Monday, May 29, 2017

Brunch Outfit Ideas

Honestly, brunch is always a great idea. It's perfect for those mornings where you just don't wanna wake up that early but you still want a meal before lunch... or maybe those mornings where you already ate breakfast and you could still eat a farm... (that's me) But, whatever your reason, brunch is a pretty good option. Personally, I love dressing up for brunch (of course). It really is an occasion and, in my book, anything with food is a grandiose event. Therefore, it only makes sense to match your outfit to the same level of awesomeness. You may ask "Lauren, how do I pick an outfit awesome enough to match my awesome brunch?" WELL, don't worry girlies, I'm here for you! Today is the day. Here are three brunch outfit ideas to inspire you and help get your creative juices flowing! I'll link similar items for each outfit so you can shop the looks and recreate them for yourselves!

brunch outfit ideas, lauren banawa, brunch dresses, summer outfits, coffee outfits

Jaci's Outfit
Jaci is wearing a stylish white romper with blue accents. This gives off a very summery, easy breezy vibe. Rompers are perfect, just like dresses are, because they make up a whole outfit in themselves! It's just one piece, and BAM, super cute outfit! She paired it with a tan cross body purse, which is a great neutral so that the focus can stay on the beautiful jumper. Her jewelry stays pretty simple too, with a gold cuff bracelet, and a simple gold curve necklace

Symba's Outfit
Symba is wearing a yellow floral dress paired with a simple jean jacket. The yellow and the blue contrast and compliment each other perfectly, creating a fun, vibrant style. The floral pattern on the dress makes a statement, but is still stylishly delicate. She also wore a faux fur cross body purse for some added fun!

brunch outfit ideas, lauren banawa, brunch outfits, summer outfits, coffee outfits

My Outfit
I am wearing a black and white striped drop waist dress. I love this dress because vertical stripes make you appear taller (yes please!!). Over this airy dress, I wore an army green jacket. The earthy tone acts as a sort of calming element to the vibrant pattern of the dress, and adds a bit of shape with a cinch waist. I kept the jewelry pretty dainty, with a few bangles and gold layered necklaces, as I wanted the dress to be the highlight of the ensemble. Lastly, I added a black quilted leather cross body bag to hold all my various trinkets and whatnot. 

Well loves, I hope you were able to get some inspiration from these outfit ideas! I also filmed a "Day in My Life" video of this day, so if you want to check it out, just click below! But other than that, I hope you all have a positively fabulous day, and I will talk to you in my next post!


XO, Lauren

Friday, May 19, 2017

My Etsy Shop is Finally Open!!

Hello my lovely readers, I hope you all are having a wonderful day! I have some exciting news...

I FINALLY opened my Etsy Shop!!! Ever since I was little, I would always make tiny bracelets and rings and try to sell them to my mom in my "storefront" made of the dining room chairs and a bunch of blankets and pillows. I even made my own business cards and flyers! I was pretty official, no doubt guys. And when I got to middle school and high school, I continued my creative entrepreneurial endeavors by making friendship bracelets and other accessories for my friends! I even made bows and wallets out of duct tape... suuuuper fashionable right? I think made a solid $20. Pretty good for selling things at only 50 cents each haha! 

Anyways, back to the present! I am so ecstatic that my Etsy Shop is open for business because I can now share my creations with anyone in the world, which is a HUGE step up from just my mom! (p.s. my mom is awesome, and will always be my favorite customer) There are a few bracelets up on there now, and I am planning to add more of my designs soon! I just wanted to make a little announcement to share my uncontainable excitement with you all! One of my goals for this year is to start a successful Etsy Shop, so this is the start. I have so many fun ideas that I want to implement, so I hope you guys are as excited as I am! Have a super fabulous day and please check out my shop if you get a chance and let me know what you think!


lauren banawa, etsy shop, simple beaded bracelet, minimalistic braceletlauren banawa, etsy shop, simple beaded bracelet, minimalistic braceletlauren banawa, etsy shop, simple beaded bracelet, minimalistic bracelet

XO, Lauren

Saturday, May 13, 2017

The Influence of Art in My Life


drawing class, usf theatre design, lauren banawa
My set-up for the end of the semester design showings!

I've had such a strong desire to write about this, but I just haven't gotten around to it. This is a bit different than the posts I usually do, but I just had to share. The influence of art is so amazingly prominent in my life. Recently, I came to the realization that art really brings people together and cultivates interactions that may not have happened otherwise. On two different occasions, I was doing some drawing assignments for my drawing class in my favorite little coffee shop, and I had people come up to me and compliment my artwork. In my head, I was wondering how these people were so amazed with something that I was just doing as an assignment (probably last minute too), but these little compliments turned into full fledged conversations both times. I feel that I am a generally shy person who usually keeps to themself, especially in a coffee shop... but in these moments I felt completely free and open to talk!

drawing class, usf theatre design, lauren banawa, japanese inspired drawing
My final drawing for my drawing class! In this picture, it was still in progress, but it's the most recent picture I have of it! It was a conversation starter when I was working on it in the coffee shop!

These experiences led me to think about how much of an impact art has had on my life. And when I say art, I mean everything from drawings to music, and sewing to dance. Art has given me an outlet to express my feelings and ideas in a way that cannot be expressed through words. Art has given me like minded friends, and friends who challenge me to go beyond my comfort zone and experiment with new techniques. Art has given me some of the most the most intriguing and deep conversations I've ever had. Art has given me relief from anxiety, stress, and tension. Art has given me many things, and no doubt, things I haven't even realized yet. 

drawing class, usf theatre design, lauren banawa, ballet slippers drawing, watercolor
One of the projects for my drawing class! A woman came up to me in the coffee shop and wanted to buy it!

With this realization of my passion for art, I started to think about how I can use this passion to positively impact the world and the people around me. Everyone wants to make a difference. Everyone has different passions, different interests, different stories. Maybe I want to start a company like Tom's shoes, where I donate an article of clothing for every garment sold! Maybe I want to make art to bring attention to important causes around the world! Even if I made something that just caused one person to smile, I would be happy. My beliefs are that if you have a passion, if you are truly talented or skilled in something, you shouldn't just keep such a gift to yourself. It's such a powerful thing to have, and with such power, you can impact so many lives! 
Anyways, that's all I have for now! Before I go though, I wanna leave you with three questions: How has art influenced your life? What is your passion? How can you use that to make a difference? Feel free to comment, or just think about it to yourself! Have a fabulous day lovelies and thank you for reading!

XO, Lauren

Monday, May 1, 2017

Concert Vlog | Echosmith, Bishop Briggs, Bad Suns


I am happy to say that I am almost finished with the spring 2017 semester! Only one exam stands in the way of summer vacation, and I'm studying as much as I can so I can finish with a bang! Of course, it can't be all work and no play... so I decided to put together a little vlog of a concert I recently went to! Honestly, the only band I knew was Echosmith. I had never heard of Bishop Briggs or Bad Suns, but as soon as they started playing, I totally fell in love with their music! They all have such different styles and it was cool to see how each of them affected the crowd. I am now a fan of all of the bands that performed that night!! Anyways, I hope you all are having a good school year! If you have finals coming up like me, then I wish you good luck!! Have a super fabulous and positive day!

XO, Lauren