Tag Archives: fashion

Sep26

Date Day OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 26, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Date Day OOTD! Johnny and I got all prettied up this past weekend for an afternoon on the town and we had the best time. We have been together for over five years and married for three of them. I still get butterflies when I see my main squeeze and it makes even the most simple outings of shopping and lunch feel special. Everything about our day was perfect… minus these blooper shots, anyways! Lol check it out:

As I mentioned yesterday, the flutter sleeves of the top occasionally fluttered a bit too much!

When wind in the hair goes horribly wrong. Example one:

Example two:

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This had the potential for a lovely picture if my face wasn’t doing that!

Something STANK

Contemplating my life in its entirety

See ya next time!!!!!!!!

This little story has nothing to do with date day, but everything to do with what is currently happening in my apartment at this exact moment. It is six in the morning as I type this and it’s raining cats and dogs out. I absolutely love rainy days and my bunnies, Melvin and Penelope, really enjoy them too. Normally, they are pretty rambunctious in the morning and are getting into adorable mischief. When it rains, however, they shift into pensive mode and use that time to have their bunny reflections.

One of Melvin and Penelope’s favorite spots to chill is behind their hutch next to a big window. Said window offers a four inch or so sill that they always try to chew on and requires constant intervention… Except for when it rains! Rather than chew, the bunnies will put their little front paws on the ledge and watch the weather. It is basically the cutest thing ever but I can never get a picture of it before they beeline away! The running joke between Johnny and me is that it would be SO funny if we could capture this moment while “Thank You” by Dido plays in the background. If you are unfamiliar with the title of the song, you might recognize its lyrics of:

My tea’s gone cold, I’m wondering why
I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window
And I can’t see at all
And even if I could, it’d all be gray
But your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it’s not so bad
It’s not so bad

Long story short, that is what is going on in real time at chez moi and it definitely gave me my laughs for the morning. Our rainy day bunnies will never not be funny to us!

What do your pets do that makes you laugh? What is your favorite rainy day activity? 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

Sep23

Hello, Yellow OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 23, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Hello, Yellow OOTD. This look was worn on a mad dash of a ten plus hour work day and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I am pleased to report that I made it through and even put together a fun little look too! Like the theme of the day, taking OOTD pics was a rapid fire process. I’d love to say that every shot taken was a winner, but we all know that is never the case! Let’s take a look at these bloopers:

When your upper lip is sweating PROFUSELY

Say cheese!!!! 🙂

Exsqueeze me?!

RSF (Resting Stank Face)

Legit just trying my best

I’M SEXY!!!!!!!!!!

Have you had one of those “are you freaking kidding me?” moments recently? I definitely did this week! My brother and I like to hike together as often as we can. It is great exercise and gives us the chance to chat away or not say anything at all. There is a wonderful trail right down the street from us and it is one that we frequent regularly. We always thought it was strange when we visited the park that we had to walk a good quarter of a mile on a street to get to the trail itself. And, every time without fail, I would bring up that it was like we were in a horror movie.

Because of the process alone of getting to the trail, we never finished the path in its entirety. However, we are completing a Fall Hiking Spree and we both had enough energy that we decided to go for it this time. We walked, and walked, and walked some more. I had a minor heart attack when a snake slithered by me on the path but we trudged along as my blood pressure sky rocketed. Shortly after, we both realized that we had no idea where we were because the trail is anything but well marked. All that we could do was keep walking and eventually, we ended up at a parking lot that was infinitely closer to the trail. This entire time, we could have avoided the odd on the street trek had I known said parking lot existed. It’s nice to know now SMH!

This hike introduced us to a brand new world. Well, a brand new parking lot anyways. But, hey, we still had a blast and got a killer, albeit longer work out to boot!

Where is your favorite place to hike? What kind of wildlife do you see on your walks? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep22

Hello, Yellow OOTD

Posted on September 22, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hi hi!! This past week, duty called as a social media manager to take part in a meeting for a new project. This was on top of what is already my busiest day of the week and I was wiped out. Regardless of being tired, it is always important to me to put together an OOTD that makes me feel my best so I can put my best face forward. The said project was an art driven one so I wanted to create a look that was business casual with some funky flare. And, of course, I wanted to be comfortable. The Hello, Yellow OOTD you are about to see was so comfy, in fact, that it felt like wearing pajamas and no one was the wiser for it! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Yellow Cardigan: A New Day, Target

Navy Blue Crop Top: This was a hand me down from my sister

Pinstripe Slacks: Free People, TJMaxx

Snakeskin Pattern Kitten Heels: Splendid, TJMaxx

Retro Headband: TJMaxx

The turquoise earrings are Lucky Brand!

Honestly, I didn’t know what I wanted to wear to this meeting and it was quite the mad dash to throw together. I was on a time crunch, had a decent drive ahead of me, and it felt like every idea I had sucked. So, I scrapped them all, took a breath, and did a restart with something that I knew for a fact would work. This began with my pair of pinstripe slacks by Free People. I love the modern take on business casual that they offer with the wide leg and soft cloth material. These slacks also helped set up a neutral base when paired with the navy blue crop top so that I could enhance the look with pops of color.

Speaking of pops of color, cue the mustard yellow cardigan by A New Day! The weather in Ohio has still been really warm and this was a perfect option as it was nice and light. Because navy is a neutral, I could wear this cardigan with no repercussions to the overall outfit. I am a huge fan of anything yellow and the cardi turned the very basic base into something special. It also provided me with some midriff coverage for the little bit showing between the crop top and high waisted slacks. This was great because it kept me worry free about any peek a boo moments for the duration of the evening.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I decided on a pair of snakeskin pattern kitten heels. Had the pinstriping on the pants been more bold, I would have went with something different. However, it was so light that introducing a new pattern wouldn’t clash. This was further assisted by the fully neutral palette too. Next, it was time to browse the accessory department. My hair was not behaving whatsoever, so a headband was in order. I chose a lovely retro hued headband with yellow that closely mimicked the cardigan and popped on a pair of dangly turquoise earrings for good measure. With that, I was ready to go!

There is no rule stating that business casual has to be boring. This Hello, Yellow OOTD is my take on office ready vibes with my signature Lil Red aesthetic!

How do you dress for work? How do you dress for play? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep14

Collegiate Chic OOTD

Posted on September 14, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! This past Monday, I had an exciting day at work. I visited Kent State University with my boss, Tim, to assist with a presentation to the Principles of Marketing class. We had a blast and it was a joy to interact with all of the students. For the occasion, I wanted to put together a Collegiate Chic OOTD that was professional, but offered that extra dose of Lil Red flare. Unfortunately, I had to leave before Johnny was home from work so he couldn’t take pictures for me. I didn’t want to fiddle around with my tripod and a timer so I figured some mirror pictures would suffice. Never mind the bunny hutch that makes a guest appearance! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Houndstooth Knit Blazer: Joie, TJMaxx

Navy Blue Skater Skirt: This was a hand me down from a colleague!

Knee Socks: Target

Heeled Oxfords: Lulu Hun, ModCloth

The earrings were a gift from Johnny’s mom!

Sometimes, outfits come to me in a vision and that was very much the case for my Collegiate Chic OOTD. I knew exactly what I wanted and it turned out exactly how I wanted and it was so very satisfying! This look began with the gorgeous knit blazer by Joie. I loved the classic double breasted shape and the houndstooth pattern gave the studious vibe that I was going for. While the shape of the blazer is quite traditional, the color palette is an interesting take on houndstooth and that was the main selling point for me. It gave the quirky aesthetic I needed to do a school inspired look Lil Red’s way.

Obvi before adding the blazer, the base of the outfit needed to be addressed! Aside from the periwinkle pop in the blazer, the remaining colors were fully neutral. Meaning that I could pair it with any other neutral hue and it would form a cohesive look. I chose navy as my neutral and put on a navy blue crop top underneath the blazer and a skater skirt to match. The skirt paired with the blazer offered a modern take on stuffy school uniforms and I felt like the coolest kid on campus because of it.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. To drive the updated uniform motif home, I slipped on some heather grey knee highs. Remember, you can always add another neutral to the mix without negatively effecting the rest of the outfit. And, of course, what is a fresher take on a school uniform than a pair of heeled oxfords? Peep how the tawny shade in the heels matched perfectly to the blazer! Last but not least, I chose a lovely pair of earrings that my mother-in-law gifted me and I was ready to take on a school day my way.

My Collegiate Chic OOTD was such fun to style and even more fun to wear. I was so inspired by the idea of modernizing a school uniform and it ended up being one of my favorite looks in recent past!

