Tag Archives: gifts

Dec27

Best Of My Holiday Haul

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Best Of My Holiday Haul

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! I hope this holiday season brought you lots of fabulous goodies and some amazing quality time with your family and friends. This Christmas brought me a great big holiday haul thanks to celebrating with two families (mine and my boyfriend’s) and my best friend. I won’t bore you with featuring all of my prezzies but here are a few of my favorites from my holiday haul! Take a look:

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The Haul:

  • Arturo Chiang heels from my sister
  • Thug Kitchen cookbook from my sister’s boyfriend
  • Philosophy bubble bath, a stuffed bunny, and plaid gloves from my boyfriend

What I Like About You:

Arturo Chiang Heels: My sister spoiled me rotten with these shoes!! Kristen knows that I love all things footwear and I told her I needed one more pair for an empty space on my shoe wall. She took this need to heart and picked out a perfect pair for me in my favorite color – black! I was so excited about these because I was looking at a pair of perforated heels from TJMaxx and didn’t end up buying them but I like my gifted pair so much more! I am so happy to add my Arturo Chiang heels to my shoe wall arsenal and can’t wait to stomp it out in them once the weather warms up.

Thug Kitchen: Finally, someone sees me for the thug that I truly am! My sister’s boyfriend, Ramon, gave me this cookbook along with a Starbucks gift card and I thought that it was so thoughtful. Ramon is one of my best friends and I really appreciated that he picked out something that I actually really like – an all vegetarian cookbook doused in profanity! Thug Kitchen is filled with amazing vegetarian dishes and is freaking hysterical. Not that I would expect anything less from a cookbook that is subtitled “Eat Like You Give a Fuck”!!

Boyfriend Presents: As always, my Kyle spoils me during gift giving occasions and this Christmas was no exception. Among a huge haul of gifts from him, my bath wash, bunny, and gloves are some of my favorites. I love Philosophy products but I would never buy them for myself so I am so excited to use my Vanilla Birthday Cake scented body wash, especially because my favorite fragrance is anything vanilla!

There is actually a cute little story behind my blushing pink stuffed bunny. I have been begging Kyle to get me a real rabbit for Christmas since the beginning of the year but unfortunately, my mom is not on board with the idea. So for now, the stuffie will do but it definitely doesn’t beat the real thing! And finally, I adore my new gloves. The gift shop at Kyle’s restaurant has new variations of these gloves every year and I loved the black and maroon pairs that he got me last Christmas. But I think that this plaid pair is even better! I love the colors and the bow that goes across the wrist is too cute. 🙂

This is just a tiny peek at my holiday haul and I am so thankful for everything that I received this year as well as the time spent with my loved ones. So special shout out to them for making my Christmas one of the best yet!

So there you have it, the Best Of My Holiday Haul! What did you guys score this holiday season? Did you receive anything that you were madly in love with or ehh not so much? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec20

Christmas Countdown Questionnaire

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Christmas Countdown Questionnaire

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! I hope that all of you are having a wonderful start to your week. With Christmas being just around the corner in a whopping five days, I thought that it would be fun if we all answered some holiday season related questions and see how everyone is faring during this super festive time of year. Feel free to reblog this post and find out how your readers would answer these questions! You are also more than welcome to add questions of your own or change any of mine – I promise I won’t be offended! 😉

Holiday Q & A:

  1. What is on your holiday wish list this year?
  2. What is your favorite seasonal food or drink?
  3. Are you an early or late holiday shopper?
  4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how good of a gift wrapper are you?
  5. Best present you’ve ever received?
  6. How about the worst?
  7. Do you prefer shopping in store or online?
  8. What holiday are you celebrating this season?
  9. Who is the hardest person on your list to shop for?
  10. What is a gift that you would like this year but will never in a million years receive?

My Answers:

  1. My holiday wish list is usually the same every year – moolah and makeup! I love when I can get a full restock of my favorite beauty essentials on Christmas. It may seem kind of boring, but my beauty must haves are things that I use daily and run out of quickly so having a few extra on back stock is a godsend!
  2. I LOVE Christmas dinner, which is typically the same as Thanksgiving dinner! So stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams and all of the vegetarian side dishes are my faves. I don’t really have a favorite holiday drink but I do enjoy treating myself to a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks at least once during the winter.
  3. I am a very early holiday shopper! I was done buying and wrapping presents by early December and I am so happy for it. Shopping any later would give me anxiety!
  4. I would say that I am a 4 when it comes to holiday gift wrapping. I start out strong but then by gift number three, I think that a toddler could wrap better than I can.
  5. Hmm…last year my mom got me a gorgeous new coat from Target that I had my eyes on for forever and I freaking love that thing so much.
  6. I can’t really think of the worst present that I have ever received – that’s what gift receipts are for!
  7. Online holiday shopping is a must for me. I honestly can’t remember the last time that I did a majority of my Christmas shopping at the mall or wherever. Almost all of my shopping was done on Amazon and it made all of my Christmas purchases a breeze.
  8. My family celebrates Christmas but as a nonbeliever, I am only there for the food and the presents!
  9. MY SISTER IS SO HARD TO SHOP FOR. You would think that she would be one of the easiest but that has never been the case. My sister is very specific when it comes to things that she does and doesn’t like. That’s why I usually have to opt for gift cards or booze for her!
  10. An all expenses paid trip to Europe, duh. 🙂

How would you answer some of the questions on my Christmas Countdown Questionnaire? How does your family ring in the holiday season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec8

All Done Holiday Shopping!!

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All Done Holiday Shopping!!

Hey everyone and happy Thursday! This past week I completely finished all of my holiday shopping – gifts wrapped and all and let me tell you, I could not be happier! If there’s one thing that rings true about my style of holiday shopping, it’s that it is all done online, as my featured image says. You can call me the Queen of the Amazon because Amazon.com is always my go to website for gift purchasing.

In my family, I have five people to shop for as well as my boyfriend and best friend, so figuring out the perfect gifts for seven people proved to be a bit difficult. But fear not! I am going to share with you guys my techniques to getting your holiday shopping done as efficiently as possible:

  1. Set a Price Limit: The first thing that I do when the holiday season rolls around is set a price limit for how much I am comfortable spending. Whether that be in total or for each individual person, I make a budget and try very hard to stick to it. Once you know what price range you’re working with, is when you can narrow down the type of presents that you will be giving.
  2. Create Your Gifting Style: What are your go to’s when it comes to gift giving? My method of choice is giving presents that are compatible with a person’s favorite hobby. Do they like gardening or working outdoors? Pick out a sweet bird feeder and some seed packets! How about baking? Snag some must have ingredients in a cook’s arsenal like flour, sugar, and some cute cookie cutters. Once you know your style of gift giving, it should be easy to come up with some great ideas for everyone you need to shop for.
  3. Make a List: And check it twice! After you establish your gift giving style, create a list that can be subject to change for your shopping that needs done. I composed an email to myself for all of my shopping that included who I was buying for and gift ideas for each person. As I completed different purchases, I went back to the email and edited it with a big “DONE!” next to each thing that I could check off. This helped keep me organized and it kept me on target for what I wanted which helped me avoid senseless purchasing that strayed from my list.
  4. Scour the Deals: If you’re shopping at the local mall or from the comfort of home, it is important to make sure that you are getting the best deals for your purchases. Sign up for email updates for the stores that you plan on hitting up to receive notifications of upcoming promotions and discounts. If you are a fan of shopping online, like myself, then I cannot recommend downloading Honey enough! They will hook you up with all of the best promotions for the site that you’re shopping on without having to search for promo codes or discounts. So handy!
  5. Keep Organized: As you finish up your shopping and begin receiving the parcels that you ordered make sure that you keep everything nice and organized. Set aside space in your closet for your present stockpile and continue to reference your list in regards to your purchases and budget. Then, once all of your shopping is done, pencil in an hour or two to wrap up your presents to avoid prying eyes in the home!

Holiday shopping can be stressful but it doesn’t have to be! If you keep chipping away at your list a bit at a time, soon you will have a present stockpile just begging to be wrapped! Believe me, the sigh of relief you can breathe once you’re all done will make it all worth it!

What is your gift giving style? What is your favorite gift that you have ever received? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov24

The Advanced Guide To Christmas – Let’s Get It Right This Year!

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For most people, Christmas is a magical and wonderful time, full of celebration, presents, and good will. Unless you are the one that has to organize and pay for it all! Then, it can be a bit of a nightmare. But with a little careful planning, you too can have a perfect Christmas with a minimum amount of stress. Just read on to find out how:

Parties: One of the great joys of Christmas is sharing a drink and holiday treats with your friends and neighbors – unless it is your house that they are coming to this time. In which case, it is very easy to reach panic stations pretty quickly. Avoid the hassle and stress of entertaining at Christmas, not by hiding behind the curtains with the lights out but by being as prepared as possible.

A week or two before the party, make a list of everything that needs doing. The last thing on your list should be the decorations that you need to finish putting up on the day. If possible, get in food that is ready prepared so you just have to warm it up. Or, if you are cooking for the party yourself, make things that can be baked well ahead of time and frozen or stored until they are needed.

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YUM!!!

Presents: One of the most essential parts of Christmas is the gift giving. But Christmas shopping is so time-consuming and expensive. To lighten the load why not buy a joint gift for the families or households that you know? Consider something like a Christmas hamper delivery as a gift for an entire family. Then you can add in items that you know that everyone will like. Or you could choose to do secret Santa? Then you only have to buy one gift so it can save you both time and money.

Food: What Christmas day is complete without the traditional Christmas lunch? If you are dreading waking up at 5.30 am to get the turkey stuffed and in the oven, then read on. It doesn’t have to be as difficult as all that! If you can get away with it, choose a turkey crown or a smaller bird like a duck or goose. These won’t take as long to cook, so you won’t have to get up at some ungodly hour to ensure that it is ready by 1 pm. You can also make your life a great deal easier by choosing ready prepared vegetables and trimmings. They taste delicious and who is to know that you didn’t wrap that pig in its blanket personally?

Entertainment: One of the most dire thing that can happen is that you put a lot of time and effort into making Christmas wonderful and then boredom kicks in. After the presents are open and the turkey has been eaten, everyone just sits around doing nothing and feeling blah as can be. Pop out for a walk, or dust off a board game or two to keep people interested and feeling festive well past lunch time.

How do you prepare for the holiday season? Who is done with their shopping already? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov22

Fun And Unique Gift Ideas To Make Anyone Smile

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Whether you’re buying a gift for a birthday, Christmas, or just because, a fun and unique gift is always going to be a winner. Some gifts are so cliche these days that many people don’t put any thought into it or appreciate it when they receive a gift. These fun and unique gift ideas should give you some great inspiration!

Bacon Toothpaste: For the bacon lovers out there, how about some bacon flavored toothpaste? Not quite sure if this would mean bacon breath all day long but it would definitely be a tasty way to brush your teeth in the morning.

Samurai Kitchen Knives: For the wannabe ninja and chef, what could be a better kitchen accessory than some samurai style kitchen knives? They will add personality to any kitchen, as well as a useful utensil.

Custom Bobblehead: This is a fun gift that the receiver can place in their car, on their desk, or anywhere else they’d like. A custom bobblehead can be handmade to look just like them. The unique craftsmanship is something else!

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Flickr Image

Zombie Survival Manual: There are many people out there who believe that the Zombie apocalypse will soon be upon us. Although unlikely, it never hurts to be prepared. For the paranoid person who wants to survive the Zombies, a manual is a great gift.

Bubble Wrap Costume: Do you know somebody who constantly gets into scuffs and scrapes? A bubble wrap costume could be just the gift! They might not use it to protect themselves the next time they go out but at least they’ll have fun popping it.

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 I LOVE bubble wrap!

Mug Cake Recipe Book: Mug cakes are quick and easy ways of making a yummy dessert in minutes. If you know a cake lover or somebody with a sweet tooth, this could be the perfect little book for them.

Instagram Photo Printouts: Instagram printouts are thoughtful gifts for friends or family members. You could frame them or leave them loose, as some come in a sort of Polaroid style. Or you could create a scrapbook or photo album dedicated to the giftee in the situation.

Grow Your Own Bonsai Tree: Growing a bonsai tree can be lots of fun, plus, it’s beautiful to look at. One of these trees could be the perfect gift for an avid gardener or somebody who wants to spice up a work desk. Bonsai trees are said to make the owner more peaceful, as caring for one can be a great stress reliever.

Polaroid Camera: Polaroid cameras are perfect for those who want to take fun, vintage style photographs. It could be a good gift for the amateur photographer or for the young person who likes to document their social life.

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Cheese!

Donald Trump Toilet Paper: Well…this could be a fun novelty gift at the very least. Just be careful you don’t offend anybody with this gift! 😉

What is the best unique gift that you have ever received? How about your favorite creative gift that you have given? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov2

Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life

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Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life

Can you believe it’s November already?! With the holiday season creeping up on us quicker than ever, here are some fab gift ideas for everyone on your shopping list:

Xmas Shopping Time! Fantastic Gift Ideas For Everyone In Your Life:

Christmas isn’t far away now and it’s an excellent time to start on your gift shopping! Many deals will be coming up in the next couple of months. You’ll especially want to look out for Black Friday deals later this November. You can grab some great bargains and get them all wrapped up in time for Christmas.

As fun as it is to go holiday shopping, buying gifts can be tough sometimes. Children often let you know a thousand things they’d like for Christmas. But when you buy new things for your spouse year after year, it can be hard to keep it fresh! You should also consider how to gift your parents and other family members. Here are some gift ideas for everyone.

For Him: Men can often be the toughest to buy for. They aren’t as interested in flowers and chocolate and socks and power tools can get boring after a while. When it comes to gifting your husband, father, brother or other male relatives, you might need to get creative.

It’s a good idea to try shopping online for the best gifts for men. You can find many unique gift ideas on sites such as Cuckooland.com. Perhaps your husband would enjoy some retro music equipment. Your brother might appreciate a whiskey hamper. Of course, things like male grooming equipment and accessories like watches and wallets always work. Another great option to consider are T-shirts to wear out and about or to lounge around the house. You could go the customized route or explore funny t-shirts that will provide a laugh every time he wears it.

If the men in your life are big sports fans, you might even want to consider event tickets. There are many places online to get tickets for football, rugby, or any other sport they may be interested in. You can take this gift over the top with authentic Broncos jerseys (or their favorite team) to wear while cheering them on at the game. Giving them an opportunity to support their favorite team in authentic gear will be a much-appreciated gift!

For Her: Husbands- make sure you get your wife something she loves! Getting the same perfume as last year will be disappointing. Make sure to also gift your mother well and any of the other important women in your life.

Cosmetics almost always make the beauty savvy gal smile so look into some great beauty gift ideas. Moisturizer, makeup, and hair products always come in handy! You might even want to treat the women in your life to a spa day. Every girl loves to relax and get pampered from time to time.

Jewelry is also an excellent gift idea, as long as you don’t go for anything tacky. Cute earrings or a stylish necklace will be truly appreciated. If you want to go for something unique, you can even get personalized or engraved jewelry. Make sure you get a stylish gift box to present it in!

For The Kids: Your little ones will most likely want some new toys for Christmas! You may want to check out some of the must-have toys of 2016 at MadeForMums.com if you have young children. Fill up their stockings with sweets, chocolate, and other fun gifts.

If your children are in their teens, they’ll want something a little more exciting. Christmas is the perfect time to gift them new electronics. A new laptop is a fantastic idea- it’ll motivate them to do their homework more as well as being a source of entertainment. Of course, smartphones and tablets never disappoint either. You can often get great deals on electronics on Black Friday.

If you really want to surprise your kids, you might want to get them the latest games consoles. An Xbox One or PS4 will make your youngsters very happy on Christmas morning. (Or your adult boyfriend! Ha, mine would love this!)

Who has began their holiday shopping? Who is finished already?! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Wikimedia Commons

Apr28

Birthday Beauty Wish List

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Birthday Beauty Wish List

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! The month of April is a time when I get really excited about my upcoming birthday on June 7th. Three birthdays fall in succession in my family – my mom’s on March 22nd, followed by my dad’s on April 6th, and my sister’s on April 8th. So needless to say, birthday fever has got a hold on me like you couldn’t believe. I love birthdays. I love giving gifts to friends and family and of course, I. LOVE. PRESENTS!!!

True story, all my boyfriend had to do this weekend was mention that he ordered some of my birthday presents and it turned into forty-eight hours straight of poor Kyle having to listen to me ask twenty-one questions about my gifts. I hate surprises and I hate waiting so the fact that I have to wait over a whole month to see my birthday gifts killed me! If there’s one thing that soothes my birthday fever though, it’s making a list and checking it twice. Therefore, I created my Birthday Beauty Wish List to hang proudly on my refrigerator to give all of my family members a not so subtle hint on what to get me. Check it out:

Beautiful Sarah’s Birthday Wish List:

(^^^ Lol that’s how I labeled it!)

  • Cash money
  • Good but cheap cleansers
  • Good but cheap moisturizers
  • St. Ives tea tree, apricot, oatmeal, and pink mandarin and lemon scrubs
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost
  • The Body Shop Brush on Radiance, Ref. #63691
  • The Body Shop blushes, shades 05 Bubblegum and 01 Macaroon
  • Covergirl mascaras in the darkest shade possible
  • Covergirl Liquiline Blast eyeliner in the darkest shade possible
  • Maybeline Dream Bouncy blush shade 05 Fresh Pink
  • Wet n’ Wild eyebrow pencil shade 604A A Taupe Of The Mornin’
  • Vidal Sassoon’s Runway Red hair dye

On my birthday and Christmas, I almost always ask for a restock of all of my must have beauty products. To me, there is nothing better than receiving a box full of beauty goodies because then I don’t have to buy my most loved products by myself! It’s a win/win because I know exactly what I want so it makes gift giving to yours truly an easy and relatively painless process!

For my birthday, I’d love to have a garden style party because I have a really big backyard. My family has badminton, croquet, and bocci ball set up and I feel like those are some of the perfect ingredients to having a super classy and fun birthday bash. I picture cute little appetizer food, teas, and mimosas for the menu as well as a big fruit salad for dessert. I also would love to have some type of water activity like water balloons or squirt guns in case it’s really hot out. Hopefully I have enough friends to make it a success. 😉

So there you have it, my Birthday Beauty Wish List! How would you throw a perfect garden party? What are some must haves for my possible birthday bash? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr8

Happy Birthday, Sissy!!

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Happy Birthday, Sissy!!

Hello everyone and TGIF! In the past couple of weeks there have been a lot of birthdays in my family! Both of my parents and now my sister who turns twenty-four today! I refer to my big sister/best friend/soulmate, Kristen, frequently here on lifewithlilred so now it’s time to give her some birthday loving! Let’s do this thing:

Happy birthday to the best sister in the world…MINE. I love you so much, Kristen, and I can’t wait to celebrate with you this weekend! Thank you for all of the late night Taco Bell runs, borrowing my clothes without asking, and always providing me with a laugh or support when I need it. You are the bravest, strongest, most beautiful gal I know and I’m so happy that we share DNA with each other! I can’t wait to continue adding on to our endless list of memories and adventures now that you’re the big 2-4. You are beyond my best friend and I hope that you have the best day in the whole world! ❤

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❤ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTEN!! ❤

Apr7

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! Yesterday was a very special day because it was my handsome, fantastic, hunky father’s birthday!! My dad is not a big fan of celebrating birthdays, as he so optimistically puts, “it’s another year closer to the grave”. BUT, that isn’t going to stop me from creating a loving blog post about him anyways:

So here’s to you, dad. You are a real stand up guy and I love you so much! You plan the best vacations, you’re great at making oven pizza and spaghetti, and you always know how to make me laugh! I am the luckiest gal in the world because I get to say that you’re my dad! I hope you had fun on your special day even though you treated it just like any other one. I also hope that you enjoy the season DVDs of the TV show, Fargo, that I got for you because I know how much you liked the series and the movie and I can’t wait to watch them together. Happy birthday!! ❤

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❤ I LOVE YOU, DAD!! ❤

Mar22

Bath & Body Works March Freebie

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Bath & Body Works March Freebie

Howdy everyone and happy Tuesday! As all of you know, I live for my monthly freebie from Bath & Body Works. Thanks to their coupons that I receive like clockwork each month, I get to select another goodie to add to my stock pile (which was featured on yesterday’s post!). Usually, I pick out a travel sized lotion for my monthly treat – but this time, I decided to switch things up. My trip to Bath & Body Works resulted in a shower gel this time, so take a look at my selection and then let’s discuss:

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As you can see, I went with the Love & Sunshine shower gel this time around. Why the sudden switch up? Well, I already have the Love & Sunshine lotion so I decided to grab the matching body wash. My sister’s birthday is coming up soon and I thought that a shower gel and lotion set would be a nice little addition to her many presents that I selected. The lotion just doesn’t seem complete without its travel size shower gel counterpart!

I was going in blind to my most recent visit to B&BW – nose blind, that is. I snagged my freebie right in the midst of one of the worst colds of my life and I couldn’t smell anything. I couldn’t even smell the lotions that I already had stockpiled to determine which gel I should get to match. I remembered really liking the floral and slightly fruity Love & Sunshine, though, so I figured that it would be a safe bet to go with. I’ve never used the shower gel from B&BW but I can imagine that it’s really nice, as far as gels go!

My sister isn’t huge on Bath & Body Works products but a travel size gel and lotion set seems just right to counter her ambivalence. I plan on tying the two products together with a bow and tossing it into one of her gifts from her fabulous little sister! A ten dollar add on to her presents and it didn’t cost me a penny. Thanks, B&BW!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works March Freebie! What store gives away the best coupons or freebies? Have you shopped any great sales lately? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah