Tag Archives: summer

A Summer Bouquet

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A Summer Bouquet

Hey hey everyone and TGIF! I hope that you all have had a fabulous week and are looking forward to a fun weekend ahead. Us Mushenheims are a plant loving people. My mom’s mom and my dad have the greenest thumbs of literally anyone I know, and they can make something grow out of nothing. It really is amazing.

Because of my dad’s talent, our front and back yards are simply overflowing with beauty. From flowers and greenery to herbs and veggies, we have a little bit of everything and can appreciate it from any window that we look out of in our home. Our supply of flowers grown by my dad never seems to run low, and almost every week he will arrange a lovely summer bouquet for the kitchen table – like the one below:

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For as long as I can remember, my dad has always been a master flower arranger, whether it be with bouquets from the garden or store. He seems to know exactly which bloom should be placed where and every arrangement turns into a work of art. The wild flower bouquet seen above is a particularly inspired one and it’s so lovely that I just had to share it with all of you!

What is your favorite flower? Who else has a green thumb? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Summer Fun Q & A

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Summer Fun Q & A

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Can you believe we’re already one week into July?? Summer has really been in full swing lately, especially with scorching temperatures and summer holiday celebrations. So, now it’s time to recap the season so far with a little Q & A that I concocted! Feel free to spread the fun on your page, too! Let’s get to it:

Q & A:

What is the most summer-like activity that you have done so far? I have been on many a hikes in Ohio’s wonderful Metro Parks and I’ve also gone swimming in one of the lovely lakes that they offer. That was a lot of fun, minus the sunburn!

What is the hottest that it has been in your neck of the woods? It was 96 degrees a few days ago in the A-K-Rowdy, but it had a “it feels like” temperature of 109! Gross.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip, but it has to be the green kind!!

What is your favorite beverage to cool off with? I love the Very Berry Hibiscus refreshers from Starbucks but, if we’re talking alcohol, then I love me a Moscow Mule so very, very much.

What is the perfect temperature for a summer day? I friggen HATE the heat, so I would be really happy with a day in the low 70s.

What are you still looking forward to this summer? My family’s North Carolina vacation, even though it isn’t until October. 😦 😦 😦

What would your ideal summer day look like? Sleeping in past seven o’clock, hitting up my favorite outdoor shopping mall called Crocker Park, and enjoying dinner and drinks in the air conditioning!

What is your favorite thing about summer time? My birthday! I turned 24 on June 7th and I always have loved having a summer birthday. There is nothing better than getting drinks on the patio of my favorite bar during an early summer evening to celebrate.

Does the way you eat or drink change during the summer? I would say somewhat. I definitely prefer cold teas over my normal water when it’s hot out. I also think that I enjoy lighter foods like salads and flatbreads more in the summer. Because I don’t like the heat, I’m really just looking for my food and drinks to make me feel refreshed!

What happens when you get too much sun? Pardon my French, but I burn like a motherfucker. I burn, and I burn, and I burn some more. But, now I have a secret weapon up my sleeve: Aloe Vera. That stuff is the best, and I can’t believe that I haven’t used it sooner. It literally got rid of my sunburn after applying it three times a day for TWO DAYS! So amazing!

How would you answer some of the above questions? What are some of your summer time questions for me? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy July!

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Happy July!

Hi everyone and welcome to another month here on lifewithlilred! June flew by, so hopefully time will slow down so that we can all continue to enjoy sweet summertime. You can tune in again with me tomorrow for all of the latest and greatest but, in the meantime, I’ll just leave this here:

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How has your weekend been? What are your plans for the Fourth Of July? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Saving Your Vehicle From The Elements This Summer

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Saving Your Vehicle From The Elements This Summer

Enjoying a long drive during the summer and being pampered by the warm weather is a great experience. But, there is something that one must keep in mind – that such weather poses a major hazard to a car’s exterior. To escape the negative effects of the elements altogether, a lot of precautions need to be taken. There are several tasks which one can do to help reduce the impairment done to a car’s paint due to weather conditions. Even though these are fairly simple steps to follow, completing them at all times can be a tricky task, as most people are forgetful and they tend to make silly errors in judgment. Here are some great tips to save your vehicle from the elements:

Parking in the shade:

Unless a car owner finds him or herself in a situation where there is no time to park at all, avoiding parking directly under the sun is possibly one of the biggest favors a car can get. There are essentially two benefits of parking a car under the shade. First, it helps in keeping the car cool. Secondly, it makes sure that the paint does not fade away so easily. These jobs may not seem so important, but these little incidents cause damage that adds up to cause a big problem in the future. So, rule number one is – never roast a car under the sunlight.

Using a car cover:

If the car owner regularly fails to find shaded locations to park the car, keeping a car cover in the trunk always is a must. These car covers can come in handy in many occasions, and will always provide your car with your own personally brought protection.

Another excellent way to keep your car’s exterior looking its best is to invest in wraps for your car to further protect it from the elements. This is definitely worthwhile if you want to keep your car looking brand new no matter its age. It may be worth researching local paint protection film experts in your area, to see if there is anyone who can provide you with this service. A skilled technician will be able to assist with reducing the risk of chips and scratches to your paintwork.

Washing the car on a regular basis:

Washing cars on a consistent basis ensures that the exterior of the car is fresh for a long period of time. Such benefits only come to play when the car owner washes the car properly. After parking the car under shade, rinsing off all forms of accumulated dirt and grime is the first step. If getting the grime off after washing is proving to be too much trouble, using a clay bar to clean the sticky spots before rinsing the car for a second time is highly recommended. For convertibles, using a convertible top protectant is the ideal solution.

Once the car has been cleaned, with the use of a microfiber cloth, the car must be dried off completely, without missing any spots so that there are no water spots on the exterior.

Waxing:

Similar to washing, waxing a car regularly can help in reducing any type of damage done to the car paint. If a car is waxed regularly, the prevention of dirt and debris sticking to the vehicle becomes easier.

Saving a vehicle from the elements might be an annoying task but it is definitely achievable, and will keep your car looking better for longer.

June 2018 Funky Time Jams

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June 2018 Funky Time Jams

Hello!! Warm weather brings the best listening to music scenarios in existence: 1) Outdoor concerts. And 2) Driving with your windows down and your music loud. I am still basking in the glory of being front and center at X Fest, and I am so looking forward to seeing Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie next month. But, for now, I have been revisiting some old and new favorites as we make our way through June. Like the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc57fAXKfic

(And, as always, I have no rights to these songs or videos!)

I got to see lovelytheband at X Fest and I am SO glad that I did, because their music fucking slaps. The song “Broken” is so damn catchy and I can’t wait to explore their songs more once I get my hands on their LP “Everything I Could Never Say”. Really good stuff. And, of course, I’m on an even bigger Jack White kick than usual since I got to breathe the same air as him a little over a week ago!! What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man. :*)

What concerts are you attending this summer? What are some of your summer anthems? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

English Factory Tennis Dress

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English Factory Tennis Dress

Hello!! My favorite thing about TJMaxx, other than their amazing prices, is that it gives you access to brands that you’ve never heard of or brands that are a bit out of your budget. Both of these go for the brand English Factory, which I discovered during an online shopping stint on TJ’s website. Upon inspection of English Factory’s own page, I saw that there was really nothing on there that I would be comfortable paying for, because all of their items were upwards of one hundred dollars. But, thirty five dollars for the beautiful, albeit a tad wrinkly dress seen below? I can swing that! Take a look:

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Before we go any further – yes, this dress has been ironed since these pictures have been taken! Lol!

I haven’t had much luck recently when it comes to finding some cute new dresses. And, with summer officially here, I was getting pretty desperate to find a lightweight dress or two to wear for work or play. And then, this English Factory beauty comes along and knocks me off of my feet. As soon as I saw this online, I loved it and I was completely confident that it would look awesome on me. And, obviously I was right. So much so, that out of the seven or eight items that I ordered, this dress is the only thing that I kept.

I love the quirky retro brickabrack detailing on this little number. It looks so sailor girl chic against the crisp, white cotton and I’ve never seen anything that looks like it before. The shape is also extremely flattering on me. The more structured top that turns into a flouncy skirt gives a unique silhouette – very different than every single piece of clothing in my wardrobe. And, the best thing about this dress, is that there is a slip built into the skirt so that your underwears don’t show through. Freaking SCORE.

My new English Factory dress doesn’t need much when it comes to styling an OOTD. A fun pair of platforms and one of my new Foley + Corinna purses are all I need to create a statement look!

How would you style this dress? What are some of your favorite, lesser known brands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

4 Rules For Accessorizing In Summer

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4 Rules For Accessorizing In Summer

Accessorizing well is the key to making any outfit amazing, and now that summer is on the way, you need to start thinking about how you’re going to elevate your summer outfits. Summer is a time for bold prints and bright colors, but when you’ve got that much going on in an outfit, you risk going overboard with your accessories and making it too busy. To stop that from happening, follow these simple rules for accessorizing in the summer:

Pick Sunglasses By Shape:

Sunglasses are an absolute must in the summer and you’ll be wearing them with everything so you need to know how to pick them. When it comes to color, you need something fairly neutral that goes with most outfits, but the most important thing to look for is the shape. The rule is, that you pick sunglasses that are the opposite shape of your face. So, if you’ve got quite a round face, you can opt for square glasses. If you’ve got a fairly angular face, go for a round style. The shape of your eyebrows is important as well and you need to match it with the top frame of the sunglasses. If you’ve got arched eyebrows that come out over the top of a square frame, it’ll look a little off.

Match Three Points:

Color matching when you accessorize is important, but you shouldn’t go overboard. Matching three items in your outfit is a good guideline to follow if you want to create a good balance. Anything less than three and your outfit won’t be complete, and any more than that and you risk making it too messy. So, you could match your shoes, belt, and bag. Or you can match jewelry with your belt and shoes. However you decide to do it, always stick with the rule of three.

Prioritize Comfort:

During the summer, prioritizing comfort to some extent is a must. If you don’t, you’ll end up boiling hot all day. When you’re choosing women’s shoes, go for some sandals that will keep your feet cool. Always avoid dark colors or anything that is tight fitting as well if you want to stay comfortable in the sun. Practicality is important too. You’ll be more likely to be spending the day out of the house when the weather is nice so when you’re choosing a handbag, go for something larger that has the space for everything you’ll need when you’re out and about.

Experiment With Colors:

Summer is the best time to experiment with colors because you can get away with more than you can in a winter outfit. If you tend to go for more plain pastel colors, use your accessories to inject a bit of excitement into an outfit. Floral patterned handbags or large patterned belts all go great with a summer outfit.

When you’re accessorizing your summer outfits, always remember to make them practical and, even though you can experiment with colors make sure that you’re matching properly for an amazing look.

Featured Image By: Flickr

Pacer Progress

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Pacer Progress

Hi everyone! Roughly fifty days ago, I downloaded the Pacer pedometer app on my iPod. Since then, I have been dedicated to reaching 10,000 steps or more every day. Of course, this hasn’t always been possible, but I’ve been trying my best and I’m happy to say that I’m still motivated even after close to two months.

On the app, you can see insights into your progress each day or over a span of time. I only just discovered the page where you can see your steps since downloading the app, and I was really happy with what I saw:

  • Total Steps: 382,550
  • Total Calories: 9,502
  • Total Active Hours: 58
  • Miles Traveled: 127

(I am also prewriting this so my stats are higher than this by four days!)

It’s easy to feel like 10,000 steps a day is nothing. But, when it was put into perspective of  just how many miles I walked or how long I was active for, it makes a big difference. I am hoping to reach at least one million steps by the end of summer and I know that with my motivation to keep making progress, my goal is more than achievable.

Who else uses a pedometer app on their smart devices? How do you fit more activity into your day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

10 Ideas To Kick-Start Your Business For Summer

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10 Ideas To Kick-Start Your Business For Summer

If you’re someone that tends to notice a bit of a change in your business at different times of the year, then you’ll often need to get creative with your company strategy. Many businesses experience seasonal fluctuations in sales or even their company culture and employee engagement. And, if you’re one of them, you’re going to want to pick up some tips and tricks on how to cope with them, because even the most successful businesses are faced with challenging times. However, the trick isn’t centered around how or when they happen, but how you react and get things back on track. Summer is coming up and it’s time to really work on your business ideas to support the season. But what can you do? Some of the following:

Aim To Go Viral:

Let’s kick off with something that you really want to try and do – and that’s to go viral. It’s safe to assume that you’re going to be on social media, and you probably have some campaigns up your sleeve for summer, too. But if you really want to kick-start your business, you’re going to want to reach a massive audience and get a lot more traction with your posts. Make sure that you keep those tactics in mind when you’re planning out the execution of your campaigns.

Of course, going viral is something that is easier said than done if you are unfamiliar with the world of social media. If this is the case for you, it could be incredibly worthwhile to find a marketing agency like InSync Media to assist you. They will be able to form a cohesive marketing strategy, execute it, and get your posts in front of more people.

