the color lab blog — Color Collective Series

You may have noticed that I've been M.I.A. from the blog for over a month. Life has an unpredictable flow - sometimes it moves at a snail's pace then suddenly lifts you out of your comfort zone and tosses you into unfamiliar spaces with no instruction manual. That kind of explains the last few weeks of my life.

I've moved my personal and professional lives to a brand new city with brand new energy. It's been exciting and unsettling. Anyone who has moved into a new home knows that it takes a village but we only had a tiny hamlet. The adventure continues....

What is beyond me is that while most everything has been unpacked and put in its proper place, there are still some items from my kitchen that either lost their way, decided they weren't willing to make the move with us or have just vanished into thin air. I thought hosting a small dinner party last week for a few friends was a good idea but in the process, I had to repurchase many things I thought I already had. 

One thing that was on my side was that I was able to catch a few fabulous sales on dinnerware, drinkware and cookware. Here are a few things I bought or want to buy for cooking and entertaining that may still be available at great prices:

 

1.  These knives are so durable and stay sharp.

 

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Food tastes better when it is colorful. It just does! We eat with our mouths AND eyes so what food "looks" like impacts the flavor. And there's interesting research behind this phenomenon. Whether you believe there's a color/food connection or not, think of it this way: would you even take a bite of a blue apple? Here are some colorful links to satisfy the foodie in you:

1.  I'm not sure eating square food is any healthier than eating food in it normal form but this company seems to think we need to rethink the shape of things. (DesignTaxi)

2.  If you bake, you will surely want to get your hands on this plant-based food dye for all of your cupcake frosting needs. (Amazon)

3.  This piece on "the year in snacks" is in no way practical but it is good for a couple of chuckles. (Grub Street)

4. Who knew the color of egg yolks makes a difference in the quality of pasta? (Broken Palate)

5.  I didn't realize that the already pretty perfect croissant was up for reinvention but change is good, I guess.  (Food & Wine)

6.  The uber-colorful dinnerware and serveware from this brand automatically elevates your table setting game. (Amazon)

7.  I'm also obsessed with this colorful cookware that is super high quality and makes your kitchen look like you've mastered the joy of cooking. (Macy's)

8.  This beautiful vegan cookbook is jam-packed with soulful, Southern inspired recipes and food history that even non-vegans, like myself can greatly appreciate. (Amazon)

9.  Those of us who miss going to great restaurants for memorable meals may not realize the devastating impact the pandemic has had on the entire industry. Here are a few ways to help support restaurants and their workers.

10.  Did you know that I have a collection of colorful food recipes created by me and my Home Chef Extraordinaire (the love of my life) on the blog? 

 

I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links and I participate in the Amazon Associate program, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

 

 

Got the travel bug again? I definitely do but I'm playing it safe and taking short/day trips not far from home for now. Once it's safe to expand my horizons, I have a long list of places I'm headed to. This week's list will help you plan colorful trips of all sizes:

 

• If you need some destination ideas, I found this list of 21 of the best travel movies very inspiring. (Full Suitcase)

• Before you pull out the passport, check this list of countries that Americans can travel to. (NY Times)

• If the Caribbean is on your trip list, check out the Instagram feed of this travel enthusiast who also makes her hometown of Miami look really good.

• I'm not big on tour traveling. Call me a control freak but vacations shouldn't be about schedules and timetables. Nevertheless, a few of these international food tours would make me break my own rules. 

• Are you a light packer? These backpacks are the absolute best for IMO.

• This article about the safety of cruise ships was extremely surprising to me. (Yahoo News)

• Travel in style with one of these colorful and protective passport cases.

• Washington, DC has always been a weekend getaway destination for me. Despite all that has occurred there in recent months (and years), I can't wait to return to check out some of the places Vice President Kamala Harris frequents. (Travel and Leisure)

• Pop these in your carry-on for a luxurious moisturizing skin care treat.

• You'll be able to find your luggage on the airport baggage carousel with ease with one of these colorful spinners.

 

Until next time, may your life be filled with COLOR!

 

  

 

 

I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

 

 

 

 

This week's links are dedicated to sitting down in colorful style and comfort. Chairs, couches, stools....or maybe not even sitting so much. Take a seat and enjoy!

 

• The history of the chair in a fun format, just in case you were wondering. (Chair Institute)

• These adorable bistro-style outdoor dining chairs only look expensive. (Amazon)

• A chaise lounge for your beloved pet? Yes, please. (Chewy)

• This is the motivating app that I use to counteract the effects of sitting too much during the course of a work day. (Apple)

• Many of these fabulous, low-cost ways to revive any room in your home are as simple as updating your seating. (Oprah.com)

• After a tremendously long and arduous search, I found my dream sofa(s) here. (Jonathan Adler)

• If you can afford to use a chair as a work of art, these intriguing pieces will get your collector juices flowing. (Architectural Digest)

• I'm not sure I can fit in another DIY project right now, but one of these barstool ideas is definitely going on the to-do-later list. (DIY Joy)

• This list of famous chairs from movies and pop culture made me realize just how important this "prop" could be to the telling of a visual story. (Homecrux)

• These are the seats I'm "chair-ishing" right now.

 

Until next time, may your life be filled with COLOR!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I missed posting your links last week but I'm trying to make up for it with this week's really special ones. Enjoy!

• Which major fashion brand do you think is at the forefront of using plant-based materials for some of its products? The answer may surprise you. (DesignTaxi)

• These exercises DO help strengthen your core and if a flatter tummy is a side benefit, I'll take it! (Prime Women)

• Here's fresh green jewelry to wear yourself or to give in honor of Spring! (JulRe Designs Studio)

• DIY Project: These gorgeous Paper Flowers are so simple to make for a Mother's Day brunch place setting.

• Museums have started to reopen. Hooray! This artist's inspiring and colorful outdoor exhibit is one of the many I'm looking forward to seeing. (MOMA)

• I recently did some Spring dress shopping - in my closet! I'm just a bit embarrassed by what I found. (The Color Lab Blog)

• As a Marvel fan, this interview with the creator and showrunner for the newest Avengers action series on Disney+, was revealing and very relevant in our current times. (Polygon)

• Reading glasses are a necessity for many of us and the search for colorful and fashionable ones is over. I'm head-over-heels in LOVE with these. (CADDIS)

• A toast to these 10 Black women who are successfully distilling spirits in the male dominated industry. (Thrillist)

• Get 20% OFF my favorite glow-inducing body oil with code 'GLOWROSE' until 3/21/2021! (Gem Luxe Beauty)

 

Until next time, may your life be filled with COLOR!

 

 

 

 

 FROM OUR PARTNERS

 

 

I hope you love the products I recommend! This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This helps support the blog and allows me to continue to bring you color commentary like this. You can find more about our site, privacy, and disclosure policies here. Thank you for your continued support!