Did you have to wear uniforms to school? What were they like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep9

Super Casual OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 9, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel to my Super Casual OOTD! Thankfully, Johnny and I took these pictures before leaving for our niece’s second birthday party and not after. Not five minutes into the gathering, I spilled juice on my shirt. This is absolutely TMI but I had to walk around the party looking like I was lactating for two hours lol SMH. Despite this faux pas, a wonderful time was had by all and hopefully my boob stain wasn’t too noticeable! And, of course, the pics we are about to see are nothing short of a faux pas too. Check it out:

A sultry gaze just for you

A hot new look called “Demonic Possession”

Wait for it…..

ACHOOO!

Dude, where’s my car?

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As summer draws to a close, I realize that I did not achieve a stereotypical “bikini body” this year. Or any year, as a matter of fact lol. This is okay because a true bikini body is just a body in a bikini. However, I have to admit that when I wore the crop top above, I was a bit self conscious. My tummy is far from perfectly flat and I am perfectly aware of it. I guess I was just a little more aware of it that particular day. But you know what I did? I wore the crop top anyways! Because at the end of the day, who cares? I still felt good in the top and that was all that mattered to me.

While I contemplated my belly, I thought about how different my body is as a thirty year old woman as opposed to when I was twenty. Was my stomach flatter back in the day? Absolutely. But bodies change and gaining some extra pounds comes with aging. I also considered my activity throughout the week. I have an incredibly strenuous work schedule and I try to go for a walk or hike at least four days a week. I asked myself if after all of that, did I really want to work out once I’m home from work and the resounding answer was a HARD NO!

During my whirlwind body thoughts, I came to the conclusion that I am happy with how I look and that is a beautiful place to be. Yes, I did initially feel self conscious in the top. But, I thought about it carefully and weighed my options. With that, I decided that there is nothing more for me to do than wear whatever I want, when I want. It was a liberating feeling and when I was done having my think session, I felt much better than I did before. And, when next summer rolls around, my bikini body will be ready. All I need to do is add a bikini. 🙂

Feeling self conscious happens to the best of us, but you have the Lil Red Guarantee that you look amazing just the way you are! ❤

What is something you feel self conscious about? What do you do to feel better about it? 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

Aug21

Guest Appearance OOTD

Posted on August 21, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! I attended a work function this past Friday with Johnny to celebrate with his teammates on the completion of a new product. I was really excited because I have never met any of his coworkers before and just had to make a Guest Appearance after my shift at work. It was an absolute blast to sip on drinks and chat it up with everyone who spends part of their day with my better half! Since it was a casual event, I didn’t want to go all out with an outfit but wanted to put together something cute and eye catching. Especially since Johnny did an outfit change to go to the party too! I love how this little look turned out:

Who? What? Wear?

Houndstooth Vest: Sincerely Jules, TJMaxx

The black crop top is from Target from forever ago!

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Color Pop Loafers: Steve Madden, Walmart

Bat Earrings: AbbieDabbles

The necklace is from American Eagle from forever ago!

I am so not a jeans and a T-shirt girl and when it comes to casual dressing, this OOTD is about as casual as it gets for me. A majority of Johnny’s coworkers are aware of my blog and job so I wanted my look to reflect that without being too extra about it. However, that proved to be more difficult than I imagined because all of my clothes are pretty extra lol! As I browsed through my closet to decide what to wear, I locked in on my houndstooth vest by Sincerely Jules and went for it. I am a huge fan of anything in this pattern and knew I could use the vest as the focal point of the outfit while keeping the rest fairly basic. Exactly what I needed for a low key event!

Since I wanted the vest to do the talking, I went the minimal route for the base of the outfit. My ballerina crop top from Target is old as dirt but it served its purpose well for this look. It also provided just the right amount of peek-a-boo skin that wasn’t too revealing. For jeans, I slipped on my pair of skinnies by 1822 Denim. These are one of the newest additions to my black skinny jeans collection and I am all about that distressing at the ankle. It’s a simple touch but it turns basic skinnies into something a little more special.

Finally, it was time for shoes and accessories. The shoe selection was easy peasy because I couldn’t wait to break out my new Steve Madden loafers! I am obsessed with the bright green pop of color and it packed even more of a punch among the neutral palette established. Last on the agenda was jewelry. I filled the blank space on my torso with a canteen style necklace on a thin silver chain and popped on a pair of small dangly bats. With that, I was ready to hit the work party with my main squeeze!

My Guest Appearance OOTD was a hit at the function and I’m confident that everyone knew who I was as soon as I walked in. And, if they didn’t, a smooch hello from Johnny certainly cleared things up!

Do you like attending work parties? Do you hang out with your coworkers outside of work? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug17

Concert Cutie OOTD

Posted on August 17, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! A few weeks ago I attended a concert at Blossom Music Center with my sister to see one of our favorite bands, AFI. We had an absolute blast and it was the most perfect sister’s night out! I didn’t have time to take outfit pics before we went to the show and by the time we got there, it was already going in full swing. Even if it weren’t, I was a sweaty mess after making the long trek to the venue from our parking spot so it was no harm no foul. I did love what I wore, though, so I wanted to make sure Johnny snapped some pics over the weekend to show all of you. Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Handkerchief Top: Japna, TJMaxx

Boyfriend Jeans: Banjara, TJMaxx

Platform Heels: Olivia Miller, Walmart

Skeleton Hand Earrings: These were a Christmas gift from my bestie!

For the AFI concert, I wanted to put together an All Black Everything OOTD which only seemed appropriate considering I am the textbook definition of an “elder emo”. This look was kind of up in the air because a show at Blossom is tricky to dress for as it is an outdoor venue. There is a lot of walking involved and you never know what the weather is going to do on a summer evening. I decided that jeans and a top would be a good compromise, especially if there was a chill in the air. But, I wanted to stay cool enough because I knew I would be dancing my ass off so my handkerchief top by Japna was the way to go. Yes, it’s cute AF but it also allowed for ventilation as I got my groove on. And, of course, I’ll take any chance I can get to show off my tattoos!

In the pantaloons department, I selected my boyfriend jeans by Banjara. I simply adore the relaxed fit, distressing, and the huge rhinestones for a bedazzled pop. The more roomy style was also much appreciated as my sister and I hustled and bustled through the venue and it was nice to be wearing something that wasn’t clinging to my skin. I loved the silhouette created by the tight top and baggier jeans because it added some visual interest to make the eyes dance. This was further accentuated by the difference in texture of the silky top and denim jeans.

At the concert, I actually ended up wearing a pair of Nike tennies. The last time my sister and I went to a show at Blossom, the platforms I had on ended up breaking on our way to the venue. I was SO not trying to repeat that again! These pics were shot at home, however, so I could wear whatever shoes I wanted and couldn’t wait to break out my new pastel pink platforms by Olivia Miller. The unexpected sweet as sugar hue made for such a fun touch! Finally, it was onto earrings and I popped on a pair of dangly skeleton hands from my bestie. With that, I was concert ready – albeit several days after the fact!

I felt like a star in my Concert Cutie OOTD and it was just right for a summer evening out. I stayed cool and comfortable the whole time and had the best time with my big sis!

What was the last concert you went to? What is your favorite concert venue in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug15

If The Shoe Fits: Steve Madden Loafers Edition

Posted on August 15, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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If The Shoe Fits: Steve Madden Loafers Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to the next edition of If The Shoe Fits! Thanks to an ad on Facebook, I learned the joys of shoe shopping online with Walmart. I was so surprised that they had the Olivia Miller platforms that you saw yesterday that I decided to search for shoes from another brand I love too: Steve Madden. Not much caught my eye while I was browsing until I scrolled by the amazing pair of loafers that we are going to take a look at. They are the coolest and were only twenty dollars – talk about a steal! In total, I spent thirty-four dollars for three pairs of shoes and it doesn’t get better than that. Check it out:

I am a huge fan of loafers and used to have two pairs of burgundy and electric blue in high school. Then, I graduated to wedge loafers that I purchased almost a decade ago and haven’t bought another pair since. My wedge loafers are absolutely worse for the wear, but I never found a suitable replacement until this new pair by Steve Madden. The heel might not be as high as my old pair and I wish it was. However, where these loafers lack in height is made up for by that funky pop of green. It is so unique and creates a brand new, punk rock style out of such a classic pair of shoes.

While I have enjoyed parading around in platform heels all summer, fall is never far from my mind. My new Steve Madden loafers definitely made this hankering for crisp autumn days even stronger. I cannot wait to wear them paired with knit dresses and tights and adding that peek a boo green heel to All Black Everything OOTDs with signature fall staples. When I shop, I am always looking for edgy takes on classic pieces. These loafers emulate that to the T, were bought on the cheap, and are a worthy placeholder to my old wedge pair that I can finally throw out. 😀

I am so happy with my shoe haul from Walmart and still can’t believe how little I paid for three brand name pairs of shoes. I will consider this purchase to be my version of Back To School shopping! 🙂

What is your favorite style of shoes? What is your favorite brand to buy shoes from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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