how-to: packing a suitcase - essential items to bring and tips for airline travel

Traveling abroad is a frequent occurrence for this bi-cultural family, traveling for work is a weekly thing for the hubs and when we feel extra adventurous we throw in a few trips within the US as well. You could say we've become pretty experienced when it comes to all sorts of travel, may it be by car, bus, plane and yes, even train.

So today you will get to learn about my secrets to packing the perfect suitcase for a early summer vacation to Germany. Why? Well because that's just where travel has taken me once again...

First things first: 

• Space Bags!!! Get them, use them and be amazed at how much can fit into that one small suitcase you are currently permitted to take with you on international air travel (free of charge). They work with your vacuum to suck all the air out of the bag, leaving you with a neat "block" of clothes. Surprisingly, if you fold everything neatly, the clothes will come out hardly wrinkled at all. Of course this will not magically cut the weight of all your stuff in half but it will help you keep things organized. The bags even come in different sizes so you can really get down to the nitty gritty of dividing and organizing.

• Make sure you know what you're allowed to take with you and how much it can weigh. The weight limit for a suitcase when we left was 50lbs, one per person, a carry-on as well as a personal bag. I will go into detail on traveling with an infant/toddler in another post soon.

Now what to pack into that suitcase:

It obviously depends very much on the weather at your destination, reason for travel and the season in which you'll be traveling. The weather here in southern Germany is very similar to the weather we have in western Pennsylvania. Leaving at the very beginning of June and returning in mid July, I was expecting some nicer spring weather which would hopefully turn into full on summer at some point during the trip.  This is what I packed:

• pair of comfortable wide leg jeans
• pair of skinny jeans
• pair of colored denim
• pair of comfortable cropped pants made from a light cotton

• light cotton short sleeve sweater
• sweatshirt
• 2 cardigans
• blazer

• gingham shirt
• plaid shirt
• patterned tee
• white tee
• gray tee
• two long sleeve shirts
• cute tank top

• flowy pleated skirt
• colored denim skirt
• maxi skirt
• khaki shorts
• denim cut-offs
• knee length shorts

These are the basic items I would pack for a trip like this. 

In general I recommend you pack something for every sort of weather because you just never know what's going to happen.

Other items to pack:

• rain coat/umbrella
• a simple purse or bag that goes with everything 
• shoes: flats, sandals/flip-flops, a pair of comfortable heels and shoes you can walk in for a while like tennis shoes or sneakers
• toiletries (pack in your suitcase to avoid the hassle with TSA)
• a hat (rain or shine)
• a light scarf (great on a long flight and to keep warm)
• of course don't forget the socks and underwear ;)
• swimwear 
• sunglasses and sunscreen
• camera
• hair dryer if your hotel doesn't have one
• chargers and international power adapters

Tips:

• i always fill extra space with additional tops. especially for a summer trip they are super light and small and you can always use another shirt.
• don't overpack and leave some room for souvenirs or clothes you may buy while abroad or even just in another city.
• bring a luggage scale to avoid costly charges for excess baggage or overweight bags
• when traveling abroad with connecting flights pack an overnight bag (carry-on) in case you get stuck. unfortunately, you may miss a connecting flight and get booked on a flight that doesn't leave until the next day. be prepared for the possibility of spending a night in an airport hotel or even the terminal.
• always wear layers on a long flight and bring a blanket if you get cold easily or if you're grossed out by airplane blankets and pillows. 
• pack a snack - airplane food is horrible!
• bring disinfecting wipes and wipe down your general area. you don't want a cold during your vacation. 
• leave expensive jewelry at home to avoid losing it or possibly having it stolen.
• if you're in the market for a new suitcase buy one in a bright color or pattern. yes, it may not look that great or match your sense of style but you will never search for your suitcase between all those black lookalikes at the baggage claim anymore. you can thank me later ;) 
• make sure to put your address inside your suitcase as well as on the outside. memorize or write down the brand, size and color in case your bag gets lost and you have to give a description. 

