Update on Espe Cat and Dog Tote Bags

I got word that the Espe handbags will be shipping again at the end of this month/early September. Please check the PJ Publications and Gifts website for availability, or better yet, reserve your bag now. These bags are fun, functional, and the designs are limited editions - replaced each year with new designs. When they're sold out, they're gone for good.

We also have the matching wallets. The long cat Whiskers wallet in black is pictured to the left.

Just In - New Handbags and Wallets by Espe

Espe has outdone itself again. This season's designs are magnificent - and we are excited to carry them.

For a company that has been around such a short time - they debuted in 2005 - Espe has managed to develop a line that is trendy, fun and functional. And best of all, their products are cruelty-free. They produce their accessories using polyurethane, a synthetic "leather" that is durable and soft to the touch.

Espe's designs change every year and they don't carry over. They also have a tendency to sell out quickly. When I recently tried to place an order, most of the animal-themed designs we carry were sold out.

If you're looking for a handbag or wallet with an animal theme - that is fun, functional and fashionable, you will love Espe.

Check out PJ Publications and Gifts to see our new merchandise. Some of the Espe designs we currently carry include handbags and wallets with a dog and cat theme.

Choosing Cruelty Free Accessories

I've been reading, with great pleasure, about how dozens of designers and apparel manufacturers are joining the ranks of fur-free and cruelty-free producers. Whether this is a result of social consciousness or a reaction to public demand - or both - doesn't matter. The important thing is that several of the big players in fashion and retail are making decisions that will save the lives of animals.

It's not as if offering humane choices means fashion and quality are being compromised. Quite the contrary. Many of the cruelty-free designs being produced today are exquisite. The humane products we carry from companies like Espe and Yak Pak are fun, functional and very well crafted - and are often lower priced than their leather and fur counterparts.

If you want to be a better fur-free consumer, you might want to check out the Consumers for a fur free society by Born Free USA united with Animal Protection Institute. One of the useful areas they have is a list of the big national retailers committed to the Fur Free Retailer Program. The Humane Society of the United States has a similar list of big name fur-free designers and retailers.

One of the best tools we have for helping animals is by being educated consumers.