Tag Archives: love

Aug14

Forever 21 Vacation Haul

Posted on by
Standard
Forever 21 Vacation Haul

Hellooooo everyone and TGIF! As you guys know, I spent last week vacationing in Orlando, Florida with my family. A trip to a new city wouldn’t be complete without some shopping though!! Orlando is abuzz with a million and one different outlet malls so my mom and I spent our first night in Florida shopping. Classic Lil Red to want to shop as soon as we reach our vacation destination! At the outlets my mom and I only made it to two stores, Forever 21 and Loft, because we spent so much time in each. I got some gorgeous new additions to my wardrobe at each store, so take a look at my new finds from Forever 21 and make sure you tune in tomorrow for a peek at my Loft purchases!

f21f212

^^^ SO CUTE!!!

When I’m on vaca, I would much prefer to get some new clothes as my souvenirs rather than some knick knacks that sit around and do nothing – so the outlet mall was the perfect place to pick up some mementos to remember my trip by! I am so in love with my new burnt orange and emerald green sweater dresses I just can’t even! Both of these pieces cost me less than forty dollars, which is the cost of an average clothing item at Universal Studios! I got a lot more bang for my buck and I am so ready for fall in Akron, Ohio so I can break out these adorable staples.

I’ve wanted a floor length cardi-dress for ages now and I am so happy that I found one in beautiful burnt orange, which is one of my favorite colors to wear! The great thing about this piece is that you can wear it alone as a dress or you can put it over leggings or jeans for a fresh fall look. I’m really excited to pair my cardi-dress with my army green heeled combat boots and a floppy hat for a look that screams “autumn”!

What I love about my emerald green sweater dress is how much it reminds me of Slytherin house from Harry Potter! The colors of the dress match the house colors to the T so if I want to be a sexy Slytherin girl for Halloween then I’m all set! Usually I’m pretty hesitant about sweater dresses like my new green one because I don’t like clothing that’s extremely tight BUT when I tried this little number on, I knew that I had to have it. I felt so confident in it and confidence is key, after all. The way the dress fit was superb. It hugged every curve to perfection and I love wearing any shade of green so this dress was a must. I plan on pairing this little beauty with sheer black tights and my cream colored Juicy Couture wedges for a night on the town outfit. (See “If The Shoe Fits – Juicy Couture Edition” for more!)

So there you have it, my Forever 21 Vacation Haul! I hope all of you are having an awesome Friday! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any fun plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug12

Island Boat Lines Wildlife Tour

Posted on by
Standard
Island Boat Lines Wildlife Tour

Hellooo everyone and happy Hump Day! So as you know, this week on lifewithlilred I’ll be discussing a different highlight of my Orlando, Florida vacation every day. Last Thursday my family took a break from hanging out at Universal Studios to go on an amazing wildlife tour through Island Boat Lines. We drove about an hour away to the 1,000 Islands of Cocoa Beach and boarded our “tour boat” in search of dolphins, manatees, and birds. I got to see some wildlife that we definitely don’t have in Ohio, so take a look at some pics and let’s get to it!

DSCN0337DSCN0338DSCN0332DSCN0347

The Island Boat Lines wildlife tour is two full hours of exploring the 1,000 Islands with the boat captain and two naturalists who are all extremely knowledgeable. Not only did I get to see a lot but I also learned so much from them as well! After a quick lesson on boat etiquette our tour began and within ten minutes of sailing we saw our first manatee! Unfortunately, these sweet and shy creatures were very difficult to photograph but let me tell you: THEY’RE SO CUTE!!! It was so fun to see their big ol’ bodies bobbing along in the water. The entire time I just wanted to jump out of the boat and pet them. We saw five or six manatees on our tour and of course there were more but they are pretty hard to spot because they blend in with the water so well.

All throughout our tour we saw an abundance of birds like pelicans, herons, storks, and anhingas. They were everywhere!! It seemed like wherever we looked they were perched in their trees, in flight, or in the stork’s case just hanging out in someone’s backyard. I’ll admit that I’m not much of a bird gal, I had two parakeets once…and they died…But that’s neither here nor there. The point is, that it was really cool to see these majestic creatures up close and personal because Ohio obviously doesn’t have anhingas flying around every time you turn a corner.

Not only did we see our fair share of animals but we also saw a lot of plants and flowers native to Florida. I was very excited to see a Naked & Afraid staple of the Mangrove Tree, myself! It was such a nice change to see vivid blossoming flowers and palm trees rather than the yellow grass and weeds that I’m used to in my neck of the woods. Speaking of grass, did you know that palm trees are actually a type of grass? You didn’t? ME EITHER!! #wildlifetour101

Everything that I got to see on the tour was awesome but the most memorable part of the wildlife cruise was seeing the dolphins!!!! During our two hour ride we saw eight to ten playful dolphins splashing and jumping about and it was something that I will never ever forget. Like the manatees, they were next to impossible to photograph but rest assured that they are  gorgeous! The major highlight of the tour was seeing two dolphins, a big and a little one, jumping at the same time. It looked like something you would see in a movie and I got to experience it first hand. Most importantly, I got to witness such beautiful creatures in their natural habitat doing what they do best…avoiding getting their picture taken. -_- 😉

If you are ever in the Orlando, Florida area, I seriously cannot recommend the Island Boat Lines wildlife tour enough. All of their information can be found on http://www.islandboatlines.com or they can be reached at 321-454-7414. Make sure to check them out!!

So there you have it, my Island Boat Lines Wildlife Tour experience! What was the most memorable animal you’ve seen in real life? Have you ever been on a tour similar to the one that I described? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: The stud in my featured image photo is my dad!!! Isn’t he handsome?! ❤

Aug12

Woman Crush Wednesday: Stevie Nicks Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Woman Crush Wednesday: Stevie Nicks Edition

Hellooo everyone and welcome to another edition of Woman Crush Wednesday – Stevie Nicks style! The music of the lovely Miss Nicks was a big part of my childhood and every day life now because my parents instilled a love of Fleetwood Mac in me from a young age. So here’s to you, Stevie, because you’ve earned a coveted spot as Lil Red’s #WCW! Let’s discuss:

Dear Stevie Nicks,

Oh Stevie, you gorgeous music/fashion/American Horror Story icon, I just adore you. It only seemed right to post the taping of a live performance of “Sara” as the video I chose to honor you because my parents would always play it for me when I was little. To this day it still remains one of my favorite songs. Your strong and unique voice inspires me with the spirit of pure girl power and you are one of my fashion idols. I have been so obsessed with everything boho rocker chic as of late and I think of you whenever I’m sporting one of my floor length kimonos. In fact, every time I wear one of my flowy favorites my mom will request that I “twirl around like Stevie”, which I happily oblige to! Your cameo on American Horror Story: Coven was one of my top highlights of AHS in its entirety and I really think you are too cool for words. I hate using the word “cool” to describe people but it just fits you so well! Your incredible presence and effortless style scream cool to me, in the best way possible. As a child I wanted to be you when I grew up and here I am as a twenty-one year old who still is waiting to be you. I LOVE YOU!!!!!

stevie2stevie1

^^^ Oh. My. God. She’s seriously flawless and I am SO in love with the black and white photo!!

So there you have it, this weeks Woman Crush Wednesday: Stevie Nicks Edition. Who is your #WCW this week? What is your favorite creative endeavor from my woman crush? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug10

Man Crush Monday: Daniel Radcliffe Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Man Crush Monday: Daniel Radcliffe Edition

Helloooo everyone and welcome to this weeks edition of Man Crush Monday – Daniel Radcliffe style! After visiting The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter last week at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida it only seemed right to make Mr. Radcliffe my #MCM. Enjoy this cheesy choice of music and then let’s discuss the man behind Harry Potter, who I would very much like to unrobe. BA DUM CHHHHH!

Dear Daniel Radcliffe,

Oh Daniel Radcliffe, you handsome, gorgeous, hunka hunk of burning love: words can’t describe how much I adore you. It has been such a delight watching you grow up from the timid first year student at Hogwarts in Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone to the fine as hell man you are today. From childhood, adolescence, and all the way up to being a young adult, Harry Potter has been a huge part of my life. Harry Potter was and still is my number one favorite source of entertainment – the books, the movies, the hours of discussions about said books and movies with family and friends, it’s always there and it never gets old. You brought Harry Potter to life in a way that was so perfect and convincing that I had to constantly remind myself that Hogwarts wasn’t a real place when I was younger. But who says? Maybe in some parallel universe wizardry and witchcraft is the norm and if that indeed is the case, then I definitely want you by my side more than ever! Thank you for bringing the beautiful boy with the jet black scruffy hair and scarred forehead to the big screen and thank you even more for helping me to believe in magic. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

daniel1daniel2

^^^ The Boy Who Lived evolved into The Man Who’s Handsome…worst pun ever. I hate myself. DON’T THINK ANY LESS OF ME, DANIEL!!!!!

