Her Rainbow Brite-ness

It's Monday.  It's drab outside.  Let's all ease into the week and get our color for the day with this delightful recap of a year of Queen Elizabeth's outfits, arranged by color.  



Image via here, originally from Vogue UK


And all hail the only woman on the face of the Earth who goes out this much and wears black only 2% of the time.  Her purse (which she carries for signaling when she's bored!) was clearly not considered for purposes of these calculations.

Have a lovely weekend!

So no, I did not run into Pacey at the shop yesterday.  But hey, look who snuck in here:


Image via here

I hope you all find yourself a smiley, tuxedo-clad umbrella wrangler this weekend.  Tonight, I'm attending a fundraiser for a school that several of my friends work with (along with my own umbrella-wrangler, who is, if you can believe it, even better than Pacey).  Saturday I'm going to attempt to make these carnitas in honor of Cinco de Mayo, to enjoy with a margarita, and perhaps a mint julep in honor of the Kentucky Derby (have you ever been?  I went once -- in 2004, the year that Smarty Jones won -- and it was fantastic.  I was also 22 and didn't mind the infield, the debauchery happening all around me, or the ankle deep mud puddles because of the pouring rain, so methinks my judgment may have been slightly clouded).  Sunday will hopefully be spent luxuriating on my couch. 

What are you up to?  I hope you have lots of fun and/or relaxing things to do, and in the meantime, enjoy the following:



Speaking of my friends who are teachers and educators, check out the Ten Commandments of Teaching.

It's a tights-of-the-month club! (via PureWow)

The bra pocket, while not without its flaws, is a pretty clever idea (I will confess that I've always been jealous of girls who can store things in their cleavage.  It just seems handy).

I swore I wasn't going to do the bright pink lips.  I caved.  I hope you can forgive me.

Are you bored at work?  Don't worry, it just means you're cutting-edge and trendy.

Now THAT is a fancy tee-shirt.

What babies know.

At weddings, I love watching the groom when the bride walks down the aisle.  According to this article, I am apparently watching the dude's testosterone levels shoot up before my very eyes, haha.

Feeling lonely?  Maybe you need a huggable pillow phone. 

If you watch Smash and feel disappointed but still can't stop yourself, you probably need to read this.

Tall and Salty's in-house contributor, who has zero experience with kids, nonetheless predicts that these will be huge.

Car trouble.

YUCK.  But hey, it apparently happens to the best of us.  Stars: they're just like us.



Image via here


Things helping me at the moment: I'm extremely fortunate to have exceptionally nice coworkers who are happy to help.  And I'm holding out hope that I run into Pacey at the shop. 

Hope you're having a better day!

Gifts for Moms

Mother's Day is approaching fast!  If your mom is like my mom, all she really wants is a card that says you love her, but if you are like me, you also want to get her something special that you know she'll enjoy.  Here are a few ideas.

A Sky umbrella from the MOMA store (handy for the ridiculous rain that's been hitting everyone!) ($48).  (And if you want to see this in action, check out all of these pages where bloggers have styled the umbrella for its twentieth anniversary.)




A market bag tote for lugging things to the car or to work (with your city on it to remind her of you!) ($68).


 A Lululemon jacket so she can look like a "cool mom" while she's running errands, taking a walk, or going to the gym ($108).

A book from the new Met Schiaparelli + Prada exhibit ($45).


 Cute and comfy jammies ($85).


A twine stand with scissors, handy for making roast chicken and other tasty things, wrapping packages, and those random times in life where you think to yourself "I wish I had some string right now.  I never need string, so I obviously have none in my house" ($20.95).  (You know that happens.)

An iTunes gift card or an audible.com membership so she can listen to Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? on audiobook (Mindy Kaling talking about how much she appreciates her hardworking parents is really sweet, and the rest of it is hilarious).  Or, you know, she could spend it on the 50 Shades of Grey sequel since she accidentally bought the first one just because "It was at the top of the New York Times bestseller list!  How was I supposed to know what it was about????" 

Adorable Le Creuset magnets ($12).

Or spring for the full size ($165 for the two-quart size).

If you live in a different city, her favorite treat from where you live, like Garrett's Popcorn ($29).

A gift certificate for a mani/pedi in adjoining chairs.  Buy it in advance so when you get there, she can't say "Oh I'll pay!" (image via here). 


 A cheese tasting from Murray's Cheese in New York City ($66.99).

And don't forget the card!

The Shops at Target

I love Target.  I also love finding teeny cool stores when I travel.  Target is now bringing teeny cool stores to your local store via their new concept, The Shops at Target.  I think I'm going to like this.

Target has teamed up with five local shops --  The Candy Store in San Francisco, Polka Dog Bakery in Boston, Cos Bar in Aspen, Privet House in Warren, Connecticut, and The Webster in Miami -- and is bringing their branded products to Target stores nationwide.

(This video makes me want to visit every one of these places and meet the owners.  They all seem so interesting.  I love the Polka Dog Bakery folks, who seem to have a great sense of humor about running a dog bakery.)

It looks like the products that Target will carry will be "limited-edition collections," meaning they'll be items created for Target and not the stores' regular merchandise.  So I still have a reason to visit all of these places someday and check out their usual things.  Superb.


You can view all the products here in Target's lookbook, and a couple of my favorites are below (all images are from Target).  The Shops will be up on May 6 online and in stores.  Happy shopping!


Colorblocked cardigans from The Webster would be great for work (and, apparently, over your bikini.  What a multi-tasking piece) ($32.99).

 

Even without the doppelgänger model, this shift dress from The Webster has a sleek Victoria Beckham feel to it ($39.99).

Stamps are crafty but extremely easy, and this set from Privet House is sophisticated looking.  I like to use stamps like these on envelopes when I send things in the mail ($12.99 for the set and stationery).  The "cheers" stamp would be great for party invitations or holiday greetings.  (I assume you can all figure out appropriate situations for using the others.) 

These green cane-pint glasses are awesome ($3.99 each).

Tall and Salty's Editorial Assistant has requested this green-and-orange-striped collar.  He loves the preppy styles ($5.99).

That's a lie.  He could care less about the collar.  He only has eyes for these treats ($3.99 - $4.99).  

What are your picks?