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Thanksgiving is coming up later this month, but there are a few things you can do now that you can check off your list. That way when it’s crunch time… You’ve already done it!
This is so important, especially when hosting larger gatherings. Below is a picture of our Thanksgiving table last year set for our guests (there were actually two more tables that didn’t even fit in this room!)
Clean your china
Do you have seasonal or formal dinnerware that you use for this occasion? What about glassware? If you are like me, they have been sitting in storage all year and it’s time to wash the dust off of them.
Clean and Iron the Linens
What linens are you going to use? A tablecloth? Placemats? Napkins? Are they clean? Did you iron them? This is a huge time saving step you can do right now!
Polish the Silver
If you have silver or silver-plated cutlery, they may require polishing. Take them out of the cabinet and decide if they need to be polished.
Decide Your Meal Plan
Have you decided what exact recipes you are going to make? If you make the same thing every year and use the same recipes, great! We always try a new dish or two to see what is a hit or not. Below, we made these Parker House Bread rolls and they were delicious! I strongly recommend making them!
Make what you can ahead of time – and freeze it
Now that you’ve meal planned, is there something you can make ahead and freeze? Like maybe your pie dough, perhaps? We sometimes make a pumpkin soup that calls for pureed kuri squash. We will bake the squash in advance and freeze it so when it comes time all we have to do is actually just make the soup. Below, the best apple pie ever. Get the recipe here!
Early Grocery Shopping
Are there things you can get at the grocery store now to prepare? For instance, we started using Trader Joe’s puff pastry dough because it is made with real butter. We had previously used Pepperidge Farms, however that is made with oil – which that is totally fine, once you try to the TJ’s dough, you will realize, oh, that is better. We tried to buy some – but they sold out! I confess, I already bought mine for this year! Below, our #1 appetizer, the apple gruyere onion tart bites. Apple Gruyere tart recipe is here.
We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.
Today I’m sharing some home tech gadgets that made my busy life better. Using these gadgets gives me more time to do things I love (like blogging) and spending more time with my family. Update: Forgot to mention, I was not paid to write about these products. I purchased them on my own and this is what I think of them.
A Robot Vacuum
How it made my life better – less time spent vacuuming because it does it for you!
I can’t sing enough praise about my Neato Botvac! We’ve had it now for 1.5 years and love it! Sure, it misses spots here and there, but it is really great to run during the week. I’ll hit the spots with my other vacuum that it misses (like right next to the baseboards), but using this vacuum significantly reduces the amount of time that I spend vacuuming! In fact, as I type, this is vacuuming my bedroom!
There are several different brands, but the two brands that seem to be the most prominent are Neato Botvac and Roomba. We bought the Neato Botvac D80 since it made the most sense for us. They work on both carpet and wood floor/tile. We have stairs and it doesn’t tumble down the stairs.
How it made my life better – Less time spent cleaning tile floors!
Wait, I see a theme. Vacuuming. Well this Hoover Hard Floor Vacuum can clean tile floors (and linoleum)! It is awesome! My Aunt first had one and sang praises – then we bought one and love it! We’ve even used it outside on our tiled patio (of course after we swept). Cleaning tile floors is a big huge pain otherwise and this vacuum makes it so simple! I’ve used it to clean my tiled shower as well!
Pet Net Smart Feeder
How it made my life better – well, it made my cat’s life better since she is healthy now, but it allows us to go on vacation and not worry about her getting fed!
This is an automatic feeder for cats and dogs. Our vet told us we had to put our cat on a diet and there was no way we could both be at work and feed the cat, so we found this smart feeder.
It allows you to portion out automatic feeds during the day! It also has dietary recommendations for your cat/dog based on their weight, age, breed, etc.
It also works through a phone app – so when you’re away or on vacation you can make sure your kitty/doggie is getting fed. We *love* our Smart Feeder and highly recommend it. It stores a bunch of kibbles in its tank and keeps them sealed – your pet will not be able to break into it.
Litter Robot
How it made my life better – Cleaning a cat litter box sucks and this makes it super simple and easy. On top of that, there is no smell of a litter box in the room!
This cat litter box automatically cleans itself. One your kitty goes the bathroom, it rotates and spins the poo/pee down into the container below it. The container is sealed off so there is no smell. The container holds a trash bag so when it’s full you literally just tie the bag and throw it away! The cat box is then *always* clean, which if you’re a cat person, you’ll know how much cats love clean litter boxes.
Yes, we are *those* cat people. Our cat is spoiled. Although honestly, the litter robot is more for us than the cat. It looks like a space ship and the cat was at first a little hesitant to use it. Once we put this little stool in front of it, she happily jumps in and out of the thing. We have the Litter Robot III. There is also one with an app. An aunt of mine has one and loves it too! Saves a lot of time fishing cat poo out of a box!
Peloton Bike
How it made my life better – I exercise so much more than I used to before this bike! Between my husband and I, we use it everyday. This was totally worth the money for our cardiovascular health!
I love using my Peloton bike at home! I wrote about here in my Bike Review – 100 rides later. The Peloton allows you to do a spin class – from the comfort of your own home. Now I don’t have to spend time going back and forth to spin class and I can do a class whenever I want. You can do classes “live” or on -demand. I just did one earlier today. Using this bike saves me so much time driving to the gym.
If you purchase a bike, you can use my referral code HMUX7R – this will give both you and me $100 off at the Peloton Boutique!
We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.
Do you have vintage or antique linen? Now, ask yourself, do I use my antique or vintage linen?
If the answer is “no”, my question is… why not??
Antique linen is extremely durable – it was meant to last a lifetime and to be handed down to the next generation.
In the dining room, I’ve just left it on the table for my own enjoyment. No parties here, just me, the husband and the cat. Oh dear, that reminds me of a story what I’m calling, The Great Accident. We’re off on a detour.
There is a problem with using tablecloths when you have an animal at home. See the table below? One morning my cat decided she was going to sit on the chair and bat at the tablecloth that was dangling down. I had taken this photo the day before the Great Accident. However, her claws got caught in the lace, she got spooked, and she took off… yes, the table was set.
I had taken off the goblets and plates, but my tulipiere remained. When she took off, the tablecloth went flying with her. And so did the tulipiere. My husband knew how much I loved this vase and dove across the room trying to save it – however the vase is in three pieces. So he couldn’t decide which one to catch, and all three went crashing down separately and broke. I was sleeping, and all of the banging woke me up.
I climbed out of bed and came out to see what the ruckus was. There were tulipiere shards everywhere, flowers and water scattered on the ground, a tablecloth with a few new holes, and in the middle of this mess was my husband laying on the ground bleeding from somewhere. The cat… nowhere to be found. My husband didn’t respond to me at first so I started panicking. Then the first thing he says “is the cat okay?” Uh, yes. She is busy pretending she didn’t do this. So, we cleaned up the mess. I did a little home laceration repair with old medical school supplies on my husband’s cut hand, but the vase… broken forever. And discontinued.
About a year later, we were able to find a new tulipiere at a local store, they had still had one in stock despite it being discontinued from Juliska… yes it was pricey, frankly that’s probably why they still had it in stock! But alas, I have my tulipiere and THIS time I don’t leave it on my linens unless we are in the room, otherwise up on the counter it goes! When not in use – in the cabinet, away from the cat!
Okay, back to talking about antique linens. Yes, I know I didn’t iron my tablecloths in these pictures – but I just set them up for me so I don’t care… for a party, fine, I’ll iron them for guests.
Laundry tips for napkins: Don’t do a heavy spin, it leaves creases in the napkins! If you happen to have a mangle, run through at the mangle. If not, iron – sometimes if you have a difficult wrinkle, I recommend getting your piece wet again and ironing it when it is wet!
If your textiles have holes that are unrepairable, repurpose them to make sachets or throw pillows. Also, if you gently tug on a piece and it comes apart in your hand, it has dry rot! It needs to be thrown out.
We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.
Today I’m sharing with you a rose birthday party for a vintage rose and tea blog hop and at the end of this post there is a giveaway for a $75 gift card!
What’s the celebration? My birthday! I had fun creating this birthday table and thought you could steal some ideas for your own parties. Roses freshly picked from the garden garnish the cake and decorate the table!
I used vintage plates with roses for each place setting. You can find them at local antique stores and malls, estate sales, or eBay.
Scalloped edged plates from Williams Sonoma sit below each vintage plate. The runner is actually just a piece of fabric.
