Three Etsy Things : Clutches

I don't usually travel with a handbag - I prefer to take a backpack so I can carry my laptop, camera, chargers, hard drives and other fun stuff in there. But a backpack doesn't really cut it for a night on the town, so I always throw a clutch in my suitcase.

Something not too big and not too small; something that sits flat so it doesn't take up too much valuable suitcase real estate. It needs to double as storage for bracelets and the like, and it needs to work with any outfit.

Here's three on Etsy that I reckon tick all those boxes and more.

1. Leather wallet with gold dots | Raramodo 

2. Golden palm leaf leather pouch | Kertis

3. Tonala media clutch in black marble | Scout & Catalogue

ps. If you're looking for some more clutch, tote, zip pouch inspiration I've got just the collection of favourites for you here!

Two Weeks Away, One Cabin Bag : Summer in the City

A long time ago I shared some tips about packing, the most important being that you don't need to travel with as much stuff as you think you do. Trust me - there is absolutely nothing to love about hauling a large and unruly suitcase from place to place. All those ankle bruises and shoulder injuries and outright frustration, especially when it's peak hour in a Tokyo train station? Not fun. And then you get to the end of your trip, bruised and battered, and half the stuff in your suitcase is still folded neatly, untouched? Not fun at all.

Years of travel, years of packing, have shown me that you can travel light. Scratch that - it's shown me you have to travel light. And the good news is you don't have to look like a backpacker doing it. If you pack smart, you can look smart. You can travel with a cabin bag and still look like your normal, stylish self. 

To prove it I'm taking you inside my suitcase, showing you what I pack for different climates and different holiday types. I'm basing these posts on what I'd pack for two weeks away. For a shorter trip just subtract a frock or two, for a longer one just add more underwear!

Packing for a winter holiday is pretty advanced stuff, so we'll kick off with an easy one - summer in the city. Basically this is what I took to Hong Kong last month. Note that my wardrobe is very much frock based (it makes packing so much easier!) but if you are a pants and jeans kind of girl then just switch out 'fancy frock' for 'fancy pants and top'. 

Some general principles: 

- Pick a colour scheme, so that everything in your bag will basically work with everything else.

- Pack early and then edit, edit and edit some more. 

- A few belts, some jewellery and a scarf will mean you can pull countless different outfits out of three frocks and a pair of heels. Well chosen accessories will help you avoid TWF*. 

(*Travel Wardrobe Fatigue: when you feel like you've worn everything in your suitcase a hundred times and you're completely bored and uninspired by it all.) 

- Only pack tried and tested items. I learnt this the hard way when I had to bin a brand new pair of shoes because they made my feet bleed. Oh the pain! Never again. Think wardrobe staples; the things you love and turn to day in, day out. Think comfort and style. 

- Don't forget the basics. Underwear, a good range of bras (matched to your outfits), socks and something to sleep in (I pack singlets which double as pjs). And I always travel with at least one pair of black leggings.

In the end the key to good packing is having a good wardrobe to begin with. Edit your wardrobe, hang on to what you love, buy what suits you, take your time to build it piece by piece. If you're happy with your home wardrobe,  then packing for your next holiday will be a breeze!

Casual Dress x 2 - Think something you can throw on without thinking. Something you can spend a whole day sightseeing, shopping, sipping and eating in without having to worry about anything. Light weight for summer, non-iron fabric, with pockets. Casual dress one from Petit Bateau, casual dress two from Obus. 

Super Comfy Dress - When I fly I tend to wear a stretchy cotton tunic over leggings. This outfit gets washed when I land and then doubles as 'loungewear' for lazy mornings in the hotel room. This stripey number is from Japan. It's wonderfully soft and has big pockets - exactly what you need for passports, pens and documents as you're rushing through the airport. 

Dress Up, Dress Down - This is possibly my favourite dress ever and I will most definitely cry when it dies. It's from Top Shop. Yes, it has pockets (see a theme here?). It's perfect with flats for daytime strolling, or with heels for nighttime bar hopping. 

Go With Anything Jacket - Something that you can throw on over everything in your suitcase. For me, it's a light blue denim jacket from Uniqlo. 

Lightweight Scarf - I always take a scarf on the flight, sometimes those flying sardine cans cabins can be cold. Also handy in places like Hong Kong where the air con is almost always set to deep freeze. 

Bright Belt - For adding a bit of fun to all your frocks. This happy orange suede belt from Gorman almost always travels with me.

Fancy Frock - For dinners at nice restaurants, classy corporate cocktails, long luxurious lunches...that kind of thing. This one is from Marimekko, and it's ridiculously comfortable (no pockets though - its only drawback). Nights getting a bit chilly? Just add leggings!

Clutch, Bracelets - A simple frock can look pretty special once you add a great clutch. I scored this one in Tokyo; it's vintage Italian leather and it's freaking gorgeous. When I pack, whatever clutch I'm taking doubles as storage for my bling - something shiny and cheery and not too precious. Your bling might be a beautiful brooch, a nice necklace, ome elegant earrings. My bling is always bracelets. Whilst I'm a big fan of the mix and match enamel bracelets from Kate Spade, my current favourites are stackable resin ones from Sly Pony.  

Neutral Summer Heels - I'm a certified shoe junkie, so it has taken years of heartache and intensive ridicule training from the husband to get the shoe side of packing right. You don't need fancy heels and daytime heels and shiny flats and boring flats and shoes for that dress and shoes for this dress. You do need one pair of heels that go with everything. Neutral leather strappy heels always work for me when I'm on a warm weather trip. 

Trench Coat - More stylish than the Go With Anything Jacket, a trench takes up minimal room in your case and pretty much works with everything. I adore this quirky polkadot one (another Tokyo find), but a classic light tan or plain black is also ace. 

Slightly Fancy Frock  - Casual enough to wear to brunch, but with heels, bright belt and clutch it looks lovely at dinner too. (Notice how almost all of these clothes do double or triple duty?). This frock is from the now defunct Kate Spade Saturday. RIP. And yes, it has pockets. Of course it has pockets.

Ribbon Belt - A wide grosgrain ribbon, tied in a little bow at the side or back, makes a super cute and/or elegant belt and takes up virtually no room in your case. They are the best travel thing ever! Pack three if you want! 

Swimsuit - For the hotel pool, of course. This one piece is from Jets, and it's a super flattering fit (like this one). 

Underwear - I pack my underwear in zip mesh bags from Muji. There's one for briefs, one for bras, one for socks and stockings. Keeps everything neat and tidy, especially if you're hopping from hotel to hotel. 

Sneakers - For those days when you know you're just going to walk and walk and walk. As a bonus if you pack them you can also pretend you'll use the hotel gym at some point during your holiday. Sure you will.

Jeans, Shorts, Belt - More basic, everyday stuff. One pair of my most favourite jeans ever, one pair of shorts and one more belt (this one works with jeans and looks cute with dresses too). 

Tees - Two tees, too easy. 

Then just add a few pairs of hard working shoes (flats, heels, flip flops - stop), minimal toiletries (more on that later) and a backpack with all your gadgets (laptop, camera, chargers) and you are good to go! Happy travels!

Jorpins 365 : April Favourites

What a blur April was! It went by so damn quickly for me, I felt like I barely got a grasp on it...was it the same for you? Lots of red last month; unusual for me. But I just can't resist that gorgeous wall; it's just around the corner from us too. There was Hong Kong, and then back in Sydney there was loads of wind and hail and rain - those crazy storms - and swimming in the rain. Some glorious gold shoes, lamingtons and hungry dogs too. And yes, yet more lovely vintage finds! 

You can see all my daily shots here, or follow me on Instagram here.

Death by Doxie : Porch Watch

Outside of eating, the hounds most favourite thing in the world is to sit on the front porch and watch the world go by*. Preferably in the sunshine. And don't they look just adorable doing it? 

No really, it's been a pretty rotten week for the world so please - take a moment to just soak in Ferdi's paws, the way he tucks them in under his chest. And look at those folds in Elfi's little legs. Now breath. Ahhhhh. I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again - hounds make everything better.

*Where 'watch the world go by' means barking your lungs out and spraying spittle all over the steps every five minutes because the nice neighbourly old lady or woman with pram and (previously) sleeping kid or - god forbid - the postman dared to pass within sniffing distance.

