Hello everyone and welcome to an amazing arts and crafts guest blog by my talented friend, Emma, at Randomina. My guest blogger that was originally scheduled for today bailed on me and I was getting antsy as to what I would do since I promised a guest blog for every Sunday of May to my beloved readers. Luckily, an email from Emma shined like a beacon of hope and she was able to create a simply fantastic tie-dye tutorial post.
I am so appreciative to Emma for making this post on a time crunch and am so pleased to be able to house her on lifewithlilred for the day. I encourage all of you to check her blog out – I assure you that you won’t be disappointed! Now, take a look at the post that Miss Emma created special for all of my lifewithlilred readers:
DIY Summer Festival Style
Hello everyone! My name is E from Randomina, I do make up and clothing tutorials along with designing and manufacturing my own textile works while blogging part-time. I thank Sarah of Lil Red very much for having me as her guest blogger today as she is going away on holiday. This gave me the inspiration to teach you four fabric dying styles, three from the Japanese art called Shibouri, to have a fun and creative way to a Coachella Chic wardrobe at your fingertips!
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You Need:
1 bucket/container of water
2 gloves (plastic or rubber will do)
Dye packets/tie-dye kits
Paint brushes
Elastics
A bundle of pebbles
A finished toilet paper roll
The garment you want to customize (in my case fabric samples)
Tutorial 1- Arashi/Pole Wrapping: Wrap the garment around the toilet roll and secure with elastics. Use as many bands as you please but when wrapping, scrunch as you go along to wrinkle it. Whatever dyes you are using PLEASE be careful as some dye packets can be harmful to the skin. And, of course, follow the instructions on how to make your color and how to store it. After you make your color, put a portion of it in your container (small doses makes the color pale) and mix it with your brush and then paint your color on your “pole” and leave to dry.
Tutorial 2- Kumo/Pebbles: Take the garment and the pebbles and place the pebbles in any way you like with the garment on top. Pull the pebble through and trap it in place with an elastic until the whole garment is covered in the “pebble pattern”. Get your brush and paint on the pebble silhouette and on the elastic around it. Take your time and when you’re done, leave it to dry.
Tutorial 3- Itajime/Folding: Fold your garment like an accordion until it becomes a small square or rectangle. Secure the bundle with elastics. With your container of dye you can (unless you want to have a delicate pattern) put the garment in the container and evenly coat it in dye. Take off the bands and unfold when dried.
Tutorial 4- Twisty Stripes: Hold a corner of the garment and twist tightly and secure with bands as you go. You can submerge the garment in the container or you can paint as many colors as you wish sparingly. Wait until dried.
**Note: When washing your creations, rinse after the dying with cold water until it runs clear. Once it’s dried, it will be ready to wear. Wash it individually in a normal machine 2-3 times before mixing it in with the rest of your clothes.
Thank you for tuning in today! If you liked that tutorial, I also have a few other crafts that you might enjoy on my blog. See you later! Loads of love and happy crafting!
^^^ So. Much. Fun! I loved Emma’s cool new take on tie-dye and I hope that all of you enjoyed it, too. Again, please venture to Randomina for more from the lovely Emma! What is your favorite summer craft? Who plans on following the steps that Emma provided to create their own hand dyed fabrics? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi everyone and TGIF! Last weekend my mom and I had to go to Kohl’s to make some returns. We were going there strictly to make said returns and then leave. But, of course, that never really happens, does it? While my mom was making the returns, I decided to go look at the shoes. I wasn’t interested in any new clothes since I’m pretty well set for the summer and I figured that the shoe department was a safe place to spend five minutes until we had to go…WRONG.
It turns out that Kohl’s was having their last ditch 80% off sale to get rid of all of the out of season shoes to help ring in the warm weather. As soon as I saw this, I crumbled under the concept of such amazing deals and began to scour the aisles for my size. There were so many pairs that were cute but not necessarily cute for me. However, there were two pairs of ankle booties that totally reminded me of my mom so I set them aside for her to try on when she arrived in the shoe department.
As always, I was right and my mom loved the booties. When we decided that those were the pairs we would leave with, we began to head out of the shoe department and to the registers. But that was until we saw that there were shelves of shoes set up in the middle of the main aisles that were marked “Under $10”. We ended up taking a look (shocker) and found a pair of boots for FOUR DOLLARS for my sister. We also saw my latest addition to my shoe collection – a pair of beautiful Jennifer Lopez wedge boots. Take a look:
^^^ ❤ ❤ ❤
I had my eye on these boots ever since they came out in the winter. Unfortunately, they were priced at a cool one hundred and were never marked down enough to make the purchase worth it. So when I saw that these boots were priced at just ten dollars, I knew that I had to try them on. They were as perfect as I had hoped and looked so cool with my black skinnies because the opening of the boot was so big. It created a super edgy contrast and I was smitten.
As if the ten dollar deal wasn’t already amazing, my mom and I had a thirty percent off coupon which brought these originally one hundred dollar pair of boots to SEVEN DOLLARS!!!! My mom and I ended up walking away with four pairs of shoes for forty dollars. I couldn’t believe our luck with all of the shoes we found because I feel like we snagged the best of the pairs that were left. And, of course, nothing is sweeter than a great steal!
So there you have it, the latest issue of If The Shoe Fits – Jennifer Lopez Edition! Has anyone scored any good off season deals recently? What store do you go to that has the best clothes for the right price? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi everyone and happy Thursday! I hope everyone’s week is going just swimmingly so far. Mine is going fine, thanks for asking. I am so excited to be nominated for my sixth Liebster Award here on lifewithlilred by my friend, Camille, over at Camille Shern! Her blog is a lot of fun so please be sure to check it out and give it some love! As you guys know, with all of these blogging awards comes a set of rules so check them out and then see how I answered the questions asked by the lovely Camille. Take a look:
The Rules:
Tag the person who nominated you and thank them.
Answer the ten questions you are given.
Nominate ten new bloggers and tag them.
Give them ten new questions to answer.
Notify your nominees.
Q & A:
1. Describe your blogging style in FIVE words?
Unique, humorous, engaging, fun, and quirky.
2. What is ONE beauty product you can’t live without? Why?
Red lipstick. Particularly the shade Pure Red from NYX. The bold red lip is my signature look and it makes me feel confident and beautiful every time I wear it.
3. If you were to do a makeup look for ONE person for the rest of your life, who would it be and why?
No one. I suck at doing makeup for other people. I can barely do my own makeup! 😉
4. What is ONE piece of advice you would give your younger self when it comes to beauty? Why?
That beauty is more about being confident and comfortable in your own skin than what your makeup or hair looks like. I think every younger person is always trying to fit in with the trends and what’s popular but it’s important to stay true to what you like so your own unique, personal style can be developed.
5. If you were not a blogger, what would you be doing right now?
I would be doing what I’m usually doing! Going to school, working, and being a baller.
6. What is ONE funny beauty horror story you had?
Every time I dye my hair with my trademark Runway Red by Vidal Sassoon is a horror story. Whenever I wash the dye out, it looks like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was committed in my shower.
7. What is ONE product that you keep inside your every day makeup bag that you don’t really use at all?
Hmm… I don’t think I have an answer to this one. I’m not one to go makeup crazy at the store so everything that I have in my makeup stash is what I use as part of my daily routine.
8. What is the first thing you do in the morning as soon as you wake up?
Ugh, I hate saying this but I check my phone and Facebook! Such a millennial. -_-
9. What is ONE beauty routine you can’t live without?
Bubble baths!!!!
10. What is your main goal as a blogger?
To reach a wide variety of people and make new friends.
What is your favorite article of clothing to shop for?
How about your least favorite?
What is one of your guilty pleasures?
Favorite TV show to binge watch?
Favorite fragrance?
Favorite candy?
How do you like to spend your free time?
Are you going on an upcoming summer vacation?
Where is one place that you would like to travel to?
So there you have it, lifewithlilred’s Liebster Award #6! Thanks again to Camille at Camille Shern for the nomination! How would you answer some of the questions that Camille asked her nominees? How about some of the questions that I asked of mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! I hope you all are having a wonderful week so far. As you guys know, I have had an insanely difficult time finding shorts for the summer. It seems like every pair of shorts that I’ve encountered during multiple shopping trips is high waisted and that’s one trend that I just won’t stand for. All I wanted was a few simple pairs of normal rise shorts. After too many shopping excursions to count that ended only in disappointment, I began to think that my simple request would never be fulfilled.
However, a weekend trip to TJMaxx gave my Short Story a happy ending because I left with two pairs of shorts and a beautiful Nine West purse, which you can read about in yesterday’s post. Take a look at the cute new shorties that I added to my wardrobe:
What & Wear?
Olive Bermuda Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters, $12.99
Black Shorts: Hollister, $12.99
Grand Total: Approximately $26
In Store Value: Approximately $70-80
I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting to find shorts during my last TJs trip. Past outings there were unsuccessful during my hunt for the perfect shorts so I didn’t think that my weekend excursion would be any different. But boy, was I wrong! TJMaxx had an abundance of shorts from too many brands to recall, Hollister and AEO included. I scrounged the racks of clothing and went to the fitting room with five pairs of shorts in hand. However, my heart was already dead set on wanting the pairs that I purchased desperately.
I tried on three pairs prior to my favorites and rejected them for reasons in regards to the fit and colors. I have to say, by the time I got to trying on my top two pairs, I was very nervous. I didn’t want them to end up in the reject pile and I didn’t want my high hopes for these pairs to be crushed because they were soaring sky high. I slipped on the Hollister shorts first and right away I knew that they would work perfectly. They were low rise, which I liked and they fit well without being too short or revealing. And, of course, I loved that they were black and the zippers were a nice touch!
I was pleased to have found just one pair and after a little celebration, my nerves began to skyrocket again because I really freakin liked the AEO pair. What made me antsy was that they were hung on a hanger that said size three. When I grabbed the pair from the rack, I didn’t think much of it but then I began to think “Well, shit. What if they don’t fit?” Just in the nick of time, though, I remembered that AEO has even sizes instead of odd and that the bermudas were, indeed, a size four.
Once the mystery of the size was solved, I pulled the pair on in record timing because I knew that they would fit well since I wear a four in AEO jeans. I love saying this…I was right! The shorts fit like a glove and they were like nothing that I’ve had before. I loved that they were a skinny fit which was so flattering and the color was out of this world. It was funny, because I was telling my mom on the car ride to the store that if I can’t find any shorts, I would have to resort to going to the mall and going to AE. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with this idea, though, because I really wasn’t trying to drop forty to fifty dollars on one pair of shorts.
I was so incredibly happy with my findings during this past weekend’s TJs trip because I ended up getting two pairs of shorts and a Nine West purse for under sixty dollars. The shorts were about twenty-six dollars in total which was less than what I would have spent on one pair at the mall. I now have three pairs of shorts to wear this summer and on my upcoming vacation so I can breathe easy for a while about not having any to wear. I wouldn’t mind one more pair but I’m just thankful I was able to find TWO pairs in one evening that were perfect for me. Thanks, TJMaxx!! ❤
So there you have it, A Short Story on my newest editions to my wardrobe! What is one piece of clothing that you hate shopping for? Has anyone had as much trouble as I have for finding shorts that work? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! First of all, I want to wish a very happy birthday to my older brother, Andrew! I love you! Second of all, I want to talk to all of you about the most gorgeous purse that I added to my collection this weekend. My mom and I had a gift card from TJMaxx (shocker) so we decided to pop into the store and take a look around. I ended up with two pairs of shorts which you can see on Wednesday’s post “A Short Story” and a beautiful Nine West tote bag. Take a look:
^^^ IT’S SO PRETTY!!!!
I admit that I am not an animal print fan in the slightest. I don’t do leopard, nor cheetah, zebra, or any other print that you can think of. However, I freaking LOVE snakeskin…Fake snakeskin, of course. I think that snakeskin is the most edgy, cool, and rocker chic pattern on the planet. It screams luxury mixed with rebellion and I can’t get enough. So it shouldn’t surprise you when I tell you that as soon as I laid eyes on my new beauty that it was love at first sight.
I took a tentative glance at the price tag and was astounded to see that it was only thirty dollars in contrast to the Nine West tag that was still attached and boasting a ninety dollar original price. Once I saw that the bag was reasonably priced, I plucked it from its hanger and slung it over my arm. Usually I don’t like carrying big bags but this one was different. It was made so narrowly that it didn’t look bulky but rather sleek and slinky. I loved that it fit comfortably between my arm and body and of course, the color palette was pure Lil Red perfection.
Although I was so enamored with the Nine West purse, I had a hard time justifying buying a new one since I had just recently got one from Kohl’s. For the entire shopping trip I debated on if it was worth it to bite the bullet and make the purchase. Despite how much I loved the bag, I decided that it wasn’t something that I absolutely needed. But my beloved mother wasn’t having that.
Because my birthday is right around the corner she offered it as an early birthday gift from her and I just couldn’t say no! It was just so perfect and the fact that the price of it was the exact amount of our gift card made it seem like it was meant to be. I love my new purse so much and I can’t wait to use it for work, school, and my internship. Thank you so much, mom! And happy early birthday to me! 😀
So there you have it, the latest issue of It’s In The Bag – Nine West Edition! Has anyone done some shopping recently? What has been your latest purchase? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi everyone and welcome to a very special post here on lifewithlilred thanks to the fabulous Tara from venuslaughing. When Tara initially approached me for the possibility of guest blogging I was a little ambivalent because I still was unsure of how I wanted to go about doing guest posts on my page. However, after looking over her AMAZING blog, I just couldn’t say no. Tara is so creative, talented, and just lovely as can be and I am so incredibly lucky to have her on my page. I asked Tara if she could create some OOTDs involving a Black Leather Jacket (or pleather which is what I prefer!) and her post and photos blew me away. So without further ado, here is Tara’s guest post created special for my lifewithlilred readers. Enjoy:
Hello! Today I am thrilled to get to share with you one of my favorite wardrobe essentials that can be worn any season: the black leather jacket. I have been drooling over leather jackets for the past two years. Finally, my budget has allowed for this fantasy to become a reality! After a couple hours of careful perusing, I found an Etsy shop in California called The Industry that had a style I loved: vintage 1980s, black, short length, with patina and fringe! I’m so happy this treasure now lives in my closet.
Leather jackets communicate being secure in your own skin, marching to the beat of your own drum, and being in tune with your wildish nature. Also, wearing animal skin is a reminder of our primal connection to the earth itself, which modern society tends to be so out of synch with! And of course, buying vintage/used leather is smart for eco-sustainable and ethical reasons.
A leather jacket can pair with so many things! Here are a few of my favorite looks:
A Pop Of Color:
The inspiration for this look came from a beautiful bag my mom surprised me with one day, purchased at a local fair trade store called Just Creations. I had this idea to do my hair up in a kind of Bridget Bardot-esque look. The leopard booties (ASOS) might be too much, but they’re fun! Cut your mesh tights into socks and roll your skinny jeans over them for this look!
Romantic:
The inspiration for the romantic look was this floral summer dress, AKA the “Nashville dress”. It reminds me of a trip my sister and I took to Nashville once to try busking on the street (we made a whopping nine dollars!). Also, a beautiful book called Paris Street Style by Isabelle Thomas and Frederique Veysset, given to me for Christmas by my sister. It has a selection on leather jackets and dresses!
Tips & Pics:
Mix it with something frilly, lacey, floral, romantic, or soft.
Pair it with white.
Bring a pop of color to it with earrings or shoes.
Put your hair in an updo to soften the look (Pro Tip: Use hair powder!).
Wear a bright colored lipstick.
And remember, above all else, have fun! The best fashion breaks rules. Do what feels good!
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Thank you so much to the beautiful Tara for such a wonderful guest post! Once again, please be sure to check out her page at venuslaughing! What is your favorite look that Tara created? How would you style a Black Leather Jacket OOTD? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! Last week, I had to run into Kohl’s for my mom to return a few things before I had to pick up my brother from work nearby. I was running a bit early so I had some time to browse the store before I left and found the most darling canvas purse on the planet. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I fell in love. I envisioned myself toting it around to my internship this summer and packing it full of necessities to use as an overnight bag on vacation.
Despite my daydreams, the purse didn’t come home with me because I didn’t have any Kohl’s coupons with me and I was certain that they would send some in the mail within the week. In the meantime, I told my mom about the bag in vivid detail and raved about how cute it was. Over the weekend, I decided that I still really wanted the purse so my mom and I ventured off to Kohl’s to make the purchase. By the time we returned, there was only one of the bags left so I quickly plucked it off of the hook and into my loving arms. Take a look at my newest little beauty:
^^^ I LOVE IT!!
The best part about this sweet tote? It was marked down from thirty dollars to fourteen which was a total steal. AND, my mom was kind enough to purchase it for me as a congratulations gift for the internship I landed this summer. I’m so happy with my latest addition to my accessory collection especially considering that I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I saw it and there was only one left when I made my way back to the store. That’s how you know that you and a clothing item or accessory were meant to be!
So there you have it, the latest segment of It’s In The Bag – Sonoma Edition! I can’t wait to incorporate my new favorite purse into my spring and summer wardrobe and I am so totally obsessed! Has anyone scored any good deals while out shopping recently? What warm weather item are you looking forward to wearing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Howdy everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend! I’ve needed to go to the eye doctor for quite some time now and finally managed to get an appointment this past Friday. After I got a new prescription for my contacts, I spent some time looking for new glasses because I’ve seriously had the same pair since I was fifteen. I found a few pairs that really spoke to me so I went home and then returned later in the day with my mom to get her opinion.
I tried on tons of different frames but I ended up returning to the two pairs that I was daydreaming about all afternoon. Two remarkably different but amazingly cute frames. A pair of red, black, and white Kliik Denmarks and a circular black and grey pair of Dolce & Gabbanas. My mom and I were really struggling to figure out which pair was the one and began to grow increasingly aware of the time crunch that we were working with as the office was closing soon.
Lucky for me, I was allowed to take both frames home for the weekend so that I could decide which one I like the best. All weekend I’ve been flip flopping between the two quirky cool pairs and I think I’ve made a decision…But I want to hear what the general public thinks, first. I’m so aware that the following selfies kind of suck but they get the job done. So take a look and then help me decide which pair I should go with:
^^^ Why must I love them both? WHY?!
So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: This Or That Edition! What pair of glasses do you like the best? Has anyone struggled with a glasses situation similar to mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! As you guys know, I freaking LOVE TJMaxx. I live for all of the fabulous but affordable finds there and always enjoy a TJ’s shopping trip even if I leave empty handed. My mom and I go to TJ’s once or twice a month to see what’s new and we had one of our excursions this past weekend. We left with a scarf for both of us, a new toy for both of our dogs, and a little “Ollie sized” food dish for our most recently adopted pup. I’m seriously so in love with my BCBGeneration scarf that I can’t even handle it so take a look at the darling new addition to my wardrobe:
^^^ So cute!
Usually when my mom and I shop at TJ’s, we breeze by their selection of scarves because we don’t wear them often. However, my mom said that she would like a new and lighter one for spring so we took our time and thumbed through the many scarves that TJ’s had on display. I found my mom a lovely black, grey, and white striped scarf that looked so adorable on her so we decided to go with that one and continue scouring the store.
As we were walking away to go check out the shoes, I took one last survey of the scarves and found the only Popsicle print square scarf that was hanging up. I was instantly enamored by the whimsical pattern, creamy colors, and vintage feel of the silky BCBGeneration scarf. I knew right away that I wanted it. The scarf was the perfect amount of cute and quirky that I love and it was at just the right price of eight bucks. How can you say no to that?!
As soon as I saw the scarf, I began thinking of all of the different ways that I could wear it this spring and summer. Tied in a bow around my neck, Parisian style, as a turban, as a hair wrap, casually flung over my shoulders – the possibilities were endless! I love pieces that are versatile and can be worn during all or most seasons. This sweet little square scarf passed that requirement with flying colors!
The best part about this scarf is the pure luxury of it for such an amazing price. The rich cream, mauve, and baby blue palette just screams vintage chic and the silky material feels so fabulous to the touch. I adore the BCBGeneration brand, too, so the fact that my scarf came from their collection was another added bonus. I’m so excited to sport my quirky and sweet new scarf this season and I’m so beyond happy with my latest TJMaxx find!
My mom and I’s latest TJ’s Trip was an obvious success and I live for our monthly shopping excursions together! What is your favorite way to wear a scarf? What was the latest purchase you made while out shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hellooo everyone and happy Monday! Recently, I learned about the super cool storage company, MakeSpace. As we discussed how their service is like one of my favorite movies, Clueless, I knew I just had to write about it. MakeSpace is a service that comes to your place, grabs your stuff, and stores it for you. With the warm spring weather on the horizon, now is the perfect time to store away your winter duds for next year. The best part is, is that when the time comes for you to need your stored away items again, you can consult your virtual closet and MakeSpace will deliver it back to you. Will your virtual closet be as amazing as Cher’s from Clueless? Probably not. But storing with MakeSpace is a great place to start!
Before we begin discussing how I prepare for warm weather as well as my spring time essentials, some music is in order. Take a listen to the late great David Bowie’s “Fashion” featured in Clueless:
^^^ Love it. ❤
When it comes to prepping for spring, keeping an organized closet it a total must for me. That means saying bye bye to cold weather boots, heavy jackets, and thick sweaters to combat frigid Ohio winters. If I stored with MakeSpace, all of these snowy day necessities would be taken away ASAP and replaced with all things spring! We’re talking sweet sun dresses, maxi skirts, light cardigans, and open toed heels – finally!
With my winter clothing stored safely away at MakeSpace, my closet would have ample room to welcome some of my favorite spring time clothing and accessories. I’m really looking forward to putting my knee length gladiator sandals to good use as well as my collection of floral skirts. Shocking, I know, that the girl who boasts about wearing all black constantly has clothes in the most girly pattern ever! BUT, these skirts are special because they were my grandma’s and I love all things vintage!
Despite my tendency to lean towards black clothing, I like to pepper all of my outfits with at least a little splash of color. To keep things relatively springy in my looks, I plan on breaking out one of my favorite purses. A vegan leather turquoise satchel. The Easter bright vibrancy of the bag will be a gorgeous pop of color against my soft tan trench coach and black skinny jeans!
Once all of my spring clothes is runway ready (AKA strutting down the aisles of Target), there are a few final Lil Red spring essentials:
A felt floppy hat in a gauzy color. Maybe mauve, peach, or cream.
Long necklaces for layering. I’m currently obsessed with rosary style necklaces.
A killer pair of shades. I plan on rocking my daisy embellished aviators constantly!
Pair with a sundress, cardi, and kitten heels. Rinse. Repeat. Hello, Spring!
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As we bring this article to a close, I’d like to end with a story which explains just why my family needs MakeSpace in our lives. This past week my beloved mother began readying her spring wardrobe when she realized that she couldn’t find her shorts from last year anywhere. For days I had to hear a litany of “I don’t know where they could be”, “It’s not like they could just walk away”, and of course, “Sarah, can you help me”? It. Was. Torture.
But lucky for my mom, Detective Sarah was on the case. Thanks to my expert snooping work, I found my mom’s shorts crammed in one of the dresser drawers that she never uses. Right in the nick of time, too, considering a few hours later she hopped on a plane to hot and sunny Atlanta, Georgia to visit my brother! Moral of the story: Had we been storing away our clothes according to season with MakeSpace, this incident and future ones to come would never be an issue. Because believe me, this is not the last you’ve heard of my mom and I not being able to find anything!
So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: MakeSpace Edition! What is your go to spring staple? What would you store away with MakeSpace? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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