Everyone is ready to hit the beach this summer. Besides a cute swim suit & sunscreen, there’s one more essential must-have. Your go-to beach bag. And boy do we love taking our carry-it-all bags to the beach. They have so much room to carry everything you’ll need for a day of sun & fun! These carry-it-all bags have 3 different zipper compartments. That means a safe place for your wallet and keys, away from your sand toys & beach towel. There are even holders for your water bottle & other sun tan lotion. These bags are so versatile you’ll have everyone asking “where did you get that great bag?”. You’ll end up wanting to tote these bags everywhere this summer.

We’re always excited when we get to add a new umbrella to our collection. We spend most of our days surrounded by colorful & exciting umbrellas, so to expand our collection to add a new member is always cause for celebration. Our newest umbrella joins our travel sized umbrella family (our T6 umbrellas!) and goes by the name of Brushwood Orange. And what a cute umbrella it is!

What a fabulous pop of orange to brighten up any rainy day. This umbrella is sure to turn heads & get your noticed next time you stroll through a storm. And it is the perfect travel companion when you’re on the road. It retails alongside our other travel sized umbrellas (our T6 collection) and can be purchased on our website! You’ll have to snag one for you & an umbrella as a gift for a friend. They’ll be sure to thank you the next time storm clouds roll in.

Celebs have been rocking pastel this spring – pastels are sweet & elegant and really popular.We’re pairing some of our favorite celebrity fashionistas with some of our favorite pastel umbrellas. These umbrellas are what we image these celebs would rock during their next stormy day out. We imagine they have many people to carry their umbrellas for them, though! Check out some of our favorite pairings between fashionable celebrities & some of our favorite umbrellas.

Taylor Swift

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TRAY6 Compact Perch Rain Umbrella

Blake Lively

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TRAY6 Full Size Gold Grass Metallic Umbrella

Kim Kardashian

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TRAY6 Full Size Blur Blush Umbrella

Cameron Diaz

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TRAY6 Full Size Pinwheel Snow Umbrella

We just know each of these fashionistas would ROCK one of our TRAY6 umbrellas with their outfits. Which pairing was your favorite celeb + umbrella combination? Which TRAY6 umbrella would you rock?

TRAY6 calls the great state of California home. We’re proud of the efforts that California has undergone to make our communities & state a great place for both our fans and the environment. One community in particular has just made headlines – Manhattan Beach. They have just been granted the approval to officially ban plastic bags from their shops & stores. As of January 14, 2012 – plastic bags are officially being forced out of this chic California beach community. A quote from the City of Manhattan Beach’s website reads;

“As a first step toward reducing single-bag use, the Manhattan Beach City Council passed an ordinance banning the distribution of plastic bags at the point-of-sale for all retail establishments in Manhattan Beach in July 2008. After being on hold for a few years due to a lawsuit brought by the “Save the Plastic Bag Coalition,” the City’s plastic bag ordinance will begin implementation on January 14, 2012.”

Stores in the community will have until April 14th, 2012 before the ban is officially in place to allow for transition. Shop owners are asked to encourage their patrons to bring their own reusable shoppers for purchases.

Why the ban the plastic bag all together? Research conducted by the City of Manhattan Beach was presented as follows;

“According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, approximately 6 billion plastic bags are consumed in Los Angeles County each year. That means that the average Los Angeles County resident takes home 600 plastic bags in one year.  According to the US EPA annual Municipal Solid Waste Report (MSW) from 2005, less than 1% of plastic bags are recycled in the United States. And, since plastic bags are lightweight and easily caught in the wind, they make up a significant amount of the litter found in storm drains that lead directly to the beach and ocean.”

Wow! Over 600 bags? Yikes! It sure makes one rethink their whole shopping experience. Thankfully the successful rise of popularity in reusable shoppers is making them easy to come by and fans are offered more and more designs and selections to customize their shopping needs! Have you checked out our selection of reusable shoppers on TRAY6.com?

What are your thoughts on the plastic bag ban? Do you use reusable shoppers? Do you think the ban will catch on in your hometown?

Every year Pantone names a color of the year. This year Pantone has named Tangerine Tango as the color of the year and we’re bound to see it emerging among all the spring fashion trends. Alongside this vibrant color, Pantone has also named a few other colors that we’re sure to see gracing catwalks and store displays. Some of the other contenders include Solar Power, Driftwood & Sodalite Blue – and we must say; they’re all fabulous!

Over here at TRAY6, we’re excited for the launch into spring fashion. To get everyone in the mood we’ve paired up some of our favorite TRAY6 pieces with some of the hottest colors coming off the runway:

Tell us what you think! Do you think you’ll be sporting any of these fantastic new fashions or adding any of the new Pantone picks to your wardrobe??

At TRAY6 we deal with umbrellas on a daily basis. You probably encounter umbrellas on a daily basis as well – even if they are just stored away for a rainy day. So we thought we’d release some fun little facts about the good ole umbrella that you may not have known before! Here’s a little history on how the umbrella got its name!

An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain. Often the difference is the material; as some parasols are not waterproof. Parasols are often meant to be fixed to one point and often used with patio tables or other outdoor furniture. Umbrellas are almost exclusively hand-held portable devices; however, parasols can also be hand-held.

The word umbrella comes from the Latin word umbra, meaning shade or shadow (the Latin word, in turn, derives from the Ancient Greek ómbros [όμβρος].) The word “umbrella” evolved from the Latin “umbella” (an “umbel” is a flat-topped rounded flower) or “umbra,” meaning “shaded.”

Now you can impress your friends with some fun new trivia!

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Everyone at TRAY6 wishes you a happy & safe New Year’s Eve!

May it be as fabulous as you!