Tag Archives: skulls

Sep27

Spooky Surprises

Posted on September 27, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! Halloween decor reigns supreme in my household all year round and Johnny and I add a few new things every year when the stores shift to spooky season. For the past two years, my contribution were snow globes with a Halloween twist. I really liked the idea of getting one new snow globe per year as a tradition. During our date day, we made a visit to TJMaxx and, unfortunately, their snow globe selection left a lot to be desired. We did, however, find this ultra cool skull that I am obsessed with! Check it out:

As we made our rounds through spooky decor, everything was pretty picked over. There were a few things that we took note of but nothing worth buying. That is, until the red skull with blinged out devil horns caught my eye. It was the very last one on the shelf and as soon as I saw the ten dollar price tag, it was immediately added to our cart. We are seasoned pros when it comes to Halloween decorations but I had never seen anything quite like this before. This skull is so different from anything we have and its brilliant shade of red speaks sweet nothings to my Lil Red heart. It certainly makes a statement on our many spooky shelves!!

One final little treat I purchased for myself was a pair of Betsey Johnson spiderweb tights. They were expertly placed in the catch all aisle as you are waiting to check out and that really is where TJMaxx gets you! I am a huge fan of all things Betsey and these tights are just what I needed for fall. Literally every pair I have is riddled with holes and while these are holey, they are purposeful lol. Patterned tights are an amazing way to shake up sweater dresses and skater skirts. They also look so edgy and cool when worn under shorts. I cannot wait to break my spiderweb pair out to add some spooky flare to any OOTD. 😀

These Spooky Surprises were the perfect, cost effective little somethings to bring home during our date day shopping trip. The best surprise, though, is the fact that Johnny asked me to go to TJMaxx in the first place!! 🙂

Do you and your partner like to shop together? What are your favorite stores to visit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun25

Candle Corner

Posted on June 25, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I have had a banner birthday month and have been enjoying all of the spoils from my big day. In fact, this past weekend I went on an online shopathon with the gift cards that I received and that was a blast. There is nothing better than some guilt free hauls… But, then again, when have I ever suffered from buyer’s remorse after any purchases?! Lol, the answer is never! Another thing I did this weekend was set up my Candle Corner with gifts from my two besties. While I love candles, I never buy them for myself so they are always the perfect gift. It was so nice to cozy up on the couch with Degrassi and these fabulously spooky flames:

My darling Gemini Twin, Kate of Live In The Nautical, and my BFF since freshman year of high school, Lea, always know exactly what to get for yours truly. Among other amazingly thoughtful gifts, Lea got me my middle finger candle and Kate gifted me with the skull and You A Spooky Bitch candles from a Halloween gift set. Needless to say, I am obsessed! Candles are great, yes, but they are even better when they are themed around my happiest time of the year. And, of course, they match beautifully with mine and Johnny’s Halloween all year round home decor. 😀

Like I said, I never go out of my way to buy candles for myself. That extra cash goes right into my shoe fund lol. However, I think I can dip into that fund for a few candles after this past weekend because I am going to be sad when my gifts burn out! I had a super lazy weekend and it was so soothing to just be able to veg out with my flickering flames around me. It is a rarity for me to even have candles to burn and it felt like such a luxury. I liked it very much and it set the ideal atmosphere to snuggle up with my favorite teen drama and chill after a long work week. Restocking my candle corner soon appears to be a resounding absolute must!

A middle finger, a skull, and a spooky bitch candle – who could ask for anything more?! I loved being able to use my birthday prezzies this weekend and my candles took the cake!

Where is your favorite place to buy candles? What is your favorite scent for candles? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun18

Blogging Bestie Birthday Gift Pt. 2

Posted on June 18, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hi!! One of the most exciting parts about my June birthday isn’t so much the actual day, but the surrounding ones. My Johnny had his birthday on the first, our wedding anniversary is on the fourth, and my best friend’s birthday is on the thirteenth. Between all of these special days, it has been hard to feel down and out about turning thirty. It also makes it easier to be in a festive spirit when you have the best Gemini Twin hype girl!! My BFF, Kate of Live In The Nautical, always makes our Gemini season the most wonderful time of the year and I love her so much for it. She surprised me with a fabulous spooky gift box and I couldn’t believe it when she told me there was more on the way. The remainder of my prezzies arrived this past week and it was definitely worth the wait! Check it out:

Johnny and I live for Halloween, horror, and all things creepy, scary, and spooky. Kate is most certainly not a horror fan, but her gifts to me could say otherwise lol. They are always the most fantastically creative with a dose of creepy for good measure! Just like these gorgeous skull earrings with pressed flowers and leaves. I legit could not believe my eyes when I opened the tiny package because I had never seen anything like them before. I live for edgy fashion with a girly twist and my new flower skull earrings fit that to the T.

Kate and I have known each other for almost a decade (Please don’t do the math on this!) and it has made all of our past b-days even better. She is one of my nearest, dearest, closest friends so it only makes sense that our big days are only six days apart. It is such a beautiful thing to be able to celebrate each other and our textbook Gemini-ness all month long. And, when Gemini season is over, we still treat each other like it’s our birthday. Lol, that’s what best friends are for! It truly is the best gift of all to have Kate in my life and everyone deserves a friend like her. I am the luckiest gal in the world. ❤

The June birthdays have come and passed, but good friends and memories are worth celebrating all lifetime long. I am thankful for my Gemini Twin every day and every birthday since meeting her has been even better than the last!

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

Jan13

Out On The Town OOTD

Posted on January 13, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! This past Friday, I had a wonderful holiday hangout with my bestie. Lea and I went to what is, easily, one of the best martini bars in our neck of the woods called the Cashmere Cricket for drinks and dinner. The Cricket is just the cutest little spot tucked away in downtown Cuyahoga Falls and it is one of my favorite places. In fact, Johnny and I had our first date and celebrated our engagement there! The Cashmere Cricket definitely requires more sophisticated attire than a typical bar so it is always fun to step out there. This is what I wore:

Who? What? Wear?

Black & Navy Jacket: Xhilaration, Target

Skull Sweater: 360 Cashmere, TJMaxx

Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Heeled Boots: Bamboo, TJMaxx

Dark Green Hoop Earrings: Argentino Vivo, TJMaxx

Do you remember a point in your life where even if it was freaking freezing out, you still wouldn’t wear cold weather clothes? IE: A dress in wintertime? I definitely did that in my younger twenties! Now? Not so much lol. Although it hasn’t been super snowy in Ohio this winter, it has been damp and cold and it intensifies instantly as soon as the sun sets. Lea and I were meeting later into the evening and as much as I enjoy getting super dolled up for the Cricket, I wasn’t trying to set myself up for frostbite. So, I opted to stay warm and cute instead!

For my Out On The Town OOTD, I wanted to create a smoky and chic color palette – like a smoky eye look for your clothes. To start, I chose my V-neck sweater adorned in skulls by 360 Cashmere. This was a Christmas gift from me to me a few years ago and it is one of my faves. What I particularly like is the fit because it offers some slouch without being baggy. I tend to drown in truly oversized pieces! With an all over pattern like this sweater has, I kept things simple on the bottom with a plain black pair of skinny jeans. While I could have went for distressing or coating, I decided against it to keep any of the pieces from clashing which can happen with a bold patterned top.

Next, it was onto a jacket, shoes, and accessories. For my jacket, I selected a little number from Target. I have had this jacket for years now and it still hits every time. The shape is so classic and the color blocking of black and navy is such a unique touch. And, of course, it is very warm! These deeper colors really helped to create the color palette I wanted and I thought it looked lovely on top of the flint grey sweater.

Shoes came next on my agenda and I went with a pair of heeled booties by Bamboo. I love, love, love the gold brocade pattern and it was a great way to add something different to the outfit without going overboard. Since the palette of this OOTD was all neutral pieces, the gold pattern only enhanced rather than clashed. Last was accessories and I kept things minimal with a medium size pair of dark green hoop earrings by Argentino Vivo. Granted, there wasn’t much open real estate for additional jewelry and the patterned sweater, color block jacket, and gold detailed boots were enough of an accessory on their own!

It was fun to style this Out On The Town OOTD, but it was the most fun to go out with my best girl for a post holiday celebration. This look felt just right for the Cashmere Cricket and I can’t wait to go back. Happy Hour, anyone?!

What is your cold weather style like? How do you dress up for a night out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug18

Poison Apple Candle By MZ Candles Review

Posted on August 18, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Poison Apple Candle By MZ Candles Review

Hello! If Johnny and I could have, we would have bought ALL of the things from the Punk Rock Flea Market. We both decided, however, that we would limit ourselves to the cash we brought and I am pleased to report we made good on that with some to spare too! Johnny and I held true to our plan by sticking to our “sweet spot” price range of five to fifteen dollars per purchase. One of which included this super cool Poison Apple candle by MZ Candles for just five bucks:

I used to really enjoy burning candles when I first moved into my apartment and pretty much stopped all together. Our old place was so hot that I didn’t need another reminder of it from a dancing flame. Our new digs maintain a much cooler temperature, however, so I couldn’t help but stop at the MZ Candles booth. Merideth Z had candles galore in various sizes, colors, and scents. As always, I am an apple gal and my mind was already made up when I saw the five dollar Poison Apple candle.

The Poison Apple scent smelled exactly like the caramel apple suckers that I love so very much. Also, how cute is the wax skull?! I was expecting a decent amount of fragrance once this candle was lit and, sadly, it wasn’t the case. In fact, I couldn’t smell anything at all as it burned. This was a bit of a bummer, but it didn’t take away from how pleasant it was to have a candle lit during a nonstop rainy afternoon and evening. I also loved how the red skull and green wax melted together into a glittery pool!

Even though I was not blown away from MZ Candles in the scent department, I have been lighting it every day once I’m home from work. There is something so comforting about it and I think I will treat myself to a candle from Bath & Body Works soon!

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

Aug30

TJMaxx Mini Halloween Haul

Posted on August 30, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! In terms of shopping, I think that right now is the most wonderful time of the year. I love when fall clothing starts making a comeback and, of course, all of the Halloween goodies! This past week, I couldn’t help indulging in the former and the latter during some much needed retail therapy. I went to TJMaxx at just the right time when they started putting out their Halloween decor and walked away with the following:

Johnny and I keep our spooky decorations up all year round so I was excited to get some new additions for our little slice of Halloween heaven. I freaking LOVE the snow globe featuring a skull and striking snake. The best thing about it, of course, is the little bats floating around in lieu of glitter. It is just so cute and looks great on one of the shelves in our book nook. It was also the only one in the store. 😀

I also just had to get two new plates by Royal Stafford with his and hers skulls on it. When I saw these on display, I literally clutched my pearls because I have several plates from this brand already. I purchased them almost three years ago and have never seen anything like it at TJMaxx since so I felt lucky to find more to add to my collection. They are way too pretty to use for its intended purpose of eating off of but I like having them just to have them lol.

Halloween is in my home all of the time but is officially in the air in stores and I am so there for it. Johnny and I plan on having a Halloween shopping crawl soon for more decor and I can’t wait!

What is your favorite holiday to shop for? Which stores have the best holiday decor? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov1

Accessory Story: Halloween Haul Edition

Posted on November 1, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! Halloween is mine and Johnny’s favorite time of the year. We love the style, the decorations, and all of the other spooky treats that come with the season. Last week, we ventured out to three different stores to search for vampire costumes for Halloween weekend and while Johnny found a great costume, I had no such luck. I had to resort to purchasing a costume off of Amazon (Which you will all see soon!) but I didn’t walk away from our shopping empty handed. Check out my Halloween Accessory Haul:

While I normally prefer accessory shopping at TJMaxx, you can’t beat places like Spirit Halloween to find odds and ends that add a touch of the macabre to all of your OOTDS. I have always wanted finger rings despite my pointy acrylics and just couldn’t pass up on the ones that I bought. And, yes, I had to buy them both because I couldn’t decide between the Vampire and Skeleton pack! Can you imagine typing at the keyboard with those babies on? 😀

Several years ago, I bought a pair of my favorite bloody knife earrings from Spirit Halloween and was looking forward to scoping out their earring selection. It definitely didn’t disappoint and I love the Day Of The Dead inspired dangly pair that I picked out. The real piece de resistance, however, is the feather collar for all of the Black Swan vibes. I recently rewatched that movie for the millionth time and when I saw only one collar left on the shelf, it had to come home with me.

I seriously cannot wait to create a look with the collar as the centerpiece so keep your eyes peeled for that as well as my Halloween costume OOTD very soon. It may be November first but that’s no matter when every day is Halloween in my household! ❤

What did you dress up as for Halloween? How would you style my feather collar? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun13

If The Shoe Fits: Show Story Edition

Posted on June 13, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! For the most part, shopping for my wedding dress and accessories was very enjoyable and I am simply thrilled with the end result:

My only complaint? I fell victim to what I felt to be a super scammy website for my heels. This is a Lil Red first because I don’t think I have ever complained during an issue of If The Shoe Fits before!! Lol, take a look at some pics of my heels by Show Story and let’s discuss:

^^^ Can everyone please do me a solid and pretend that they don’t see dirt from my backyard wedding caked on the heel? Haha, I was SO tired when I took these pics and I seriously didn’t even notice it until now… Smh!!!! Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming:

I ordered these heels off of Wildly Untamed Boutique in a wine red originally and, unfortunately, they were way too big. The size I needed in red was, sadly, sold out so I went for a black pair instead and asked the page’s customer service if this could be processed as an exchange, which was fine. However, all was not fine when I was sent a shipping address to China and found out the cost to send it back would be several hundred dollars. It would have costed me more to ship them back than what I even paid for the heels.

