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.
Barbie-lovers take note! The Hope Chest for Breast Cancer stores recently received a massive donation of 1,000+ Barbie and friends dolls from a single collector. The circa ’70s-’90s dolls, all in excellent condition and many in their original packaging, have been split evenly between St. Paul and the Orono stores and each location will be kicking off “Barbie weekend” with a ticketed party tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 a pop and can be purchased online or at the door. (Guests with advance tickets will be allowed in first; kids under 10 are free if accompanied by an adult.) All proceeds raised from ticket and doll sales goes to support under-served or financially distressed individuals and their families touched by breast cancer.
Attendees will enjoy complimentary champagne and get first crack at a collection that took a lifetime to build, and includes rarities like Escada Barbie, Rockettes Barbie, Barbie’s BFF Midge, Skipper dolls and even a Ken or two. Party-goers are encouraged to dress in their best Barbie (or Midge or Skipper or any of Barbie’s many other pals) attire. Those in costume will be entered into a drawing to win a free doll. Sounds like a pretty good time to me!
This past July, my forever-long wish to own a stereo was granted. And ever since, I’ve been obsessed with hunting for records. Like anything else, looking for records at thrift stores, garage and estate sales can be a crap shoot. And an overwhelming one at that! Here are some super basic things I keep in mind when I’m out and about.
♥ Before you you get your heart set on a specific record, check the condition of it first. See deep scratches, scuff marks, chips, cracks or gouges? Skip it. And be sure to inspect both sides too!
♥ Make sure the record isn’t warped. (Warped records = distorted sound.) The easiest way to check is to hold the record up at eye level.
♥ This is a total no-brainer, but while you have the record out, make sure that it matches the jacket. How sad would it be to go home thinking you’d found a rare Kitty Wells record, only to discover some crappy Billy Joel album inside.
♥ Keep a running list of what you’re looking for. I have a friend who keeps her record wish list on Pinterest, I personally keep a running list in my notes on my phone. Either way, just like thrifting for clothes, I find it helpful to keep tabs of what I’m hunting for.
♥ Take a chance! If you come across an intriguing cover, artist or song, and the record’s in good shape, where’s the harm in taking it home for a listen? I picked “Mustang Jazz,” a recording of the Southern Methodist University Marching Band out of a $1 bin at a record fair last month and it pumps me up every time I listen to it!
♥ And last but not least, it’s OK to thrift records just because you like the cover art! Inspired by this Easy Record Cover Art DIY I spotted over the summer, I painted over a pin-up-y instrumental album cover. It sits on my vanity now and I love looking at it when I get ready each morning.
I’ve been missing my oven a lot lately. It probably has to do with the fact it snowed today, meaning my least favorite season, pre-winter, has arrived. I’m trying to be positive about the cold weather, but it’s hard. Especially when you can’t even cope with it with a cozy night spent at home baking. One thing I’ve been dying to make all fall is a good old-fashioned apple crisp. Which is why this recipe for microwave apple crisp caught my eye when I stumbled on it at work the other day. I was skeptical at first, but after reading the positive reviews, my mind was made up to give it a try.
I stuck with the recipe pretty closely, but did substitute one of the apples out for a sad little pear that was languishing in my fridge. My 1.5-quart
oblong Pyrex turned out to be the perfect size.
After mixing up the topping (a straight-forward combo of oats, brown sugar, Bisquick, melted butter and spices) I thought it was going to be too thick, but it turned out to be just right.
This is when I started to have my doubts…
Skeptical as I was, it only took one bite to make me a believer. It was everything I had missed about baked apple crisp—sweet, warm, sticky, cinnamon-y, apple-y, good. I was so happy, I almost forgot about the sad state of my broken oven.
You can find the recipe (and read all the rave reviews) here. Let me know what you think if you give it a whirl!
Quick background: I’ve spend many an indulgent Sunday morning propped in bed, surfing You Tube and Pinterest for cute beauty tutorials to try in the upcoming week. Along the way, I’ve found some helpful gems which I’ll be sharing here with you on the odd Sunday.
Late this summer, the French twist was top on my list of hairstyles to master. It’s a polished style that’s works well with second-day hair, making it an ideal ‘do for weekday mornings when I need to look nice for work, but don’t have time to shower and blow-dry. It took me a little while to get the hang of it, but bits and pieces from each of these tutorials were helpful so I figured I’d share ’em all.
♥ I found this how-to via Capital Hill Style, a good blog to follow if you work in a formal-ish professional environment. This gal’s non-traditional twisting method wouldn’t work with my thick hair, but if you have shorter or thinner locks than I, it could be a winner.
♥ I loved the messy, fuzzy end result of this Beauty Department tutorial, but found the chopsticks element totally unnecessary. The tip I did steal from this how-to was no. 5: teasing the middle ends of your hair before you roll it up makes for a meatier, bulkier twist.
♥ And last but not least, the tutorial that made it all click! I’ve shared this link with a few friends who were wondering how I fixed my hair…I think what makes it super easy to get is the clear shots of the back of the model’s head.
Some other Frenchy tips I’ve picked up along the way…
♥ Using the correct pins will make doing this ‘do so much easier. Make sure to track down big (three-four inch) bobby pins (for running vertically up the back of your hair) and open hair pins for securing the roll.
♥ It’s better to tease too much than too little when you get started. You can always comb out extra volume, but adding it after you’ve started smoothing and pinning is a pain in the rear.
♥ A handheld mirror will be your best bud when you’re learning this style. Use it to make sure the back’s not looking too ratty or bumpy and that your twist is centered and even.
♥ Don’t sweat it if it takes you a few tries to get the twist down. Give yourself plenty of time to mess around while you’re learning, i.e. don’t try it out for the first time if you’re on a tight schedule or worse, running late.
♥ If you do this right, you shouldn’t need to use a ton of pins or hairspray. I usually do a quick spritz of Extra-Strong Elnett and get on my way.
Do you have any tried-and-true tricks for French twisting to share? If so, leave a comment and let me know! I hope you all have had fabulous Sundays so far. I went to a dear friend’s baby shower this afternoon and now I’m off to hop on a bus to see this dreamboat.
My honey and I are going to see George Jones tonight. It’s our second time seeing him together and I’m so stinkin’ excited. As much as I love to see him perform—his voice is astonishingly well-preserved considering his age (and former lifestyle)—my mind always goes to my no. 1 lady, the First Lady of country music, Tammy Wynette. Seeing George is as close as I’ll ever get to Tammy, which is exactly why this show couldn’t be missed. They really did makee quite a pair didn’t they?
Veteran’s Day is this coming Monday and lots of thrifts around town are having sales in honor of the holiday. Here’s a quick run-down of special savings happening at thrift stores in the area.
Savers
Monday only, take 50 percent off all used merchandise. Stores will be open 9 a.m. all the way until 9 p.m.
Unique and Valu Thrift
VIP card-holders will get 50 percent off their entire purchases Monday only. Stores will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Hidden Treasures Thrift Store
Seniors can enjoy 20 percent savings on anything in the store on Mondays; all blue tagged clothing and linens are half-off the whole week through. Hours of operation? 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
ARC’s Value Village Stores
All items with a purple tag will be 50 percent off tomorrow through next Saturday and 99 cents on Sunday, November 18th. Stores are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekends.
Salvation Army Family Stores
Starting Monday and running through Saturday, all blue tagged items will be half-off at all nine Twin Cities locations. Stores are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays.
Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Stores
Just in time for Thanksgiving, Hope Chest stores are offering 30 percent off dining tables, china cabinets and dining accessories today and tomorrow. Both the Orono and St. Paul location are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow.
PROP Shop of Eden Prairie
All purple-tagged clothing will be 50 percent off on Monday (and through the rest of the week). Pillows of all varieties are also half-off.
♥ In the super duper exciting life news department, my very first Vintage Betty post went live over on BettyCrocker.com this week. In it, I shared an easy classic Betty brunch recipe that’s been a family favorite of mine for ages. If you have a minute, please do go check it out!
♥ Have you guys heard about For the Makers yet? It’s this slick service that delivers materials for four DIYs for the super reasonable price of $29 AND provides online tutorials showing you what you can make with your batch of supplies. Definitely a fab gift idea to squirrel away, I’d say.
♥ As you all can probably guess, I don’t know squat about fine art. I do know, however, that this installation, made of 50,000 colored plastic balls, is pretty darn awesome to look at.
♥This video may be a few weeks old, but it’s powerful and worth a watch. I saw it this week in a work presentation and teared up in two seconds flat.
♥ On a (much, much) lighter note, I added this Honeycrisp & Bourbon Spiked Cider to my list of Thanksgiving must-makes today. (How cute are those lil stars?) How are your menus coming along?
♥ My current home is chock-full of girly everything (hello Dolly Parton themed bathroom!), but I envision a very ’70s vibe for my next home. Which is exactly why I’m saving posts like this one from SF Girl by Bay as deco inspo for my next go around. (On the same topic of decorating, this mood-board how-to on Decor8 knocked my nylons off.)
I hope you all have had wonderful weeks…it’s been a busy one for me, but I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend that’s 100-percent free of work. Fingers crossed I can make it happen!
I’m not gonna lie to you guys: I started shopping for Christmas stuff this weekend. I would feel weird about my overabundance of yuletide spirit, but I don’t. Because this weekend I discovered a group of people that are equally (if not MORE) excited about Christmas than me. I happened upon this jolly group at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, aka the opening day of the “Merry Thriftmas” shop at ARC’s Value Village store in Richfield. The entire middle section of the store that had been sectioned off and stocked full of Christmas merchandise, and when I stepped in the door, literally every single aisle was jam-packed with shoppers, many of them pushing overflowing carts! (My kind of people!) Sadly, I wasn’t much in the mood to power through such thick crowds, but I did manage to scope out the set-up so I could report back to y’all here. My findings can be summarized pretty easily though: the “Merry Thriftmas” shop has everything Christmas you could ever wish for.
Snow globes. Check!
Wrapping materials. Check!
Lawn ornaments. Check!
Sweet old ladies checking out the fake evergreen situation. Check!
Overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle, I quit taking pictures soon after arriving, but here’s a quick overview of what they have: Cookie tins. Christmas cards and party invitations. Holiday records. Festive serving ware. Ornaments for the tree. Twinkle lights. Cookie cutters, molds and presses. Holiday sheet music. Wreath boxes. Glitzy earrings. Bedazzled sweaters. Welcome signs. Table linens. Accent pillows. Tom and Jerry sets. Wreaths. Garlands. Trees. Christmas craft books. Christmas cookbooks. Candles. Pine cone potpourri. Wall hangings. Ribbons. Bows. Wrapping paper. Knick-knacks. Angels. Snowflakes. Reindeers. And Santas. Lots and lots and lots and lots of Santas. If it’s Christmas-related in any way, they probably have it (and it’s likely to be really affordable too).
The “Merry Thriftmas” shops are part of every Value Village location now through December 23rd, and I’m told, will be restocked with new merchandise continually. So go already (if you love Christmas) and get your shop on. ‘Tis (almost) the season, right?
“My clothes are all ragged / my goodwill coat’s not the best /
And I’m a walking on cardboard in my last dollar dress.”
I heard this song on the radio yesterday morning and was hooked after the first line. Gotta love a song that talks about a Goodwill coat in the first verse, especially when it’s sung by the queen of rockabilly herself, Wanda Jackson. I hope you all the most wonderful of Fridays!
I know it’s a weakness, but I have the hardest time passing up pretty tablecloths when I find them at the thrifts or estate sales. And I have drawers stuffed full of seasonally appropriate tablecloths to prove it. There’s something about having rad linens on the table that makes me happy, and so I’ll keep on collecting until my lack of storage space forces me to surrender. In the meantime, how ’bout I share one from my stash with you every month?
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high plains thrifter 