Turkish Delights, Part 1: Decor Inspiration

Istanbul is one of the most colorful cities I've been to in my travels. Turks have a long, proud history of creating gorgeous crafts, and Istanbul presents many opportunities to find detailed ceramics, rugs, and textiles.

The city that spans two continents is full of inspiring decor. During my first trip there I toured Topkapi Palace, home to sultans of the Ottoman Empire and their many, many wives (the Harem sometimes held up to 500 people, including 300 women, kids, and eunuchs). While it sounds pretty awful to me (living with two other women was challenging enough!), at least their surroundings were gorgeous! Sections of the palace are covered with ornate Iznik tiles, and I dream of using them to create a backsplash in a kitchen or bathroom one day.

Here I am with my backsplash inspiration!

Domino magazine recently featured the Paris apartment of decorative artists Mehmet and Dimonah Iksel, who have taken the backsplash idea a little too far IMHO:

Purchasing tiles for your home can be done from the comfort of your home - no flight required. Prices can be very expensive depending on size, intricacy of the design, and materials used. Pricier examples are the ones below from Yurdan:

Yurdan also carries less expensive versions, as does Blue Hudson for Tribal Home. The one on the left from Yurdan is $8.50 for a tiny 2" square tile, but the version on the right from Tribal Home is a better value, on sale for $9 for a 8" square tile.

Istanbul has become one of my favorite cities to visit, so this is just the first of what I'm sure will be many posts about this inspirational place!

Don't Mention It: Stylishly Stashing Your Unmentionables

When I was about eleven years old, I had my first embarrassing encounter with airport security. I stood behind my parents anxiously awaiting my bag's arrival through the scanner, praying nothing would encourage the guard to open my purple tote with neon-pink hearts (yes, it's nearly two decades later and like any self-respecting girly-girl, I remember which bag I was carrying). As I reached to grab my tote from the conveyor belt, the guard got to it first and began to unzip it - and I ran.

Ignoring my parents' panicked faces, I tried to get as far away from the embarrassing contents of my bag as possible. I was at an age that Britney Spears may describe as being "not a girl, not yet a woman," and it was not the prospect of airport security finding my teddy bear, but rather a stash of unused maxi pads that I had not so cleverly wrapped in toilet paper, that made me run for the hills. Plain maxi pads in my bag would have been bad enough, but the fact that they were wrapped in toilet paper made the situation appear far, far worse.

Fortunately, such a situation has not happened again. But as airport security worldwide gets tighter, the the odds are higher that your bag will get searched. Every time I go through the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, my bags and I are given the third degree - often leaving the contents on display for travelers all around me. As I have another trip to Israel coming up in a few weeks, I'm on the lookout for a cute and functional way of hiding bras and panties from prying eyes.

But let's start with the other kind of unmentionables that humiliated me all those years ago. Pads are easy to stash in a small cosmetic bag, but tampons are a bit trickier. Here are some stylish options:

These cute cases are from Hippy Chix Shop.

These stewardess, cowgirl, and beach babe cases from Uncommon Goods will hide your femme products.




Customize your own case at http://www.kyledesigns.com/

To hide away your silky (or cottony) little (or big) things, here are the best that I've found.

I love this set from Pack Happy, which includes three bags for lingerie, shoes, and dirty laundry. I've found the best price at Traveling Chic, and am waiting for this color scheme to be restocked (there are other colors available now).

I am VERY happy to have stumbled upon Lapin Vilardi. The two friends who created this line of travel accessories have great taste, and their bags and cases would liven up any set of luggage. Each pattern has several pieces including lingerie, shoe, and laundry bags. Here are my favorites:

I'm a fan of Belle-Hop's feminine travel accessories, including this lingerie wrapper:

Good to Be You has both sexy and sweet bags:

Please don't make the mistake I did at age eleven - seek out something cute to hide your unmentionables and spare yourself embarrassment in the security line!

May I have your card?

My scanner's acting up, so my St. Patrick's Day Special will have to wait. In the meantime, let's talk about one of the most basic and important elements of a business interaction: the humble business card.

