Monthly Archives: November 2011

three quick & easy diys, present-toppers edition

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Is it wrong if I want to skip actually shopping for presents this year and skip ahead to the part when I spend an entire evening listening to Christmas music and wrapping them up all cute? The trio of gift-toppers featured below can all be made mostly with materials you can find easily at, where else…your local thrift store!

♥ These Monopoly tags, c/o Glossary, give new life to a vintage game that was missing some pieces.

 ♥ Personalize a prezzie with a yarn-wrapped pipe-cleaner letter or go all out and do the lucky recipient’s name. Once the gift’s unwrapped, these would make great ornaments. (Idea c/o  giddy giddy.)

♥ File this under why-didn’t-I-think-of-this: Dyed paper doilies, c/o Blue Eyed Freckle. How sweet would a single poof be atop a package? Very, I say.

Ahh, now all I want to do is sit around and wrap gifts! Fortunately, I do have some crafting action of my own going on tonight…working on this Saturday’s limited edition Mighty Swell giveaway. It’s going to be so tight…I can’t wait to share it with y’all!

xo,

Meghan

heads up: mighty swell’s holiday kick-off is tomorrow

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Rae and I spent all day decking the halls at Mighty Swell, in preparation for our sale tomorrow. Our electricity bill is going to be through the roof this next month–so. many. twinkle. lights! If you’re in town, stop by between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow and enjoy 20 percent savings on everything in store in honor of Small Business Saturday. We’ll have coupons from our neighbors Chris and Rob’s (spend $20 and get a free Chicago dog or hamburger!) and our friends Tim and Thom, owners of the super cute boutique You and Me, who have generously offered all our customers a coupon for one free basic alteration. Both are such fabulous deals, I can’t get over it. All right, now that I’ve got my shameless plug in, I’m off to hop in the shower, nuke some Thanksgiving leftovers and head down to First Avenue to see my honey sing at The Replacements tribute show. Since he’s retired from rocking full-time, I never take for granted any chance to see him perform.

xo,

Meghan

happy thanksgiving!

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Just popping in to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving! I hope you’re  having a relaxing holiday, filled with food, friends, family, family friends and friends that are family. I’m spending mine at home cooking with my love. We’ve got a feast in the works…honey-glazed ham and ham gravy, potato-squash mash, green beans, pineapple casserole (my favorite favorite favorite!), spinach salad, shrimp cocktail, mac and cheese and his grandma’s pumpkin mousse pie for dessert. I’m so thankful to spend the day at my favorite place (home) with my favorite person (and my awesome pets). Oops, timer’s a’buzzin’…wishing you beautiful days!

xo,

Meghan

product plug: woolite’s dry cleaner’s secret

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I’m terrible at a lot of things. Getting my dry cleaning out of my house and to the cleaners being one of them. Fortunately, I was recently introduced to a fabulous Woolite product, “Dry Cleaner’s Secret.” Unlike Dryel, which I’ve had so-so luck with and requires you to use an annoying bag, Dry Cleaner’s Secret is basically a wet dryer sheet with stink-busting super powers. Toss one into the the dryer along with one to five dry-clean only garments, and 20 minutes later you’re set to go. Funky thrift-store smells = totally gone! Clothes with stains and specialty items like leathers, velvets, suedes and furs will still need to go to the cleaners, but for things that just need a simple quick freshening, this is my new jam. Deal-seekers can get a free sample of the stuff by filling out this form (and attaching a recent dry-cleaning receipt), printing out a coupon for it here or you could be like me, and mooch a couple packets off your mom. (Thanks Mom!) In Minnesota,  it’s available at Wal-Mart, Cub Foods, Menards and K Mart…you can find locations in your area here.

xo,

Meghan

from grandma ella’s recipe box: sloppy joes

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Something you should know about me: I could read recipes all the live-long day. Another thing you should know about me: I absolutely love projects, especially ones that require sorting or better yet, alphabetizing. So yesterday, when my mom pulled out two huge recipe boxes full of my grandma Ella’s recipes, and asked me to categorize them all, I was pretty much in heaven.

I came across a lot of old favorites from growing up, including this one for Sloppy Joes, aka one of my most beloved comfort foods.

It makes a batch large enough to feed a small army, but it freezes like a dream. I remember eating this at Grandma’s on a homemade whole wheat bun, with raw veggies, ripple chips and dip. And now I’m hungry.

xo,

Meghan

weekend road trip

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Since I’ll be working Thanksgiving weekend at the shop, I’m heading home today to squeeze in a little family time. I’m looking forward to bundling up and walking along the beach, a lunch date with my momma at our favorite soda fountain (I dream of their chicken salad sammy & mocha malts), buying way too much wine and homemade frozen marinara sauce at Tenuta’s, breakfasting at this amazing little dive, digging through my mom’s recipe box for a fun giveaway Rae and I have planned for the Dec. 10th sale and of course, thrifting as much as my bank account will allow. Hitting all the stores I used frequent in my younger days brings back so many good, fun memories I seriously am so excited. Fingers crossed I’ll have tons of good finds to share with you all next week. In the meantime, have wonderful weekends!

xo,

Meghan

heads up: second debut’s fur sale

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Just as winter’s icy chill starts to set, Goodwill offshoot Second Début is busting out their impressive collection of fur for a special sales event. According to general manager Kathy Cahlander, the 50+ pieces range in era from the ’50s to the ’90s, and every single one has been inspected and vetted by an expert from Rebnick’s Furs. “The quality control is excellent,” Cahlander promises. “Every piece is pretty fabulous.” Highlighted items include vintage shearling jackets, full-length furs, mink wraps, mink-trimmed swing coats, fur headbands and fox-fur cropped jackets. Prices range from $20 all the way on up to $400. Cahlander advises that shoppers get to the store early, as folks “come from all over” to shop this sale. You can find store hours and location info here.

Happy shopping!

xo,

Meghan