Category: Fashion

You guys know how when I’m obsessed with something I want to shout it from the rooftops? Well, I’m in LOVE with Ashbury Hats.

I had the chance to meet Hannah and Kristin from Ashbury Hats when I was in California for BlogHer in July. I was blown away by how incredibly cool and friendly they both were. Oftentimes when you meet someone for the first time, it can be a little awkward… but I totally wanted to have these ladies over for a wine party pretty much the moment we met.

What really struck me was how passionate they were about Ashbury Hats. Hannah had on this AMAZING hat, that she even let me try on… you likey?

All the hats are handmade in California and looking closely at them you can see the quality and love that go into each creation. Hannah and Kristin let me pick out a few different hats to try and the moment I put on the Soho, I knew it was meant to be mine.

The hat is made out of leather and SMELLS divine, if you’re into that kind of thing. Which I totally am. The Soho has a bit of a vintage vibe and is made out of oiled “crusher” leather, which means you can totally smush it into your suitcase and it will pop back into shape.

The best part was that I could totally throw it on with any outfit and it immediately looks WAY cuter. I wore it to the BlogHer expo hall the first night and could not walk 10 feet without someone stopping me to compliment my snazzy hat. So if you’re looking for attention – you can totally skip the cleavage bearing dresses and hooha bearing skirts – just add a hat!

Let’s call it a more CLASSY sort of attention…

For fashion’s sake (because why not,right?!) I decided to style the hat for summer and fall so you can see how it pretty much goes with everything.

Here is my take on summer:

I threw on my new Stitch Fix tank top (Renee C Tucker Mixed Print Tank), my favorite pair of jean shorts (Gap) and a cantaloupe colored sweater that I’ve had forever (Loft). This could totally work for an outdoor wine festival, concert or just running around to do errands if you feel like you want to add a little extra cute to your look.

I was DYING to do a fall look too:

For this outfit, I mixed in a t-shirt that you can hardly see (J.Crew), my red Stitch Fix jeans (Kayla Skinny Jeans), a military-style blazer (Loft), a pair of animal print shoes (Sole Society) and a scarf (The Paris Market). Just add a pumpkin spice latte and I’m totally ready for the leaves to change color! I especially love this look because the leather hat can do double duty – making my outfit look extra sassy AND keeping my head warm.

And in case you’re wondering, I’m pretty sure EVERYONE would look great in this hat. BOOM… put a hat on it!

So, what do you think… do you want one?

The ladies at Ashbury Hats have hooked us up with a Soho hat (retail price $99.95) for one of my fabulous readers. We can totally be hat twinsies! You can earn 5 points per entry, but only the first one (leaving a comment) is required.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ashbury Hats has also given me a special code for my readers, so if you see something you’d like to buy on their website, you can use Joules14 to get 10% off until September 5th, 2014!

If you are interested in seeing more from Ashbury hats, check out their webpage, Facebook page, Twitter, Google+ page, and Instagram!

Are you a hat person? If so, what is your favorite hat style? Do you think we can make ‘put a hat on it’ a thing?

 

Disclosure: Ashbury Hats provided me with a Soho hat for review purposes; however all thoughts and opinions are my own. The person who wins the giveaway for the Soho hat will be chosen randomly by the Rafflecopter widget and will receive their hat directly from Ashbury Hats.

 

 

Psssst. Guess what? I’m actually on vacation right now. Yup, I’m most likely sitting on the beach with various members of my family, listening to the ocean waves crash, getting a teensy bit of sun and handing Jack his 19^th snack of the day. I didn’t want to leave you bored with my lack o’ blog posts though, so I wrote this one up for you quick as a bunny AND even decided to throw in a little giveaway.

A couple weeks ago I met a really sweet lady who works with Sasa Designs by the Deaf. I actually won a bracelet from her and she totally sparked my interest when she told me a bit about the organization:

Sasa Designs by the Deaf launched in Fall 2011 with the goal of providing employment and fair wages to Deaf artisans in Kenya. With an estimated unemployment rate of 85% among the Deaf in Kenya, few will have an opportunity to discover their potential, work in dignity and earn a fair wage. Employers are simply not willing to deal with the communication issues that arise working with the Deaf.

When, I went home and checked out their website, I was BLOWN AWAY by the beautiful designs. Not only can you empower women and help them build a better life for themselves, their children and their extended family, you can enjoy an absolutely gorgeous piece of jewelry.

You KNOW how I feel about gorgeous jewelry.
Especially gorgeous jewelry with a STORY!

While I love the bracelet I won, I’m not really a huge bracelet-wearer and I’d rather one of you enjoy it. I’d also love it if a bunch of you all checked out their website, because there are so many affordable designs available. In addition to their website, you can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even Pinterest!

Would you like to win this bracelet?

How to enter to win:
All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. That’s it!

I’ve already stalked their entire website and have fallen in love with a pair of malachite hoop earrings that are coming out in the fall. Good thing my birthday is coming up, because I totally added myself to the pre-order list!

Aren’t they gorgeous?!

If you see something on the Sasa Designs website that you fall in love with, they have been so generous to give my readers 15% off their purchase! All you need to do is use the code POCKETFULOFJOULES when checking out. The code is valid now through September 15th.

I hope you all are having a fantastic week and I’ll be back in a few days with lots of pictures!

 

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I won the bracelet in an Instagram contest and wanted to pass it along to one of you to enjoy. I let Sasa Designs know that I’d be writing about them and they were so kind as to give us a special code for 15% off. I do not benefit in any way if you make a purchase.

 8/15/14 Update: Ollie did the honors of picking the winner of the bracelet…