Curator Picks - 5/24

Rain, rain, rain. I made the mistake of trusting my iPhone today (it promised me there would be no actual rain, so I didn't bring an umbrella when leaving the apartment) and I've been caught in the rain twice now. Earlier I had to duck under the eaves of a building to wait out the heavy rain and it was kind of nice to just stand still. Sometimes I have to be forced to just be in the moment - no rushing on to the next task.

Food:

I loved the post by Helene at Tartelette on the pressure she feels to do her blog posts and she finishes up with this Thai soup with shrimp and coconut (and butternut squash!) recipe. She does suggest alternatives as squash is not in season at the moment.

Fashion/style:


Giveaway today on A Beautiful Mess to win a gift certificate to the shopping site Beso.com! This prize is worth $400 but the catch is you have to create your own shopping collection at Beso.com and then you win something from the collection. So, it's a little extra work, but probably worth it!

Another giveaway from Cup of Jo for a cute chambray smock dress from London-based boutique Couverture and The Garbstore.

Hmmmm, perhaps I should have a separate section for giveaways? There are two more from Design Mom today. One for three pieces of art from Modern Mural (worth $253!) and another for a $150 gift certificate to the beautiful Texas-based boutique Paloma's Nest.

Everyone seems to be talking about Chance, the clothing company that features mostly striped clothing. I can think of quite a few people (including myself) who wear stripes more than anything else and would love this brand. Yes, Luisa, I'm talking about you! The collection is currently for sale in Barneys.

Interior design:

Love this simple solution for storing all that wrapping paper you have in your home from Creature Comforts.

If I had the time (I think I say this every day), I'd be making these oh so pretty cupcake flower lights from Oh Happy Day to wind through the girls bedroom. This project actually wouldn't take that long at all and only involves some pretty cupcake papers, cutting tools, and twinkle lights. You could probably do it while watching The Bachelorette (not that I ever watch such drivel).



I'm longing for summer and this rainy, dreary week in the city isn't helping.  Sometimes I take my mood cues from what's in the farmers market and seeing these tomatoes recently helped to perk me up.