Host An Event:

If there’s one thing that we all love during the summer, it’s a good old-fashioned event. And it’s great to have an excuse to throw a big party. Give yourself plenty of time to get planning and establish an event marketing timeline so you can be completely prepared for it. Think about which customers, media outlets, or even influential people you might like to invite. When you host an event, you’re not only going to get people talking about your business at the event itself, but you’ll also get the additional coverage on social media which can give you a boost, too.

Launch A New Service:

You may not be able to launch an entirely new product in a few short months, but you could up your game when it comes to services. Whether you want to offer a personal shopping service online or create a VIP delivery option, it is a great way to shake things up and see a spike in your sales. If you are considering improved delivery options, you will probably need some help. Impacked Packaging helps companies source packaging with reliable services and great prices to match. You and your customers will both be happy!

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Get to planning!

Bring In More Video:

If you’re not someone that tends to use a lot of video in your marketing campaigns or even internally in your business, then this could be something that you change. But don’t worry, you don’t have to be a professional videographer to make this happen. In fact, it’s probably good that you don’t attempt it yourself, because when you bring in the right company, such as www.lifetime-media.com, the quality will be better. Whether you are doing internal videos or promotional material, the use of video is going to give you an exciting new dimension to play around with.

Work With Influencers:

Influencers have an ever-increasing presence in the lives of consumers. These are the men and women that your consumers follow and look to for advice. So, of course, choosing to team up with them to promote your business or to support a launch that you have coming up is going to be a good idea. Make sure that you create a strong strategy for this as www.foundr.com talks through. That way, you’ll be sure to choose the right influencers and be able to get the best results.

Collaborate With Another Company:

You could also think about collaborating with another brand. This isn’t going to be one of your direct competitors, but you could definitely look to work with a company that has a similar audience to you, but perhaps in a different industry. That way, when you launch a product or host an event together, you’re going to be targeting the same consumers, but you’ll also get double the exposure by tapping into their engaged audience, too.

Create Limited Edition Packaging:

Everyone gets excited when the word limited edition gets thrown around. Again, creating a new product might not be manageable for you, but you might be able to launch some spring or summer themed packaging to impress your customers this season. If you are shipping a product like fragrances, tea, or coffee in limited edition packaging, do keep in mind that airtight packaging does not necessarily mean smell proof. You will want to research different materials and seals carefully for the best costumer experience.

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Unsplash Image

Run A Competition:

Customers always love an exciting competition. So take a look at the best ways to run a successful contest, make some plans, and launch one or two over the summer just for fun!

Start A New Series:

We’ve mentioned your social promotions a few times now, but for a very good reason. It’s very likely that you tend to stick to the same kinds of promotions and the same types of posts. So if you really want to shake things up for summer, then you’re going to want to launch something new. A series is a great idea for this. Whether it’s a range of interviews, thoughts from your teams, or posts based on a set topic, this can be a really interesting way to engage your audience online.

A social media series is the perfect way to introduce something brand new for the summertime. Maybe your homemade skin care line now has SPF and you could work with influencers to promote it. Your food truck might be serving up tasty summer smoothies and could benefit from a professional in food and beverage marketing. Summer is the time to explore and have some fun with your content so don’t wait until the last minute. Start brainstorming now!

Launch A Flash Sale:

Finally, you could think about launching a flash sale. And no, you don’t have to overdo the discounts here. If you want to drum up some excitement, you could hide codes around the website or send out gifts with purchases. Either way, timed promotions like this can often give your sales a boost when you need it the most.

Summer is just around the corner, so get to planning something exciting and new and watch your business bloom.

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Marilyn Manson Concert Excitement!!!

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Marilyn Manson Concert Excitement!!!

Hiiii everyone!! This summer, July 17th to be exact, Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie will be performing at Blossom Music Center in my neck of the woods. I was lucky enough to have seen Mr. Manson this past October in Pittsburgh and it was AMAZING. Naturally, getting tickets to the July show was a must in my head, but I didn’t realize that I would be getting them so soon.

This Monday, my sister texted me to let me know that she purchased our tickets for us, as they were half off on Groupon. It was literally the best text EVER and I am so excited that I could cry. I can’t say that I’m too familiar with Rob Zombie’s music, but I love his movies, so it should still be pretty cool. But, let’s be real, the only reason that I’m even going is for Ohio’s finest!

I feel so spoiled that I will be getting to see one of my favorites twice in less than a year and, even though it’s months away, I am so looking forward to it!

Which concerts are you hoping to see this year? What is your favorite music venue in your area? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah