| europe packing list essentials: |

wowza...this is something i promised a long time ago: what i packed for my month long getaway. oie vie: just putting it together stressed me out all over again (sorry i had to upload it as multiple files; it just got too dang big).  a few things--- a lot of the stuff i packed is no longer available so i searched the net for similar things.  also, another disclaimer: since we were in maine before europe i did not include the clothes i left behind // this included yoga pants, oversized workout tees, a few swimsuits (i brought one to europe also but never took it out of my bag!) a few sundresses, a pair of jeans and flip flops.

tees, tops & tanks: madewell, colors white, grey and black tee // gap, chambray // j.crew, jersey tank // zara, tee // j.crew, popover // ralph lauren, button down
jackets: jbrand, denim jacket // bar III, military jacket [ no longer available; similar by bar III, field jacket and lucky jean, military jacket ] //
shorts, denim & pants: guess?, distressed denim [ no longer available; similar by pinko and AG destroyed ] // j.crew, linen pant // levis, destroyed shorts [ no longer available; similar by current elliott ] // top shop, printed pants [ i wore a pair from brass plum & old navy ] // j.crew, shorts [ the pair i have are no longer available ] // harvey faircloth, denim skirt [ mine is by lucky brand; no longer available ]
dresses: j.crew, maxi // topshop, romper [ mine is by want and need; no longer available ] // zimmermann, oversized floral dress [ mine is by free people; no longer available similar ]
shoes: dolce vita, sandal // vince, sandal // sam edelman, gladiator sandal // nike, air pegasus / frees // van, washed authentic sneaker
imporant bags:
j.crew, belt // louis, bag [ i attached a non-louis chain to create a cross body] // michael kors, cross body bag // marc by marc jacobs, cross body // herschel, backpack // eagle creek, duffle
* not on the list but muy importante: undies + bras, jammies, jewelry, belts, sunnies, the birkenstocks + clothes i loaded up on along the way, and a few tees i borrowed from my mama *

| CIAO ITALIA: |

happy monday!  Monday's I usually post what i'm craving but this week is a bit different: my sister got here on saturday for good.  Jeff and my sister's husband, Brett are currently traveling from Minnesota to San Diego.  I've been helping my sister grab some last minute things for their new home and get the place clean and ready for all their stuff to arrive via pod (and the boys) tomorrow.  I can't wait to recap a few events I attended last week and show you some of my fav trends for fall and winter- in the meantime enjoy some final photos of our 30 day euro vaca. xx

| more, roma |

I'm a bit behind on my travel diary: while in venice our internet connection was s....l.....o......w.  like, I couldn't upload photos.  SO, I'm back.  We just got to our villa in Tuscany, Italy.  It will be our home for the week and it is seriously AMAZING.  It sits on a hill in Spello / Umbria and it's a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of all the stops along the way.  It's hard to believe we've been gone for nearly 20 days.  I'm excited to enjoy this time in the hills of italy: there aren't many english speakers so....bring on the italiano!!!!!!

 

{ shop the look: } gap, printed shorts, also worn here // madewell, tee // jcrew, belt (similar) // dolce vita, sandals // michael kors, crossbody 

| travel diary // went off the grid part 2: |

bonjour!  we're leaving paris and on our way to england for the next few days: i wanted to share a few more photos from Maine.  Hope you all enjoy. xo

hanging out with the boys on our front porch in Sargentville, ME

blueberry picking on the property. yum

hanging out in the ping pong room at the punch bowl, me

jumping off an old pier at the punch bowl, me

enjoying the sunset at the punch bowl, me

{ jcrew beach cover up // FYI i sized up and bought an XL, b strong hat // no longer available, other favorite hat here, old navy flip flops,  jcrew swim suit top (similar), target bottoms }

| Paris, je t'aime: |

bonjour from Paris!  we got here yesterday later than planned after some weather delays in London but are so happy to be here!  other than being tired and pretty foggy paris really is one of a kind and i'm so in love with it.  it's a beautiful crazy city where i am having so much fun trying to understand the french and make sure we don't get too lost!  today we spent a few hours wondering the streets and just keeping it pretty mellow.  one thing we did do that i loved was went into a french market where we bought wine, salami, olives, cheese and a fresh baguette.  i'll make sure to jot down my favorite spots along the way share xo

{shop the look: forever 21 tank, jbrand denim jacket, printed pants no longer available // similar , michael kors crossbody, dolce vita sandals }

i chose this look for day 1 after traveling because it's so comfy yet still looks a bit chic.  A lot of french girls are wearing a printed comfy pant.  Of course wearing my beloved denim jacket never fails.  It's a great layering pieces when the sun hides behinds the clouds.

*travel tip!*  wear comfy shoes.  we walked a lot yesterday and these sandals were great for me.  Also, carry a small handbag: this MK bag fits the main necessities- my passport, credit card, chap stick and small rick steves' french dictionary.

| travel diary // went off the grid part 1: |

{ island hopping }

holy moly: Jeff and I just got back from Maine late monday night and are currently up in the air on our way to europe (wahoo for our second red-eye).  Maine was amazing.  I know I've talked about Maine before here but this trip was a bit more special: we were up there all week boating, sailing, eating, drinking and of course spent quality time with some of our best friends but more importantly we witnessed their marriage!  I lugged my computer and other electronics up with us and turns out none of them worked.  there is no wifi up there or a starbucks to run to for wifi.  talk about being present.  it was something I needed and enjoyed so much.  see you all in france! xxoo

{ pre wedding prep: the boys making benches for the guests }

 { gorgeous sky at sunset}

{ room with a view }

{ wild fields for picture perfect photos on wedding day.}

| one red eye down |

holy tuesday! one red eye down with a dog, one more red eye to go without a dog.  ok, first of all: charlie did so well traveling {which made me a proud mama, because he's pretty bat-shit crazy. like. always} people were impressed with how mellow he was.  our vet ended up not giving us anything to knock him out so charlie flew cross country clean and sober.  but holy moly i'm tired.  we're getting ready to drive 5 hours to maine and i'm so excited.  nap, dunkin and some tunes.  xo

{ a few essentials: herschel backpack // beats by dre // c wonder oversized clutch (similar) to hold ipad + kindle // reading material }

{ airport prep: j.brand denim jacket // jcrew plaid woven (similar) // nikes / herschel backpack }

{ charlie loves his bag, our luggage is by eagle creak}

{ traveling always makes me break out: before we left for the airport i put on this masque and went all natural for the red eye. wearing: oversized tank // lululemon yoga pants 

{we made it, first stop DD! hubs wearing jcrew shirt (similar) and shorts // watch }

| FAV LINKS THIS WEEK: |

i've been obsessively researching our trip!  this week my fav links all have to do with traveling. enjoy xo. 

1.  loved this insight about 10 italian culinary commandments.  bring on the pasta!
2. i've been panicked about what to do with my nails for 30 days. answer: wear a nude and pack that color in my toiletry bag.  intothegloss shared their fav nude polishes
3.  i am going to be so messed up with time (who cares, right?) that my body is going to have no idea what's going on. fodor travel shared some great tips on how to help your jetlag 
4. buzz feed shares 12 apps you need to have on your phone while you're traveling...an app i love that isn't included: whatsapp
5. one of my fav sites, the new potato shares city guides put together by those they interview.
6. travel fashion girl puts together great packing guides for traveling wherever, whenever.

| monday madness |

we leave for our trip on monday night: i am starting to feel overwhelmed... I am starting to make lists. lots and lots of lists.  there is a lot going on this week and my time management skills are going to be put to the test. so, happy monday!  let's do this ;)

[ on board must haves: ]

//  henri bendel top-zip tote // this is the perfect size tote to throw all your crap in.  i love that it has a zipper.

 // j.crew travel wallet {no longer available, similar} // jeff got me this travel wallet for christmakuah last year.  it helps keep you and all your travel documents nice and organized.

// cool max travel blanket // this travel blanket doesn't take up a ton of room and it will be so useful for our 2 red eye flights (1 to Boston / 1 to London).

// beats by dre solo // i'm obsessed with my solo's: although they don't claim to be noise canceling for me they help keep the excess noise out. 

// amazon kindle paperwhite // you guys know by now I don't go anywhere without my kindle: i'm obsessed and am loading it up with tons of reads.

// mudder travel charger // perfect for traveling abroad

// j.crew camper socks // i hate when my feet are cold on planes so I always pack a pair of my fav socks

// sephora travel kit + sephora travel brush// it's nice to keep a few products with you on board to touch up after long flights

// prime effects eye covers + ear plug combo // best.thing.ever.

// tory burch cometic bag // throw all your "beauty" things in a nice size cosmetic bag

// stress & relax calming (chewable) // i get a little stressed out when we fly so it's nice to have some all natural calming chewable tablets on hand

can't forget charlie- he is flying with us to Boston where my mother in law will watch him while we're in Europe: 

// sherpa dog carrying case // i just ordered this carry on bag for him: i liked that it wasn't too flimsy (his other one he's traveled with in the past was and I felt like I was suffocating him. 

// rescue remedy for pets // i've used the rescue remedy in the past and i'm not sure how much it helped him but he was a peaceful traveler :) 

// bamboo travel dog bowls // i felt horrible the last time i flew with him because i didn't bring him water bowls and had to ask a local restaurant for a to-go cup.  these flatten out so they won't take up a lot of room. 

| fav links this week: |

1. blake lively answers 73 candid questions on vogue.com {and it makes me love her more!} source: vogue

2. the founders of pressed juicery publish their first book and harpers bazaar shares the 5 most important recipes. source: harpers bazaar

3. a recap of fixer upper's episode shows the 1937 craftsman homes amazing face lift.  source: hgtv

4. nail emergency no more. essie nail polish is making their way into their own airport vending machines // #lifesaver. source: self

5. vogue explores how to dress in the six californias. source: vogue

6. having major wanderlust after savvy sugar shares 83 amazingly beautiful travel destinations. source: savvy sugar

long weekend in maine

Well, aren't we feeling a bit refreshed after our amazing long weekend in Maine.  Our good friends Hans and Jess grew up with summers in Maine and their families all have homes in small towns like Sargentville , Brooksville and Blue Hill so we headed up with them for a fun getaway and also to help them with some wedding stuff (Jeff is Hans' best man!)  We had fantastic weather; high 60's with lots of sunshine at times, very little cell service, endless amount of food and drinks and just really awesome company.  In my opinion, there is nothing better than a small new england beach town:  I love that there is still so much land and greenery around Maine, the history - even in Hans' case; his mom's great grandfather purchased his first piece of property in Maine for $500 but the very fun parts are grabbing a crab roll on the side of the road or a coffee and pastry at the town market.

+ view from our bedroom

+ local farm

+ refreshing New England Beers

+ old-school lobster traps

+ a mini hike 

+ debating the oyster thing- turns out: I loved it! // shirt: j.crew, old