Friday Favorites:Favorite Consignment App- Poshmark

As many of you know, I love a good bargain. I’ve been dubbed a “Maxionista” by many friends and  salespeople and love the thrill of rummaging through a store to find the golden, bargain needle in the haystack. When I discover an amazing find,  I relish in the feeling of chills going up and down my spine and may even partake in a triumphant dance that rivals any touchdown celebration in the endzone.

But as much as I love a good find, I  love the thrill of consigning items even more.  So listen up, because I'm sure that many of you may have received some Christmas gifts that might not have been on your wishlist...

 I am quite a minimalist when it comes to my  closet. I have a few staple items for fashion category, such as 3 "go to" pairs of night-out jeans, my everyday jewelry pieces, and a few pairs of shoes. I like to feel good in what I wear and forget about the rest. It is such a good feeling to know that whatever you lay out to wear on the night before, will look good the next day.


After all, it is the worst feeling having to arrive late to work because you had to try everything on in your closet before you could find something that works. I would also argue that it is an even worse feeling to have to clean up said huge pile of clothes that evening when you return home.

Twice  a year, I partake in a major closet overhaul, in which I remove any pieces that I haven’t worn for a few months. I then try on those items and determine whether they are worth keeping. If I put on an item on and it’s just “blah,” I put it in the “don’t keep” pile. From this “don’t keep” pile I have donated many clothes to charity, as well as to some pretty happy friends. However, this past year, I have also made a pretty hefty sum of money by selling some of the clothes and accessories online. 

 By simply snapping a picture of the item I want to sell with my iPhone & uploading it onto the Poshmark app, I have made over $500 in clothes sales alone! The feeling of making money off an item that has just been sitting in your closet, is second to none. That's why I love the site Poshmark. 

Poshmark is a simple way to sell fashion from your iPhone or Android. You create a digital closet by snapping pictures of the items you wish to sell and listing each piece for whatever price you deem fit. Thousands of shoppers look through your digital closet and leave "likes" and comments on the items they are interested in. Once you have reached a negotiated price for your item, the interested buyer then purchases the item through a secure checkout on Poshmark. As the seller, you are then emailed a pre-paid, pre-addressed shipping label to package your sold item with. Once the package has been shipped and the buyer has confirmed that they have received it, Poshmark deposits your payment into your Poshmark account-balance.

I, myself, have made over $500 off Poshmark! Therefore, I wanted to share a tutorial on "how to list" your items, as well  as share a few, key tips for selling on Poshmark "like a Boss." 

I hope that you now feel prepared to make some extra cash by selling your unused items hanging in your closet on Poshmark. Pin these tips in order to ensure that you know how to Poshmark "like a boss." 

I am also very excited to report that there are some pretty amazing Friday Favorites coming up in the near future. So keep an eye out for those posts over the next couple of Fridays. Below is your daily dose of inspiration.

   

Create a great Friday and stay warm! 

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Thrifty Thursdays: DIY New Year's Vision Board

To me, New Year's resolutions feel like an abusive way to handle your goals. Perhaps this is because I worked as a personal trainer full-time, and saw many new faces enter the gym in January, never to return again in February. Or maybe it’s because I have seen many people, myself included, treat resolutions like a heavy weight that sits on one’s shoulders; fearful of that  haunting ticking time bomb that can be detonated at any point in the year.

To clarify, this is not because I don't think goals are important. In fact, I perceive goals as a core component to one's success. Resolutions are just an incomplete way for one to manage their goals. Instead,  goals must be clarified and continuously reinforced in order to carry out the life you seek from them.

 After all, if you wanted to build a house, I'm sure you wouldn't  simply lay down your bricks onto the grass surface. Instead, you need to create a plan and build a foundation for the bricks to rest upon. So consider a vision board a blueprint for your goals.

 Making Your Vision Board:

This step, in particular, has been a great way for me to really
 freely explore my creative side.

Cut out anything that makes you pause for a moment to say: “Oh I love that.” For now, don’t think about “why” or where you are going to place a certain picture, etc. 

 You may feel the need to organize all the pictures at first, or list out your goals alphabetically, but tune that feeling out. Soon you will be so wrapped up in the process.Just enjoy the process of cutting out the images. 

During this step, you may even be surprised to learn of something
 you would like to have happen this year, that you didn’t even know about. 

Now is the time, that if you want to write down your new year's resolutions to further clarify your goals, you can. Once your goals are understood, look through your pictures and choose which images connect with your 2014 intentions. 

Once all of your images and photos have been arranged in places that are aesthetically pleasing to you, apply a little glue to the back of each and secure them onto your board.

Displaying your Vision Board

Place your vision board in a place where you will see it every day. Such a visual reminder of your aspirations will not only hold you accountable, but will help to train your mind to develop more positive habits.

My Vision Board Process:

I hope you all create a wonderful Thursday and stay warm! Below is your daily dose of inspiration, inspired by attaining your goals. 

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Wordless Wednesdays: Looking Upward

"I avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward"-Charlotte Bronte
Photo Courtesy of: Tory Stone
Deer Crest Trail- Park City, Utah
December 31, 2013

Quote by: Edith Lovejoy Pierce
Photo courtesy of: Pinterest

For my special New Year's message to the Creatively Lu community: see yesterday's post. 

Create a great new year's!

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Take Out Tuesdays: Cocktails edition

New Years Eve is a time to celebrate the past events of 2013 and say cheers to the new.  We countdown the clock til midnight, enthusiastically ready for a new beginning. Maybe, you are looking for a fresh start on your journey to weight loss or are trying to get back into the dating world. Or perhaps you are simply hoping to place less money in the swear jar. Maybe you want to make a better effort towards being on time or  arrange a plan to travel the world...whatever your resolution is, you toast at midnight to "another go at it." 

My resolution is for Creatively Lu  to be a place for you to come to realistically achieve all that you want. I thoroughly believe that it is you, yourself, who withholds the power to do great things. Every single moment up to now has prepared you for better moments to come.

Creatively Lu is a creative outlet for you to come to feel inspired to make ordinary things extraordinary. 

On Mondays, this means taking one of your routine meals and adding a little more oomph to it.  That being said, I don't expect any of us to debone ducks and become Julia Childs every night for dinner. This January, I will dedicate "Make it Monday" to easy, healthy meals. Meals in which are easy to store, can brown-bagged for lunch, and are freezer friendly. I want you to better your life this upcoming year and so I want the meals to feel as easy as picking up takeout. 

Starting next Tuesday, I will be running January's "Tone It Tuesdays" series, in which I will cover healthy workout plans, energy-boosting playlists, and other healthy tips. 

The Wordless Wednesdays series  will continue to share inspiring photos. These photos are chosen  and shared by the Creatively Lu community. So please continue to message me on the Creatively Lu FB page, tweet @Creatively Lu on Twitter, and email me: creativelylu@yahoo.com. Photos will be shared on the Creatively Lu Instagram account every Wednesday at 3pm. 

Thursdays will remain Thrifty Thursdays with DIY crafts, beauty routine tips, and other helpful, thrifty tips. 


 





Friday Favorites will continue to feature interviews with some of my favorite companies, musicians, blogs, people etc. I will also devote one Friday a month to a list of my favorite things such as beauty products. 

The weekends will remain Weekend Adventures with tips on how to unwind and fully create a beautiful life in your downtime. And as always, every post will end with an inspirational quote. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year's  filled with lots of celebrating. Below are some healthy drinking tips for your New Year's party tonight, as well as a Champagne Mojito recipe perfect to make up with your leftover champagne.

Cheers to a healthy and happy New Year! Tonight, I will be toasting to you all! Below is your daily dose of inspiration...

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Make It Mondays: Champagne Countdown Cupcakes

Printer-Friendly Recipe

Whether sipping on mimosas at a baby shower or toasting to a fabulous New Year with champagne flutes, champagne is synonymous with celebrating.  This New Year's, I wanted to take celebrating with champagne to the next level, by incorporating it as an ingredient for baking. From the frosting to the cupcake itself, I added in hints of champagne. The cupcakes are absolutely delicious and are very light. They have a smooth, very pleasant original cupcake taste with hints of orange and sweet Champagne.And to kick your New Year decor up a notch, I organized the cupcakes in the shape of a clock, as a sweet way to count-down to 2014.

 

Champagne Cupcakes, adapted from Party Bluprints, Inc.

Yields: 24 cupcakes

2 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3/4 cups of unsalted butter (melted)

1/2 cup of sugar*

3 eggs

1 cup of honey

1/2 cup of OJ*

3/4 cups of champagne

1 teaspoon of grated orange zest*
cupcake tins*

*I used Sugar in the Raw

*I used Simply Orange-no pulp

*I used Stellina di Notte Prosecco. It cost $9.99 and comes in a gorgeous bottle.

*Take an orange (with the peel still on), and with a cheese grater, grate the orange until you have 1 teaspoon worth of orange zest
* I used gold foil cupcake tins. 

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, powder, & salt). Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed, gradually adding in the butter. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Next, add the honey, OJ, and champagne. 
On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl until well combined.
Fold in the orange zest.

Pour batter evenly into the cupcake tins. Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes at 350˚F, or until golden brown. 

Champagne Frosting

6 cups of powdered sugar

1/2 cup of unsalted butter (melted)

3 Tablespoons of Champagne

6 Tablespoons of Orange Juice

1 Tablespoon of Orange Zest*

*Take an orange (with the peel still on), and with a cheese grater, grate the orange until you have 3 tablespoons worth of orange zest.

In a large mixing bowl, whip together all of the ingredients at medium speed. 

Clock Countdown Arrangement

Champagne Cupcakes

Champagne Frosting

Gold Foil Cupcake Tins

Gel Icing

2 Twizzlers*

*For the clockhands, you can also use pretzel rods, pieces of cardboard or whatever you have lying around in the house.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, spread frosting onto the cupcakes. 
Write the numbers 1-12  with gel icing or print out numbers & insert paper into each cupcake with a toothpick.
On a large serving platter, align the cupcakes like a clock. 
Use a Twizzler stick for the large clockhand; for the  small clock-hand, cut a Twizzler stick in half. 

I hope you all enjoy the Champagne Countdown cupcakes. Even if you cannot find the time to decorate the cupcakes, the cupcakes are delicious stand-outs on their own.

Create a great New Year's everyone! Below is your dose of inspiration, inspired by New Year's.

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