packing list: Hawaii!

Aloha, friends! By request today we are traveling to the islands of Hawaii for relaxation, adventure and lots of time in the sun. Today's packing list is all about effortlessly chic essentials for the trip that have you looking and feeling your best the entire trip and most importantly, not overthinking the packing list!  

Here’s my easy tips for packing for Hawaii:

 Breezy and Versatile Dresses

Think light, flowy, and neutral. A simple yet elegant maxi dress in airy fabrics is perfect for transitioning effortlessly from a relaxed beach day to a casual dinner. Plus, I added a a simple drawstring dress for an effortless, ready-to-go look.

Island Ready Swimwear & Coverups

Pack a classic one-piece swimsuit or two that you can easily pair with a beautiful swim cover up for the beach or pair with shorts for a day of adventures. This summer neutral and earthy tones are super popular and they are so easy to wear too!

Easy Tops & Bottoms

I chose a couple of versatile tops that can mix and match easily for coffee runs or the farmers market. This finely knit tank and a classic linen top will keep you cool and stylish.  And you know I love neutral colors because they mix and match seamlessly while traveling. I included a few pairs of utility style shorts for waterfall visits, zip lining or brunch.

Easy and Laidback Shoes

Comfort meets style with a pair of chic sneakers for island adventures and some elegant sandals for laid-back beach days. Practical, yet polished!

 Mom Friendly Accessories

A woven handbag for carrying your essentials like sunscreen and sunglasses and a sleek satchel for hands-free adventures are the only two bags you need to keep your packing list minimalist!

I hope you enjoy every moment of island paradise! Mahalo and safe travels! Plus, stay tuned for more packing lists coming this summer and you can check out all past packing lists here!

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packing list: Paris & London!

By request I'm pulling together packing inspiration for all of your travels this summer! When I polled you all I found out that you guys are traveling to LOTS of amazing locales this summer. Wow, I'm jealous! Today we are chatting Paris & London since these two locations were by far the most popular. These cities are usually a little "dressier" than other vacation locations and so I pulled together lots of sophisticated neutrals that mix and match easily for whatever adventure the day brings! Plus, I made sure there were some simple layers too since the weather can be a little all over the place in London and Paris for summer. Sometimes the weather can be incredibly warm which is where linen shorts and pants and dresses work great and sometimes it can be chilly or gloomy where a linen blazer and jeans will be great to have on hand.  

I hope you love this European packing list to Paris & London and be sure to scroll down for lots of outfit inspirations too! Safe travels and bon voyage!

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what to pack: beach vacation!

 I'm continuing my summer "what to pack" series here on the blog today with a what to pack for a beach vacation. From South Florida, to Caribbean islands, Hawaii or the Bahamas... when I polled you for the places you were visiting this summer there were lots of islands and warm tropical places on the list. Here's a super fun packing list for super warm and sunny days spent by the ocean!

chambray tiered dress, brown sandals, white espadrilles, floral swim top & bottom, stripe beach shirt cover up, navy strapless dress, white denim shorts, blue pocket shorts, striped tee, white tank, straw tote, sun hat, shell necklace, Turkish towels, navy crochet cardigan

what to pack: European trip!

 I'm back with a new 'what to pack' post today! I had A LOT of requests for what to pack for Europe this summer. There are a lot of you headed to specifically London and Paris for European adventures. I pulled together lots of comfortable pieces that mix and match easily and also pack easily. I went for pieces that will look pulled together for dining, shopping, museums and tours. Paris and London are very stylish cities and while it's not necessary to be 'dressed up' all day these pieces will help you feel pulled together.  London and Paris can have more mild summer weather so I included some lightweight pieces and some layers too. 

Other item you might want to add (that I ran out of room here for) include maybe a pair of white jeans, perhaps a dressier dinner shoe (heel or sandal) and a denim jacket or blazer if you wanted more layering options. This list is by no means exhaustive, but a good place to start! 

stripe top, straight leg jeans, tiered maxi skirt, white button front top, blue & white dress, beige maxi dress, black slim fit tee, cross body bag, black pull on shorts, velcro sneakers, birkenstocks, v-neck sweater, black linen pants, brown tank, sweater jacket, striped tie waist blouse

what to pack: weekend at the lake!

This past weekend I asked on Instagram Stories for packing list requests for summer travel. WOW! You all are going to some FABULOUS locations this summer and I will be working on lots of packing lists for lots of fun destinations throughout May and June... I can't wait to share more.

Today's packing list was for a popular destination... from Lake Travis to Up North Michigan to lakeside in Wisconsin. There were lots of requests for a lake life weekend. Especially with Memorial Day Weekend coming up lots of families will be heading to cottages and cabins for the long weekend. Today I pulled together the ultimate lakeside weekend packing list. Simple shorts and tops that mix and match well alongside some sweats for evening bonfires or chilly morning coffees on the deck. 

floral dress, baseball cap, denim shorts, button sweatshirt, striped t-shirt, one shoulder swimsuit, birkenstock sandals, sneakers, pull on shorts, chambray top, white jeans, canvas tote, sunglasses, half zip sweatshirt & sweatshorts, gold necklace

what to pack: weekend at the lake!

Summer in Michigan means always seeking out the water on the weekends! If you are headed out for a little summer weekend at the lake like our family did last weekend I pulled together the dream packing list. Shorts, tees, tanks, sweatshirts, slides and sneakers make for an effortless weekend packing list for boating, heading to the beach, enjoy brunch and evening campfires. 

denim shorts, beige tank, green sweatshirt, pull on short, stripe swimsuit, slide sandals, gingham top, canvas tote, sneakers, floral dress, hat, belt bag, v-neck tee, studded shoulder bag, sunglasses, stripe towels, travel skincare minis

what I'm packing for a beach vacation!

 We are headed out on a family beach vacation... be sure to follow me on Instagram to catch up with all our activities and my outfits in real-time. I'm super eager to spend some quality time with the family at the beach.  Not to mention taking a week off from sports, making dinner and the general craziness of a household with two teens. Beach vacations are always my favorite - I can't wait to catch up on reading, swim in the ocean and sleep in. Today I'm chatting up the items I plan on packing... this doesn't include the 20 +/- items I will throw in last mintue. Haha! I always try to pack minimally, but it rarely works. So this is the majority of what I am packing... I'm really hoping to stick to this tight group of items.

I will say my biggest packing "hack" is choosing a color scheme and packing around that theme. For this trip I chose lots of blues and white. I also added in a few black pieces as well. Choosing a few colors to work around make getting dressed when you arrive super easy - everything will mix and match so easily without having to plan a lot of specific 'outfits' for the trip. 

Clothing from left to right: 

black caftan cover-up/dress, runs big, I went down a size. I thought this was only a cover up at first but the description says it's a dress (I should learn to read!) and after trying it on I can confirm it would work for both! So it's great to pack for vacation because it can do double duty for beach or a dinner out.

white linen top (or similar), runs maybe a little big, I wear a 2 that fits like a small. Also love this for dinners or breakfast out or as a cover up.

blue linen top, runs big, I wear a 0 and it's still roomy. Another piece that does double duty - works as a shirt or a swim cover up!

striped oxford, runs a little big. Not to sound like a broken record but I love when a top like this can be worn multiple ways on vacation. Wear with white jeans for dinner or over a swimsuit to ride bikes to the beach.

blue tank, true to size, an easy piece for grabbing coffee/smoothies or patio dining.

white tank, true to size, these are awesome and SO soft. Perfect for super hot afternoons.

blue/white stripe blouse, true to size, this has family dinner out written all over it. Cute and a little dressy, but still easy to wear!

linen tee, I went up a size for a slouchier fit,  another great lightweight piece for hot days.

navy cardigan, true to size, perfect for sunsets or overly air-conditioned spaces. I always like to have a few layering options packed. This will work great over a tank or tee or a dress for dinner, if needed.

CREW sweatshirt, true to size, I just HAD to have this fun retro inspired sweatshirt, it looks like a throwback from the 80's or 90's and I love it!

white jeans, runs a little big, I went with my smaller size, yes it will be warm and jeans are very optional, but I like the option.

blue denim shorts, runs big, I went with my usual size for a slouchy fit, perfect for riding bikes, grabbing lunch or breakfast or hanging on the porch.

white denim shorts, I go with my bigger size for more room, a vacation staple!

black gauze shorts, true to size, these make for a great swim cover up but also work for around town too. They are super lightweight so perfect on HOT days.

white dress, true to size, give me all the dresses for dinners out!

black dress, true to size, this one doubles as a great option for dinner out or as a swim cover up.

striped dress, true to size, so cute and summery and also works for over swim or for brunch.

patterned dress, true to size, perfect for sunsets and dinners out.

Shoes from left to right: 

braided rope slides

black woven slides

double strap jellies

birkenstocks

Accessories:

hat, tote

(I'll also throw in some type of small purse, 

what to pack: summer vacation!

I know I am SUPER excited for a family vacation this summer... I think many people feel the same right about now. Our family is ready to shed the stress of this past school year and spend some quality time together at the beach. We are literally counting down the days in our house... not kidding, the countdown is on our white board! When I pack for a trip to the beach I like to pack as minimally as possible since I plan to spend most of my time in a swimsuit and the rest of the time in a cute outfit for dinner. To keep things simple I always pick a compact color scheme. For this packing inspiration I chose pink and blue with a few light blues and a few dark blues. Keeping with a color scheme keeps everything easy to mix and match and then I like to chose pieces that can serve multiple purposes... a dress can be for dinner or for over a swimsuit. A linen blouse can same, be worn for brunch reservations or as a swim cover up when your skin needs a break from the sun. I usually try to pack one larger tote for beach or shopping and a smaller clutch to put in and out of the beach bag or on it's own for dinner. 

sweat shorts, sweatshirt, denim shorts, striped dress, sandals, white jeans, printed swim cover up, one shoulder swimsuit, gingham bikini top & bottom, monogram tote, stripe clutch, woven sandals, button front tank, linen blouse, pink tank, sunglasses, bracelet, shell necklace

spring break packing list!

