About highplainsthrifter

Thrift-store shopper. Lives in & loves South Minneapolis. Blonde. Picture taker. Road trip enthusiast. Likes making things. Proud WI native. Classic rock is my favorite. So are nachos.

up for adoption: my little stray love

Posted on April 5, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that last week, I found the sweetest baby kitty roaming around my veggie garden. Unable to take her in, I brought her to Vicki, a volunteer with Feline Rescue, a St. Paul-based no-kill organization, devoted to helping stray, abandoned and abused kitties. In just a week’s time, Vicki’s had our little four-month-old girl spiffed up at the vet and spayed, making her ready for adoption!

If you are interested in meeting this affectionate little baby, she’s available for meet ‘n’ greets at the Southside Farm Store, with an adoption fee of $125 (all proceeds go to Feline Rescue). I’d keep her in a heartbeat if I could, but I’m sure she’ll find a good home in no time…maybe even with one of you?

xoxo,

Meghan

clickin’ around: vol. 42

Posted on April 4, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

I Don't Care About Your Diet Print - Hand-Illustrated

♥ I am so totally buying this print to hang up in my office, available via this fantabulous Etsy shop.

♥ My hon and I have been on a big “Three’s Company” kick lately, so this article, featuring the show’s lost pilot episode caught my attention. Can you imagine that show with a different theme song? Or worse yet, minus Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt?!

♥ Last week, I had the pleasure of working with Sara Montour on a photo shoot and had to track down her blog the very next day. Such a talented young thing, and so nice to boot!

♥ How to hide awkward bangs with a vintage curl: Totally bookmarking this for the next time I can’t squeeze in a bang trim (or botch them at home myself!).

♥ Another motivating post by my friend Sarah of Yes & Yes, this time on the topic of money-saving and happiness.

♥ Anyone who treasures vintage will appreciate Marianne’s post on the ’50s dress that started it all. I know the exact item that started my obsession—a pair of beaten-up Levi bell-bottoms my neighbor Sheila Brand loaned me when I was probably 11 or 12. They felt like butter and fit like a glove!

♥ “Serendipitous poetry” generated at random from New York Times’ feature stories. Unexpectedly brilliant!

♥ Some interesting words of wisdom on what to wear to work.

♥ And last but not least, three recipes I pinned, made and loved last month:
Baked Banana Blueberry Oatmeal; Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Golden Raisins, Candied Almonds and Harissa Dressing and Smoky Tomato Soup with Spinach and Olives.

xoxo,

Meghan

recently thrifted

Posted on April 2, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

As promised, here are my favorite finds from Treasures of the Heart, clockwise from top: Impeccable vintage linens, including these hand-embroidered pieces; old lady cookbooks for my collection; a vintage one-piece for a baby boy; work-appropriate jewelry and a lovely silk scarf and last but not least, a “Marvelous Minnesota” souvenir scarf I think I might frame. (Finds not pictured: a gorgeous mink-trimmed swing coat and a couple leather purses.)

Have you hit any new-to-you thrifts lately? I’d love to hear about your finds!

xo,

Meghan

store review: treasures from the heart

Posted on April 1, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

Just over the Minnesota-Wisonson border in the sleepy town of Baldwin, Wisconsin, lies one gem of a thrift. Divided into two separate storefronts across the street from each other, one for clothing and accessories and the other for furniture, home decor and the like, “Treasures From the Heart,” is definitely worth the drive.

WHAT’S GOOD

♥ Linens: Holy smokes…where to start? Well for one, this place has vintage doilies coming out of its ears. And the prices on all the soft goods are great. Like $1 doilies, $2-5 for mint vintage tablecloths, $4 for sets of linen napkin/place mats, $5 for aprons, great.

♥ Vintage patterns: For the readers who’ve emailed me regarding what thrifts are best for sourcing vintage clothing patterns, I feel obligated to tell you this thrift has a slew. This is the pack that first caught my eye, but once I started digging, I found a ton more, including circle skirts, wedding dresses, etc., etc.

♥ Romance novels: No seriously! If retro rom-drams float your boat, this store has racks and racks and racks of paperbacks.

WHAT’S MEH

♥ Vintage clothes: While the clothing store does have a dedicated vintage section, it’s pretty slim pickin’s.

In a nutshell…

Selection/Variety: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Quality: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Pricing: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Organization: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Customer service: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Where does money raised at this store go? To support ADORAY Home Health and Hospice, an organization devoted to providing comfort at home to the acutely, chronically or terminally ill.

Do they take credit cards? Yes!

Are they on Facebook? Oh yeah.

Do they accept donations? Yep, and if you’re in the area, they’ll even schedule a pick-up.

Pro tip: Start a punch card! For every $100 you spend, you’ll get $10 back in in-store credit.

Where it is: 868 Main Street & 815 Main Street; Baldwin, Wisconsin

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday

Contact: 715.684.2542 or 715.684.2545; adoray.org/treasures.htm

Tune in tomorrow to see what I found on my recent visit to this thrift!

xoxo,

Meghan

workin’ it: sweet styling for bettycrocker.com

Posted on March 29, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

Sometimes I forget to share the pretty things I do at work, and that is a cryin’ shame! Take last month, for instance, when the opportunity arose to art direct, prop and style a shoot featuring new spring dessert recipes for BettyCrocker.com.

Dipping into my personal stash of vintage linens and china (in addition to spending the better part of a day in Betty’s a-m-a-z-i-n-g prop room!) resulted in some really lovely textures and contrasts. And I can’t emphasize enough how wonderfully talented the people behind the cameras are in the General Mills photo studio. From the photographers to the food stylists to the photo assistants and support staff, everyone is on top of their game and on top of that, so incredibly NICE.

Below are a handful of the resulting shots from last month. If you want to peek at the recipes, just click the recipe names or images! And get a hanky ready for goodness sakes, as drooling is likely to occur.

Fresh Raspberry Almond Tray Tart: An unbelievably delicious and versatile dessert. I already know this baby will be my go-to potluck/holiday dessert this summer! It is so good.

Lemon Cake with Irish Breakfast Tea Frosting: Infusing the meringue with tea adds a unique, earthy dimension to this shortcut cake.

Carrot Cake: Straightforward and simple, this cake is a classic Betty recipe, packed with carrots, spice and all that good stuff.

Golden Caramel Cake: This classic beauty doesn’t need much in the way of dressing up. Perfect in crumb, color and taste, the ripple of homemade caramel takes this cake over-the-top.

And finally, a re-shoot of one of Betty’s most popular chocolate-chip cookie recipes. I’ve shared this recipe with at least a half-dozen friends in the last few months. They may not look crazy-fancy, but damn do they taste good!

Credits
Photographer: Chuck Nields
 Food stylist: Sharon Harding
 Prop styling + art direction: yours truly!

I’ll be sharing a few more peeks from fun projects I’ve worked on for Betty soon. Just this week we wrapped a two-day shoot that was honestly one of the most fun projects I’ve ever worked on. It was a grueling week, but the resulting shots are straight-up adorable!

xoxo,

Meghan

Disclosure: During the day, I work as Senior Editor on BettyCrocker.com via MSP Communications.

an ode to grandma’s dressing room

Posted on March 27, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

Today over on the Etsy blog, I shared a few pretty ideas for building a vintage-y vanity area, inspired by my beautiful Grandma Mary (pictured above) and the nook where she used to get ready. With inspiration coming equally from Naples, Florida, circa 1977, and femininity’s golden age of the 1940s and 1950s, the curated collections of dress, decor and details were SO fun to put together. If you have a minute, please do check it out!

xoxo,

Meghan

the beauty thrifter is in!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

Today over on Beauty Bets, I’m sharing which products from Ms. Barrymore’s new cosmetics line, Flower, have made it into my regular rotation (and which one is best left on the shelf). Do pop over and check it out!

xoxo,

Meghan

P.S. Photo found here.

recently thrifted

Posted on February 25, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

Last Sunday, my honey and I made a quick stop at the Goodwill in Forest Lake. I brought home couple bags of good things for spring, including a sweet, “date night in June” kind of dress, some cookbooks and heaps of dishes, including this set of mini casseroles…five at 49 cents a pop. I love dishes that can go from the oven to the table. And the fact that these are durable, AND flat-out adorable means that they are going to see a lot of use in my kitchen…starting yesterday! I cut the recipe for this baked French toast casserole in half, using whipped cream cheese in place of ricotta. Served with homemade strawberry syrup, extra-crispy bacon and a pot of coffee, it made for a perfectly cheery, not to mention tasty, brunch.

Have you thrifted anything recently you’ve put to good use? I’d love to hear!

xoxo,

Meghan

heads up: goodwill’s bridal showcase

Posted on February 21, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

On Monday afternoon, I met up with a betrothed blog reader, Sarah, to preview Goodwill MN’s Wedding Showcase. We spent a super fun couple of hours, perusig rack after rack after rack packed with gorgeous gowns—600 in all, in sizes 4 to 28. At first, I erronously assumed that the dresses at this annual event were donated gowns, collected throughout the year, but that is so not the case! Goodwill actually solicits donations from local bridal boutiques and superstores, netting an impressive stash of brand-new gowns, supplemented only in part by once-worn dresses and floor samples. (Bad news for us vintage lovers, but great news for the “regular” population!) A whopping 90 percent of the dresses are priced under $299, including never-been-worn design gowns!

Not only do dresses range in size, but they have a huge array of styles as well. Strapless. Sequined. Beaded. Pleated. Silk. Satin. Princess. Modern. (Some) Vintage. Seriously, if you’re looking for a wedding dress, there will be something for you at this sale. Equally impressive was the stash of bridesmaids (hello prom!), mother-of-the-bride, flower girl (also great for First Communion!) dresses, also available in a rainbow of colors, styles and sizes. Brides looking to get “jacked up” can pick through veils and lacey boleros; there are heaps of slips and crinolines too!

Here are some pro tips, as shared by the event’s Coordinator, Alyson Coleman!

♥ Come early! More than 700 ladies came through the door last year and lines started forming at 8!
♥ For modesty’s sake, wear undies, a bathing suit or bring a slip. Changing rooms, decked out with on-site seamstresses, pedestals and mirrors, are of the group variety.
♥ Be decisive. Dresses purchased at the sale cannot be returned, so come ready to make some hard choices. (Or do as one shopper did last year and buy three dresses!)

High Plains reader Sarah, on the hunt for a non-poufy, sleek and comfortable gown for her July farm wedding, found an entire rack’s worth of dresses to try on (including two gorgeous Vera Wang silk beautifies!), with this beautiful handmade, lace-y 1970s number being the crowd favorite.

Pretty darn cute, right?

Here are the deets!

Goodwill’s Bridal Showcase
When: Saturday, February 23, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: 553 Fairview Ave. N., Saint Paul
Are dress previews available? You betcha!
Are credit cards accepted? Yep!

xoxo,

Meghan

tablecloth of the month: february

Posted on February 16, 2013 by highplainsthrifter

In the spirit of “better late than never,” I did all my Valentine’s Day decorating the evening of the 14th, including pulling out this pink and red beaut from the 1940s. Did the holiday sneak up on anyone else? This month is just flying by!