The art of packing

Since I'm already sitting here considering what to pack for my upcoming trips, I thought I would share my tips on smart and simple packing.  This next two weeks poses particular challenges - get this: 


Sunday Mar 21 - fly Zurich to Stockholm (via Copenhagen for some extra flavor) - current temp in Stockholm 30 degrees F
Wednesday Mar 24 - fly Stockholm to Boston - current temp 70 degrees F
Tuesday Mar 30 - fly Boston to Zurich, arriving mid day March 31.  Who care's what the temp is because then I fly
Thursday, April 1 - Zurich to Tel Aviv - current temp 82 degrees F


Now, anyone who knows me knows I have the upper body strength of a toddler. Besides that I just HATE lugging stuff.  I even bought a granny cart to grocery shop here.


So, for those reasons and many more, I've disciplined myself to pack light.  Here are a few ways I keep my packing in check assuming a 7-10 day trip:

• I notice that the earlier I start laying things aside to pack the bigger the pile because I keep seeing things I'd like to add.  So, I don't pack very far ahead and find that it helps me not overpack.
• I decide on the size suitcase I should need for the length trip and make myself live with it.  I don't pile everything up and then look for a bag to fit it all in.
• I have trial sized everything (mostly snatched from hotel rooms).  They go in a ziplock bag, not a cute (but inevitably bulky) toiletries bag
• Make-up: I only take one versatile eye shadow, some mascara and 2 lip glosses
• I never bring perfume.  Not necessary and can leak or break.
• I never pack a hairdryer - there's always one at the hotel
• I try to get an easy haircut so I don't care about straightening, etc.  If you have long hair it's easier to pack an elastic than a straightening iron.
• I'll usually bring a fun necklace or two since they don't take up space and they will jazz up your outfit b/c you're packing fewer clothes if you're good.
• Clothes - ok here's where you all go crazy.  This is my formula
• Bottoms - # of days divided by 2.  One of those should be suitable to go out to dinner and not feel like a bum, but can also be comfy enough for running around sightseeing.
• Tops - depending on the weather, usually 1 sweater (2 in winter), a few light long sleeve shirts and a few short.  # of total top options = # of days minus a couple.  So, for a 7 day trip I'd have 5 or 6 tops.  I always have 1 or two I really like and want to wear a second time.
• Instead of a bottom/top combo above I like to pack a jersey dress that you can just throw in the bag it won't wrinkle.  These are awesome.
• I always wear the bulkiest of the clothes I plan to bring with me on the plane.  If it's warm, the sweater goes around my waist to save luggage space.
• I buy really easy pjs to pack (usually light bottoms and a tank)
• Shoes - 2 pair limit.  One ok for work/dinner and one that I can really walk in.  Flip flops don't count.  Always wear the bulkiest on the plane.
• Undies and socks go in last and you shove them around everything else
• Always remember your chargers (phone, camera battery, kindle plus adapters)
• You can fit more clothes by rolling them than folding them but I normally only need to do this on the way home after shopping!
• Speaking of, remember - the less you pack the more you can shop.
• Nothing valuable every goes in checked luggage and I never lock it (I'm convinced this invites attention of thieves anyway).
• Many cell phones have alarms so you don't need to pack one.
• To the airport I wear the bulkiest clothes and shoes I'll need and any coat/jacket.  You can always shove the coat/sweater in the overhead bin if you're hot.

Before I close the suitcase one last time I do this check in my head:

• Make sure you have your passport
• Make sure you have your credit cards and money
• Remind yourself that no one cares really what you wear so can you take anything else out?
• Make sure you have your toothbrush/toothpaste
• Don't worry about anything else - you can always buy it.

Let's Go travel books always say - pack your bags and then take half that amount and twice the money.  It's as good advice as any.

These are a few of my favorite things

As I run out of projects in the Melrose house I am starting to feel the withdrawals of decorating.  Although I'm not a creative person I am loving the process of re-doing the spaces in my house.  Though the thousands of hours watching HGTV and listening to how colors can "pop" and how important "texture" is, it's becoming ever more difficult to rein in the tweaking.  For those of you that don't care about this stuff, go ahead and hit your "back" button, but for the rest of you (anyone?) who dream of auditioning for Design Star, I'll share are a few things that I'm loving right now. What's on your list?

Purple/Plum
I'm starting to see this color pop up in magazines and for the heck of it threw it into my dining room and I love it:

Can't really see it from here but there are coordinating pillows on the chairs along the back wall and I found great paper with which I lined the shelves of my hutch.  David Bromstad says you have to repeat a color at least 3 times in a room and I'm a good pupil.















I am also loving retro fabrics:

Such fun fabrics!!  I want to make some pillow covers to add to the dining room for a little punch since there is no other pattern there.  In general I like simple fabrics but a little punch of color here and there is really fun.  

I think the Hollywood Regency style of decor is so beautiful - especially in a bedroom

 

It's characterized by lush fabrics, lots of shine like mirror or glass, and nail heads on upholstered pieces but it's also very clean looking at the same time.  Perhaps now my new bed purchase makes sense: 

Some of the upholstered beds are too feminine but this was perfect for me and I LOVE nail head detail.  I also didn't want something I'd be sick of in 5 years so this seemed a good compromise.

Going a bit to another extreme, I've been eyeing a new dining room table for almost a year now since my current one is really too small for the space.  Some day I'll plunk down the cash for this one or similar:

It's a chunky industrial, rustic table.  One of my design shows they described one person's style as "rustic contemporary" or rustic revival and I guess that's as close to what I like as they come.  I like pieces with character, I tend to like more masculine pieces (other than when "shiny" and "rusched" are involved) and I definitely like clean lines and simplicity.  I've been going back to this table every few months to see if it's on sale at Pottery Barn but no luck yet.

On an earlier post I had this mirror on my wish list and now it's mine!  I love Zgallerie where I got this fabulous sparkly dining room mirror.  Zgallerie is one of my favorite sites for a lot for ideas on cool and unusual pieces.

Well, that's a few fun things for right now.  I have major shopping itch now.  I guess it's obvious that one of my favorite things is online treasure hunting.  I wonder if there are any sales running....

Trip home to Boston in February

It's becoming a running joke - every time I come to Boston we get slammed with snow.  This time was not as bad as some others but one storm in particular was impressive.  It was wet, sticky snow and clung to every branch, power cord and rooftop.  We woke up in the morning to an absolutely gorgeous site.

You would think between shoveling and stalking my nephews I wouldn't have much time to spare but fear not!  I snuck in a few fun things for the house.  The kitchen floor is getting refinished (it's a maple floor that has lost its shine) and I made an awesome purchase after a year of consideration - a new bed!

Now, this is not my house, it's the Jordan's showroom.  I have been looking at upholstered beds for some time.  Many are too froo froo, too girly or they look like they'll get damaged or stained easily.  My mom and I swung by Jordans for some jellybeans and just a look around and lo and behold, here it was - my dream bed.  It's nice and tailored with a tough fabric and the nailheads are to die for!

Should be arriving in April.  I'll be re-doing the paint job in the room and have some new window treatments on order.  Next reveal - end of April!

Hey you! Get on the road and travel in 2010

Many of the fellow Americans that I meet hear about my life and job and sigh, "Oh I wish I could go to some of those places."  Guess what?  You can.  Really. I know the thought of international travel can be somewhat daunting but believe it or not - it's actually pretty easy.  I'm going to lay out here some of my favorite travel tips and will pro-actively answer some of your travel concerns. I am hoping to convince you to get on the road and go someplace cool in 2010.  The world is out here waiting for you!

"I don't speak any language but English. How will I get around in another language?"
I speak English and Spanish.  But I've gotten along quite well in places from Thailand to Russia to Brazil.  English is spoken pretty much everywhere.  Even when there is a language barrier you'd be surprised how far a smile and charades will get you.

"Airfare is really expensive"
Yes, that can be true.  But you can get great deals on cheap flights.  Some tips: Travel in the spring or fall - not in the summer which is peak season and the most expensive for flights (it's also nicer in those season in most places).  Check sites like www.kayak.com or www.expedia.com.  Sign up on a few airlines for special deal alerts. Try flying out and back on mid-week.  Sometimes weekday travel is cheaper than weekend.  Also, if you want to be adventurous and just go somewhere, I recommend just checking some random yet common destinations.  Today I saw a flight for $519 round trip to Iceland in May for instance.

My best tip is to get a credit card that builds up frequent flyer miles and put your groceries, gas, etc on it and pay it off each month.  I've gotten 6 round trip flights just doing that in the past 5 years.

"I wouldn't know the first thing about where to stay and am afraid I'd end up someplace yucky"
Nothing is worse than finding out the snazzy hotel you saw on a website bears no relation to the drab place you find upon check in.  My absolute favorite website is www.tripadvisor.com.  It's a website where travelers rate hotels (and restaurants, etc) based on their own experience.  They upload their own photos and give a true idea of what the place is like.  The site rates hotels as well as B&Bs for instance.

"I heard Europe is really expensive and we don't have tons of money"
You can easily drop $300 for a hotel night in Europe but I never do.  In most places, you can get a decent clean hotel for about $120/night.  In many countries (Italy is one example) they also have great B&Bs which are usually much cheaper.  If you can budget on about $100-130/night and are comfortable with a nice clean basic place to lay your head, you'll be fine.

One great thing about Europe is there is so much to see that doesn't cost you a thing.  Wandering around the streets in Paris, gazing at the Eiffel Tower or wandering into St. Peter's in Rome - there are so many things that you can do for free.

How about a freshly baked croissant for breakfast for $1.50?  A fabulous freshly made crepe for lunch for $6?

You can travel on the cheap if you want to and, as they say, the experience is priceless.

"I don't have much vacation and can't be away for more than a week"
No problem.  Don't let it stop you if you don't have 2-3 weeks to travel.  You can do Paris or London in 4 days.  Depart Thursday night, arrive Friday morning, stay Saturday, Sunday and Monday and fly home Tuesday.  Voila.  I'll do your itinerary.  Email me.

Of course if you have a week, that's great.  Two weeks is a dream.  But you can do many places on a week or less if you have to.  

"Is it safe?"
Honestly, if you'd go to New York City, you'll be fine in almost any city you'd want to visit.  As long as you keep your head about you and have good common sense you'll be a-ok.  Guess what?  The US is one of the most violent countries in the Western world.  It's not even legal to own a gun in many other countries.  You're much more likely to be a victim of violent crime where you live than in many common tourist destinations (including pretty much all of Europe).

"I don't even have a passport"
No big deal.  Get an application form at your post office, dig up a copy of your certified birth certificate, get a couple of photos, your driver's license and $75 and head to North Station area to wait in line for a bit at the Passport Agency in Boston.

Even though I've focused here more on Europe, there are hundreds of fascinating countries around the world.  Latin America is great and has many destinations a short flight away.  Prices for hotels here tend to be lower than Europe.  At the moment, you can get all inclusive resort stays for almost nothing in Mexico.  A deep recession is a fabulous budget traveler's dream if you're employed and have a bit of money for travel.

Hopefully I've convinced you to make a plan.  You're not getting any younger and you're probably not going to get any richer.  Tell your kids and your grandkids that you rode a camel at the pyramids, walked through the ancient streets of Jerusalem, imagined gladiators at the Colosseum, or saw a kangaroo cross a road in Australia.

Here's what I always consider: am I going to regret it more if I don't or if I do?  Where travel is concerned, you'll regret it if you don't.  Life's too short.  There's so much out there to see.  So why wait?

Fasnacht - when the Swiss lose their cool

You've heard of Mardi Gras and Brazilian Carnivale but I'm sure you've never heard of Fasnacht.  But they're all the same idea.  Leading up to Lent, Catholics plan a week of crazy partying where they get all of their godless urges taken care of before Ash Wednesday.  A week of food, booze and fun culminate with Fat/Shrove Tuesday.  And the Swiss have their own bizarre version as well.

Switzerland is an interesting country.  There is very little power for a national government.  Most of the power is based within the canton.  A canton is roughly equivalent to a state in the US.  So, most of the rules a Swiss person would follow are dictated by the canton, rather than the Swiss government.  

Another interesting facet of Switzerland is that its citizens are mostly conservative and fairly religious.  Part of the monthly taxes coming out of your salary each month go to your religion's churches.  Each canton has its own identity and some cantons are Protestant and some are Catholic.  I live in a Catholic canton which means that we get Catholic holidays off and we have Fasnacht which is the Swiss name for Mardi Gras/Carnivale.  Luzern has one of the more well-known Fasnachts in the country.

I'll say it again - the Swiss are very conservative people. The culture is extremely rules oriented and propriety is extremely important.  They have rules about what time you can do your laundry, neighbors frequently complain about noise at any level, and even trash bags must be uniform in color.  360 days of the year, the Swiss are extremely controlled, proper and quiet people.

But then for 5 days chaos rules in Switzerland and it's called Fasnacht.  It starts like this: 

Thursday at 5am cannons boom in a main square in Old Town announcing that the festivities have begun.  Citizens start pulling on the costumes they have been painstakingly planning and creating for the past year (no exaggeration).  A remarkable proportion of the population takes to the streets as part of one of a hunded marching bands dressed in all sorts of fantastical costumes.  You have never seen so many goblins, devils, ogres and garden gnomes in your life.

And then - they march.  ALL night long the air is filled with the sound of marching band music.  They march, and march and march - almost the entire 5 days/nights.  

Confetti clogs the cracks in the cobblestone streets.  Eichoff beer cans litter the plazas and pretzels and sausages are sold by the thousands.  Every street in Old Town is packed so tightly at times you almost get lifted off your feet. 

Not everyone is a gnome.  You can see people dressed as fairies, animals, convicts - pretty much everything you can imagine.  A few times I swear I've seen some 70s porn stars reliving their days of glory:

But the Swiss don't entirely forget who they are during Fasnacht.  At about 8am each morning, cleaning crews pour into the streets cleaning up trash and excess confetti.  They use branch brooms to sweep around the feet of the drunk teens passed out on the park benches.  They get it all back to "normal" - clean and orderly - so that that evening everyone has a fresh canvas upon which to toss more confetti and beer cans. 

My first Fasnacht I came home from work to find a bandstand attached to my house and people setting up to party hard all night long:

Yep, that yellow house is mine.  Those shuttered windows are my BEDROOM.  Needless to say I had many many late night hours in which to get to know the entire repertoire of that particular marching band.

How do I plan to celebrate this year's Fasnacht?  In my quiet cozy house in Melrose, Massachusetts, U.S, of A.  You might say I'm the Scrooge of Fasnacht.  But don't judge until you've spent Fasnacht trying to sleep in your Old Town apartment.

Fasnacht is one of the coolest things to experience in Switzerland.  As long as you don't live in Old Town Luzern.

Kitchen updates Dec 09

I admit that I have an issue - I can't seem to stop tweaking this house.  For instance, the kitchen before I came home this December looked pretty darn good.  But I can't help myself.  It bothered me that the walls and trim were the same color and lacked contrast.  And I've been seeing subway tile backsplashed in old houses all over the design mags and was itching for my own.

So, as soon as I landed back in Beantown I ran to get a gallon of Aura paint in Carrington Beige (had tried a few samples on the wall already in November) and got to work.  Between 7pm one evening and 9:30 am the next morning, the kitchen had a fresh new coat of paint on the walls which provided a little contrast to the woodwork (which you now notice) and still blended with the crazy color of the tin ceiling as well as the granite and cabinets.  Still subtle though b/c there is a LOT going on in this room.

Next up I bought some white subway tile and gray grout for the areas between my counters and the upper cabinets.  White subway tile is SUPER cheap ($.24/tile) and I was able to do the whole area for about $75.  To me, it makes a big difference in the space and really finishes it off.  Looks like it's been here the whole time.

I subscribe to House Beautiful magazine which I LOOOVE.  Many of their featured kitchens had this element.  Like this one and this one.  It is something that is particularly common in old houses and it's a classic feature that never goes out of style.  This appealed to me. I didn't want to choose something that would be out of date in the next 5 years or with a color that I would get sick of.

I've seen the white subway tile backsplash both with white grout but was really drawn to gray.  It allows the tile to be more of a focal point and hides dirt and grime much better - which is the point of a backsplash after all!  To see a few photos I loved of the white tile/gray grout go here or here.  The great thing about the subway tile look is that it works in multi-million dollar homes or in really humble homes and costs almost nothing. 

So, that's the last project at 101 Upham of 2009!

Backsplash project

Although when I had my granite done I had a 4" backsplash added, I still felt that the space between the countertops and the cabinets needed a bit of something.  So, as we speak, my uncle is tiling the backsplash around the kitchen in white subway tile.  I'm using a mid-tone gray grout.  Can't wait to see the finished product!  Once it's done I'll post the finished photos of the whole kitchen to get the effect of the new backsplash and the new paint color.