July 04, 2019

Must Haves for a Beach Getaway

July 04, 2019/ Colleen Marie

This 4th of July my husband and I are traveling to Cape Cod to stay with friends and will see my best friend perform in a musical that’s running at the Cape Playhouse. It’s our first time adventuring to the Cape, though I’ve frequented Martha’s Vineyard and loved it there. I’m looking forward to exploring and enjoying some beach time with friends as we celebrate in red, white, and blue !

Outfit Details

Dress / Sandals / Oh Hey Vacay (old) similar here

I’ve simplified my packing and just bringing some basics since we’ll be spending most of our time lounging around at the beach. I’m bringing mostly swimsuits, sandals, casual outfits and using my go to travel cubes for packing. I like how they keep your clothes all separate and organized with little wrinkling. I love this Lilly Pullitzer version but there’s larger and more budget friendly ones on Amazon that work great! I recently put together a packing guide blog post for when we travel so you can read more about how I pack and what I use to organize everything here. I’m also bringing my favorite roll up sun hat that is my go to for keeping the sun off my face and this travel beach blanket. We’ve had one for years and it’s lasted so long. If you’re in the market for any beach essentials these have been on the top of my list this season.

Wishing everyone a relaxing and fun 4th of July!

June 28, 2019

Travel Essentials for Organized and Easy Packing

June 28, 2019/ Colleen Marie

Knowing what and where I packed my things from shoes, to tops, and bottoms is essential to keeping organized once I unpack at my destination. One of my biggest passions is traveling and I’ve loved the opportunities I’ve had to do so, whether it’s for work or personal trips. I used to get so overwhelmed with packing, procrastinate, and then end up over packing or forgetting the essentials I need.

When I used to nanny I was always impressed with how organized the mama was with keeping all of the children’s items organized in their suitcases by color coded zip storage pouches. This also made things easier for me when packing up! Though those days have ended I still swear by the zip around pouches and have used them for years to keep my garments sorted, making everything easy to find. They’ve become more popular now and usually come in a pack and in various sizes.

After some trial and error with what to bring or leave behind I feel like I finally have a handle on my packing lists and if you’re traveling this summer I hope these tips can help you too! There’s nothing worse then arriving to your vacation spot and realizing you forgot something you need, then as you dig to locate it everything gets all mixed up into what looks like a dirty laundry pile! Sounds like a night mare right? So I started to make little investments over time for various items that I keep stored away in my suitcase for when I’m ready to pack up.

Something new I’m trying is this purse organizer because I always use a larger tote when traveling and it keeps me from having to dig to the bottom of my bag for lost lip glosses ! I love the use of see through pouches for my electronics/charging cords, headphones, mints, and pens. I’ve also used a similar one for my makeup that I don’t check with luggage. This option from amazon is great and keeps everything safe whether in a suitcase or carry on. I keep a smaller pouch with me for in flight items (tissues, hand sanitizer, mints, sleep mask, lotion, chapstick, eye drops)

Luggage

I have honestly gone through so much luggage in the travels I’ve had and many time the airlines don’t always handle your prized pieces as carefully as you make hope for. I do think investing in a feather weight suitcase is a great idea because why have extra weight before you even begin packing?! My favorite brand is always Delsy Luggage bu I do love the Calpak version and my tried and true Diane von Furstenberg that’s sadly discontinued! I love my hardshell suitcases lately because they’ve really held up and don’t snag. I’ve been fortunate to just have some scrapes happen or wheels needing replacing, but fortunately most are covered under a manufacturer’s warranty. Always check for that shelling out cash on sometime pricey!

Don’t forget about luggage tags for your carry on and checked bags. I love the leather or silicon ones because they last much longer.

Carry On

Whenever possible I try to get my carry on items into a larger tote. I love how this one can be personalized too with so many prints & monogrammed. When traveling I pack and organize my totes particular to what I’ll need with me. Things like my ipad, headphones, charging cords, makeup, snacks, or books. I use this bag for an overhead carry on, it’s great quality and doubles as a beach bag and gym bag. I have used it over and over and the bottom of the bag is finished well so I couldn’t recommend more at this price point!

Be sure to check out the widget below to see some of the pouches and other items I pack into my carry on to stay organized.

Travel Outfit

As much as I like to look put together and feel my best when I look my best I do tend to lean toward comfort and ease when traveling. My ankles usually swell on flights so I try to avoid tight clothing. I always end up cold on airplanes or want to sleep so I often bring a shawl or scarf that could double as a cover up or beach blanket for warmer trips, or scarves for cooler trips. This is of the easiest way to pack smart and functional.

What are your travel essentials for your bucket list destinations? I’d love to hear what you use or anything I should try for my next escape in my comments section!

March 04, 2019

Designer-Like Jewelry for Less & Organization

March 04, 2019/ Colleen Marie

Like most woman, I too enjoy having a few nice pieces of jewelry in my armoire collection that are significant to me in a personal way. Whether it be for anniversaries, a personal celebration, or graduation I love collecting or investing in some higher end pieces that will last over time. It’s always the meaning of the jewelry that brings me back to whom gave it to me and why, that’s the most important.

I also know some days I love having a stack of bracelets that I don’t mind wearing out to work, errands, orm tossing in my bag while at the gym and not having to worry about what happens if they were to get lost or misplaced. I’m guilty of taking off my jewelry and putting it in a secret hiding spot for safe keeping to only realize, I forgot where I placed it. Anyone else do this? This is a habit I’ve inherited from my mom, but with some new ways of organizing my jewelry I’ve gotten better at staying organized and making sure everything has it’s place. Another important part of my jewelry is making sure I can see it! Sure, sometimes I use jewelry bags to keep certain pieces from tarnishing, but overall I like to see what it is I have when styling something together. I’m always in a rush, so having my pieces in a way I can view them is important to me. For this reason I put my costume casual jewelry in acrylic cosmetic drawers like these.

For this post I thought I’d share some of the affordable jewelry & accessories I’ve found from Amazon and The Styled Collection that are at generous price points and are a dupe for a more expensive version. Some I’ve had for a year and they do wear well as long as you take good care of them and don’t get them wet with water or soap. If you like the David Yurman style a lot of them have that braided wire look or a cuff design. I’m someone who likes to mix my nicer pieces with budget friendly finds and have no shame in that. If it looks great paired together, it works for me!

At the end of this post be sure to click through the widget for some great organization tools for storing and displaying jewelry. Whether it’s on your bed side table, a closet shelf, or in an armoire you need a way to keep those necklaces laying flat for travel. I’ve tried a ton of traveling jewelry cases over the years and go back to some of my original ones time after time that work well. I also love the acrylic drawers that are easy to see everything. I use these for jewelry and cosmetics storage. Find a system that works for you and stick with it! Is there a method you use that would recommend? Please share it with me!