So there you have it, this weeks Man Crush Monday: Daniel Radcliffe Edition! Who is your #MCM this week? What is your favorite Harry Potter book or film? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug6

If The Shoe Fits – Guess Edition

Posted on by
Standard
If The Shoe Fits – Guess Edition

Helloooo everyone and happy Thursday!!! Welcome to another issue of If The Shoe Fits – Guess style! I purchased my army green beauties a year or so ago and they slowly but surely became one of my favorite pairs of wedges. Take a look at some pics of these funky shoes and then let’s discuss:

guessguess1

This cool pair of wedges came into my possession during a shopping trip to TJMaxx with my mom. We always spend a lot of time in their shoe department because we both have a deep love for all things footwear! While we were browsing I looked at these wedges a few times but didn’t try them on. I actually didn’t really plan on it either until my mom pointed them out and insisted that I give them a try. I figured “why not”, so I slipped them on and of course I fell in love. What initially turned me off about these shoes was the cut out design but as soon as they were on my feet they just looked so darn good! These wedges were definitely a case where they look much better on the foot than on the shelf. After strutting about the shoe department hallway, I knew that they had to be mine so into the cart they went!

If it wasn’t for my mom, I would have never given these shoes the time of day and that’s actually quite shocking to me. Usually I know what I love and what I completely hate. As I glanced at the wedges while shopping around, I really did want to love them and thanks to my mom giving me the push to try them on they are now a tried and true favorite in my massive shoe collection. There are very few items in my wardrobe that were bought because of other people and I never really give them credit for helping me add to my “could be a boutique” closet and shoe wall. So this post is not only a shout out to my fabulous green Guess-es but also to my darling mama for knowing her daughter well enough to see that the wedges were meant for Lil Red!

Once my wedges were safe and sound on my shoe wall after the TJ’s trip, I couldn’t believe that I almost didn’t try them on. The more I looked at them, the more I loved them. The unique shape and color grew on me like a fungus of similar color and I can’t picture my life without them! My Guess-es fit like a glove and my style savvy mom knew that they fit my fashion personality to the T as well. I love wearing my bad boys with literally EVERYTHING! From dresses and shorts to maxi skirts and jeans, these shoes are my go to-s to add a little extra oomph to my outfit. In fact, I just recently sported my shoe babies to my brother’s graduation in May and they were a hit! Take a gander:

DSCN0095

^^^ Looking good feeling great! #Ihatemyself ❤

I can’t put my finger on what made me shy away from my shoesies during that fateful TJMaxx trip but I can only hope that my Guess wedges will forgive me…I was just playing hard to get! 😉

So there you have it, the latest issue of If The Shoe Fits – Guess Edition! Now I need your help. What shoe should I write about next? Your choices are between Elle floral print heels, Guess wedged combat boots, or Calico primary color kitten heels. I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug5

Woman Crush Wednesday: Kate Middleton Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Woman Crush Wednesday: Kate Middleton Edition

Helloooo everyone and happy hump day! Welcome to this weeks edition of Woman Crush Wednesday – Kate Middleton style! The lovely Ms. Middleton has been the apple of my eye ever since she tied the knot to Prince William so it only seems appropriate to show her some #WCW love! Enjoy this silly video of some friendly competition between the happy couple and then let’s discuss!

Dear Kate Middleton,

Oh beautiful Duchess Kate, I admire your grace and charm so very much. You entered into a family of royalty with so much poise and elegance and I think your sophistication is something that women everywhere can look up to. My beloved late grandma and I always enjoyed raving to each other about your gorgeous wedding and fabulous London chic style. You handle being in the public eye so well and it has been such a joy watching you embark on the journey of motherhood with your precious George and Charlotte. Whenever you and Prince William release family photos or pictures of your little ones I get so excited! They’re just so darn cute! I envy all of your clothing like no other – whether you’re dressed up for an event for one of the many humanitarian groups you support or are just out and about with the kids, you never cease to look amazing! I like how your smart and sharp style is composed of classic pieces that ladies across the globe can easily find, like your staples of a great pair of jeans or a pea-coat. I adore your sweet and silly personality and I thank you for giving all of your fans the opportunity to see your children grow as well as your relationship with Prince William! You two look so happy when you are seen in public together and I think you are both doing such a great job as parents! You are the definition of class – and did I mention how stunning you are? Hubba hubba. I LOVE YOU!!!!!

kate1kate2

^^^ Oh my goodness, I can’t handle how perfect she is!!! ❤

So there you have it, this weeks Woman Crush Wednesday: Kate Middleton Edition! Who is your #WCW this week? What was your favorite fashion moment of my woman crush? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug3

Man Crush Monday: Lil Wayne Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Man Crush Monday: Lil Wayne Edition

Helloooo everyone and happy Monday!! Welcome to another edition of Man Crush Monday – Lil Wayne style! Pleeease judge me for it! I’ve had a crush on Weezy since I was fourteen years old so it only seems appropriate to give him some #MCM love! Let’s discuss:

Dear Lil Wayne,

First of all, do you mind if I call you Wayne? Ehh…We’ll just stick with Lil Wayne. ANYWAYS, I think you are so insanely handsome, much to the disagreement of a lot of my friends! But I can’t help it – your tattoos, dreads, and lip piercings really rev my engine. Hubba hubba. Now that we’ve talked about your staggering good looks, it’s time for a story featuring a teenage Lil Red: Once upon a time when I was fourteen years old, you were performing at Blossom Music Center and one of my girlfriends and I got tickets to see the show. That was when Drake had a hernia and had to cancel being your opening act, but I digress. So yes, my friend and I had tickets to your show and we were SO excited! And then a travesty occurred. My evil sister informed my mom of the vulgarity of your lyrics and I was condemned to a night stuck at home rather than at your concert. Luckily, I was a crafty bitch. Around the time of the concert I was involved in a theatre performance and I told my mom that I had a rehearsal with a cast party after the night of your show. My mom said that this was fine and my friend and I were thrilled because little to my parents’ knowledge, we were going to your concert! Unfortunately, I got too turnt at Blossom and I don’t remember much of the show other than making out with two different guys – but that’s neither here nor there. Despite the lack of memories of my night on the town, I do know that I had a blast and I was pretty hyped that my parents had no idea. I kept my teenage betrayal against my parents’ wishes a secret until I turned eighteen and then I told my mom. At that point, all she could do was laugh at my sneakiness and ability to keep my lips sealed about that night for four years straight. I lied to my parents to see you live and if I had to, I would do it all over again…Except I wouldn’t get so drunk. I LOVE YOU!!!!

wayne1wayne

^^^ What a babe! Fun fact for ya: I have that picture of him in the red hat in poster form and it’s currently hanging on my ceiling in my room!

So there you have it, this weeks Man Crush Monday: Lil Wayne Edition! Who is your #MCM this week? What is your favorite creative endeavor from my man crush? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul31

It Was A Good Day

Posted on by
Standard
It Was A Good Day

Heyyy everyone and TGIF! Sorry that I was MIA yesterday – Lil Red was a busy gal! Despite the somewhat stressful parts that occurred, I gotta say it was a good day. Let’s discuss:

My day began with running errands until mid morning or so when I had a lovely hang out with my old skating coach, Sarah, and her precious little girls, Charlotte and Brooklyn. It was a surprisingly hot day in Ohio, so we walked over to the local park so Charlotte could play in the wading pool while Sarah and I caught up on all of each others latest news. I always enjoy the times that I get to see Sarah and her darling family. I love all of their company and it’s so fun seeing how much both of the girls grow each time I see them!

Once I got home from the park, I had to finish my last exam for my summer classes…the dreaded math final. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN. All afternoon I checked and rechecked my final until I was satisfied and prepared my scanner at home to send it over to my professor. All summer my scanner worked perfectly and I never had a problem with it, so naturally it would stop working the day I needed to send my final in. For an hour I tried to fix the scanner on my own with the ancient 90’s technique of turning it off and turning it back on as well as unplugging and replugging it. Unfortunately, none of my efforts worked and at that point I was completely freaking out. My exam had to be turned in by the 31st and I refused to use the lame excuse of “my scanner broke” to my professor. I’m sure that an email complaining of technical problems would be answered with “nice try” anyways. -_____-

After lots of deep breaths, I decided to call tech support for the scanner and thankfully after an hour we were able to work together and fix the problem. My final got sent in with plenty of time to spare and I could finally stop having a stress induced heart attack. I think I did pretty well on my math test and I know for a fact that I did great on both my Sociology and Social Psychology class – I got a perfect one hundred on my Sociology final! HOLLA!

After my disastrous afternoon of technical difficulties, I had a wonderful hang out with my sweet friend, Cat, to look forward to. Cat was one of my sales associates at PacSun and she also happened to be one of my favorites! We had a fabulous evening of manicures and martinis at my bar of choice, the Cashmere Cricket. Thursday night is ladies night, so their delicious martinis are only five dolla holla and you can’t beat that! Our night consisted of pampering, girly drinks, and lots of laughs – it was seriously perfect. I’m so glad that Cat and I have remained friends outside of work because I just adore her. You know that you have a good friend when the first thing you say to your mom when you walk in the door is how much fun you had/how much you love your drinking partner! ❤

friendssss

Yesterday was the best kind of busy and for the most part I enjoyed every minute of it! I hope all of you guys had as great of a day as I did! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any fun plans? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul29

Woman Crush Wednesday: Natalie Portman Edition

Posted on by
Standard
Woman Crush Wednesday: Natalie Portman Edition

Hellooooo everyone and happy hump day! Welcome to another edition of Woman Crush Wednesday – Natalie Portman style! I’ve been fond of my #WCW for years, and my love for her grew even more after her magnificent performance in my favorite movie, V For Vendetta. Enjoy this goofy video of Ms. Portman rapping her ass off and then let’s discuss my woman crush:

Dear Natalie Portman,

Oh beautiful Natalie, you talented little goddess, words truly can’t describe how much I adore you. As I mentioned in the prologue to this letter, V For Vendetta is one of my all time favorite movies and you made an absolutely perfect Evey. In fact, my final monologue for my high school drama class was from the scene where you were reading Valerie’s letter, which also happens to be the part of the film that I love the most. V For Vendetta movie posters adorn my walls, as well as pictures of you from Vogue, Teen Vogue, and your darling Miss Dior ads. I admire your acting skills like no other and I’ll never forget going to see Black Swan with my mom and sister and cringing over your ballet related foot injuries in the film! Yikes! What I really like about you is that you keep your private life private. Your lack of Hollywood scandals verifies my belief that you are as down to earth as you seem and that is just one of the many reasons why I think you are such an amazing role model. You are one of the few people in Hollywood who I look at and think about how much I would love to be your friend. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but you really are so beautiful! Hubba hubba. I LOVE YOU!!!!

nat1nat2

^^^ Goodness gracious is she stunning, with or without hair!!

So there you have it, this weeks Woman Crush Wednesday: Natalie Portman Edition! Who is your #WCW this week? What is your favorite creative endeavor by my woman crush? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul28

Vintage Style Hair Piece Craft

Posted on by
Standard
Vintage Style Hair Piece Craft

Helloooo everyone and happy Tuesday! Earlier this month I ordered a black beanie that had a fishnet veil attached to it off of Amazon. Unfortunately, when it came in the mail last week I discovered that the veil on the beanie was torn in two. I was so disappointed and when I emailed the vendor to request a return she was totally awesome. She gave me a refund on the product and I didn’t even have to send it back to her. Now I was stuck with a defective beanie that I had no clue what to do with. I pondered my options and came up with a solution to make something out of nothing and I am very happy with the results, as you can see from my featured image photo! Let’s discuss the simple steps that it took to make my new Vintage Style Hair Piece Craft:

beaniecraft2

  • Step 1) Acquire veil. In my case, all I had to do was cut the netting from the beanie. #SCORE
  • Step 2) Find a jewel, feather, hat, or whatever you would like to pin your veil to. The feather and jeweled piece that I used came from an old headband of mine that I wore when my hair was longer. The feathers were attached to a circular elastic band which I don’t care to wear because it makes my hair tuft up in the back. But that’s neither here nor there. #Idigress
  • Step 3) Pin your accessory to your netting. I used two bobby pins to secure my veil to the feathers. One to keep the items attached and one to clip in my hair when I wear it. I know it looks super janky in the pictures because you can so clearly see the bobby pins, but it’s not noticeable in the slightest when it’s in your hair. #pinkiepromise
  • Step 4) Wear. Wow everyone. Repeat. #number1stunner

^^^ Honestly, those directions were so unnecessary. Lol, you guys are all smart and I’m sure you could figure this craft out on your own. But maybe this post will come in handy to those who are not the craftiest, like myself. When I’m not looking a hot wreck, I’ll be sure to post some pictures of me rocking my fun new accessory! OH YOU CRAFTY HUH?!

So there you have it, the easy how to guide for a Vintage Style Hair Piece Craft. I am so pleased with the little spark of inspiration that I had to recycle old items and make them new again. I found an unexpected use for a headband that I haven’t worn in years and a defective purchase. Not bad! What is your favorite craft that you made from a recycled item? Have you made anything similar to my hair piece craft? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah