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.

style magic: ronnie spector

Posted on May 2, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

I swung by the record store on my break yesterday to pick up tickets to see Ronnie Spector. She’s performing next Saturday at the Girls Got Rhythm Fest, an extremely awesome female-powered rock ‘n’ roll weekend and the brainchild of my super cool pal Dana. I AM SO DARN EXCITED. I’ve listened to “Be My Baby” probably 6,000 times in my short little lifetime, but to hear Ronnie sing it in person is an experience I cannot possibly miss. With the show being almost around the corner, I’d figured I’d share a few fabulous images of Ms. Spector and The Ronettes from back in the day.

{ Photo sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 }

The icing on the cake is that Ronnie’s just one of MANY fabulous artists performing at the festival—check the lineup if you don’t believe me! If you’re in the Twin Cities area, and you like rock ‘n’ rollin’ lady bands, I’d really recommend you be there. Tickets for the entire weekend (as well as single night passes), are available at Treehouse Records, Eclipse Records or online right here. Wouldn’t tickets to see Ronnie make for a great early Mother’s Day present? Talk about an awesome mother-daughter date!

xo,

Meghan

summer of dresses kick-off party pics

Posted on May 1, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

Good morning all, and happy May Day!

I wanted to pop in quickly so I could share some pics from last night’s Summer of Dresses kick-off fiesta/preview sale. It was a such a fun evening. Thank you, Meghan, for asking us to host the kick-off. Rae and I were so honored to be a part.

{All photos are courtesy of Canary Grey.}

Photos of our guests in their dresses are already up on Summer of Dresses—do go check ’em out and then get to posting your own! If you couldn’t make it last night, don’t fret: Mighty Swell will be open again this Saturday and Sunday and we’ll be restocking the shop with fresh vintage throughout the week. (Click here for details on this weekend’s event!)

xoxo,

Meghan

10 reasons to attend the summer of dresses kick-off party

Posted on April 29, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

Tomorrow, from 5 to 8 p.m., Mighty Swell will open for a preview sale and photo kick-off for the blog, Summer of Dresses. If you aren’t familiar with Summer of Dresses, it’s, in a nutshell, a happy place on the Internet where beautiful ladies of all ages, sizes and styles celebrate Minnesota’s shortest season (summer) by sharing snapshots of themselves looking cute in dresses. (If you have a sec, go here to learn more about how the group got rolling.) I can think of a million reasons why you should come by, but I’ll keep this list to 10.

1. Get a first crack at Mighty Swell’s spring collection before we open to the public. Having first dibs on everything, including our cray cray assortment of dresses, is kind of an awesome deal.

2. Get your photo snapped by the ever-lovely Wing Ta, owner of Canary Grey, in front of our springy crepe-paper backdrop. She will make you look good, guaranteed!

3. Mix and mingle with a bunch of vintage-loving ladies.

4. Make some in real life connections with chicks you might only know through Twitter.

5. Beers are $1.50 all night at our next-door neighbors, Chris & Rob’s. Nothing complements shopping and lady time like cheap beers and a big open patio!

6. It’s supposed to be 70° and sunny—perfect dress-wearing weather.

7. It’s totally free to attend! Just do the Summer of Dresses gals a favor and RSVP here.

8. New to the group? Get tips from seasoned contributors about how to make your posts great right out of the gate. (There’s a ton of great tips for beginners here, too.)

9. The Pioneer Press and Minnesota Monthly both want to use photos from the kick-off, so if it’s 15 seconds of fame you seek, you should definitely show up.

10. Gals who show up to shop tomorrow will get a 10-percent off coupon redeemable at next weekend’s sale (and our upcoming men’s event on May 18th and 19th). Sweet!

I hope you can make it! I’m hopping off to the shop now to stain our new cash wrap and finish up some last-minute merchandising. Fingers crossed I make it home in time to squeeze in an at-home mani (and perhaps a little GCB watchin’!).

xoxo,

Meghan

P.S. The cute-as-a-button Summer of Dresses logo was designed by Aaron Purmort.

saturday morning funny

Posted on April 28, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

If I had more command over myself, I probably would have made it to yoga class at 8 a.m., as intended. Instead, I’m putzing around the house, full mug of coffee in hand, Nine to Five on the tube. Watching it reminded me that I hadn’t shared these outtakes with y’all yet. I’ve watched this video like 10,000 times, but still laugh out loud every time I see Dolly whip herself with the telephone cord around the one-minute-37-second mark. (Lilly’s laughing fit at 3:40 is also pretty amusing.)

I hope your Saturdays are off to wonderful starts as well. Happy weekend!

xo,

Meghan

P.S. Don’t forget about the Food Blogger Bake Sale, happening at Midtown Global Market (next to stall #158) today from noon to 3 p.m. All monies raised goes to this outstanding charity!

heads up: empty the nest’s biggest sale ever

Posted on April 27, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

One of the questions I’m most often asked by blog readers, twitter followers and friends is “which thrift store has the best selection of furniture?” And most often, my recommendation is to hit up estate or garage sales. Except for this weekend….this weekend, my advice for those of you on the hunt for furniture, would be to head to Empty the Nest’s weekend-long blow-out, “the biggest sale we’ve ever had,” according to Co-owner Kris Youn. “We have the most inventory of any sale we’ve done…furniture is stacked on top of furniture up to the ceiling!” This over-abundance of stock has forced the Empty the Nest-ers to slash prices to crazy low levels. Like how low? $200 for high-end, mint condition leather couches, vintage steamer trunks for $50, end tables and stools for $20 or less. This sale has a special emphasis on seasonal items, too, so if you’re looking for vintage lawn furniture, wicker porch sets, planters, plant stands, lawn and garden accessories, etc, you’re in luck. The ephemera collector in me is super excited too about their collection of photos, paper, postcards and posters—all vintage. There truly is something for everyone at their events.

But don’t take my word for it…see for yourself!

Where: Empty The Nest ReHome Center, 1163 East Cliff Road, Burnsville
When: Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Do they take credit cards: Yes!
Pro tip: Get there early! And sign up for their mailing list, so you’re in the know about next month’s sale!

Happy hunting!

xo,

Meghan

P.S. The winner of this week’s giveaway is…..Ashley Boman!! Congrats little lady! I’ll be in touch today to grab your contact info. And of course, thank you to everyone who entered. I loved hearing about your fun summer plans. Stay tuned for another rad giveaway coming up in the next couple of weeks…

store review: family pathways’ north branch used book store

Posted on April 26, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

Is there anything more fulfilling than a good, old-fashioned bookstore shopping spree? I don’t mean the “fill up the Amazon shopping cart” kind (fulfilling in an altogether different way), but the “holy shit I’ve been at this bookstore two hours, where has the time gone?” kind. I’m hard-pressed to think of anything more fun. But then I discovered Family Pathway’s Used Book Store up in North Branch. A magical place where bibliophiles like me can enjoy hours-long shopping extravaganza and barely dent their checking accounts.

WHAT’S GOOD

♥ The prices: Pricing at this store is as straight-forward as it gets: $4 for hardcovers, $3 for paperbacks, $1 for clearance corner books, 99 cents for children’s books. When I visited, a sale on all gardening, craft and cookbooks was running, knocking 20 percent off books in those genres.

♥ The organization: When I first walked into this thrift, I honestly felt like I was at a cozy, small-town library. The shelves are clutter-free and every section is clearly identified, making it incredibly easy to zero-in on the sections you’re interested in.

♥ The collectible books section: Taking up a good portion of the back of the store is a categorized assortment of vintage and antique books. I found some serious gems back there, including some home-making and cook books, which were both discounted 20 percent.

♥ The clearance corner: Tucked in the back left corner is the ample-sized clearance corner, featuring a wide variety of books, all just $1.

Where does the money raised here go? To support Family Pathways’ many varied community services, including non-medical senior services like advocacy, respite care and companionship; food pantry access for individuals and families; and support for youth and teens like mentoring programs and after-school activities at their teen centers. Family Pathways serves communities in seven counties throughout Central Minnesota and Western Wisconsin and continues to add new services based on the needs of the community.

On my last visit, I spent a total of $42 and came home with all of these books.

I’m stoked on them all…here are close-ups of a few.

Forty-three dollars people, for 14 books, about half of them vintage.

Go here to find: Books!

Selection/Variety: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Quality: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Pricing: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Organization:♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Customer service: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Cleanliness: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Do they take credit cards? Yep!

One more money-saving tip: For every 10 pounds of books you donate, you’ll receive a book buck (that looks like a bookmark!) worth $1, for use that same day or on a future visit. They also give out one book buck for every $10 you spend!

While you’re there: Why not hit Recycled Wardrobes, the thrift store just a block down on Main Street? If you’re in the mood for coffee, every cup I’ve had from North Country Coffee has been super yum. (To learn more about Family Pathways’ other thrift stores, check out this post.)

Where it is: On North Branch’s main drag: 6381 Main Street, North Branch

Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Contact: 651.277.0098

xxoo,

Meghan

peach things

Posted on April 25, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

Been into collecting pretty peach things lately, or so it seems.

Even if a thrift’s a total dud, I can practically always find a scarf I like enough to bring home. This one was 50 cents at Salvation Army and it’s 100-percent silk.

The softly scalloped placket sold me on this drape-y silk blouse, another Salvation Army find.

Exquisite peach ranunculus, courtesy of Bastian + Skoog’s ridiculously charming PEANUTCART. (Such brains those ladies have, my goodness.)

I hope your hump day is, well, peachy!

xo,

Meghan

clickin’ around, vol. 32

Posted on April 24, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

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♥ Totally entranced by these embroidered pics of ballerinas created by Jose Romussi, found via all the mountains.

♥ Victoria’s new backyard hideout has me green with envy. Seriously divine.

♥ How brilliant is Kate’s new Book Fair idea? So, so fun.

♥ I’m intrigued by this pop-up bread that’s baked in a coffee can. And by this how-to on slow-cooking 60 hot dogs all at once.

♥ Vogue took a year’s worth of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s outfits and put ’em all together in a royal rainbow. Isn’t it cool? (P.S. I pretty much like every single one of Aunt Peaches’ posts. She = hilarious.)

♥ Two reasons I’m eating out this week, guilt-free? Well, Dining Out for Life is on Thursday (make your reservation here!) and the Food Blogger Bake Sale, a fund-raiser for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, is happening on Saturday, from 12-3 p.m.

♥ Fun freebies I’ve been all over: hand-drawn arrow clippies, glittery, girly iPhone wallpaper and Shmitten Kitten’s mix-of-the-month club (an idea I’m totally tempted to steal!).

Speaking of freebies, if you haven’t entered this week’s giveaway, what on Earth are you waiting for?

xo,

Meghan

spring into summer giveaway

Posted on April 23, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

I recently thrifted the most perfect striped sisal tote.

And since it’s been 10,000 years since I’ve done a giveaway, I decided to stuff it with beachy treats and give it to one of you.

What’s inside? Just some things to make your summer a little more skippy. Including…

♥ Heart-shaped wood veneer sunnies from Tumbleweeds Oddities (a $75 value!!)
♥ Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray
♥ L’Oreal’s Sublime Sun Liquid Silk Sunshield-SPF 50+
♥ Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect After Sun Moisturizer
♥ Summer Fruits lip balm by eos
♥ “This is Not Chick Lit,” edited by Elizabeth Merrick

!!!

Want to win all this goodness? Just leave a comment below, telling me one thing you’re excited about doing this summer. That’s it! (Tweet about the giveaway and I’ll give you an extra shot at winning.) I’ll announce the lucky winner Friday…good luck!

xo,

Meghan

she get it from her mama

Posted on April 20, 2012 by highplainsthrifter

I didn’t get an Easter basket this year. Instead, on Easter Sunday, my mom gifted me this beautiful dress. She found it at our favorite up north thrift that’s right across the street from our favorite up north pie shop. (Blueberry pie is kind of a big deal up there.)

It cost a whopping $1.50.

How a dress from fancy pants Neiman Marcus wound up in little ole Iron River (population 1,059) is a bit beyond me. A little digging led me to discover that CB II by Castleberry was an ’80s trademark owned by Leslie Fay Inc., a label you’ll see often at thrifts. Unlike Neiman Marcus.

What I love about this dress…the way the pattern switches from horizontal to vertical and then back to horizontal (is there a fashion-y word to describe this? If so, I don’t know what that word is!), the cinched 3/4-length sleeves and the sash-y belt at the waist. It’s always a bonus when you score a cute dress with the original matching belt. It’s like a mound of Cool Whip on top of a blueberry pie á la mode. Pie + ice cream = great, but pie + ice cream + Cool Whip = even greater. Same with vintage dresses and their matching belts.

Thank you for this sweet dress mama! I’ll take thrifted finds from you over a basket full of chocolate any day. (Iron River blueberry pie on the other hand…)