Travelling? Tips On How To Nail Your Luggage Woes

Remember when I told you how crummy I am at packing? When we went away at Easter I packed so many woolly pieces, thoroughly convinced it was going to be chilly - and instead it wasn't. I ended up wearing a couple of t-shirts and jeans the entire time, and ignoring the warmer pieces. 

Told you I sucked.

Which is why I've asked three awesome women to share their Holy Grail of packing tips with us today.

Jennifer Loiselle - Australian born, UK based handmade accessories designer:

1. I’m a horrific over-packer (think 6 pairs of shoes for a one week holiday) so I’ve recently learnt to lay everything I intend to take and halve it. Definitely pack light – it also means you can fill up your suitcase with holiday purchases on the way back!

2. Ziplock bags – I’m obsessed with them. All make-up, shampoos, sunblock, goes into these and means that I avoid any messy accidents.

3. Travelling with my 5 year old daughter recently in China who became quite ill has made me realise that I need to bring any medication I can with me. She had a very high temperature and the language barrier made it difficult to communicate what we needed which meant a very expensive trip to an American clinic!

Jasmin Lethbridge - Hair Stylist from Desmond and Molly Jones: 

1. Only take your fave outfits that you know you look awesome in... I always create and pack outfits that I never wear normally and end up lugging them everywhere and suprise suprise they never get worn!! The same jeans can easily be worn 4/5 days in a row. 

2. Check the shoe situation. I always get caught out with wrong shoes i.e summer shoes and it'll rain..cold tootsies not good! 

3. Pack any creams/oils in a ziplock bag. Have had a science experiment happen in my toiletries bag before!

4. Get a medication box with all of the partitions to keep your jewels in.

Extra tip! If any beloved stuffed toys/blankets are coming along make sure first thing packed. No explanation needed!

Founder of toxin-free beauty e-tailer Nourished Life, Irene Falcone:

1. Get into layering with your favourite clothing staples – try Bamboo clothing, which is virtually wrinkle free and can be layered for extra warmth or warn along. The Bamboo is a great breathable fabric so perfect for all seasons.

2. Leave the bulky skin care products at home and pack the multipurpose basics! Think facial wipes, which generally come in an easy travel pack and can save you plenty of time (Wot Not do a great wipe that works as a cleanser, toner, exfoliated and eye makeup remover in 1). Also look at investing in an “Everything Balm” if you’re going somewhere cold - The Egyptian Magic is the perfect multipurpose balm which can be used for hydrating and protection for your entire body.

3. Pack the Coco-Lyte dried coconut sachets which you can add to water anywhere for an instant energy and hydration boost without having to carry around bottles of water.
  

Yo Mama! An Interview With Jennifer Loiselle

Life is funny how it dishes things up. Kooky even. Once upon a time, perhaps three or so years ago, I posted about some fabulous earrings I had discovered on Etsy. I loved them so much, and wanted to share them. 

A day after that post I received an email from Jennifer Loiselle. Creator of the earrings I was salivating over. She was emailing me to tell me we knew each other. And that she'd married, changed her surname (which was why I didn't initially twig) and was now in my inbox. And indeed, we did know each other. Jennifer had been working at The Sydney Morning Herald's (sadly) now defunct Good Living fashion pages. I worked in PR. We chatted quite often. And when she left our bonny shores, I distinctly remember feeling a pit of sadness that a kindred spirit was now a bit further away.

This, my friends, is serendipity.

So it's with pleasure that I serve up for you, an interview with the beautiful, intelligent and super creative talent behind the eponymous jewellery label - Jennifer Loiselle. 

PMM: When and why did you make the move to the UK?

JL: I moved to the UK 8 years ago (almost to this day!). Before that I had been working and backpacking through India and before that living in Tokyo . I had big time wanderlust in my 20s and that very Antipodean need to travel.

You started your professional life as a stylist, how did you make the transition to creating jewellery? 

I was a fashion journalist and assistant stylist at the Sydney Morning Herald, so I think I've always had a creative eye, even if it wasn't as hands on as what I'm doing now. Much later I went on to  study footwear design at Cordwainers college in London but after that took a sideways step and ended up as  creating content at a fashion website for a while. When I was pregnant with my daughter I went on maternity leave and felt like I needed a creative outlet of some kind  and had a real urge to  create something with my hands. I initially started crafting and making headbands for myself to jazz up my maternity wardrobe(!!), then started getting requests from friends and the occasional fashion blogger and then started selling them on etsy which was actually a great way to start a small business and test out products. The jewellery line came from there - it was all pretty pretty organic.

In my (humble and non-pro) experience, getting crafty can be therapeutic. But getting crafty when the smalls are around can be - er - difficult. How do you manage it? 

Oh super difficult, but I made a decision early on to make sure that my daughter was in some kind of of part time childcare from when she was quite tiny, even if it was just for a few hours a week (for my sanity, really) so I've always had some time to myself from early on - plus I spend a lot of my night hours making jewellery.  She's also  been taught from a very young age that she's not allowed to go near mummy's "work stuff" that's scattered all over the house - in fact when other kids come over to play, she gets very territorial about my things! 

As a mum, what are your tips to manage the juggle of work - and home-life?

It's hard work and I don't always feel like I get the balance right! I think trying to make sure that work doesn't bleed into home life too much, that you set aside proper time for family and that there are strict boundaries (I have a huge problem with this as I work from home). 

Where do you seek inspiration?  

London - so many museums and galleries, more exhibitions than it's possible to keep up with and it's full of incredibly creative people and genuinely original talents - I'm very lucky to live here!

What's been the highlight of your career to date?  

I still get a huge thrill seeing my designs on people I don't know in the street, it's a real buzz; way more exciting than any press endorsement.

What's next for Jennifer Loiselle?

I try not to plan too far ahead but more of the same but on a bigger scale and working towards reaching a bigger audience but still maintaining my strictly hand made to order ethos.

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Jen has recently launched her new website - don't take my word for it - it's a visual haven for those who love beautiful and unique pieces that will be treasured for a lifetime. 

Shop here in time for Christmas!

This is the first of my Yo Mama! series - interviews with creative working mamas.  Look out for them weekly.