Things got even worse when I was told I couldn’t ship them back to a closer location despite them arriving in the mail from a California address. But, the real kicker was that the heels on Wildly Untamed Boutique were one hundred and fifteen dollars and were selling for forty on the brand’s own website. I am, now, basically stuck with a pair of shoes that are entirely too big and there is nothing I can do about it.

Despite all of the major annoyances and disappointments, I do really love these shoes and it is a shame that I am just now saying that close to the end of the post! An edgy black wedding dress and veil can only be paired with the edgiest of heels and I truly feel like I got exactly what I was looking for.

There are so many fun surprises on these Show Story heels like the studs on the toe, side zipper, and skull charm. The best part, of course, is the vertebrae ultra high heel that I think are just the coolest. Not only are my heels the ultimate in goth chic but they were really easy to walk in, even in a slightly damp, grassy backyard. I am a seasoned heel wearer and my feet didn’t even hurt at the end of the night, either, which shocked me!

Although there were ups and downs to this purchase off of Wildly Untamed Boutique, I felt awesome in my Show Story heels and that is all you can ask for on your wedding day!

Where do you find the best unique shoes? Have you ever had a similar online shopping experience to mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar25

Engagement Ring Reveal

Posted on March 25, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! My engagement ring was too big when Johnny proposed so I took it to Jared’s first thing the following Monday morning. In the meantime before my appointment at the jewelry store, we tied the ear strap from a disposable mask around the ring to keep it from falling off lol. I was not able to pick up my ring until Friday and it was such a long few days without it – especially considering I had just gotten it!

Come Friday morning, I arrived at Jared’s as soon as they opened to pick up my ring and they did an absolutely fabulous job resizing it. It fits so well but is still easy to take on and off, which is great because I don’t shower or sleep in it. I knew that my ring was the one for me at first glance and I am so happy to officially have it back in my possession. And now, the grand reveal:

^^^ The ring is a carved fresh water pearl on a sterling silver band.

Johnny and I are a fashion forward punk rock couple and we wanted unique rings without having to spend a small fortune and that is what we got. His boasts a red coffin with skeletons holding it and I think our rings look awesome together. They are completely perfect for us and I am constantly admiring them both throughout the day. Whether other people like them or not, we are always being told “I haven’t seen anything like it before” – which is exactly what we were going for!

When it comes to my fashion sense, I love pieces that are edgy while still being pretty and my ring showcases that beautifully. The band and skeleton hands are so delicate while the carved skull pearl makes a bold statement and I have never been so smitten with a piece of jewelry before. Both mine and Johnny’s rings have such a strong personality and I can’t imagine us having anything different.

Whenever I look at my ring, I am brought back to Johnny’s proposal and feel even more in love and it really doesn’t get any better than that. ❤

What does your engagement ring look like? What is your favorite type of jewelry to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan13

Holiday Haul: Gift To Myself Edition

Posted on January 13, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! It would not be the holiday season without purchasing a little post Christmas prezzie for myself so, armed with gift cards to TJMaxx so generously gifted to me, I began to online shop. Well… I actually wouldn’t call this “shopping” because, for once, I knew exactly what I wanted when I went on TJ’s website instead of searching for what I didn’t know I needed.

I have had my eye on a beautiful skull adorned cashmere sweater by 360 Cashmere for the past several months now but it was too expensive for me to justify buying it. Then, as a Christmas miracle, it got marked down and I said “I think I can swing that”! My new sweater is totally me and I am so happy with my purchase. Merry late Christmas to myself! Check it out:

The first time I saw this sweater all of those months ago, I fell in love. I absolutely adore skull prints on clothing, which just goes to show that some people never outgrow their emo phase lol. I have also never owned anything cashmere before and the mere idea of wearing it felt luxurious. I was so eager to finally try this sweater on and I felt just as posh and cozy as I imagined – if not MORE!

My skull sweater is as soft as puppy fur and it doesn’t feel too hot, either, which is something that I was worried about. The oversized shape also allows the fabric to breathe for maximum comfort. Despite loving the style of slouchy sweaters, I actually can’t say that I own one and not for lack of trying. I have never found one that was just right until now, I suppose. 🙂

From the charcoal grey palette to a V neck line that isn’t plunging and my favorite pattern, this sweater checks all of my boxes. I can’t wait to wear it with jet black super skinny jeans and tall boots but I can also picture myself pairing it with a long skirt, similar to my OOTD this past Christmas. Now, if only things were safe so I could break this bad boy out for a game night with Johnny and our friends.

My holiday haul ended with a special gift from me to me and I know that I will get great use of it. I’m also proud of myself for waiting for my sweater to get marked down because it showed self restraint that I didn’t know I was capable of, haha!

Did you treat yourself to anything this past holiday season? What is your favorite gift that you received in your holiday haul? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers