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Coffee Break: Mini-Song Bag

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pale blue handbag

If you're on the hunt for a pale blue bag, this tiny leather one from Songmont looks lovely.

Its available for pre-order in 10 colors, and is an updated version of their classic Mini Song bag. The newest iteration “boasts a dynamic three-dimensional shape, marrying functionality with flair.” (The cynic in me wonders how the bag was only two dimensional before — but that is netiher here nor there.)

It's 6.69″ L x 3.54″W x 4.92″ H, so it is definitely on the tinier side. I love the little details like the metal feet, and the matching crossbody strap that buckles in.

The bag is $239 at the moment, but they note that it will soon be $269 when prices go up May 1.

Sales of note for 5/19/25:

56 Comments

  1. Does anyone have good tips for relaxing and possibly sleeping in economy class on an international flight? We’re flying on United Airlines there and back, although Air Canada may be involved on the flight back.

    1. For me, the Wirecutter recommended travel pillow was game changing. It is a bit bulky to carry though, so that may be a downside. It does fold and has a travel bag.

      For relaxing…. ativan?

        1. I have both this one and the Cabeau Evolution S3 neck pillow and like the Cabeau one more. It’s the same concept but not as hot/claustrophobic feeling to me. I actually slept for like 6 hours on a long haul flight recently with it, which never happens. Other than that, take a water bottle and comfortable headphones with a cord to connect to the inflight entertainment.

      2. Please don’t casually recommend Ativan. Benzos are highly addictive and shouldn’t be recreationally used unless there’s an urgent need.

        2. I am not the one who recommended it (I was going to suggest Ambien) but this is a bit alarmist. Most can take Ativan (or Ambien or basically any of the prescription sleep/anxiety medications) one or twice a year without becoming dependent.

          OP – I take Ambien when I fly for over eight hours and want to sleep. I highly recommend it with four caveats: (1) Talk to your doctor; (2) Try it once before you fly because some people have bad reactions and you do not want to find out you are one of them mid-flight; (3) It is addictive so figure out how many you need (I usually go with three) and only get that number; and (4) Take the warning not to mix it with alcohol seriously. I had a flight attendant tell me once that all the “Ambien zombie” stories she had started with someone she had served alcohol.

          If you do not want to take drugs, you might try melatonin, an eye mask or something to block light (I make a tent with a scarf because I cannot sleep with something pressing on my face), noise cancelling headphones with your white noise of choice, and a good neck pillow. I prefer a window seat because it makes it easier to lean on something. My mother swears by audiobooks of Jane Austen novels.

    2. I’ve done this a couple times recently! It’s not as bad as you think. These are my musts. Otherwise, I try not to cram too much into my personal item. Having a bulky bag stresses me out; less is more imo.

      Manta sleep mask, or another mask that completely blocks the light https://mantasleep.com/products/manta-sleep-mask

      Noise canceling headphones and your white noise of choice

      Compression socks

      Melatonin

      Memory foam neck pillow

    3. From where to where? From the east coast, with a relatively short flight, the timing of the flight is huge. There are red-eyes that take off at like 5 pm Eastern and land shortly after midnight eastern, and there’s no way I’m sleeping on those, when my normal bedtime is around 11 pm. So if it’s a shorter flight look for one that leaves later.

      I have a sleeping med for insomnia that is stronger than benadryl or melatonin but not as intense as Ativan (it’s hydroxyzine aka Atarax) and I typically take that the night before the redeye flight. The effects linger for a while for me. If I take it right before the flight I’m too groggy when I land, but if I take it 24 hours before, I’m just sleepy enough to doze on the flight but be functional with coffee when we reach the destination. It also helps with anxiety so if that’s an issue for you I recommend asking your doctor for that or something similar.

      Some people recommend skipping the meal service to get to sleep faster, but it keeps me awake when it’s near me anyway, so I figure I might as well eat. Sit at the front of the cabin if possible, so the cart moves past you quickly.

    5. airpods with sleep audio, black out eyemask, hoodie for additional darkening. no alcohol, eat lightly, mostly carbs.

      If you forget your airpods, you can use air canada headphones and their sleep audio on their seatback entertainment system.

      Focus on resting your body with your eyes closed as long as possible vs pressuring yourself to fall asleep.

    6. “possibly” sleeping?
      1. if you have a choice of departure times, pick the later one – I love a 10 or 11pm departure time for Europe as it’s so much easier to get a solid block of sleep than the 7-8pm slot
      2. good eye mask, foam ear plugs (I can’t wear Airpods that long comfortably!), and noise cancelling real over-the-ear headphones
      3. consider wearing a face mask, not for germ reasons, but to block odors. one flight someone near me had horrendous gas and I could not sleep because of the smell. Oh the smell.
      4. compression socks
      5. I have yet to find a neck pillow that’s useful enough to justify its existence in my life for the rest of the trip. Most of those planes have little “wings” on the headrest that you can fold out to help rest your head.
      6. Don’t bother staying up for the meal. I like having a light dinner (salad etc) before the flight and then just going straight to sleep mode. If you wait until after the food service is cleared, you lose a good 90 minutes of possible sleep!

      1. Probably will get people pearl clutching but I just buy a pillow and leave it on the plane. It’s worth having the comfort but I never bother dragging it around after.

    7. Compression socks, noisecancelling overear headset, travel pillow with flat back neck. The pillows with flat neck will let you lean backwards comfortably, and then tilt a little to the side with support.

      Big but thin cashmere or wool shawl or wrap, warm layers – l like merino joggers and merino tee and cardi. Rest your feet on your underseat small backpack/bag, slipon shoes for easy bathroom trips. I like a slightly shaped eye mask with towelling inside, but whatevery you find comfortable.

