Travel Downsizing: Deodorant

Have you ever noticed how your travel-sized deodorant always runs out halfway through your trip? Have you also noticed how travel-sized deodorant costs nearly as much as a regularly-sized one? Do you hate paying for checked bags and would like a really easy tip on down-sizing so that you can be one step closer to your goal of traveling with only a carry on and personal item? 

(FYI here is a post on how to pack for cold weather in only a carry on.) 

Here is a very quick "hack" to help those of you cheapskates, like me!

You need: An empty travel-sized deodorant container and a full regularly-sized one.

So, first open both containers.

Then, start twisting the bigger container so that the product starts to rise.

With some of the product coming out of the bigger container, hold the product up against the opening of the travel-sized container. This is to make sure that the product will fit. (You may want to take your empty travel container to the drugstore and check before you buy.) As long as they keep making regularly-sized deodorant that is small enough to fit inside a travel-sized container, you only ever need to buy the travel-sized container once. You can then keep reusing it like this every time your product runs out.

Remove the product from the bigger container by continuing to twist it up until it pops out.

Then, place the product into the smaller container and start twisting it down.

(You may need to press the top of the product with your thumb to get the threads to catch and pull the product down.)

Sometimes, the product is still sticking out the top, but that's okay. As long as it is securely screwed into the container, it's usable.

Don't worry if the lid doesn't go down all the way. It will after a couple of uses.

Anyways, that should save you a little space!

The End!

Help! My Luggage Zipper Is Broken!

Here's a quickie. I did it this afternoon.

I bought this Delsey 25" suitcase on ebay for under $20. It was originally $300! The buyer had returned it because the zipper pull broke off. It is super lightweight and packed with features (like an indicator to tell you if it's overweight), so I decided to buy it and then figure out the zipper problem later.

You can see here that there is no zipper pull on this front pocket. Everything else and all the other zippers were fine. There was no way I could fix this zipper by adding a new one because...it would have looked terrible if I could have even found a new zipper to put on it due to the fact that I'd have to hand sew it. Plus, there's no telling how much a luggage zipper would cost by itself. Probably as much as I paid for the luggage!

Something else had to be done.

I got out some trusty brown packing paper and started drafting a pattern to make a flap to cover the zipper.

Then, I used my pattern and traced onto some black leather.

I cut it out.

Then, I glued it in place. This was not the permanent fix because glue would have easily ripped off over time. The glue was just to hold the leather in place because you can't pin leather in place. (It makes holes when you do that.)

Enter the needle and thread. (Those are rubber finger tips for pulling needles through tough fabrics like leather. I couldn't find my thimble.)

I stitched the leather in place.

From the inside.

That took a little time, but when I was done, it looked pretty good!

Here is the flap up so I can get into the pocket.

At some point, I may put a button or magnetic closure on it, but for now, at least it doesn't look as bad! (I will be putting a luggage protector over it when I check it at airports, just in case you were wondering.)

Très luxe, no?

The End!

How to Pack for Cold Weather

Since the holidays are coming up, and many people will be traveling, I thought I would take a minute from my packing (to visit Montana on a mission's trip) to show how a woman packing warmly doesn't have to pack a lot. The keys are to stick to one color scheme, pack lightweight yet warm fabrics like fleece and wool, and pack layers rather than bulky items. I've packed everything I need in a small rolling carry on and a large purse. (Incidentally, the carry on has a lock on it and an expandable zipper.)

The trip will last about six days, but with what I've packed, it could last longer because almost everything can go together in different ways. I'll dissect my carry on and purse in a second, but before I do, I want to point out what I will be wearing on the plane: Sketchers boots, a long-sleeved hip-length taupe shirt, orange skinny jeans, and a light taupe fleece vest. (If I get hot, I can take the vest off. I can also pair it with other items in my carry on later if I get cold during the trip.)

Now to dissect the carry on: The inside flap.

1. 5 pairs of fuzzy socks. These are essential for sleeping and really make a difference inside your boots when the temperature drops. They also dry within a day if you have to wash them in a sink.

2. 6 pairs of underwear and socks. (They can also be washed in a sink if needed.)

The Top Layer (sorry, Blogger put it in sideways)

1. 6 pairs of black and grey fleece-lined tights. These can be worn by themselves under long shirts and dresses or under skinny jeans for added warmth.

2. Running shoes inside a mesh laundry bag. I can use the shoes for exercise, but also as alternative footwear if my boots start hurting me. (Always bring an alternative footwear option. You never know how much you'll walk and your feet may need a break.) These shoes are Sketchers "Go Run" and they are super comfortable, but also squish up nicely into luggage. Also, the mesh laundry bag will come in handy at the end of the trip when all my clothes are dirty.

3. Thermal shirt and black sweat pants for exercising. In case I don't get very sweaty, I can also use these as layers under other clothes to keep warm.

The Second Layer

1. A small loofah and a super absorbent towel. The towel is about the size of a hand-towel, but I can dry my entire body with about half of it. I bought mine in Japan, but you can find these towels in most department stores and eBay. If it's still wet at the end of the trip, I can just hang it over my carry on while I travel instead of soaking the inside of my luggage.

2. Thermal underwear. These will be my pajamas, and also a base layer if I need it.

The Third Layer

1. Two pairs of skinny jeans.

2. A black long-sleeved shirt to go under things.

3. My grey TCWC church dress made of a Tshirt.

4. A taupe hip-length long-sleeved shirt.

5. A long-sleeved animal print dress.

6. A casual long-sleeved blue dress.

7. A black hip-length long-sleeved shirt.

8. A taupe turtleneck.

9. A green striped hip-length sweater vest.

10. A Mary Kay stand-able mirror. (In case there is limited mirror space.)

(Notice that all my shirts are hip-length. This is to keep my butt warm!)

Inside the Big Purse

1. My small backpack travel purse with lots of pockets. (Inside I have a sewing kit, some bags of tea, bandaids, vitamins, tissues, etc.)

2. My quart-sized toiletries bag. Always keep your toiletries bag inside your purse (not your luggage) for easy access during security checks.

3. My ipod, phone, and camera chargers inside a compact-able shopping bag.

4. A taupe fleece hoodie.

5. Fleece-lined wool hat and mittens.

6. A fold up raincoat. (Doubles as an outer to go over my winter coat during blizzards.)

7. An inflatable neck pillow with eye mask and ear plugs in the pocket.

8. A "Patagonia"super light-weight compact-able down-filled winter coat.

9. Taupe pashmina scarf.

10. Velcro wrap-around earmuffs.

11. Alpaca sweater.

I still have plenty of room for some last minute items like glasses, small travel flatiron and hair dryer, extra fleece hoodie, etc.

So, hopefully that gives you an idea of how to pack warmly, fashionably, and cheaply this holiday season!

The End.

Baby Travel Quilt

My aforementioned sister-in-law Sherry, had a baby shower this past weekend. I finally finished the project I'd been working on for her, and was able to surprise her with it. She had told my husband and I that she wanted pictures from our travels, because she wants to encourage her new baby, Rhys (pronouned "Reese"), to come to love traveling as much as she and her husband do. I went through my pictures and found nine of the most photogenic, sent them to Walgreens.com to get printed onto an apron, cut them out and sewed them into a baby quilt. I had most of the material on-hand, but my other sister-in-law, Angie, was the provider of the batting. Thanks, Angie!

From far away, it kinda resembles the blue and green of a map. 

The back is of soft, white flannel, like clouds!

I knew she'd be getting a ton of stuff and probably millions of blankets, so I left sort of a hole in the top two corners to put a long stick through, so she could hang it if she wants.

I really simply quilted it by using white thread and tying little knots through the corner of each square to the back.

These are the individual pictures and who I was with when I took them:

The Colosseum from Billy's and my honeymoon.

Stonehenge from my trip with Stephanie, Kim, and Jennaca.

The Seattle Space Needle from my trip with Lisa.

The Sphinx and Great Pyramid from my trip with Holly and Lisa.

The Taj Mahal with Holly.

Angkor Wat from a missions trip with my church.

Eiffel Tower with Steph, Kim, and Jenn.

Great Wall of China with Linda.

And Big Ben with Steph, Kim, and Jenn.

Apparently, it takes a village to make a quilt!

Thanks for reading!

Ultimate Travel Multi-Wear Shirt

I had this idea in my head, and I had a few hours last Friday, so I made it. It is reversible and can be worn in any setting from super casual to very dressy. Why don't you scroll down and see?

I used these three shirts as my inspiration. I used the top of the back grey shirt, the bottom of the front grey shirt, and the split front of the pink one. I just laid the shirts down and cut around them instead of making a pattern, because I was too lazy to use paper:

I cut the same pattern in the striped grey and the nude underneath, except the nude I cut a bit longer, obviously. The front neckline is slightly lower than the back, but it is wearable backwards (you'll see what that means later).

It looked kinda frumpy on me the way I had it up there, so I cut a slit up the middle of the front, detailed the lower seams, and narrowed the grey part so the nude part would sort of ruffle underneath.

The back.

You can see how I detailed the lower side seams here. I added elastic to the grey part and tucked the nude part.

This is how the two seams hang together.

If you turn it inside out, you can wear it like this.

This is how the tucked sides hang from the other side.

This is how it looks if you wear it with the grey side out and the slit in the back.

You can wear it to work!

I guess the style now is to mix like patterns.

You can also wear the slit in the front with a jacket.

You can gather up the grey and tuck it in and pin it in the back and make a sort of mock-midriff shirt.

If you pull the two corners of the slit to the back and pin them like this, you can get the following look.

You can also simply tuck in the nude part and let the grey part hang out. (The skirt is one that I made that I will post soon, but I'm still tweaking a few things.)

You can tie the two corners together up high and do a 50s/80s look.

Or tie it low and get this one.

If you use a wide belt, you can pull the two corners to either side and get sort of an Asian look going.

Flip it inside out and add a white sweater for a conservative granny style.

Looks good with black lace too.

Add a belt and pull the bottom out in a bit of a non-obnoxious peplum.

Gatsby it up! (Pretend that I wasn't lazy and added my string of pearls.)

It's off the shoulder...but not really.

Add a fake collar.

I wore it this past weekend with the grey side out, slit in the back, and the top from my flash dance dress.

Another nice thing about it is, it's made of polyester and nylon materials, so you can wash it out in a sink and it will dry over night! Ta-da! Perfect for travel!

Thanks for reading!