Thrifty Thursdays:Kristin's DIY Framed Song Lyric Art

It's a DIY themed edition of Thrifty Thursdays with guest blogger Kristin Haus, of the blog Polish & Pepper, sharing how to make beautiful wall decor with song lyrics. 

My guest contributor for the Thrifty Thursdays feature today is Kristin Haus. Kristin is the blogger and creator of polish and pepper, a style blog dedicated to all things fashion and beauty. In my opinion, Kristin serves as a liason between my Pinterest and the real world. So often, I pin certain outfits, makeup ideas, and accessories that are drool-worthy, yet unattainable. Kristin makes such pins a reality by offering tips and tricks to create beautiful looks that are "pin worthy." Not to mention, this chick finds such staple items at a bargain price. If there's a sale anywhere, Kristin will be sure to find it. The DIY love lyric sign she shares with us today, like all other things Kristin creates, cute yet affordable.

Kristin and her hubby, Derek, have been married for over 4 years, and have been together for over 8. They are a super fun couple. Just look at their Halloween picture below... I mean that is obviously a couple who brings the fun wherever they go.

The "Incredible" Couple
Derek and Kristin
Halloween, 2013

Kristin recently decided to preserve the lyrics from her wedding song "Lucky" into a beautiful  framed, statement piece in her home.  In the step-by-step tutorial below, Kristin shows us just how she made her lyric art. 

"You’ll need some white cardstock (for printing the verses of your song) that’s 8.5×11, a solid color for the letters, and a printed cardstock for the background. You’ll also need scissors, scrapbook stickers or glue, and a shadowbox frame (you can also use a regular frame. I did a square 10×10 version from JoAnn Fabrics."

"I googled the lyrics to our wedding song, 'Lucky' by Jason Mraz and Colbie Calliat, and copied and pasted them into Photoshop in an 8×8 inch document and played around with the font type. I then continued to paste the lyrics over and over until I filled the space. You want the letters to go right to the edges of the white paper."

"After printing, I used my Cricut paper cutter to get clean edges, but you can use scissors, too. Just make sure you trace lines with a ruler first."

"I then traced the shape of the cardboard insert from the frame onto the back of my printed paper and cut it out as well. It should measure 10×10 inches so it will show from beneath the lyrics. I drew and cut out our initials and a heart from the red cardstock and assembled everything using my scrapbook stickers."

"And then put it into the frame. I also bought a little easel so it could sit up on a shelf."

"Not only is this adorable, but I also got to relive our wedding day. Reading the words to our wedding song brought back all those memories of the day I decided to spend my life with someone, and that’s something I’ll never forget!"

Kristin and Derek Haus
Wedding Day: September 9, 2009
Martha's  Orchard, Indianapolis

Thanks Kristin for sharing such a beautiful and easy to follow project! With Valentine's day coming up,  this would make the perfect "love gift" for that special someone. It would also be a great gift for best friends or parents. I would print out the lyrics to a song that reminds me of them & add their initials over it. For instance, if I were to make one for Kristin, I would use the song lyrics from "You Can't Stop the Beat" from the Broadway-show Hairspray. Whenever Kristin and I get together, we put on full out musical performances.

Kristin and I in the car (where we do all our best singing)
Indianapolis, Summer 2013

 Below is your daily dose of inspiration. Create a great Thursday everyone! 

To follow Kristin and her Polish & Pepper Blog: Check out the Polish & Pepper website & Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, & Printerest. 

*Now you can follow me on BlogLovin' for a daily email notifying you of that day's topic. 

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page .

* Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Weekend Adventures: Creating Morning Bliss

This Sunday morning, I woke up feeling overwhelmed by the day ahead. I knew I had a lot of things in which I needed to get done today and anxiously wondered where I should even begin. So what did I do first? I laid in bed, spending a few more moments before reality was forced to strike. I lazily began to scroll down my Twitter Feed, where I came across an article from Mind Body Green titled; "5 Life-Changing Ways to Start Your Day."

 Now it is rare that I ever click on a link to an article on Twitter, but I clicked on this one. I knew that this article would serve as a reality check for just how much my "not so great" morning habits were impacting my day. 

To be honest, when I awake each morning and instinctively grab my phone, I get a subconscious feeling that this is not my best choice for starting my day. But because of habit, I have ignored it.  The article, however, did not:

So what happens when we fill this soft, vulnerable time with the loud sounds of the electronic world? And I'm not talking only about literal sound. I'm referring to the soundless chatter that emanates from scrolling through Facebook and absorbing the images and words of other people's lives; the silent cry of news stories that scream the latest tragic headlines onto your screen; the boiling up of feeling that churns from reading a friend's response to the email you sent last night; the rise and fall of self-esteem as you learn about news from work.

As we awake from our sleep, we are in our most vulnerable state. Therefore, by  beginning each day by scrolling through my Newsfeed on Facebook, for example,  whatever comments I am reading are the first words that break the silence between sleep and starting my day. 

From this day forward I plan to break the morning silence with feel good vibes. This is not some major declaration that I will rid myself of the smartphone. In fact, I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t check my email over breakfast. But what I do plan to do from now is begin each day with an energizing, "feel good" music playlist, rather than by reading a political rant on Facebook. 

The same effort can be made towards your morning commute. How do you spend your time headed to work? Is it by blasting angry talk radio? Or maybe you spend your morning drive by returning phone calls that you don't really want to return? Or perhaps you are you catching up with your bestie, while she tells you about her horrible date she had last night (I'm sure I have negatively impacted someone's morning with this phone call in the past. Sorry Jackie!) 

I thoroughly believe that music can create the most positive vibes towards your day. For nearly two years, I taught a 5am spinning class at the gym, and my class continued to come back each Monday (Yup, MONDAYS!) for the awakening, feel good music playlist.

And so I have created an energizing and blissful morning playlist for you to break the silence between sleep and your day

I have arranged the playlist, so that it doesn't "shock you." It begins with some calming/feel good type of music and then slowly heads into some faster, uplifting beats. From Hall and Oates to Nappy Roots to B.o.B, I think there is a little something on there for everyone. Not to mention, its includes two past Friday Favorites: Ashley Sofia and J.Lye, who are pretty fly. 

Spotify Playlist: Morning Drive
Account #1244030766 (Lindsay Opper)

Create a great weekend everyone! Below is a daily dose of inspiration in honor of starting your workweek with a good mindset tomorrow morning. 

Photo Courtesy of:Tory Stone

*Now you can follow me on BlogLovin' for a daily email notifying you on each post's topic. 

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page .

* Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Thrifty Thursdays: Afternoon "Pick-Me-Ups"

I am so excited to have finally found a substitute to that heavily desired, Starbucks latte I crave around 2pm each day. Its not only 1/4^th  the cost, its also 1/4^th  the calories.

Creatively Lu

This homemade coffee is easy to make, costs nearly nothing, and despite the lack of calories it certainly does not lack any of the flavor. 

So How do you Make this Beautiful, Frothy Coffee? 

Creatively Lu

Ingredients for Wellness Mama's Healthy Coffee Recipe:

• 1 cup of coffee (keurig or brewed), or an herbal tea
• 1 T. of coconut oil  (feel free to use more, especially if you choose to leave out the butter)
• 1 t. of unsalted butter (preferably organic)
• ½ t. of vanilla extract
• ½-1 packet of Truvia*

*I also really like Sugar in the Raw or a few drops of honey

Brew Your Coffee (or tea)

I like to buy my Keurig pods at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.
There is a large selection of flavors, and they are offered in bulk at a steep discount. (I got my pack of 18 ct.Breakfast Blend Kerug pods  for $12.99).

If you do not have a Keurig, brew a pot of regular coffee or boil some hot water for a comforting mug of tea.
I  really enjoy this recipe with green tea. It tastes similar to a chai latte, while stimulating your metabolism and energizing your mind. Not to mention, green tea  is an excellent antioxidant, which is perfect for the Winter flu season ahead. 

Blend it all together 

• Pour your mug of coffee or tea into a blender. Add in the coconut oil, butter, Truvia, and vanilla.
• Turn Blender to the "whip" setting & whip for 20 seconds or until frothy (or any high speed settingworks).
• A Single Serve Blender like the Magic Bullet or Oster, My Blend Personal 20 oz blender that my friend Amanda gave me last Christmas works great and provides an ever easier clean up. 

Feel Energized and Renewed

With this afternoon pick-me-up you will feel renewed and ready to  lead a  more productive day. It may even make you kinder to co-workers, and whoever else you have the pleasure of gracing with your presence that day. And if nothing else, it'll get you one step closer to that holy weekend.

Pinterest.com

Coffee Shop Talk 

I think that coffee shops are a great place to go once or twice a week as a treat. I go there most Sundays to work on the blog and always enjoy a latte or tea, while I'm there. However, the recipe above tastes just as good and will save you lots of money and calories. Use it as a "most days" cup of joe, and save the coffee shop for special occasions. 

Sleeping Beauty

If you still feel that you hit that afternoon rut this may have a lot to do with your sleeping habits.No matter what you got going on, it is essential to make rest your priority:

• Stick with a routine: Try, as best as you can, to keep a steady bedtime and wake-up time. You can even set a daily reminder in your phone that it's time to start to wind down. 
• The idea is that you're creating a habit that the body then wants to stick to, so it tells you that it's tired at the chosen time- Huffington Post
• Keep technology out of the bed.:Those lit up screens found on your iPhone, laptop, and even Kindle will keep your mind stimulated and suppresses the sleep-producing hormone melatonin, keeping you wide-awake for hours to come. 
• Make your bedroom your sanctuary. Light relaxing candles, play the Spotify Unwind Playlist, do a Night Time Yoga routine, whatever you need to do to get into the sleep mode. 
• "Pencil in" your exercise just like any other appointment in your calendar.
•  Find a time to exercise that makes you feel re-energized, and in which you can continue to block out in your calendar. 
• I find that working out between 5:30-6:30pm gives me the best night's sleep; any later, and I'm wide awake all night. I listen to my body; if I haven't worked out yet and its already past 6:30 that night, I know that it is better to choose sleep over a workout.

An Energizing Playlist

 Below is a heart-pumping, energizing playlist that you can listen to on my Spotify account (Lindsay Opper) when working out or simply when you need an afternoon pick-me-up.

Photo Courtesy of: Amanda Bucci
Pretty Lights Concert, Fall 2013

As a spinning instructor and personal trainer with over 4 years of experience, I am excited to share my music playlists with you. I have thousands of songs that I have tested out on both and clients, along with myself, and I know which really push you to perform better.

If you guys are looking for similar health posts, along with full, workout plans, get ready for "Tone it Tuesday's" s debuting in January! Below is your daily dose of inspiration...

Photo Courtesy of Caitie Sprague
Grand Canyon, Fall 2013

I hope you all create an energized-filled Thursday! 

Weekend Adventures: Unwind Edition

Weekends during December  are often reserved for stressful holiday shopping, but it is even more  important during all this chaos to reserve a little "me" time. 

Sometimes unwinding can mean reserving a Sunday night to do nothing. Finding the time to slowly relish your mug of hot cocoa by sipping it slowly and lazily flipping through a magazine, enjoying your favorite novel, or maybe even just "pinning" on Pinterest like a BOSS.

 Pinterest

By "reserving" a spot in your house, or even at the local coffee shop or yoga class, where you know you can go to relax, you can consciously make an effort to take time out for you. Recently, I have begun taking baths for my me-time. And by lighting a special candle reserved for bath time, putting 10 drops of lavendar into the tub, and having a "go to" Pandora playlist, I can consciously create a little nest specific to relaxing.

Pinterest

So find an hour or so out of your weekend to do something that is relaxing for you, create your little relaxing nest, and get on with doing nothing. I have aso made you a Spotify "Unwind" playlist that you can access by "following" it on my Spotify account Lindsay Opper (1244030766).

Candle picture: courtesy of the Wellness Warrior. 

. Below is your weekend dose of inspiration. Create a great weekend everyone!

Photo Courtesy of the beautiful Tory Stone

*To follow the Creatively Lu posts daily,  "like" the FB page 
 Follow @Creatively Lu on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Friday Favorites: J Lye

One of my favorites as of late is the incredibly gifted Julien Paul. Julien goes by the artist name J. Lye and comes from the Boston area and is a graduate of Boston University.

 I discovered J. Lye thanks to the beautiful & talented Ashley Sofia, who was last week's Friday Favorite. Julien sang on the track "If We Really Try"with Ashley and they filmed the music video here in Boston.

"If We Really Try" is one of my all time favorite songs. There is just something so easy-going and pure about the song that you find yourself naturally moving along to it, only after coming to realize that you have been continuously hitting replay. 

My ears definitely perked up the first time I heard Julien rap. As his first verse begins, you can feel his words unfold into a story so crisp and controlled, while he still manages to spit some serious game. Since then, I have been listening to J. Lye’s other songs from his YouTube Channel and loving everything I've found.

One of my favorites, "City on my Back" might as well be Boston's anthem. I dare you to listen to it, without finding the need to turn it up and cruise with your windows down. I definitely find myself going harder on the elliptical when I hear "I got a city on my back, I'll never let it fall. We riding to the top and Ima never let it stall. Put the city on my cap. Boston on the map. I bring it to the light every single time I rap…” The lyrics can’t help but make you want to put on a Boston jersey and maybe even rap a little, as evidenced in my Tweet that I sent out while listening to this song the other night...

While I've decided to remain "Creatively" Lu for now, Julien is quickly making waves on the Boston music scene and beyond. This past summer, J. Lye was featured in Tosser Magazine as "One of the Top 50 People to Keep on Your Radar." His most recent accomplishment is winning a video contest in which KarmaLoopTV shot a music video for his song "Where'd You Go" f. Lisa Bello. And let me tell you, the track is out of control.

 "Where'd You Go" takes you on a trip down memory lane of lost love, which I think is  something everyone can relate to in one way or another. I guarantee you will be singing along to the chorus, and at the very least melting over Julien's smile in the video. 

Julien is an incredible rapper with an incredible soul and in just the few minutes I spent getting to know him, you can tell he is the real deal. So take a listen for yourself because believe me no one will be asking J. Lye where he went. His music is definitely here to stay.

*Reach out to J. Lye via his  website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Friday Favorites: Ashley Sofia

The first post of the Friday Favorite series covers Miss Ashley Sofia, an incredibly talented folk/rock musician who is beautiful both inside and out. While she is a fellow Tri Delt and soul sister from another mister, I am featuring  her today because I am a huge FAN of her music. What makes Ashley stand out from the crowd of other younger singers is that she is an artist, first and foremost. She plays, sings, and writes all her own music, and this certainly contributes to as why her music feels so pure and soulful.

Ashley grew up in the Adirondacks and loves the outdoors.  I love following her on Instagram as she often snaps breathtaking views from her hikes. Her photos are featured in today's dose of inspiration.

Ashley  describes her songs as "poems set to music." Her new album, "Love and Fury" will be released in December. However, lucky for you, her first single "Judas" has already been released! I highly suggest that you take a listen to it. I guarantee you will find yourself randomly singing along..."You're my Judas, You're my Judas, Ju-Ju-Judas. Now I see straight through ya." (I may have been given strange looks in the grocery store once or twice).

Ashley is an incredible storyteller through music and I asked her to share with me what inspires her when writing such beautiful stories:

"As painful as it is to share songs that come from the depths of my soul, it's important that people know these stories are real. These songs have given me courage and hope and solace, and as my career has grown, I've learned that they've helped my fan friends too. These songs aren't just for me anymore. They're for you. I want people to realize that when they hear me sing- that we're in this together"

If you want to learn more about this incredible woman head over to her website here. Below are a few of Ashleys favorites.

Have a great Friday everyone! I know Ashley will, she has a sold out show tonight in Albany!

*If you can't get enough Ashley Sofia, a few of my other favorites include...

 If We Really Try, featuring J. Lye- Let Me Go, Hold Me Back-10 Song Mashup-Let Go