Home Decor
Eliza
How I Made DIY Book Ledges: No Power Tools ...

I recently made some custom book ledges for my daughter’s room and both she and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Best of all? They couldn’t have been any easier. Read on to see what a couple of craft boards and some wood glue can get you!

How I Made DIY Book Ledges: No Power Tools Required!
Home Decor
Eliza
All the Nursery Sources

Here is an update on how the nursery came together, with all the linkable sources in one place!

All the Nursery Sources
Home Decor
Eliza
Nursery Progress

We are into Week 3 of the One Room Challenge where we are turning our guest room into a nursery for our baby girl due in January!

Before we started this Nursery adventure, I had already planned on this week being a bit of an easy one, because we snuck in a little babymoon in Los Angeles! We relaxed, saw some sites, and ate very well! Now, back to the Nursery ORC! Knowing that we were going to be out of town this week, we planned to spend this week placing orders. This way, we could be sure that nothing arrived while we were out of town!

Nursery Progress
Home Decor
Eliza
Nursery Pivot and Closet Update

Week 2 of the One Room Challenge is upon us and I’ve been getting. stuff. done. (Or at least as much as my 6-month-pregnant body will allow!

My mind has been on overdrive recently, and as a result, I’ve been revising my original nursery design plan and truly diving into exactly how I envision each piece functioning. First, let’s talk about this pivot in design…

Nursery Pivot and Closet Update
Home Decor
Eliza
Nursery inspiration

This fall I am transforming one of our guest rooms into a nursery, as Baby Girl is due in January! The overall mood I’m going for in here is elevated neutral with pops of soft color. I’m not looking for an overly baby-themed room…let’s be honest, the baby won’t care what this room looks like! But if I’m going to possibly be spending late nights rocking her to sleep in there, I want it to be pleasing to me and my overall aesthetic! As she gets older and develops her own little personality, I’m sure this room will transform along with her evolving tastes, so I’ll be making design changes with that in mind.

Nursery inspiration

Planning

Perspective for 2018

Perspective for 2018

While closing out 2017, we have enjoyed taking some time to reflect on the past and to set new goals for the future. Our little-blog-that-could has been growing steadily -- it's about a year and a half old, and while we continue to try new things and balance the blog with our daily lives, it's exciting to invision where this all might take us as we keep working on this labor of love.

This year brought some really exciting adventures our way. But you know what's even more exciting? Thinking about all that's to come in 2018!

Without further ado, here is a look back at our 2017

How to sleep when traveling (or really anytime)

How to sleep when traveling (or really anytime)

I came to a (probably crazy and completely sleep-deprived) realization at 3:58 AM: maybe I'm permanently stuck on the European timezone?!

Now, stay with me...I am a terrible sleeper. I fall asleep around 10:00 PM only to wake up thinking that it MUST be just minutes before my alarm goes off. I glance at the time only to realize that it's 11:30 PM. 😳

My day-to-day sleep tips may be helpful to others -- either while traveling or in general.

How to be a kickass godmother (just add travel)

How to be a kickass godmother (just add travel)

I came to the realization that for me, experiences are more important than giving her toys, games, clothes, or other material goods for my young goddaughter. (Don't get wrong though, I can't help but spoil her occasionally with such things!) I decided that for the most part, in lieu of material gifts as she grows up, I will tuck away money each time she celebrates a birthday or holiday, and when she's older, we will use those tucked away funds to take a trip together.

My Why

My Why

spiration is a funny thing, isn't it? It's what awoke me at 2:30am just now and is propelling this flow of words onto the page. It rears its strong head and the only thing I can do is ride it out and see where it takes me.

I've loved to write since I was a little girl. At some point I realized that writing is just a written form of talking and as soon as I made that connection, nothing could hold me back.

I love to write simply. Yet my mind is a complicated place. And I sort of love that tension. The best place for that tension to take hold is when I get lost writing about travel.

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Why a staycation is (sometimes) good for the soul

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Why a staycation is (sometimes) good for the soul

I recently quit my 9-5 job and am so excited to start a new opportunity next week! 

Being the traveler that I am, my initial thought when I knew I'd have some free time between jobs was: where should I travel during this down time? 

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I needed a staycation. I needed time to breathe, transition, and recharge before the start of my new position.

This was a very foreign feeling to me. My general M.O. is "give me an inch (of PTO), and I'll take (several hundred) miles (to squeeze in some travel)!"

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The experience of traveling: Munich airport

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The experience of traveling: Munich airport

I'm a User Experience Designer by day, meaning I create and improve online experiences so they are as smooth and intuitive as possible. I draw from my background in marketing and psychology, along with my love of empathizing and listening to people. And to be honest, I love what I do!

As might be expected, I often find overlap between my two passions, travel and UX. I notice travel-related experiences that are top notch, as well as those that are frustrating, too. Either way, I naturally want to analyze what could make them better. Through this series of blogs, I'll be bringing the idea of Travel UX to light.

Today, I'm starting on a high note with the Munich airport, where I found a little gem that was so simple, yet effective. I'm talking about the departure monitors.

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Getting Prepped for Takeoff -- Our Weekend Before Departure To Dos

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Getting Prepped for Takeoff -- Our Weekend Before Departure To Dos

Do you remember the commercial years ago of a little kid the night before his trip to Disney? It contains the tagline that my friends and I still quote to this day: "We're too excited to sleep!"

You guys, this is us right now because we are headed back to Italy this week! And you should follow along on our journey! To say we're excited is an understatement. 

So what are the Flâneurs up to the weekend before departure? Well, besides not sleeping, getting prepped! Here are our top steps to getting prepared for departure.

The 6 Best Books About Italy

The 6 Best Books About Italy

I love reading about Italy, I love reading books set in Italy, I just love Italian culture. But I must say, it's not always easy to find engaging, well-written books that sweep me off my feet in this genre. I've done the legwork for you, and here, I outline the top books I've come to love over the years that have an Italian twist.

Beautiful Ruins

You know those books that you don't want to end? This was one of them for me.

This little work of fiction had elements of real life (i.e., Elizabeth Taylor), that mingled with made-up towns near Cinque Terre. 

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