Mix & Match

Phew! It has been quite a while since I posted a blog. How in the world did I keep quiet for so long. I'll tell ya...I was sick for a few days...some kind of stomach bug I suppose. And the days that I was feeling well enough to do more than sit on the couch while the kids played nearby, I have been preparing for our family vacation. It's quickly approaching and in actuality, I'm starting to get a little nervous aside from the excitement. I have not had to pack for a family of 5 before and the idea of flying 10 hours with a high-energy toddler is nerve-racking. The plus side is that I will be near family and anything I have forgotten can probably be attained there. :)

Anyway, as promised, I am here to offer personal advice on packing light...as light as possible anyway. Here it's all about the clothes and mixing and matching items in order to provide full outfits for the entire trip without recycling a single put-together look. I took a total of 13 tops and dresses and 6 bottoms for a month-long excursion (thank goodness for washers and dryers at my parents' house :] ). These items included 5 basic tanks in different neutral colors for layering, 3 blouses that fall into the following trends - color blocking, sheer coolness and the chambray shirt. Rounding out the tops and dresses includes a bold cobalt blue dress, a nautical striped maxi dress, a going out dress for church and/or nice dinners out, a scarf vest for layering and an asymmetrical cardigan. The bottoms were a range of shorts, boyfriend jeans, and 1 pair of leggings (one of my staples). Here are those items.

The key to the success of not recycling a single look is the accessories. I chose a few summer must-haves like a straw fedora, a bib necklace, aviator sunglasses, cat eye sunglasses, a light scarf and gold bangles amongst others.

Below are 22 looks that I came up with (not including the night out dress). I used each top 2-3 times and the dresses twice each as they are both bold numbers and would probably be best used at significantly different times of the vacation. I apologize for the white shorts being washed out with the white background. Now 22 days does not complete our vacation, and no I will not be strutting my birthday suit for the remainder of my time there, however I have taken into consideration that I will probably do some shopping especially at my favorite boutiques that I have missed so very much. In fact, I have already sent my best friend to pick a few things I just had to have (in case it wasn't there when I got in :] ). Shh...don't tell the hubby. Hehe.

Seeing as it is summer time, we will probably be spending a lot of time around water. So, I am taking 2 bathing suit tops and 2 bottoms that can also be mixed and matched to create 4 by the water looks. Throw in the sunnies and fedora and we're good to go! I'll be looking for a sarong when I get there. ;)

Now, I will be doing the same for the hubby and children as well. This will definitely be tons lighter than packing a month's worth of clothes for all 5 of us. Our items will be rolled rather than folded and the items that can wrinkle easily or should lay flat will be on top. This will create much more packing space. However, you need to be careful with this because it can cause luggage to be over the airline's weight limits. Besides, we want to save room for anything we may be bringing back home for our visit.

Hope this was helpful and fun. Let me know about your packing adventures and any other recommendations you may have.