Tag Archives: holidays

Pros Of Being A Practical Present Presenter

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Pros Of Being A Practical Present Presenter

Are you tired of being a bad gift buyer? In order to be a better gift buyer, you need to think practically. When you evaluate the presents for your birthday or under the Christmas tree, the best gift buyer is almost always the person that buys something that has a purpose and a practical use. Read on to find out why you should become a practical gift buyer, too:

No One Wants Gifts That Turn Into Clutter: No one wants gifts that just get left lying around doing nothing. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who receive gifts that they don’t really want. These items just get thrown in a drawer and then they never get used again. This is probably not what you want to happen to the gifts that you buy for people. So, to make sure that you don’t buy bad gifts for people, you should make sure that what you buy can be used for something specific. It’s a great way to make sure that your gift doesn’t just become clutter but a new favorite household or wardrobe staple, instead.

To prevent a gift from turning into clutter, it’s a great idea to explore stores and websites that you don’t usually shop at. This will make the gift feel more exclusive to that person because it’s something that not everyone will already have. Rather than pick up a T-shirt at the mall, browse on Chummy Tees for more unique options. Or you could try gifting bath and body care from around the world rather than one chain store.

You Can be Sure That Value Can be Found in Your Gift: When you do decide to buy gifts that have a practical purpose for the people who you’re buying for, you will find that you can get value for what you spend. Although the item will, of course, be used by the people you bought it for, it will still be getting used. This means that the amount of money that you spend will not be wasted in the way it would if your gift wasn’t used. No one wants to feel like they are just throwing money away and not getting value from it, so this is vital.

Being Practical Doesn’t Have to Mean Being Boring: Just because you are buying a gift that has a practical use doesn’t mean that it has to be boring. You can just as easily find a way to make your gifts interesting and practical at the same time. For example, you can buy stationery online, and have it personalized. This makes it that little bit more special and it becomes less of a blah item and a lot more personal and thoughtful. These things are important when buying gifts so put some thought into how you can customize practicality presents for the person receiving them.

You Can Make the Receiver’s Life Easier in Ways They Would Never Have Thought Of: Sometimes, you can make a person’s day to day life easier and more enjoyable by getting them a practical gift. And the interesting thing is that the person you’re buying for would probably never have thought to buy these kinds of things for themselves. This is often how it goes. Embrace this, and buy your friends and relatives a gift that they can make the most of. My father in law is the king of practical gifts and they really have had a positive impact in my apartment. We have received safety kits, fire extinguishers, and simple sets of tools. Flashlights were also another item we were gifted as we sometimes experience power outages. These practical prezzies have come in handy more times than I can count and we feel much better prepared for any situation with these essential items readily available.

Kitschy little gifts are all very well to a point but when it comes down to it, the practical presents always seem to take the cake!

Featured Image By: Public Domain Pictures

Let’s Get Personal With These 6 Gift Ideas

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Let’s Get Personal With These 6 Gift Ideas

We give gifts on so many occasions throughout the year that it can be difficult to feel like you’re being original with your present ideas. Christmas, birthdays, and anniversaries are only some of the occasions a gift is required and as we all get older, it gets harder to shop for what our loved ones want. Cash gifts always feel so impersonal, as do vouchers, and unless specifically asked for, kitchen items can be a relationship killer. Rather than go for another jumper, tie, or set of slippers, you can do one better with something more sentimental.

So, how can you make gift-giving far more exciting? The best gifts out there are personalized ones, as they always mean something a little extra to the recipient. Everyone can see that a mug is a generic item, but when you plaster a photo of the family on it with a witty phrase it becomes something to be treasured. With these gift ideas, you can get a little more creative and a lot more personal with your present shopping:

1 – Glasses and tankards are very popular gifts for big birthdays or even retirement, so making them more personal with a beautiful engraving and going for crystal, instead, makes for a stunning, personal present.

2 – Photo gifts go down well with people of all ages. Mothers will always love cushions or blankets with pictures of their children on them. A photo blanket for their bed or the couch is as personal as it can get. Go for a canvas collage for the wall for grandparents, where the faces of their loved ones are in full view always.

3 – For the career-minded friend, a gift for their desk with their initials engraved on them such as Parker Pens are always well received. Do one better for your partner by monogramming a brand new, leather briefcase so that they can carry something beautiful and personal to and from work.

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Snazzy stuff!

4 – Every girl loves jewelry, so personalized bracelets and necklaces are a gift that is     appreciated almost always. You can also inject some sentimentality to your jewelry gift by adding tiny photos to an engraved locket.

5 – If you have a teenager who has just got their first car, why not splash a little cash and buy them personalized license plates for their car? Car gifts can be a little boring for men but something that is unique and helps them to stand out can be exciting, while giving their first car an edge over the others on the road.

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Maybe not “GOOD” but you get the point!

6 – Everyone loves a baker and if your mother or grandmother is a keen pastry chef in the kitchen, get them a personalized chopping board like this one. Practical in its use, they’ll be able to see it at all times and will always be reminded of your generosity.

Giving gifts doesn’t have to be boring and it doesn’t have to be expensive, either. It takes some thought and creativity on your part to give an interesting and well received present. Go all out for your loved ones and you’ll get the satisfaction of their smile when they open your present.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Happy Easter!!

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Happy Easter!!

Hi everyone and happy weekend! I would like to take a minute to wish a very Happy Easter to those who celebrate and a very happy Sunday to those that don’t! No matter how you spend your day, I hope that everyone has a wonderful time with their family, friends, pets, or just hanging out solo dolo. Alright. That’s my spiel! Have a great day, everyone! Much love. -Sarah

Sarah & Lea’s Eggcelent Adventure

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Sarah & Lea’s Eggcelent Adventure

Hi everyone and TGIF! Yesterday was a HELLUVA day because someone t-boned the Little Red Love Machine, making this my second accident in four months that I’ve been in that was far from my fault. With twenty-five hundred dollars worth of damage to my car thanks to someone disregarding a stop sign, I was left feeling stressed, depressed, well dressed, and pissed off! BUT, thanks to a boozy BFF evening and carrying out a long time friendship tradition, I was left feeling infinitely better.

My best friend, Lea, and I are going on about ten years of friendship and in high school we began a tradition of coloring Easter eggs together every year. Last night just so happened to be our egg dying eggstravaganza, which was so needed after my car trauma earlier in the day. We had a dozen blown out eggs, two bottles of wine, and excellent company considering that Lea’s family is basically like my second family.

We created some crazy cool tie-dye eggs, which we learned how to do from a Facebook video that Lea’s mom showed us. Take a look at our finished product and then I’ll tell you how it’s done:

Caution: Your hands will get messy!

You Will Need:

  • EGGS. Either blown out or hard boiled (but don’t expect to eat the eggs if you use hard boiled because shaving cream)
  • Shaving cream
  • Plastic containers or something similar
  • Food coloring
  • Cooling rack
  • Paper towel

How To Guide:

  1. Take your containers and coat them with a healthy layer of shaving cream. Make sure that you spread it evenly.
  2. Choose two or more food dye colors and add them to your shaving cream. Then, use a knife and blend the colors. You can make as many color combinations as you want!
  3. Take an egg and then cover it with the colored shaving cream.
  4. Place your eggs on a cooling rack and let them sit for twenty minutes.
  5. After the color has set, take your paper towel and wipe the shaving cream away very gently!
  6. Clean up your work space and enjoy your new tie-dyed eggs!

Lea and I had SO much fun creating our shaving cream colored eggs. We had lots of wine, lots of laughs, and we will definitely remember this year’s eggstravaganza for many years to come! Of course, a best friend hangout wouldn’t be complete without some pictures so here we are looking mighty cute! Also featuring her twin brother, BILL!

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^^^ I LOVE US! And the second picture is one of my favorite ones ever, even though Lea doesn’t like it! Her brother was making us laugh when he was taking our pictures and obviously Lea was holding it together better than me!

So there you have it, Sarah & Lea’s Eggcelent Adventure! Who has traditions with their best friends? What is your preferred egg dying method? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: Sister’s Birthday Celebration Edition

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Monday Update: Sister’s Birthday Celebration Edition

Heyyy everyone and happy Monday! This past weekend was SO much fun because it was my sister, Kristen’s, 25th birthday! We had such a wonderful time celebrating and I was really happy because I got to spend her entire birthday with her. Kristen is unbearably hard to shop for, so for her birthday I decided to keep it simple and snag her some gift cards so that we could make a day out of using them. Which is exactly what we did!

I got Kristen a gift card to Sephora and to the nail salon that we go to, so we spent the afternoon girling out with pedicures and makeup shopping. Although I didn’t get a pedi because balling on a budget, I got to soak my nasty feet and sit in a massage chair while Kristen got pampered and we had so much fun chit chatting and laughing with all of our favorite nail techies. Kristen got the Hello Kitty pink polish that I recently got on my nails on her toes and it looked so freaking cute! I can’t say that about my feet, but I’m glad that her toesies are on point just in time for flip flop season!

After pedicures, we went to the mall to ultimately spend what felt like forever in Sephora. I have actually never spent that much time in there before and it was surprisingly really fun. We tried on different lipsticks and browsed through the aisles pointing out ridiculous eyeshadow or lip colors and figuring out the best way for her to spend her gift card. Kristen ended up getting a gorgeous new lipstick and an eyebrow pencil as well as a birthday gift from the store (a blush and lip gloss) and some freebies that she got from cashing in the points on her reward card.

Although I tried on some okay-ish lipsticks, I just ended up going with a tube of the Better Than Sex mascara. Kristen got it for me for Christmas this year and since I’ve ran out, no other mascara can compare, so it was a must to get another one! I was really happy because the gift card that I got her covered everything that she wanted and she also got some super nice freebies, so she walked away with an awesome Sephora birthday haul.

Once we were done shopping, I treated Kristen to coffee and then dropped her off at her apartment so that she could get ready for the evening festivities. Our night was a boozy celebration of going to get margaritas with her friends and then hitting the bars afterwards for some more alcohol related fun. AND I also got to ride in my first Uber, so that was really exciting, lol. THE DRIVER WAS SO NICE!! #ubereverywhere

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(The lovely lady in the second photo, Kelsey, will be featured on lifewithlilred soon so keep your eyes peeled!)

The day after Kristen’s birthday was spent nursing a very worthwhile hangover and celebrating at home with the family. I know I had a blast and it felt really good knowing that Kristen did, too, and I like to think that I helped make that possible! Now, I’m just excited for my birthday to roll around in June so that she can return the favor!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Sister’s Birthday Celebration Edition! How did you celebrate your birthday this year? How did you spend your weekend? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Birthday, Sister!!

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Happy Birthday, Sister!!

Hello everyone and happy weekend! Today is an amazing, special, wonderful day because it is my beautiful big sister’s 25th birthday! Kristen. My sister, my soulmate, my best friend on the face of the earth. Kristen is someone who my life would be absolutely impossible without. She is someone that I can go to for literally anything. To laugh, cry, complain, or just be there with to pass the time. My sister is one of the strongest women that I have ever met. Ever. She is a survivor, she is brave, and she has proven to herself and everyone around her that she can get through the worst of times and ultimately improve and better herself along the way. If that isn’t the definition of courage, then I really don’t know what is.

Kristen is someone who is kind. She is genuine, she has a huge heart, and she brings so much joy and light to everyone who she encounters. Her smile and laugh is contagious and her beauty is second to none both inside and out. If you can’t tell by now, my sister is my everything. I am so thankful not only for our sisterhood but for the friendship that came from it. You can have someone as a sibling and only view them as such, but Kristen is so much more for me than that.

From outings to the movies, shopping, the nail or hair salon, coffee, dinner, or just binge watching on Netflix, I treasure every minute that I spend with my sister. Don’t get me wrong, she drives me fucking crazy, but isn’t that what sisters do every now and then? And I promise you that she would say the same thing about me, but probably even more so!

The point that I’m trying to get at, is that I am so, so incredibly lucky to have my sister as, well, my sister. I love you more than anything, so here’s to you, you beautiful, fantastic, intelligent, loving, perfect girl. Happy birthday and I can’t wait to celebrate with you tonight!

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Happy Birthday, Kristen ❤

I FREAKING LOVE YOU!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Helloooo everyone and happy Thursday! Today is a wonderful, special, fabulous day because it’s my dad’s birthday!! Although my beloved father isn’t particularly fond of birthdays, I can’t not celebrate my handsome, charming, adoring dad here on lifewithlilred. There’s a saying that talks about how a dad is the first guy that a girl loves or something like that and it is so true because my dad is basically my number one. Let’s discuss all of the reasons why!

From a dry but silly sense of humor that occasionally results in laugh attacks to the compliments and approval that is always special when it comes from my father, my dad is the best. He plans the most wonderful vacations, he has two green thumbs, loves his backyard animal friends, and is always down to watch two episodes of Seinfeld in a row as a “double feature”. CHARLES has excellent taste in music, too. If you were to see him cruising around with his stunner shades on, chances are he’s listening to The Rolling Stones, The Black Keys, The Who, U2, and an abundance of other classics in a rock n’ roll lover’s arsenal.

My dad is just a cool guy. Seriously. So here’s to a man that makes me laugh, smile, feel increasingly warm with love, and, of course, some type of way! I love you, my daddy dearest. Happy birthday!!

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I LOVE YOU, DAD!!!! ❤

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

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Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Today is a special day because it’s my mommy’s birthday!! As I’m sure that you guys have gathered by now, my mom is basically my best friend. We love to hang out together, cook, watch movies, go shopping, pet dogs, and play Scrabble. My mom is easily one of my favorite human beings on the planet and everyone who has the honor of knowing her feels similarly. It’s hard not to!

I am so thankful for having a mom who is as funny, smart, wonderful, and perfect as mine. Not to mention how caring, supportive, and encouraging she is. I can always count on good ol’ JANE to be there when I need to talk and am appreciative to have a mother who is a fantastic listener. No matter how my mom and I spend our time together, I always enjoy it because I am seriously in the best of company when I’m with her. I love you so much, mommy!

Happy Birthday!! ❤

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Gift Ideas For The Sports Lover In Your Life

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Gift Ideas For The Sports Lover In Your Life

Ahh, we all have a sports mad man or woman in our lives. But as much as we cherish their impact on us, they can often be the hardest person to buy a present for. You know that celebrating their passion is the perfect foundation for finding a great gift. Unfortunately, narrowing it down from there can feel like a minefield. So how can you give yourself a sporting chance of finding the ideal solution? Try these ideas on for size:

Enhance Their Playing Experience: There’s no doubt that playing at least one sport offers huge benefits to our lives. Your sport-loving friend or relative appreciates this more than most and is always seen with a bat or ball in their hand. So why not embrace their activities by increasing their fun? This could mean buying a new pair of shoes, football, or virtually any accessory. Even if it’s a fitness watch to help them record data regarding their activities, those additions will brighten their time on the field. From their perspective, that’s the greatest gift ever.

Celebrate Their Love Of A Team: As well as playing sports, your gift receiver is probably a fanatical supporter of their favorite team. Buying tickets to a game or a stadium tour is a great way to provide an unforgettable experience. Moreover, you can use this as an opportunity to show an interest in their passion by attending the event also. Let’s face it; you’ll probably enjoy it, too, even if it’s just from seeing the happiness of your giftee.

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Woooo!

Make Memories With Memorabilia: It’s hard to explain the strength of the emotions gained from sports to an outsider, but let’s just say it’s massive. This is often a love that follows us throughout our lives and that’s why we idolize those on field heroes. From the gift giver’s perspective, this is the ideal opportunity to shine. Signed memorabilia from their favorite star, such as from Domonique Rodgers NC State, is something that they’ll cherish forever. Or you could use a personalized bobblehead to immortalize the receiver as a sports star. Either way, those products are a guaranteed way to brighten up the home for many years to come.

Think About The Home Arena: Does the sports enthusiast in your life constantly watch ESPN? If the answer is yes, create an even greater viewing experience and the presence of your gift will be felt every single day. The possibilities will be dictated by where they watch it. However, the additions could include a projector, new seating, or a beer fridge. Whatever option you go for, a better place to entertain friends when watching the game will not go unappreciated.

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^^^ Excellent idea

Subscriptions: Your sports-loving friend or relative wants to feel closer to the action. Whether it’s a magazine subscription, an online streaming service, or points for their video games doesn’t matter. Buying a present that strengthens the relationship with their favorite sport can only be positive. Best of all, many of those presents are recurring monthly ideas. The recipient gets a regular reminder of the gesture while your payment for the gift will be staggered across an extended period. Even if you don’t particularly like sports yourself, that surely makes you a gift giving champion.

The world of sports is a vast one but once your gift giving ideas are narrowed down, the end result will always be a touchdown!

Featured Image By: Google Images

Get Ready With Me: Valentine’s Day Style

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Get Ready With Me: Valentine’s Day Style

Hello everyone and happy happy Valentine’s Day! Shout out to the couples celebrating today and also shout out to the single ladies (like me) who will be enjoying wine, chocolate, and chick flicks solo dolo! But hey, whether you’re in a relationship or not, there is one thing that I’m sure we can all agree on: Valentine’s Day is a day to get cute. It’s no matter if it’s just for yourself or for your significant other, V-Day is the day to pull out all of the girly fun stops that might not fly for you on the regular. We’re talking florals, lace, darling dresses, and accessories for days.

“But Sarah, you’re the farthest thing from girly when it comes to your style”, you might say? Yeah, I know but watch me put together the best of both worlds of rocker chic and totally sweet with this look:

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My Outfit:

  • Butterfly Moto Jacket: Nasty Gal, Signature Eight
  • Floral Dress: One Love Yoga & Boutique, Millibon
  • Dove Detailed Heels: ModCloth
  • Heart Shaped Sunnies: PacSun
  • Pearl Necklace: My grandma’s! ❤

When styling this look, I knew that I wanted to create something very feminine and pretty but I also wanted to give myself a bit of edge so that I would still feel like myself. I started the process with my burgundy floral Millibon dress and began to piece together a cohesive outfit from there. The butterfly moto jacket from Nasty Gal was a no brainer to throw over the dress. The olive hue of the jacket matched those in the dress perfectly but what sold me on it was the shape. To toughen up a sweet as pie dress, all you need to do is throw on your favorite motorcycle jacket and you’re off!

My dove detailed heels are from ModCloth and they are actually so worn that I can’t even tell what brand it is anymore! Anyways, I was toying with putting on one of my many pairs of black heels but my ModCloth pair just looked too cute to pass up on wearing them. How can you go wrong with something so darling on Valentine’s Day? My heart shaped sunnies seemed like the perfect way to go to add some cheeky fun to the look, but the accessory that I’m the most excited about is the pearls that you can see peeking out in the pictures. This strand of pearls belonged to my beloved grandma and it is my favorite piece of jewelry to wear with basically everything. Not only are the pearls timeless and beautiful, but I love knowing that my grandma is with me, especially when they’re fastened around my neck.

After assembling an outfit that I was pleased with, it was time for hair and makeup. As you can see, I went with a rocker chic pompadour to add that little extra something something to the look. Nothing makes me feel more glam rock than a hair to the heavens pompadour a la David Bowie and this is what kept me feeling like me while sporting such a pretty look. And, of course, there is no better time than Valentine’s Day for a set of ruby red lips to pucker up with. I’m sure all of you already know that I went with my favorite shade of Pure Red by NYX considering that’s literally all I wear!

Now, I realize that Valentine’s Day is the day for us accessorizers to get some new jewelry to add to our collection. Whether your new jewelry is a gift from your special someone or a total TREAT YOSELF splurge, I am sure that all of my darling readers will go gaga over the gorgeous jewelry from AUrate. This company specializes in the most fantastic gold accessories to add a touch of glam to your look and I just had to share two of my favorite pieces with you from their gold necklace collection. Take a look and proceed to drool:

^^^ SO. PRETTY!!

If you guys haven’t gathered by now, I love, love, LOVE pearls. The glamour, the elegance, the pure beauty – pearls just speak to me. That’s why I simply adore the Simple Pearl Necklace that AUrate offers. The single drop of a perfectly shaped pearl on a glistening gold chain? Woof! I’m sold.

And this wouldn’t be a signature lifewithlilred post if I didn’t go all heart eyes over a piece of clothing or accessory with my favorite color: black. Say hello to AUrate’s Black Diamond Choker. This piece is so totally in right now and nothing screams Lil Red more than an expertly crafted black diamond accessory. SO gorgeous! *insert heart eyes emoji*

Do check out the rest of the stunning gold necklace collection from AUrate and be sure to leave the page up on your computer as a little hint to your honey! 😉

So there you have it, a look perfect for date night, girls night, or a TREAT YOSELF day as seen in my Get Ready With Me: Valentine’s Day Style post! How do you sport the perfect Valentine’s Day look? What are you and your significant other doing to celebrate? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah