Life Lately

 

New Ikea duvet cover // Vintage grey dress in the woods

 

Newly hemmed vintage // Wandering the gardens at a festival

 

Red plaid adventuring gear // Fun shoot with a vintage mustang

 

Fave new American Apparel shoes // "I'm outdoorsy in that I like getting drunk on patios."   

 Sorbet colored flowers // Mint + orange for date night

 

New pretty packaging stickers // Frolicking in lavender 

 

Beautiful antique chair // An old white barn

 

 Just stopping in quickly to say hi! I cannot believe it is the end of July already, this summer is flying by and there is still so much I want to do! We leave for Cozumel in less than two weeks and I am SO excited, even if its only for a few days! Trying to eat healthy and ride my bike a lot until I leave, I feel like I can keep it up until then, seeing as its only two weeks away. The fact is though, our hotel is all inclusive, meaning all you can eat and drink, so I am not going to stress about "bikini shape" too much! I want to be able to just enjoy myself while I am there!  If anyone has ever been to Cozumel and has any recommendations on what to do, I would love to hear them!  I am looking forward to: Mexican food, fresh fish, refreshing my Spanish, swimming in the ocean, having free drinks delivered to my pool chair, and exploring on the free bicycles the hotel provides! I lived my whole life on the ocean until I moved to Colorado two years ago, and have been really missing the water this summer. There is nothing better than falling asleep exhausted on clean white sheets after a full day of swimming, sun, and sand!
xo Hannah
p.s. You can find me on instagram @braidedbandit, come say hello!

A Marigold Vision

Hello friends,

     I have so many things I want to talk about in this post today!  First off, my mom was in Taiwan for three weeks traveling with a friend of hers who grew up there.  I actually set up a blog for her so she could do a little travel writing and share pictures and stories while she was away, and I have to say, she put my blogging to shame! Every morning, without fail, there would be a new post up up with a ton of pictures and at least a few paragraphs to read about what she had done and seen that day.  That, and she did all of it from an iPhone! Very impressive.  If you want to read about her travels you can peak at her blog here! She brought me back this dress from Taiwan and I absolutely love it! The color is perfect to wear with layers even into fall and the print is actually tiny geometric butterflies.  You will be seeing a few more goodies that she brought back for me as well on here in the next few weeks.  She did SUCH a good job picking things out and I can't wait to share them with you all! Thanks mom :)

Outfit Details:

Dress: gift from mom from Taiwan!

Knee socks: "borrowed" from mom

Shoes: vintage/ thrifted

Earrings: vintage

Purse: c/o World Vision

     The second thing I wanted to talk about was this beautiful woven sea grass purse that I recently got from an organization called World Vision.  They are a large scale humanitarian organization that works with children, families, and communities all over the world to fight poverty and injustice.  I know this is something a little bit different than what I usually talk about on here, but it is something that I believe in so I would love if you would hear me out! World vision has a ton of different ways that you can give to different causes.  For example, they have a gift catalog that includes this handmade purse, jewelry, scarves, and other items where you can make a donation, and then get one of these beautiful handmade products in return!  Not only that, but the proceeds actually go directly to different projects to benefit the communities where the product was made.  You can check out that portion of their gift catalog here.

     The second part of World Vision that I would like to highlight is that you can help give basic needs to people around the world by donating to clean water funds, medicine funds, or my favorite, gifting animals to people to help them nourish and support themselves.  I think I was drawn to the animal option so much because it is an actual tangible thing that you can see the results of.  Because I didn't want to write about people giving to charity without myself following through, I decided to donate 2 chickens, which only cost $25 and has so many awesome benefits.  How cool is this:

"Chickens give children and families a lasting source of nutrition and income. Fresh eggs 

raise the levels of protein and other nutrients in a family’s diet, and the sale of extra 

eggs and chickens can pay for vital basics.
Your gift of chickens will also naturally multiply to impact generations of children. Each

 family that receives chickens can sell the offspring for extra income or share them with other families in need. Chicks require little money, space, or food to thrive and grow — making them an ideal business venture for a single mom or vulnerable family." 

     Anyway, its just a simple and easy way to do something good.  I can tell you that my spending budget is pretty miniscule right now, so you don't have to do something big to make an impact.  Absolutely no pressure either way, but if you do want to head over and check out all of the ways to donate, or check out the gift catalogue for holidays in the future, it is so worth taking 5 minutes to look at! If you do decide to donate anything at all, let me know in the comments and I will be sure to give you a shout out in an upcoming blog post and link to your blog! Hope you are all having a beautiful day and thanks for listening!

xo Hannah

Tangerine & Mint

     Just checking in quickly to say hi.  I have been so busy and apologize if you have left a comment or sent me an email recently that I have not replied to yet.  This is my 8th day of work in a row (four more to go!) so I am falling a little behind on things, but I promise to try to catch up with you all this week!

Outfit Details:

Mint Jeans: c/o American Apparel

Shoes: MIA Pampa Desert Wedges via DSW

Necklace: Vintage

Bracelets: The Plaid Barn

Top: a local boutique

     I am not thrilled with these pictures even though I thought it was a fun colorful outfit.  We were headed out to dinner Friday night and didn't really plan a good picture spot, just pulled over in a neighborhood on the way and snapped a few pictures.  One of the things I really love about this blog is getting to plan out different locations and plotting the overall aesthetics when taking outfit pictures.  I guess what I have to realize though is if I am to keep up with a fashion and lifestyle blog, not everything can be shot in some special location.  There sometimes just isn't enough time in the day, and photos need to be snapped wherever you actually happen to be! Do any of you come across this problem of always wanting a scenic backdrop, but not always having enough resources or time?

     Anyway, R jokingly said we should just snap the pictures inside the Mexican restaurant we were heading to.  When we got there, I had to laugh, because I matched the inside perfectly! Tropical parrots and beach scenes galore in oranges and aquas!  I seriously camouflaged into our booth so well you probably could only see a floating head.

      I am loving these new minty American Apparel jeans.  If you are looking for a high waisted pair for fall (or really any season), they have these in a bunch of different colors and are well made in a nice, stretchy material. But, I am never wearing them to eat Mexican food ever again! After about half of my plate of mole enchiladas, I could not take another bite in fear of not being able to breathe!  (Mole [moe-lay] as in a type of Mexican sauce containing chillies and chocolate, not the small blind marsupial.) Can you tell I'm tired?

Hope you all had a great weekend! More soon.

xo Hannah

p.s. I think I should do a post on my most awkward poses.  That last photo is definitely going to be in that post.

Rhythm on the River

     This weekend, R and I headed to a festival a few towns over called Rythm on the River.  We were thinking we could grab some unhealthy fair food, look at some local art, and listen to music.  Unfortunately, the only food tents we saw were from chain restaurants like Old Country Buffet, the artwork was few and far between, and the stalls seemed to be advertising for local insurance agencies and heating and cooling companies.  There was a really good sounding Irish folk band playing but the heat was so blistering it was really uncomfortable standing in one place outside for more than five minutes.  Oh well, at least we made an effort to leave his air conditioned basement and get up off the couch to check it out!

 

  

Outfit Details:

Dress: Vintage - in shop soon!

Shoes: c/o American Apparel 

Sunglasses: c/o American Apparel

Hat: Volcom

     I dressed for the occasion in a newly found vintage chambray dress that I shortened and am loving, a woven hat, and a pair of comfortable oxfords for walking around.  I felt a little bit like a young explorer from the 1960s, perhaps a little Suzy-esque from Moonrise Kingdom, sans knee-highs. I looked more than a little out of place in a see of cut offs and tattered baseball hats, but I decided to embrace it.  Do you ever get somewhere and find yourself thinking, well this sucks, but at least I like what I am wearing?  I guess that sounds superficial but I more meant I believe in trying to take away a small shred of positivity even if its an overall lousy experience!

     I have to admit, I am running on empty and its only day four out of the twelve days I am working in a row!  Oh well, a little catch up on sleep should do the trick.  Do you have any fun weekend plans? Please tell me so I can live vicariously through you!

xo Hannah

Cactus Flowers

     A kind of strange, mellow weekend it has been.  Up until Friday evening, I thought I was working a promotional event the whole weekend.  I spent the whole week mentally preparing myself for not having a weekend, so I was slightly put off by finding out my event isn't until next weekend! That means tomorrow is actually the start of the twelve days in a row of work...so hooray for that.  I know I should have just reveled in the fact that I actually had a weekend, but do you ever have those days where you feel something is ruined for the sole fact that what you thought would happened didn't?

 Outfit Details:

Lilac Dress: c/o American Apparel, find it here!

Boots: Marshalls (old)

Scarf: Vintage

Bracelets: The Plaid Barn

Paper Flowers: DIY

    Why all the work you may be wondering.  Well you see, at the end of May R and I bought a groupon to go to an all-inclusive resort in Cozumel in a fit of vacation depravity.  I actually lived in Mexico in a small fishing village in Baja California Sur for five months while studying at the School for Field studies, so Mexico holds a very special place in my heart!  Cozumel is way more touristy than the Mexico I know, but I have a feeling it will be no less beautiful.  It is now a little under a month away so I can really start to get excited about it! That said, I don't exactly have lots of extra cash lying around, so I am working full time at my regular job and then picking up a few weekends at a different job to try to pay off my credit card bill for my plane ticket, etc.!  So, even though I may be complaining about some long hours in the near future, know that it is a means to and end, and the end just happens to be pristine sandy beaches, ancient Mayan ruins, snorkeling with tropical fish, and all you can eat and drink for four days! 

       These photos were taken yesterday and I am loving the stark contrast of sorbet colored pastels against the dry Coloradan landscape.  American Apparel sent over this beautiful lilac hued dress and I am totally loving it!  The top is sheer lace cutouts, and I really like that you can change the whole look of it depending on what color you choose to wear underneath.  It's fun and a little bit sexy without being too over the top.  I opted for bright pink underneath this time and whipped out some paper flowers I made awhile ago for a little touch of whimsy.  And speaking of whimsy, R thinks I am certifiably insane because I thought the mint green fire hydrant looked like an abstract cactus with the flowers on top? Can you see it?! No? Okay.  Well then he may be correct.

     I hope you all are having a wonderful Sunday.  Do you have any exciting trips planned in the near future?  I would love to hear about your plans!

xo Hannah

p.s. Don't forget to enter my giveaway over on Marisa's lovely blog Shades of Monet! It is my first ever giveaway for a $40 gift card to my vintage shop, head on over and follow the super simple steps to enter!