Last night, I took myself on a date to the spa. I’m usually pretty good at resisting the many deals and offers that roll through my Inbox, but when I saw Spot Spa’s spring detox special earlier this month, honest to God, I booked it the very next day…because I know a good deal when I see one.

This wonder of a package includes a lemon-infused foot soak and full-body dry brushing followed by a 60-minute massage. The kicker is that you get to take home a full-sized bottle of fancy body oil home with you—Weleda’s Birch Cellulite Oil or  Dr. Hauschka’s Lemon Lemongrass Body Oil (both cost around $30 at the co-op)—all for $150.

My practitioner Sarah was truly a down-to-earth delight. True to form, I asked lots of questions about beauty, health and wellness, including “what’s the proper technique for dry skin-brushing?” (I’ve been super intrigued since reading that it’s one of Miranda Kerr’s beauty secrets) and “is my going to kill me?” She had tons of good, honest input and sent me home with tons of tips and little nuggets of wisdom. Did I mention that she’s not afraid to dig really deep into those tensed-up, tender parts? Because she totally did, and I’m all the better for it. (Thank you Sarah!)

I left the spa feeling blissful, relaxed and deeply grounded, which is exactly what I was hoping for. And although I know $150 is nothing at all to sniff at, I felt like for what I got, that price is a fantastic value. The Spring Detox special is available at both Spot Spa locations now through June 15th. You have to call to book it…the number for the Northeast location is 612.331.4182 and the Uptown location can be reached at 612.823.spot. It feels good to treat yo self!

xo,

Meghan

Morning dolls!

How ’bout we start this week off with a fun giveaway? This gorgeous set of Style Me Vintage books is chock-full of handy tips, tricks and how-tos for creating authentic vintage looks from head to toe. And the winner of the giveaway is going to receive all three!

♥ The makeup manual walks you through creating iconic looks from the 1920s through the ’80s, and uses muses like Marilyn, Madonna, Audrey and Twiggy as guides. The photos are just lovely and the tutorials are clear and easy to follow. I love the bonus section on how to do period manicure styles at home!

♥ The hair guide breaks down styles like ’40s-era Victory rolls, Marilyn’s hot roller set and Brigitte’s classic beehive with step-by-step instructions. There’s even a section on accessorizing your hair with scarves—for cute!

♥ And last but not least, the clothes guide is an educational gem that drops all kinds of knowledge on dating vintage pieces, reading labels and buying for quality. Chapters define what shapes, influences and looks dominated each era, ranging again from the ’20s to the ’80s. Outfit photos that illustrate “informal” and “formal” looks from each decade are supplemented with shopping lists, which I found super helpful for shopping my own closet. I also found the accessorizing guides useful when trying to identify what time period some pieces of thrifted jewelry I own was from.

To enter to win all three books, simply leave a comment on this post telling me who your vintage style icons are. (Bonus entries awarded for tweets!) I’ll choose a winner on Thursday night and alert them before I leave town on Friday.

Best of luck dearies!

xo,

Meghan

{image source}

I watched the movie “Everything Must Go” today while I did a mega-purge of my thrifting room/office. It seemed fitting to watch a movie about a man who decides to sell off his life’s worth of possessions while I riffled and sorted through what seemed like an insurmountable amount of paperwork, receipts, clothes and STUFF.

The movie, based on a short story by Raymond Carver, stars Will Ferrell, so unsurprisingly, there are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments. But what I appreciated the most were the oh-so-accurate depictions of the crazies that rummage sales attract. You know, those people who hem and haw and haggle over the dinkiest 50-cent thing? If you’re a frequent rummage-r like me, you know exactly the kind of people I’m talking about. The flick also did an excellent job illustrating the liberation that can come from letting go of material possessions and extraneous clutter. I know I sure feel a lot lighter looking around my office now (three trips to the garbage can later) as opposed to this morning. And, the fact that the movie closes with one my favorite The Band songs was the icing on the cake. Anyway, I would definitely recommend watching it! You can see the trailer here; the movie’s also streaming now on Netflix.

Speaking of rummage sales, did any of y’all get out and hit the big neighborhood sales this weekend? I didn’t plan on going to any, but when I spotted a pretty floral upholstered chair in someone’s driveway while I was on my way home from Mighty Swell’s man sale, I had to pull a u-ey. I parked, walked to the sale, plopped down in the chair, felt satisfied, paid for it and hauled it back to my car in all of five minutes! Anyway, if you did get out there, what was your favorite find?

xo,

Meghan

{source}

♥ This plinko game creates poetry out of tweets from Fox News and the New York Times. Cool!

♥ Loving both of these summery cut-off makeovers. Since I live in dresses and cut-offs all summer long, jazzing up my shorts is probably a good idea.

♥ The vintage bathing beauty pics Cali Vintage dug up are so sweet.

♥ A toaster bag that turns out perfectly grilled cheese sammies? I need it!

♥ How did I not know about Retro Lush? Long may you live, Potion Lotion!

♥ I’ve been on a major chicken kick lately. Last week this super easy crispy cheddar chicken was a hit with my sweetie. This week, I’m living off to Iowa Girl Eats‘ mayo-less chicken salad. Bird’s the word this month, I guess!

♥ Anyone who’s suffered from a broken heart due to a vintage dress with a tiny waist will laugh at this.

♥ How completely charming are these pre-fab backyard office spaces?

xo,

Meghan

Since making this list this morning (which continued well onto the second page!), I’m proud to say I’ve crossed a good deal of my to-dos off, including doing my dishes, a task I successfully put off all weekend long. How were your Mondays? Sun-filled and productive, I’m hoping!

xo,

Meghan

P.S. If you’re sewing-savvy, check out the myriad of plastic-canvas how-to books on Etsy. There are so many kitschy cute projects out there!

In just two short weeks from today, I’ll be cruising down the highway somewhere in between Minneapolis and Kansas City with two of my best ladies. Our priorities for this trip are pretty straight-forward…thrift-store shopping and eating inappropriate amounts of barbecue. Since none of us has ever visited KC before, and since I know I have the smartest, most well-traveled readers, I thought I’d ask y’all for some tips. Do you know who has the best barbecue? Got leads on some dive bars we should for sure check out? Know of a vintage store I’d be remiss in skipping? What about thrifting? Where the heck should we go!? I’m all ears about it all, from hotels to shopping, barbecue joints to bars. While I wait for your recommendations to roll in, here are some musical gems about our destination for your ears.

Thank you SO MUCH in advance for your help!

xo,

Meghan

“What do you do with a lot of extra crepe paper from a photo backdrop? Make a bunting to hang in the windows, of course. This simple decor came together in a snap, and the crepe paper looks lovely when light shines through it.”—Rae

What You’ll Need

♥ Rolls of crepe paper in several complementary colors—we ordered ours through Papermart.
♥ Yarn (we used white)
♥ A stapler and staples
♥ A pair of scissors

How-to

1. Cut a 2-foot long piece of paper off of the roll and fold it in half length-wise. Cut down the fold, so now you have two pieces. Fold both of the pieces in half and lay them on top of each other. Now cut those pieces into 3-inch strips. Since I wasn’t measuring (and was in a hurry) my pieces were quite irregular, but I think this added to the charm of the bunting! Repeat with remaining colors so you have piles of strips in every color.

2. Grab your yarn and stapler and start making magic! Cut a piece of yarn the length you want your bunting to be. Slip a strip over the yarn and staple just under the yarn (this way your buntings can be moved and spaced out. If you want them fixed, staple your folded-over strip right onto the yarn.). Repeat with alternating colors and voila—you’re done!

Many thanks to Rae for walking us through it step-by-easy-step!

xo,

Meghan

P.S. Yesterday was a happy day for Karissah, winner of the Girls Got Rhythm fest ticket giveaway. There’s still time to get your tickets online; a limited number will be available at the door tonight and tomorrow.

I’ve recently become addicted to grown awfully fond of practicing hot yoga at a wonderfully friendly studio in Uptown called Moksha Yoga. While I absolutely LOVE what it’s been doing for my heinie and my insomnia, washing my gross, sweaty gear every other day was a time-consuming drag. I looked online for new clothes for about a minute-and-a-half, but when I saw $48 shorts and $108 hoodies, I almost fell out of my chair. So, I did what I always do. Went to the thrift store!

Since the idea of sweating my tatas off in clothes that have already been worn by some other broad skeeves me slightly, I hopped over to the underground Target (aka the Target Basement) at the downtown Salvation Army Family Store, which is, if you’re not familiar, filled with brand spankin’ new merchandise. As expected, I found exactly what I was looking for. From roll-over top yoga pants to super light running shorts to tops to T’s to sports bras to plus-sized gear, this place has got it all. And everything’s super sensibly priced!

Here’s what $45 (three dollars less than the aforementioned shorts!) bought me…

Two towels (so totally necessary for hot yoga), a neon pink sports bra (the only neon color I can tolerate), THREE pairs of shorts, a raspberry colored cropped sweatshirt and an extra-long baby blue hoodie (because I freeze on my way home from class if I forget a sweatshirt). The bonus part is that five of the eight items I came home with are PINK. Yesssss.

I’m set for a while, I think, right? Thrifting mission: complete.

Namaste y’all!

xoxo,

Meghan

P.S. There’s one more day to enter the Girls Got Rhythm Fest ticket giveaway. I’m picking the lucky winner tomorrow after 5 p.m.!

This giveaway will close at the end-of-day Wednesday, May 9th. To be eligible to win, you must be 21+ (youngsters there’s an all-ages show just for you on Sunday and tickets are just $10!) and willing and able to pick up the passes from me on Thursday, May 10th.

Best of luck y’all!

xoxo,

Meghan

xo,

Meghan

P.S. There’s a sweet little article & slideshow about the Summer of Dresses kick-off party in today’s Pioneer Press! Check it out if you’re interested…I promise I’m not that squint-y in real life. :-)