Tag Archives: birthday

Apr13

Appropriate Gifts For All Occasions

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Appropriate Gifts For All Occasions

There are many gifts to give for holidays, birthdays, and the like that are simple for you to buy and appreciated by the recipient. Unfortunately, some of these items leave you feeling like you didn’t buy an actual gift or you are left wondering how to present it to the person. Use the following tips to ensure that you are going to please everyone on your gift list this year:

Gift Cards:

Nothing makes a better gift than gift cards. You don’t have to worry about getting the right size or color, and the recipient can shop for exactly what they want. However, it doesn’t look like much of a gift. Be creative and tuck gift cards into coffee mugs along with candy or chocolates. Purchase a decorative box and slip it inside, or give it inside of a wallet to add some panache to the presentation.

Sweet Treats:

If you love to bake, cookies and cakes are always a welcomed gift. Presentation is everything in these situations. Purchase decorative plates to put them on and wrap the treat in cellophane tied with a ribbon bow. You can also place them in a basket along with a Christmas ornament or one of the Jim Shore figurines from Coppin’s gifts during the holidays.

Food:

Food makes an ideal get well gift, new home gift, or holiday present. If you are giving an entire meal, put it in a picnic basket or carrier that they can keep. You could also present it on a dish or platter that you purchase just for them. Take advantage of aluminum covered, disposable bakeware too. Put all of the containers in an insulated bag tied shut with a big bow.

By taking a simple gift and going one step further with it, you elevate items like gift cards, baked goods, and food to a new level. Anyone would be pleased to receive these gifts, and no one will accuse you of taking the easy way out when it comes to gift giving.

Apr9

Last Minute Gifts When You’re In A Bind

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Last Minute Gifts When You’re In A Bind

When life gets ahead of us thanks to a whirlwind schedule, gift purchasing can seem like the last thing on your mind. But, alas, birthdays and holidays still come and go, and gift buying is a necessary part of it. Whether you’re picking something up from a store or online shopping, last minute gift shopping isn’t always a bad thing – as long as you don’t make it glaringly obvious that you did, that is. Check out these tips for when you need to do the last minute gift hustle for your next get together:

Something Fast:

The first option to consider is one which is in place entirely for its speed. Amazon Prime Same Day delivery has started to cover a very wide range of products recently, opening the doors for those with phobias of the outside world to buy things without venturing out. And the best part of these services, is that you will often get your hands on the goods within hours of ordering them. This is perfect for when you have a bit of time at home before you need to present your gift. Of course, when it comes to Amazon, you can often choose to have items gift wrapped, too.

Something Personal:

There are plenty of personal gifts out there which you can give to someone and they will cherish it for a long time. That piece of jewelry or furniture they keep glancing at, for example, could be a great gift, and you don’t have to go and buy it. The odds are that you will own a good range of different items which could inherit heirloom status. Being passed down or across generations, items like these could stay with people you love for hundreds of years, and could even find themselves in the hands of great people down the line.

Avoiding The Physical:

When you’re in a rush, giving something physical may be a mistake. If they live too far away for you to visit, you will have to use the postal service to get their gift to them, and this could be a problem if you’re not careful. Avoiding this is simple, leaving you with loads of great options. For example, subscription services like Spotify, are becoming extremely popular. Giving you access to hundreds of gifts, looking down the digital route can be a great way to avoid missing the big day.

Professional Services:

Companies that are willing to bend over backwards to make you happy can be found everywhere. Professional services, like chocolate making and flower arrangement, are great when you’re looking for gifts for people you love. Companies like Camelback Flowershop have the skills and resources to be able to take and prepare custom orders to be delivered on the same day. Of course, this is based on location, and you will have to find a business close to you. Once you do, though, you will be able to start turning birthdays you miss or forget about into something very special. This sort of gift can be touching when you have it arrive for you.

Something Homemade:

Basing a gift on your hobbies is often a simple matter of putting yourself to work, and will only take a bit of effort once you get into it. Drawing, cooking, singing, and crafts are but a few examples of the choices you have here, giving you a huge range of different gift ideas to choose from. This is something that you will have to dedicate a lot of time to in the short window you have between remembering a birthday and seeing the person who is having it if you want to get it done in time. This will be hard to manage if you have a busy schedule to contend with, but the reaction of your loved one will be so worth it!

Printable Gifts:

If you own a printer, you have the makings for tons of easy gifts which most people will never try. Buying tickets to a musical performance, for example, will often give you the ability to print off the documents from home, rather than having to wait for them to come in the post. Using this sort of gift will give you the chance to choose something personal and well thought out, without having to have the time to spend on making it happen.

Last minute gift shopping can be totally stressful, so use this guide and breeze through your next occasion with ease!

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Apr8

Happy Birthday, Sister!!

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Happy Birthday, Sister!!

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! Today is a wonderful, amazing, happy day because it is my beautiful big sister, Kristen’s, 26th birthday!! Kristen is literally my favorite person on the planet. She is so kind, so sweet, so funny, and so talented and I am lucky enough to be able to call her my sister and best friend. If it were up to me, and probably not to her, we would be doing everything together. So, needless to say, every minute that I get with her is very special.

I have so many fond memories with my sister. From her being my concert partner in crime to family vacations and movies and shopping, if it’s with her, then I enjoy it completely. Even just grabbing our favorite of Taco Bell and watching Netflix makes me beyond happy. Kristen is one of a kind and it makes me proud to brag about how cool she is constantly to anyone that will listen.

My best friend, my sister, and my literal everything turns 26 today. I’ve had 23 years with her and I can’t wait for a million more. Happy birthday, Kristen! ❤

sis1sis

Apr6

Happy Birthday, Dad!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hi everyone and TGIF! Today is a special day, because it’s my dad’s birthday!! My dad. The vacation planner extraordinaire, the man with the green thumb, and my favorite guy on the planet. One of my favorite daily activities is annoying my father, and knowing that deep down, despite my constant burping, singing, and dancing around is that he loves me like crazy. And I him, of course.

CHARLES is a really special guy and he has taught me all about enjoying the simple things in life. My dad is an amazing gardener and can seemingly make beautiful plants, flowers, and vegetables appear out of nothing. He also invests in his passion for wildlife watching every day by feeding the neighborhood birds and squirrels in our backyard. Watching my father tend to his craft daily is a constant reminder for me to take a step back and appreciate the beauty that surrounds my home that he created. Like I said, he’s a really special guy.

Although my dad doesn’t read my blog (As far as I know.), it wouldn’t be right to not wish him a happy birthday on lifewithlilred. So happy birthday, dad. I sure do love you! ❤

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Mar22

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

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Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Hello! Today is a special day, because it is my beautiful, amazing, wonderful mother’s birthday. Saying that my mom is my best friend is a severe understatement. I don’t know what is better than a best friend, but that’s what she is. She is my confidant, my TJMaxx partner in crime, and my viewing buddy for Ellen DeGeneres, The Voice, and America’s Next Top Model.

Although my mom and I love being women on the go, I love being able to just hang out and enjoy our lunch or dinner together when one of us isn’t working. It’s such a treat to sit down and chat while sharing a meal or one of her to die for grilled cheeses on her homemade bread. YUM.

Through simple pleasures and sweet surprises, my mom brings so much joy to my life. I literally can’t look at her without smiling. Every day, my mom teaches me something new about physical and emotional fortitude, kindness, and just taking life one step at a time. Through both good days and bad, JANE radiates positivity wherever she goes, and I think that anyone can take a page out of that book.

To the best mom and friend in the world, we raise our Margarita glasses to you!

Happy Birthday, Mom! ❤

vaca8

(And shout out to the man in the blue shirt on the far right who has no relation whatsoever to my family. Best photobomb ever.)

Who else is celebrating a birthday soon? What is one of your best birthday memories? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar19

Sephora Success

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Sephora Success

Howdy! I can’t say that I’m Sephora’s number one fan when it comes to shopping there, because I will always and forever be a drug store makeup girl. However, I have had nothing but success when it comes to purchasing prezzies for my sister for Christmas and her upcoming April birthday. When I can get wonderful products for my makeup queen sis and still score a great deal, I am a happy camper.

Sephora always seems to have some type of freebie promotion going on, depending on what you buy and I love that. One of the gift sets that I got my sister was a Clinique Dewey You collection and I got a free mini moisturizer for myself for purchasing it. I used it this past week and it was FABULOUS! And, speaking of the gift sets, what an amazing value they are! The Clinique set that I got was eighteen bucks and then I got her a Stilla bronzing kit that had FIVE full size products in it for forty dollars. You literally can’t beat that.

I’ve always been a huge fan of gifting gift sets for gift giving occasions (Say gift one more time!), and Sephora has never disappointed me or the giftee with their box sets. 1) They are a great value and 2) The giftee can try out new products that they might not have thought of before. Talk about a win/win.

And, to top the Sephora Success off, when you order online, you can pick out three samples to try at home. I picked out a perfume, a face mask, and a lip plumper sample that came in a mini tube and has a good amount of uses in it for a freebie. I also was able to pick out a free highlighter with the points that I earned from shopping for my sis and restocking my Better Than Sex mascara. I got five free things just for the shopping that I was going to do, anyways – it doesn’t get much better than that!

Who else has had some Sephora Success recently? How do you score the best deals when you shop Sephora? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar18

Omg Omg Omg.

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Omg Omg Omg.

HELLOOOO!! As you all know, I love Jack White. I have loved him since I was probably eight years old and my feelings have only deepened as time went on. I have all of his albums from all of his bands, I have his lyrics tattooed on me – but, sadly, I have never seen him in concert. BUT THAT IS ALL ABOUT TO CHANGE THIS JUNE!!

With Jack’s new album, Boarding House Reach, coming out on March 23rd, a tour to celebrate only seems appropriate. So, when I got word that Mr. White would be gracing Cleveland with his presence, getting tickets became an absolute necessity. And, using the old “Can I get the tickets for a birthday present” trick worked very nicely with my parents!!

After confirming that this would be my birthday gift, even though I totally would have paid for the tickets myself had it not worked, I began scouring the various ticket venue websites. I landed on LiveNation and was about to purchase two tickets for the pit in the front of the stage (Eeeek!), until I saw their exorbitant processing fees, which totaled to an extra hundred dollars. An extra hundred dollars my ass!!

I instantly poo pooed LiveNation, and decided to see if Jack White had any other performances that were farther away in the calendar that might be cheaper. Of course, I realize that this logic was skewed, but desperate times, man. Desperate times. It was then, that I discovered that Jack White was headlining X Fest, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania along with AWOLNATION, Cold War Kids, Sir Sly, and other performers to be announced. I could definitely work with that!

I ended up purchasing front of the stage pit tickets on Vivid Seats and wound up saving about sixty dollars in processing fees. Suck it, LiveNation. And, now, not only will I finally see Jack White in concert, but I will get to see AWOLNATION for the second time, and Cold War Kids and Sir Sly for the first time. And, I just so happen to deeply enjoy them, too! It doesn’t get much better than that!

THANKS MOM AND DAD!!!! ❤

Five days before my June 7th birthday, I will get to attend the concert of a lifetime and I’m so excited I could cry. Now, can it hurry up and get here, or?!

Which artist would you love to see in concert? Who else is a huge Jack White fan? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar14

Party Inspo For The Best Birthday Bash!

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Party Inspo For The Best Birthday Bash!

One of the best things that you can do in any year is to plan a party. Let’s face it, it may be a stressful time during the organization process, but the actual party always comes off beautifully, and your kids end up so happy, so the stressful bit is worth it! If you’re a standard Pinterest parent, then you’ll already have the app downloaded with several boards full of ideas for your next event.

Planning a party has a lot of different components, but the main thing to start with is the theme. You can’t hope to build the right party if you don’t have the right theme. Discuss with the birthday child what they would like, but if you have been told to surprise them, then you’ll need a little help. Check out our amazing party inspo below, then click on over to Pinterest to start building the right board. Don’t worry, all of these options work for both a birthday boy and a birthday girl!

Magic:

Who doesn’t love a magic party?! Think about it, you could hire in a magician to entertain the children, offer fancy dress options for magical beings, and you could even serve a cake like this, where a bunny is popping out of a top hat. Make sure that you include glitter pots in the party bags, along with fuzzy bunny ears, and a wand of their very own.

One important aspect that should not be overlooked is the magician’s stage. It should have a dramatic impact and their magic show should stand out. Consider getting a rainbow balloon arch over a small platform, to make it feel like a real magic show. Another consideration is to plan the party with the magician to discuss how to make it as interactive as possible; this way, all the kids will be super excited and feel included in the festivities.

inspo

I want him at my next party!

Art:

An artsy party is a craft lovers dream. It can be a messy theme, but it’s one that is going to entertain kids for ages and they won’t forget it. Make this one a summer party, and you could pin large pieces of cardboard to the washing line and get the kids to flick paint on them in neon colors. Make biscuit palettes with icing paint to finish the look.

Sports:

Having a sports mad child makes for a very easy party theme. You can get USA baseball bats here as a birthday gift, and when it comes to the party treats, why not specify a baseball theme with baseball cake pops? Gift bags will also be easy peasy, as you can make them personalized to the sport of choice.

inspo2

Yum!

Circus:

You can go as big as you like with a circus theme; so if you’ve got the cash, you can definitely pull out all of the fun fair stops. You could go a little more moderate by hiring a clown or balloon animal maker and you could serve up hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy during the party, with an amazing circus tent cake to blow everyone away.

Your birthday party theme is going to be individual for your child, but you can really go all out with the effort that you put into it. Make sure that you give plenty of notice to your guests so that they can be there to enjoy the day. Party planning is so much fun, and it’s time to begin!

Featured Image By: Flickr

Aug26

Happy 23rd Birthday, Best Friend!

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Happy 23rd Birthday, Best Friend!

Hellooo everyone and happy weekend! Today is an exciting day because it’s my best friend, Lea’s, twenty-third birthday!! Lea and I have been best friends for close to ten years now and I consider myself the luckiest gal in the world for it. Whether we’re taking one of our BFF day trips or hanging out in my basement and drinking boxed wine, we always manage to have a total blast during every hang out. Even in the early stages of our friendship, I knew that Lea was always going to be someone that I wanted in my life, and we have just about ten years of BFFhood under our belt to show for it.

Lea is and will always be my A1 from the day one and I am so excited for ten more years of best friendship and probably drinking boxed wine in my basement. I am so incredibly proud to have Lea as my best friend and, like a fine wine, she just gets better with age! Happy birthday, darling! I can’t wait to celebrate with you soon!

I LOVE YOU!!!! ❤

leaaa

Jun22

AFI Concert!!

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AFI Concert!!

Hiii everyone and happy Thursday!! So Tuesday night was my 23rd birthday outing with my sister and it was a blast. Kristen treated me to tickets to see my favorite band, AFI, in concert at my favorite venue, the House Of Blues, in Cleveland. For the past three months since I knew that AFI was coming to my neck of the woods, I have had many an emo girl fantasy about this concert. Seriously – you guys have no idea how much I love them, so Kristen hit the nail on the head with this birthday gift!

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Sissy! ❤

Despite a horrific drive to Cleveland, the night was a great big blasty blast. And by horrific drive I mean that literally every single traffic light in downtown Cleveland wasn’t working so it was an all out free for all on the road. It was straight up anarchy and it was absolutely terrifying. SO after locating a parking garage, a lot of deep breathing, and not thinking about the movie montage of your life that flashes before your eyes when you’re scared, we made our way to some actual fun.

The most wonderful thing about the House Of Blues is the opportunity that comes with seeing shows there. The venue is so open (yet intimate), that it’s really easy to plant yourself in prime position right in front of the stage. Kristen and I found ourselves with the best view at the end of the front row and it was magical, to say the least. Every show that I’ve been to at the HOB has provided me with a spectacular view of the stage and Tuesday night was no exception (Thank gawd!).

Now, I’m going to keep it real with you guys: I genuinely have no clue who opened the show. Lol, I was having myself a drink and a really good time so I wasn’t even paying attention. For once, the people standing by us were insanely cool so Kristen and I were chatting it up with them and it was so unexpectedly fun. Do I regret not listening to or even noticing the opening bands? Not really, lol. And from what I did hear I wasn’t impressed anyways so I can’t say that I was missing out on too much! 😉

Fast forward to when AFI came on stage and I got to see the man that I’ve been crushing on since I was nine years old in the flesh right in front of me. Guys. When I laid eyes on Davey Havok, I lost my shit – to put it mildly. 1) He’s drop dead gorgeous. 2) He’s drop dead talented. What a voice. What a performer. WHAT A MAN.

^^^ Unfortunately, the pics that I managed to snap aren’t the best and I can’t upload videos on to my posts so you’ll just have to take my word for how amazing AFI is live.

So there was a positive and negative to seeing my favorite band perform. The positive? AFI put on a hell of a show. They performed with so much energy that you could literally feel it radiating off of them and they sounded sublime. They sounded like angels that were singing sweet nothings into my ear and, in this instance, that was an actual thing. I got to hear Davey Havok sing, scream, and belt it out in that fluctuating low to high voice that is so uniquely his own. Talk about dying and going to heaven.

The show was fast paced, super emo, and so incredibly cool. So the negative? Idk, it felt a bit impersonal? Like, the songs kept coming one after the other and as much as I love me some Davey, I feel like he didn’t really care to build a rapport with the crowd. We were all showing the band the love and the whole show just seemed rushed. Not only that, but it felt like they weren’t on stage for all that long. Granted, this might just be me being greedy and wanting them to play all night, BUT STILL. I hate to say this, but after the encore was over and the show was officially done, the first words that Kristen and I shared with each other was “is that it?”. Whomp whomp.

BUT THE POSITIVE, THOUGH?! I got to hear my favorite band perform my favorite song at my favorite venue with my favorite person. I got to hear AFI play Silver And Cold. I got to hear the song that my nine year old self specifically bought the album Sing The Sorrow for. The first album I ever bought with my own money, as a matter of fact. That song has always been one of my all time favorites, not just by AFI, but in general. And I got to hear it live. What even. (Insert the part where I talk about how my inner emo kid felt an abundance of pure and complete joy. That happened.)

Forget about any negativity in this post because even with all things considered, Tuesday June 20th was one of the best nights of my life. There’s something so special about being able to see your favorite band perform right in front of your eyes and I got to experience that. Thank you so much to my amazing big sister for making that possible. I LOVE YOU, KRISTEN!! ❤

So there you have it, the AFI Concert! What shows are you going to this summer? What is your favorite concert that you’ve been to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah