Tag Archives: pics

Sep7

Autumn Awesome OOTD

Posted on September 7, 2022 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! As far as I’m concerned, it becomes fall as soon as it turns September and it is my favorite time of the year. Crisp weather, all of the autumn activities, Halloween, and, of course, the clothes! Nothing pleases me more than the arrival of cozy sweaters, cardigans, and coats in stores and I have a recent haul from TJMaxx to show for it. This Autumn Awesome OOTD features one of my new purchases:

^^^ The mural was painted by Lizzi Aronhalt.

Who? What? Wear?

Sweater: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx
Distressed Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters
Hat: Peter Grimm, TJMaxx
Heeled Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx
The rings are from Target

When trying on my new Rachel Zoe sweater at TJMaxx, my mind was swarming with OOTD possibilities and this look is the first one that flashed before my eyes. It just feels like the perfect fall outfit and I love it oh so much. I can definitely picture myself at the pumpkin patch, apple picking, or on a hay ride while wearing this OOTD and that means I accomplished my goal of an ideal fall fit!

It’s easy when we think of fall to associate it with deep burgundy and jewel tone colors and that’s fine. However, I think people often forget about the softer tones that look stunning come autumn too. The dove grey, camel, and periwinkle palette of my sweater is a unique take on fall colors and I like that it’s not your typical oxblood or plum.

When I first purchased my sweater, I thought that the diamond patterned stitching throughout it was black. It’s actually a chocolate brown, which would make it so cute with some brown velvet skinny jeans. But, I didn’t have any so I just went with my favorite AEO black skinnies. You would really have to look closely to notice the small color difference so it was good enough for me.

With the base of the outfit settled, it was time for accessories and I knew exactly what I needed thanks to my fitting room vision. There is nothing better than a cool pair of boots in the fall and I chose my Olivia Millers with the chunky chain embellishment. I love clothes and accessories with a little extra something to it and these boots added some flare to a relatively simple outfit. They were also a steal at only twenty dollars and you can’t beat that!

Of course, no fall outfit is complete without a cute hat and my camel one by Peter Grimm was the winner. It matched perfectly with the sweater and I am obsessed with the toggle strap, allowing you to wear the hat on your head or on your back when you tighten it (You can see pics featuring the latter option tomorrow!). Hats are, easily, one of my favorite accessories and are also the easiest fix when you need your hair done – which I do desperately lol.

I wrapped up my accessorizing with some rings from Target to add some extra bling. They are, honestly, old as dirt but I still love them! I didn’t want to add a necklace as the hat strap acted as a pseudo one. I also didn’t want anything to take away from the pattern on the sweater. Always remember that less is more when it comes to finishing touches on an outfit!

With an Autumn Awesome OOTD ready to go, Johnny and I headed to a nearby metro park to snap some shots. It was a beautiful location and you can see more of it all of this week in some bonus pics and bloopers. I also just want to say that I changed into a shorts and T-shirt immediately after taking these pictures because it was hot AF out lol. Mentally, I was feeling very fall, though! 😀

What is your favorite cold weather accessory? What is fall weather like in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug27

Date Night OOTD

Posted on August 27, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past Friday, Johnny and I had a date night at Buca Di Beppo and it was an absolute delight. I have never been there before and Johnny promised me a bowl of fettuccine Alfredo as big as my head and I received nothing less. Despite the food coma afterwards, it was a fabulous night and I just had to show out in my dinner date best:

^^^ Lol, I really like that last picture for some reason!

Who? What? Wear?

Floral dress: Zara, TJMaxx
Platform loafers: ModCloth
Hoop embellished bag: Sanctuary, TJMaxx
Pendant necklace: This was my grandma’s

I purchased my Zara dress during the last TJMaxx Haul that I had and I have been dying to break it out. Date night is the perfect occasion to wear a pretty little something and I loved how I felt in it. This dress was form fitting without being clingy and also hit slightly above knee length, which eliminated any awkward adjusting throughout the date. We all have that one dress that we adore but is just a hair too short or tight!

Because the pattern of the dress was so bold, it really didn’t need much styling magic so I chose simple things to enhance it. The first order of business was shoes and it took me a minute before settling on my platform loafers. They are actually falling apart but I refuse to part with them!

Regardless of their current state, the loafers were the best option to go with because of the length and style of the dress. The long sleeves and almost knee length cut left a lot of me covered up so it was important to give my legs all of the extension that I could. I did try a few pairs of platforms with ankle straps but, despite the additional height, the strap still broke apart the leg line and made me look short. The platform loafers solved that problem and gave a lovely silhouette without any interruptions.

For accessories, I knew exactly which necklace I wanted to use and went with my grandma’s chunky gold pendant necklace. It hits at just the right length to tuck under the collar of a dress or top and still leave the pendant showing. I love green and gold together and it also complimented the gold hoop embellishments on my purse perfectly!

With all of the current craziness in my life, a date night with my Johnny was just what I needed for a pick me up. We ate like kings and we looked like royalty!

Where is your favorite date night spot? What do you like to wear for nights out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug23

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bloopers

Posted on August 23, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from part two of my Stroll In The Garden OOTD series! When Johnny and I take blog pictures together, it takes roughly ten minutes. In that time, he literally does not stop taking pictures and that’s a good thing! This gives me a considerable amount of great, good, and yikes shots to sort through. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a bit time consuming but us bloggers do anything in the name of content! Here are the shots that definitely didn’t make the original cut – Until now, that is:

I LOOK GREAT!! 😀

Sassy ladyyyy

About to drop some mad truth on Johnny

Having a full blown discussion with my imaginary friend

I actually kind of like this one lol

Would you look at that?!

It looks like something really pissed me off!

Johnny is always making me laugh!

Johnny has been assisting me with my OOTD shoots for well over a year and the process truly runs like a fine tuned machine now. Prior to developing his own method of rapid fire shooting, taking pictures used to take way longer. He used to take a few shots, show me, then try again. Now, it’s more like he takes fifty shots in a row, I take a quick look, and we move onto the next thing.

I am a huge fan of this method for many reasons. The most important one being that I usually don’t get hit with the “are we done yet?” until we’re about to wrap up lol! And, of course, it gives me a plethora of options to use that just weren’t possible before Johnny’s PPM (Pictures per minute) wasn’t twenty or so. He finally understands what I mean when I say “take a lot of pictures” and I am so appreciative and thankful for it!

The rapid fire method is obviously liable to lots of bloopers but it sure is fun to share them with all of you. Keep it posted for a Date Night OOTD soon!

How many pictures do you take during a typical OOTD shoot? Where is your favorite place to take pictures? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug22

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bonus Pics

Posted on August 22, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2 Bonus Pics

Hey! Today, we are going to check out some bonus pics from Part Two of my Stroll In The Garden OOTD. Johnny took these pictures and prior to being with him, I always got a kick out of the “husbands of Instagram” posts. I thought they were so funny and sweet and I admired the significant other for assisting in all of the pictures. They seemed like the partner to have and I feel like the luckiest girl to have me a blog husband of my own!

Not only is Johnny the best in every aspect of my life but he turned out to be a formidable iPhone photographer as well. His method of “just take a million pictures” works perfectly every time and I am so appreciative whenever he helps me out for my OOTD shoots. Take a look at his handiwork:

Taking pictures used to be something I was really self conscious about due to constant battles with low self esteem. To this day, I still don’t let just anyone take my pictures and have a handful of people that I like to work with. In fact, the first time Johnny took some OOTD shots, I was SO nervous! That feeling quickly dissipated, however, because he treats every photo shoot like an America’s Next Top Model moment… Even the bloopers!

Johnny’s comments of “you’re working it”, “you look great”, and “are we done yet?” make all of our photo sessions a joy. He truly makes sure that every picture he snaps is shot just the way I like it and has also gotten so good at not cutting my head or feet out! My blog is something that I take a lot of pride in and being able to collaborate with my husband for OOTDs is really special to me.

A HUGE shout out to my sweet blog husband for indulging me in my OOTD shoots. He is the behind the scenes hero of almost all of them and my love and self confidence soars with every picture taken. I LOVE YOU, BABE! ❤

Who is your favorite person to take pictures with? What or who makes you feel confident? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug20

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD Pt. 2

Posted on August 20, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Despite a crazy couple of weeks, a blogger’s work is never over and I was able to work in a brand new OOTD shoot. Although the backdrop of my dad’s garden is the same as the last, you sometimes just have to roll with it and I’ll get to a different location when things slow down. Regardless of the where, the “wear” was fabulous and I love this little summertime look:

We interrupt this shoot to feature a bunny in the backyard:

Who? What? Wear?

Floral jean jacket: J.Jill – a hand me down from my mom!
White top: Love On A Hanger, TJMaxx
Patterned pants: Premise, TJMaxx
Wedge heels: Sbicca, ModCloth

I actually wore this outfit for mine and Johnny’s housewarming/birthaversary party at the end of May. I have been meaning to take pictures of it ever since because I think that it’s just the cutest. I am obsessed with my mom’s jean jacket and using it as an add on piece makes this OOTD ideal for a cool spring day or a summer evening. With or without, the outfit is great so if it gets too warm, all you need to do is take it off!

Both the top and bottom in this look were purchased during a recent TJMaxx Haul. You might also recognize the shoes from my White Hot OOTD. My super happy dream world would consist of different clothes and shoes for every day of the year but the Sbicca wedges were a very obvious choice for this outfit and color palette.

While I love the Premise pants, I will be the first to admit that they are a bit tricky to style. It was an instance when I had to utilize one of my TJMaxx Shopping Pro Tips and take a second round through the store to find a top to go with it. In fact, the Love On A Hanger top is still the only top that I own that goes with the pants so this is a look that I can’t bust out too frequently.

I’m sure we all have a piece of clothing that you adore but don’t know what to wear with it and my advice is as follows:

As you can see from this outfit, the LOAH top was not a perfect match to the pants in terms of the base color or embroidery. Neither was the blue in the shoes. However, it worked because the colors still came from the same family.

It’s easy to think that this closes off your options but it opens them up exponentially. It would be rare to find an exact color match to the China dish patterned pants. But, I pulled from the white and added a cream top and from the indigo pattern on the pants I added navy, periwinkle, and denim. According to this rule, I could wear an admiral or steel blue top with the pants and get away with it – Now, the trick is finding one!

Patterned pants are a new thing in my wardrobe simply because it’s hard to find ones I like and styling them is more difficult than a patterned top. Don’t let this scare you, though! Perfect matches for your top and shoes are boring and multiple shades of one color will add visual interest and something special to your OOTD!

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

PS: Tune in tomorrow to peep my new nails and then keep it posted the following day for bonus pics and bloopers from this shoot! ❤

Aug3

Country Concert OOTD Bonus Pics

Posted on August 3, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pics from my Country Concert OOTD! Although we didn’t end up going to said country concert of Willie Nelson, I got tons of pictures that I love to show for it so I guess it all worked out lol. This OOTD was a blast to style and even more fun to wear! My inner Dolly Parton was able to burst free and I felt like a total country diva. Take a look at some bonus pics so good that they should be outlawed (See what I did there?!):

Wearing this outfit was very interesting to me because it is not even close to my usual personal style at all. I’m sure all of you can agree! However, it was a true testament to the confidence that a great outfit can give – regardless of of it’s something that you would normally wear or not. When I first put this OOTD on, I admit that I was slightly self conscious. Then, I began playing with the fringe and dancing around in the mirror and I was transformed!

What has always drawn me to fashion is that it gives you the opportunity to be whoever you want on any given day. My standard look is a combination of glam rock and punk but who says that I can’t be a country superstar or a posh theater goer? When you dress the part and have the confidence to pull it off is when you can start having real fun with styling without limiting yourself to your signature style.

I can honestly say that this is an outfit that I would wear again without the catch of attending a country show. Is it a bit much? Absolutely. But, so am I so what difference does it make? I felt AMAZING in this OOTD and that’s all that matters to me. So, if you have a look that you’re on the fence about but feel good in: Wear it anyway!! It will be an excellent practice in your own self confidence and you’ll end up feeling glad that you took the risk.

Tomorrow, tune in for a new watercolor painting project. Then, it will be on to bloopers from this look and a couple’s photo shoot! See you then! ❤

How would you describe your personal style? What makes you feel confident? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug2

Country Concert OOTD

Posted on August 2, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past Friday, Johnny and I were supposed to see ZZ Top and Willie Nelson at Blossom Music Center. However, we decided at the last minute that we weren’t comfortable going due to the newest highly contagious COVID variant. My sister is about to have her baby (Yay!!) and we didn’t want to take any risks to prevent us from seeing our new niece.

Even though we didn’t attend the concert, taking pictures was an obvious must because your girl was feeling herself! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Fringe Top: Rock N’ Roll Cowgirl, Clip-Ity Clop
Distressed Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters
Army Green Wedges: Guess, TJMaxx
The bolo tie was my grandpa’s

When it came to styling an OOTD for a Country Concert, I had literally no options in my wardrobe lol. Thankfully, Johnny has plenty! The Rock N’ Roll Cowgirl shirt is his and, yes, he is my lil rock n’ roll cowgirl! I love wearing my husband’s clothes and adore his personal style so marrying him was like inheriting another wardrobe – GREAT SUCCESS!! 😀

I have actually been lusting over the silk fringe button down for ages and never had an opportunity to wear it. Although no one but Johnny saw me in it on Friday, it was still really fun to wear and take pictures in! I loved the way the fringe moved and had a blast dancing around and invoking my inner rock n’ roll cowgirl lol. It was seriously the perfect top to wear for a country show and so easy to style an OOTD around.

Little blue jean shorts were a must for a country concert and I’ve said it numerous times and I’ll say it again: The shorts from American Eagle are simply the best. They are so flattering, not too short, and fit well without being really tight. The distressed detailing on these shorts also added a little country flare and I found myself thinking “I feel like Dolly Parton” the entire time we were taking pictures. It. Was. Awesome. 😀

Of course, some cowboy boots would be the way to go for a country inspired OOTD. However, I didn’t go this route and chose my army green Guess wedges, instead. As someone barely over 5’1, it’s important for me to create length in all of my OOTDs. Flat shoes would have made me look squat in this outfit and we can’t have that! Although my wedges aren’t country in the slightest, I loved how the army green complimented the mustard yellow and burgundy flowers on the top.

To complete my Country Concert OOTD, I tied things together with my grandpa’s bolo tie. I have quite a few of his bolo ties from his days of line dancing with my grandma and I’ve never been able to wear any of them. It was SO special to me to have it on and it looked amazing with the rest of my outfit. The burnt orange stone and brown leather against the cream colored button down was stunning!

Even though I was all dressed up with nowhere to go, I am obsessed with this OOTD. I hope you can find inspiration from it if you are attending any country festivals this summer. Keep it posted for more pics from this shoot, bloopers, and an adorable couple’s photo shoot with Johnny!

Have you attended any concerts this summer? Who is your favorite country artist? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul27

A Stroll In The Garden OOTD

Posted on July 27, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone!! After a most fruitful TJMaxx haul, I was so ready to take all of the pictures with my new duds. I also had the perfect setting in mind – my dad’s garden! Come summer, it is absolutely glorious and filled with delicious veggies and stunning blooms. There is nothing better than taking a leisurely stroll and taking in all of the beauty or running around with my niece on the lush lawn…. And taking pictures, of course! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Crochet top: Rebellion Again, TJMaxx
Floral pants: Nicole Miller, TJMaxx
Embroidered heel platforms: Bamboo, TJMaxx

This is an OOTD that I love very much and I think it is just so fun and unique. I have nothing like the Rebellion Again top or Nicole Miller pants in my vast wardrobe, which made it an exciting look to wear since it’s far from the norm. I felt so lucky during my haul because there was only one pair of the pants in the store and doubly lucky because I found the perfect top to go with it!

What I like about this outfit is that the styling spoke for itself. It was also planned well ahead of time in the TJMaxx dressing room so not a lot of thought went into it the day I took pictures. Each piece felt like an accessory in its own way – the embroidered heels of the platforms, bold floral pattern on the pants, and intricate crochet work on the top. So, it really didn’t need much in terms of actual jewelry and I kept it simple with a few of my favorite bangle bracelets.

Normally, I like to start from the top down when building an outfit. In this case, however, I started from the middle with the pants. While I could have pulled from a color in the floral pattern for the top, I decided that I wanted to go with a neutral to really make it pop. The cream Rebellion Again tank was the ideal choice and it was exactly what I had pictured. I thought it looked fabulous against the grey/blue base of the pants and the floral crochet pattern complimented them so well too.

For shoes, my Bamboo platforms were an obvious choice. The denim color is a neutral too and it meshed seamlessly with the blue undertones in the base of the pants. The floral embroidery on the heel also tied together with the same motif in the other pieces of this outfit. Not to mention that it has cream, pale blue, and yellow flowers featured on the heel so it matched even better than I originally thought.

My Stroll In The Garden OOTD is going to be such a delightful look for a date day exploring downtown Cuyahoga Falls or a botanical garden. Now, the trick is going to be to find more tops to go with the pants lol. I guess I’ll need another shopping trip soon! 😀

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

PS: Tune in tomorrow for bonus pictures from this shoot!

Jul12

Hibachi Japan Double Date

Posted on July 12, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past week, Johnny and I went on a double date to Hibachi Japan with my best friend Lea and her husband Brandon. We had the best time and the food was delicious!! I have not been to this restaurant in close to five years and out of the blue, I had a HUGE craving for it so I was really looking forward to this outing. 😀 Take a look:

Hibachi Japan is such a fun date night restaurant to go to because the chef expertly prepares your food right in front of you. The random bursts of fire, patrons at the table trying to catch pieces of shrimp, and exciting atmosphere all make for a perfect evening out. The restaurant window shades also added a touch of ambiance and made the fire seem even brighter! The chef prepared meals are also great because it includes two appetizers and dessert, which is an awesome value!

To start off our meal, we ordered drinks and Johnny and I both got the signature cocktail called Purple Rain. It is basically a Long Island Iced Tea with raspberry and it is delightful but strong – I couldn’t finish mine! Then, along came the appetizers which consisted of soup and salad. Unfortunately, the soup uses beef broth so I was given two salads and that was fine by me because the peanut salad dressing is to die for. I actually had three salads because Johnny barely ate his. 😀

After appetizers, our chef came to begin cooking our entrees. I got the tofu and veggies with rice and the rest of our table ordered rice with chicken, steak, or shrimp. The portions were huge, as you can see, and no one could finish their entire plate! I am usually not the biggest fan of tofu but it just hits different at Hibachi. It is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle and I savored every bite.

In all honesty, we couldn’t have ate another bite but how can you say no to pineapple sorbet for dessert?! It was DIVINE. The bold pineapple flavor was complimented with the creamiest texture and I wish I could buy it by the gallon. It was also especially yummy with broken up pieces of fortune cookie on top.

Once we all officially couldn’t move, it was time to head home after a wonderful double date. A marvelous time was had by all and I will definitely not be waiting another five years to go back! 😀

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

Jul8

White Hot OOTD

Posted on July 8, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Your girl has been feeling herself with her brand new red and white hair and I just had to have Johnny snap some pics before we went to see his parents this past Monday. Of course, by some pictures I mean like five hundred thousand but who’s counting?! Johnny and I explored lots of different areas near our new apartment and were surprised to find a path that led right down to the creek that runs through the property.

We took pictures at three different spots within a five minute walk of our place. Because there are so many options from each location, I thought that I would share my White Hot OOTD in sections starting with some greenery behind our apartment:

^^^ Did you notice the cool shadows that the leaves made?!

Who? What? Wear?

White tank top: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx
Floral skirt: Sienna Sky, TJMaxx
Embroidered heels: Sbicca, ModCloth

As you all know, I am not a huge fan of dressing for summer but I think that I am starting to find my groove with the “less is more” mentality. Although I love layering and implementing different cold weather accessories come fall time, I have accepted that this isn’t the case in the summer and that’s okay. In the summer, as long as the outfit is cute, you feel comfortable in the heat, and are confident, then I think it qualifies as a perfect OOTD. And I felt all three of these things in this look!

While this White Hot OOTD is fairly simple, it still packs a punch and it is something that I would definitely wear again. I had been eager to wear my new Sienna Sky skirt from a recent TJMaxx haul and because of its bold pattern and sweet flounciness, I only wanted to wear things that complimented it as the focal point. To achieve this, I tucked in my Rachel Zoe tank as an obvious choice and kept accessories minimal with a small necklace and a couple of bracelets.

For the shoes, I went with my embroidered Sbicca heels from ModCloth and these worked well for many different reasons. 1) It had a lower strap that buckled at the heel. This gave me a long leg line that would have been cut short with a heel that had an ankle strap. You all know how much of a stickler I am for that!

And 2) Despite a different floral pattern on the shoe than what’s on the skirt, it still looked cohesive because of similar colors. The Sienna Sky skirt features a very light cornflower blue and the blue base of the heels is just a bit darker than the skirt’s flowers. Tomorrow, we will discuss mixing and matching patterns in more detail but always remember to look for the like colors to make this styling technique work.

I am so loving this OOTD and I can’t wait to share more pictures and styling tips with all of you this week. Tune in tomorrow so I can show you the creek and talk mixing and matching! ❤

What is your favorite season to dress for? What is your favorite pattern to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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