Tag Archives: hand me down

Aug9

Let’s Get This Bread

Posted on August 9, 2025 by lifewithlilred

Howdy! While I absolutely love my apartment, the one thing I don’t like is the kitchen. It’s pretty small and counter space is incredibly limited. Even more so by the fact that we have several countertop appliances taking up room like our air fryer, ice machine, toaster, and Keurig. As you can imagine, this makes cooking really difficult and it’s frustrating because I love to cook so much! With cooking being a struggle, I rarely even think about baking and that is a shame because my mom and sister are absolutely excellent bakers.

My sister makes a mean sweet treat and I am still daydreaming about a blueberry cheesecake she made several years back. My mom is a genius in general and in terms of baking bread and I have the fondest memories of helping her knead the dough when I was little. I always fancied trying to bake bread myself but it would be basically impossible at chez moi. The only table we have is my work desk and it’s covered in all of my random odds and ends and I don’t think kneading the dough on the floor is a good look lol.

As it just so happens, I might be able to make bread yet. Just not in the way I would want to. I recently acquired a bread machine that a friend had and never used. I figured it couldn’t hurt to at least give it a shot and it’s super cute to boot:

As the daughter of a mom who always poo pooed a bread machine, I felt slightly guilty for taking my friend up on the offer. In fact, when I called my mom to tell her about my newest countertop addition, I prefaced it by saying “don’t be mad” lol! Of course she wasn’t mad in the slightest and encouraged me to give it a go. She also told me a lot of bread recipes she has that I love have an adjoining bread machine recipe for me to use. 😀

Although this bread machine won’t give me the same “kneaded with love” (My mom’s official slogan) effect, it will still provide one of the best things about baking bread… How freaking amazing it smells as it’s baking!! I promised the friend who gave me their bread machine that the first loaf I bake will be for them. The next one I plan on making will be used for grilled cheese sandwiches paired with tomato soup for my mom and I to share. I know it won’t be as good as my mom’s but I’m excited to try something new!

During my next trip to the grocery store, I will be buying all the goods for my first time baking bread with the machine method. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Do you have any pro tips for bread machine usage? What is your favorite bread machine recipe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr11

Double Date OOTD

Posted on April 11, 2025 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past Friday, Johnny and I enjoyed a fabulous Double Date with my bestie and her boyfriend. We hit up our favorite Mexican restaurant and a wonderful time was had by all. Of course, I had to put together a fun little fit for the occasion. It was simple and nothing major but I loved how it turned out! Take a look:

Who? What? Wear?

Moto Jacket: Silence + Noise, this was a hand me down from my sister!

Tank Top: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Boots: Formentini, TJMaxx

Earrings: Bella Jack, TJMaxx

Sunglasses: Lucky Brand, TJMaxx

As a forever emo kid, I always have All Black Everything OOTDs on my mind and that was what I was in the mood for for our night on the town. It was a fairly nice evening that only required a light jacket and the first thing that came to mind was a hand me down moto jacket from my sister. Funnily enough, Johnny wanted to wear it that night too because he claims it’s “his” but I got to it first! What’s that old saying about the early bird and the moto jacket again?

From there, all that was left to do was complete the base of the look with obvious choices. I put on one of my favorite tank tops by Rachel Zoe that I recently got reunited with during a bout of spring cleaning. I truly thought I lost it and it feels so good to wear it again! Then, I got to break out a fresh new pair of black skinny jeans by 1822 Denim. I have to get at least one new pair per year because I can’t stand when they fade and was ecstatic to find one in my go to brand during a quick trip to TJMaxx. They are crispy AF and you KNOW I was feeling my damn self! 😀

Finally, it was onto shoes and accessories. I popped on a gorgeous pair of translucent blue flower earrings by Bella Jack for some whimsical movement and a bit of color, albeit a muted one! I also couldn’t wait to bust out my new pair of Lucky Brand sunglasses which were perfectly cool with this fit. To complete the look, I went for a pair of statement boots by Formentini. These added such incredible length and the stone hue was no harm no foul with a fully neutral base. Trust and believe I was strutting in these babies because these boots were made to show out!

With that, I was ready for the best night with all of my favorites! Stay tuned for the Blooper Reel and peep more from this look on my TikTok – @lilred6794 !!

Do you and your SO share clothes? Do you get hand me down clothing from anyone? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan6

Hand Me Down OOTD Bloopers

Posted on January 6, 2025 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Hand Me Down OOTD! It’s safe to say that Johnny and I have an eclectic personal style and because of this, it feels like we are constantly getting hand me downs from our friends and family. It’s pretty cool because what we receive is almost always vintage and we are so about it. The last hand me down haul was from our best friend, Cliff, as he was clearing out some of his grandpa’s old clothes. Other than the sweater featured in this OOTD, nothing really caught my eye and, sadly, wearing said sweater was short lived. Take a look at some yikes shots and let’s discuss:

About to speak my truth (usually along the lines of “I’m hungry”)

The standing in snow shuffle

TFYM when someone you can’t stand is talking

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

Showing off the ol’ beaver teeth

TFYM when you were right all along!

Ta da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ever since I was little, I always loved going shopping with my mom. And, ever since I was little, I can remember her looking at the tags of clothing we liked to make sure it was not made with wool. It could be the cutest thing in the world, but she would claim that it would be “too itchy” and that was the end of that. It makes sense that I have always associated wool with being itchy or maybe just maybe wool truly is the itchiest fabric of all time. I am going that route because…

The sweater seen above was The. Itchiest. F’ing. Sweater. EVER. Prior to putting it on, I didn’t do a material check and I was in misery the entire time I had it on. It was itchy, scratchy, and my skin literally felt like it was crawling. As soon as we were done taking pictures, I RAN to get changed and was not surprised to find that the sweater was made from half wool and half alpaca. It really is too bad because I loved the way this sweater looked but despised the way it felt, making it an instant no go. Regardless, it was still neat to wear a hand me down from Cliff’s grandpa for five or so minutes! 😀

In conclusion, no wool for me and this sweater will eventually find its way to triple hand me down status. I would call it “the one that got away” if it weren’t so damn uncomfortable!!

Is there a material or texture that you can’t stand? What is your favorite clothing material? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan5

Hand Me Down OOTD

Posted on January 5, 2025 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred. Today, we are going to take a look at a look I put together with a Hand Me Down sweater from our best friend, Cliff. Technically, it’s a double hand me down because said featured sweater belonged to Cliff’s grandpa! Johnny came home with a ton of clothes that Cliff was clearing out the last time they were together and nothing really caught my eye except for this spiffy little number. You can read why this will be the first and last time I wear this sweater in the Blooper Reel tomorrow, but let’s get to it:

Who? What? Wear?

Striped Sweater: Designed by Arnold Palmer for Robert Bruce

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Snakeskin Patterned Kitten Heels: Splendid, TJMaxx

The earrings were purchased forever ago from PacSun!

I have been telling Johnny for forever that he would look So. Good. in sweaters like this Robert Bruce one. When he brought it home, I liked it for me but LOVED it for him. Unfortunately, he saw things differently than me and claimed that the sweater was “too small anyways” so never mind lol. After he discarded the notion, I tried it on for myself and, aside from one glaring issue, was all about it. And, rather than wearing it over top of something like a cardigan, I decided to button it up as a top since the V-neck wasn’t plunging. From the cut to the colors, this is truly a “grandpa chic” piece and I just know Cliff’s grandad was styling in it. ❤

Since black skinnies were the way to go, it was time for shoes and accessories. To keep with the vintage vibes, I chose one of my favorite pairs of stud earrings from PacSun. The gold frame and red roses in the center remind me of brooches and tend to be my go tos when I am building an outfit with vintage clothing. For shoes, I selected a gorgeous pair of snakeskin patterned kitten heels by Splendid. Despite the pointed toe, they made me think of loafers and that was perfect for the elderly aesthetic I was working with lol. The colors in the pattern of the shoes and the sweater blended beautifully together and I felt like all I was missing was a cup of tea to complete the look!

As cute as this sweater might be (I really do love it!), it has since been retired from my wardrobe. Whoever ends up with it will have a triple hand me down!!

Do you like to wear vintage clothing? Where do you purchase yours at? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec3

“New” Vintage Brooches

Posted on December 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Johnny’s mom and aunts have been in the process of sorting, organizing, and clearing out old stored away items in their respective homes. Every time we have made a visit recently, we have been gifted with vintage finds including some amazing lamps and gorgeous fashion accessories. Our Thanksgiving get together was no exception to this and I was presented with two vintage brooches from one of Johnny’s aunts. I literally clutched my pearls when I opened the box and saw them! Check it out:

Now, I don’t wear brooches very often. However, I LOVE to collect them and have quite a few from my grandma. They are the perfect, pretty, shiny little somethings in my jewelry box and just seeing them is enough to give me all the sentimental warm fuzzies. What’s that old saying? Gemstones are a girl’s best friend?! Despite not being a brooch wearer, I am an avid brooch appreciator so I was thrilled to see the heart adorned feather and sparkly, not spooky spider!

While the feather brooch offers obvious beauty, it should not come as a shock that the spider was the piece de resistance of these hand me downs. It’s the spooky/girly aesthetic to the T and it delighted me and Johnny. As soon as we returned home from our Thanksgiving celebration, both brooches were placed in a very special spot of my jewelry box. It is so cool to have these bits and baubles that belonged to people I love so much and I can’t wait to see what Johnny’s mom and aunts dig up during their next treasure hunt. 😀

Out with the old and in with the… new to me old! These brooches are everything and I am living for the vintage collection I have been compiling!

Do you have any vintage or antique items? Where is your favorite spot for secondhand shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep13

“New” Vintage Lamps

Posted on September 13, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Very much like our own personal styles, the decor in mine and Johnny’s apartment is… eclectic to say the least. We have Halloween everything up all year round and the furniture was almost all secondhand in some way shape or form. Seventy-five percent was thrifted and twenty percent was given to me by friends and neighbors. The remaining five percent? Those came from the funeral home that my grandparents so lovingly ran. As you can see, we clearly aren’t defined by one or two specific styles and the end result is what I like to call “funeral home chic” with a heavy handed pour of Halloween flare.

Obviously, Johnny and I revel in secondhand treasures and we got to add to our collection at the Labor Day cookout we enjoyed at his parents’ house. Johnny’s mom is in the process of a huge clean out, which is where I acquired my amazing stash of vintage gloves and clutches. Her latest offerings were three stunning lamps that belonged to Johnny’s grandma and I am in love:

As you can see, these lamps definitely need a healthy dose of TLC but they sure are beautiful! I am extremely partial to the funeral home vibes of the first dusty rose lamp. However, the robin’s egg blue and gold deer adorned lamps take the cake and to make things even better – they came in a pair. I was so curious about the deer lamps and I ended up finding the exact same ones from a seller on Etsy who said they were made circa the 1950s. How cool is that?!

Unfortunately, tabletop space is something that Johnny and I don’t have a ton of at chez nous. We are both avid collectors of oddities and when our respective collections combined, all of our shelves became instantly full. That’s not to say that I don’t want to put these lamps somewhere special – but where, indeed?! For now, my plans are to get them cleaned up, acquire shades that will do them justice, and store them away safely. Inspired by his mom’s haul away mission, we will be doing some autumnal spring cleaning and I am hoping to find the perfect spot for them yet.

These lamps remind me so much of my own grandma and I just know she would have loved them too. Her funeral home is never far from my mind and I am sure she would be happy to know that that style still influences me to this day! ❤

How is your home decorated? What do you like to collect? 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

Aug28

Country Cutie OOTD

Posted on August 28, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! During the work week, I rarely wear makeup or a killer outfit unless the occasion calls for it. And, I would say that a trip to the county fair definitely called for a brand new OOTD! As the saying goes, “when at the county fair” or wherever it was, and I wanted to assemble a Country Cutie OOTD. The only catch was that I own literally nothing to build an outfit with a country theme. My husband does, though! After shopping around in Johnny’s Boutique, I came up with this fun little look and I love how it turned out. Let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Embroidered Button Down: Chute 1

Blue Jeans: Urban Pipeline (These were a hand me down to Johnny from our old downstairs neighbor!)

Army Green Wedge Heels: Guess, TJMaxx

Cigarette Earrings: Punk N Junk

Skull Tote Bag: Target (This was a gift from my mom forever ago!)

The polka dot sunglasses were also purchased from Target forever ago!

My Country Cutie OOTD was a unique experience because this is simply not my style at all. This was also the first time I wore blue jeans since grade school lol! The key to pulling off an outfit outside of your comfort zone is confidence. As I built this outfit, it was important to me to add fun touches that were my own because the base of this look is not even my clothing. This is how your favorite Punk Rock Princess turned Country Cutie for the night…

Johnny recommended his Chute 1 button down to me and I was instantly a fan. I loved the floral embroidery, pearly snap buttons, and its cool color. It looks white, but has the faintest traces of pale blue and I had never seen anything in that shade before. The original plan with this shirt was to wear it with a maxi skirt in a prairie flower pattern. I had high hopes for this, but the top just wasn’t laying well tucked into the skirt and created an unsightly bulge.

At this point in the styling process, I felt stumped because Plan A went out the window and I didn’t have a Plan B. As luck would have it, there was a pair of blue jeans laying right on top of Johnny’s laundry basket of clothes he doesn’t wear often. As luck would also have it, Johnny and I are the same pants size and I knew that we were back in business, baby. It felt SO weird putting normal jeans on because you all know I pretty much only wear black skinny jeans! I am not a huge fan of tie knot tops, but the situation called for it and I thought the button down turned crop top looked great. With the base of the outfit finally sorted, it was time for accessories.

Selecting shoes for the county fair was an easy task because of the green embroidery on the button down. My Guess wedges were the obvious choice and I thought they really tied the look together. For earrings, I already knew exactly what I wanted – my dangly cigarette pair that was purchased at the Punk Rock Flea Market. They were a huge hit at the fair and I was getting compliments left and right! The last task was a purse to swap out my British Invasion bag with and that also came easily. I chose my canvas tote with a floral cow skull and I was ready to hit the fair!

I can’t say that this is an outfit that I would wear again, but I don’t think it could have turned out better! Even though I was wearing hand me downs, I made them my own and created a Country Cutie OOTD that I was very proud of. This was also a great reminder that it’s fun to step outside of your comfort zone – you never know what you’ll come up with!

What is a style that is outside of your comfort zone? What is something that you would never wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct28

bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Blush Swatch In Desert Rose

Posted on October 28, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Blush Swatch In Desert Rose

Hello! We are going to wrap up our swatch posts from my hand me down haul from my sister by discussing a mineral blush by bellapierre Cosmetics in Desert Rose. This loose powder blush is oh so pretty and even has SPF 15 in it which I thought was very cool because I have never had a blush that offered that before. Now, let’s get swatching:

When opening the jar of Desert Rose blush, my initial impression was that it was a bit too dark for my liking because I have such a fair complexion. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see how light it applied and can definitely see myself using it as a nice change of pace from my Body Shop blushes which I have been using since I was a teen! My makeup motto has always been if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it so it will be fun to try something new that I didn’t have to commit to buying.

This bellapierre blush applied so smoothly and I love that it had a pinch of shimmer in it for glowing skin and protection from the sun all in one. None of my blushes have ever had a touch of glitter in it so this blush is full of firsts for me. 😀 When I do my makeup next time I can’t wait to try it out!

Many thanks to my big sis for passing her unwanted makeup onto me – I LOVE YOU!!!!!! ❤

What is your favorite blush? Where do you like to shop for makeup? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct27

Katherine Natural Cosmetics Eyeshadow Swatch In Espresso

Posted on October 27, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Katherine Natural Cosmetics Eyeshadow Swatch In Espresso

Howdy! Today, we are going to check out an eyeshadow swatch by Katherine Natural Cosmetics in Espresso. This color is from her Coffee Talk palette and I’d like to take some time to reflect on how much I adore that name. I have always been a huge Saturday Night Live fan and enjoy watching both old and new episodes alike. Coffee Talk is one of my favorite sketches and boasts one of my most loved quotes of “Duran Duran is neither a Duran nor a Duran… Discuss”. Lol, but I digress! Let’s get swatching:

This eyeshadow was a hand me down from my big sis and it is one that I can definitely picture myself wearing. With my newest hair change of red, pink, and violet, I have grown especially partial to mauve, brown, purple, and pink hues on my eyes. It always blows my mind how changing my hair completely changes my color palette in both makeup and wardrobe because these are shades that I normally would shy away from before. Not that I didn’t like them but because they didn’t look good with whatever color my hair was!

The Espresso shade of this eyeshadow will look charming in assisting with a purple smokey eye and I plan on at least attempting it even though I am not the best at doing eye makeup. However, the fact that this eyeshadow applied like a dream will certainly help the cause. The eyeshadow’s texture is so soft and creamy and I love its ultra rich pigment. SO pretty. 😀

The talk of Coffee Talk is this beautiful Espresso hue by Katherine Natural Cosmetics. I can’t wait to try it out when I actually feel like doing my makeup lol. Cheers!

Is Duran Duran neither a Duran nor a Duran? What are your tips for the perfect smokey eye? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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