Author Archives: lifewithlilred

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About lifewithlilred

Just your average gal blogging an average blog!
Oct26

Feeling Crafty? 3 Gifts You Can Make In One Hour

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Feeling Crafty? 3 Gifts You Can Make In One Hour

Getting a bit tired of Christmas being all about consumerism? The shops are taking advantage of our willingness to spend money during the festive season is true enough, but the choice to partake in it is up to you. Just because you’d like the holiday to be a bit more about spending time together rather than buying presents doesn’t mean you have to stop giving, though!

Here is a great list of creative DIY presents that most of us can make, which your friends and family would love to receive. They won’t take half a year to make, either, so you still have time to get crafting:

Treat Jars:

Those with a sweet tooth would be happy to get jars, sleighs, and barrels filled with treats for Christmas. Homemade candy canes and gingerbread takes almost no effort and very little money to make, giving it the great title of the number one Christmas present to cook up this year. Put as much thought into the packaging and presentation as you put into the candy, though, to make it even more impressive.

Have a look at these fantastic candy ideas for the festive season, and your friends and family will hardly believe that you made them yourself. It’s great to include your kids when you cook or bake, by the way. Reserve a batch for them to hand out in class, as well, and treat yourself to a smug smile in the next PTA meeting. AYYY!!!! 😀

Spruced Up Oven Gloves:

Head off to the shop and pick up a standard set of oven gloves for your foodie friends. They won’t look boring at all when they unwrap them, though, as you’ve put your crafting skills to excellent use with your sewing machine.

It’s really easy to make a pair of oven gloves look fancy and decorative – plus, your friends or family will have the most original pair on the market yet. Check out these sewing machine ratings if you don’t own one of your own, so that you don’t have to borrow your mother-in-law’s machine every time you feel creative.

Then, you can fill the unique oven glove with some new kitchen utensils. It’s an original way to jazz up their kitchen game, and you can fill it with whatever knick-knacks that they want or need.

A Small Clutch Purse:

In the spirit of sewing, try crafting together a neat little clutch purse for one of your friends or sisters. Just find a piece of fabric that you like, buy a small zipper and piece it together in half an hour. Clutches are so trendy lately, and most of us use one for something. If you’re feeling extra generous, put a few small prezzies in the pouch, as well, for a gift within a gift!

With a tiny amount of baking skills and a few simple tools, you can craft your way through every Christmas present this year. It’s so much more fun than walking around in shops, that’s for sure, or having to get up to open the door for the Amazon-delivery guy. #lazygirlproblems

Featured Image By: Pexels

Oct26

Celebrate Your Anniversary With Style

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Celebrate Your Anniversary With Style

Whether it is the date of your first meeting, first kiss, or your wedding, anniversaries are an exciting and special time that deserves to be celebrated. But how can you ensure that you are truly celebrating your anniversary with all of the style and glamor that you know it deserves? Unfortunately, many people don’t really know how to do this, and it often results in a less than satisfying day for everyone involved. In this post, we are going to take a closer look at how to celebrate your anniversary – of any kind – with true style:

The Difficulty Of Gift Buying: It wouldn’t really be an anniversary without gifts, and it is likely to be one of the first things that you think of when your date is approaching. If you find that you always struggle to find your partner a decent present that you are truly happy with, then you are not alone. Everyone knows this feeling, and it is one that is hard to do away with. So how do you go about ensuring that you end up with the right present? It might actually be easier than you think.

One useful way to do it if you are married is to fall in line with the traditional present buying rules for the years that you have been married. If you don’t know already, it is traditionally paper for one year, wood for five years, tin or aluminum for ten years, crystal for fifteen years, china for twenty years, and so on all the way up to gold for fifty years. If you have reached that genuine milestone, then you will probably want to splash out a little. There are many gold chains for men variations for you to choose between here, and you might be surprised at how easily you can find a fantastic present of this kind.

Even if you don’t want to go by this old rule or you are not married, you might find that gift buying doesn’t have to be all that hard. The trick is in working out what you think they might benefit from but which they would not normally buy for themselves. It might take some time to find something that is absolutely ideal, but the longer you spend on the process, the more likely it is that you will be happy with the resulting gift that you eventually find.

Once you have chosen what seems to be the perfect gift, you will have the issue of trying to come up with when to present it to them. This could be a more difficult concern than you have imagined, and you might end up going for a special occasion which the two of you can have together in celebration of your anniversary itself. If you can find a good time to reveal your gift, you will probably find that it seems to have much more value for the both of you. With the gift buying looked after, you will have dealt with what is often the most difficult part of ensuring that your anniversary celebrations are done with style. But there is much more to consider beside the present, so let’s continue on:

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  So sweet!

Writing A Letter: If you think that buying a gift is not enough, and you would like to express how you feel even more, then you might want to consider writing a letter to your other half expressing how you feel about them. For anyone who would enjoy receiving love letters in youth, this can be a lovely way to bring a little fresh life into the relationship, and at a good time as well. If you find that you often struggle with this kind of thing, then you might choose to take it as an opportunity to practice, as it is something that will always go down well in the future. Writing this kind of letter can be a great way to add a little genuine romance to your anniversary, and is the kind of thing that almost everyone will appreciate.

Depending on how you present it, you can also make this a great way to add some style to your anniversary celebrations. You could consider using old parchment style paper in order to give it an old world feel, for example. Or you might choose to have it delivered in an interesting and exciting way, which makes it more of an event. A letter is definitely worth putting the effort into if you want to make your anniversary as special as you want it to be – Even if you don’t have the best way with words!

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 Letter writing is a lost art.

Mixtapes Are Still A Thing: If you thought that the days of making mixtapes were long gone, think again. While the cassette might be a thing of the past, there is no reason that you can’t create the same kind of effect in a different way. If you are a little creative about it, you might even be able to upgrade the old mixtape idea into something more inventive and enjoyable that your other half will love.

One of the best ways to do this is to get a flash drive and load it with your favorite songs that remind you of them, or which you have enjoyed together in the past. If you present the flash drive in a special way, you will find that it really helps to make it more of a gift, and it is a lovely modern throwback to the old mixtape idea, which really seems to land with people well. Alternatively, you could make a CD, and in this way get a little closer to the original idea.

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#rockinout

Vacationing Is A Must: If you really want to make the most of your anniversary, then you might want to think about whisking your partner away to somewhere exotic for the weekend, or maybe even longer. For the truly romantic out there, you might even want to make it work so that this is the real surprise for them. If you can pull that off, you will find that it has a very strong effect, indeed. Nothing is better than a surprise holiday! Get this right, and it could be the most special anniversary you have had so far.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a low key anniversary, because they are just as special. But if you’re looking to glam things up this year, then the steps above are a great place to start!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Oct26

AnkhorRed’s First Annual Bloggers Conference Highlights

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AnkhorRed’s First Annual Bloggers Conference Highlights

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! Today, we are going to discuss three of my favorite things from Lil Red’s trip to the Big City for my bloggers conference with Kate from Ankhor You. Obviously, I could go on for literal days on end about the BC, but I don’t want to give you guys FOMO on what was an amazing trip! I know, I know, I’m far too kind. Anywho, let’s get started:

1) The time spent with Kate:

Honestly, it really didn’t matter where Kate and I had our bloggers conference, because I’m confident that we could make any location fun. Cemeteries, dollar stores, the middle of nowhere – but given these options, I’m glad that we were in NYC! If you think that Kate is the coolest, sweetest, most fashionable girl on the planet based on her blog, just wait until you meet her in real life… BECAUSE SHE IS!!!!!!

Kate was always someone that I was impressed by and admired before I met her, but our BC just solidified that for me even more. Not only is she as genuine and kind as she is via her blog, text, and FaceTime in person but she really is a modern day Renaissance woman, as she describes herself on her page. As a writer/skater/yoga instructor/amazing human/fashionista, she takes Manhattan by storm, and does it all while walking literal miles per day in the fiercest outfits you’ll ever see.

Kate is a person who follows her dreams and achieves them in her own way and I think that everyone can take a note from that. From binging on Harry Potter to walking down Fifth Avenue and eating hella food, being with Kate was everything that I hoped it would be AND MORE. And you better believe I miss her like crazy!

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^^^ SHE’S ALSO SO PRETTY OMGGGGGG!

2) Skating at Rockefeller Center:

As I mentioned yesterday, Kate and I are both former skater girls, which is how we initially bonded. Then, upon talking further, we realized that we are basically the same person, lol good times. Anyways, I knew that after reminiscing with her constantly about skating, that going together during our BC was a necessity. Although the TWENTY-FIVE DOLLAR ADMISSION into Rockefeller was steep and, sadly, it is nowhere near as big as it is on TV and film, we had a blast.

It was so much fun to be able to skate around the rink and (cautiously) make our way into the center to do a few tricks when it was safe for us to do so. I love going skating with my friends and family, and even though I was so far away from Ohio, I felt right at home with Kate on the rink. It was so special to be able to share the ice with someone who genuinely appreciates it as much as I do. I’m looking forward to skating with Kate again hopefully soon, but maybe next time we’ll be in Ohio where admission onto the ice is free or way cheaper!

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3) Eating (literally) all the food:

Sigh. I go to NYC and instead of writing about sightseeing or all of the amazing places that we went to, I choose to write about food. But I like to eat, SUE ME FOR IT. Kate took me to all of her favorite places like Maison Kayser, Le Pain, BareBurger, and Bonjour Crepes & Wine. For four days in a row, we ate like queens and, although my wallet and waistband weren’t thanking me, my heart and stomach definitely were. #fatandhappy

Going to New York and experiencing all of the different options to eat at was incredible, albeit a little overwhelming! In Akron, Ohio, we do have some specialty restaurants, but for the most part, we have a lot of chain dining. Think, Applebee’s, the Olive Garden, TGIFridays, etc. Being in a location where literally every restaurant is a specialty one was insane! I’m so happy that Kate gave me options of places that she knew that I would like, because we probably would have spent a majority of our bloggers conference waiting for me to pick a place to eat!! I miss Kate like crazy, but I would be a liar if I didn’t say that I miss all of the food, too! 😉

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So there you have it, my highlights from AnkhorRed’s First Annual Bloggers Conference! And let it be known that I LOVE YOU, KATE!!!! What is one of your favorite things to do in New York City? What places are on your travel bucket list? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct25

Bright Ideas To Spruce Up A Gloomy Home

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Bright Ideas To Spruce Up A Gloomy Home

When summer is put behind us, it’s tempting to revert to dark, deep colors. Mustard yellows and soft browns are autumnal and reflect the changing leaves outside. However, if one goes too far with a deep color palette, a gloomy home can be created, which is somewhat depressing. Remember that the sun sets far earlier and that there is less sunlight during the autumn and winter months. Exploiting light to combat this is never as important as it is now and in the months to come.

Don’t fret, though, because sprucing up a gloomy house is by no means impossible. In fact, with the following tips, it’s pretty easy!

Paint It White:

The Rolling Stones are a fan of painting things black, but they’re rock stars and allowed to be miserable. The average person can’t pull off their attitude without a guitar in hand. So, as a rule, it’s better to use white when brightening up a home. The reason for this is the sheen. All paint is glossy, yet white has an extra shine, which gives it an added edge. Even lighter colors can’t compete because they are softer and not as bright. It’s okay to use non-autumnal colors. Use white as the foundation, and then you can accessorize the rest of the house with darker tones.

Glass Paneled Doors:

Removing blockages from the windows and using power light bulbs are simple fixes. Still, the light may not travel well from one room to another. The reason, quite simply, is the blockages within the rooms. Doors are a prime example because they are big and bulky. As soon as the light hits the wood or PVC, it will bounce elsewhere. With panels, the rays will travel straight through unimpeded and into the next area of the house. The doors don’t have to be paneled from head to toe because it’s overkill. Just install them halfway up the wood for excellent results.

Make It Fun:

You didn’t think to brighten up a home was all about light, did you? No, the right light settings are crucial but not the end of the line. To make a house less gloomy, it needs to be a place that you enjoy. Whether it’s relaxing or bright and poppy, there should be a stylish and practical nature throughout the property. Relaxing is easy, so let’s focus on having fun. If there is space, turn an empty bedroom into a games room. The best billiard tables can provide you with hours of entertainment. Make sure you get a mini fridge and an awesome speaker system, too! Finally, make sure that the house is accessible. Nothing is more annoying than struggling to move in your own home. Clear away the clutter and the boxes and watch the space and light flow better than ever.

Keep It The Same:

The above are useful tips if a gloomy house is a problem. But what if you love your house the way it is?! Keep everything the same if your home looks perfect. For one thing, it should be a reflection of your family’s likes and dislikes. Secondly, some people are winter people, as in they love this time of year. In that case, embrace the dark afternoons and freezing cold temperatures! Pull a Mick Jagger and Paint It Black and light some candles for a spooky chic atmosphere. Go all out, because nothing is cooler than a house that is completely and utterly you.

A murky home is not always doom and gloom. But if you do want to brighten things up, follow the above steps and let the sunshine in!

Featured Image By: PxHere

Oct25

AnkhorRed’s First Annual Bloggers Conference

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AnkhorRed’s First Annual Bloggers Conference

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! As you all know, Lil Red visited the Big City this month to visit my blogging (and real life) BFF, Kate, from Ankhor You. After literal months of constant texting and FaceTiming, we decided to take the next “big step” in our friendship and finally meet each other!

In case you didn’t know, Kate and I are both former figure skaters, so we planned our get together for October, when the rinks in New York are open. Kate jokingly called our hang out a “bloggers conference” and it was so funny and appropriate that it stuck. After what seemed like months of waiting…because it was quite literally months of waiting…October rolled around and the BC was a go! I Greyhounded myself to Manhattan (A ten hour ride!) and was greeted by Kate at the gate.

Saying that our first “real life” meeting was surreal is a true understatement. Yes, we talk every day and yes, we FaceTime almost weekly but talking via phone is never the same as meeting in real life. Anyone on CatFish can attest to that! But our initial meeting went exactly how I hoped it would go – with a big hug and infinite high pitched “eeeeeeee’s”. Although, I could do without the fact that I needed to go to the Port Authority bathroom immediately after and that I was blind as a bat because I accidentally fell asleep on the bus in my one a day contacts and had to take them out. Smh.

ANYWAYS, spending four days in NY and staying in Kate’s “doll house” apartment was magnificent, to say the least. The days were long and filled with walking, in heels no less! But the company was fantastic, the laughter was nonstop, and, as if things couldn’t get any better, a Harry Potter marathon on TV was there to greet us every evening.

Tomorrow, I will discuss some of my favorite highlights of my trip and some more NYC fun with one of my favorite people on the planet! Where is your favorite place to travel to? What is your preferred method of travel? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Oct24

Scarf Series: Gianluca Lombardo Beauty Edition

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Scarf Series: Gianluca Lombardo Beauty Edition

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! One accessory that I like a lot but never truly appreciate to its full extent is the scarf. God knows I have a ton of them, but it’s a rarity that I ever wear them. Why? Couldn’t tell ya. But one fateful trip to TJMaxx with my beloved mother changed my opinion on scarves entirely and I’m looking forward to sharing my purchases with you, as well as wearing scarves new and old in the future. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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^^^ I ❤ this scarf! 😉

This made in Italy, Gianluca Lombardo scarf caught my eye the moment that I saw it because of its gorgeous color palette. The burnished gold and rust orange spoke to me on a spiritual level because they are both colors that look fantastic on me, if I do say so myself. Not only that, but I loved the doodled heart pattern oh so much! Hearts on clothing is something that both my mom and I adore, so everything about this scarf was such an obvious “yes”.

The best thing about this scarf, though, is that it isn’t an infinity scarf, which gives me a bunch of different styling opportunities. I prefer to wear my scarves in traditional Parisian style over my head and, although you can sort of do that with infinity scarves, it just isn’t the same. I went ice skating this past weekend and wore this scarf Parisian style to the rink and then hung it around my neck while I was skating and it moved so beautifully and I felt so divine the entire time just from one fifteen dollar accessory. So worth it.

This Gianluca Lombardo beauty makes me feel so utterly chic. In fact, I wore it Parisian style to get lunch with my neighbor and “chic” was the word that she used to describe my look and it was such an amazing compliment. I’ve been told that I’m “stylish”, “fashionable”, and that I have “the best clothes” numerous times, but have never been called “chic”, even though that’s what I always strive for. Although, let’s be real, chic is probably not the first compliment that comes to mind in the way that I dress most of the time since I just like to consider myself “grungy chic” lololol.

I feel like in my skinny jeans, boyfriend blazer, oversized shirt, faux snakeskin booties, and a billowing, wrapped around my head scarf, I finally nailed the perfect Parisian look. Having my feelings of chicness confirmed by my neighbor was a huge fashion victory for me and I wouldn’t have achieved it without giving this scarf a try!

In just throwing this scarf on at TJs, feelings of chicness flooded me and I went into a scarf buying frenzy. This Gianluca Lombardo scarf will always be my A-1 but that doesn’t mean that I don’t simply adore the other two that I purchased, so do stay tuned so we can discuss them further, too!

So there you have it, my Scarf Series: Gianluca Lombardo Edition. What is your favorite compliment to receive about the way that you dress? What is your favorite accessory to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct23

Monday Update: The Fall Tag Edition

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Monday Update: The Fall Tag Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! Last week, my darling friend from Absolutely Blush nominated lifewithlilred for its first Fall Tag. Out of all of the fantastic awards that my page has so graciously been nominated for, this one is probably my favorite because I love and live for all things fall. Please make sure to check out the fabulous fun that is Absolutely Blush and let’s get to the tag rules:

The Rules:

  •  Put the badge and rules in your post.
  • Answer the tag questions.
  • Tag at least 5 other bloggers to join in the fun!

Q & A:

What’s your favorite fall outfit? Mmmm, let’s see. I can’t say that I have a favorite outfit in particular but I would have to say that my favorite piece of fall clothing would definitely have to be peacoats. I’m obsessed with my newest peacoat purchase from Target – it’s perfect!

What is fall weather like where you live? I am located in Akron, Ohio which is about forty minutes from Cleveland. Right now, it feels way too warm here to be fall. Usually in the good ol’ AK-Rowdy we enjoy brisk temperatures in the 50’s and low 60’s, which is perfect for putting on a big, chunky sweater and hiking in one of our gorgeous Metro Parks.

What’s your favorite drink to have during the fall? Every once in a while I like to treat myself to the yummy Caramel Apple Spice from Starbucks. However, I definitely enjoy hot coffee more during the cooler weather so I usually will just make myself a pot while I’m working and sip away.

What’s your favorite fall scented candle? I’m not a huge candle girl but I do love vanilla scented candles year round, even though that’s not really a fall scent!

What are your favorite fall activities? I love going to haunted houses, watching scary movies, and going for hikes. Apple picking and corn mazes are a plus, too!

What is one of your favorite fall memories? My family and our two pups went apple picking in Asheville, North Carolina last year and it was so much fun! The orchard was huge, the scenery was breathtaking, and the apples were delicious.

What are some fall movies that you enjoy? All of the Saw movies, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Ils, Sinister one and two, and The Conjuring. If it’s a scary movie, then chances are I love it!

What is your favorite fall treat? A great big caramel apple with peanuts! Yum!

If you celebrate Halloween, what is your favorite costume that you have worn? I can’t say that I really have a favorite, because I normally don’t dress up. When I was little, I was a generic, bought at the drug store princess for five years in a row – so clearly my younger self loved that!

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: The Fall Tag Edition! Many thanks again to Absolutely Blush for my nomination! How would you answer any of these tag questions? What is your favorite season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct22

Nipping At Your Nose: Don’t Let The Cold Weather Damage Your Skin!

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Nipping At Your Nose: Don’t Let The Cold Weather Damage Your Skin!

Whether it’s something that you’re happy about or not, there’s no denying that summer is well and truly over and we’re already rushing headlong into those chilly winter months. For some people, this is what they’ve been waiting for all year long. And for others, it’s time to slog through miserable weather until spring finally rolls back around. Either way, there’s one thing that everyone needs to keep in mind: the cold weather can be a real nightmare for your skin. You might have been used to the summertime leaving your skin clear and glowing, but the cold weather can undo all of that if you’re not careful. Here are a few things that you can do to prevent that from happening, even as the weather gets colder and colder:

Find The Right Products:

The kinds of skin products that you use during the summer are often going to be fundamentally different to the ones that you use when it gets colder. In fact, other than sunscreen, you probably will find that you need to put a lot less product on your skin during the warmer periods. However, cold weather can dry out your skin seriously fast, causing all kinds of problems. Check out this page with ranking and reviews of the best retinol creams to see if you can find the best possible options for your skin. Everyone’s skin is different, and you want to make sure that you find something that is properly suited to you.

Dress Warmly:

Even if you’re a big fan of the winter, no one likes being cold, and your skin is no exception. By wrapping up warm, you’re going to make life much easier for your skin. The important thing is to keep your core warm. If you can do that, then your body can focus on keeping your hands, feet, and face at a somewhat comfortable temperature. This is especially important since your face is the only part of your body that is pretty much always exposed to the elements no matter what.

Get Enough Sun:

Of course, the temperature isn’t the only reason that a lot of people’s skin tends to suffer during the winter months. The other reason is simply that they don’t go outside nearly as much. After all, why would you? A walk in the park is a lot less appealing when you end up with frost forming in your eyebrows! However, staying inside all winter can lead you to not getting enough vitamin D. Not only can this have a serious impact on your skin but it can affect your overall health, as well. Make sure that you still take the opportunity to get out into the sun, even if it’s not exactly sunbathing weather. On the coldest, wettest, and most dreary days, you can also try out some light therapy within your warm and dry house. Red light therapy is particularly good for Vitamin D; have a read through of some Platinum Therapy Lights reviews to see how you can get this set up.

No matter what your opinion of the winter is, nothing will change its arrival, so the best thing to do is embrace it. Get your cozy sweaters on, make yourself a cup of cocoa, and curl up by the fire. And even if you really hate it, just remember that spring will be here before you know it!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Oct22

Halloween Heaven Guest Bloggers Series Conclusion

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Halloween Heaven Guest Bloggers Series Conclusion

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! Yesterday, my Halloween Heaven guest bloggers series had its grand finale with a party guide to celebrate all things spooky fun. We are now back to a normal week on lifewithlilred starting on Monday, which will include posts about my trip to NYC to meet the wonderful, beautiful, charming, talented Kate of Ankhor You. Spoiler Alert: IT WAS GREAT!!!

But, before that, I want to extend a most heartfelt thanks to all of my incredible guest bloggers for helping to put lifewithlilred into the Halloween spirit! Each and every post was exactly what I was hoping for and I am so happy to have been able to share your work on my page. All of you are welcome back any time on lifewithlilred and thanks again for all of your hard work!!

What was your favorite post from my Halloween Heaven guest bloggers series? Who will be joining me on lifewithlilred for a winter themed series come December? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct21

Tricks & Treats! Season & Serve Style Halloween Bash

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Tricks & Treats! Season & Serve Style Halloween Bash

Hi everyone and welcome to the final post in my Halloween Heaven guest bloggers series by the amazing Melissa of Season & Serve. You might remember this lovely lady from a previous guest post on my blog that showed you all of the fixings for a perfect fall themed dinner party. This time around, Melissa is here to wrap up my series with a how to guide to creating a spooky chic Halloween bash – costume ideas not included! Check it out and enjoy:

Tricks & Treats! Season & Serve Style Halloween Bash

Ghosts, ghouls, and goblins galore! Halloween is just around the corner and I cannot wait to celebrate! This year, I am hosting a spooky soirée at our apartment and I am bringing a few elegant touches and a fabulously retro menu to my Halloween party to set the perfect mood. Read on to see how you can throw a classy yet spooky Halloween party of your own… if you dare! Mwahaha!

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This year, I decided to aim for a more elegant vibe for my Halloween party in terms of decor. If you remember back to when you were a kid, Halloween was all about the blood, guts, and gore. While I can definitely appreciate gory decorations on Halloween, it is a bit more fitting to do this outside of your home since it can be complicated and messy (I mean fake blood is cool and all, but I don’t want to be scrubbing it off of my walls and mirrors the next day!). But what we are lacking in blood and guts, we are making up with some classy, yet scary Halloween decor. I used a combination of every day decor pieces that I had around my home, and tied them together with some cheap (But reusable!) dollar store items that I found. I then did a wonderfully simple DIY that you can keep in storage for next year’s bash. So, without further adieu, here is what I did:

For my table, I decided to decorate with mainly black pieces (Because obviously black is the color for Halloween and is timelessly elegant.) along with some gold and silver accents for a bit of shine. I used my everyday black dinner table as the base (You can always throw a black tablecloth over your table if it is not black.) and added a few tasteful pieces for decoration. I anchored the left corner of my table with my thrifted gold candlestick holders in which I placed some tall black candles… because obviously we need some spooky candlelight for Halloween!

On the opposite side, I wanted another tall piece to balance the table out, so I went for a nice, tall vase of sunflowers. These sunflowers had a dark orange color on the flowers and leaves that were almost purple – something that is not typical of this cheery flower. I found out that the florist that I went to actually made the sunflowers this darker orange color by keeping them in a tub of water mixed with red dye. If you have red food coloring, you can simply add it to your vase of regular yellow sunflowers and in two days, you will have these delightfully dark sunflowers for your table. I loved the deep moody vibe that it brought to the table scape! I also went ahead and placed my white “Casper” pumpkin next to my candles along with my dark green Kabocha squash for a bit of color.

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Next, I added my serving-ware. I placed my wooden cake pedestal to the center/back of the table to give my food some height (I’m all about varying heights on buffet-style tables.) and then placed a round, brushed gold tray and silver place mat in front of the pedestal. I loved the silver place mat for Halloween – it totally reminded me of a spider web! And, of course, where there is a spider web, there are spiders! So I picked up some sparkly plastic black spiders from the Dollar Store and placed them all over my table. I also added a few sparkly black pumpkins to the table, as well (Another great reuseable Dollar Store find!), to fill in the empty spaces.

I also discovered these fabulously cool, yet elegant black glass skull cups from Homesense (A home goods store in Canada.) that I knew needed to be a part of my Halloween table scape. I added these to the table and made sure to back-light them with some tea lights to make them look extra creepy for when my guests arrived. I originally placed the tea lights in short glass jars (For safety reasons.), but I found these plain jars to be fairly boring, so I did a quick and easy DIY! I simply wrapped each glass jar with black lacey ribbon and used a hot glue gun to secure the lace around the jar. I love the sexy, sultry look that it brought to the table – perfectly elegant and spooky, if you ask me!

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Now for the good stuff… THE FOOD! When I was planning this Halloween party, I was thinking of a combination of elegant, retro, and (Of course!) spooky. Kind of like something from around the 1920’s to the 1950’s – so I decided to borrow some throw back food ideas from those eras to fit this theme and give it a Halloween twist. I chose to stick to appetizers and small snacks that people can nibble on throughout the party while they mingle. I also opted to make the majority of the recipes myself, but also improvised with some store-bought foods just to make things a bit easier for the host (Because hey, you gotta get your Halloween costume on too!). And, of course, as every good host knows, one of the key tricks to entertaining is to not make everything yourself!

So those are the tricks… here are the treats! First up on the menu is Blue Cheese and Walnut Stuffed Cockroaches… I mean dates. The look of dates always freaked me out as a kid because I thought that they looked like cockroaches. But once you get past their questionable appearance and take a bite, you will fall in love with their sweet and soft taste. It’s almost like eating candy! The recipe for Blue Cheese and Walnut Stuffed Dates is a play on the retro recipe, Devils On Horseback, which is traditionally made with prunes stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon. I wanted to go for a healthier, vegetarian recipe so I swapped out the prunes for the dates and the bacon for a toasted walnut. And do they ever look spooky! Oh, and if the thought of blue cheese in this recipe is enough to scare you alone, simply change it out for a smoked cheddar or Gouda. These cheeses also taste delicious with dates and walnuts!

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Now, with it being Halloween, there are going to be many vampires around, so we are going to keep them at bay with my homemade French Onion Dip. This recipe is inspired by the old school French Onion dip made from those French Onion soup packets and sour cream. Super retro, right!? Rather than using a soup packet, you can make this dip yourself, and it won’t have any nasty preservatives or additives in it! You simply have to fry onions and garlic until they are nice and caramelized, then toss them with sour cream and Greek yogurt as well as a few other secret ingredients to lighten it up. Serve with classic ruffled potato chips or fancy vegetable chips and you have got yourself a great party dip!

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My next recipe is a play on the classic tea sandwich: Mrs. Frankenstein’s Tea Sandwiches. In other words, Cucumber-Dill Tea Sandwiches. This is definitely an old school dish, because it has been served at many fancy tea parties over the past century or so. You simply layer butter, an elevated homemade cream cheese spread, and slices of cucumber on top of pumpernickel bread and slice it into wedges. I really like the fresh, cool cucumber and dill in this recipe as many appetizers can be heavy, but this one is light and refreshing (And it will freshen up your breath from the French Onion Dip!). If you can make a sandwich, you can easily make these Cucumber-Dill Tea Sandwiches for your party!

My final savory appetizer that I made for this party was inspired by the retro pinwheel sandwiches made with tortilla wraps and deli meat/cheese. I never really liked these as a kid (I found them to get super soggy and gross). But I took this idea and made it much better with my recipe for Roasted Red Pepper and Cheddar Pinwheels. Rather than using tortilla wraps to hold everything in, I used a sheet of store-bought puff pastry. All you need to do is sprinkle it with the roasted red peppers and cheese, roll it up, slice it up, and bake! It’s so simple and easy – and it looks impressive, too! Your guests will think that you spent hours making these!

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Now, onto my favorite course: dessert. As we all know, with Halloween comes tons of sugary candy and chocolates, which is a great treat in small doses. But rather than making an overly sugary dessert or placing a bunch of candy on the table, I decided to keep things more on the healthier side with a Healthy Dessert Board. On this dessert board, I mixed store-bought and homemade treats. From the store, I picked up some maple flavored mixed nuts, coconut macaroons (I thought they looked like little ghosts.), and some crazy spooky Moon Drop grapes. I loved the deep purple color of the grapes and the elongated shape (Almost like fingers!).

The homemade treats that I made are simple and can likely be made with ingredients that you have in your pantry right now! Bonus! First up, I made my Autumn-Inspired White Chocolate Bark. What’s a dessert board without some chocolate? I made it a bit healthier by adding vitamin rich cranberries and apricots and oil-rich walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Just the colors alone look gorgeous. It’s truly perfect for fall/Halloween!

Last but not least, I had to made something with Pumpkin Spice. And what’s a better treat than Pumpkin Spice Energy Balls?!? The basic white girl inside of me literally can’t even right now. You have all of the delicious warm flavors of pumpkin spice combined with healthy dates, almonds, and oats – such a great and healthy treat!

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And there you have it ghosts and ghouls! A fully planned and designed Halloween party. All you need is some spooky music and a great costume and you will be ready to have an amazing time! For all of the recipes featured in this post, simply click on the links or head over to my blog!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

^^^ Yum, yum, freaking YUM! Many thanks to Melissa for concluding my Halloween Heaven guest bloggers series by sharing such amazing party recipes, tricks, and treats with my readers! Which recipes from this post are you going to try out? Where do you go for the best seasonal decor? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah