Tag Archives: accessories

Feb23

V-Day Pt. 1 OOTD

Posted on February 23, 2025 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to my OOTD from Part One of mine and Johnny’s Valentine’s Day celebration. On the actual day of V-Day, Johnny and I had a Middle Class Fancy jubilee at Red Lobster and it was a truly spectacular evening. We had an amazing time starting a Lobsterita Revolution and spent ninety-five percent of our night out laughing. The other five percent was dedicated to food and drink lol. A special date with my main squeeze meant getting dressed up in my Red Lobster best to show out in. Take a look:

Who? What? Wear?

Blazer: Express, Goodwill

Cami Top: mittoshop, French Rooster

Snakeskin Pattern Skinnies: Wit & Wisdom, TJMaxx

Lace Up Heels: Juicy Couture, Kohl’s

Purse: Anne Klein, TJMaxx

Heart Earrings: SugarFix by BaubleBar, Target

Whenever I am building an OOTD, I typically will start with one key piece of the look and go from there. In this case, I started from the bottom up and the rest of the outfit essentially built itself. In the pants department, I decided to go for a pair of snakeskin patterned skinny jeans by Wit & Wisdom. I am a huge fan of anything in a snakeskin pattern and these jeans are so fabulous. They are comfy as can be and are fantastic when it comes to building an outfit. If you are styling a look with a pattern, forming a cohesive look is as simple as pulling a few colors out of said pattern to use for the remainder of your outfit. That is exactly what I did!

The Wit & Wisdom jeans featured hues of cream, taupe, and grey in the pattern and I chose to focus in on the cream shade. By pulling from that, it was easy to select the pretty, oyster shell lace cami to pair it with. Was it a perfect match? No. However, you are never going to find a perfect color match in two pieces of clothing so close enough is good enough! Of course, the weather on V-Day was cold AF and wearing just a cami was begging for hypothermia lol. So, I slipped on my four dolla holla Express blazer from the Goodwill. The beauty of the skinny jeans is that, despite the pattern, the colors are all neutral so adding another neutral piece like the black blazer was no harm no foul.

With the base of my outfit settled, it was time for shoes and accessories. For shoes, I kept with my established palette and put on one of my favorite pairs of heels. These Juicy Couture lace up heels are literally old as dirt but I just don’t care. I love them so much and they still look great! And, once again, a close enough color match to the rest of the look was good enough. For Valentine’s Day, you have to have some hearts so I provided a pop of color with my three tiered, dangly red heart earrings from Target. Last but not least, I tossed my pale pink Anne Klein purse over the crook of my arm and was ready for a Middle Class Fancy extravaganza!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the blooper reel from this look and check back in later this week for my V-Day Part Two OOTD! ❤

What is your favorite animal print? What is an old piece of clothing that you can’t part with? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec29

It’s In The Bag: Anne Klein Edition

Posted on December 29, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello to you and welcome to a brand new edition of It’s In The Bag! Today, we are going to take a look at the piece de resistance from my mother and father-in-law for Christmas – a gorgeous new bag by Anne Klein! Johnny’s mom managed to get me SO many things that I was planning on buying for myself and she read my mind with this purse. After restocking my skin care with TJMaxx gift cards, I thought it would be nice to use the remainder on a new bag! So, maybe shoes instead?! Take a look:

When I opened my new Anne Klein purse, I literally clutched my pearls. It’s just so beautiful and I am in love with the dusty rose hue. Dusty rose looks absolutely stunning on my mom and sister, but it washes me out badly. So, it is a color that I don’t have any of in my wardrobe, accessories included. Until now, that is! The shape and color of this bag are the epitome of chic to me and I cannot wait to empty my old bag out so I can have this pretty little thing draped from my arm, instead.

Speaking of my old bag, it has not been it for a while and I have just been too lazy to change it out lol. It has several different compartments on the inside and you have no idea how many times I find myself per day digging through it like a racoon trying to find my chapstick. What is also especially pleasing to me about my new purse is that there are, blessedly, no compartments for all of my odds and ends to get lost in. It might not be as spacious as my old bag, but I’m using that as motivation to stop putting Every. Receipt. Ever. in it and not throwing them out! 😀

This purse is, hands down, one of my favorite gifts from Christmas. I am so excited to be a woman on the go with my new bag in tow!!

Which colors look great on you? How about not so flattering? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec3

“New” Vintage Brooches

Posted on December 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Johnny’s mom and aunts have been in the process of sorting, organizing, and clearing out old stored away items in their respective homes. Every time we have made a visit recently, we have been gifted with vintage finds including some amazing lamps and gorgeous fashion accessories. Our Thanksgiving get together was no exception to this and I was presented with two vintage brooches from one of Johnny’s aunts. I literally clutched my pearls when I opened the box and saw them! Check it out:

Now, I don’t wear brooches very often. However, I LOVE to collect them and have quite a few from my grandma. They are the perfect, pretty, shiny little somethings in my jewelry box and just seeing them is enough to give me all the sentimental warm fuzzies. What’s that old saying? Gemstones are a girl’s best friend?! Despite not being a brooch wearer, I am an avid brooch appreciator so I was thrilled to see the heart adorned feather and sparkly, not spooky spider!

While the feather brooch offers obvious beauty, it should not come as a shock that the spider was the piece de resistance of these hand me downs. It’s the spooky/girly aesthetic to the T and it delighted me and Johnny. As soon as we returned home from our Thanksgiving celebration, both brooches were placed in a very special spot of my jewelry box. It is so cool to have these bits and baubles that belonged to people I love so much and I can’t wait to see what Johnny’s mom and aunts dig up during their next treasure hunt. 😀

Out with the old and in with the… new to me old! These brooches are everything and I am living for the vintage collection I have been compiling!

Do you have any vintage or antique items? Where is your favorite spot for secondhand shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct30

Candy Queen COTD

Posted on October 30, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD… or should I say COTD on lifewithlilred! Today, we are going to take a closer look at my Candy Queen Halloween costume. When I had the idea several months ago for a Candyland themed couples costume, we immediately fell in love with it. Johnny would, indeed, make a stellar Lord Licorice as you saw in yesterday’s post. My Candy Queen costume was one that was pieced together as there were no costume options for Queen Frostine or Princess Lolly. This hodgepodge costume stressed me out more than it should have, but it was well worth the headache – I felt like a star!

Who? What? Wear?

Candy Hearts Dress: Secret Wishes, Amazon

Candy Button Platforms: An online order by the brand B.A.I.T.

Giant Lollipop and Lollipop Earrings and Headband: Amazon

Wig, Pink Tutu, Thigh Highs, False Eyelashes: Spirit Halloween

After a lot of struggle, I finally ordered the Candy Hearts Dress and said a prayer to the fashion gods that it would work. This costume was my complete and total last resort. You could imagine the flood of relief I had when it arrived in the mail and I found that it was both cute and it fit! The only problem was that the skirt was insanely short, but I knew that ahead of time as per online reviews. My plan was to pair it with a tutu underneath to keep everything from hanging out lol. As soon as the dress was on was when I started getting excited because I essentially built the rest of the costume in that moment.

While shopping for the dress itself wasn’t ideal, you know your girl had an easy time in the shoe department! This was a cake walk in comparison and I ordered the pair of Candy Button Platforms by B.A.I.T. after five minutes of browsing. There were SO many incredible candy themed shoes, but they were SO incredibly expensive. The platforms I chose were under fifty dollars, can definitely be worn outside of Halloween, and featured an iconic candy print. I was sold and can’t wait to wear them next summer! The colors in the shoes also perfectly matched some of those in the dress, which was a nice touch. 🙂

Finally, it was time to accessorize! The accessories are really what turned the pieces I had into a true costume. I knew that candy themed jewelry was a MUST and I also wanted a gigantic lollypop to hold to drive the point home. I ended up with a set that contained the candy headband and earrings, and everything was aces after I superglued some of the lollipops back on the band. I also got the slightly dented pink lollypop, but what can you do lol. Similarly to the shoes, the jewelry and props went from relatively cheap to very pricey and I went with Option A.

Spirit Halloween is where I purchased the remainder of the accessories which included the wig, tutu, thigh highs, and rainbow false eyelashes. The tutu was just what I needed for underneath the dress and I adored the tiered effect that it gave. The dress should have been made like that all along! And can we PLEASE talk about the wig?! You guys have no idea how weird it felt to actually have long, flowing locks. This wig was everything and I couldn’t imagine anything different for my costume. I was so lucky it was the last one available! I didn’t think this costume could get any sweeter until I put the thigh high socks on. And, of course, the final candy surprise was the rainbow lashes for the ultimate pop of color!

My Candy Queen COTD was everything I wanted and so much more. Stay tuned for some bonus pictures tomorrow because I love this look that much. See you then!

What is your favorite Halloween candy? What is the best Halloween costume you saw this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct25

Autumn Errands OOTD

Posted on October 25, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past weekend was a pretty chill one because I had to work on Sunday at an event. So, Johnny and I opted to take it easy and continued to chip away at our 31 in 31 scary movie challenge for October. Before the movie marathon, we made a trip to Spirit Halloween to complete our Candyland themed costumes. It was a short errand, but one worth dressing up over in a fun lil fall fit! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Chartreuse Sweater: Cynthia Rowley, TJMaxx

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Heeled Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx

The necklace was my mom’s and the floppy hat is Brandy Melville!

I would never, ever call my personal style “basic”. However, I do love me some basic fall fashion trends – flannels, huge knit sweaters, tall boots, and floppy hats too! Hey, when in Rome and the weather in Ohio is finally matching the autumn aesthetic I have been yearning for. In this particular instance, basic is honestly exactly what I was looking for as I built the outfit. I wanted something quick to throw on with minimal think work for what was an in and out shopping trip. So the Autumn Errands OOTD was born.

My first order of business was sweaters because I have countless ones that I have been dying to wear as the temperature continues to cool. The sweater I was most looking forward to breaking out was the chartreuse number seen above by Cynthia Rowley. It is my absolute favorite! I am a huge fan of anything chartreuse as it is so bold and unique and the stark white boxes on the sweater made it even more special. Chartreuse is one of those colors that scream “look at me” and it is such a nice change of pace from the normal burnt and gemstone hues associated with fall.

After pairing the sweater with a black pair of skinnies as the obvious choice, it was onto shoes and accessories to spice things up. I have several floppy hats in a variety of colors, but the mauve one spoke to me. Green and purple are complementary colors and even though the sweater and hat weren’t “true” green and purple, the sentiment remains the same. I then pulled from the muted mauve hue and selected a hand me down necklace from my mom. It is incredibly special to me and the choker fit with delicate purple crystals was just right against the faux turtleneck of the sweater. To complete the outfit, I slipped on a pair of my go to heeled boots by Olivia Miller and I was ready to go!

Despite changing into my pajamas immediately upon our arrival home, my Autumn Errands OOTD served its purpose well – albeit a little basically!

What is one of your cold weather staples? What is your favorite color to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct8

Fall Flannels OOTD

Posted on October 8, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred!! This past Saturday, I enjoyed a wonderful lunch with one of my girlfriends and ran a few errands with Johnny afterwards. It was a chill day and perfectly matched my laid back mood because it had been a really long week. In fact, “chill” also meant the weather because it has finally started to cool down in my neck of the woods! To accommodate my low key disposition and the shift in the weather, I decided to break out a fall staple: The flannel. No fashion blog is complete without at least one flannel OOTD come autumn and I chose this weekend to partake. Take a look:

Who? What? Wear?

Red Flannel: This was a Christmas gift from my sister and it’s from Express

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Heeled Combat Boots: Forever 21

Cheetah Bling Necklace: Natasha, TJMaxx

Stud Earrings: American Eagle Outfitters

The beanie was a gift from a stupid ex-boyfriend lolol

I began building this fit by browsing through the flannel department in my boutique. I have a ton of oversize flannels that I prefer to tie around my waist rather than actually wear. More fitted flannels were what I required and that limited my choices significantly as I only had three. Rather than the black or white options, Lil Red went with red! This gifted Express flannel was just what I needed – a nice, bright color and a fit that I could button up without looking like I was drowning in fabric.

Black skinny jeans were a given to pair with the flannel. I could imagine it would have looked cute with blue jeans but you all know I would never be caught dead in a pair of traditional denim! So, that brings us onto shoes and accessories. I didn’t have any intention of wearing a beanie with this outfit. However, my hair just did not want to behave itself. It was one of those days where no matter what I did, I wasn’t happy with it. Probably because I am itching for my hair appointment at the end of the month! Because of this major annoyance, a beanie it was and I opted for one with the phrase “Bad Hair Day” and truer words have never been printed for the current situation. I received this from an ex for Christmas and, normally, I would never keep anything from someone I hate. This beanie is something I couldn’t toss because I like it so much and it has gotten me out of many bad hair days past lol.

Once my hair problem was solved, it was time to complete the look. For the remainder of my accessories, I put on one of my favorite chunky gold necklaces by Natasha. It features a blinged out big cat of some kind and it made such a statement splash smack dab in the middle of the flannel. I kept things simple with earrings and added a small pair of gold studs so nothing would clash with the focal point necklace. Finally, I put on a pair of stark white heeled combat boots. I loved how the crisp color popped against the red and black of the outfit’s base. With that, I was ready to go!!

Johnny told me this look was very Alanis Morissette and I couldn’t agree more. I certainly felt like a grunge queen while wearing it!

What is your favorite fall wardrobe staple? Which celebrity style do you admire? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep28

Werk At Work OOTD

Posted on September 28, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! I took a trip to Misnyland on Tuesday to do some filming for a video series launching on the social media pages I manage this October. It was SO much fun and it is always a nice little treat to get myself done up during the work week. Nine times out of ten, you can catch me in jeans, a T-shirt, and a makeup free face so it was definitely a change of pace! Before heading out, Johnny graciously snapped these shots of my Werk At Work OOTD:

Who? What? Wear?

Cardigan: Jessica Simpson, TJMaxx

Cami Top: mittoshop, French Rooster

Bodycon Skirt: Originality, Dry Goods

Kitten Heels: Nine West, TJMaxx

Turquoise Earrings: Lucky Brand, TJMaxx

Sometimes when I put an outfit together, it is completely off the top of my head. In this instance, however, I had the OOTD planned the day before because I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time to go shopping in my closet beforehand. Thankfully, it turned out exactly how I hoped it would – something work appropriate while still having that extra dose of Lil Red flare. As a social media manager, it gives me permission to have a lot of fun with what I wear while on the job and I take full advantage of it.

As I built the outfit in my head, I began with the bodycon skirt by Originality. It is one of my absolute favorites and the color palette was perfect for welcoming the first few official days of fall. I liked this skirt for work because it offered some shape without being completely curve hugging. Pairing it with a simple pair of black tights also added a classy and practical touch. My legs sure as hell weren’t shaved!! 😀

Because the pattern on the skirt was so bold, all that was left to do was slip on and tuck in one of my go to cami tops by mittoshop. I am most fond of a combination like this as it gives the illusion of wearing a dress. On a night out, I would leave the outfit at this and roll out. Spaghetti straps for work are a no no, though, so I opted for a gorgeous cream colored cardigan by Jessica Simpson to cover them up. The soft hue and flower embroidery on this cardi are just the sweetest and it helped tone down any sex appeal from the cami’s lace detailing.

With the base of the outfit sorted, it was time to move on to shoes and accessories. The Nine West kitten heels were a given. I live for the sassy pointed toe and that darling band of bling! I know I always pair the bodycon skirt with these heels, but I truly don’t own anything else that would work as well or better. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! With no open real estate for bracelets or necklaces, I popped on a dangly pair of turquoise teardrop earrings and was ready for my content shoot.

My Werk At Work OOTD came together just as I imagined and thank goodness because I didn’t have a moment to spare!

What is your favorite fall color? How do you add your personal style to work outfits? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep27

Spooky Surprises

Posted on September 27, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Halloween decor reigns supreme in my household all year round and Johnny and I add a few new things every year when the stores shift to spooky season. For the past two years, my contribution were snow globes with a Halloween twist. I really liked the idea of getting one new snow globe per year as a tradition. During our date day, we made a visit to TJMaxx and, unfortunately, their snow globe selection left a lot to be desired. We did, however, find this ultra cool skull that I am obsessed with! Check it out:

As we made our rounds through spooky decor, everything was pretty picked over. There were a few things that we took note of but nothing worth buying. That is, until the red skull with blinged out devil horns caught my eye. It was the very last one on the shelf and as soon as I saw the ten dollar price tag, it was immediately added to our cart. We are seasoned pros when it comes to Halloween decorations but I had never seen anything quite like this before. This skull is so different from anything we have and its brilliant shade of red speaks sweet nothings to my Lil Red heart. It certainly makes a statement on our many spooky shelves!!

One final little treat I purchased for myself was a pair of Betsey Johnson spiderweb tights. They were expertly placed in the catch all aisle as you are waiting to check out and that really is where TJMaxx gets you! I am a huge fan of all things Betsey and these tights are just what I needed for fall. Literally every pair I have is riddled with holes and while these are holey, they are purposeful lol. Patterned tights are an amazing way to shake up sweater dresses and skater skirts. They also look so edgy and cool when worn under shorts. I cannot wait to break my spiderweb pair out to add some spooky flare to any OOTD. 😀

These Spooky Surprises were the perfect, cost effective little somethings to bring home during our date day shopping trip. The best surprise, though, is the fact that Johnny asked me to go to TJMaxx in the first place!! 🙂

Do you and your partner like to shop together? What are your favorite stores to visit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep25

Date Day OOTD

Posted on September 25, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Yesterday we discussed a lovely little Date Day from this past weekend and no date day would be complete without a killer outfit. During the work week, Johnny and I do the bare minimum when it comes to getting ready for work. When we have plans over the weekend, however, it’s a totally different story! Both of us are incredibly passionate about fashion so when we step out, we always do so in our Sunday best. Here is what I wore for our out and about adventure:

Who? What? Wear?

Flutter Sleeve Top: Japna, TJMaxx

Distressed Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Two Toned Loafers: Steve Madden, Walmart

Mustard Yellow Purse: Chillx By LeMiel, TJMaxx

While my heart is screaming fall, the weather in Ohio has yet to catch up and we are still experiencing summer like temperatures. This is not ideal for Johnny and me because 1) We hate hot weather. And 2) As soon as September hits I fall back into the routine of wearing jeans again, stop shaving my legs, and have no desire for anyone else to see the old woolly mammoths should I wear shorts lol. The name of the game for this weather is ventilation – staying cool and breezy despite not wearing fully summer appropriate clothes. With that in mind, I knew exactly what to do to keep myself comfortable and I most definitely was all day!

For starters, I slipped on a darling little number by Japna for the top. Other than green being one of my favorite colors to wear, this shirt was chosen more for practicality’s sake. The material is so light, the back is slightly open, and the cropped style matched the word of the day of ventilation. And, of course, I just can’t get enough of those flutter sleeves! They provided the most amazing movement every time the wind picked up and I felt like a butterfly taking off… Most of the time, anyways. You’ll see what I mean in the blooper reel so peep that coming soon. 😀

For pantaloons, I chose my all time favorite pair of distressed skinnies from American Eagle Outfitters. Talk about ventilation, am I right?! The holes on the thighs of these jeans are massive, so much so that it almost did feel like wearing shorts. Although these jeans are pretty old, they still have retained their jet black original appearance because I avoid washing them like the plague – the last thing they need is more holes! Because the black denim was still nice and crispy, it helped compliment the same color striping on the top even more.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. Now, normally, I am not a matchy matchy kind of gal. However, I had to make an exception in this case because the two toned Steve Madden loafers were just too perfect to not wear with this look. Was the green on the soles of the loafers a perfect match to the top? No, and that’s okay because they were close enough and still formed top to bottom cohesion. For accessories, I selected a few bracelets and my signature pair of dangly black cross earrings and I was ready to step out with my honey!

I felt dynamite in my Date Day OOTD and I loved how it turned out. A great day deserves a great outfit too!

What is your favorite pattern to wear? How about your favorite color to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep8

Super Casual OOTD

Posted on September 8, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! This past weekend we celebrated my sweet niece’s second birthday with a party. It was a wonderful event hosted by her uncles with great friends, family, food, and fun. Of course, I had to put together a little look to attend the party that I kept Super Casual to keep up with all of the kiddos running around! The OOTD you are about to see is a simple one but it kept me feeling cute and comfortable as we spent a glorious afternoon in the sun. Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Crop Top: This was a hand me down from my sister from forever ago!

Floral Pants: Nicole Miller, TJMaxx

Platform Heels: Olivia Miller, Walmart

BFF Bracelet: TJMaxx

The bangles are from Aerie and the earrings are Lucky Brand!

As I prepared for the party, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to wear. A lot of my clothes aren’t exactly conducive to being around children and I would have hated to see any of them get ruined (In fact, I ended up spilling juice on my shirt almost immediately at the get together SMH!). With that in mind, low key was the way to go. I started building this look from the bottom down with my Nicole Miller floral pants from TJMaxx. They are insanely comfy and light which is just what I needed for a warm day. As most of my fun tops would be difficult to remove a stain from, these joggers were the way to go to still add some pizazz while being far away from the shirt spill zone.

For my top, I also wasn’t sure what to wear lol. I own a handful of non patterned tops and none of them were what I needed to match the color palette of the pants. Then, I decided to dig deeper into my drawer of tops that I don’t wear very often. It was there that I found the heather grey crop top that my sister gave me years ago. I honestly forgot I had it and I’m glad I did because it was just right. The soft grey was the ideal neutral to wear with the more muted hues of the joggers. And it was no harm no foul when I spilled on myself because I didn’t even realize I had this crop top in the first place! 😀

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I just had to wear my new pastel pink Olivia Miller platforms. Although they weren’t a perfect match to the pink in the flower pattern, it was close enough and that was good enough for me. I am also a master at walking/running in heels so wearing them to a child’s birthday party was no problem! I went to my jewelry box and added a pretty pair of dangly turquoise gems and a few bangles too. And, of course, my bestie bracelet that the birthday girl’s big sister has the other half to. ❤

For such a casual look, I was getting compliments left and right. This was a much needed confidence boost for me because I was actually out of my comfort zone in this look. You all know how much I love dressing up!

Do you have any hand me down clothing? How often do you clean through your wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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