Self Love

Hannah Drake is a lifestyle and travel blog based out of Birmingham, England. Hannah started this blog in January of 2017 to document life in her native Colorado. Since then, she has moved abroad and gotten married and this space has grown too. Come for the photos of beautiful England and home decor tips, stay for the honest take on life and marriage, the good, the bad, and the not-so-Instagram-worthy. Read more about Hannah here.

FEATURED POSTS

Featured

Self Care Is... Practising Worry Time

Aug 14, 2019

Self Care Is... Practising Worry Time

Aug 14, 2019

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Aug 14, 2019

Self Care Is... Knowing Your Love Languages

Jul 31, 2019

Self Care Is... Knowing Your Love Languages

Jul 31, 2019

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Jul 31, 2019

The Year of Alphabet Dates: I

Jul 24, 2019

The Year of Alphabet Dates: I

Jul 24, 2019

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Jul 24, 2019

5 Simple Syrups You Need in Your Home Bar

Jul 15, 2019

5 Simple Syrups You Need in Your Home Bar

Jul 15, 2019

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Jul 15, 2019

10 Things to Know Before Visiting Italy

Jul 12, 2019

10 Things to Know Before Visiting Italy

Jul 12, 2019

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Jul 12, 2019

The 10 Most Used Items from Our Wedding Registry

Jul 10, 2019

The 10 Most Used Items from Our Wedding Registry

Jul 10, 2019

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Jul 10, 2019

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Strong 8x8

Strong 8x8

5.00

Masculinity 16x24

Masculinity 16x24

5.00

Prayerful 8x8

Prayerful 8x8

10.00

THE GRAM

🏡🐶🐱 That feeling when you get a house, a puppy, and a kitten all in one weekend! 🤗

Meet Eggs and Benedict. Of course they already have their own Instagram: @eggsbenedictadventures (No, that’s not pee on my knee, just wet grass.)

#ad @thebodyshop 🍌
As a lifelong Hannah, I tend to avoid any banana references. (I learned this from one of my senior photos when some of my friends said I looked like I was holding a banana. Swipe for the photo.) But I’ll do it for The Body Shop because that’s just how much I love them.
🍌
I started using face masks last year, so this year is all about the hair masks! Even living in a place with more humidity, my hair still often feels dry and brittle on the ends. This banana hair mask is all about (truly) nourishing from roots to ends, fighting the frizz (need!), and making your hair all the more shiny. I’ve been using a hair mask once a week for about two months now and I’ve definitely noticed a difference. Consider me a convert.
🍌
I’ve added an affiliate link directly to the Banana Truly Nourishing Hair Mask to the links page in my bio so you can shop it yourself.
🍌
#myhairdontcare #thebodyshopUK #thebodyshopbirminghambullring #thebodyshop #joy42 #joy42selflove #bananaphone

Did you even go to London in the springtime if you don’t post a photo of Annabel’s? (By the way, it’s a private club in Mayfair.) My mom said she’s going to put a big floral installation on her house next spring when she’s retired. 🌺🌼🌸 #joy42 #joy42travels #london #visitlondon #londoninbloom #annabelsmayfair

“I, take you, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. I will share my joy with you, that it be multiplied. I will share your pain, that it be divided. I will walk by your side as we journey together through life's adventures. I promise to live together in the holy covenant of marriage. I promise to love you, cherish you, comfort you, and keep you. Forsaking all others, I will be yours alone as long as we both shall live.” 👰🏻🤵🏻 Today, in honor of being married for 20 months, we’re celebrating being wedded for 12. (I wrote a blog post yesterday about our two anniversaries...there’s a link in my bio.) And you know I’ll take any excuse to share photos from our wedding. 📷: @briannehaagensonphoto

*Sigh*

I’ve been having so many feelings about Insta lately. Once upon a time, I used to post every day--sometimes even twice a day--but that’s definitely not the case now. I still remember the day I got Insta. I remember the first picture I posted--a selfie with the Earlybird filter. It used to be a place where I just posted pictures I liked and it didn’t matter that I only got a handful of likes or that I threw some filter on it.

Then it got all these rules. You have to post every day. You have to post at a certain time. You have to do XYZ to “grow your following”. You have to edit your photos a certain way. You have to use all the right hashtags. You have to tell stories and be relatable in your captions. You have to be authentic and you can’t do too many hashtag ads, but you have to do some to be somebody. It’s effing exhausting. It has become another chore, but somehow worse than vacuuming or opening the mail.

I’ve seen some people express similar sentiments & move to take back what they used to love about Insta. (Like #postitcauseyouloveit from @thesimpleslow!) I’ve heard rumours that Insta is phasing out follower & like counts to everyone but the user & I sincerely hope that’s true. I’m so down for this, but I’m also finding it easier to let go of the app. I find myself scrolling through my feed more infrequently & I can barely make it through 5 Stories before losing interest. I feel perfectly okay with only showing up when I actually want to.

I’ve been focusing my energy on my blog instead, where I have more control & I simply feel more inspired. I’d rather just be myself & not feel guilty over what I am or am not doing online. If you want to be a part of it, let’s do this! If you don’t, no worries!

I’m still processing all of my feelings about Instagram--social media as a whole, really--so I hope you’ll bear with me & forgive me for my rambling train of thought. If you’re open, I hope you’ll consider your relationship with Insta & whether or not it’s truly working for you right now. It’s truly freeing to take back control & learn to love something again.

#joy42 #joy42selflove #communityovercompetition #leaveroomforgrace #lifeunplugged #choosejoy

If I could give you just one tip on Italy it would be this:

Take a cooking class while you’re there!

We learned how to make fresh pasta and that fettuccine alfredo isn’t actually a thing in Italy; it’s all about cacio e pepe.

Check out our walking tour (one of two, in fact) and cooking class on the blog today. 🇮🇹 🍝 🍷

#joy42 #joy42travels #rome #wheninrome #bestofrome #sublimetours #pastaclass #goldenhour

#ad @thebodyshop #thebodyshopUK

The Easter bunny managed to find us in Scotland and just happened to leave me some carrots among all these goodies! I’m loving the new carrot face cleanser & face moisturizer for a number of reasons, but one of the main ones is that they’re made from wonky, UK-grown carrots! 🥕

We seriously waste a lot of produce because it’s not “pretty” enough when it’s still perfectly edible, so I’m really glad to see these wonky carrots are getting a second life! And as always, no bunnies were harmed in making these products! 🐰

Peep the gin too! 👀 What did you get in your Easter basket?

PS We mainly did Easter baskets this year because Luke has never had one before! Yay for the American commercialization of every major holiday!

#thebodyshopbirminghambullring #24carrotglow #thebodyshop

#joy42 #joy42selflove #ethicalproducts #ethicalbeauty #crueltyfreebeauty #easterweekend #easterbasket

Want to hear about one of my most embarrassing moments?

About a year ago, I went down to London on the coach to see all the spring flowers and seasonal shop façades. Luke dropped me off at the coach station before he went into work, so it was e a r l y. I was wearing this dress and a jean jacket and was carrying a backpack.

I spent the day wandering around the city, seeing all of London in its prime. A few hours in, I took off my jacket and folded it into my backpack because it was quite warm. I sent Luke a selfie. I toured the most picturesque neighborhoods.

Toward the end of my day, I happened to run into the designer of this particular dress, @galmeetsglam while she was there shooting for her next collection. I was completely star struck outside of The Ivy Chelsea Garden where we bumped into each other on the street.

Later, when I was on the coach home, my neck was itchy and suddenly, I realized my dress was half zipped!

I had been walking around London all day with my dress half zipped! I had met the designer of my dress with it half zipped!

I was so embarrassed and that moment still haunts me to this day! 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈 I figured maybe if I shared this story (finally) paired with one of my dresses prime moments (the morning after our wedding), it wouldn’t haunt me so much. 📷: @briannehaagensonphoto

#joy42 #drakesacrossthepond #gmgonme #thisisbham #birmingham #seeyourcity #gglocalgems

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