Author Archives: lifewithlilred

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About lifewithlilred

Just your average gal blogging an average blog!
May20

7 Ways To Make Your Home Look More Expensive

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7 Ways To Make Your Home Look More Expensive

Every homeowner wants their property to look the best it can possibly be. When it comes to making a great first impression on your visitors, you may want to opt for trends that showcase your home in the best light and make it look super high end. Adding expensive-looking touches to your home that don’t break the bank could be one of the best design choices you make. Whether you’re planning an entire home renovation, or you want to make just a handful of tweaks, here are seven ways to make your home look opulent and expensive:

New Windows:

Getting new windows installed is sure to give your property an instant lift. Looking into window options will show you just how many styles there are to choose from. You may also want to look into residential and commercial window tinting if you’re not quite ready to upgrade your windows altogether. Window tinting can provide you with the look and privacy of etched glass without the additional expense. This is a great way to make your home look more expensive using a simple and affordable technique.

Don’t forget that your windows will need blinds and curtains to complete the look. Curtains are a great way to add color and texture into a room and can be swapped out seasonally or as often as you choose. Blinds will further enhance your newly installed or tinted windows and provide natural lighting. To get inspiration, simply enter a search for “Window Blinds Nottingham” (or your local area) to schedule a consultation with a professional team. You will be able to discuss the expensive look you are hoping to achieve to really make your house pop.

Fresh Flowers:

There is nothing quite like bright fresh flowers to bring a touch of glamor to your home. Don’t wait for somebody to buy you a bouquet of beautiful blooms, you can treat yourself to a new set every week, simply because you and your home deserve it. You can change up the color scheme depending on the season or your mood. Either way, your fresh flowers will be a stunning addition to your home, and it will make everything appear much more high end.

Luxurious Lighting:

The power of lighting should never be underestimated, especially when it comes to creating an expensive and beautiful looking home. The only way you can choose the right types of lighting for your home is by going to look around your local stores and seeing which ones appeal to you the most. Choosing the right lamp shades and lighting fixtures can completely transform the way your home looks in its entirety.

Minimal Clutter:

Getting rid of as much excess clutter as possible is a simple way to create a sense of lavishness in your home. If you want your home to appear more expensive, you need to throw away any unnecessary items that are cluttering up your beautiful space. This will give you more scope to decorate in unique ways and find more interesting places to highlight.

More Mirrors and Wall Art:

If you have ever walked through a grand home or estate before, you will notice that there are always pieces of artwork and mirrors on the walls. Adding more decor to your walls can help you to inject some of your personal style into your home, and it’s a great way to boost its overall appeal. With mirrors and wall art, there are so many different amazing styles for you to explore. Depending on the look and feel that you’re going for, you may find that certain types of frames or color schemes work better with your home interiors.

Wooden Flooring:

There are so many advantages that go hand in hand with getting wooden flooring installed in your home. First of all, wooden flooring is timeless and will never go out of style. Second, it’s very easy to make wooden flooring look expensive too. As long as you keep it clean and in good condition, wooden flooring will instantly give your home a sense of class.

Patterns and Textures:

Experimenting with a variety of patterns and textures when decorating your home is a brilliant way to add a layer of luxury. From rugs to curtains, you can use patterns and textures to enhance the interior decor of your home and make it a more lavish place to live.

Creating a fresh, stylish and expensive looking home is much easier than you think, especially when you have so many ideas to work with. All of these ideas will work with all sorts of different homes and will help you to feel proud of your property in every single way!

May20

Finger Tattoos – Before & After

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Finger Tattoos – Before & After

Hello!! In late April, I enjoyed a tap out tattoo session by my amazing artist, Emily, in her brand new shop called Vivid Visions. She got so much awesome work done and we scheduled some extra time for a few last minute additions a week later. During my extra mini session, we designed tattoos for my inner thighs, neck, and fingers together. It was SO neat to work side by side with Emily to create some tattoo magic and I am so happy with what we came up with. I was particularly excited to get my fingers done because they were looking quite bare. However, we all know that finger tattoos don’t heal the best!

I thought it would be interesting to show what my fingers looked like after they were freshly tattooed and how they look now over two weeks later. Check it out:

Fresh:

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Healed:

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^^^ Peep those cute nails!!

I consider myself to be an excellent “healer” when it comes to tattoos. A vast majority of my previous tattoos scabbed and itched minimally and required no touch ups. Finger tattoos are a whole different ballgame, though – especially for me. I spend a majority of my time during the week working on my computer or my phone and driving back and forth between clients. This makes finger tattoos not the most ideal because they are consistently rubbing on something. I was, of course, disappointed that several aspects of my new finger tattoos didn’t “stick”. Was I surprised? Absolutely not! The tattoos on my palms have been touched up at least five times and they still aren’t completely perfect. It comes with the territory – just think about how often you use your hands throughout the day!

I thought this post would be a good reminder for people considering finger or hand tattoos that you will absolutely, without a doubt need them touched up. It could be once or, in my case, multiple times to get the results you want. Please remember that this is no fault of the tattoo artist. Your hands are in motion all day every day, they are washed frequently, and the skin on your hands regenerates a lot faster. These are all major factors in your finger or hand tattoos not healing as well as if they were on a different location. If you aren’t interested in taking time for touch up appointments or aren’t okay with the results being exactly what you want, I would rethink your decision.

Hand and finger tattoos rule and I love mine. In fact, they are some of my favorites. I can’t wait to get a touch up appointment scheduled soon to get my fingers back to their former glory. I’m sure I’ll need to schedule several and it’s all good!

What is your favorite tattoo that you have? Which of your tattoos hurt the most? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May19

Sweet Surprises: Fresh Ink Edition

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Sweet Surprises: Fresh Ink Edition

Hello!! Ever since becoming Tim Misny’s social media manager, I have received SO much support and encouragement and it makes me feel SO good. Everyone from immediate family and friends to random people online have shared their excitement with me and I appreciate it more than words can say. I have felt so celebrated and it’s not even mine and Johnny’s birthaversary yet! This past Monday, we visited Johnny’s parents for a belated Mother’s Day dinner. As a Sweet Surprise, Johnny’s mom didn’t gift me with tattoos – but something else that involves some Fresh Ink! Check it out:

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Ever since I was little, I remember my mom having a few pens in her purse. She always kept that thang on her and when I first started my big girl jobs a decade ago, pens were the first thing I added to my work bag. The pens we had handy were never anything special, but they wrote and that was the most important thing. I used to think about getting fun pens with pompoms and streamers because I am that extra and ten years later I still don’t own any lol. Until now, anyways!

For my new job gift, my amazing mother-in-law gave me the cutest set of polka dot pens with huge diamonds on the top. Pompoms and streamers, who? Because diamonds truly are a girl’s best friend! I was so touched by this kind gesture and can’t help but smile every time I see my new ink. I, of course, have one in my purse, one at my computer station, and one in my desk upstairs for safe keeping. These adorable pens were the perfect little something for a writer and I love that my mother-in-law thought of me immediately when she saw them. ❤

More often than not, the best Sweet Surprises come in small packages. I am thrilled to finally have some pens with personality – it only took ten years to get them! 😀

Have you gotten any sweet surprises recently? How do you like to celebrate your loved ones? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

Car Chase Craziness

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Car Chase Craziness

Hello!! Johnny and I live in an apartment community called Timber Top. It is a sprawling, labyrinth like property and you are, without fail, going to get lost if you’re a first time visitor. Back in high school, Timber Top was the place to be to go stupid with your friends and buy weed lol. Fast forward ten years later and there is still never a dull moment in TTop. In the five years that Johnny and I have lived here, a building caught on fire, we had a carbon monoxide leak in one of the buildings, and there was a tragic pandemic of people literally falling through their stairs. Needless to say, we are used to it by now. However, we were definitely not expecting to cross “high speed car chase” off of our Timber Top Bingo cards!

This past Saturday, Johnny and I were playing games and relaxing after our Mother’s Day celebrations. As we were becoming one with our couch, we heard police sirens in the distance. Now, this is not uncommon whatsoever in Timber Top. It was different this time, though, because there were a lot of sirens blazing and they seemed to be heading right towards our street. As always, Johnny and I are nosey AF so we booked it onto our balcony just in time to see five cop cars chasing down a silver sedan. The car being chased led the cops to our semi-secret back entrance shortcut and we thought that was the end of it… Until five minutes later…

Shortly after Johnny and I settled back in the apartment, I thought I could very faintly hear sirens again. I thought I was just imagining it until they got louder and louder. Johnny and I leaped off the couch and headed back outside because, sure enough, the car chase was still on. In a foolhardy move, the car in question led the cops BACK into Timber Top! After some Smokey and The Bandit style speeding and maneuverability, the chase ended when the driver locked themselves in at a dead end.

