Tag Archives: THANKS

Blogger Recognition Award

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Blogger Recognition Award

Hiii everyone and TGIF! So I was nominated by my darling friend, Jackie, over at Makeup & Beyond for the Blogger Recognition Award. I love doing these things, I think that they are so fun so many thanks to Jackie for the nomination! Jackie is a good friend of mine with a fabulous page so please make sure to check it out AND be on the lookout for a guest post from her on my Think Spring series coming soon to lifewithlilred. Okay, let’s get to it:

The Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
Write a post to show your award.
Give a brief story of how your blog started.
Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.

How lifewithlilred Started:

So about two and a half years ago when my blog baby, lifewithlilred, was just being conceived, I was getting ready to start college at Tri-C. I was going on my fourth year of working a shitty retail job and was at a place in my life where I felt like I wasn’t really doing much of anything. I had always been commended by many people for my personal style and had often been urged by others to create a blog because they would definitely read it.

Finally, after the millionth time of being advised to start a blog, I rolled my eyes and said “fine” and got to work. Lil Red was a nickname given to me because of my bright red hair and lipstick by one of my favorite coworkers so I knew that I wanted to incorporate that into my blog title somehow. lifewithlilred just seemed to roll off the tongue perfectly and after a name was settled, I went from there. Two and a half years later and I am read in over one hundred and seventy countries and I could not be more thankful for my beloved readers and the encouragement to start this crazy little slice of my life website by my friends and strangers many moons ago! ❤

My Advice:

  1. Network Yourself: I hate to say to be that annoying person who constantly talks about your blog – but be that annoying person who constantly talks about your blog. No one will know your page even exists without help from word of mouth, social media, and interacting with fellow bloggers. Post your page on Facebook, make your own Facebook page for your blog, and like and comment on posts on the WordPress newsfeed. You will be giving yourself exposure as well as making awesome new friends!
  2. Work Hard: Blogging has this preconceived notion that it’s going to be easy peasy lemon squeezey and you will be a famous blogger after a week. That’s not the case. It took me over a year of hard work to get a barely stable following of readers and after two and a half years, I am still not where I want to be. But that’s okay! If you love to write, then blogging is an amazing hobby and not a chore. If you are only in it to make money or toy with the possibility of working from home, then I wouldn’t quit your day job!

My Nominees (I am only doing three!):

Once again, thank you to Jackie for the nomination for the Blogger Recognition Award and I can’t wait to host you on my page soon! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any big plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Bath & Body Works January Freebie

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Bath & Body Works January Freebie

Hii everyone and happy Thursday! So this month I was growing increasingly wary that Bath & Body Works was finally on to the fact that whenever I come into the store, it’s usually just to cash in my freebie coupons. I had not received anything in December so by late January, I assumed that my free ride was over. But, as they say, assume makes an ass out of you and me because this past week I received some of my beloved freebie coupons in the mail. I was really happy about this because after the holiday season, my hoard was beginning to run dry thanks to peppering many a gift with a few travel sized goodies. Lucky for me, I was able to add to the stock pile with these two lotions:

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On Tuesday, I picked up a travel size Pink Cashmere and Magic In The Air lotion. I really like the Pink Cashmere scent because it smells so barely there light which is perfect for someone who doesn’t like an overpowering fragrance. I am one of those people so if I decide to keep this one for myself or gift it, I know that it will be a hit either way. I also LOVE, love, love the packaging for this lotion. It is so girly, soft, and pretty which was the perfect way to go for such a delicate scent.

Magic In The Air is one of B&BW’s winter fragrances and will definitely be one that I’ll be saving for the next holiday season (or perhaps a giveaway!). It won’t do much good to gift someone with a wintery floral scent for a summer birthday! Regardless, I think that this lotion smells really pretty! It has a lovely winter berry scent layered with some sweet florals, which is all combined with the freshness in the air that comes with a crisp winter wind. Normally, I’m not one for floral fragrances but Magic In The Air is one that I can get down with!

I am so #blessed that Bath & Body Works decided to bestow more freebie coupons onto me and am looking forward to refilling my stock pile with lots of wonderful smell goods!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works January Freebie! Who thinks that I should do a lotion giveaway? What is your favorite B&BW scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Interior Trends That You’ll Simply Love in 2017

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Interior Trends That You’ll Simply Love in 2017

Hii everyone and happy hump day! My friend, Chloe, was kind enough to write a guest post for lifewithlilred about some super cool home decor tips for the new year. She did an amazing job and I am so happy to be able to host her on my page! Check it out:

Interior Trends That You’ll Simply Love in 2017:

