Polka Dot Pouches

Good Morning Everyone! I'm still in a "travel" state of mind, so this week I'm sharing some Tada! ideas that I hope you can use on your next trip.

Whenever I travel, I take an extra bag with me. It's usually something that I can fold and easily stash in my handbag. Like most girls, shopping is always on my agenda -- local supermarket, independent bookstore, cute boutiques and farmer's market. During my trip to San Francisco, I saw this sign at one of the stalls at the Ferry Building farmer's market:

I think that's a Tada!

Unless you didn't have your own bag -- which would be a blah! How would you carry all those lovely produce? Good thing there are reusable bags and baskets available for purchase. This stall owner's rule reinforces a new habit we have to keep: abolish the hazardous plastic bag and BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) instead!

It makes me excited to see many shops joining the bandwagon with their sturdy and well-designed reusable shopping bags!

Remember this pink and white polka dot bag (reversible with a colorful stripe pattern on the other side)? I got it at a swap from fellow blogger Becky. I'm proud to say it has made its debut, helping me carry a loaf of crusty bread, a bottle each of lavender salt and lavender sugar, a pint of sweet strawberries, a pound of cherries and a cookbook! On another occasion, I used it to carry little presents to hand out to relatives and friends. Then when the rain threatened to pour, I stuffed it with a folding umbrella and my trusty scarf...just in case. Handy dandy indeed!

Another thing I like to pack is this polka dot pouch. I can put my passport & boarding pass inside and other documents like itineraries & hotel or car rental reservation details. I can also use it to store metal objects (watch, belt, loose change, mobile phone) that I need to remove from my pants before going through the airport security sensors. This will corral my valuable stuff while I'm busy putting on the shoes that I also had to take off!

Maybe you'd like to add these two items in your packing list.

Oh, and if you're not into polka dots like I am, go ahead and chose your favorite print!