Packing Tips and Strategies

Labor Day weekend is finally here, which means the end of summer and end of wearing white jeans and shorts.  Aside from this being the last weekend to wear white, Labor Day weekend also means traveling for many. While travel is full of fun new adventures, it also means that there will inevitably be some degree of packing involved to prep for the upcoming trip.  For those of you who know me well and/or have ever traveled with me, you are fully aware that packing has never been a strength of mine.  What I really mean is that I have the world's worst case of "Over-Packers Disease."  If it isn't glued down to the floor, chances are that it is in my suitcase.  Options upon options, excessive amounts of accessories and I have been know to receive an overweight bag fee on occasion (not good!).  

The Struggle is Real- Images of our suitcase situation from our honeymoon and then my most recent overweight bag fee from my napa trip.   Don't worry, my husband didn't pay for that baggage fee--- my mess, my problem.  

In an effort to finally conquer this most unfortunate disorder, I have taken to Pinterest to try and understand the best ways to pack both strategically and minimally, so that I can once and for all be free from constantly carting around luggage that feels more like a body bag.   The packing tips I am sharing today may seem so simple, but they often go overlooked and really can make a huge difference in the overall size and weight of your luggage.  Below are the results from my search:

Check the Weather

Really simple step to do that I have not attempted to consider when packing until now.  Before your trip, check the weather forecast of your destination for the days that you plan to be there.  If you don't see a chance of rain, then you can save yourself the extra luggage space and leave your raincoat at home!  In addition, should your destination require sweaters, it is always helpful to know what type of sweaters you'll need to bring (ex. thick wool or thin cotton).  Being empowered with the right information can really help you to pair down on appropriate outerwear essentials.  

Consider Amenities at Your Destination

Whether you are going to stay at someone's house or a hotel, it is always a good idea to check on the amenities available at your destination.  The most obvious example of this is the hair dryer.  Talk about a big and bulky piece of equipment!  Most hotels come with hair dryers in the room and same goes for the majority of homes.  It is an easy item to exclude from your packing that will free up a sizable amount of space.   Other items to consider- toothpaste, soap, shampoo, shower cap, slippers.  

Use Travel Size

I don't know why, but for the longest time I had always thought that you could only travel with 3oz of Liquid TOTAL on an airplane.  So of course, my attitude was "what's the point in trying to size down the toiletry bottles?"  I will never be able to fit everything I need into 3 ounces, so might as well save the energy and just pack the whole thing.  

Recently I was informed (finally!) that it's actually 3oz per container and no limit on the number of containers.  Now THAT makes quite a difference (hello Callie!  Glad you are finally joining the party!).  Using travel size bottles decreases the overall weight of your bag, increases the amount of space available and lets be honest, who needs a full size bottle of anything for just a weekend!?!  Here is a link to a great set of travel containers.  In addition, most brands carry travel size quantities at stores like Target, CVS and even at your grocery store.  

3 Pairs of Shoes (MAX)

In the past, I have been guilty of traveling with a shoe suitcase…yes, a whole suitcase just for my shoes!  Did I wear every pair?  Absolutely not.  At best, I maybe got around to wearing 3-4 pairs.  In all honesty, you really only need a maximum of three pairs of shoes.  Since I like to work out, sneakers are a must.  For the other two pairs I would suggest a pair of casual every day shoes and a pair of dress shoes.  The trick is to keep the casual and dress shoe choices neutral so that they can go with a variety of outfits.  If possible, I would also recommend traveling in your bulkiest pair of shoes in order to save additional space in your suitcase. 

Plastic Bags Prevent Wrinkling

My mom taught me this tip-- you can protect your clothes from wrinkling by placing plastic garment bags (ex. the free ones from the dry cleaner) over your article of clothing prior to folding and packing it.  I am not sure of the science behind why this works, but I can tell you from experience that it most certainly does work and has been a lifesaver for me.  Who wants to have to iron their clothes when they are on vacation!?!

Lay It All Out

Before you start packing your clothes into your suitcase, I highly recommend laying all of the items you intend to pack out on your bed.  This will give you a complete look at what you are deeming necessary for a trip.  I recently tried this approach and boy, did it help.  Instead of packing my usual 10 t-shirts for a weekend, I could see first hand that it was way too many and cut the number down to three.  In addition, to laying your clothes out prior to packing, I strongly encourage you to consider the drawer folding technique I discussed in this post, when you go to load your clothing into your suitcase.   This folding method will help you to maximize space and provide you with a view of your entire travel wardrobe.

