Up In the Air

We leave for Italy today and I have been obsessing over planning and packing. Planning came easily, but with packing I had to employ some strategy as I'm only packing a carry on, yes, only a carry on for my 8 day trip. I'll be damned if I give the airlines any more of my money. You're also punishing yourself if you don't pack light because think of all the walking and stair climbing you may have to do from airport to train to hotel etc. For this time around I'm lucky that it's summer though, so nothing extremely bulky, except for a long dress for the wedding, will be packed in my bag.

Some tips-

1. Lay out all of your outfits that you want to bring and then take away 1/4 of the clothes - chances are you won't wear most of them
2. Take a look at your scheduled list of events and the weather to plan each outfit accordingly
3. Roll up as many pieces of clothing - this also helps against wrinkles
4. Wear your heaviest pieces of clothing on the plane - I'll be wearing my converse, which take up the most space
5. Evenly lay out any long pieces of clothing like jeans or maxi dresses on the bottom of your suitcase
6. Stuff any large pieces of jewelery, socks, undergarments in purses or clutches - this will also help retain the shape of the bags
7. Pack each pair of shoes in their own individual plastic bag so that you can stuff them in open crevices in the suitcase

So with this I fit....2 maxis, 3 dresses, 2 skirts, 4 pairs of shorts, 8 shirts, 3 undershirts, dopt kit, 4 pairs of sandals, 1 pair of heeled sandals, all undergarments, bathing suits, straightener, brushes.

I didn't even have to use the extender on my suitcase, which will leave some space for souvenirs. Did I hear someone say Celine luggage tote?

CIAO!

Self

Some recent photos Sean took of me on his SLR, which I should really learn how to use....

.......but it's much easier to just let him do all the work while I have all the fun. And go right back to my amateur point and shoot skills. These are all unedited too, so Sean the photographer would probably prefer to stay anonymous =) Oopsie. 

At Home

We've been making a few little home updates here and there in the apartment with the help of Voluspa, Colonial Antique Mall, an antique mall in the north west suburb Woodstock, and trusty ol' West Elm. It's all in the details and doesn't have to cost a lot to make a big impact!

On sale still here