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.

save the date: mighty swell’s “summer in the city” sale!

Posted on June 17, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

Mark you calendars for the next Mighty Swell sale, happening on July 23rd and 24th! We’ll have all the usual elements you can count on at a Mighty Swell event—great tunes from Girl Germs Radio, coffee and donuts from A Baker’s Wife and most importantly tons of cute, affordable, on-trend vintage for your closet and home. We’ll also be revealing some sweet surprises over the course of the next month—keep an eye on our Facebook (where we’re getting close to 1,000 followers!!!) or follow us on Twitter so you don’t miss out! Rae and I cannot wait to see your pretty smiling faces there!

I’ll be back later to announce the By Elizabeth Dehn giveaway…could it be you?

Big hugs!

Meghan

and the by elizabeth dehn giveaway winner is…

Posted on June 17, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

A big hearty congratulations goes to Laura, who runs the fabulous beauty blog Applied Glamour! Your giveaway entry/tweet, chosen at random, netted you a bottle of Elizabeth Dehn’s Face Spray. Lucky you!

I’ll be in touch with you soon lady, to grab your mailing info.

‘Thank you so much to EVERYONE who entered the giveaway. There’s still time to snatch up a bottle of your own at a discounted price here. Your complexion will thank you!

xo,

Meghan

how to: make your own bubble bath

Posted on June 16, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

Researching for yesterday’s Beauty Bets post re: making bubble bath at home, I tried out a couple different methods and recipes. This recipe for foaming vanilla-honey bath, found over at Real Simple, is so easy and delicious I just had to share it here. Spoiler alert: I’m totally giving jars of this stuff out come Christmas time!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

♥ 1 cup light oil (almond, canola or sunflower will do)

♥ 1/2 cup honey

♥ 1/2 cup mild liquid hand or body soap (I used Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Mild Baby Soap, available at Target, Whole Foods and co-ops.)

♥ 1 tablespoon vanilla (preferably organic)

HOW TO MAKE

1. In a clean clear container, mix together the liquid soap, oil, honey and vanilla.

To use, pour 1/4 cup or so under running water as you fill the tub. (This recipe makes enough for about eight baths.)

Enjoy!

xo,

Meghan

store review: the salvation army in frogtown

Posted on June 15, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

Salvation Army Thrift Store, Frogtown, St. Paul

I’m not going to lie: the Boss inspired me to stop at this Sal Val on Monday. Ever since I read about a fellow thrifter’s insane Bruce Springsteen concert T-shirt find there, I’ve been more than a little motivated to check it out again. And my goodness, am I glad I did! It turns out, a few days prior to my visit, a vintage shop that had recently closed had donated boxes upon boxes of merchandise to the store. We’re talking super primo designer vintage, most of it from the ’50s and ’60s. Anyway, as you can imagine….a major bonanza ensued, as evidenced by my overflowing cart.

After I stuffed my cart with vintage, I spent the better part of the next hour going through the rest of the shop.

WHAT’S GOOD

♥ The store is large and well laid-out, two things I really appreciate.

♥ While they don’t have as big of a selection as the downtown Minneapolis Salvation Army, they have a more than decent amount of nice furniture and lamps. I saw a well-crafted coffee table for $10! Also spotted? A couple cute vintage lawn chairs and a pair of hanging bird cages I’m totally kicking myself for not buying.

♥ The shop has an above average collection of framed artwork, including (at the time of my visit) some larger scale mid-century pieces, some cool Native American powwow photos and some small kitschy pieces from the ’70s.

♥ The prices are really reasonable. Over the past year, prices at nearly every Salvation Army have gone up substantially, but this store is an exception. For example, I didn’t pay more than $3 a piece for any of the vintage I snagged, and some of it was discounted by 75% thanks to the tag sale they had running.

♥ The service was exceptionally sweet and patient. While I was waiting in line, I saw the manager and cashier address two fairly difficult, argumentative customers with poise and kindness.

♥ And last but not least, they have a dedicated vintage section. Which makes this girl’s life a whole heck of a lot easier!

WHAT’S NOT GOOD

♥ The couple times I’ve visited, I’ve noticed that the housewares section has really slim pickin’s. If you’re looking for Pyrex, dishes, knick knacks or bake ware, you might not have the best of luck here.

♥ It’s not super clean, a fact I can overlook in every thrift if the prices are rock bottom, as they are here.

The vintage goodies (numbering in the dozens), need laundering and steaming before they make their Internet debut, but here are a few other things I found on Monday that got me excited.

A complete, 16-volume set of Family Circle’s DIY Encylopedia from 1973 ($8). (Incomplete sets retail for around $50 on Etsy.)

I cannot wait to dig into these babies, you have no idea! Here are a few of my favorite covers…

I also picked up a couple random pieces of framed art. We’ve had a couple customers at Mighty Swell request more big-eyed boy/girl ’70s art, so I picked this up (even though it sort of creeps me out).

This photo of the Dump Sweet Dump (50 cents) mirror is too funny not to share! Yes I am wearing a wool sweater in June…it’s Minnesota!

After purchasing this cap-sleeved ditty (75 cents), the number of red and white gingham shirt I own is now up to three! Yikes!

Go here to find: Clothing (modern and vintage), art work, furniture, photo frames, books.

Selection/Variety: ♥ ♥ ♥

Quality: ♥ ♥ ♥

Pricing: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Organization: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Customer service: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Cleanliness: ♥ ♥ ♥

Stroller-friendly? Yes!

Do they take credit cards? Yes!

While you’re there: There’s a ton to do over in this ‘hood! I love Ethiopian food and Fasika down on Snelling is one of the best spots in town. Go with a friend and split the veggie sampler. It’s nourishing, healthy and a total bargain at $14. If you’re in the mood for more thrifting, try digging for treasures at the Goodwill outlet at 2505 University Avenue or visit the plain old regular Goodwill store over at 553 Fairview. I also love finding stuff I never knew I needed at Ax-Man Surplus on University. That store is so fun!

Where it is: 572 University Avenue West

Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Contact: 651.789.0099, Facebook

xo!

Meghan

clickin’ around, vol. 12

Posted on June 14, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

Some things that have made my week a little brighter…

♥ Browsing the Field Museum Library’s Flickr stream and finding some beautiful old photos. The one above, of Portland roses, was taken on during a botany expedition in 1910.

♥ Finding new dinner recipes to try on Foodily, a super smart recipe browser. I’m trying these spring-y nachos out Thursday night and I can’t wait!

♥ Hearing that the best rock venue in the world started a Tumblr. Can you imagine how much cool stuff in the archives they have to share?

♥ Learning how to drink like my favorite author.

♥ Plotting out when I’m going to make these scrumptious sounding blueberry cheesecake popsicles. Yum, yum.

♥ Dreaming about a retirement spent in the desert with a collection of huipils that rivals this one hanging on my walls.

♥ Crushing on Claudia Schiffer in the early ’90s. What a beauty!

♥ Trying out some new braided summertime ‘dos.

xo,

Meghan

[closed] giveaway: win a bottle of by elizabeth dehn face spray!

Posted on June 13, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

As you might already know, I’m honored to be a part of the blogging team over at Beauty Bets, an award-winning beauty website created by Elizabeth Dehn. I can hardly believe it, but it’s been nearly a year since my first post! Time certainly flies when you’re having fun. Especially when your definition of fun means test-driving a budget beauty products day in and day out!

This year’s been full of entrepreneurial adventures and growth for both Elizabeth and me, but one MEGA HUGE ACHIEVEMENT that deserves extra-special attention is the debut of Elizabeth’s eponymous skincare line: By Elizabeth Dehn. Unsurprisingly, the collection is ALL killer and NO filler. Juicy, nutritious ingredients and effective formulas, finished off with the prettiest of packaging. Also not surprising? The heaping amount of praise the collection continues to rake in.

One product that has Bets running back to bottling plant already is her Face Spray, which I think should be renamed Change-Your-Day Spray. Just a quick mist of this heavenly scented stuff can quite honestly turn my entire outlook around! Besides being an instant mood-booster, the addictive spray’s infused with organic sweet orange and melissa essential oils and packed with antioxidants. With every spritz, you feel as if you’re doing something good for your thirsty complexion—because you ARE!

Most generously, Bets hooked me up with a bottle of her magical face spray to give away to one of you! To enter to win, here’s what you have to do:

1. Be a U.S. resident.
2. Follow @byelizabethdehn on Twitter or sign up to receive the Beauty Bets e-newsletter. (Doing either should take you no more than five seconds, so don’t be intimidated!)
3. Leave a quick comment on this post telling us why you could use a mood-boost in a bottle along with a valid email address. Show me you tweeted about this giveaway, and I’ll give you two shots at winning!

This giveaway closes on Thursday, June 16th at 8 p.m. CST.

I wish you luck, y’all!

xo,

Meghan

rummage sale finds

Posted on June 13, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

I practiced an above-average level of restraint this Saturday and went home with only a couple of things from our rummage sale. Some bargains are just too good to pass up.

For example…

And, just when we were wrapping up the day, Andrea’s mom dropped off this beautiful afghan she found. I love it so much!

Did you get out rummage sale-ing or thrifting this weekend? Find anything fun?

xo,

Meghan

instax pics from mighty swell’s rummage sale

Posted on June 11, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

Wow, I had the most fabulous day at Mighty Swell‘s rummage sale! Thank you so, so much to everyone who stopped in! It was such a gorgeous day to be out sale-ing, right? Between the sunny weather, the steady stream of sweet customers and the old soul jams we listened to all day, I couldn’t ask for much more. So. Much. Fun. Anyway, I caught a few of our lovely shoppers, along with some scenes from the day on the ole’ Instax. In case you couldn’t be there, here’s a quick glimpse of the day.

See this gal’s adorable outift? She got the jeans and top at the shop this morning and put them on immediately! That feeling of loving something so much you have to wear it out of the store is so fun.

I’m not kidding when I say we have the most gorgeous (not to mention supportive) customers. We are *so* lucky!

Such a good day.

Well, I’m off to freshen up before dinner of sushi with one of my favorite gals. I was up at 6 a.m. so I’m starting to drag, but if there’s one thing you can count on me to rally for, it’s sushi dates with awesome friends.

xo!

Meghan

heads up: mighty swell sidewalk & rummage sale!

Posted on June 10, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

Hi dolls!

One of my tip-top favorite things about Mighty Swell‘s storefront space is our ‘hood. Neighbors stopping in to say “hi” while I’m putzing around the store, knowing the man at the family run hardware store on a first-name basis, having a regular order at the hot dog shop next door—these small interactions in our nook of the community make my heart sing. So, when we learned about the Standish, Ericsson & Corcoran Neighborhood Garage Sale (the largest in the city!) we knew we just had to be a part! So, we’re having a sidewalk sale, TOMORROW from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.!

Rae and I have marked down a hefty amount of vintage merchandise, and we’ve also pillaged through our closets, garages, attics and basements, unearthing all kinds of fun stuff. And everything outside will be priced to GO. After all, we’ve got to make a little room for all the pretty stuff we’ve found for our upcoming summer sale right? (Details on that coming soon, promise!)

Anyway, if you are in the area and want to experience summer bargain hunting at its finest, I highly suggest checking this event out! You can pick up sale maps starting at 8:45 a.m. at the following locations:

Angry Catfish Coffee / 4208 28th Avenue South
Midtown Farmers’ Market / Lake Street & 22nd Avenue
Caribou Coffee / 4745 Cedar Avenue South (Cedar & Minnehaha)
Holiday Station Store / 3550 Cedar Avenue South

And don’t forget to highlight Mighty Swell Vintage when you’re circling the sales you want to hit—we’re at 3109 East 42nd Street. (Or just look for the cute teal open sign, a bunch of balloons and a sidewalk full of stuff!!)

See you there, rain or shine!

xo,

Meghan

friday mix c/o girl germs radio!

Posted on June 10, 2011 by highplainsthrifter

Clockwise from top left: Wanda Jackson / The Slits / Marianne Faithfull / X-Rey Spex

Welcome to another Girl Germs-crafted mix! This time we’ve put together a collection highlighting awesome female artists who started their careers as teenagers—both because that’s awesome and because it ties in with our next monthly TV Party event.

Monday, June 13 we’ll play episodes of Veronica Mars, a cult classic centered around the adventures of a headstrong teenage private detective and the dramatic webs in which she becomes entangled. Come on down to the Red Stag Supperclub at 9 p.m. on the 13^th to hear us spin some lovely lady tunes; the V-Mars episodes start at 9:30 (if you’re unfamiliar with the show, read more about it here.

To get you in the mood for teen adventures, we’ve put together some sassy sounds of women who got an early start on their careers. Some (Janis Ian, Marianne Faithfull and Wanda Jackson) are still performing well into their 60s and 70s. Tracey Thorn of Marine Girls and Bjork of Sugarcubes fame went on to become influential artists as adults. On a sad note, two of the ladies on this list (Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex and Ari-Up of The Slits, who started their careers at age 16 and 14, respectively) passed away this year—but the legacies of these groundbreaking artists lives on and continues to inspire women of all ages.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

{Track List}

1. Janis Ian – “Younger Generation Blues”
2. X-Ray Spex – “Oh Bondage, Up Yours!”
3. The Runaways – “American Nights”
4. Marianne Faithfull – “Broken English”
5. Bow Wow Wow – “Aphrodisiac”
6. The Sugarcubes – “Hetero Scum”
7. The Slits – “Walk About”
8. Wanda Jackson – “Let’s Have a Party”
9. Smoosh – “Find a Way”
10. Marine Girls – “A Place in the Sun”
11. The Donnas – “40 Boys in 40 Nights”

Psst! Girl Germs Radio has made a bunch of mixes for me! If you haven’t heard, take a listen to: Bubblegum Pop; Lady Rappers, Music for a Snowy Sunday!