Vintage French pink goblets are perfect for this rose themed party.
The David Austin roses are so romantic – my absolute favorite! I wrote about baking my cake here in this post – I had never baked a cake from scratch before!
When I was baking my cake I had enough to make a little mini cake. Isn’t it cute?
For those that don’t like cake, I have a few macarons too. Actually, no, I have macarons because I like them and it was my birthday! Ha! *affiliate link* If you like the scalloped plates, they have them with both a green rimmed and a blue rimmed version!
To get this look of your own… you can make your own cake or buy a plain white store made cake. Then pick some roses from your garden and simply place on top. Use small vases in the center of the table. I actually use a few small lipped plates to display some of the roses as they had very short stems, as pictured below.
The roses are from David Austin – I love the look of these roses as they are old world type roses.
What I love about my dining room is that you can dine with the doors open and hear the fountain going… that is, if you lock the indoor cat away so she doesn’t get out!
Well, the sun is setting and I’m ready to eat my cake! It was delicious, btw.
I’d appreciate it if you pinned a few pics!
And if you missed it, please check out my French Country Spring Home Tour! Lots of beautiful roses in that tour. Don’t miss out on our giveaway, at the bottom of this post! Also on Friday, we are hosting a link party where you can link up your posts!
Get the look (affiliate links)
I may earn a small commission if you purchase with these links
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Alright, thank you all for joining me for my birthday party! Next, head on over to Carol at Art and Sand to see her beautiful roses! Here’s the all-star line up, in case you have missed a post!
Now for the giveaway!!! A $75 Amazon Gift Card! Who doesn’t love a free gift card to the website that has everything (and free 2-day shipping for Prime members!). The giveaway begins on 5/22 at 7am and ends 5/27 at midnight. The winner will be announced Tuesday May 29. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, come back on May 26 and May 27 and link up YOUR Spring themed posts! Lots of exposure for your posts as it will be across 12 blogs!
We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.
Let’s have a talk about baking cakes, specifically this layered Momofuko birthday cake.
So, how did I come about baking this pretty and scrumptious cake? I was recently watching the Netflix show, Chef’s Table. They came out with a new season of just pastry chefs! I was so excited because I love baking (and not so much cooking!).
The first episode was about Christina Tosi who creaked the Milk Bar empire in NYC. In her show, she was making her famous birthday cake.
I have never baked a layered cake. Never from scratch nor from the box. I have always wanted to bake a layered cake but never had the correct supplies. I knew that if I was going to attempt to make a layered cake that this would be the one! Look at it – the perfect birthday cake! A Funfetti inspired, cream cheese frosted, naked layer cake!
Her cakes are naked cakes, which means they are not frosted on the outside. This is perfect for me – one, because I don’t love frosting (and frankly the reason why I never make cakes nor cupcakes) and two, you don’t have to fret over perfecting your frosting until its smooth on the outside because it doesn’t need it!
So I set out to bake this cake. I purchased her cookbook, Milk. Everywhere that I was reading the reviewers were talking about how “difficult” this cake is. I thought, okay, challenge accepted!
Yes, you need some supplies. Such as a quarter sheet pan. And a 6″ cake ring. And acetate strips. Well, I already had acetate. I need a quarter sheet pan for my little steam oven anyway. And so really all I needed was 6″ cake ring.
You also need several ingredients that are harder to find. You need glucose. I actually just substituted 2 tsp corn syrup instead since it is hard to find. You need grapeseed oil – I have seen it in several stores, so not that hard to find. You need citric acid (which can be found in the canning section of your grocery store). Instead of citric acid I used about 1/4 tsp of fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice. You need clear vanilla extract – which, by the way, is not vanilla extract but instead clear vanilla flavor! Yes, fake vanilla flavor (that seems to be the secret to creating your own funfetti cake!)
Okay, so you need a few specialty items. Well, fine. In reviews I was reading, people were complaining about needing specialty items. Well, do you want to make a cake that tastes really good or not?
Next, I was reading about how difficult it was because it has four parts to the recipe. The cake. The soak. The frosting. The cookie crumble. Well, break it up into parts!