At this point, everyone and their brother was outside watching the action too. In fact, people were legit running to see the aftermath and arrest. We were all shook and, thankfully, no one was hurt. After the exhilaration wore down from the spectacle, I couldn’t help but think about the other times the TTop community has come together. Most recently, it was for the total solar eclipse. Three winters ago, us tenants rallied to shovel out our cars from the parking lot after a huge snowstorm. Two summers ago, my entire building came outside to complain together after the Great Kitchen Flood of 2022. Whether it be a car chase or lending a hand or ear you know us TToppers are going to be outside on our porches as soon as it happens!

The car chase was one of the craziest things Johnny and I have witnessed in Timber Top and now my husband can cross “seeing a car chase” off of his bucket list. I wonder what’s going to happen next!

Do you get along with your neighbors? What’s the wildest thing you have seen in your community? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May17

New Phone Photos

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New Phone Photos

Hi! On April 29th, I proudly accepted a new job as the social media manager for Tim Misny. This is, hands down, the biggest opportunity I have ever had for my online work and I am so incredibly happy that my hard work has paid off in such a major way. While I love working on all aspects of social media, the most fun part of my job (other than my amazing coworkers) is redesigning the Misny Merch. One of my jobs is to freshen the brand up and I think I am going to make a total splash with it. As a fashionista, I never dreamed that I would get to be designing clothes too with my new job and it’s awesome!

Of course, the most important aspect of my job is creating content. However, that is incredibly hard to do when your phone is consistently almost out of storage lol. Between pictures of my nieces, bunnies, Johnny and me, and OOTD shots it’s easy to see why! I was graciously given a brand new iPhone for my work phone and it has been a blast playing around with it. This past weekend, both Johnny and I took our turns snapping pics and videos on the new phone. Unfortunately, the lighting for OOTD shots was abysmal. But, I did get these super cool pics:

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Johnny and I ventured outside after it got done raining for a photography adventure. We spent some time chasing the lighting for some pics of me and there was literally nothing good to show for it. As we continued walking around Timber Top, Johnny pointed out how neat the rain water drops resting on plant leaves looked. I completely agreed and just had to get some pictures. I was blown away by them! The detail and the way the light reflected off of the water looked like a painting and I knew these shots would never be possible on my old phone!

Even though I am doing a lot of what I already do for other social media accounts that I manage for Tim, the novelty has yet to wear off. There are many things that are completely different and it’s so exciting. I truly feel like it is my big break and it makes simply going outside to practice pictures on a new phone feel like a brand new experience. I can’t wait to see where this job takes me next! 😀

How often do you upgrade your phone? How many pictures do you have on your phone? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May16

Super Early Birthaversary Presents

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Super Early Birthaversary Presents

Hello!!! June is a banner month for Johnny and I because it marks our birthaversary. Johnny has his birthday on June first, our wedding anniversary is the fourth, and my birthday is on the seventh. It is such fun to be able to celebrate all of these special occasions and in true us fashion, we have already given each other a majority of our gifts. What can I say, we’re both horrible at keeping secrets lol. While I was perfectly content with waiting for June for a gift exchange, Johnny picked up some prezzies for me this past Friday and didn’t want to wait to give them to me. As luck would have it, I brought home his gifts that day too! Check it out:

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One of my biggest gripes about our apartment is our lack of shelves. We have so many awesome knick knacks and Lego sets and they need a home. Granted, we can’t do much about it with the minimal space we have. This is where the shelving unit that Johnny got me comes into play. His plan is to haul out our broken record player desk with a friend, build the shelf, and add a few more to fully display our collections. I am beyond excited for this because it is something that I wanted to happen for a long while. I think it’s going to be so much fun to rearrange all of our mementos in a more pleasing fashion and I can’t wait to see the end result.

Johnny also gifted me with a new Harry Potter Lego set – Dumbledore’s Office. We haven’t built Lego together since the wintertime so we were definitely due for a new set! Building Lego with Johnny is one of my favorite things and if they weren’t so damned expensive, our apartment would be full of them. Although it would be amazing to have an infinite supply of Lego, I quite like the sporadic sets we give to each other. It keeps the novelty of building alive and I love when we plan an evening in to complete the set together. And, yes, it will look lovely displayed on our new shelves! 😀

I have had Johnny’s gifts planned for a while – probably the past two months which is when we last watched National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It is one of our all time favorite any time movies and it’s our tradition to watch it every Christmas with his family. Whenever we have a viewing, Johnny always brings up two things without fail. 1) He wants a moose mug SO bad. 2) He wants the dinosaur pajamas that Clark wears in the attic scene SO bad. So, of course I had to make it happen! His reaction to these gifts was the absolute sweetest and it was literal kid on Christmas Day level. I was so happy to have given him something that has been on his wish list for forever and he looks adorable in his jammies. 🙂

Even though our birthaversary is still several weeks away, I am so okay with this early start to the festivities. We have a few more gifts in mind for each other and I can’t wait to celebrate our upcoming week of us!

How do you like to celebrate your birthday? What is on your birthday wish list? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May15

Mother’s Day Weekend (The Best!)

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Mother’s Day Weekend (The Best!)

Howdy!! I don’t know about all of you, but I had an absolutely joyous (albeit exhausting) Mother’s Day Weekend. My brother, his wife, and my precious niece and nephew flew in from Georgia and it was the first time we have all been together since Christmas. While my brother was in town, my parents and Johnny and I were also giving a hand to my sister and brother-in-law by watching our other two darling nieces so they could enjoy a much deserved weekend trip. Needless to say, we had a very full house but it was nowhere near as full as my heart!

Over the weekend, we got to spend so much quality time with my family and it was very special. I loved being able to play, play, play with my nieces and nephew, our big dinner out on Friday for Mexican food, and a slumber party with Val Gal afterwards. Then, Johnny and I returned back to chez parents on Saturday for some extra time with everyone before my brother and his family went home. Johnny and I were completely tuckered out by the time we returned to our apartment and spent all day Sunday not moving lol.

Although Johnny and I are very firm on not having children, this weekend honestly felt like a Mother’s Day celebration for me too. My husband and I take the role of fun aunt and uncle extremely seriously and we love our nieces and nephew as if they were our own kids. Being together with all of them was, truly, the greatest gift in the world. I mean, I know I was living my best life all weekend so I can’t even imagine how incredibly happy my mom felt! ❤

As a bunny mom, I was expecting nothing for Mother’s Day and that was so perfectly fine. I was already feeling all of the Christmas Day vibes and it doesn’t get better than that. However, Johnny made sure I got a little something from our sweet Melvin and Penelope. Check it out:

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Before we went to our family dinner on Friday, Johnny was bent down at the bunny hutch saying goodbye. When he stood up, he told me he found something for me in the cage and handed me the most adorable card from my bunny children and himself. Like I said, I wanted and expected nothing and I was tickled by this surprise. As always, I have the best husband ever and it felt so good to know that he and the bunnies both appreciate the highest level of care that I give them. It was a very happy Mother’s Day Weekend, indeed. 🙂

Being with my whole family over the weekend was like a cure all and I treasured every minute of it. I can’t wait for the next time we are altogether again!

How did you celebrate Mother’s Day? Do you get together with your whole family often? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May14

Summer Fun For The Kiddos

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Summer Fun For The Kiddos

Hello!! As an adult, summer has definitely lost its luster. What I wouldn’t give for a whole three months off of work! However, ever since Johnny and I became an aunt and uncle, our summers have come back in a big way. There is absolutely nothing better than soaking up the sun with our sweet nieces. I also love that they love my favorite summertime activities from my youth – blowing bubbles and picking dandelions! If you are looking for some ways to give your kids the best summer ever, I have a few ideas in mind. Let’s check them out:

Camps Of All Kinds:

When I was little and as a teenager, I attended several summer camps for art and theater. It was such fun to meet new friends who enjoyed something that I did and it also gave me a sense of routine, which can be hard in the summer. One of my greatest joys is that my oldest niece has developed a taste for the theater and she will be attending some camps for that when school is out. No matter what your child is interested in, there is sure to be a camp for it!

While summer camps are a hoot, there is no denying that they can be expensive. However, there are ways to work around that! I would highly recommend taking a look at the different programs that your local libraries and Metro Parks are offering. Ninety-nine percent of the time, these activities are going to be free unless you have to chip in a bit for crafting supplies or what have you. Your local playgrounds might also have play groups that take field trips, do art, go swimming, and explore so that is also worth researching further.

All Of The Art:

As soon as school was out when I was a kid, my mom would take me and my siblings to the craft store. She would let us pick out different projects that would keep us occupied on rainy days and it was always such a treat. Of course, art supplies don’t just have to be bought at stores. Maybe you will go pick wildflowers together and make a gorgeous bouquet. Or how about a scavenger hunt? You could use whatever was found to make an awesome nature collage. There is art everywhere if you know where to look for it!

So Snacky:

In the summer, snack time is basically all the time lol. This can be a great learning experience for your kids! Every week, you could go on Pinterest together, find recipes for easy and healthy snacks, and pick up the ingredients at the store. Then, you can prep them once you are home. By the end of the summer, your child could have an arsenal of tasty snacks that they can make independently. This will teach them the merits of healthy eating, kitchen skills and safety, and will allow them to experience new food they might not have tried before.

Backyard Camping:

Often times, the most fun can be had in your own backyard. You can turn your home into the hub for your kiddos and their friends by making a backyard campground. They will be delighted by a pitched tent, projector screen for movies, and making smores over a fire pit. Backyard camping can be like a getaway for your kids and they can go all out with it. Perhaps they will like to make banners and posters, prepare trail mix, and plan activities to make it feel even more real!

The name of the game in the summer is keeping the kiddos occupied with fun and new experiences. They will have a blast with any of the above!

What was your favorite summertime activity? Do you have any big plans this summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May13

Interviewing 101

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Interviewing 101

Hello!! One thing that I have always enjoyed doing is conducting interviews with people. In fact, my very first job when working with the special needs community was leading family interviews. I truly believe that I have been given the gift of gab and I love that my new job as Tim Misny’s social media manager allows me to do interviews a lot. Over time, I have developed some surefire techniques to ensure that my interviews go without a hitch. Let’s check them out so you can use them too!

Research:

When I know that I have an interview scheduled, I immediately begin the research phase. Who am I interviewing? What is the subject of said interview? How am I going to incorporate my findings into the conversation? Prior to meeting Tim Misny for the first time, I researched current cases he’s working on, his merch line, and the Cleveland City Mission which his merch line benefits. I was surprised when he gave me the time to chat with him further and thanks to my prior planning, he said it was one of the best interviews he ever had. That was the kickstart of a beautiful friendship!

Key Points:

One of the most exciting things about interviewing is that you can never know for sure which way the conversation will go. A majority of the interviews I do are just winging it, yes, but I do like to plan for a few key talking points too. Chances are if you are doing an interview, there will be some things you have to talk about. However, it is SO easy for those questions to go right out the window once the interview starts. To prevent this, I always make sure I memorize the must talk about subjects, find good ways to incorporate them into the chat, and knock them out early on in the interview so I don’t forget them lol.

Listen Up:

To be a good interviewer, you have to be an excellent listener. Interviewing is simply responding to what the other person is saying so if you aren’t fully grasping it, you aren’t going to have an effective interview. When the interviewee is speaking, I take it all in. Then, as the answer starts wrapping up, I use what I learned to ask the next question. It’s natural to want to interject when the interviewee is answering you so try to avoid that at all costs! It’s just going to make both of you stumble. And, remember, you are more than likely not conducting live interviews. If you need clarification on something, take a pause, ask your questions, and resume when you are ready.

Just So You Know:

The whole point of an interview is not to make yourself look good. Read that again because it is important! An interview is for the interviewee to look good and it is your job to make that happen. That is why it is crucial to do your research, create talking points, and put your listening ears on. When you are doing everything you can to make your interviewee shine, you are going to look great by default. I also find that when I am not focusing on myself, I tend to interview even better because it eliminates any pressure. Shift your focus and both of you will enjoy the process of interviewing more!

Maybe you aren’t going to conduct interviews. That doesn’t mean these tips aren’t handy for other things too. Could you imagine how awesome a job interview would go if you tried the above beforehand?!

Have you ever interviewed someone before? How did it go? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May12

Happy Mother’s Day!!

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Happy Mother’s Day!!

Hello everyone and Happy Mother’s Day!! Moms should be celebrated every day, of course, but it just hits different today! I don’t know about all of you, but I am the luckiest gal in the world to have my mom. I am also so lucky to have so many other wonderful moms in my life too. The molds were broken when my mom, mother-in-law, and sister were made and all of them astound me every day. I also have the pleasure of getting to know the moms of my clients in the special needs community and they never cease to amaze me, either. ❤

Mothers are so special and, the older I get, the more I just want to be around mine! Even as an adult, I still want to go to my mom first to complain about any minor inconvenience or celebrate big news. I am beyond thankful for that kind of relationship and have known since my youth that I can, without a doubt, go to my mom for anything. Speaking of my youth, in a weird way I feel like I’ve been reliving it since becoming an aunt…

Here me out: Literally no one remembers the early years of their lives. Sure, you can look at photos and watch home videos but it’s not an actual memory. You’re just seeing it. My sister has two precious girls and it is a joy to see my parents interact with them. It gives me so much insight into what they were like when my siblings and I were little and further solidifies how truly blessed I am to be their daughter. My sister is a Super Woman mom too and watching her own beautiful take on motherhood makes me so proud. And, yes, she has definitely taken some pointers from my mom’s book. Hey, if it’s not broken – don’t fix it!

To all of the moms in any way shape or form throughout the world: Thank you!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!!! ❤