Vacation Time!

So, in just a few hours I will be taking off for my (hopefully) amazing vacation. I spent a lot of time researching what to bring and international travel tips, and I just wanted to share some of my packing tips with y’all.

Believe it or not, I COULD bring everything for a week long trip in a carry on suitcase and personal item purse. I don’t have to, because a checked bag is included, but I will show you pictures of my set up as well as what I’m bringing.

We will be traveling to Scotland and Ireland. The weather should be in the low 50s and there’s a chance of rain (as always). As such, layering was first and foremost on my mind. This post will be very picture heavy – just a warning!

So, the first thing I did was pack my personal item bag. When you’re traveling, you’re allowed a carry on and a “personal item” which needs to be small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. This is generally a backpack or purse with anything you will need during the actual flight. While I could have opted for more space in a backpack, I found this adorable purse at Target and decided I would make it work.

Things I’ve included in my personal item:

-slipper socks to wear on the plane
-headphones (over the ear are more comfortable for long trips)
-medications (inhaler, allergy meds, pain meds, pain patch for possible cramps…fun)
-a journal and pens/pencils
-a crochet project (duh!) to kill time on the trip
-snacks
-Tide-to-go pen
-lip balm
-chargers
-camera
-mini first-aid kit
-deodorant
-extra battery pack for phone
-extra t-shirt, underwear, and socks
-hair brush and hair ties
-wallet and passport

All of the essentials are going in this bag. While I am going to show how I fit all of my things into a carry on, for my actual trip I am checking my bag. Checked bags do go missing on occasion, so it’s always good to keep important things with you. Since our flight is overnight, I do plan to sleep. I brought slipper socks so that I could take off my shoes for better comfort. I also brought a travel pillow that snaps closed around the strap.

It’s also a good idea to keep anything valuable (my camera) on your person at all times. Things do get stolen from checked baggage.

Now, for the rest of my things…

I purchased a set of three storage cubes. These are available online and at many stores (mine are from T.J. Max). These allowed me to organize my clothes a little better since we will be staying at multiple places throughout our trip. It also allows you to fit more clothes.

In the smallest cube, I included my “going out” clothes. I packed two dresses and a cute top, as well as a pair of leggings and a necklace in this bag. If we decide to go to a nice dinner, or out for some nightlife, I will grab this bag. I am also bringing a pair of heels, but they didn’t fit in this.

Next, I have all of my shirts. I packed three camis, three short sleeved shirts, a long sleeved shirt, and a button down flannel. In this container, I also included some undies, socks, and a pair of brown leggings. I put all of the short sleeved shirts on top of one another and rolled them. I did the same with my tank tops. All of my clothes are rolled to save space.

On top of these items, I placed a folded pair of jeans. This will be my “go to” bag for most of my daily outfits.

Last was my largest cube. In here I placed three sweaters, a thicker shirt, my pajamas, sneakers, more socks and underwear, and my heels. I also included my umbrella. This will be my go-to bag for the cooler/rainy days.

Finally is my toiletries. I purchased a toiletry bag online that had many compartments inside. It also can hang opened, which will be nice when I get to our nightly stops. I fit everything pictured except for my hairbrush and lip balm. I could have squeezed them in, but decided I would rather have them in my purse anyways.

I included a variety of make up, razor, toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hairspray, dry shampoo, and face wipes. I also have more hair ties and bobby pins. I probably won’t need all of this (I’m not a daily make-up wearer), but as long as I have the space…

These storage cubes are designed to fit nicely into most common sizes of suitcases. The large cube fit on one side (with my boots on top) and the two smaller ones and toiletries case fit on the other side.

I did not weigh this suitcase, but would guess it was around 25 pounds when fully packed. Some airlines will limit your weight for carry ons, so check into this ahead of time.

This is my outfit that I am wearing on the plane. I tried to pick my clothing very strategically.

All of my clothes fit into two categories: “black” family and “brown” family. Almost everything I’m bringing falls into the latter. Because of this, I am easily able to mix and match all of my items to create multiple outfits. I am wearing brown boat shoes for the flight, and packing brown boots and denim-blue sneakers to go with these outfits, depending upon the type of terrain we will be encountering.

My “black” family clothes are those I will be wearing if we go out at all. This includes black leggings, a dress, a shirt, and heels. If I needed to cut down on weight, I would eliminate these items since I don’t really need them. Many of these clothes, however, can also be mixed and matched with my other clothing and will also go with my sneakers.

Creating a capsule wardrobe is a great way to pack light and still have plenty of outfit options when you are on a trip.

Anyways, it’s time for me to head off! What are your favorite travel tips? Leave a comment below!

Yarn Chicken aka Why You Shouldn’t Procrastinate

A friend of mine is getting married. Exciting!!! So we had her bridal shower a couple weeks ago. I, of course, procrastinated on getting a gift. I knew they didn’t need much for their house, and the registry was pretty picked over by family members. So I put the task off.

Then, inspiration struck – on the Thursday before the shower… I decided to make an afghan. I had this gorgeous yarn and we were expecting snow, so I figured I would have a day off from work on Friday to get it done. My prediction was correct and everything was going wonderfully. I spent most of the time working on it wishing I was going to get to keep it at the end because this yarn is so warm and cozy!!!

Then, disaster struck. On Saturday, with two hours to go until the shower, I ran out of yarn. I was SOOOO CLOSE!!!!! This is what we call yarn chicken. When you keep going, thinking that maybe there’s a chance you’ll have enough, until you realize there’s no way.

Alright, no problem. There’s a Michael’s about 15 minutes from my house, so I’ll have plenty of time to get it done. I get in my car and drive to Michael’s, making a bee line for the yarn. Well, this particular store apparently didn’t carry that colorway. Boo! On to the next Michael’s.

I start driving, and 1 mile from the other Michael’s I come to a screeching halt. There are firetrucks, ambulances, police cars, and lots and lots of traffic. Apparently someone crashed their car. I would feel bad for this person, except they were being arrested, so I’m thinking it was their own fault. Don’t drink and drive, people. It prevents other people like me from getting yarn in a timely manner.

I finally get to the store, get the yarn I need, and rush out of there. I get home with one hour to go and start furiously crocheting away in the middle of the living room floor.

This story has a happy ending, though. I finished with a half hour to spare and plenty of time to throw on a dress and wrap it up nicely with the other gifts I had purchased.

I’m happy to say that the recipient loved the blanket, so it was well worth all of the chaos to get it done in time.

For those interested, I used Loops and Threads in Stormy. It is a simple corner to corner blanket, using a size L crochet hook and it took me about 10 hours to complete (not including the frantic driving!) for a blanket measuring about 45″ by 60″.

So, what’s your craziest yarn story? How often do you play yarn chicken?