To make it easier, I would recommend splitting it into two days – bake the cake and the cookie crumble on day 1. On day 2 make the frosting and the milk soak. Then you assemble your cake on day 2. Place it in the freezer overnight (or for up two weeks) as recommended. Then on day 3, take it out several hours before your event. Really, it’s not that difficult to make, especially if you spread it out over a few days.
I had a little left over cake so I made a mini 3″ cake too! Isn’t it adorable??
The cake itself is very moist. In between the layers is the cream cheese frosting and cookie crumble. The crumble adds an extra crunch with a hint of salt in this sweet cake. On top of the cake you put the cookie crumble, as pictured below.
I felt like it needed a little extra impact so picked some I put garden roses on the top. (also, note the differences in the pictures between an iPhone and a DSLR!). Doesn’t it look pretty? Well, it tastes as good as it looks!
My final thoughts – this cake was really tasty! I have never had an American-style cake as good as this one – and seriously, I don’t really like “normal cakes” and I don’t like frosting. This cream cheese frosting was the bomb. The cake was really moist. This is traditional funfetti taken to the next level. If you want to impress your party goers at your next birthday party, serve them this cake. If you can’t make it yourself, Milk does ship nationwide.
Get the cookbook and the recipe for yourself below. I’m so excited to try her other recipes too!
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PS – I wasn’t paid to make this cake or review the recipe/cookbook. I just enjoyed it and wanted to share it with you all!
We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.
Today I am going to give you a well-known trade secret on how to create a perfect room for your house!
Creating a moodboard for your room creates a better sense of how the finished room will look.
It is what designers have been doing for ages – and you can do it yourself too!
STEP 1-SCHEME AWAY
If you have no idea where to start, I suggest browsing Pinterest. Create a board on Pinterest for your room and just start pinning away to that board. I liked French bedrooms, so I started by searching for French bedrooms.
Today I’m looking at my master bedroom, so here is my bedroom board.
A quick glance at my board shows that I am drawing to spa blues and neutral colors. I also love French beds and coronas.
Another option is to look through your favorite home decor magazines and rip out pictures of your favorite rooms and put them in a folder. Then go back through and decide on the elements you like the best and emulate it!
Make a list of furniture, lighting, and rugs that you already have and are going to use in that room. I suggest taking pictures of all of these pieces and printing them out.
Now you can sort of the pieces you already have, the pieces you need, and the pieces you need to get rid of (good bye matchy matchy bedset that you bought when you were newlyweds but 5-10-20-30 years later you don’t like it anymore – get rid of it!)
STEP 3 – MAKE A BOARD
There are several ways to make a mood board. Olioboard is an easy online service that’s free where you can design your own mood boards.
All you do is start searching for your product in the categories and then add it in. If you don’t find what you are looking for, you can upload pictures under the “my items” tab.
You can do the same thing with other programs too – I personally prefer Photoshop but Olioboard is free and easier to use than photoshop.
Although I confess I like the old-fashioned way and use poster boards, scissors, and tape.
Below is my actual mood-board. It doesn’t look as pretty as the virtual mood board, but it is easier for me to actual design all of the rooms this way.
I prefer to look at the textures and colors in person – fabrics look different in person and you can really appreciate the textures in real life. Having mood boards in person as opposed to online helps tremendously!
Then, with the pictures I took of all of my furniture, I am able to move the pieces around on the various boards!
This method is easier when designing multiple rooms in the house because you can easily move items around onto the different boards.
You can mix and match your fabrics, floors, etc with mood boards.
Mood boards are a fantastic way to organize your thoughts, save you time, and even save you money.
Shop some of my favorites for the bedroom (contains affiliate links)…
We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.
I have been wanting to make a macaron tower for a little while, so I set out to create one. It was surprisingly easy!
I was delighted when I saw my finished product – how pretty!
I thought this pretty pink tower was perfect for a Valentine’s Day post.
Finding a cone to as a base for this was not super easy.
I first went to a specialty cake supply store – but they did not have any. I thought, great, I will just have to make it so they stack up on top of each other without a base. *rolls eyes* like I am skilled enough to do that. Nope I am not.
Then my Mom had the idea to get one of the floral foam cones – so off to Michael’s we went.
And we found one! Or two actually. I bought two sizes but decided to use the smaller one in this post.
Materials Needed
Foam floral cone
parchment paper
toothpicks
macarons
First, pictured below is the foam floral cone that I used.
I wrapped parchment paper around the cone because the foam flakes off. If you do not intend to eat the macarons off the tower, then you do not need to wrap the cone in parchment paper.
Here, I cut the paper and taped it to the cone. The paper didn’t hold very well with tape, so eventually I just put a few toothpicks in it to hold it in place.
Next, cut your toothpicks in half.
Then poke one hole into the cone where you want your macaron. It needs to stick out about halfway – you need enough toothpick sticking out so that it can fully support the macaron otherwise it will fall off.
Then, gently stick the macaron onto the toothpick. *gently*. It does not take much pressure to place it onto the toothpick!
Then, row by row, work your way up until you reach the top!
This tower was approximately 4 inches wide at the base by 9 inches tall.
It took approximately 50 filled cookies to fill this size of cone in the pictures. I estimate, depending in the size of your cookie, it could take 50 +/- 2 cookies.
I used several different sizes of cookies – the largest ones are on the bottom and the smallest ones are at the top. You don’t have to do that… it just had to do with my inconsistent piping and it worked out well in the end!
You could also using frosting to attach the cookies to the foam if you do not have toothpicks. Or you could do both.
I would recommend making this the day of and just before any party you bring it to!
This is *perfect* for bridal showers, tea parties, birthday parties, or fun celebrations! It is a pretty centerpiece! I would love it if you pinned this image.
How to Make a Macaron Tower – a DIY tutorial for French Macaron Towers!
Also, if you are not up to making your ownmacarons, you could just get some store bought ones – for instance, the ones from Trader Joe’s in the freezer aisle would be perfect! It would take several boxes but you could do it!
We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.
I’ve written before about my love for the Baies candle made by Diptyque. But I do not love the price! It’s such a special smelling candle that I don’t want to burn it… but then at the same time, it smells so good I *need* to burn it!
The copycat I found is approximately half the price of Diptyque! This candle will make your home smell like a little slice of France!
By the way, “Baies” is pronounced like “Bay”.
The “Baies” candle by Diptyque is made with Bulgarian roses and black currant leaves. It is $60 for 6.5 ounces with an estimated burn time of 60 hours. There is a smaller candle (the one I have, pictured below) that goes for $32 for 2.4 ounces. The smaller candle estimated burn time is $30 hours.
There are actually TWO copycat candles!
The first copycat candle is the Henri Bendel “Black Currant” candle – however it seems like they no longer make it.
If the above links don’t work, here is a widget that should have some links that work
Tor splurge and get the original Diptyque Baies here. If you don’t like candles, I’ve just discovered Baies comes in a room spray that I just purchased and I love it! Get the room spray here! I actually use the room spray in my bedroom and closet.
Here are some hints about keeping your candle in tip-top burning shape! After all, even the copycat candle is not super cheap!
First Time Burning the Candle
Allow it to burn for 2 hours, until the whole top is liquid with wax. This helps it burn evenly in future burns.
Trimming the Wick
Before lighting your candle, trim the wick to 1/4 inch length. This helps it burn more slowly and avoids the ugly smoke marks on your candle.
Burning the Candle
Do not burn your candle for more than 3-4 hours at a time. I heard from the Diptyque salesman that the little candles are only supposed to be burned 1 hour at a time!
Realigning the Wick
After blowing out the candle, realign and straight the wick to the center, if it moved!
We use affiliate links in our posts and our site. This means if you make a purchase using these links, we may earn a small commission. You don’t pay a cent more than you would otherwise! Our full disclosure is available under About.
I travel frequently and I thought I would share my guide about what to pack in your carry-on luggage bag.
I find that keeping these items in your carry-on makes you flight much more pleasant! This guide works for both domestic and international trips.
What to pack for vacation in your carry-on luggage bag
Nº 1 // Noise canceling headphones – I *highly* recommend noise canceling headphones, especially for your 12 hour flights. I have them both. I like the earbuds because they are less bulky (and the case is smaller too) and don’t mess up my hair. The over-the-ear noise canceling headphones work better than the earbuds, have nicer sound quality and are nicer for longer flights. Either way, it is up to you and your preference!
Nº 2 // Hair brush – 12 hours is a long time for your hair to look bad, especially in the dry environment . You are guaranteed to get sleepyhead after trying to snooze sitting straight up.
Nº 3 // Camera – you need to put your camera in your carry-on so it does not get lost or stolen in your checked bag. I have a GoPro camera and I cannot sing enough praise about it for a travel camera especially if you like to hike/do adventurous things. It is waterproof, you can take it surfing, snorkeling, swimming, hiking, biking.
Nº 4 // Hand cream – It’s really dry in the airplane. You will be wanting hand cream.
Nº 5 // Lip Balm – Your lips will get dry on the airplane.
Nº 6 // a Pen – You will need to fill out some customs papers at some point. Bring a pen!
Nº 7 // Granola bar – This is nice to have because you never know when you’ll need some sustenance. I am loving the Kind bars right now.
Nº 8 // Water bottle – I usually just buy one in the airport, that way if I’m desperate for space on the way home I can toss it. However, you can also bring your own!
Nº 9 // iPad – The iPad has everything I need… books, movies, music, and a notepad to jot down thoughts. I read my travel books on this on the way to the location I’m headed to.
Nº 10 // Keys – Don’t forget your house and car keys! Get this bluetooth key finder keychain if you tend to lose your keys like me!
Nº 11 //Make up bag – Trust me, you’ll want to do some touching on before landing so keep your make up organized in a chic make up bag.
Nº 12 // Hand sanitizer – Airplanes are full of germs. You’ll feel better after using this, even if you washed your hands in the loo.
Nº 13 // Charging Essentials For your Electronics! – I recommend a portable power battery pack so that way your phone or smart device won’t die on long plane! Also, when you get to your hotel room you will probably only have about two plugs and so many things to charge. We use this USB multi port charger – it has two USB ports that charge faster, and is foldable and compact for travel and has UK and EU adapters as well! It is the best.
Nº 14 //Ear plugs – You will wish you had these when the screaming baby or chatty neighbor sits behind you on your twelve hour flight!
Nº 15 //Mint gum – Gum helps your ears pop in ascent/descent and gives you some fresh breath!
Nº 16 //Munchies – You will need something to munch on, as I’m sure you’ll either get hungry or bored. I like to bring dried fruit or popcorn as they fill the munchie need but don’t fill you with tons of extra calories.
Nº 17 //Blanket scarf – The temperature of the airplane varies too much. A blanket scarf is nice for those temperature fluctuations.
Nº 18 // Evian water spray – This Evian water spray is so nice and refreshing during a long flight!!
Nº 19 // Passport and wallet – If there’s one thing you *must* bring on international travel it is your passport. If you’re traveling overseas, you will want an anti RFID theft one because apparently over there in crowded spaces/subways/buses they will use little scanners and steal your credit card information from your chip credit card.
Nº 20 //Travel size perfume – You’ll want to reapply your perfume just before you get off of your flight.
Nº 21 //Travel bag – You need a bag big enough to fit all of this stuff in that fits under the seat in front of you! My FAVORITE bag is this expandable longchamp bag – I have both sizes this larger one and this smaller one. However I LOVE this non-expandable version too and actually will use it as my purse on travel!
Nº 22 //Eye mask – You will want this for when the person next to you leaves their reading light on the whole flight. I like this silk one or my favorite one here. Nº 23 // Toothbrush and toothpaste – So, 10 hours into your international flight, it is now suddenly morning time where you land and you realized you haven’t brushed your teeth in approx 24 hours. You’ll be glad you brought this!
Nº 24 //Slipper socks – I always take off my shoes while sitting in my chair on international travel and put slipper socks on over my regular socks. It keeps my toes warm… just make sure you put on your shoes before you start walking around the plane. You could take these foldable ballet flats which are super comfy and then you can wear them on your trip. They are so nice because they fold up perfectly into your carry on!
Nº 25 // Carry-on Suitcase – I personally travel an older version of this Tumi International Bag. My Father used to travel all of the time (seriously, 500k miles!) and the Tumi bag has survived! I seriously cannot sing enough praise about Tumi bags. They are expensive but worth the money. If you are mainly a domestic traveler, then this Tumi Domestic Carry On bag is GREAT as well ( have that one too!). The Rimowa Bags are extremely popular as well, but I don’t use them so I can’t give a review. Don’t know the difference between International and Domestic Bags? The international bags are slightly smaller and fit within the regulations of the European airlines!
Nº 26 // Jet Lag Mask – Since I’ve created this list, a brand new beauty mask came out this year and I cannot sing enough praises about it! It’s called the Jet Lag Mask and it is seriously FANTASTIC. Like if you had to buy one beauty thing to travel with it is this mask! It makes your dehydrated sorry looking airplane skin look amazing! It seriously did wonders to my face. The great part is you don’t have to rinse it off – you just wipe off the excess after 10 minutes.
Nº 27 // A Travel Pillow – On a really long flight it is nice to have an extra pillow besides the one they give you. There is this one that has 3000 reviews on Amazon, this one that is more like a scarf/wrap/pillow. My most recent trip I got these blocks that blow up – they seemed stupid at first but I LOVED them so much I am never going on an international flight again without them.
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I travel to Paris and London frequently and I am sharing with you a guide about what to wear to these cities.
I usually go to Paris and London in the Spring or Fall, but I have been there in the Summer too.
With that in mind, I have shared some of my favorite pieces that you can layer easily.
I always fit all of my clothes onto a carry-on bag. I’ve heard horror stories of lost checked bags on international trips – especially stories of this happening in Paris because France frequently goes on strike!
Imagine going to the most fashionable city without clothes! The horror!
Tops and Tees
Nº 1 //A Breton Striped Tee– You have to wear a striped tee in France!
Nº 2 //A white and grey t-shirt – A white tee and grey tee go with everything.
Nº 3 // A Nice Blouse – You need a blouse that you can wear to a nice restaurant.
Nº 4 // Chambray Shirt – I like this shirt because it goes with everything and is fashionable.
Nº 5 // Sleeveless Shirt – It is nice to pack a sleeveless shirt or tank top because that way you are prepared for unexpected (or expected!) warm weather! Sometimes the museum can become very hot too.
Outerwear and Dresses
Nº 6 // A Black Blazer – This is essential as you can dress this blazer up or down.
Nº 7 // Long Sweater Cardigan – A long sweater cardigan is great for layering and on the airplane and for cooler days.
Nº 8 // A Little Black Dress – A LBD is a wardrobe staple and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.
Nº 9 // The Trench Coat – You need a trench coat that will keep you dry in Europe! It frequently rains there for all seasons, except the middle of Summer.
Jeans and Pants
Nº 10 // Jeans – The Europeans love skinny jeans.
Nº 11 // Black Skinny Jeans– You can’t go wrong with a pair of black skinny jeans. They are nice because you can dress then up or down as well.
Shoes
Nº 12 // Ballerina Flat – The ballerina flat is a must-wear in Paris.
Nº 13 // Black Booties – Black booties and boots never go out of style, especially in Europe!
Nº 14 // Mules and Loafers- If you are going to London or Paris in the warmer months, I suggest wearing some slip on mules or loafers instead of bringing booties.
Nº 15 //Retro Cool Sneaker – I have been wearing these Converse Chuck Taylors to Europe for years and every time I go, Europeans ask me where I got my shoes. *smirk, they think I’m cool*
Accessories
Nº 16 // A Scarf – You must bring one scarf with you for the plane and then buy all other scarves in Paris.
Nº 17 // A Cross bodybag – A small cross body shoulder bag is perfect for your slim camera, passport, wallet, travel umbrella, and lip gloss. Honestly though, buy a bag in Paris when you’re there.
Nº 18 // a Necklace– Accessorize your outfit with a necklace. I recommend a simple necklace as the big bold necklaces are not fashionable there. The scarf instead is worn as a statement necklace.
Nº 19 // Travel Umbrella – Who knows when it’s going to rain.
Nº 20 // A watch – I find that when I go to Europe I wear a watch compared to when I am back in the US. I usually use my cell phone in the USA, but as I frequently don’t carry my phone there, I actually wear a watch to tell the time.
Nº 21 // Sunglasses – I always wear a pair of chic sunglasses to Europe. You will find yourself walking around outside a lot (8-10 miles per day!) and you will find some sunglasses very helpful!
Shop my picks here:
If you are headed overseas, be sure to check out my guide to what to pack in your carry-on bag for the airplane flight!SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
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on Amazon!
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