veggie Brothers

The DL: This new online delivery service ships right to your door and has a ton of vegan food—from breakfast food to dessert! We're especially excited to try this Mahi Mahi, which is something you don't usually see on a vegan menu.

Pick-Me-Up Chocolate

The Date: Wednesday, July 7
The Delivery: Some much-needed chocolate, Celsius beverages, a non-vegan book, and a CD by Devirose
Staff Pick: The Pauline Benjamin's Peanut Butter Cups by Lagusta's Luscious

The DL: It's been a long couple of weeks at the VNHQ, with the 10th Anniversary Issue coming out. Luckily, this chocolate came in today to give us a little pick-up. Yes, that's just what we need!

Bangin' Burritos

The Date: Tuesday, July 6
The Delivery: Some unique burritos and a 3-Day Detox Program from Kaeng Raeng
Staff Pick: The Mediterranean Couscous Wrap from Evol

The DL: Though not an entirely vegetarian line, these new wraps are completely vegan and look quite tasty. Yes, we're thinking these may be lunch in the near future.

Ever wanted to go to India? We just announced our second Great Adventure to India, happening in February! Hurry and reserve your spot; they are going fast!

Gift Basket for Divas

The Date: Thursday, July 1
The Delivery: A beautiful gift basket filled with vegan goods from The Vegan Divas
Staff Pick: The Raspberry Lemon Muffin

The DL: This gorgeous gift basket arrived at our doorstep this morning, just in time to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, which is today. Thanks, Vegan Divas!

And because it's a celebration, we have been giving away our VegNews Tote Bags all day! We have one more giveaway at 5 pm (PST), so hurry and go enter here.