My...Sport

I have a feeling those that know me well may have spat their morning cuppa all over their laptop screens when I announced this month's prompt. You see, sport and I have never really got along. You know those people that are a 'natural'? That can be good at any sport within five minutes of picking up a bat, ball or surfboard? Well, I'm the exact opposite of that. (Annoyingly my husband is a natural, just to highlight how very not a natural I am). 

I am terrible, at everything sports related. I have the hand eye coordination of a drunken mole-rat. At school I was always that awkward kid who got picked last for the team. (What kind of sadist invented that whole team picking system, by the way? I would very much like to have some words with them.). PE was torture, plain and simple. 

The school consistently forced me to play team sports, under some misguided notion that it was 'good for me'. But all it did was give me a lifetime of trauma. No really - I just had a horrendous flashback to me playing netball. I'd blocked that out until now. Excuse me while I go into the foetal position for a little while. Ugh.

Netball, softball, soccer, cricket, hockey, swimming, athletics, footy - it was all a humiliating disaster. Well...maybe not all of it. I do have two fond memories of sport at school. 

The first was around year ten, when we decided to start a girls soccer team. We had never played before so we had no expectation of winning. It really was just for fun. I remember playing a round robin, a full day of matches. We lost every game; I think maybe we only scored one goal! It was pouring with rain, which sounds awful but it was wonderful; all that mud to slip and slide about in, on our knees, Elvis style. We had a ball.

A bit later, a few of my friends decided to take over the school hall some lunch times so we could play indoor hockey. We took over the sound system too, and always had something a little bit retro, a little bit rock and roll playing, very loudly. Led Zeppelin was on high rotation at the time, from memory. I was still terrible, I had no skills, but I did have fun. It made me realise sport didn't have to be scary, frightening, humiliating. 

Actually there is one sport I am good at, with thanks to my Austrian step-dad, Erwin - skiing. Erwin loves the mountains, the cold and snow. So from a very young age every winter we'd head to Mount Buller or Falls Creek and spend a week or so skiing. We had lessons up until I was about sixteen, so I learnt proper technique, unlike my husband who is self taught. It's the one thing I can do slightly better than him. Not that I cling to that like a limpet to a rock. Not at all.

I adore skiing. I adore the brisk mountain air, the breathtaking views, the village feel of ski resorts, all the weird equipment and rituals and traditions (the queue jumping dares, the hot chocolates, the games of 500). And that feeling of freedom, being right on the edge of control and danger - pushing yourself, just enough, as you swoosh down the slope. One whiff of diesel fuel and I get excited; I immediately think of the ski lifts. 

Unfortunately you can't just pop your runners on and go for a ski. Especially in Australia it's an expensive and logistically tricky hobby. We don't ski very often these days, but when we do I still love it.

Outside of skiing, my husband goes through phases where he decides we need to do a family activity. When we were living in Hong Kong, that was squash. Since being back in Australia it's been tennis. We haven't played much lately, but for awhile we were playing semi-regular doubles matches with the step-sons as partners. Yes, I'm terrible, but that's okay. And yes, surprisingly, I do actually enjoy it. 

I guess in spite of all those traumatic school sport memories - the ones that make me shiver and sweat in fear - exercise and movement have become a really important part of my life. I discovered yoga about seven years ago and loved it - the feeling of progression and accomplishment, building your strength and flexibility week on week. I love doing hand weights and pilates and a weird mix of other exercises I've pulled off the internet. And, of course, I could walk for days and days. When I don't move, when I don't exercise, I feel terrible - emotionally and physically. Maybe school sport was good for me after all? 

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ps. In all honesty I did not feel like writing this post today. It's been such a sad, grim, heart breaking week. But I made a commitment to do one of these My... posts a month, and to write more, and sometimes writing is just about focussing on the task at hand and getting it done, even when you're feeling bereft of hope. Kindness and compassion and gentleness - that's what I'm seeking out right now, that's what I'm looking for in my corner of the world. I hope you are finding it in yours. x

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The My... posts are a way to get me writing more throughout 2015. There'll be one a month, each with a different My... prompt. You can play along as well, whenever and wherever you want. This month's prompt (April) is My Sport. Next month's prompt (May) is My Travel. Interpret each prompt however you like - a story or a jumble of thoughts, fact or fiction, personal or not. Don't feel too constrained by the months either, if you like a prompt then have a go. And make sure to let me know if you do join in!