Tag Archives: haul

New Jane + Delancey Button Down

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New Jane + Delancey Button Down

Hello darlings and Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you! This past Thursday, I had a surprise afternoon off and was able to spend that time with my mom for a girls day out. We started our extravaganza with a delicious lunch at Panera and then shopped till we dropped at TJMaxx. It was perfect and we had so much fun together doing two of my favorite activities – shopping and lunching lol. We also went to TJMaxx at a great time too because all of their new spring arrivals were out and it was glorious. You’ll see more from my haul after a brand new OOTD tomorrow! Now, check out this adorable Jane + Delancey Button Down:

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Naturally at TJs, there was a lot of Valentine’s Day apparel on display. Normally, I am not one for holiday themed clothes because the time you can wear them is so limited. I like clothes that will work for a majority of the seasons or year round. However, I just had to add the heart adorned button down from Jane + Delancey to my try on pile. The stark white base with the red embroidered hearts spoke to me and it was so different than the other V-Day clothes available. I was drowning in a sea of pink!

Although I loved the shirt on the hanger, I wasn’t completely sold on it. That is, until I tried it on! As soon as I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew it was a winner and, most importantly, my mom agreed too. The fit of the button down was oversized without being huge. It looked flirty and fun and it surprised me by being something that I would happily wear beyond February. I can’t wait to wear it in the summer tucked into a pair of jean shorts with a cute pair of wedges. This top looked even better on than I could have imagined and I can’t wait for you to see it in the OOTD post tomorrow. 🙂

I hope all of you have a wonderful V-Day! You are all my Valentines and thank you for continuing to tune into all of the latest and greatest here on lifewithlilred! ❤

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? How do you feel about holiday themed clothes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New & Improved Beauty Stock Pile

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New & Improved Beauty Stock Pile

Hello!! There are a few things about my apartment that drives me absolutely nuts. One of which is my under the sink cabinet in the bathroom. At my old apartment, both of these cabinets opened perfectly and I was able to house all of my beauty care supplies. Here, however, the left cabinet is stuck something fierce and it is a pain to open. You literally have to rain blows upon it from the inside to get it to open and it is incredibly annoying. It also makes it very difficult to store all of my products because I can essentially only use one side of the cabinet. So, I decided on a simple AF solution that I am so happy with:

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As all of you know, I take my beauty stock pile seriously and it currently runneth over with skin care and Bath & Body Works hauls. What I love most about my hoard is being able to see all of the products and choosing which one to use next because it’s kind of like going shopping. This experience wasn’t possible with the cabinets so I used a chest of drawers to keep all of my goodies in instead. These drawers are old as dirt and I wasn’t using them for anything important – just random odds and ends that I had completely forgot about lol. I did find a ton of socks that I had convinced myself were gone for good, though, so that was a huge score!

Once I cleared out the top two shelves and condensed them to the bottom two, I began to fill each drawer. Bath and body care on the top shelf and skin care on the second one. This process was done in a flash, but it felt so good to do! I always consider my wardrobe to be my own personal boutique and now I get the same vibes with my beauty care. It was most pleasing to line them up in the order I wanted and have a visual of everything. It was pretty hard to tell what I even had in the cabinets when everything was piled on top of each other. In fact, I ended up finding tons of travel size B&BW freebies that got lost in the mix and is proof that this quick fix project needed to happen. 😀

Is this an HGTV level renovation? Not even HGTV Junior lol! But, I was able to problem solve and no longer have to punch my cabinet to get things out of it. Total GREAT SUCCESS!

What is a project you completed recently? What are your favorite things to stock up on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 2

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 2

Howdy! Judging from yesterday’s post, it’s safe to say that I come alive during the Bath & Body Works semi annual sale lol. With such amazing deals, I would be shocked if I didn’t! I can’t say that I have ever paid full price for anything from B&BW between their coupons, promotions, and fabulous semi annual sales and that is how it should be. I couldn’t imagine spending almost fifteen dollars for one body wash! And, for this haul, I didn’t have to. Each product totaled out to be about four dollars and fifty cents and I was on thrifty girl cloud nine! Let’s check out the rest of this haul and discuss further:

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When I shop in store at B&BW, I tend to have my blinders on because I know exactly what I need and don’t want to be tempted by anything else. So, I was shocked to see that B&BW has skin care products as I online shopped my way through the semi annual sale! Despite the fact that I just had a major skin care haul from TJMaxx, I added a dry skin moisturizer to my cart anyway. The reviews for the moisturizer were pretty average and it only received three stars. Normally, I would shy away from something that doesn’t have stellar reviews, but curiosity got the best of me. It was also way cheaper than a moisturizer from TJs. I will be eager to try it out and will be sure to let you all know what I think!

Like the moisturizer, I really didn’t need more hand soap because I just had a holiday scent haul for that too. Also like the moisturizer, the hand soaps were dirt cheap and you all know that they are an absolute necessity in my household. The two soaps I chose were Express Your Elf and Very Berry Good Days. Express Your Elf was described as a “merry cookie” scent and I thought that was hilarious. With fragrance notes of “buttery shortbread, vanilla bourbon icing, and spun sugar”, I have to say that the merry cookie description was dead on lol. Hilarious, yes. Accurate AF, YES! 😀

Very Berry Good Days was said to have a strawberry soda scent and this one was just okay to me. The notes featured are “fresh strawberries, bubbly seltzer, and crushed ice”. It actually does smell like a fizzy, fruity soda and I thought that was cool. However, the strawberry scent translated more as a cough medicine and that was a turn off. One whiff of this soap had me wishing that they went for a limeade fragrance instead because I think that would be delightful.

Last but certainly not least from this haul is the Sun-Washed Citrus fragrance spray and shower gel. (Peep yesterday’s post for more on Poppy!) I am a fruity scent girl through and through and that includes all things citrus. It’s just so invigorating and fresh and gives summertime vibes in the dead of winter. Sun-Washed Citrus is exactly what I imagined it to be with notes of “sugared lemons, mandarin, and agave nectar”. The mandarin is soft and sweet while the lemon adds the perfect amount of zest and it is so very nice. Highly recommend!

This semi annual sale haul was one for the ages and I am so pleased with all of my purchases. The fragrances are sweet, but the prices were (Dare I say?) even sweeter!

What kind of fragrances do you like? What is a fragrance you can’t stand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 1

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 1

Hello!!! Countless stores run semi annual sales, but the only one that I participate in is Bath & Body Works. You simply cannot beat their promotions, which include up to 75% off of full size products. It’s not a deal, it’s a full on steal and their winter sale couldn’t have come soon enough because I was running low on the bath and body care products in my stock pile. I shopped the semi annual sale online and, admittedly, went a bit nuts lol. However, I won’t have to restock my supplies for a good long while and it was worth every penny!

My haul included twenty-two products (The ones not pictured are for Johnny!) for a grand total of one hundred dollars. This made each item about four dollars and fifty cents as opposed to upwards of eighteen! Like I said, worth every penny. Because this haul was so massive, I will be breaking it up into two parts starting with the following:

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There was a point in my life when I was obsessed with the wallflowers from B&BW. What I liked most about them is the fact that they offered a way to add scent to the apartment without being overpowering. I feel like I can taste some of the air freshener brand plugins and I am SO not about that! Then, my favorite Wicked Apple plugin that I kept in the living room broke after a guest bumped into it and I never bothered replacing it. The wallflowers themselves are inexpensive, but the plugins are kind of pricey. The semi annual sale was the perfect time to rectify this and I purchased a new apple plugin and two new wallflower scents in Raspberry Thumbprint and Hanukkah.

I am a HUGE fan of raspberry scents and the Raspberry Thumbprint is just as delicious smelling as I imagined it to be. This wallflower features notes of “buttery shortbread, rich raspberry jam, sprinkled with powdered sugar”. It’s like a bakery in a bottle and I love it so very much. The Hanukkah wallflower was purchased for no other reason other than I was curious. What does Hanukkah smell like? Let’s find out because I’m taking a whiff for the first time now…

Coincidentally, I feel like Hanukkah smells exactly like Raspberry Thumbprint lol! The notes for this one include “Pillowy fried donut, sweet jelly filling, sprinkled with powdered sugar”. So, in other words: Raspberry Thumbprint haha. Hey, kudos to me for trying something different!

While I was most excited to see what scent Hanukkah is, what I was most looking forward to was my purchases from the Poppy line. Poppy is quite possibly one of my all time favorite scents from B&BW and when I say I needed all of it, I mean ALL of it! I ended up with three shower gels, three lotions, and three body creams in Poppy and it took all of my self restraint to not buy more. The fragrance notes of this scent are “fresh morning dew, wild poppies, sugared rhubarb, and juicy pear”. I can’t speak for the morning dew or the wild poppies because, to me, Poppy smells like a strawberry/pear combo and it is magnificent. It is fruity and sweet without being too much because the mellow pear balances out the strawberry scent. It is absolutely divine. ❤

Stay tuned for more from my Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul tomorrow because we have a lot more fragrances to discuss. See you then!

Which store has the best semi annual sale? How often do you restock your bath and body care products? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

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TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

Howdy!! For Christmas and my birthday, I know for a fact that I am going to receive lots of gift cards to TJMaxx. Everyone seems to know by now that it is my happy place and a gift card to TJs is truly the perfect gift for me. With my Christmas gift card hauls, I always like to do a major restock of my skin care supplies. While it would be fun to blow the lot on new clothes and shoes (And I have before!), I like to get things that I actually need and skin care is of the highest priority. I take my skin care routine very seriously and I got enough product to last for at least five months FO FREE. You just can’t beat that! Check it out:

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^^^ All of these products are Leaping Bunny Certified!

I visited TJMaxx on January second and the store was understandably pretty bare to prep for their spring shipment. Unfortunately, this meant the skin care department was nowhere near as well stocked as usual. I had to really look to find the serums, moisturizers, toners, eye creams, and cleansers that would not only work for me but were cruelty free too. This was a lot easier said than done and I spent a majority of my shopping trip scouring the shelves. While I did walk away with everything I needed, the biggest disappointment was not being able to find any of my tried and true Evoluderm Micellar Water. Normally, TJs has an entire shelf full so that was a bummer but, luckily, I have more gift cards for when they get a restock! 😀

For this haul, I walked away with two toners, one cleanser, four moisturizers, four serums, and one eye cream. I was very happy with this because of how bare the skin care section was and I was able to find some familiar brands and brand new ones to try. What I am particularly curious about is the Provence Beauty serums in the bright yellow and baby pink bottles. And, yes, I did get them specifically for what they looked like lol. What can I say, I’m a sucker for pretty packaging! I was also most excited to find another Simple eye cream because of what a fantastic value they are. I have been using a similar product by Simple for the past FIVE months and I am still not even close to being done. Highly recommend!

I am very pleased with my gift card haul from TJMaxx and planned it out to perfection. I only paid nine additional dollars for what my gift cards didn’t cover and I thought that was a great success. Nothing makes me happier than a fully restocked skin care hoard and I can’t wait to test out the new to me products!

What are your thoughts on any of these products if you have used them before? What is important for you when it comes to skin care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Haulidays: Second Family Edition

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Happy Haulidays: Second Family Edition

Hello!! Prior to me getting sick on Christmas day, Johnny and I had a wonderful holiday celebration with his parents and aunt over the weekend. It is such a joy to be able to spend Christmas with both of our families and I love the traditions that Johnny and I participate in every year with his. We have a delicious meal, open presents (Including a stocking for each of us on the mantel, which I adore!), and have our annual viewing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – our favorite! I had never seen that movie until my first Christmas with Johnny’s family and now I think I can out-quote all of them lol. 😀 As always, Johnny’s family is way too generous with their thirty something year old kids and we are so enjoying everything that was waiting for us under the tree:

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Every year, Johnny’s mom gifts me with amazing goodies from Hope Soap, which is a local business in Cuyahoga Falls. These products couldn’t have come a moment too soon because I was literally all out of lotion! In fact, I just started using the jar of Fruity Loops Body Nectar last night and it is divine. It smells exactly like Fruit Loops, as I’m sure you all guessed, and I am so there for it. I also received two bottles of the body cream from Hope Soap in Grapefruit & Bamboo and Honey & Almond. The grapefruit scent is zingy and refreshing and the honey one is SO lush and rich. I am very partial to a Honey & Almond fragrance and I can’t wait to use it!

As always, Johnny and I received lots of chocolate to satisfy our sweet tooths and we have been in heaven! Every night since, we have had a piece or two during our viewings of Criminal Minds and it is with sheer willpower and determination that we don’t have everything in one go haha. My favorite gift of all, though, has to be the sweet leopard print shawl that Johnny’s mom got for me. It is just SO damn cute and I am most eager to wear it with my French Rooster cami top. The shawl is soft and cozy, perfectly unique, and such a fun cold weather accessory. I don’t own anything like it whatsoever, making it the ideal gift for me. ❤

Two holiday celebrations make for twice the holiday joy for me and Johnny on Christmas and it is the best gift to be able to spend time with our amazing families!

How did you celebrate the holidays? What is your favorite gift you received? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Bath & Body Works Holiday Scents Pt. 2

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Bath & Body Works Holiday Scents Pt. 2

Howdy!! I used an afternoon off on Tuesday to pop into Bath & Body Works because I was running dangerously low on my beloved foaming hand soaps. The soap from B&BW has been a staple at chez moi ever since I got my own apartment and I simply refuse to buy anything else. They are the absolute best! While I enjoy many of the fragrances that are always available at Bath & Body Works, it’s fun to do a restock when their holiday scents drop. Yesterday, we discussed three of these fragrances and we will chat about the remainder today! Let’s get to it:

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Twisted Peppermint: From fragrances to flavors, I love all things peppermint! The Twisted Peppermint from B&BW is exactly what you would expect it to smell like and offers notes of “cool peppermint, sugared snow, and fresh balsam”. Now, I don’t know what sugared smell or balsam is supposed to smell like. I don’t even know what balsam is lol. But, you can definitely smell the peppermint and that is all that matters to me! Some peppermint products can be almost harsh smelling and super mentholy but not this one. The Twisted Peppermint is minty, yes, but it doesn’t sting your nostrils when you take a whiff. It is just right!

Frosted Cranberry: A few years back, I gifted Frosted Cranberry candles for Christmas and I remember really liking the scent. Fast forward to present day and it wasn’t as good as I recall it being, but it’s still nice enough! The fragrance notes for Frosted Cranberry are… “frosted cranberry (lol), red delicious apple, and blonde wood”. What I like about the Frosted Cranberry is that it is much richer in its berriness than the Golden Berry Mistletoe which we reviewed yesterday. Not the best, but certainly not the worst either.

Snowy Peachberry: I think I saved the best for last because the Snowy Peachberry is the bomb.com! This scent serves with hints of “snow-kissed cranberries, frosted peach blossom, and shimmering woods”. I can’t speak for the shimmering woods portion, but this is a perfect wintery peach fragrance. It smells fresh and sweet, but also has some tartness to it compliments of the cranberries (the scent not the band). Snowy Peachberry is a fragrance that I would buy any time of the year and I wish that it would linger beyond the holidays. See what I did there? 😉

My favorite to least favorite scents:

Snowy Peachberry

Pink Sparkling Spritz

Twisted Peppermint/Vanilla Bean Noel (I can’t decide between the two!)

Frosted Cranberry

Golden Berry Mistletoe

Normally after a haul from Bath & Body Works, I consider myself to be well set. However, I think I will definitely be shopping the post holiday sales because some of these fragrances are just too good to only have around this time of year. Give me ALL of the Snowy Peachberry, please! 😀

Will you be doing any sale shopping after the holidays? What is a B&BW fragrance that you wish they had year round? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

 

Bath & Body Works Holiday Scents

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Bath & Body Works Holiday Scents

Hellooooo darlings! It has been a FAT minute since I received any coupons from Bath & Body Works in the mail. Honestly, I get it though because I literally never buy anything lol. I cash in my freebie coupons, I do my foaming hand soap hauls, and that is about it. Hopefully this most recent purchase of holiday scented soap will put me back in B&BW’s good graces because your girl is running desperately low on shower gel and lotion!! Fingers crossed! As I eagerly await some mail from B&BW, let’s chit chat more about their holiday scents. We’ll start with three today and do the remainder tomorrow:

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^^^ Very aware that Peach Bellini isn’t a holiday scent, but it’s my fave so I always have to buy it! 😀

Pink Sparkling Spritz: This might just be one of the best ones from the Bath & Body Works holiday/winter line. It is bright, poppy, and oh so delightful with notes of “bubbly ginger ale, pink sugar, and raspberry fizz”. It kind of reminds me of another B&BW scent called Champagne Toast (or as Johnny would say, Champagne AND Toast). Imagine that Champagne Toast is a dry champagne. Pink Sparkling Spritz, on the other hand, is sweet as can be and always goes down smooth! 10/10 would recommend!

Vanilla Bean Noel: I have always been fond of Vanilla Bean Noel and am thrilled that B&BW brings it back time and time again. I am a huge vanilla fan and this scent is simply scrumptious with hints of “fresh vanilla bean, warm caramel, and sugar cookies”. Freaking YUM! Also, major shout out to one of the employees who looked all around the store to find my Vanilla Bean Noel for me. I would have been SO disappointed if they were completely out of stock because it has become one of my holiday scent staples.

Golden Berry Mistletoe: I feel very in the middle about Golden Berry Mistletoe. It’s nice, yes, but it isn’t my favorite. Why did I buy it, then? Because I was freaking sick of smelling everything lol! I was starting to go nose blind so I just went for it. This scent features notes of “sparkling berries, sugared spruce, and frosted air”. Whatever frosted air means. If you are looking for a softer holiday fragrance, Golden Berry Mistletoe is a safe bet. If you want something that packs more of a punch, however, you should skip on this one.

So far so good with this holiday hand soap haul! Stay tuned tomorrow because we will be talking Twisted Peppermint, Frosted Cranberry, and Snowy Peachberry. I bet you can already guess which one is my favorite! 😉

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works holiday scent? What is your least favorite holiday scent (I HATE cinnamon and pine!)? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Steve Madden Winter Accessories

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New Steve Madden Winter Accessories

Helloooo!!! Yesterday, we took a look at my new favorite dress purchased from my last shopping trip to TJMaxx. That wasn’t the only thing I got, however, and today we’ll be checking out the super fun New Steve Madden Winter Accessories that came home with me too. I have a huge collection of hats, scarves, and gloves for the cold weather and it is safe to say that I am a little bit obsessed with winter accessories. They are such a great way to update your wardrobe without breaking the bank! The selection at TJ’s was excellent and I walked away with an adorable pair of earmuffs and a knit balaclava. Let’s get to it:

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^^^ Peep the original price tag for the earmuffs. I purchased them for ten dollars. SCORE!!

This was a rather exciting accessory haul for me because I don’t own earmuffs or a balaclava. That is the beauty of TJMaxx – you never know what you’re going to find to spice up your wardrobe! The first thing that my eyes locked in on at the accessory wall was the smiley face earmuffs. How cute are those?! They were over the top, vibrant, so much fun, and oh my goodness were they comfortable on. They fit just right without being too tight and my ears were so toasty and warm. I knew that these would make a vibrant addition to the grey days of winter and the price I got them for was a total steal. 😀

The next thing that spoke to me was the knit balaclava, which is something that I knew existed but have never seen before in store. My new balaclava was something that was instantly appealing to me. I only own one jacket with a hood on it and it isn’t warm enough for winter wear. This was not only a fashion purchase but a practical one. There are some days when I have to go to work really early to get a client to work and it is always freaking freezing when I get in the car. Now, I have a balaclava to help with that – do you know how much heat we lose through our heads?! Not only will this help in the warmth department, but it is such a bold statement piece. Balaclavas are most chic and my new one will add a touch of sophistication to all of my winter coats!

I have no intention of buying a new coat this year and I love that I will be able to freshen my winter wear up with these fab new Steve Madden accessories. TJMaxx, you always continue to surprise me! ❤

What is your favorite winter accessory? How do you update your winter wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Akron Comicon Haul

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Akron Comicon Haul

Hello!! Akron Comicon this past weekend was a blast and I spent the best afternoon with Johnny and my brother. We came, we saw, we shopped and each walked away with a bagful of goodies featuring all of our favorite things. I wasn’t able to attend the Con last year and Johnny surprised me with all kinds of gifts to decorate our apartment with. It felt so good to be able to participate this time around and I am loving all of our new swag! Check it out:

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^^^ The last three posters were made by Vile Consumption and the Wolfman was painted and autographed by Drac of Transylvania Tonight!

It was SO hard to exercise self restraint at the Comicon because there was a ton of merchandise from my favorite fandoms to buy! We’re talking Demon Slayer, Assassination Classroom, horror flicks, Lego, and much more. The first thing I selected was my Funko Pop of The Little Prince. I had no idea that this Funko existed and my brother got it for me in exchange for paying for our tickets. I have countless tattoos from the book and it is a piece of literature (and film) that is very dear to my heart. Best believe it is proudly displayed on our knick knack shelf! ❤

Johnny also treated me to a few little prezzies including the V mini fig from V For Vendetta and the crocheted Plague Doctor. Like The Little Prince, V For Vendetta is another book/movie that is one of my all time favorites. And, also like The Little Prince, I have a buttload of tattoos from V For Vendetta too! The mini fig is perfect and I love that Johnny always knows exactly what I would like without consulting with me. We both fell in love with our tiny Plague Doctor friend and as soon as Johnny saw me give it a cuddle, it was as good as ours lol.

Finally, the Akron Comicon was an amazing place to gather more art for our expansive collection. While visiting with Drac and Countess Carita of Transylvania Tonight, we noticed that Drac had a new piece of his artwork on display: The Wolfman. This was a must buy because we already have all of his other movie monster prints from last year’s Con. Now, we have the Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature From The Black Lagoon, Doctor Jekyll, and the Wolfman all painted and signed by Drac! We also couldn’t say no to the posters by Vile Consumption because they are hilarious lol. I was geeking out over the Sister Act one from The Nun, it wasn’t even a question about the David Pumpkins print, and Trick R’ Treat was an obvious choice because it’s one of our fave Halloween flicks. SAM!!! 😀

The Akron Comicon was a GREAT SUCCESS and I am so happy with all of our fun purchases. I can’t wait to get our new artwork hung up around the apartment! 🙂

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