Red Roses, White fences, Blue Skies

Hey Y'all.

    Actually, I don't really say that in real life, but it seemed to go well with the pictures, so why not.  I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday weekend! I am unfortunately working today, but that's alright. It was an optional day at work, which means the office is quite empty and its nice and quiet.  "Optional" work days are tricky- the "option" being, if you don't work, you don't get paid. I should probably try to work on the whole adult getting paid an actual salary instead of a crappy hourly wage thing sometime in the near future!

 

Outfit Details:

Romper: Vintage from Tea and Tulips

Shoes: Vintage/ thrifted

So, these were taken yesterday since I knew I had to be at work today.  I love the farmland, rolling hills, and mountain backdrop of this area of town, and thought it really screamed AMERICA! But just in case you didn't get a patriotic punch from the scenery, I made sure to don an adorable vintage sailor romper I just got from Steffy's shop Tea and Tulips!  She is pretty much the most stylish and up beat blogger out there, so if you don't already read her blog, you should remedy that!
     I also wanted to let you guys know that I am having a Memorial Day sale in my shop! Until the end of the month (this Thursday), you can enter the code MEMORIAL15 for 15% off your entire purchase.  I hope everyone has a wonderful day surrounded by family, friends, (veggie) burgers, ice pops, and sunshine.
Happy Memorial Day!
xo Hannah

The Ivy League

Hi Guys.  Just a quick update to let you know I am feeling in way better spirits! The weather has been great and I am getting back into my work schedule, so now all I need to add is working on my shop! This morning I woke up on my own a whole hour before my 7am alarm, and just decided to get up.  It is so much better waking up that way as opposed to an incessant beeping sound, but during the work week I rarely wake up early enough for that to happen.  I even rode my bike to work and still made it here before 8am, which means I get to leave before 4 and actually enjoy my day (errr or work on a shop update...!)

 

 

 

Outfit Details:

Blouse: can't remember!

Shorts: Old Navy, from 3 trillion years ago

Shoes: MIA Pampa Desert Booties

Necklace: vintage/ thrifted

Bracelet: vintage/ gift

      R was nice enough to snap these after work yesterday.  As much as he grumbles, I think he secretly likes getting to play with my fancy new camera, which we are both still figuring out! I am so thankful when I don't have to run around my tripod, and I think he does a pretty terrific job too! These were taken on beautiful school grounds that I walk by almost every day, but have yet to take pictures of!  I am a huge sucker for ivy crawling up the side of buildings and houses.  I think my dream home would be a white Tudor style home with wooden beams covered in ivy, and a huge garden out front with peonies and roses in all shades of pink and red! A girl can dream, can't she!
     Anyway, I can definitely start to see a summer style shift for myself.  I definitely find myself gravitating for comfortable, flowy, bohemian looks as the heat quickly augments. I grew up on the beach in New Jersey, so I definitely still am always more comfortable in flip flops and a sundress over anything else!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far!
xo Hannah
*Outfit shots by R, scenery shots by me

Batik

My apologies for the impromptu blogging break.  I have actually been in Minnesota for some family things (that is where both of my parents are originally from), but I am back in Colorado now and ready to pick of the pieces of what I have neglected while gone.  I for one, am very happy for a fresh new week and am hoping things are looking a little more up from here on out.

 

 

Outfit Details:

Batik Skirt: Not sure! I have had it for forever

Striped top: target

Heels: thrifted

Necklace & Earrings: both gifts from my mom. made in Hawai'i

Sunglasses: Kenzie, via Marshalls

     Anyway, I am back at work and exhausted so I don't have too much to share right now.  Last week pretty much followed the saying "when it rains, it pours", and I need a few days to regroup. I will be working on a shop update soon, so check back for that later this week! Hope your Monday has been filled with lots of sunshine and coffee so far!

xo Hannah

A Wrinkle in Time

I like to remain upbeat on ye' olde blog for the most part, but if I am being honest, today is just one of those days.  Thank goodness its Friday, lets just put it that way.  Is it actually possible to have a good day if your alarm doesn't go off and you start your day an hour and a half late already?  I always find that if my morning is stressful, it is really hard to brush that feeling off even long after I have settled into my day. 

 

 

 

Outfit Details:

Maxi Dress (worn as skirt): Forever21

Crop tee: Rusty, via Ross 

Belt: Free people, gift from friend

Sandals: Reef

Subway Token Necklace: gift from R

Purse: gift from R's mom

Floral Crown: DIY

     Anyway, these are the first blog pictures with my new Nikon! The ones of me were snapped by R yesterday before work and the garden ones were taken by me after work. We both have no clue what we are really doing yet so these were just shot in auto, but I cannot wait to get some practice shooting in manual mode! I am really hoping this camera will give the photo quality on my blog a huge boost in the near future, and I am looking to tweak my whole design aesthetic and layout a little more too.  I think I expected to just magically be able to know how to operate my new camera and I got a little frustrated the other day trying to figure out the focus when I was using the self timer.  R surprised me after work the other day with two shiny new DSLR photography books though and I cannot wait to learn more! I apologize for the wrinkly clothes (and post title), I accidentally left them in a ball in my backpack overnight and didn't have an iron on hand!

    In other news...I sewed my very own infinity scarf last night, and it has the most cheerful print: SPRINKLES! I will try to post a few pictures of it on instagram today (@braidedbandit) if you want to see it! It is a bright, cheerful, and cozy addition to this otherwise dreary day.  I paired it with a bright pink vintage mini dress and brown tights and look pretty much like a walking ice cream cone.  Sometimes you need to take comfort in such a trivial thing such as this to get you through the day.

xo Hannah

 

Mini Mountain Roadtrip

I finally got the relaxing weekend I have been yearning for! Saturday we just got into R's car and drove into the Rockies to see where the road would take us.  It is so breathtaking and I still am amazed that this astounding amount of natural beauty is so close at hand! It is crazy to me that I can be wearing a summer dress and still be so close to thesensnowy peaks, it sure makes for a terrific backdrop.  We took a few hours with a bunch of stops for exploring and taking in the views, and ended up in Lyons, Colorado, a cute little town with antique and ice cream shops.  We grabbed some lunch and beer at the Original Oskar Blues Brewery - perfection!

 

 

 

Outfit Details:

Dress: Vintage- for sale in my shop here!

Head Scarf: vintage/ thrifted

Shoes: Target

Sunglasses: Marshalls

Jacket: gift from R's mom

     So, the other amazing thing about this weekend is I finally bought a DSLR camera! After months of saving and research, I chose the Nikon D5100.  It is currently charging and I cannot wait to try it out and start sharing some better quality photography with you guys! (I currently use a Panasonic Lumix point and shoot, which is nice for its price and kind but does not have the manual focus options and quality pictures I am looking to get into!)  

    On another note, I am in love with this little vintage dress I shortened, which is now available in my shop!  I shortened it from a mid calf length and it just turned into a completely new dress.  It was VERY hard to part with to put in my shop, but that is what I originally bought it for, and I am sure it will find a lovely new home! The shoes are also a new acquisition from target- floral, super comfy, and only 10 bucks! Can't beat that!  I hope you all had a beautiful and relaxing weekend!

xo Hannah