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4 Essential Drug Store Items For Travel

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I have traveled  more than 30+ countries in the past 10 years  for work and have learned from experience on the travel essentials. I often stay several weeks in a foreign country at a time or a few days depending on the assignments.  The four items that are always in my luggage are budget friendly drug store items that are also multi-purpose. These are my must haves for traveling. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser for Face & Body Travel Size Source:  Target This try and true sensitive skin cleanser is great for washing your face and body in a foreign environment. The local water can range from soft to hard water and this product helps offset any skin irritation. It’s a great face wash. However you still need to take your makeup off first with a makeup remover for it to be effective. It can also be used as shaving gel to give you a closer shave. Johnson’s Baby Oil Travel Size Source:  Target I have used baby oil for years to moisturize my skin after a hot shower. It is cheap …

Inspiration: Airstream Makeovers

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Airstream is an iconic American brand of luxury campers. The shape of an Airstream dates back to the 1930’s and was immensely popular in the 1970’s. It has been recently popular to see Airstream converted into permanent second homes in the country. In today’s post, I will share two amazing makeovers to inspire everyone to rethink the old Airstream’s potential. I first saw this video on this Airstream makeover in 2015 at House & Home website and was amazed by how this 210-feet trailer transformed into an enviable weekend getaway. The owners bought an old Airstream and gutted it down to the frame. After they proceeded to paint everything white and streamlined the decor in a modern aesthetic. They used this camper as a sleeping quarter and built a huge deck to house their outdoor living and entertaining space. There was even a shed that served as a guest bedroom. I did more research on this topic and found Auto Camp, a boutique hotel made of renovated 1960’s and 1970’s Airstreams by Hoffman Architecture. The …

Viet Style Mango Lassi / Sinh Tố Xoài

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India is known for its mango lassi while Vietnam has our version of mango smoothie too. This mango smoothie is slightly tart but is balanced by the sweetness of the condense milk and the creaminess of the yogurt. This is a great treat any time of the day. This recipe makes 2 cups of smoothie. Ingredients: 2 ripe mangos ¼ cup of vanilla lowfat yogurt 1 ½ cup of ice 2 tablespoons of condensed milk 1 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon of sugar (depending on the tartness or sweetness of the mango) ½ cup of milk Directions: Cut the mango in half while avoiding the core. Make a few cuts into the mango half so that it resembles a checker board. Use the knife and cut out the flesh. Add the yogurt, ice, condense milk, sugar and milk to the blender and blend until you get a smooth consistency. Depending on the tartness and sweetness of the mango, you may need to add more or subtract the sugar amount.   For more recipes, visit our EAT page or Recipe …

Review: Framebridge

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When I moved into my new office this spring, I decided that I needed to make this space less sterile. The easiest way to make an office warm and personal is to hang up art pieces. The process of framing art has always been expensive and tedious. I did some research on framing options and found Framebridge. This is a review of my experience after having four pieces framed at this e-commerce site. Framebridge.com launched in 2014 by Susan Tynan, CEO, to “to make it easy for everyone to frame the things they love.” Background The process to get your art framed is as followed: The pricing is based on certain size and includes free delivery. There are currently 37 frame options available. Instead of glass, Framebridge uses high quality acrylic. Timeline: Experience My experience overall have been very positive. I started with a small poster (9” x 12”). I uploaded the art and chose the Irvine Slim with no mat. The item came promptly. I paid $69 ($79 standard price with $10 off coupon for new …

Bánh Mì Series: Meatballs / Xíu Mại

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I am excited to introduce a new recipe series to our readers: Banh Mi or Vietnamese Sandwhiches. My co-author, Hung Nguyen, has been making Vietnamese sandwiches in Texas at his family owned bakery for years. In this new series, we will reinterpret the bakery’s recipes for our readers. The first recipe will be for a banh mi xíu mại or meatball sandwich. The juicy meatballs paired with a crunchy baguette is a mashup of flavors and texture. This recipe is very easy and I hope you enjoy eating it as much as we do. This recipe is rated easy and takes approximately 30 minutes to prepare. Ingredients: 1 lb. of ground pork or your choice of ground meat 1 yellow onion 10 cloves of garlic 1 tablespoon corn starch ⅓ cup of coconut soda 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth ¼ teaspoon of baking powder ½ cup of ketchup 3 tablespoons of unsalted softened butter Olive oil Sugar Ground black pepper Sea salt Directions: In a food processor, mince 6 cloves of garlic. Add 1 …

Inspiration: Basement

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Basement can be seen as a dark and dingy area of a home where the potential is often forgotten. I recently scrolled through House & Home website and found a few videos that will inspire you to rethink your basement potential. My favorite was Suzanne Dimma’s basement renovation where she converted her basement into an office, a common area and a wonderful new laundry room in a Scandinavian aesthetic. One can spend a whole day down in her basement and not feel claustrophobic. Here is a video from House & Home with a tour of the basement. Barbara Bundy renovated her 900 sf basement into a traditional and cosy family space that anyone would want to hang out in. Similar to Suzanne Dimma’s basement, the decor in this basement can easily be above ground. You can see a video of this wonderful renovation at this link at House & Home. For the 2012 Princess Margaret Hospital show home, Lynda Reeves designed this spacious basement filled with IKEA products. The catch is that it does not look …

IKEA: Wireless Charging

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IKEA is usually known for their inexpensive furniture with Scandinavian aesthetic but that is slowly changing. It is not a complete surprise to find out that IKEA is a step ahead of the curve with the introduction of the wireless charging furniture and accessories. The company created a collection to make charging more available, yet a lot less obvious. IKEA integrated charging components into their current offerings from charging pads to furniture with built-in-charging stations. It is a step into the future for furniture and technology. There are a few caveats to this technology. The main one is that your phone needs to be equipped with Qi-certified wireless charging technology. If not, IKEA offers a special case that adds this wireless charging capability to your phone. The cases that are available are bulky and looks unattractive especially if you have a nice phone or a case already. The current list of Qi-compatible smart devices includes the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Google Nexus 4 through 7, some Nokia and Motorola phones. Unfortunately, the iPhone is not part of …