While I am certainly not anywhere near considering myself to be a master packer, I would say that these tips and strategies have helped me to improve my packing tremendously.  Take time to be thoughtful about what you are packing.  The worst thing you can do is to pack in a hurry.  Packing with haste will only lead to either overpacking or forgetting important items like socks or even make-up.  If you have any additional questions on packing or have any suggestions on how I can improve my own packing, I would love to hear from you!  Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend everyone!

Selecting the Right Throw Pillows

My initial vision for my living room back in our first apartment, involved a color palette of navy blue, white, gray, beige, gold and orange…yes ORANGE.  I was attempting to be daring by using pops of orange for my bit of fun color.  While it did seem to work OK in my first living room, the orange did not translate to my new living room at all (note…orange is an extremely difficult color to decorate with).  

Realizing that orange wasn't going to work, I knew that I needed to replace the throw pillows.  This was news that my husband was less than thrilled about because if you have ever purchased throw pillows from a store other than Target or Home Goods equivalent, you know that they are quite the investment.  Regardless, it had to be done, so I immediately got to work researching fabrics and perusing both stores and catalogues for pillow inspiration.  Below is a breakdown of how I went about selecting the various throw pillows for my new living room.  While picking pillows for a space is certainly challenging, tackling the project in the following order made much easier.    

Main Attraction

While perusing an interior design store in North Carolina last summer, I came across a fabric that I was OBSESSED with.  It was the Schumacher Chiang Mai in Aquamarine, gorgeous, bold, great colors and very expensive.  I had to pass on purchasing the pillows from that store, but never forgot that fabric.  It wasn't until April that I started getting into Etsy (if you haven't checked out this site, it's a must!).  I searched for Schumacher Chaing Mai throw pillows and voila!  There were a number of vendors who made the throw pillows I had been wanting, for a fraction of the price I had been quoted in retail stores.  Sold and sold!  

**Just as a side note, most Etsy pillows are made to order, meaning you cannot return them, so I would suggest purchasing a swatch of the fabric first or taking time to think it over because pillows are an investment and you want to make sure you are buying something that you absolutely LOVE. 

Solid Color Accent Pillows

Originally I had purchased a pair of navy blue studded velvet pillows from West Elm to frame my orange patterned throw pillows on the couch in my old apartment.  While they were fine at the time, the size was always a little off and with the purchase of the Schumacher Chiang Mai pillows, it became obvious that they were just too small.  Fortunately I was able to successfully re-home these pillows in our master bedroom and finally give our bed a chic, updated and finished look.

For the new living room solid color framing pillows, I knew that I wanted to tie in the texture of our new living room chairs (vintage velvet).  At the same time I wanted to avoid going with the chair color (mocha), because it would have created a sea of brown in our living room (way too matchy matchy for me).  I purchased a variety of color swatches from Restoration Hardware to see which color would look best and to my surprise it ended up being the Slate Blue (aka- a fancy name for Teal).  The Restoration Hardware Slate Blue Vintage Velvet pillows tie in beautifully with the teal in the Schumacher pattern and the texture of the chairs.  

**Tip- When purchasing pillow inserts for square throw pillows, buy inserts that are a size larger than the pillow cover to achieve a fuller/more voluptuous aesthetic.  

Lumbar Accent Pillows

My discovery of Etsy for designer fabric throw pillows didn't stop with my Schumachers. To complete the living room pillow collection, I needed to find a pair of lumbar pillows for my accent chairs.   I wanted to find a fun print, but more monotone since my main attraction pillows were so bold and multicolored.  I ended up finding the most perfect fabric option, Kelly Wearstler Bengal Bazaar Ikat Print pillows in both Indigo and Teal, from one of my favorite Etsy Vendors, Little Design Co.  Betsy Little is the owner of this shop and I absolutely adore her and her taste!  Her style is fun, fresh and very chic, and the craftsmanship in her pillows is top-notch (all qualities important qualities when looking for a great pillow vendor).

 Naturally, even with samples of both the indigo and teal, I couldn't decide on which color to use in my living room.  I ended up getting a pair of both the teal and the indigo because I realized that both colors would work well in either the living room and/or the bedroom (and fortunately both rooms were in need of lumbar pillows).  Once the pillows arrived, I engaged in an exhaustive game of musical pillows and finally landed on having the teal lumbar pillows in the living room and the indigo pillows in the bedroom. 

I am over-the-moon ecstatic with the way both spaces have come together and even happier to finally be done with my throw pillow search…well at least for the time being!  

End of Summer Pesto

Since today is the last day of August (the unofficial last day of summer), I wanted to share a great DIY idea for closing out the summer months…make your own pesto!  There are so many individuals who enjoy taking advantage of summer to grow fabulous herb gardens.  Come the end of Summer, many are often left with large hauls of herbs and other produce that need to be used to prevent any waste.  Pesto is a great solution for using up all of your excess summer produce because it's not only easy to make and super delicious, but it also can be made using an array of ingredients (kale, mint, basil, any type of nut, etc..). Making pesto is really all about adhering (roughly not exactly) to the ratio formula and from there, you can go wild with the endless possibilities.  Today I am sharing my take on classic pesto.  This recipe can be used right away, stored in a freezer and even makes for a fabulous gift.  

Ingredients

• 2c. Tightly Packed Fresh Basil Leaves (if you run out of basil, spinach leaves are a great substitute)
• 1/2c. Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2-4 Cloves Fresh Garlic
• 1/2c. Olive Oil (+up to 1/4c. more if consistency is too thick)
• 1/4c. Toasted Pine Nuts
• 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest (*I prefer to use a meyer lemon, but any lemon is fine)
• Juice of 1/2 of a Lemon
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Instructions

1. In a food processor (or blender), add fresh garlic and pulse a few times until minced.
2. Add Basil leaves and pulse until chopped
3. Add Olive oil, cheese, pine nuts, lemon zest and juice, pulse until well combined
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Divide into three 4oz-mason jars and refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve and/or gift

**If gifting pesto, I recommend adding a cute gift tag and ribbon for a personalized/finished look.  

While I am still dreaming of the day when I can make pesto grown from basil in my backyard, the bulk basil from the grocery store works just fine.  In addition, it gave me the opportunity to use up a bunch of ingredients I already had in my fridge.  I really couldn't think of a better way to close out the summer season than with such a delicious and very versatile recipe.  And now, on to Fall! 

August Kitchen Tools

This month's tools are three of my kitchen prep essentials.  Prior to getting married, and having hardly any disposable income straight out of Grad School, I relied heavily on the two kitchen knives I owned at the time to take care of all of my food prep work.  While the knives were perfectly fine and helped me to get the work done, it was always an extremely laborious process and would often take me significantly longer than the prescribed amount of time to accomplish each prep task.  With that said, there was still a silver lining to this situation.  Having such a limited number of resources showed me what tools would make my cooking process much easier and what tasks were totally fine to accomplish with just a regular kitchen knife, so when I was finally at a point where I could afford to invest in nicer kitchen tools, I knew exactly what I needed.  As you might expect, these three prep essentials were part of my list.  So without further adieu here are my picks for this month's kitchen tools feature. 

Cuisinart Elite Die-Cast Mini Prep, 4 Cup

I knew I would like this kitchen tool, but I had no idea that I would absolutely LOVE it and use it as often as I do.  The Cuisinart Elite Die-Cast Mini Prep is perfect for any small volume prep tasks like chopping herbs, making a salad dressing (like my latest favorite from Martha Stewart) or even whipping up a delicious dip (like this one from Ina Garten).  Of course I absolutely adore my 16 Cup Food Processor, but it is quite cumbersome to lug out of storage when I am only going to pulse something a few times.  Not to mention the cleaning involved with all of those different pieces on my big food processor takes forever.  This Cuisinart Mini Prep, take up very little space in my kitchen cabinet and all of the pieces are dishwasher safe (top rack only).  Definitely a favorite of mine and something that I would recommend for any cook regardless of skill level.  

Williams-Sonoma's Vegetable Chop & Measure, Mini

One of the cooking prep tasks that I used to despise the most was mincing garlic.  Garlic is sticky, messy and just a down right pain in the rear to chop.  There came a point where I had finally reached my limit and was about to take the plunge with purchasing a garlic press when I came across the William's Sonoma Vegetable Chop & Measure Mini.  This tool in my opinion is better than a traditional garlic press because it slices, dices, measures and is dishwasher safe!  This sounds funny to say, but garlic mincing has become a total pleasure ever since I bought this tool.  Simply place the garlic, shallots or other small vegetable on the grates in the chopper, press down and voila!  Instantly minced produce that has been uniformly cut and can easily be measured in the clear compartment fitted below.  A definite essential in my kitchen. 

Kyocera Knife

I have shared a few of my favorite knives in previous posts and I am sure that one would probably assume that if you've seen one knife then you've seen them all.  Well that couldn't be further from the truth.  Recently I had the opportunity to try out the Kyocera Ceramic 4.5" Blade Utility Knife on some of my delicious heirloom tomatoes (obsessed with summer produce!) and the knife's ability was definitely impressive to say the least.  The Kyocera knife glided through my tomatoes seamlessly and with incredible precision.  I was able to achieve paper thin slices with minimal effort on my part.  In addition to the knife's clean cutting, it is also dishwasher safe and comes with lifetime free sharpening courtesy of Kyocera.  That's right, Kyocera will sharpen your knives throughout the entire lifespan of the knife for FREE.  Love love love!!  The Kyocera knife is definitely a must have for any kitchen knife set.  

Bathroom Shelfie Updating

On Saturday I decided to reward myself post-workout with a trip to Home Goods (love that store!).  While perusing the aisles I came across a fabulous selection of ginger jars.  As you may have noticed from previous posts, my Instagram account and my Pinterest "Chinoiserie Chic" board, I have a bit of an affinity for ginger jars. Naturally I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add yet another lovely ginger jar to my collection (especially when this one was only $14.99!).  

When I got home, I knew that the best place for the new ginger jar would be on my bathroom etagere from Pottery Barn.  I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but typically when I change one thing in a space, it cascades into having to modify the surrounding area as well.  Luckily I didn't have to revise the entire look of my shelf and I am absolutely loving the updated look of my bathroom "shelfies!"  For today's post, I wanted to walk you through my design/re-design process for creating a space that is both functional and decorative in your bathroom.  

Function

When it came to decorating/re-decorating my bathroom shelves, my ultimate goal was to strike a balance between pretty and practical.  As you may have read in my previous post (here), I have found this etagere to be a perfect place to store all of my extra towels.   At the bottom I have rolled my three large bath towels.  Since my towels are the bulkiest items on this etagere, I have placed them on the bottom tier so that they wouldn't overpower/distract from the other shelves.  I then filled my smaller hyacinth basket with the remaining extra towels (hand towels and wash cloths), and placed the basket in between the two decorative shelves to help break up the space.  

In addition to using this space to store extra towels, I also felt that another practical use would be to store/display an array of bathroom friendly fragrances (this is the bathroom after all!).  The most practical shelf for my LAFCO Marine Candle, Water Works Diffuser and book of matches was the top, since there is both ample airspace and easy access.  

Decor

In addition to creating a functional space, I also wanted my etagere to be aesthetically pleasing.   With the addition of my new ginger jar, I decided to keep the remainder of the third shelf fairly simple.  I opted for a pair of decorative nautilus shells (similar here), which tied in beautifully to the framed artwork on the wall.  In addition, I added a small pewter trophy cup I had on hand (similar here) to break up the pair of shells and on occasion, also be used to hold fresh flowers.  

Along with the assortment of fragrance offerings on the top shelf, I chose to include two of my Two's Company Canton Tea Jars, opposite the diffuser and catty-cornered.  The jars created a cohesive look with my new larger ginger jar and the silver tops blended in beautifully with the sea of polished chrome throughout my bathroom.  To finish off the look on my top shelf, I accented the candle and matches with a beautiful oval dish.  The addition of this dish also helped to corral the matches and candle, since they are meant to be paired together.    

I absolutely love the way my bathroom shelfie revamp turned out.  The shelf is functional, aesthetically pleasing and finally has that pop of color it had been lacking.  As you will see from my sourcing of the various items on these shelves, I have incorporated a mix of both high-end and affordable pieces.  My goal with decorating is always to create unique spaces that don't look like they came straight out of a catalogue.  Even though this space is decorated with a collection of pieces from a variety of places, I have kept the within the same color family so the decor looks unique but also like it's all meant to go together.  If you have any questions about designing your own bathroom shelfie or any other aspect related to the home, please don't hesitate to send me an email at redefiningdomestics@gmail.com.