Idea Exchange- Staple Travel Cosmetic Bag Using Samples

I feel compelled to do some sort of "organizational" type blog posting today in honor of the fresh start to 2011. I must admit to you that I feel absolutely no spark or passion for "organizing" as a hobby, or even slight interest for that matter. I know that there is this whole "sub-genre" of blogs (cults) dedicated completely to creatively organizing- lives, stuff, things, etc... As obsessive as I am, and as obsessive as organizing is, it surprises me that this "sub-area" has failed to obsess me... Even in the least... Which leads me to my point here??

Anyway.. Stick with me here...

I do have an organizational little tidbit to offer to you today but this brilliant idea is not mine. This idea comes from my friend Sharon who is my regular travel compadre. It never fails, everytime Sharon and I take a trip, I'll ask her for some obscure item and like magic, she produces it from some leopard print bag of tricks. Turns out, Sharon went out and bought a clear cosmetic hanging travel bag and made herself a "staple cosmetic bag" using all the samples that she has accumulated with cosmetic "gift with purchases" and other samples that we all accumulate here and there. This bag stays ready for her next adventure and never has to be unpacked and she just grabs it on her way out the door. Brilliant!














Sharon took all of her samples including cosmetic, skincare and medicine samples and organized them neatly in each compartment in her new cosmetic bag. She also takes all of her perfume samples out of the designer packaging and puts them in little bags, so she has a choice of fabulous fragrances on her trips. On a side tidbit, when she does buy her cosmetics and skincare, she always asks for extra samples of her regular products so she has samples of her regular cosmetic staples in addition to fun new stuff.

The last thing she did when making her staple travel bag was she went to the drug store and bought travel sizes of the things she didn't have samples of including ear plugs, a miniature lint roller brush, deodorant, small can of hairspray, etc.. and packed these items as well and now never has to worry if she has forgotten to pack a staple item.

I just LOVE this idea and did one for myself several months ago after Sharon told me about it. I grab my "staple" bag and go all of the time when I travel or even have an overnight trip and use it constantly. Before this, I would have never packed a luxurious bubble bath or a fabulous deep conditioning hair treatment, which is crazy because when I'm on vacation, I have all the time in the world to pamper myself but never bring these items. What's even better about this idea is that I save so much money from having to buy forgotten items in hotel gift shops.

Thanks Sharon for the great idea! For fun, here is a picture from our last exciting adventure (Sharon is the only person not listening to me)!




I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a fantastic 2011!! I'll be posting a fun project in the next few days, so please check back in. Also, as always, thank you so much for your sweet comments, emails and notes, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your feedback!

Cheers!

Cyndy

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