Most of all: ENJOY YOUR TRIP :)


I'd be happy to answer questions so comment away or send me an email.

diy: spice jar labels

we've been done with baby food for a while now but i saved a ton of jars thinking i would come up with some sort of way to reuse them eventually. well, i reorganized my pantry and realized i needed to make room and keep my spices somewhere else. somewhere very visible and so they had to look sort of pretty. 

you'll need: 

rubber alphabet stamps

craft paper

ink 

glue dots

clean baby food jars

cut out labels and stamp away - make sure to spell bouillon right ;)

use glue dots to attach labels to the jars and screw the lids back on

a super quick and easy way to reuse those baby food jars and make your spices look uniform and pretty to look at. 

stripes and a how-to for braided bangs

jeans: ae, striped top: f21, tank: zara, wedge sandals: graceland, watch: michael kors

not ok: 

the weather since we got here... no real summer in sight!

writing all these blog posts in my head during the few minutes it takes me to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning and always being too tired to actually take down some notes, then of course forgetting everything.

being away from the hubs for another 3 weeks.

having to wake up at 6.45 am every morning due to my own personal (and very cute) alarm clock.

all this delicious food that constantly screams "eat me!"

having to drive a manual for the first time in years tonight - not looking forward to that.

totally ok:

several wonderful and lovely emails i've been receiving from you guys - wow, i really appreciate those :)

going to yoga and pilates class with my bestie tonight

all this delicious food that constantly screams "eat me!"

a bang braid on bad hair days

the little man's rad walking skills

seeing the huge smiles on my family's faces every day, mostly due to the little man of course

watching euro cup soccer games every night

taking walks through the fields

and for all of you who'd like to know how to braid your bangs:

1. part your hair pretty far on one side (whichever side works best for you)
2. select three strands of hair to braid with and do a reverse/inverted french braid where you simply braid the hair under instead of over and keep adding hair in mostly from the top of your head
3. important: don't braid too tightly! keep that braid low on your forehead as you go
4. pin somewhere by your ear or finish off braid and tie with a skinny hair tie
5. i also use some hair spray to control fly aways
6. practice, practice, practice! 

it's really super easy but it may take you a few tries to get it right. i seriously wear the bang braid all the time now, especially on a bad hair day when i don't get to wash it. 

oh germany!

yes, we made it! everything went great flying over even though we had to deal with a tight flight schedule and made it on our plane in Newark with only 20 minutes to spare...

imagine us being the last people on the plane and then me demanding nicely asking the person in the middle seat to move to a seat in the row behind us so we could have an extra spot for the babe. in the process also confusing another poor passenger who suddenly thought he was in the wrong seat and moved across the isle, as well as collecting a few awkward stares and mean glances from a couple of girls behind us. but hey, i know what i gotta do to make this whole experience the most bearable for everyone involved. once we got settled in the flight was a piece of cake and logan slept for over 3 hours of the 7.5 hour flight.

so today i#m just sharing a few pictures of some of the things we've been doing around here. the weather could most definitely be nicer but the food makes up for it. i will return to the states needing to buy a clothing size up... 

if you'd like to see what we're doing here on a daily basis just follow along on instagram: @theforgeblog

diy: lace inset jeans

when my mom is in town we always do a lot of shopping. it's fun and definitely part of our girl time. we have a local discount store where you can find some really amazing deals on name brand clothing. some of the things they sell have minor (or major) imperfections so you have to be careful and selective. this time and thanks to my mom's hawk eyes, i scored a pair of Joe's jeans for $2!!! they had a 4 inch rip right below the right side pocket but were otherwise in perfect condition and fit like a glove. i fell in love with them and figured i could do something to that rip to make it less revealing. i contemplated adding some floral fabric over top or some vintage lace on the inside. i didn't want the embellishment to be too attention grabbing and a little more subtle so I opted for the lace.
i am a big fan of iron on transfer paper and usually do all my appliques with it before sewing to add some extra detailing. i noticed before that it doesn't work as well with denim but since i didn't want to pin the lace i used it still.

here are instructions on what i did:

you'll need

a pair of jeans to embellish
some sand paper
scissors
a piece of lace or fabric of your choice
iron on transfer paper
iron
sewing machine
matching thread

i first cut the rip in the jeans a little bit bigger and sanded the edges to give it a more natural look

then cut out a piece of lace and a few small strips of iron on paper which will go on the edges of the lace. make sure not to cover all of the lace with the iron on paper or all kinds of debris will stick to it once you peel the paper off. it also wouldn't be sheer anymore.

turn your jeans inside out and place the lace and transfer paper in the right spot. iron on and let cool completely before removing the paper.

be very careful when you turn the jeans back out because the iron on bond won't be very strong. now your lace should stay in place well enough for you to easily sew around the edges with the machine.
i used a zig zag stitch and really like how it turned out. i also accidentally sewed over the pocket a little but it's still usable so it wasn't a big deal.

that's it! you just gave a ripped pair of jeans a whole new life.

diy: a first birthday party

so i am fully aware that nobody except for me wants to see this many pictures of my child but it was his first birthday and he is the cutest so you'll just have to deal with it :)

we had a great party on memorial day weekend with a ton of cake and a pancake breakfast. he loved it all: the people, the presents, the food. we were so happy most of our friends and family could share this special day with us. logan only had one mini meltdown when one of his little friends started crying and it scared him into a hysterical cry as well. it was actually a little bit funny for us parents to watch.

my mom and i made a banana shaped cake, cinnamon cupcakes, a chocolate coconut loaf, an apple cinnamon loaf and my all time favorite: my godmother's recipe for carrot cake. we also had fruit salad, strawberry and pineapple skewers, a vegetable pizza courtesy of the MIL, iced tea with mint from the garden and freshly squeezed lemonade.

i never got a chance to take pictures of the decorations and food set up before people came so this is all i have. i used streamers and balloons indoors and out on the porch. i made logan his shirt with the appliqued number one on it and he actually kept it quite clean all day long. the birthday invites are my own design as well and will be available in my shop as a diy printable/download later this summer.

so that was his party. low key, all diy, not a crazy amount of people - just right.

i still can't believe my baby is now a toddler.

happy first birthday little man! mama and papa love you so much.

the life of the jet setting family

if you're into rating your days on a scale of 1- 10, thursday was kind of a bummer for us. probably a 3 or a 4. we had to say goodbye for a whole month as the hubby left for another road trip and the rest of us will be leaving for germany in a few days until he finally meets up with us there in july. needless to say, the whole preceding week was somewhat overshadowed by impending departures. 

i hate that feeling of restlessness that always creeps up in me before an upcoming trip. we are such frequent travelers you'd think it wouldn't phase me anymore... but that nervous feeling deep down in my stomach still makes a return every time. i get stressed out over things i still have to get done before we leave and totally overwhelmed to the point of where i just want to crawl into bed and curl up in a ball to hide from the pressure of leaving my life behind for 6 weeks. 

i worry about packing, that we will forget something important, about the house and the dogs, my garden, bills getting paid on time, the hubby being by himself - missing his little guy and me (hopefully) ;)... oh, you get the point! 

don't get me wrong, i look forward to each and every trip, my family, all the things i miss when i'm here at home but i hate the days leading up to it. 

so thursday was one step closer to me feeling normal again. does that sound weird? not seeing my husband for a whole month brings me closer to feeling normal again? 

well, the way i see it, it is just an inevitable part of our life. it will always be this way and i have accepted it and learned to deal with all the craziness that comes with being a bicultural family. we started out like this and we continue to be torn between two places. 

once my feet step off that plane and all our bags have safely arrived at the baggage claim i know the real excitement will set in. that's when i relax and i'll be ready to take it all in once again. that's when i'm home again.