In many Asian cultures, there is a special protocol for exchanging business cards. Fortunately I was told of this before meeting my Japanese colleagues for the first time. In Japan, business cards are not carelessly tossed across the conference room table, shoved into your wallet or purse, or jammed in between papers in your briefcase; all of this would be considered quite rude. Instead, business cards are treated with a great deal of respect. Hold the card with both hands, and face your name outward so that your colleague may read it right away. When accepting a card, take it from your colleague with both hands, take a moment to look at it, then put it in a special place right away. Bowing slightly when you do so will help.

So, where to put those cards? I have a black fabric signature "C" Coach business card holder which they don't appear to make anymore. But there are several fun options, and here are a few:

Fun and pink for the girly-girl from Miego:

For the geeky tree-hugger from Eco-Artware:



For the retro-cool, who work in a field where something so tongue-in-cheek would be acceptable, from Anne Taintor:


I love that it says, "Why yes, I am overqualified"!


For the preppy girls, from See Jane Work:






And finally, for the sophisticate, this Luis Vuitton from eLuxury:

Don't stash business cards in your pocket - get a cute case to match your handbag or briefcase.

Can you spare a square?

I must confess: there has been more than one occasion in my life when I could have used an extra square. Few things are more awkward and frustrating than having dropped trou and done your business, only to realize there is either one square, a scrap of a square, or simply no square at all. Perhaps you're too embarrassed to ask your neighbor for a spare, perhaps she rudely declined (as happened to our friend Elaine), or perhaps you're in an airport bathroom in eastern Europe, and your neighbor does not understand a word you're saying.

After several hand gestures under the stall, you manage to acquire a precious square. But in a cruel twist of fate, you realize all too late that the square is nothing like the Quilted Northern, Cottonelle, or even Scott Tissue that you're used to. Oh no - this foreign object rubs like sandpaper on your cheeks. You've just encountered an unfortunate product that Communism left behind.

The rumors are true: I've been to Russia, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The businesses, restaurants, and airports I've spent time in all stock the same brand of t.s. (toilet sandpaper). Oh, it's ever so slightly better than Istanbul where there's often no toilet paper at all in public bathrooms. So said my guidebook, and it was correct.

After running from bathroom to bathroom at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport last summer looking for a stall with at least three squares, I never travel without this ingenious product from the thoughtful developers at Charmin:

I get mine at Target (which has a huge selection of travel-size products), where you can also find Charmin's seat cover to-go pack, which could potentially save you several squares of Charmin t.p.

Be sure to put these in your carry-on, and you'll always have a square - whether you choose to spare one or not.

"The Bachelor" is a bloke!

First real post: Only loosely related to travel. I am off to a great start, huh?

I am a sucker for trashy tv. While I haven't watched every single season of "The Bachelor", I've seen most of them. Including the "Where are they now?" episode that's on at this very moment. The main lure of this new bachelor is that he's British. In fact, in the promo he actually uses the phrase "You make me horny," sounding like a slightly more authentic Austin Powers. As with most past bachelors, he's successful. As with most past bachelors, he's also not that good-looking. But, oh! The accent! Now, when I was 21 and living in England for a semester, I, too, was a sucker for an English accent right off the bat. Most of us American ladies are. My male British friends were quite surprised when I opened my mouth and didn't talk like Cher from "Clueless".

Bottom line: Accents may be sexy at first, but this bachelor is likely just as much of a cad as all of his predecessors. Get past the lilt, and see if there's anything to back it up!

Welcome! Bienvenue! Willkommen! добро пожаловать!

Starting in April, I'll embark on an international trip every month for four months straight, and frankly I need something to do during long layovers. There's only so much work a girl can do in between work, too many sticky magazines on the plane, and one too many lame nights eating at a hotel restaurant by myself. It's time I got a hobby. Well, it's time I got back to doing something I used to enjoy - writing. I'm a bit rusty, so bear with me. It may take a few posts for me to find my "voice" again.



I plan to post weekly reviews of hotels I stay in, airlines I fly, airports I spend hours in, sites I see (when there's time!), travel-themed fashion, home decor, and anything else I can think of. I hope this site becomes part of your daily procrastination!