      I like to have an audiobook or podcast with a favorite voice actor, as a nighttime “story” to relax and halfway pay attention to while getting sleepy. If I’m travelling alone I sleep more easily if I have some valuables hidden under my tee.

      Use seatguru to check out your plane configuration, and pay for a seat (if you can) well away from known noise sources like bassinets, WCs, galleys etc.

      1. Why would you need to pay for a third-party application when you can just look at the floor plan on the airline’s website?

    8. What everyone said above plus…start adjusting your time a couple days prior to the flight, so that you’re tired when you get on the flight. This works with the suggestion to time the flight app proportionately with the destination time zone.

      Also…depending on who you’re traveling with, choose seats so you can combine and maximise space. (Sure it’s never going to be flatbeds but every inch makes a difference)

      Look around on the flight. Any spare rows? Ask the flight attendant if you can use them. Laying flat across multiple seats is relatively comfy.

      Do NOT look at the movie list!!!

    9. My dad was a very frequent business traveler back in the day, and swears blind by drinking to excess. YMMV!

  2. This is wildly alarmist. One Ativan on a flight doesn’t make an addiction – taking it for garden-variety anxiety for an extended period does.

      1. Not that “Anonymous” but literally millions of people take lorazepam without ill effects. Comparing it to coke is Reefer Madness levels of false equivalency.

          2. Obviously I’m a big nerd because I don’t understand the difference between speed and coke – aren’t they both just uppers?
            Also I’m still amused by the idea of a ‘small coke’ – wouldn’t that just be like a triple dose of sudafed?

    2. I have no experience with this but I had a narcotic in the hospital for pain relief and it just made me sleepy and whatever they use for colonoscopies (but it wasn’t good quality sleep although it did knock me out). So just factor in that whatever you do, if you don’t know how your body reacts to it, you may still feel like crap, just different than you thought you’d feel from not sleeping. I’m personally one to go with the devil I know and not a new one while traveling.

    3. Apart from being addictive, it’s just very bad for you. It’s not something to recommend casually. Further, even if 2-3 out of 10 people get addicted, if you treat it as a casual thing like melatonin, you’re recommending it to someone who may have issues later on. They are wildly overprescribed and shouldn’t be.

      1. I feel like they’re both underprescribed and overprescribed (it’s way more appropriate for something like a flight than a new perpetual SSRI prescription!). And they’re less toxic than alcohol. But it’s definitely far too much like recommending a double of whiskey (complete with maybe not remembering what happened the next day).

  3. what cut of jeans is your favorite right now? do you think anything is going to have the staying power that skinnies had?

    1. Right now, I like boyfriend cut and straight leg. I think straight leg will always work.

    2. I’m enjoying ‘baby bootcut’ jeans for date nights/more dressy occasions. Jen Anniston is right, they really do make your legs look longer. For day time I like lower slung ‘boyfriend’ styles – skinnier than a wide leg, wider than a straight leg. It’s a harder shape to find so I basically camped out in Anthro on a weekday and tried on just about everything the salespeople suggested.

    3. I prefer something more fitted in the hips/upper thighs personally. So I don’t like a full on baggy or wide-leg style.

    4. I mean, before skinnies, bootcut aka flares were the reigning champs for a solid decade. I like boyfriend, trouser, and bootcut styles.

      I am giving the dramatically oversized styles like barrel leg, mom jeans, etc. a WIDE berth. The same way I didn’t wear those enormous JNCO things in 1998.

  4. Y’all, I want to get some nice lamps now that I’m not moving every year. I have a real job now and can get something of quality but IDK what a quality lamp even is or where to buy one. Help a lady with can lighting out please!

    1. I did a lot of looking and ended up with carefully selected Target lamps. Not all Target lamps are good, but the good ones are better than Pottery Barn and its ilk. The fancy lamp store in town only had old lady stuff.

    2. Shades of Light is a good starting point but can be kind of overwhelming. I’ve really liked my lamps from Williams Sonoma, and Aerin Lauder has nice ones too.

    3. Maybe your post can be better written to say, “Now that I’m not moving every year, I’d like some attractive lamps.” Sure, you can spend hundreds or thousands on a lamp because it’s got somebody’s name on it, but the QUALITY isn’t any different – they all use the same 50 cent made in China switch/wire. So do you like the look of the lamp? That’s your answer. Go to HomeGoods and see what strikes your fancy. Have fun!

        1. It’s a factual claim, and it’s true that it’s easy to overpay for lamps that aren’t anything special. Special lamps do also exist.

      2. Nope. Also wow not everything is crap quality.

        To answer the question, please let us know what look you’re going for, as the answer depends on that.

    4. I absolutely adore the few lamps I have from Simon Pearce. The non-mass-produced glass looks and feels expensive (hefty to pick up). They’re pricey but gorgeous!

      1. FYI they do a big outlet sale every year over Memorial Day so if you’re close to VT it might be a fun trip!

    5. It really depends on your style preferences. I personally like lamps that look like they were inherited from a kooky and well travelled great aunt but YMMV. Homegoods, IKEA and even target, depending on aesthetic, can all be good sources. If you’re ordering online, make sure to look at dimensions and see what that means in your space. I think 25-30 inches is good for a regular table lamp but see what that means in your space.

    6. I’ve found some lovely desk/reading lamps at local antique stores. If you have a good shop or two nearby you might find something unique and beautiful.

      1. Antique stores are the way if you like variety. A lot of what I see people buy are mid century modern style lamps which you can easily find in antique stores.

    8. Rejuvenation has nice fancy lighting, but I kind of agree with the others, Target or JC Penney have good options.

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