Packing 101 + Folding tutorial

Hey,

So it appears I lied. {Shock and horror!} I am posting today! And I'm going to give you my tips and tricks and show you how I pack. Bonus--I'm even going to show you the best way to fold anything. So stay tuned. But before anything ... I present to you some random cuteness, in the form of my brother's dog chillin' in my suitcase.

Angel's Tips and Tricks for Packing

1. Start with a packing list a few days in advance, and leave it out somewhere visible to add to as you think of things. {Click HERE for my free packing list printable.} 
2. Make sure you have at least one bottom/top for each day. Choose pieces that mix and match easily.
3. Have a separate bag for toiletries, makeup, shower supplies, and feminine essentials {guys, this probably doesn't apply. sorry.} Then you can just toss them in your suitcase and grab them when you're unpacking.
4. Know what you're packing for. If you're packing for summer, don't bring 4 pairs of jeans "just in case". It's smart to bring one set of warm clothes for a chill evening, but if you start trying to pack for every extreme, your suitcase will be craaaazy overfull.
5. Bring a "carry-on". Even if you're not flying, I always have a separate, medium sized purse/bag with my camera, wallet, books, notebook, iPod, sunglasses, and any other such things. This makes it easy to be entertained in the car AND gives you extra space. 
6. Make sure you've done your laundry! There's nothing worse than going to pack and realizing all your clothes are dirty.
7. One big bag with small bags in it > tons of small bags. It's just a fact. I like knowing that I only have, for example, three things to remember: suitcase, carry-on, violin. Then as long as I've got those, I'm good.
8. Keep a separate stash of travel products. I have a tray in my bathroom where I keep extra toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, lotion, etc. just for travelling. It saves me tons of time!
9. Travel-sized shampoos, conditioners, bodywashes, and even hair gels are not only compact and save you tons of space, they're also super cute. I found all of mine at Superstore, but I think they sell them at dollar stores and, well, pretty much anywhere. If you don't want to spend the money for those, invest in a good set of travel-size bottles {like THESE} and fill them yourself.

That's all I can think of for now...but comment if you have any more packing tips you use!

And now ... prepare yourselves ... it's ...

Folding 101 with Angel and the Great Striped Tanktop! {with pictures :D}

Start with your chosen item of clothing and a decent sized flat space. 

Flip it so that the back of the shirt is facing up and the front is on the ground--like so.

 Now, fold the top part of the tanktop in {or the sleeves, if you're doing a t-shirt/long sleeve} so the garment is a rectangular shape. 

 Now, here comes the really cool part. Did you know -- most of the best folding is always done in thirds? Weird. But true. Things just fold better in thirds. Towels, shirts, pants -- you name it. So we're obviously going to fold it into thirds next! First one third:

And then the other!

It looks kinda like a tube sock. But that's okay, because now we're going to fold it up in thirds again! Thirds, thirds, everywhere...

Isn't that a cute little package? Why yes, yes it is. And in addition to being cute, it's also super compact AND if you fold all of your tanktops/t-shirts this way they'll be almost uniform in size, leaving you with a suitcase that looks oh-so-neat:

 Hope you guys found something of interest here {even if it was just the cute dog}. If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to leave a comment. Anonymous comments are turned on, so don't hold back. Well, maybe if you're really nasty, you could hold back. But seeing as I haven't even gotten one comment yet, I really am desperate to hear anything.

I might not post tomorrow--and if I don't, it'll be goodbye until Saturday!

xoxo
Angel