What Should Be in your Checked-In Bag?

via This is Glamorous

I am a list maker. I love making lists and checking stuff off the list. I found this great list on This is Glamorous blog. It is pretty comprehensive and general. I loved the colors, and I loved the pictures, and I basically loved everything about it. Print it. DO IT.

1.     Extra underwear. I can’t stress this enough. As with medicine, better be safe than sorry.

2.     Tampons. O M G. I learned the hard way that tampons in America are superior in so many ways to the tampons found anywhere else. If you use tampons, please pack up. I had a very bad experience in Germany where the tampons lacked applicators. I seriously can’t begin to comprehend how these women do it.

3.     Flip flops. Who knows who/what has been in that shower? I especially refer to the hostels. I’ve stayed at some very shady places and, I no longer want to share bathrooms after that. I’ll pay the extra money if I have to.

4.     Medications. You’ll thank me later. Traveler’s diarrhea is real people, the flu is real, and when you ‘re in a foreign country and you don’t know how to explain to the pharmacist what you have, you will be glad you have these at hand. Anti-histaminics, Pepto-Bismol, aspirin, anything else you think you might need you WILL need.

5.     Chargers. And their adapters. While we’re on the subject of electronics, extra SD cards where super helpful considering that when I went to Norway, I took 8,000 pictures. Yes, I did.

6.     Nail stuff. Files, clippers. You don’t know how much you need them until you don’t have them.

7.     Extra plastic bags. For dirty clothes, for dirty shoes, for shampoos, creams and lotions that may spill during the flight.

8.     Small bag for weekend trips.

I wanted to make the list until 10 items, but I think you get the picture.  About packing your clothes, I suggest rolling them. Also, if there is no iron available, I found it best to hang your clothes (that you will wear the next day) the night before and it reduces the wrinkles. They will not be completely gone, mind you, but at least it's better than right out of the bag. 

Speaking of which, I really should start packing up...

What Should be in Your Carry-On?

via Google

I guess that is entirely up to you, but I will tell you about what I put in my carry-on.

I used to put a lot. Now, because I’m getting older (maybe not wiser) and my back starts to hurt and I simply don’t want to carry that many things around, I try to keep it simple. That also depends on how long my flight is. Since I will be doing a big long haul trip soon, I will concentrate on that one.

1.      iPod. I can’t stress enough my need for one. It’s not only for entertainment, but to shut people out or shut that baby that is crying on top of his little lungs three rows back. (I should mention that I also believe that airplanes should have a family section like trains do).

2.     A good book. I wouldn’t recommend starting a new one during the trip because what if it gets boring? I would go for one that I have already started reading and that way I know I will want to read it for the rest of the flight.

3.     A Magazine. As much as I love Sky Mall, it gets kinda boring. And, maybe I get tired of my book and require something with a little less neuron usage. Magazines are the answer to that. I do love pretty pictures and inspiration.

4.     Travel Wallet. I find myself looking all over the place for my boarding tickets, passports and a pen for when I have to fill out the Customs papers. This will prevent that. Everything organized in one space. Just make sure it’s in a front pocket.

5.     Toiletries. Ugh. Last time I went to Europe I had a 20 hr flight. That was hellish but I was so excited to get there, I didn’t mind so much. But, I would have been better off if I had brought a small toothbrush, a deodorant, etc. Maybe some wipes. If you’re into that.

6.     A change of clothes. I have heard people recommend this just in case your luggage gets lost. I am not so sure about this. Maybe it’s me, but my luggage has never been lost. Freshness, on the other hand, has. Maybe extra underwear, maybe an extra shirt. Who knows who/what you might find?

7.     Those U shaped pillows. Long flights, sleepy eyes, and awkward people next to you… ‘nuff said. Maybe that blindfold thingy comes in handy too.

8.     List of contacts of where you will be staying. YOU WILL NEED THIS. Write it on a separate piece of paper. Don’t rely on your phone.

9.     Some makeup. Concealer, blush, chapstick, at least.

10 Medications. Allergies, blood pressure, etc. Better be safe than sorry.

Suggestions for the flight? Hydration. Also, walk around the airplane or do some stretching exercises. You want to avoid embolism.

Box Pouch Thingy - DIY

I love box pouches. Maybe because they remind me of my dad when we went traveling. He used it to keep all the medicines at hand. Now I want one for my trip to store my toiletries. I like it because it's big enough to store my normal size shampoo (I can't deal with the travel size shampoos because my hair reaches my waist and I have lots of it). 

I wanted to attempt sewing one on my own after finding this über cute tutorial. It was beautiful and perfect and much too small for what I wanted. As always, I want my things to be custom made to my specifications, but I can never find exactly what I want!

Well, after the failed attempt to sew my own box pouch, or rather me giving up on my dreams, my mom bought me this one at the same time she bought me the monster jewelry roll from hell. I was expecting a bit more... color (patterns, anything!) but instead I got a really masculine looking one (as you can see)! In fact, the men's section is exactly where it came from.

So, what is a girl to do when she has this fugly box pouch? Bedazzle it! lol.

I had the original idea of making a fabric rosette or two... or three. Also, I thought that I would maybe paint some design in acrylic paint. But as I was getting the fabric for my brush, I came across this huge button. Eureka!

When I came back home I looked through my button stash and got two more, because asymmetry looks better.

So here it is, inspiration to make your own:
1. Get a manly box pouch (or steal from your boyfriend).
2. Go to your button stash and find buttons (pick odd numbers, they look better than even numbers).
3. Sew the buttons.
4. Voilá!

I rather like how it turned out. It looks super cute. I did, however, have to use glue with the huge button because it was too heavy and turned to its side. I used a bit of UHU and it was exactly what it needed. Yay for my new box pouch! 

Have fun! 

Jewelry Roll Hell

So, I decided against tackling the jewelry roll on my own, and decided to just go ahead and buy one. What happened? I told my mom to get me one since she was at the store already. What did I end up with? That HUGE jewelry roll on the right, which fits probably all the jewelry I own.

This was a problem. This jewelry roll was not only not a roll, but something you hang, but it was also three feet tall. WHERE in the WORLD would I fit that? And why would my mom think I would need that much storage for my trip. I am an overpacker, yes, but this does not mean I take EVERYTHING. ESPECIALLY when I will be staying God knows where and I am not about to leave valuables lying around. Everything I take with me is plastic or not worth much. 

Then, as I went to exchange the monstrosity, I found its replacement (the one on the left). It is not exactly like I wanted it, nor does it resemble in any way to the one I wanted to make for myself, but it'll do, pig, it'll do. It was cheaper than anything I'd find on Etsy and frankly, easier than frustrating over my own work. Also, quicker. Just in case I didn't have time to do all I wanted. Plus, the fabric is super cute and it's got space for my flat iron. Bonus points for me. 

I'll let you know how it turns out when I actually get the chance to use it... But, since the store didn't let me do the exchange, it seems I am forever stuck with the monster of a jewelry roll.

Jewelry Roll Attempt or Trying to Make Traveling Easy

So, after going to the ModCloth website to suffer at their large prizes and small sizes, I came across a jewelry roll (pictured above). Given the fact that I am going to travel soon, this provided an opportunity for me to be more organized with what I love the most: jewelry. 

As I have mentioned before, I am an overpacker and I'm not ashamed of it. :) Thus, I usually bring a lot of jewelry with me in my trips and ergo, I have always had the need for somewhere to put it. I usually stuffed things in little boxes and hoped for the best. It all resulted in a tangled mess, lost earrings and sad tears. But, no more! 

This is also the item that fueled my interest in sewing. I have always wanted to sew, but now I had a bit more motivation. Little did I know, how little I knew. I then decided to look for a tutorial and since the internet is the source of all knowledge nowadays, I found several. I have yet to attempt my luck at such a feat. 

I also looked at the designs and patterns of all the tutorials I came across and none of them had what I wanted/needed. I also looked in Etsy.com and I also found a lot of them, but none of them were what I needed nor in my price range. I refuse to pay $40 on this! But, I needed a space to put my necklaces in a way that they wouldn't tangle, a place to put my rings, my charms, my bracelets and my earrings - all in separate compartments. So, I designed my own (as you can see below). 

What now? I am asking myself this very question. Now, I look for fabric. I will give it a shot. But if I find something similar, already made and cheap, I may give into temptation and just go ahead and buy it. 

Travel made easy: Part I

Traveling. It's a love-hate relationship. When I was little, I used to love to travel, mainly because going on in an airplane was such an adventure, and mainly because TSA wasn't such a pain in the neck back in the day. Nowadays, I hate the part where they charge me extra for my luggage, extra for extra baggage, extra for extra weight and not only do I have to take of my shoes, belt and whatever else, they have a camera that takes a picture of me naked... like Superman.

Lately, I've been watching the series Pan Am, and there is something so glamorous about it. Not only the pearls they are wearing, the fabulous uniforms, the roses on the serving trays, but it seems like the essence of traveling like that is completely lost and replaced by some angry, bitter stewardess who hates her job. Anyways, that's another story.

I have done my fair share of traveling in the past and I will yet again forego another flight. But this time, I was determined to make my flight much smoother. So, how did I go about it?

First, I thought about the first part of going to an airport: the baggage check in and the TSA nightmare. What could make my life easier? A travel wallet. I saw it in a blog not so long ago, and I fell in love with the idea of it, and it created the necessity of one. I searched high and low (and by low I mean low prices given my status as a poor med student). And nowhere could I find the combination that I wanted: a lot of pockets for everything I needed AND the cuteness factor. It had to be cute if I was going to carry it around and have it say something about me. I did't want to spend more than $20 on it originally, but I found this, caved in and finally bought it:

You can find the wallet HERE

I found this amazing crafter in Etsy.com, and I contacted her because I had seen a listing for a similar wallet (in another color) and I wanted one, bad. No matter what it cost, I wanted it. Ok, maybe it did matter what it cost, because I hate how shipping and handling ruins the perfect price. Anyways, I contacted her, asked her about the purple color (because it's my favorite), and she was quick to answer, quick to sew and quick to send. It was an overall great experience and I am currently waiting for it to get here, like a kid waiting on Christmas. 

So, what I like about this wallet is that it has pocket space galore. It has a space for foreign currency, a space for the passport, boarding pass, receipts, cards, map, coins, and a pen slot. I am completely in love. It has everything I needed in a travel wallet, and it saved me the time and figuring out how to do one on my own (which reminds me that I had thought about going right ahead and test my non-existent sewing skills on this project and even went as far as designing my own! I may post my sketches later if anybody is interested). Next time I tackle baggage claim on my own, I will be prepared with this. 

There are a lot of other options on travel wallets, believe me, I looked everywhere. But there is a certain allure to this because it's handmade. It's one of a kind, it represents you and it is super practical. I'm in love!