Into the Forest

Hello Lovelies,

        Hope you all had a great weekend.   It is absolutely freezing here in Colorado, and has been all weekend.  I even cancelled my birthday plans in Denver Saturday night partially because it was so cold. It is probably a bad sign that it is only the beginning of December and I am already getting sick of the cold and snow! Single digits are just not okay unless you get to curl up in bed with a hot mug and some good reading!  

          These pictures are from the day after Thanksgiving. Since I did not have any family in town myself, I went and did a little exploring on a trail by my house.  I of course wore the headdress I made from Thanksgiving, and got a lot of stares from families not expecting to see blonde Pocahontas in the woods off the trail with her tripod! I think this is going to be a new favorite spot for taking pictures because it is only a few minutes from my house and so pretty! 

 

 

 

 Outfit Details:

Top: Target

Skirt: Vintage/ thrifted

Tights: Ross

Flats: Marshalls

Necklace: Vintage/ gifted

Nail Polish: Wet N' Wild "Party of Five"

Headdress: Handmade by me!

          Anyway, I will try to post a DIY tutorial on how I made this headdress as soon as possible.  I did not have my lap top with me all weekend so I could not edit any pictures! But, it was really fun to make and a perfect activity for a snowy day stuck inside.  As my family is celebrating Christmas a week early, I am getting a little bit stressed about finishing all of my presents on time!  I think I have purchased everything that I need to buy for them, but i still have a few handmade things I wanted t o do too! My craft list keeps growing because there is so much inspiration this time of year, but my actual productivity has been... not so high!   Alright, well I hope everyone is staying warm and drinking delicious holiday coffees and ciders!

xo Hannah 

p.s. I am officially 25 now! AHHH! Is this too old to prance around the woods in a feather crown? I sure hope not! 

 

What to wear to your holiday parties! {Best of Etsy Issue 3}

Hello Lovelies,
    I am excited to share with you the third edition of Best of Etsy, a weekly post that highlights a few items from my current favorite Etsy sellers.  This week, I wanted to share some amazing vintage dresses that would be perfect for this year's holiday parties! I picked the following dresses based on their classic styles and vintage charm.  I am personally not usually one for too many sparkles and sequins, but I totally disregard this near the holidays.  The more sparkles the better!  I am also loving cream colored dresses with black tights and wedge booties! 

{Each picture will take you directly to the listing! Enjoy!}

 By StuckOnVintage

By aiseirigh

By tomorrowisforever

 By ForgottenMuse

By IKHAN

By vintageurbanrenewal

By SwaneeGRACE

By StitchyLifeVintage

Make sure to check out the other lovely items from these sellers' shops too!  So, there seems to be a lot going on in my life right now! I have been busy running around doing Christmas shopping , as my family is selling early this year on December 17th.  I leave to go home to New Jersey late on the 14th, so that only leaves me two weeks to finish that up! Besides a flurry of shopping, returning, and making gifts, I have also been preoccupied that ITS MY BIRTHDAY FRIDAY!  I don't like to make a big deal on birthdays and usually prefer to keep it low key, but I cannot believe I will be 25! That is 1/4 of a century.  I am semi going into "what am I doing with my life" crisis mode, but I am going to try to just relax and enjoy the day.  On top of holidays and birthdays, I am also moving into a new place at the end of next month, so that is another big exciting thing coming up!  

Anyway, you can expect an outfit post later this week, as I finally got some cool shots this weekend.  The outfit will include the feather headdress I made for Thanksgiving!  I would basically wear some sort of crown, weather it be fabric, feathers, or flowers, every day if I could!  Hope you are having a great week so far and enjoy looking at all the pretty holiday party dresses!

xo Hannah

Shop Update: Black Friday Super Sale

Hello Lovelies,

     Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and are now recovering from your food comas!  My thanksgiving was terrific. I do have a crafty post thanksgiving post to share with you guys, but I am currently at work so I cannot make this too long! I just wanted to let everyone know that The Braided Bandit's Vintage Etsy Shop is having a Black Friday sale, that will go until next Monday.  You will get 30% off any item in the store, including items already on sale! Just enter BLACK30 at checkout! Cannot wait to read more about everyone's holiday, and have a terrific weekend!  

{click images to be taken directly to listing}

xo Hannah

 

 

 

A Winter Rose

Hello Lovelies,

     I finally got a chance to take a few outfit photos yesterday while it was still light out! I have been looking for the perfect pleated skirt for awhile now in my thrift store adventures, and finally found it! I don't think I am going to be able to part with this one and sell it.  I love the light peachy pink color, but it was slightly hard to make it look wintry enough!  Another great find recently was this pink Nine West tweed coat! I am not usually a pink person, unless its a very light pink, but this was hanging right outside the fitting room so I had to try it on! Of course it was my exact size too.  The only problem was it was missing two of the main buttons.  It was marked at $14.99, which is pretty pricey for this particular Salvation Army store, so I asked the lady upfront if they would be willing to take any more off because of the missing buttons.  She marked it down to THREE NINETY NINE!!!!! I was having a kind of crappy day until that point, so I was super thankful and excited that she did that.  It just goes to show that it really never hurts to ask!  I also found out that on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, a volunteer comes in to alter or hem any item that you buy there for free! Until I get a sewing machine, this is such an awesome service to know about!

                                                                                                                                                      

 

 

Outfit Details:

Skirt: vintage/ thrifted

Boots: Joyce Leslie

Blazer: thrifted

 Sequin Sweater: Forever21 (last season)

Belt: vintage/ thrifted

Tweed Coat: Nine West/ thrifted

    I am sure this is going to be a busy and exciting week for everyone with family coming and going and travel plans.  I myself am staying in Colorado instead of going home to New Jersey.  I will be eating and celebrating with my boyfriends family, so it should be quiet and relaxing.  Quite the change to my usual thanksgiving at home, where I never exactly know who will be there and there always at least a few people I do not know that well thrown in.  But, I may miss the silly family games we play and my dad's wild rice stuffing! He uses Wild Rice from Minnesota, baked apples, raisins, and walnuts.  Oh and lots of butter! Maybe he can mail me a little bit! What is everyone's favorite dish at thanksgiving? I think my favorites are the candied marshmallow sweet potatoes, and regular mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. I am excited to see what is going to be cooked this year! I think I am just going to go early and help cook whatever they are making instead of attempting my own dish this time. 
    Alright, well I hope everyone has a good Monday! I am going to try to do another Best of Etsy feature later in the week, so stay tuned!  Also, new items are going up in my shop this week, and I am thinking about doing a little Black Friday sale of my own! Make sure to stop by!
xo Hannah

A Room With a View

Hello lovelies,
     Happy hump day.  After today, I only have one more day of work before I get to go see my best friend in Indianapolis!  I'm so very excited, as I have not seen her since last Christmas, and even then it was only for a few hours.  Also, on Saturday, another one of my best friends ia driving up from Cincinnati so we can all be united for the day.  I can't remember the last time the three of us were all in the same place at the same time.   We will be going to the Indianapolis Pet Expo on Saturday during the day.  I am not quite sure what that means except lots and lots of different types of animals from all over the state.  My friend volunteers for a pit bull rescue organization and her pup will have a fundraising kissing booth there! Yay! She also has two other foster pit bulls currently and I cannot wait to meet them and snuggle!

 

What I am wearing:

Skirt: thrifted

Turtleneck: vintage/ thrifted

Boots: vintage/ thrifted

Tights: Joe Boxer

      In other news, I bought this wall tapestry (pictured) about a month ago from Urban Outfitters, but just got around to putting it up last weekend! I had a white sheet hanging on my wall as my little mini photo studio, but decided I wanted to do something a little more exciting.  I am in love with this tapestry, I think it is called "A room with a view", and it portrays a little bedroom with vintage furniture, plants, and a city view.  Unfortunately, the wall space where it is hanging is not big enough to have the whole thing spread out fully, but I think it still gives a nice little scene!  This will now be the backdrop to most of my listings on Etsy.  Let me know what you think! I was worried it might be too busy with all the blue lines, but I quite like how the first round of pictures turned out!
    The snow and branch photos are a few from a set I shot on my walk to the bus after work in the first snow.  The trees were so pretty! The berry picture was taken at dusk and the contrast between the tree and the hazy gray skies is just perfect.  I would also like to note that the Fair Isle turtleneck (price- $24.99) I am wearing in the shots will be put up in my shop after my return from Indiana.  If you are interested in the top, send me a message and I can reserve it for you directly before it is even put up.  Hope everyone is having a great day!

xo Hannah

Lovely vintage fashion prints

Hello Lovelies,
    It has been freezing cold and dark by the time I get home from work, so I do not have any outfits to share with you at the moment.  I am also working extra long day this week so I can take Monday and Friday off to go visit my best friend in Indianapolis!  I do want to share some amazing vintage fashion prints from Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Glamour that are up for sale at a really cool artistic daily deal website Fab.com.  If you aren't a member, you can go to http://fab.com/husaro which is an invitation link.  This is not a promotion, just a cool site I thought I would share with you all. All photos and information are from Fab.com.  All photos link back to where they are for sale, but you may have to be a member to view everything on the site, I am not sure.   Enjoy!

"What I find so inspiring about these prints is how the photographers actually took the time to patiently compose compelling images that evoked a quiet sexiness mixed with unabashed style. Reclaiming retro is what these classic prints are all about." – Andre Wagner, Production Coordinator at Fab.com

 Against the grand metropolitan backdrop of New York's Chrysler Building, Santé Forlano captures two models in twin, ladylike looks: pink wool baby doll dresses by Masket Brothers and Virginie of Paris for Haynette, velvet dome hats by Madcaps, and fur muffs by Ingber. The image appeared in the August 15, 1958 issue of Vogue.

William Bell's playful image, which appeared in the February 15, 1959, Vogue issue, accompanied a short piece on how to wear the latest shoes and stockings. New for spring of '59? Experimenting with matching hosiery and pumps or flipping convention by wearing shoes with various nude colored stockings.

 This classic Vogue print is taken from the May 10, 1930 issue. Here, Tilly Losch is wearing a polka dot blouse with a dark jacket, both by Yvonne Carette, and a turban from Boucheron.

 This striking, imaginative image features a most unusual dining experience. A model in a black crepe dress and large feather hat by Lilly Daché gazes intently at a cheetah. The jungle cat appears quite civilized, given the napkin tied around its neck and the champagne bucket next to its place setting. Leombruno-Bodi's elaborately staged photograph appeared in the November 1, 1960 Vogue issue.

 A sophisticated woman smiles charmingly to someone outside of this photograph's frame. Sitting in a restaurant banquette, she wears a black velvet visor with a rhinestone pin by Dior. A satin scarf, also by Dior, is tied intricately around her neck and chest. The chic scene, captured by Henry Clarke, appeared in the November 15, 1952 Vogue issue.

{All images and captions from fab.com}

Fair Isle Sweaters [Best of Etsy]

Hello Lovelies,

    Happy Friday! Today is the second edition of Best of Etsy, where I feature some awesome items from some of my favorite Etsy vintage sellers.  The trend being highlighted today is one that I am personally loving, and that is the cozy "Fair Isle" or Nordic sweaters.  There are so many fun prints out there and they really do not need much styling to look adorable.  Basically the only accessory needed is a mug of cider or cocoa... Can't really beat that!  All photos link back to the listing, and make sure to check out the other items in these fabulous shops as well!

 

From: Ampris Loves 

Vintage Tribal Knit Sweater Jacket

$59

From: The Witchery Vintage 

90s fair isle sweater / christmas poinsetta red white blue winter skating size medium

$28 

 

From: Gravel Ghost Vintage 

Vintage 70s Fair Isle Cardigan Sweater / Penguins Nordic Woolrich Heather Wool / Size M L 

$72 

 From: Anna Karainas Closet 

SHETLAND WOOL vtg Nordic Ski Sweater, Small

$29 

From: Fuzzy Bellas Vintage Collective 

Crew Nordic Ethnic ICELAND Chunky Oversize Wooly Angora Soft Sweater S-M

$55 

From: Fancy Bantam 

Vtg 70's Cream Wool Knit Cardigan Sweater MOOSE Buttons

 $28

    This weekend I do not have anything too exciting planned, but I am really hoping to get back on track with things on my to do list.  I have so many items I want to list in the shop, including some cozy sweaters!  I also am planning on doing a little blog makeover, as this was kind of a template I threw together to have a space to start writing in.  Luckily,  am dating a graphic designer and he has offered to help me with some things I do not know how to do! It is going to be grey and yellow, two colors I find very calming and love together.  Check back next week sometime for a new and (hopefully) improved look! Another thing I hope to get done this weekend is Christmas shopping.  (Well, not get it done, but start it...) My family is usually traveling Christmas Day, so we celebrate a little early.  At least all the things on my list are actually pretty fun! OH, except the trial gym membership I am starting today... That, I am not looking forward to! I hope everyone has a terrific weekend, and remember to check out these lovely Etsy vintage shops!

xo Hannah