Okay - first off... I KNOW travel is a touchy subject right now, some people feel comfortable with it and others just do not.  This is NOT me saying you should take a spring break - I'm just saying... I've had lots of requests for spring break packing ideas and when I polled on my instagram stories whether I should do a spring break post the majority of my followers there said yes. If you ARE going on spring break, this is a great start for some packing ideas. If you are NOT going on spring break these are great pieces for spring and summer weather.

Whether or not you are traveling this spring I always feel like what I buy for spring break (or this time of year in general) is the majority of what warm weather wear that I buy for the entire year. So shorts, sandals, tanks and dresses that I buy now will be worn all summer long or for future warm weather travel. 

Simple basics that mix and match easily are always my go-to for packing. But also for my entire closet... lots of these pieces work great worn multiple ways. From shorts that double as a swim cover up to a mom friendly look for outdoor activities, a dress that can be worn for a picnic dinner or over a swimsuit for the day or a sweatshirt that can be worn for sunsets or in over air conditioned spaces. All these pieces are super versatile and FUN for spring and summer!

sandals, chambray shorts, coral sweatshirt, floral swimsuit, navy ruffle sleeve dress, belted shirt dress, white jeans, pink tank, striped tee, sneakers, white dress, sun hat, straw bag, la riviera tee

what I packed for our weekend beach trip!

My husband and I just got back from a weekend at the beach and before we left I carefully planned my packing list and my outfits to keep my suitcase under control and as organized as possible. Before I left I snapped quick photos of each look which I later found to be SUPER helpful. When I'm on vacation I want to relax as much as possible and even having my outfits picked out before hand was super helpful. I already knew what I was going to wear!  I ended up wearing MOST of these outfits but since the weather was a little cooler than what we hoped it would be, some outfits didn't get worn at all. In addition, I threw in a few extra pieces last minute that aren't shown here but that ended up getting worn a lot, mostly due to the cooler temps.

Here is the full list of what I packed....

white jeans (I went down a size, you could maybe even go down 2 sizes)

denim shorts (I went up a size)

striped top (now 29% off! true to size)

lightweight sweater (true to size)

grey tank (true to size)

eyelet top (true to size)

black dress (true to size)

leopard swim (now 29% off! true to size)

white shirt coverup (I went down a size, available here or here)

black high waisted bikini top & bottom (true to size)

denim jacket (true to size)

sweatsuit top & bottom (now 29% off! I went down a size in the pants and true top size in top)

And other items I packed but that aren't shown...

these jeans (I wore them on the last night and the flight home)

black v-neck tee (I wore this beneath the sweatsuit on the way there and on the flight on the way home)

black sweater blazer

this dress in black

Let's take a look at the outfits...

(above) I wore this outfit with sandals to dinner one night, unfortunately I didn't wear these shoes at all on the trip. I was just in a sandal mood I guess. I also added this sweater blazer because the evenings were chilly!

shop the look: striped top, white jeans, mules, clutch

(above) I loved this look for sunset dinner one evening. This lightweight sweater with a denim jacket over top was perfect! 

shop the look: lightweight sweater, white jeans, sandals, similar circle bag

(above) Unfortunately it was just a touch too cool to wear these shorts... I've been dying to wear them, but I guess they will have to wait for now! But I did wear this eyelet top with jeans to dinner on our final night. I just adore this top!

shop the look: denim shorts, eyelet top, Birkenstocks, similar circle bag

(above) Shorts and a tank were just not warm enough for this trip. But this is a cute look I will try to wear another time. So simple! 

shop the look: grey tank, denim shorts, sandals, hat

(above) This swim suit is new and I LOVE it! I've tried a few high waist swim suits and I think the trick to making it look flattering is choosing a black one. 

shop the look: cover up here or here, bikini top & bottom, sandals, hat

(above) I have had this swimsuit in black for years... it's one of the most comfortable swimsuits I own. When I saw this leopard pattern I fell in love. It's bold but not too crazy and I loved wearing it!

shop the look: cover up here or here, leopard swim, sandals, hat

(above) I just LOVE this black dress but unfortunately it didn't get worn this trip. I had hoped to wear it to dinner but it was just too cool by that time of day. No worries! It will get worn plenty this spring/summer!

shop the look: black dress, clutch, sandals

(above) I knew this sweatsuit would be perfect for travel when I found it and it did not disappoint. It was perfect for a very, very early flight. I was so comfortable and still felt stylish in it!

shop the look: sweatsuit top & bottom, denim jacket, sneakers or similar less expensive

what to pack: summer weekend away!

Summer is the best time for weekend road trips and vacations! This past weekend I headed to Nashville for a few days to visit a friend and as I was pulling together the very few items I was packing I thought it would be fun to document what I planned to take. I don't know about you but usually my packing plans change hourly until I finally get on the plane and this trip was no different - but in general, this is what I plan to pack. I kept it REALLY SIMPLE with just a few tops, a dress, a jacket, two bottoms and two pairs of shoes.  I can be a terrible over-packer, so this is very minimal for me!

Whenever I pack for any trip I like to try to go with a general theme or mostly neutrals to make outfits easy to pull together. As long as everything mixes and matches together it will be easy to come up with lots of outfits from just a few pieces.

Since I'm traveling to see a friend and her small kids I kept the pieces really casual, it will be a lot of hanging out in the backyard and maybe a few casual meals out. So casual and machine washable is key! Let's take a look at the pieces and then I put together a few outfits out of all the pieces too!

above: black t-shirt dress, camo jacket, sneakers, white jeans, sandals, striped tee, black tank, 'le weekend' tee, denim shorts (shown below, belt bag & tote)

what I'm packing for spring break!

Our spring break is a little later than others... so I am hoping this will still be inspiring to you, but I thought I would pull together what I am packing on spring break this year. Let's be honest I hope to be in my swimsuit as MUCH as possible but I will need some clothes for dining out, sightseeing, etc. I am trying to pack as lightly as possible - isn't easy for me - but it's so frustrating to go on vacation and realize you only wore about 25% of what you packed.  It's definitely a common occurrence for me though - anyone else?  This of course isn't my FINAL, FINAL packing list because of course I will end up changing my mind a few more (million) times. But this is the general idea...

I'll be posting plenty on Instagram while I am away so be sure check there for outfits and other fun behind the scenes stuff!

When I pack for trips I like to organize my outfits a round a color theme to make mixing and matching outfits really easy.  In general I mostly wear neutrals, so this isn't too much of a stretch but for this trip I chose black, white and denim/chambray.  Again, I hope to be in swimsuits most of the time - so some of these pieces will serve as swim cover ups too.  Easy dresses are perfect for dinners out and swim cover ups. While shorts and tees and tanks make for great outfits for sightseeing or grabbing breakfast. The key here is that the pieces are comfortable and casual while still being pulled together.

shop the pieces from left to right: utility jacket, denim jacket, similar striped dress, ruffle dress, cream cardigan, linen sweater, grey v-neck tee, white short sleeve henley, black ruffe top, white v-neck tee, chambray cami, white jeans, black linen pants, white denim shorts, blue denim shorts, similar circle straw bag, leopard sandals, pink sandals, black sandals, basket clutch, hat

Here are a few outfits I pulled together in advance... 

above: A lightweight jacket is perfect for chilly mornings or sunsets or in case of a little rain. This sun hat is definitely going to be used to guard against sunburn and messy hair (wink, wink). Otherwise this outfit is just your basics: jeans shorts and a t-shirt with sandals.

above: A simple t-shirt dress is perfect for throwing on over a swimsuit... this one is old but here is a similar option. I love it paired with leopard print sandals and a denim jacket for running to the grocery store quick or heading out for lunch.  I'll bring a few easy vacation-y handbags for the times I don't throw everything in a beach bag (this circle tote is old, but here is a similar option!)

above: White jeans ALWAYS go in my suitcase since while I love shorts I also want a break from time to time. This look is perfect for watching the sunset or dinner out. This black ruffle top is so cute and such a great price and again, a hat is always great for covering the beach hair. I have a feeling these leopard sandals are going to get a lot of wear not only on this trip, but all spring and summer!

above: A little chambray tank is perfect for pulling over a swimsuit or for outdoor dining while on vacation. Since I'm not planning on bringing a lot of shoes or handbags these will get lots of wear!

above: I wore these linen pants a lot while in Florida and the same will go for spring break. They are so easy to throw on and look way dressier than they feel. Paired with a white t-shirt and pink sandals they are perfect for bopping around the island.

above: I always like to pack a lightweight sweater for a chilly morning or evening - or that point where my skin has had too much sun (could that even be a thing!?!). This linen sweater is so soft and perfect for those times. I'll be wearing lots of denim shorts and this white pair is so stretchy and comfortable! And while this little basket bag isn't very "packable" it's so perfect for vacation I just have to find a way to sneak it in!

Of course these are just a FEW of the outfit combinations that are possible with these pieces... really there are SO many possibilities!

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