Another year’s drawing to an end, and while most homeowners are busy putting up Christmas decorations and making plans for the holiday ahead, interior designers already have their eyes locked on the trends that will mark the season to come. In 2016, we’ve seen a rise of the open-plan living, gentle blends of rose and gold touches, mix-and-match decors, eclectic traveler and boho chic aesthetics, 3D gallery walls, and other suave home features, some of which will stay in vogue in 2017. Nevertheless, in addition to the trending features, the year to come will bring along a few new design tendencies to help house-proud homeowners dial up the visual game in their nests. Here are five of the biggest trends we’ll be seeing more of in the year to come:

1. Upholstered Headboards for Snug Dreams:

Upholstered headboards entered the home decor scene through the back door in the past few years, infusing chic bedrooms with an extra dose of interest and comfort. The popularity of cute tufted headboards will persist in 2017, pushing minimalist timber bed frames out of style.

This is such a simple way to add a dose of glamour and elegance to the bedroom. Upholstered bed frames will rock neutral hues, dramatic buttons, and sumptuous fabrics such as velvet or plush for vintage aesthetics and first-rate comfort.

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2. Spare Hours Lulled in Mother Nature’s Lap:

Natural materials were a huge hit among interior designers over the past couple of years and it looks like the trend will stick around for at least one year longer. Natural stone and wood will remain on trend in stylish homes in 2017, but this year around, they’ll be topped by cork panels and unexpected combinations starring metal and sensitive materials. Cork will climb up stylish home office walls, providing a blank (and noise-proof) canvas for creative wall art experiments and note-pinning sprees.

At the same time, rattan, bamboo, leather, and fur will conquer suave living areas, instilling the modern home with a dose of style au naturale.

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3. A Nod to Bygone Eras and Dreamy Designs:

In 2017, vintage, shabby chic, and boho interiors will remain on trend, but they’ll be joined by a few more time-honored designs, such as mid-century modern, Victorian, and classic décor. For a touch of old-school charisma, you can update the living room following in retro footsteps, and if you want to tweak the bedroom to get the biggest stylistic bang for your buck, you may want to check this out and use expert cues to dial up the boudoir visuals and overall home aesthetics.

In case you want to pay tribute to the more rugged among time-tested home styles, you can infuse your nest with rough-looking extras such as animal hides, furs, and reclaimed wood.

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4. Revamped and Re-Imagined Color Palette:

As for the trending hues in the season ahead, Pantone has already rolled out their tonal picks for spring and summer, branding green as the color of the year 2017. Versatile, vigorous, and trans-seasonal, textiles and accessories in bright green will fit in natural-inspired decors and liven up a minimalist home with a dose of playful contrast and unexpected tonal accents.

Other colors that will sneak into stylish living areas in the year ahead will include terracotta, brown, grey, and dark blue, along with a nod to jewel tones which will be used as accents to rev up visual interest and add vibrancy to the room.

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5. Stainless Steel for a Dose of Stylistic Chill:

Although the focus of designers’ attention in the year to come will rest on mix-and-match decor formulas and creative reinterpretations of classic designs, modern materials will still have their rightful place in a 2017 home. Stainless steel and original combinations of metallic surfaces such as bronze, brass, copper, wrought iron, and brushed aluminum will help define a well-grounded framework for textural and tonal experiments. A subtle way to add a note of contemporary chill to top-notch homes, stainless steel and metal finishes will help maintain aesthetic balance and keep the visual scale snugly secured halfway between vintage fluff and 21st-century industrial.

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Other up-and-coming trends we can expect to see in the year ahead include a growing affection for natural fiber and coarse textiles, the return of farmhouse and country style, the rise of luxury furnishings and retro-inspired pieces such as mantelpieces, fire pits, all-wood deck furniture, and a slow comeback of the traditional closed room layout.

Judging by the looks of it, the year ahead will be marked by quite a few awe-inspiring interior designs, so if you’re looking to doll up your home any time soon, make sure you keep an eye out for new trends and add a few fresh decor pieces to take the look of your home from dull to fab. Good luck!

^^^ Thank you so much to Chloe for treating lifewithlilred to this post!! -Sarah

Loft Unicorn Sweater

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Loft Unicorn Sweater

Heyyy everyone and happy Thursday! I feel like such a dummy because I forgot one of my absolute favorite presents that I received from my mom in the Best Of My Holiday Haul. My mom and I love shopping at Loft and in early December, the most darling sweater was featured in their holiday ads that we were thumbing through. It was a deep navy blue and had an outline of a unicorn stitched in the middle with baby blue thread. I expressed my love for it to my beloved mother and the sneaky devil must have ordered it shortly after! Take a look:

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So. Cute!

One thing that I really love are fun and unique sweaters. It is so easy to get lost in the blah of constant cable knit that one might simply forget that there is so much more in the world of sweaters. As one of my favorite 60 degrees and below weather staples, I am always on the lookout for new sweaters to add to my collection. I love fun colors, patterns, and pictures and I think that this unicorn stitched sweater is just perfect! Thank you so much for such an amazing gift, mom. I LOVE YOU!! ❤

Loft has more adorable animal sweaters in store and online but bear in mind that they run very large. The sweater pictured above is an extra small so it might be wise to size down so you’re not swimming in it!

My new Loft Unicorn Sweater is one of my favorites and I have already worn it twice since receiving it on Christmas! Who went to an ugly sweater party this year? What is one of your favorite sweaters in your wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Best Of My Holiday Haul

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Best Of My Holiday Haul

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! I hope this holiday season brought you lots of fabulous goodies and some amazing quality time with your family and friends. This Christmas brought me a great big holiday haul thanks to celebrating with two families (mine and my boyfriend’s) and my best friend. I won’t bore you with featuring all of my prezzies but here are a few of my favorites from my holiday haul! Take a look:

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The Haul:

  • Arturo Chiang heels from my sister
  • Thug Kitchen cookbook from my sister’s boyfriend
  • Philosophy bubble bath, a stuffed bunny, and plaid gloves from my boyfriend

What I Like About You:

Arturo Chiang Heels: My sister spoiled me rotten with these shoes!! Kristen knows that I love all things footwear and I told her I needed one more pair for an empty space on my shoe wall. She took this need to heart and picked out a perfect pair for me in my favorite color – black! I was so excited about these because I was looking at a pair of perforated heels from TJMaxx and didn’t end up buying them but I like my gifted pair so much more! I am so happy to add my Arturo Chiang heels to my shoe wall arsenal and can’t wait to stomp it out in them once the weather warms up.

Thug Kitchen: Finally, someone sees me for the thug that I truly am! My sister’s boyfriend, Ramon, gave me this cookbook along with a Starbucks gift card and I thought that it was so thoughtful. Ramon is one of my best friends and I really appreciated that he picked out something that I actually really like – an all vegetarian cookbook doused in profanity! Thug Kitchen is filled with amazing vegetarian dishes and is freaking hysterical. Not that I would expect anything less from a cookbook that is subtitled “Eat Like You Give a Fuck”!!

Boyfriend Presents: As always, my Kyle spoils me during gift giving occasions and this Christmas was no exception. Among a huge haul of gifts from him, my bath wash, bunny, and gloves are some of my favorites. I love Philosophy products but I would never buy them for myself so I am so excited to use my Vanilla Birthday Cake scented body wash, especially because my favorite fragrance is anything vanilla!

There is actually a cute little story behind my blushing pink stuffed bunny. I have been begging Kyle to get me a real rabbit for Christmas since the beginning of the year but unfortunately, my mom is not on board with the idea. So for now, the stuffie will do but it definitely doesn’t beat the real thing! And finally, I adore my new gloves. The gift shop at Kyle’s restaurant has new variations of these gloves every year and I loved the black and maroon pairs that he got me last Christmas. But I think that this plaid pair is even better! I love the colors and the bow that goes across the wrist is too cute. 🙂

This is just a tiny peek at my holiday haul and I am so thankful for everything that I received this year as well as the time spent with my loved ones. So special shout out to them for making my Christmas one of the best yet!

So there you have it, the Best Of My Holiday Haul! What did you guys score this holiday season? Did you receive anything that you were madly in love with or ehh not so much? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hello everyone and happy happy Thanksgiving to everyone!! I’ll keep this post short and sweet because I am sure all of you have some driving, cooking, and HELLA eating to do! I just wanted to wish everyone the happiest of Thanksgivings today and a most wonderful holiday season. All of my readers and blogging friends already know how thankful I am for each and every one of you but I will say it again: I’M THANKFUL FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. Thank you for always offering me your support, kind words, and friendship!

Have an amazing day and don’t get too down on yourself if you have to unbutton your pants button or add a few more notches to your belt! As always, I plan on going hard this Thanksgiving and hope everyone does the same! What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? What is your favorite holiday tradition? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: The Travel Tag Edition

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Monday Update: The Travel Tag Edition

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! I haven’t done any of the fun tags and awards that I have been nominated for for awhile but when my super cute friend K.M. tagged me for the Travel Tag, I had to give it a go! I am hopefully crossing the ocean in the spring of 2017 to the UK for a graduation gift to myself so travel has been on my mind constantly. Before you read my answers to K.M.’s travel themed questions, please be sure to check out her wonderful blog at Ankhor You! I love chatting with K.M. via comments and Facebook and I am sure all of you will adore her just as much as I do!

Q & A:

You are leaving tomorrow to start a life in a new country, where would you go?

FRANCE!! Mais, oui. I have been studying French since high school and I am nowhere near fully fluent but I am very dedicated to becoming so. I love everything about France – the people, culture, language, food, scenery – EVERYTHING. So, needless to say, if you don’t hear from me in a while, just know that I have packed up and gone away to France.

You can take someone for a weekend away to the place you had the best holidays ever, where would that be and who would you take to go with you?

Hmmm…Since a weekend isn’t a very long time, I would probably spend the weekend with my sister at Cedar Point. Cedar Point is about two hours away from yours truly and my sister and I both love amusement parks so I can totally picture us staying in one of their hotels and having a big adventure weekend at the theme park. I have never been there during the Halloween season, either, so I think that that would be so much fun!

You can get married wherever you want to, your budget is limitless, what is your choice?

I hate to be redundant here but can somebody say “Paris”?

During your travels you can bring back home one animal as a pet, which one would you pick?

A MONKEY, A MONKEY, A LITTLE BABY MONKEY!!! While exploring the jungles in some far away, exotic country, I will befriend a tiny little monkey and have it come home with me. Its name will be Frank. 🙂

You can go back in time and relive one family trip, which one?

Oh, that’s easy. Definitely Universal Studios! My entire family is a big lover of amusement parks and we had the literal best time at Universal. Being at Harry Potter World was a dream come true and I would give anything to go back.

What is the first thing you would pack for a one year travel around the world?

Red lipstick and a year supply of hair dye.

What would your fantasy 100th birthday destination be and why?

Uhhh… I don’t really plan on making it to my 100th birthday?

During your travel you can learn one sport to become a pro, what would that be?

I would continue my figure skating education! I skated throughout my childhood and early teens and miss it very much!

I Nominate:

My Questions For You:

  1. Where are your top three places that you would like to travel?
  2. What is your favorite type of ethnic cuisine to eat?
  3. You get offered a plane ticket to a country of your choosing but you can only bring three items with you.Where would you go and what would your items be?
  4. What location does not appeal to you to travel to?
  5. Your BFF is a total adrenaline junkie and she has you pick between building an igloo in Antarctica, scaling Mount Everest, or zip lining one thousand feet over the jungle. What do you choose?
  6. Are you an over packer or an under packer when it comes to prepping for a vaca?
  7. Have you ever forgotten something totally essential while on vacation?
  8. What is your perfect vaca outfit?

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: The Travel Tag Edition! Thank you to my fabulous friend, K.M., for the nomination! How would you answer some of the questions that K.M. asked me? How would you answer some of the questions that I asked my nominees? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Reader Map Update

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Reader Map Update

Hi everyone and TGIF! As you guys know, I love keeping track of all of the fantastic readers that I have in over ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY FIVE different countries via a world map and push pins in my room. I haven’t posted an updated picture of my map in a while so I figured that there was no better time than the present since I broke the one hundred and sixty barrier. Take a look! And also enjoy my featured image photo which is a picture of my boyfriend’s dog, Karma! I love her big ol’ puppy smile SO much! :)))

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^^^ Hurray! Hurray!

I am so very thankful for all of my fabulous readers located from all of the different ends of the earth and I feel so proud every time I look at my reader map. It used to hang on display in my room but unfortunately, the wire that runs across the back of the board snapped months ago and both my dad and I have yet to address it. Every time it gets brought up, the classic phrase “I’ll do it later” comes up but rest assured that it is propped up on a very special place on my floor. 😉

I hope everyone is having a great day so far! Stay tuned for some new posts coming from my vacation cabin in North Carolina! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any big plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Two Year Blogiversary

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Two Year Blogiversary

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day!! As you might have guessed judging by the title of this post, IT’S MY TWO YEAR BLOGIVERSARY! That’s right, lifewithlilred has been a thing for two years as of today and I am just pleased as PUNCH! Thank you so much to all of my readers, followers, commenters, and friends in the blogging world. Lifewithlilred would be nothing without all of you! Without the wonderful support that lifewithlilred has received, I doubt that I would have even made it to the two year mark so THANKS A LOT!!!!!

❤ HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY TO ME!!! ❤

Fall Guest Bloggers Series Conclusion

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Fall Guest Bloggers Series Conclusion

Hello everyone! Sarah here to bring this fall guest bloggers series to a close. I want to thank all of my fantastic friends who contributed an article to the series. This week full of fall fun on lifewithlilred was a huge success because of you! Thank you for sharing with the world all of your tips, tricks, and secrets to keep us looking and feeling fabulous this fall. All of my guest bloggers featured in this series will always have a home on lifewithlilred if they so choose so I’m sure you will be seeing more from them in the future!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Much love. -Sarah