Tag Archives: friendship

May31

Blogging Bestie Birthday Gift

Posted on May 31, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello darlings!!! This past weekend, I received the most fabulous box of birthday greetings from my blogging bestie, Kate, of Live In The Nautical. Kate and I became fast friends when lifewithlilred came into existence almost a decade ago and my life simply wouldn’t be the same without her. She is the absolute best friend a gal could ask for and even though we are in opposite states, I always feel like she is right next door when we are texting or FaceTiming. For my Dirty Thirty, Kate spoiled me with my favorite thing – spooky surprises from Brightside Organics! Check it out:

Kate and I are Gemini twins and our June birthdays are only six days apart. Just like me and Johnny! This is a time of year that we revel in and it is so much fun to celebrate each other together – even more than we already do every day lol. Our siren call when gifts are on the way is “you’ve got mail” and it is most exciting. Kate is one of my all time favorite people to shop for and she shares the same sentiments about me. I always know that her gifts are going to be on point for her horror loving BFF and this gift was no exception.

For my birthday, Kate treated me to all kinds of enticing products from Brightside Organics. Body butter, soaps, candles, and a bonus surprise. The skull candle doubles as a lidded glass. I was wondering why a plastic straw was included in the gift box and then it all made sense lol. I love the tombstone shaped bar soaps and they smell exactly like a crisp autumn day. The scent is called Magical Brew and is the same for the skull candle and body butter. My You A Spooky Bitch (And proud of it!) candle is of a lovely lavender and sage and it will be perfect to burn while winding down at the end of the day. I also thought it was such a cool touch that a little vial of matchsticks were included.

Because I get so much free product from Bath & Body Works, bath and body care is never on my agenda to buy for myself. And, while I like the idea of having candles in my apartment, I never replenish them once they have burned out. Regardless, Kate knows that I love stuff like this and makes it a point to make sure I get some for my big day. We both are all for the pampering route of self care and I always look forward to seeing which products she enjoys for herself that I would like by default. What can I say, her and I are insanely similar and, as per usual, this gift set knocked it out of the park!

I can’t wait to test out all of my new goodies and begin browsing for gifts for Kate’s upcoming birthday too. I am so lucky to have a BFF like her! ❤

What is your favorite thing to be gifted with? Are you and your BFF really similar to each other? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar3

Dinner At Misnyland

Posted on March 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! One of the coolest things that lifewithlilred has ever done for me is thanks to this OOTD rocking some MisnyMerch. That outfit helped me win a contest to attend a party at Misnyland to meet Ohio’s most famous personal injury lawyer, Tim Misny. At said party, I was able to conduct an interview with Tim, we hit it off, and the rest is history. Since then, we have created tons of content together with me as a MisnyMerch spokesmodel and it has been a dream!

While the work is neat, the best part has been making a new friend. Johnny, Tim, and I get along like three peas in a pod and it is a blast to hang out altogether. This past week, Tim treated Johnny and I to dinner at his place to show off his culinary skills and everything was divine:

Something Tim and I really bonded over was our shared love of cooking and serving meals for our family and friends. Next time we do dinner, I call dibs on helping Tim in the kitchen, but he prepared everything himself this time and I felt so spoiled. I can’t remember the last time I sat down while someone else cooked! For our meal, Tim made guacamole, breaded eggplant, tomato bisque, and baked perch for him and Johnny. I was very touched that Tim took the time to consult with me on his menu first to make sure he accommodated my vegetarianism. Everything was SO tasty and I was most impressed by the speed that Tim cooked with. This meal was ready within a half hour and that really blew my mind. Cooking is my me time so I like to draw it out lol.

Johnny and I often get asked what Tim is like in real life and I always say he’s just a guy! Then, I proceed to say that he is simply hilarious, smart as all get out, and a genuinely good person. Johnny and I rarely have the opportunity to make new friends and we enjoy our “Tim Time” so very much. When I began this post, note that I said “one” of the coolest things lifewithlilred has done for me. The top coolest thing my blog has given me is the gift of friendship with countless amazing people and, in this case, I got that too! ❤

I am so thankful to my blog and I always have a moment of “yes!” whenever I interact with anyone that it has put in my path. More Tim Misny X Lil Red collaborations are coming soon so keep your eyes peeled!

Do you like to cook? What is one of your favorite dishes to make? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb12

Lil Red Says: Check This Out!

Posted on February 12, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Way back in January of 2016, lifewithlilred had been up for a year and a half and opportunities for collaborations and money making were non-existent. So, you could imagine my surprise when the amazing fashion designer, Sujata Gazder, offered me my first go at guest blogging. The goal was to create a modern and edgy look with one of Sujata’s gorgeous wedding dresses and it was so much fun! After the post was published, Sujata and I remained friends across social media and would check in with each other from time to time.

For over seven years, I have enjoyed ogling all of Sujata’s extraordinary designs and am constantly blown away by her talent. I feel so lucky that we kept in touch after our paths crossed and I will always be cheering her on from afar! This past week, Sujata’s official brand website launched and I just had to share it with all of you. You can visit her page here and be sure to enter your email for the newsletter and alerts to receive ten percent off of your first order.

Not only can you browse Sujata’s jaw dropping collections but you will also be able to shop skin care too! The skin care line is the latest endeavor in the Gazder empire and it looks simply divine. I am currently daydreaming about the body bar and cannot wait to use it. Do be sure to keep it posted here on lifewithlilred for a review of that and more updates on Sujata as they come up. I think you will be seeing a lot of her on my page in the near future! ❤

Yet again, I find myself so thankful to lifewithlilred for introducing me to an entire world of new friends. I am thrilled to be able to collaborate with Sujata again at the place where our friendship began: Right here!

What is your favorite thing about blogging? Do you have any close friends that you made on your page? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec20

Happy Haulidays: Bestie Edition

Posted on December 20, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! My best friend, Lea, and I have celebrated fourteen Christmases together and we had our annual holiday hang out this past weekend. It was a hoot! I made us a big baked ziti dinner and our husbands had a man date playing banjo together while Lea and I girl talked the evening away. After almost a decade and a half of prezzies purchased, you would think that Lea and I would be fresh out of gift ideas. That’s far from the case for us, though, and Lea is one of my favorite people to shop for! As always, she knocked it out of the park for me too. Check it out:

Until a week or so ago, I never appreciated the joy of fuzzy socks. However, one of my clients gifted me with an amazing pair of slipper socks last week and I am obsessed. So, I was insanely excited to receive some more pairs from Lea! These holiday socks are the softest, most comfortable things that I have ever put on my feet. They keep my tootsies toasty and they are too cute to boot. The polka dot pattern is so sweet and how adorable is that little hedgehog?! 😀

Lea loves to frequent craft fairs during the holiday season and the jewelry dish and T-shirt were both bought at one she went to with her mom. The jewelry dish is going to be perfect for housing my stud earrings, which is just what I need. I have so many pairs throughout the house that I have taken off and never bothered to put back smh. This dish is so pretty and simple and the cream base with the mauve rim is divine.

The piece de resistance from this holiday haul is, of course, the hilarious T-shirt that Lea got me. I have never owned any type of Christmas themed clothing and this shirt is the one to have. Its sentiment speaks to me on a spiritual level and I would have bought it for myself if I saw it while shopping. What can I say, after fourteen years of best friendship, Lea knows a thing or two about me! Although this is a holiday shirt, I will be wearing it year round. In fact, it just might make an appearance in an OOTD coming soon!

I had the best time celebrating Christmas and comradery with my best friend. I look forward to our holiday hang every year and here’s to fourteen more years of them!

Do you have any holiday traditions with your bestie? Where do you like to shop for holiday gifts? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May18

Happy Housewarming Gift

Posted on May 18, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! My bestie, Lea, came by a couple of weeks ago to check out mine and Johnny’s new place. Even though it isn’t perfect yet, I was so excited for her to see it. I was also excited that Johnny would have his own room to hang out in where he could shut the door so we wouldn’t have to listen to his war documentaries lol. Oh, the perks of our new place!

Lea was so sweet and brought by a little housewarming gift and, I admit, I didn’t really know what to do with it at first:

Lea got us a Turtle Vine for the new place and I have never owned a house plant before! In my old apartment, there wasn’t really a good place to put plants so I just never bothered. The great news, is that I haven’t killed my little Turtle Vine yet… In fact, it’s thriving! When Lea brought it over, the vines didn’t have any length to them at all and I can’t believe how much it has grown in a few short weeks.

My dad is the one with the green thumb in our family and I almost contemplated just having him care for it. But, I think I am doing alright! I love this plant’s soft leaves and the pot that it lives in is so pretty. Whenever Lea comes by, all she needs to do is bring herself and I’m happy so I was tickled by her thoughtfulness. I don’t think I’ll turn into a full on plant mom any time soon but, now, I wouldn’t be opposed to my Turtle Vine having a friend or two. 😀

The best housewarming gift that Johnny and I have is actually being able to host friends comfortably in our bigger apartment. However, this sweet prezzie from my best friend is a very close second! ❤

Do you have a green thumb? How many house plants do you have? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar6

The Best Ships Are Blogships

Posted on March 6, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Come September, lifewithlilred will be on its eighth year in the blogosphere and I, honestly, can’t believe it. If you would have told me when I first started my page close to a decade ago that I would still be going strong and read in over two hundred countries, I would have said “no way”! But here we are now, a half a year away from my eight year mark and it’s crazy.

For those of you who don’t remember, it wasn’t even my idea to start lifewithlilred in the first place. I just had So. Many. People. telling me that I should make a blog because I’m funny and have good fashion sense. Eventually, I rolled my eyes, said “fine”, and created lifewithlilred. I was hooked after publishing just one post and I still love sitting down to write all of these years later.

I have always been an avid reader and writer but what most attracted me to blogging was the possibility of making friends all around the world. This was exciting to me because, even now, my “real life” friends are limited to not even a handful but on my blog, I have tons! In fact, one of my best friends in the whole world, Kate of Live In The Nautical, was met through lifewithlilred and it’s weird to go just one day without talking to her!

When I woke up this morning, I had a plethora of comments on Facebook from another friend who I met through my page, Claudia. This reminded me of just how lucky I am for the connections that I have formed because of the blogging world. In my neck of the woods, people know who I am but I feel like my readers know the real me because all of my thoughts, struggles, and life events are here for the world to see. It just feels good to be seen for who I really am because I think my page encompasses it perfectly.

I have always been a strong believer in the power of words and all of the beautiful friends that I have made on lifewithlilred is a true testament to that. Thank you so much for tuning in and, most importantly, being my friend. I love you all!

What is your favorite thing about blogging? How long have you been writing for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar3

Super Happy Great Day!

Posted on March 3, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! After a long week, I was SO ready for some time off over the weekend. This past Saturday was a wonderful one and it was such a treat – it was a low key day but it was spent with the best company and that’s what made it fabulous!

I was so happy to be able to treat my sister, her boyfriend, and my sweet niece to lunch at Chipotle. I am constantly craving it and it was delicious! It’s also one of my niece’s favorite eateries and she was so excited about “me beans and rice”, which I am still cracking up about. 😀

After lunch, we went back to my parents’ house to hang out before Kristen and Ramon had to go to work and I stuck around for some extra time with my Val Gal. We read books, played hide and seek, and watched some of the new Space Jam movie. We loved it! And, of course, it was so fun to see our hometown hero, LeBron James, in it.

My day was already great but it was even better once I got home because one of mine and Johnny’s best friends, Shannon, stayed the weekend with us. He lives in Marietta so we don’t get to see him too often but he was photographing a concert in Cleveland and we were more than happy to provide him with a place to crash.

Once he returned back to our place from the show, we spent hours catching up and laughing hysterically about anything and everything. He is an absolute delight and we can’t wait for the weather to warm up so that we can spend the weekend at his place. A fun time was definitely had by all. ❤

I was working hard for this past weekend and it was so worth it because it was a hoot. Good company and good food makes for a very happy me!

How was your weekend? What is one of your favorite restaurants? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec25

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and Merry Christmas! To those who celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful day filled with joy, good company, and holiday cheer. For those who don’t celebrate – I hope the same for you! I will keep this post short and sweet so everyone can get prepared for their festivities but I just wanted to say how thankful I am for all of you. ❤

With the pandemic, everything feels crazy and scary. Writing on my blog every day brings a much needed touch of normalcy to my life and I hope that everyone tuning in feels that way too. My audience has turned into such dear friends and I love you all. I love your insights, your kindness, and the happiness I feel to have you in my life – even if it is from the computer screen.

For Christmas and every holiday celebrated, I encourage all of you to take proper safety precautions to keep things merry and bright for everyone. I can’t wait to hear how all of you spend your day and thank you for being you!

Merry Christmas!

Much love. -Sarah

Dec7

Happy Haulidays: Bestie Edition

Posted on December 7, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi!! When lifewithlilred was in its early years, I developed a friendship with a fellow blogger and fashion enthusiast named Kate of Live In The Nautical. What started as comments on each others blogs turned to Facebook friendship, texting, video chats, and a trip to New York City to visit her! For years, Kate has been one of my absolute best friends and I am so thankful to the blogosphere for bringing us together. ❤

From a love of Harry Potter and figure skating to celebrities we can’t stand, Kate and I can talk for hours on end about everything and nothing and I always look forward to our FaceTime dates. We also both love gift shopping for birthdays and Christmas so the holiday season and our close together June birthdays are a very exciting time for us!

This past week, Kate and I exchanged super early Christmas gifts in the mail and it was such fun. Despite the fact that her package used SO. Much. Tape. that I compared it to trying to break into a jail when attempting to open it! Lol take a look at these darling prezzies from my darling bestie:

Both Kate and I can concur that our friendship is the best gift of all but the gifts above are a nice touch! I am obsessed with the Espresso Patronum mug a la Harry Potter and plan on drinking all of the coffee spiked with Baileys in it… Or maybe just Baileys! And, of course, I can’t wait to test out the bath bombs from Lush because Kate knows that they are my favorite. ❤

Every day I am so grateful for Kate but times of celebration like the holidays make me realize how lucky I am to have her in my life even more. I can go to her for anything, judgement free, and I know that she will listen, offer sound advice, and make me laugh like no other. I love the self who I am when we are together (albeit through a computer screen) and she is one of the best things that came out of starting my blog in the first place.

The blogosphere is such an amazing way for people to come together and near or far, I have made a best friend for life. Kate, I love you so much and thank you for everything you do for me. Now, everyone go check out her page!

Have you met any best friends through your blog? What is your favorite thing about blogging? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun12

Wedding Hair

Posted on June 12, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! One of my favorite parts of my pre-wedding prep was getting my hair done both the day before and the day of my wedding by my stylist and friend of over nineteen years, Anna. No one but Anna is allowed to touch my hair and I had been looking forward to her working her magic for my wedding since Johnny and I got engaged. The day before my wedding, I spent the entire afternoon at the salon getting my hair dyed and hanging out with Anna which was so fun and very special to me. The morning of my wedding, I returned to the Shear Shop for an end result of:

To achieve my wedding do, Anna bleached and redyed my convertible hair with Pulp Riot’s red in Fireball and bubblegum pink in Blush. The first time we tried this combination on my hair, we both agreed that we would like the pink more if it were lighter. To remedy this problem, Anna dyed my roots in Blush and pulled a ballet slipper pink through the rest to lighten and add dimension with different shades. Her solution was a great success and everyone in the salon was in love with the color too!

Not only did Anna do my color the day before my wedding but she also began knotting gold tinsel in my locks for some sparkle on my wedding day. While fairy hair is adorable, it is a time consuming task and I am so glad we didn’t leave knotting a majority of it in until the following day. Anna was able to see me first thing in the morning the day of my wedding and it was nice to not feel rushed in any way because so much groundwork was laid the day before.

The gold tinsel offers sweet flashes of bling in my wedding do but the real piece de resistance were the hair charms that Anna incorporated into my braid. When we began talking wedding hair, it went without saying that it had to be unique. I also let her know that I definitely wanted some type of braiding. With that, Anna suggested that I purchase some “hair hardware” on Amazon to further embellish my look.

On my wedding day, Anna came prepared with needle nose pliers to help pull the hardware rings apart and put them back together again. Once the rings were hooked into the braid, she simply pushed them back together and they were locked securely in place. The final result is something I have never seen before and I felt like royalty.

Finally, Anna created a bump in the back of my hair which would make a home for my veil to be locked into. My veil was purchased for a whole twenty dollars on Etsy and feels like something out of a dark fairy tale. Prior to securing my veil, Anna ingeniously removed any wrinkles from it with a blow drier!

The look that Anna achieved for my wedding was everything that I wanted and so much more. I asked for something unique and she gave me a do that I didn’t even know could exist. Anna is such a gifted artist and I feel so lucky to have had her keeping my hair beautiful for almost two decades. Her friendship is the most beautiful gift of all and the time spent together in the salon for my wedding will forever be cherished.

What color is your hair? What is the craziest color you have ever dyed your hair? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers