Tag Archives: make it work

Tap Into Fashion OOTD

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Tap Into Fashion OOTD

Hello! Johnny and I went on a fabulous Middle Class Fancy date night this past weekend. We went to Applebee’s and to the opening day to see Spinal Tap II in theaters. The Tap sequel has been a long time coming and we couldn’t have been more excited. We really come alive during a Middle Class Fancy night on the town! In honor of the great Nigel Tufnel, Johnny and I had to show out in matching tank tops that were worn in the first movie. Of course, I had to make it fashion! Check it out:

Skeleton Muscle Tank Top: Johnny purchased this off of Amazon as a T-shirt and cut off the sleeves

Jean Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters

Gemstone Fishnets: Urban Outfitters

Platform Boots: Dolls Kill

The chain earrings were purchased forever ago from Target

I am just as surprised as all of you that there is nothing from TJMaxx in this fit!

As Johnny and I already planned to match in our Nigel Tufnel best, my top was already pre decided. However, the trick was to make it look feminine as this was a men’s muscle tank and it felt like it. This top had zero shape whatsoever and was definitely not the most flattering. To combat the sack of potatoes silhouette, I knew that I wanted to serve sex appeal on the bottom half of the outfit. Once the styling of this look was complete, I felt so much better and was ready to work it for a Middle Class Fancy outing.

In the words of Nigel Tufnel, “what’s wrong with being sexy?” and merely pairing this top with shorts wasn’t enough. Rather than do the bare minimum, leave it to Lil Red to do the most! I always want the eyes to dance in every OOTD I style but it was even more necessary for this look as the top was downright frumpy lol. To add some bling and crank the sexy up to eleven, I wore a pair of gorgeous gemstone fishnet tights under the shorts. This was much more like it and allowed for a sleeker silhouette. What I really needed now was length.

For my shoes, I chose one of my favorite pairs of platform boots from Dolls Kill. They feature a vertebrae pattern and a high, high, high heel that gave me all the length I was looking for and then some. These platforms are ones you don’t simply walk in but strut and as soon as they were on I felt infinitely more confident. The muscle tank is something I would never normally wear and the additional styling provided me with the comfort that I was making it work anyways. With blingy tights and my tattoos on display, I put on a long pair of dangly chain earrings as no further accessories were needed. With that, I was ready for a big night out!

This Tap Into Fashion OOTD is a shining example that you can make any piece of clothing work if it is styled well. I went from feeling zero confidence to an eleven!

Have you seen Spinal Tap II yet? What was your favorite part? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Making Your Home Work For You In 3 Easy Steps

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Making Your Home Work For You In 3 Easy Steps

How does your home make you feel? You’re not alone if you feel like it isn’t working for you anymore. Many people come to the realization that their homes, while suitable for their needs when they moved in, simply aren’t doing any favors now. Pinpointing what is wrong with your home and why it isn’t working can be tricky, but the reality likely is that you aren’t in the same circumstances you were when you moved in. You might have accumulated more items, had children, become pet owners, or just have aged since you moved in and didn’t want or need the same things in a house that you once did.

But can you change things? Making home adjustments can be costly and you want to be sure you are making the right changes for the right reasons before you jump in feet first. So before planning massive home renovations or changes, why not try the following tips?

Room Use:

One of the biggest traps people fall into with their homes is sticking to a predetermined layout and using specific rooms for certain things just because you’re supposed to. If your home isn’t working for you and the space isn’t being maximized, then you should look at how you use each room. Of course, this will be different for everyone, and kitchen and bathroom aside, there is no one right way to use a room within your home.

A good idea is to make a floor plan of your home and label each room as per its current use. Then you can make a list of the requirements you need right now. This can be things like needing more or bigger bedrooms for the children; maybe it could be you need a designated office space, or you want to change things up for no reason other than you need a change.

From here, you can identify the wanted space and see how to change it. For example, do you have a dining room that could be spruced up? You can discover gorgeous dining furniture stockton (or your local area) to transform dinner into a delight. Do you have an office space that never gets used? This could be a guest bedroom! Or do you have a massive primary bedroom while your children struggle to share a smaller one? Can you switch? By getting rid of formal expectations of what each room should be used for and reconfiguring the use of the room, you can find a solution that works for you and your family.

Multifunctional Rooms:

If you are short on space, making rooms multifunctional can solve your problem. Making them multi-use can mean you are always getting the most from the space, even when it’s not in use. Do you have a guest bedroom that only gets used a few times per year? If so, could it be a home office/study when people aren’t visiting you? Could you open up space in your kitchen with the help of a kitchen remodeler in McKinney, TX or in your local area? That could be the perfect spot for a homework nook for the kiddos and your help will be right there as you prepare meals.

By looking at how you can maximize the space in a room and make it more multifunctional, you can find a workaround to your problems and find an easier fix. Don’t target the above point, as there is no one right way to use a room. Rather, look at what you need from your home and how each use can mesh together to make it work and not become more of a hassle when using it for different needs.

Strip It Back:

If you feel overwhelmed by what is happening in your home, why not try stripping it back? This means having a good sorting out of all of your belongings and asking yourself if you really want or need them. This is especially true if you have lived in your home for some time or have a family and accumulated stuff over the years. Declutter and redistribute any unwanted items appropriately; donate to Goodwill or hold a garage sale. From here, you can see what space you must work with to make changes.

It might be that you can move your furniture around to give the room a new feel, or you book residential and commercial painting and staining services to give your home a fresh feel once you’ve decluttered. This point will work well with the above two points and can be a great cost-effective way of making changes to your home and having it work better for you without undertaking massive renovations.

Getting your home to work better for you isn’t always about making huge changes. Sometimes you need to take a step back from how you live in your home to help you look at things with fresh eyes. From here, you can evaluate your wants and needs and make changes to how you use your home before agreeing to make more permanent changes. The best part, is if it doesn’t work for you, you can always revert to the original format!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Making It Work

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Making It Work

Hello! I recently had to cancel a lifewithlilred photo shoot for COVID reasons and I was so disappointed because it was a treat I was really looking forward to. Safety trumps all, however, so I decided to try and make a photo shoot work anyway. Thanks to my mom’s iPod photography skills, I had a bounty of great shots to pick from and I enjoyed the quality time with JANE most of all.

You know how after you take a bunch of pictures, you immediately seek out the ones that you deem “good”? I am guilty of it, myself, and it took a few times of scrolling through my pics to see the beauty in the unintentional shots my mom captured. In fact, quite a few of them ended up being my favorites! Check it out:

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Keeping two businesses up and running during any time is stressful but during a pandemic it is even crazier! This photo shoot was such a nice way to relax and have some fun and so much new content for lifewithlilred has been inspiring for me. Not to mention your girl was feeling her goddamn self!!

For the past six years of being self employed, making it work has been the name of the game. I wouldn’t have it any other way and it only improves my ability to think creatively and problem solve. These “oopsie” pictures are a visual reminder to me to keep making things work – from maintaining my businesses to taking the time to notice the amazing things that can be captured every moment. It’s all about just knowing where to look. 🙂

How do you make it work during stressful times? What is something that you find beautiful? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah