Saturday, March 30, 2013

Zippity Do Da!




Spunky, colorful, organized.  That describes this  Coach Legacy Colorblock Zippy Wallet.  It's just big enough for my credit cards and ID, bills, a lip gloss and my cell phone.  The graphic colorblock pattern makes it fun.  I chose the silver/light sand/watermelon color combo for this spring, but there are several other options, all just as fun and colorful.  I loved this in Egypt - I could carry it on my wrist thru airport security checks or for a dinner out, but during the day it slipped into my Longchamp tote for shopping in the market and exploring the ancient ruins.  And in my day-to-day life, it works like a charm.  A nice wallet in my handbag, or easy to grab for quick runs to the tennis center or a nice dinner.  There are two outside pockets, one zippered, one open (handy for a boarding pass, or a drycleaning receipt), and inside there are six credit card size slots and three full length pockets (nice for separating US and foreign currency, or checks and cash).  Available at Macy's and Coach.com

Friday, March 22, 2013

Packing List - Take Two


Hello everyone!  I had so many nice comments from my series on packing that I thought it would be fun to do another one based on our most recent trip.  What you see above is everything, minus bras, panties, sunglasses and toiletries, that I packed for our recent one week whirlwind trip to Egypt.  It all fit easily into a hard size carry-on suitcase and my Longchamp tote.  Below are the items by category with a few details.


The Stars of the Show:



When I start my packing list, I start with shoes.  Always.  They have to be versatile and comfortable.  You've seen all of these before.  My trusty Merrells, a pair of comfortable  Dansko walking sandals, and old Gap flip-flops with a bit of bling for evenings, pool, and icky hotel room carpet.  Note: Shown in the picture on the very top of the page, but not below, two pairs of my favorite Smart Wool socks.  


Basic Bottoms:


A pair of straight leg jeans - ended up only wearing them to travel there and back.  It was hot in Egypt, a bit hot for jeans especially during the day, and I could easily get by with my other options.  A pair of sand colored pants from Athleta - spot cleaned once in the hotel sink and easily dried overnight.  A pair of Target black leggings - comfortable, especially on the overnight train.  A longer length, light weight silky skirt from Eileen Fisher.  It was a little more that I wanted to spend, but it was perfect, and therefore, worth it.


Tops - Color and Comfort:





Top photo shows the three long sleeve blouses - a lightweight denim shirt, a longer coral teacup print top from Gap, and a thin white long sleeve top from Nordstrom.  I actually wore the denim shirt the least, thought I would throw it on over a T-shirt in the evening, but most evenings weren't that cool.  The tea cup top is a bit longer and also served as my swim suit cover-up.  Finally, the white blouse was perfect for walking around the pyramids - great sun and wind protection.  It also dressed up with the skirt and jewelry for a nicer dinner.

The middle photo shows my Tees, an aqua shadow stripe from Banana Republic, a basic white scoop neck, a dragon fly print from Old Navy, and a blue Mossimo (Target) Tee with a dove - just doing what I can to promote peace in the Middle East!

The bottom picture are my two odd ball tops - a short purple T-shirt dress, another Mossimo from Target find,  and a basic white tank for layering (my favorite Target tanks!).  Across the top are my two scarves.  The blue/purple scarf was a last minute Target find.  I walked by it and realized it matched all the colors of the clothes I was taking so I snatched it up.  The pink scarf is actually a fluorescent coral on cream from Forever 21 in a geometric print, but that doesn't show up well in pictures.  The scarves were essential.  They were a sarong over my swim suit for beach time bocce ball, a bedouin-stype head wrap to keep the sand out of my hair and mouth while 4-wheeling in the dessert, a drape over the back of the train headrests, a head scarf while visiting the mosques, and of course, a colorful fashion accessory.

Oops, no separate picture of the aqua top laying on the khaki pants in the top "team" picture.  It's a C9 by Champion quarter zip top from Target - wore it there and back on the plane.  I love the aqua color and it looked real cute with the multi-color scarf.


Finishing Touches:




The top picture is my sleep/lounge wear.  Knowing I would be traveling with a bunch of guys, my husband, two sons, and a friend of my son, I needed my sleep/lounge wear to be double duty - comfortable to sleep in, modest enough to run to the bathroom in a shared suite.  I chose a Nike blue basic T-shirt and a pair of gray Merona leggings.  Great combination.

And finally, a few pieces of jewelry - shorter silver Target necklace for a nice dinner, a longer gold charm necklace with a tiger charm and aqua, coral and white beads - good match for all my tops - from Forever 21, a pair of "Egyptian style" dangling gold earrings, also from Forever 21, silver dangles (Target) and a pair of crystal studs (Claire's).  Nice, but not expensive in case something got lost or stolen.  


And to close, a few Action Shots of the my workhorse wardrobe:




Khaki pants, Coral tea-cup print blouse, coral & cream scarf, Ray-Bans, Merrells - getting ready for some desert 4-wheelin'


Black leggings, short purple dress, multi-color scarf, Dansko sandals - with my husband at the Nile


Khaki pants, white tank, white blouse, coral scarf, Ray-Bans, Merrells - with my younger son at the Pyramids

Friday, March 15, 2013

My Best Boots




I just love my Blondo Liberata black suede boots! I wear them all the time! I know the style is to tuck your skinny jeans into high boots, but as much as I've tried to like it on me, I don't. I prefer the long, unbroken look of leaving my jeans untucked while still having the style of a boot and weather proofness of a boot. My boots are made of waterproof black suede and have a 2 1/2 inch rubber wedge heel. A belt wraps the ankle and a texturized fabric panel just under the buckle. An inside zipper makes for easy on and off. I've tested the waterpoofness of the suede a few times and they still look like new. I ordered mine from Zappos, and saw that Nordstroms carries a similar style by Blondo called Corino.



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Best Tasting "Vitamins"


I'm not sure these would be classified as a health food, although a serving does contain 100mg of flavanol antioxidants and that's a good thing, right?  But they are good, very good.  Little pieces of rich dark chocolate full of real fruit juice pieces.   From Brookside, they come in  Dark Chocolate Goji with Raspberry, (mmm!) Dark Chocolate Acai with Blueberry, and Dark Chocolate Pomegranate (can't wait to try this one!).  I found them at Target, and the manager at CVS told me they would be carrying them very soon, she even showed me the spot on the shelf where I can find them.  Delicious on their own, or mix a few with some roasted almonds, dried cherries and peanuts for a delicious trail mix.