Pack Rat: Unpacked

My packing skills have gotten better and better over the years, but I can't seem to find the sweet spot.  I always end up with a couple things more than I need.  My most recent trip was to visit my mom and sister in Portland.  For a five-day trip I brought:

• Two sweater dresses
• My Boston terrier sweater
• A turtleneck
• A cowl-neck sweater
• One pair of skinny jeans
• One pair of leggings
• Two pairs of tights
• One pair of boots
• Two pairs of yoga pants (for sleep/exercise)
• Two athletic tops (for sleep/exercise)
• One pair of tennis shoes
• A rain coat
• A wool coat
• A scarf (that I forgot on my first plane)

Wow, that looks like so much once I wrote it all out, but it all fit in a small, carry-on roller bag.  I wore a sweater dress, turtle neck, and jeans on the flight out, and I wore a dress, cowl-neck sweater, and leggings on the way home.  The other days I mixed it up.  I wore the boots the whole time.  Since I had washer/dryer access, I didn't have to worry about packing enough for the whole trip.  

This is what I wore on the plane.

And these are the gorgeous Frye boots I
got for a song right before the trip!

 Where did I go wrong?  I didn't wear any of the tights.  I would have been more comfortable with an extra pair of leggings instead of the jeans.  I could have used a sweatshirt for cozy relaxation.  

Where did I go right?  Layering.  I am not a fan of the cold, but the turtle neck and cowl neck sweater are slim fitting enough to wear under the dresses or Boston terrier sweater.  Wearing a sweater dress over leggings or jeans is cozy.  It was cold and drizzly, but I wasn't too bothered.  

How do you optimize your packing?  How do you identify the things to leave behind?  

The Other Way

Just as the voyage to Portland benefits from the time zone change, the trip home suffers from it.  We left Oregon at 12:45 am, and arrived home at 12:45 pm the next day.  On the positive side, we got to enjoy the entire day in Portland before heading to the airport.  On the negative side, I was deliriously tired by the time we got home.

 

Sweater, thrifted; dress (worn as shirt), thrifted; jeans, thrifted; necklace, earrings, and bracelet, handmade by me.

 

Thanks to Stephen's frequent flying, we got upgraded to first class on the first leg of the trip.  I felt like I shouldn't go to sleep lest I miss some exciting first class thing.  I had first class wine and first class Sun Chips.  Very classy.

 

We barely escaped our layover in Minneapolis.  Many flights after ours were canceled due to heavy snow.  That was the first time I've seen snow like that in a couple of years.  Seeing it reminded me that I don't miss it a bit.

 

Even though I love travel, I was glad to be back home.  There's no place like home.

A Doughnut-Fueled Shopping Extravaganza!

I wish I could spend more days shopping with my sister.  I wish I could spend more days with Kate in general, but our day of shopping in Portland was (to use a grossly-overused word) epic.  We didn't buy that much, but we ate, talked, and laughed a lot.

Nom nom nom.

It's important to start your day with a fortifying breakfast, in this case VooDoo Doughnuts.  Have you ever watched Food Network?  If you have, you've probably heard of VooDoo Doughnuts.

 

Jacket, thrifted; dress (worn as top), Walmart; scarf, purchased in India; jeans, thrifted; shoes, Payless Shoes; earrings, handmade by me.

 

I think the dress I wore as a top in these photos is done in my closet.  Sure, it looks fine under a jacket and scarf, but it is baggy on my top half and lumpy-looking on my bottom half.  Maybe it would be improved by cutting it in half and keeping only the top.  Maybe not.  It's in the wash now, then it will head for either the alterations pile or the Goodwill pile.

We stopped at Nordstrom Rack, or, as I will forever think of it, heaven.  I have never seen so many size 11 clearance shoes in one place.  Usually it's slim pickings for a sasquatch.  I found a pair of Nine West Sandals for just $9.90.  Score!

Those are ALL size 11.

Comfortable, leather, clearance!

Kate wore a Bettie Page dress for our excursion, and she planned a stop at the new Bettie Page store in Portland.  I walked through the Bettie Page store in Las Vegas, but our trip to the Portland store turned into an impromptu fashion show.  Two of Kate's friends joined us, and every one of us found fierce dresses.

Sisters.

Kate very generously gifted me with a Bettie Page dress, and I will wear/review it in the next few days.  If you are in the Portland area or any of the cities with a Bettie Page store, I highly recommend a visit.  Bettie Page clothes are cut to make a woman feel like a bombshell.  Their sizes go up to approximately 16-18.  The friendly, funny staff made the experience even more fun.

I'll definitely stop by the store again next time I'm in Portland to add another dress to my closet.

* This is not a sponsored post.  I just had a great time at the Bettie Page store.  

Red-y for Travel

The trip to Portland always seems to be deceptively short because the three hour time change works in our favor.  We left home at 7:30 am, and we were in Portland by noon.  Kate and I spent the afternoon at JoAnn Fabrics, and I bought yarn to make a shrug sweater for her.

Serious Kate.

Smiley Kate.

I pulled Kate into my photos too.  Why?  Because I'm a mean sister.

 

Dress, thrifted; tights, Target; scarf, purchased in India; earrings and bracelet, handmade by me; shoes, Younkers.

Knit dresses are my go-to option for travel.  They are comfortable, don't wrinkle, and are easy for going through security.

Pack Rat: Return to Portlandia

Stephen and I got to take a quick trip to Portland over the weekend.  The stars aligned with a low fare and an expiring travel voucher.

Packing for this trip was a little trickier because of the Closet Excavation Challenge.  I had one more red dress and then on to orange.  The red dress was perfect for the trip there.  Jersey knits are my favorite for travel.

I was only packing for a few days, so between the clothes I wore on the plane and what I wore there, I only filled 1/2 a carry-on bag.

• One red dress
• Two orange dresses
• One pair of jeans
• One sweater
• One suede jacket
• One wool jacket
• Two scarves
• One pair of shoes
• Jewelry

This trip threw me off for some reason.  I am a compulsive planner, and the fact that it was a last-minute adventure made it difficult for me to feel prepared.  I am used to having weeks if not months to get ready for a trip.  It should have been easier to pack for just a couple days, but instead I felt flustered.

Never Too Cool for Yule

I can hardly believe this is my first Christmas-inspired outfit of the year.  This skirt is another find from my trip to Vintage by the Pound with Gracey from Fashion for Giants.  It appears to be handmade.

 

Sweater, thrifted; skirt, thrifted; boots, Rack Room Shoes; necklace, Charming Charlie; earrings, Younkers.

For once I intentionally posed with Gadget.
He was already sitting on the bench.

 



I like how the long skirt elongates my silhouette.  I don't wear long skirts or dresses often, but when I do I always feel pretty and feminine.  The length of the skirt is also nice because I didn't feel like dealing with tights today.  I added the large tribal-ish necklace to add a little edge to the sweetness of the sweater and skirt, and finished the outfit with small, dark pearl earrings to balance the heft of the necklace.

Check back later on today for more ideas for quick crafted gifts!

One Piece Pattern Mixing

Today's outfit combines my two favorite finds from my shopping expedition to Vintage by the Pound with Gracey from Fashion for Giants: a fitted denim jacket and a wild paisley dress.  I love them for completely different reasons.  The jacket is classic, fits perfectly, and can be paired with almost anything.  The dress does its own pattern mixing and the white paisley sections remind me of animal print.  Of course I paired the dress with animal print.

 
Denim jacket, thrifted; paisley dress, thrifted; belt, Walmart; tights, Walmart; boots, Rack Room Shoes; earrings, SilverJewelryClub.com.

I can't even put into words how much I like this dress.  Thank you, Gracey, for letting it come home with me instead of snatching it up for yourself like I would have done if I were you.

 

I kept my accessories subtle to avoid competing with the dress.  Anything competing with this dress is bound to lose.  I chose small garnet stud earrings and skipped wearing a necklace.

This wonderful dress probably isn't for everyone, but it is perfect for me. I feel like it's working overtime by mixing three paisley patterns before I even added the belt.  Paisley pattern mixing is a win in my book!

Momentous Meeting

I put way too much thought into what I wore on my second day in Portland... Especially since this was the result of all that thought.

Dress, thrifted; belt, Walmart; tights, Target; boots, Rack Room Shoes; necklace, ebay; earrings, Claire's.

I got this ear cuff with chain at Claire's with my
mom and Kate, and I wore it all weekend.

 

On Saturday I had the great honor and privilege of meeting and shopping with Gracey from Fashion for Giants.  Stephen called it my "blind date" though that isn't entirely accurate because I see photos of Gracey nearly every day.  

Gracey took me to Vintage by the Pound, and she was a wonderfully bad influence on me.  I would love to import Gracey to Georgia, and I will definitely meet up with her again next time I'm in Portland (if she'll let me).  I plan on wearing some of my finds next week.

Gracey was even lovelier and funnier in person than she is on her blog (and she is very lovely and funny on her blog).  She told me I am taller than I look in my photos (I'm 5'7"), and she wasn't quite as tall as I imagined.  Unfortunately I didn't think to take a photo of our momentous meeting, but, to give you an idea, here is an artist's conception of what it was like.

Disclaimer: I may not be this tall in real life.
Details may or may not reflect the actual event.
All Photoshopping has been done poorly.
All images are used without permission.

The rest of the trip was a bit of a blur.  There are no Sunday outfit photos because there was no Sunday outfit.  I was feeling a bit under the weather already and I never got out of my pajamas.  Late Sunday night we discovered our return flight had been canceled and we had to leave at 4 am instead of midday in order to get home, so I didn't get Monday photos either.

All in all I had a wonderful time in Oregon.  I can't wait to visit again soon.  Until next time, Portlandia!

A Leopard Among Birds

This is what I wore for my first full day in Oregon.  It was a low-key day, and I think we were all just happy to be spending time together.  My sister, brother-in-law, mom, and I did some shopping and then headed back to the apartment for taco salad for dinner.

 

Dress, thrifted; belt, gifted (thanks Mom!); tights, Target; boots, Rack Room Shoes; earrings, Claire's and SilverJewelryClub.com.

This is one of my favorite dresses because it is comfortable, versatile, and packs very well.  I added my red trench coat and a leopard scarf to keep me warm outdoors.  The boots added warmth and comfort for hours of walking around.

I didn't see much animal print in Oregon.  It might have just been the people I saw those few days, but I think the Portland area might be leopard deficient.

Pack Rat: Put a Bird on It

Sorry, citizens of Portland, but when I think of Portland I think of the Portlandia sketch "Put a Bird On It."


I know.  I'm sorry.  All the people I know in the real world who are in and from Portland are pretty terrific, but my mind is a little poisoned by television.  Who would have thought that could happen.

Because of my mind poisoning, I've developed a little theme for my visit to Portland.  I'm putting a bird on it, and by "it" I mean me.  I am bringing bird jewelry and accessories to accent my Portland wardrobe.  Make sure to check back to spot them all.

• Bird jewelry and accessories
• Three dresses: two leopard print, two shirt dresses (It's a riddle.)
• One pair of boots
• One pair of flats
• Skinny jeans
• Four sweaters
• A turtleneck
• Tights
• eShakti trench coat
• A scarf

I ended up tossing my idea of leopard and polka dots.  Too much work.  I kept the leopard and lost the dots.  Once again I feel like I'm over packed, but I am planning on layering layering layering against the cold in Portland.

This is what I'm wearing for the trip there (along with my first birds).

 

This wasn't what I was planning on wearing on the plane, but I found this sweater on clearance at Target yesterday and it look so much like Gadget.  It even has a pouty face like Gadget.  I threw the sweater over one of my two shirt dresses for the trip, added some boots, birds, and tights, and I am ready to go.

 

Sweater, Target; shirt dress, thrifted; tights, Target; boots, Rack Room Shoes; earrings, purchased on the Las Vegas trip; bracelet, ebay.

Gadget pouting (for comparison with the sweater).

Ok, those birds weren't hard to find.  Check back next week for some that might be a little harder to spot.  

Travel: No Passport Required Edition

I have two trips coming up in the next few weeks, and neither requires my passport.  I've been doing more international than domestic travel for the past few years, and I'll miss the free checked bag.   It's a good thing I've been practicing lightening my packing.

First Stephen and I are headed to Las Vegas where we will see Trans Siberian Orchestra.  Stephen arranged that trip as an anniversary present in September.  He's the best.  Just a few days after we return from Vegas my mom and I will head to Portland, Oregon to celebrate Christmas with my sister and her husband.  Stephen is going to have to take care of our dogs and my mom's dog while we're gone.  He really, really is the best.

Jumpsuit for joy!

I want my Vegas wardrobe to be a little over the top because it's Las Vegas!  I haven't found the perfect sequined dress, but I have a sparkly red one in case I can't find sequins.   I'll also be wearing my awesome leopard print jumpsuit while I'm there.  (The Kirna Zabete for Target jumpsuit is now on clearance at Target.com for just $17.48.  That's a lot of leopard print goodness for a small price.)

I like the animal and polka dot
combo.

My sister already called to warn me that I need to dress for cold in Portland right now.  She needn't worry.  I don't mess around with cold.  I'm planning on bringing lots of tights, a scarf, a hat, gloves, and my eShakti trench coat.  I'm toying with the idea of packing an all-spotted wardrobe for Portland with a mix of polka dots and leopard (take that, Kelly Osborne).  We'll see how that develops.

Of course both wardrobes will include some workout wear and my beloved running shoes.  I had a dream last night that I ordered five more pairs of those shoes because I love them so much.  Seriously.  When I woke up this morning I was a little disappointed that I only have one pair.

Have you been to Las Vegas?  Have you been to Portland?  What do you recommend I pack for the trips?

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