Tag Archives: festival

Jul25

Italian Fest Fun

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Italian Fest Fun

Howdy! In my neck of the woods, there is always something fun going on in Downtown Cuyahoga Falls. From performances and festivals to outdoor movie nights and big holiday events, it is a popular place to be. The area is lined with cute boutiques, tasty restaurants, and cozy bars and is the crowning jewel of CFalls. The festivals that take place include the Italian Fest, Irish Fest, and Oktoberfest and Johnny and his parents loved to go to all of them back in the day. Myself on the other hand? I have NEVER been to one Riverfront Fest and that really blew Johnny’s mind as I have lived in Cfalls my entire life. This past weekend was the Italian Fest and Johnny has been so anxious to take me to my very first one so we stopped by on Saturday. Check it out:

^^^ THE TANKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whenever Johnny talks about different Riverfront Fests, I always say the exact same thing: “So you just walk around and eat?” The answer is always a resounding YES and I now know that to be very true lol. When we got to the Riverfront, it was lined with food trucks of every kind imaginable. There were some vendors, games to play, and a band prepping to start but all I cared about was filling my stomach. I was starving!

My only request for the Italian Fest was that I absolutely had to get a fresh squeezed lemonade because it is one of my favorite summer treats. We decided to take a lap around to see which food truck we would order our lunch from. Blessedly, a lemonade stand was right at the beginning of our rounds and I basically ran to it and ordered myself a large cup. When Johnny caught up, he asked me why I didn’t get the fifteen dollar tanker and I told him I didn’t want to put him out because this date was on him. Even though my large lemonade was already ready, he asked the girls working the booth if I could have a Tanker too and they happily obliged. This freaking growler of lemonade was as hilarious as it was heavy and Johnny and I took turns toting it around and sipping liberally. It was DELICIOUS and we both plan on jokingly taking our Tanker to work as our water tumbler for the day. What a hoot! 🙂

Saturday was an incredibly hot day and we thought it would be better to grab some grub and take it home to eat. Us vampires can’t be in the sun for too long and we are trying to be much more cautious after the Great Sunburn of 2025 from Geneva On The Lake! Regardless of this plan, I was too damn hungry to not get at least a snack while we continued to scope out food trucks. I knew exactly what I wanted too – a huge piece of street corn from a local vendor. I have heard nothing but good things about Johnny Lote’s street corn and all of the rumors are true. It was divine and I could have knocked back several ears no problem. Johnny Lote’s food truck is always at the Akron Rubberducks games and I know what I will be getting next time we cheer on our home team to Duck Em Up. 😀

Johnny had talked up the Stromboli from the Italian Fest for so long and that’s what we decided to go with. As much as I would have loved some pasta, I wasn’t trying to have a steaming bowl of marinara on a hot AF day lol. We ordered a classic Stromboli for Johnny and a veggie one for me and I couldn’t wait to dig in. Since Johnny had been singing the Stromboli praises for forever, we thought we were both in for a treat. Sadly, it was quite possibly the worst Stromboli we have ever had. They were doughy, soggy, and had minimal fillings so it was pretty much just like eating soggy uncooked bread. It was SO disappointing and I was STILL hungry but at least I got my Tanker!!!!

The Italian Fest experience was exactly what I knew it would be: Walking around and eating food. But I am so glad that I got to go to my first one with Johnny and he was so proud to take me. We had a blast even if the Stromboli sucked!

Do you have a favorite food truck? Do you have an area similar to the Riverfront 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

May9

Summer Festival OOTD

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Summer Festival OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! A couple of weeks ago, I happily accepted a new job as Tim Misny’s social media manager and it has been freaking awesome. It is such a major accomplishment and I have loved every minute of it. One of my first content creating missions was at the Louie Run this past weekend to kick off the motorcycle season in Ohio. I don’t have too many pictures of my outfit because I was going nonstop all day, but I wanted to share a few shots anyways. I think this look is perfect for a Summer Festival! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

Embroidered Top: Love On A Hanger, TJMaxx

Jean Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters

Embroidered Heels: Sbicca, ModCloth

The earrings are Lucky Brand and were a gift from my mom!

In terms of weather, we lucked out the day of the Louie Run. It was supposed to rain throughout the day, but it held off. However, the lack of rain made for a very hot and humid day and I knew I would need to put together a summer look to accommodate. For my outfit, I wanted something cute, cool, and classic. I also wanted to style an OOTD that was fairly simple because I would be interviewing a lot of people and didn’t want to take away from it. This look screams fresh and fun in the sun and it is exactly what I was going for!

To build this outfit, I started with my pretty flower embroidered Love On A Hanger top. I adore the navy pattern against the crisp white base and it reminds me of porcelain dishes. I appreciated the spaghetti straps for the muggy day ahead and I also liked that the sort of V neck wasn’t an extreme plunge. This made it still feel appropriate because I was technically working even though I was having a total blast. 😀

My Love On A Hanger top is ideal for pairing with sweet little jean shorts and I went with one of my go tos from American Eagle. As always, their shorts are the absolute best! I have several pairs of their denim shorts, but I chose an undistressed one for this look. Between the pattern on the top and all of my tattoos out for the world and god to see, there was no need for any extra bells and whistles. These shorts kept me cool and comfortable all day and I couldn’t even imagine the misery that would have happened if I wore jeans lol.

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I went with a darling pair of embroidered heels by Sbicca. These were an excellent choice for a few reasons. 1) The heel was thick and supportive for walking around all day. 2) Even though they are a faded denim in color, it still worked because denim is a neutral. Last on the agenda was jewelry and I simply added one of my favorite pairs of turquoise earrings from my mom and called it. As I said, with my tattoos out for the world and god to see, this outfit didn’t need any extra bells and whistles!

This Summer Festival OOTD is one of the more simple ones that I have styled. However, sometimes you need to dress for the occasion and not just what you want to wear. So, simple or not, this outfit was a great success!

Are you attending any festivals this summer? Are you going to a concert any time soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Jun10

Coachella Inspired OOTD

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Coachella Inspired OOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to a simply gorgeous Coachella Inspired OOTD by my very first lifewithlilred guest blogger, Miss Nida, from Shopaholic Blogs. I’ll never forget my first email encounter with Nida all the way back in February. I thought that her confidence to come right out and email me asking about a guest blogging spot was so admirable and I was instantly drawn to her. Nida and I are literally on opposite ends of the globe but I can honestly say that I consider her a dear friend and I can feel her spirit through her words and pictures and it’s just as beautiful as she is!

Nida’s posts are always sublime and if you love seeing her on my page as much as I do then please do yourselves a favor and follow her blog! These guest blogs are just a little sliver of the big picture of the awesomeness that is her page. So without further ado, take a look at Nida’s summer festival OOTD:

Coachella Inspired OOTD:

Hello Loves! 💕
Summer is in full swing and when Sarah emailed me about doing a guest post for the summer I was totally on board! I have enjoyed working with Sarah in the past, she is so appreciative and encouraging  and we get along fabulously! ✨
For this post Sarah requested a summer accessories look and as always she gave me tons of room to be as creative as I liked. 💕
For this look I was inspired by the recent Coachella festival. Here’s to a fabulous summer and I hope that you guys enjoy this look!  😘

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^^^ LOVE the head chain…Is that what you call it? -Sarah
About The Outfit:
🔅 Top: Banana Republic
🔅 Skirt: American Eagle Outfitters
🔅 Vest: Aeropostale
🔅 Shoes: American Eagle Outfitters
🔅 Jewelry: H&M, Fossil, Lucky
🔅 Scarf: Macy’s
🔅 Bag: Dooney & Bourke
Thanks again to the lovely Sarah for this opportunity. Let us know how you liked this look, we would love to hear your comments! 💕
^^^ My blogging BFF strikes again! Once again, please check out Shopaholic Blogs for more from fashionista queen Nida! How do you rock a summer festival look? Which look of Nida’s can you see yourself wearing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
May29

DIY Summer Festival Style

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DIY Summer Festival Style

Hello everyone and welcome to an amazing arts and crafts guest blog by my talented friend, Emma, at Randomina. My guest blogger that was originally scheduled for today bailed on me and I was getting antsy as to what I would do since I promised a guest blog for every Sunday of May to my beloved readers. Luckily, an email from Emma shined like a beacon of hope and she was able to create a simply fantastic tie-dye tutorial post.

I am so appreciative to Emma for making this post on a time crunch and am so pleased to be able to house her on lifewithlilred for the day. I encourage all of you to check her blog out – I assure you that you won’t be disappointed! Now, take a look at the post that Miss Emma created special for all of my lifewithlilred readers:

DIY Summer Festival Style

Hello everyone! My name is E from Randomina, I do make up and clothing tutorials along with designing and manufacturing my own textile works while blogging part-time. I thank Sarah of Lil Red very much for having me as her guest blogger today as she is going away on holiday. This gave me the inspiration to teach you four fabric dying styles, three from the Japanese art called Shibouri, to have a fun and creative way to a Coachella Chic wardrobe at your fingertips!

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You Need:
  • 1 bucket/container of water
  • 2 gloves (plastic or rubber will do)
  • Dye packets/tie-dye kits
  • Paint brushes
  • Elastics
  • A bundle of pebbles
  • A finished toilet paper roll
  • The garment you want to customize (in my case fabric samples)
Tutorial 1- Arashi/Pole Wrapping: Wrap the garment around the toilet roll and secure with elastics. Use as many bands as you please but when wrapping, scrunch as you go along to wrinkle it. Whatever dyes you are using PLEASE be careful as some dye packets can be harmful to the skin. And, of course, follow the instructions on how to make your color and how to store it. After you make your color, put a portion of it in your container (small doses makes the color pale) and mix it with your brush and then paint your color on your “pole” and leave to dry.
 
Tutorial 2- Kumo/Pebbles: Take the garment and the pebbles and place the pebbles in any way you like with the garment on top. Pull the pebble through and trap it in place with an elastic until the whole garment is covered in the “pebble pattern”. Get your brush and paint on the pebble silhouette and on the elastic around it. Take your time and when you’re done, leave it to dry.
 
Tutorial 3- Itajime/Folding: Fold your garment like an accordion until it becomes a small square or rectangle. Secure the bundle with elastics. With your container of dye you can (unless you want to have a delicate pattern) put the garment in the container and evenly coat it in dye. Take off the bands and  unfold when dried.
 
Tutorial 4- Twisty Stripes: Hold a corner of the garment and twist tightly and secure with bands as you go. You can submerge the garment in the container or you can paint as many colors as you wish sparingly. Wait until dried.
 
**Note: When washing your creations, rinse after the dying with cold water until it runs clear. Once it’s dried, it will be ready to wear. Wash it individually in a normal machine 2-3 times before mixing it in with the rest of your clothes.
 
Thank you for tuning in today! If you liked that tutorial, I also have a few other crafts that you might enjoy on my blog. See you later! Loads of love and happy crafting!
^^^ So. Much. Fun! I loved Emma’s cool new take on tie-dye and I hope that all of you enjoyed it, too. Again, please venture to Randomina for more from the lovely Emma! What is your favorite summer craft? Who plans on following the steps that Emma provided to create their own hand dyed fabrics? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah