Stumbled Upon | Edition 7
Christmas Markets, Fall Wear, & Gear Upgrade
Coucou, as we say in French — a little hi from this corner of the internet.
The official countdown is on: 2.5 weeks before we depart for over 2 months. We’ve switched gears this week to start prepping for the trip after wrapping up a few final projects in the new house, completing a campaign in Vail, Colorado, and taking a family getaway to Sea Ranch, where I celebrated turning 35 (what a whirlwind!) this week.
> peep the first Vail reel here, y’all, I want to go back with the fam, it felt like I was in Switzerland!!
On the home front, I don’t think I’ve appreciated just how much goes into crafting a new space. Our former home was fully dialed in the last 2 years, and this new home is a blank canvas. We’ve had to do a bit more nuts & bolts work than initially anticipated after discovering a few minor things. But feels good to have done a few visual upgrades like refinishing floors, painting the interiors, and managing to get the banquette bench installed in the dining room. We will pick back up later in the year.
Top of mind as I sit at my computer most evenings — no doubt finishing touches on the first portion of the Europe trip with last-minute reservations, as well as starting to deep dive into Rome. A city that feels very overwhelming in terms of reservations, planning, and decisions.
For BT, I’ve been updating our European Christmas market posts. This last week, a Cologne, Germany-specific guide went out, alongside a curated European Christmas Market Itinerary that combines all of the best markets in a thoughtful road trip itinerary. If you’re considering doing the markets, now is the time to start booking your hotel reservations. The Colmar and Strasbourg guides are good starting points, too, if visiting the Alsace region.
Alright, here’s what I’ve been stumbling upon these last few weeks…
New on Unpacked this week:
Travel: All Gear Upgrade
I completely changed out all travel gear for this coming trip. We had most of our travel gear for well over 10 years, and our daughter is older now, so it was time to upgrade a few things, like the stroller/car seat/travel bag. So here’s what I upgraded:
2 Away Large checked bags / (I tested it out in Vail/Sea Ranch, and confirmed my love for this luggage line)
Ergobaby Metro 3 Compact Baby Stroller / our previous one was becoming too flimsy to carry our nearly 40-pound toddler. After several rave reviews, plus fits in the overhead, we upgraded to the Ergobaby. Also recommend the carry bag + support bar.
Wayb Pico Travel Carseat / daughter outgrew her usual rear-facing car seat, which we loved for years for travel, and I’m excited to give this gifted car seat a spin on our two-month trip.
The Getaway Bag by No Reception Club / for all toddler gear on plane, I’ve changed out our usual diaper bag for something with more storage to hold food/toys/clothes. I love the organizational cubes!
Travel News: A Chic California Wine Country Getaway
As we get into late summer, it feels like travel news has been slowing down. The one hotel opening that caught my eye was the new Le Petit Pali Hotel in St Helena Wine Country. It’s under development, so I’m keeping tabs for when this gem will open — hoping for all the cottage core that the Le Petit brand always brings.
Recipes to Love: Prepped Meals
Our close friends had a baby this last week, and something I love gifting is a handful of meals. I’ll never forget when our close friends dropped off a week of meals for us (Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner), it’s something that has stayed with me for years. So this week I prepped a handful of dishes to drop off at once, and had me thinking, why not do this for the house too? The recipes I made and will be making again:
Fashion: Early Fall Jackets
It dawned on me last week that our trip runs into early-mid fall in Tuscany, so I’ll need to pack a jacket or two. I wanted a few that felt transitional between the islands and then into Florence and Tuscany. I dug around for a day or two, and finally landed on three very packable summer-to-fall transitional jackets from Massimo Dutti. I always forget how great Massimo is — :
Lightweight Short Quilted Jacket (perfect fall coat!!)
Embellished Crochet Cardigan (perfect for island nights)
High Neck Linen Bomber (good layering option for fall)
For the Home: Linen Update
I had been keeping our linens updated for when we moved, needing a refresh on towels and a set of new bath rugs. We’ve historically done Parachute for towels, but thought I’d branch out this go — I went with the Cloud-Loft Towels from Garnet Hill and snagged a set during their sale. They’re heavenly, absorb and dry much quicker, and are worth it (wait for the sales!!). For bathroom rugs, I did these jute Havenhurst Handwoven mats in ivory from the Jake Arnold Collection for Lulu and Georgia. They’re soft to the touch, great for under the sink.