Category Archives: How-Tos

beating the midwinter blues

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Winter is serious business in Minnesota.

Exhibit A, taken last Friday morning:

Brutal right? Besides being cold, snowy and dark, winter is mentally tiring. Come January, there seems to be two options: You can bitch and moan your way through April, hating every second, or see the months ahead as a challenge and do everything you can to make the most of it. The past few years I’ve been choosing the latter. Here are some things that help get me through this hellacious season.

♥ Wearing sparkly things always cheers me up. Whether it’s a sequined sweater or glittery heels, a little bit of razzle-dazzle never hurt anyone.

♥ Indulging in comfort foods like mac ‘n’ cheese, nachos, cheesy breakfast burritos and these babies.

♥ Get exercise! Yoga class, quick walks around the block with Finn, swimming laps in Northeast with Andrea, Wii parties, sledding…anything to keep moving.

♥ Having little at-home dates with pals. Whether you cook a meal, order pizza, listen to records or watch a movie…time in with your girls is priceless.

♥ Tea = hydrating and warming. Therefore, I drink it all. the. time. I want to make this honey-sweetened ginger tea soon! It sounds so yummy.

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♥ My mom got me these sheets for Christmas and they’ve made my bed infinitely more cozy. Because goodness knows we all spend more time there than in the summer.

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♥ Go on some weekend-long thrifting adventures. If the roads are good, it can be so mind-clearing to get out of the house and spend an afternoon exploring a new town and thrifts.

♥ Fill your drawers with cozy lounge wear. (Just don’t wear it outside the house.) I can’t imagine getting through winter without my multiple pairs of these and these. Love, love, love.

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{For more ideas, check out Decor8’s Dreary Day Inspiration.}

What do you do to survive winter? Any tips or ideas to share?

xo,

Meghan

P.S. Be sure to check out Beauty Bets tomorrow. I wrote about an ah-mazing drugstore foundation that I can’t imagine my beauty bag being without!

how to: save on dry-cleaning

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Do you know what sucks? Paying a triple-digit bill at the dry cleaners. Which is something I was sadly doing way too often, what with all my Mighty Swell cleaning on top of my own stuff. The dent that it put in my checking account stunk, but really, what could I do? It has to be done. Then one day, like a ray of sunshine, my fav employee at my neighborhood cleaner  leaned over and asked, “Have you been to U.S. Cleaners on Hiawatha? They’re really cheap.” Uhh, no, lady, I hadn’t…YET.

Stuck in a strip mall on Hiawatha Avenue between a liquor store and pet-food outlet, this no-frills spot is the bees knees. I don’t know how they do it, but I do not care. Case in point, on trip there last week, I had a moderately small haul of three wool cardis and a couple fancy dresses (both with mammoth stains). My total for all five pieces was $14. Did I mention it was all ready within 24 hours? And those stains? Gone! Including some stubborn wall paint that had accidentally spilled onto a super cute vintage frock. (Please don’t ask!)

Some things to note: Pre-payment is required, you have to hang on to your receipt in order to pick up your goods and they do not clean leather or suede. Also, judging from the abrasive chemical smell that greets you upon entering, I don’t think they’re using the most “green” of cleaners.

U.S. Cleaners
4729 Hiawatha Ave S.
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612.729.9206

Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday, CLOSED

You’re welcome, my dears. Happy saving!

xo,

Meghan

 

how to: remove grease pencil markings

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Hey sweethearts,

Today’s how-to is easy peasy, but it’s also super handy!

You’ll need: a bottle of 100-percent acetone (found with the nail polish remover) and cotton pads or a soft, clean rag

Step one: Dab a little acetone on your cotton or rag.

Step two: Give the markings a little rub and watch them vanish!

Annnnd, you’re done! This little trick works for taking grease pencil (also known as wax pencil) prices off the soles of thrifted shoes, glassware, you name it. USE CAUTION, however, when using acetone on painted surfaces, as it can also remove the paint, along with the wax. (Click here to read my post on how to clean vintage luggage.) Do NOT use acetone on finished wood.

I hope you all have lovely afternoons! I’m off to take a quick lunch-hour power walk with Finnie. It’s finally warmed up a bit here in Minneapolis, and I’m craving some fresh air and sunshine.

xo,

Meghan

holiday how-to: apple-cinnamon infused jameson

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Hi there, and happy Monday!

You can disagree all you want, but in my opinion, homemade Christmas presents are the most fun, both to give and receive. Which explains why this recipe for infused whiskey caught my eye when I spotted it a few months back. Who wouldn’t love to get a wee bit of spicy whiskey in the middle of a dead-cold Minnesota winter? I sure as heck would! Anyway, with Thanksgiving coming up, I figured this past weekend was probably a good time to get a’going on making this, especially since it takes a couple of weeks to infuse.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

♥ 5 one liter bottles of Jameson Irish Whiskey

♥ 3-6 cinnamon sticks

♥ 6 Granny Smith apples

♥ 6 apples of another variety (Braeburn, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Jonagold)

♥ A large glass or ceramic container(s) for storing

HOW TO MAKE

1. Pour bottles of Jameson into a container.

2. Add cinnamon sticks and sliced apples. Cover.

3. Infuse for 12-18 days depending on exposure to heat/light.

4. After infusing, strain and pour back into original bottle or into gift-able bottles or jars.

To make an apple-y hot toddy, mix 1-2 shots of the infused Jameson and hot apple cider in a mug. So stinking good!

This recipe was created by A.J. Crotty, manager of Charlie’s Irish Pub in Stillwater, Minnesota and will appear in the winter 2011 issue of Minnesota Meetings + Events magazine.

I hope your Monday’s are off to lovely starts, my dears!

xo,

Meghan

how to: make pineapple upside-down cake

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Hello, hello!

So, for last week’s nacho night, I decided to earn extra hostess-y credit and make dessert. Since I was already turning the oven and stove on for the nachos, I figured, what the hell? Let’s get sweaty and then we’ll get full.

I’ve been wanting to try a recipe out of this little, circa 1963 cookbook, found at a thrift up in Cambridge, Minnesota.

It’s hard to swing a spatula in a thrift-store book section without whacking a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. They’re everywhere, and usually pretty cheap!

Anyway, back to the dessert. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is sooooo yummy and as I found, easy to make. (It’s filed in the kids-can-make-it section of the cookbook, that’s how simple it is!) I love how this beauty basically frosts itself! Here’s how to do it…

You’ll Need

3 T. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

4 canned pineapple slices (save pineapple juice from can, too!)

7 maraschino cherries

1 box of yellow cake mix

How To

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter and pour into round, oven-safe cake dish. Blend in sugar with melted butter, pat out evenly.

Step 2: Place one canned pineapple slice in the center, and arrange three halved slices and the cherries around the whole slice. This is the “frosting.”

Step 3: Prepare batter according to package directions, but instead of using water, use pineapple juice (add water if there’s not enough). Pour batter over fruit.

Step 4: Bake 45 minutes. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Turn upside down on big serving plate. Cut and serve warm, ideally with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe found in “So-Good Meals,” part of the Better Homes & Gardens Creative Cooking Library.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know how it goes!

xo,

Meghan

how to: make horchata popsicles

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Happy Monday, lovelies!

Remember back when I introduced you to Erica, owner of Foxy Falafel? I’ve been helping the busy gal out from time-to-time at the stand and it’s been fun. Side note: Come say hi! Just promise you’ll be patient, as I’m the slowest change-maker known to man.
Math = hardness.

Anyway, last Sunday, I had the pleasure of working the Uptown Farmers’ Market stand with foxy Foxy employee Tasha. And, boy, was it hot. Like really hot. And humid. So, when I saw person after person stroll by with dripping popsicles, I thought: I gotta get me one of them. Sadly, by the time I made it to Dandelion Kitchen‘s stand they had already sold out of their flavor of the day: raspberry-horchata. (I did wind up with two fists full of their homemade sodas—basil-lime & lemon-ginger. Both were insanely refreshing!!) Ever since then, I’ve been itching to try making them at home.

And so I did.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

♥ 1 bag frozen raspberries (Thaw them a little bit, which, in this heat, will take approximately 30 seconds!)

♥ A tablespoon or so of sugar

♥ 3-4 cups of fresh horchata (I bought a ginormous cup from Tacqueria La Hacienda at Mercado Central for $3.99.)

♥ Popsicle molds (I found these at Target.)

♥ Food processor or blender

HOW TO MAKE

1. Blend up the softened raspberries in the processor or blender. Add the sugar as they’re whirring around.

2. Plop a spoonful of raspberry puree into the molds.

3. Top with horchata.

4. Fit sicks in the molds, and pop in freezer.

Results: 12 cinnamon-y, creamy, fruity, sticky, delicious popsicles.

Yum.

Did you all have great weekends? Mine was, in a word, amazing, and hope yours was, too.

xo,

Meghan

how to: make sweet & spicy pink sangria

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Howdy folks!

Ugh, it’s steamy here in Minneapolis today. Once it gets hot like this, I stick to four food groups: sushi, salads, grilled food and fruit. To be accompanied by any and everything liquid. Water, sweet tea, Mexican Coke, La Croix, cold press, bubble tea, beer—I swear I can’t get enough to drink June through August.

And one drink that tastes like summer in every sip is this little beverage. I’m not sure whether it’s sangria or spritzer, so I just call it drink. (Not to be confused with Drank.) The ginger soda adds some sass to the sweet combination of berries and peaches. Yummmmmy.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

♥ 1/2 Bota Box of White Zinfandel

♥ 2 bottles of Goose Island Spicy Ginger Soda or any other kind of ginger soda or ginger beer

♥ 2 peaches, chopped, frozen

♥ a handful of fresh raspberries, frozen

♥ a pitcher or insulated water cooler

HOW TO MAKE

Put frozen fruit in pitcher.

Top with ginger soda and wine.

Easy peasy!

I enjoyed some on the stoop last night.

Finnie giving it a sniff.

If you give it a whirl, let me know what you think! You can also mix up what fruit you add—frozen nectarine chunks and sliced, frozen strawberries are both good.

What are some of your favorite summer drinks?

xo,

Meghan

how to: get out stains

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Happy Monday, lovelies!

Has this ever happened to you? You’re browsing the packed racks at your favorite thrift and you find something fantastic. It’s everything you could ask for in a dress (or blouse, or shirt, or table cloth, etc.) and lo and behold, it looks like it might fit. But then, you notice it. A stain. Or maybe two. Sadly, you return the item to the rack, heart heavy and cart light.

Once upon a time, this used to be me. But no more! I’ve learned that with the right tools and a little elbow grease, pesky stains don’t have to stand between you and your thrifted treasure. Here’s a very basic, step-by-step how-to that’ll help you get going.

READ: These tips are for basic fabrics, i.e. cotton, polyester, linen, denim, etc. SILK, WOOL and LEATHER require extra TLC, a topic I shall tackle in other posts.

BEFORE YOU BUY

1. Get up close and personal with the stain. Look at it closely. Scratch at it. Sniff it. (Just kidding, that’s gross!). Bring the garment or fabric to the window and look at it under natural light.

2. If your stain appears to be from sweat (common in the underarm and collar areas) or blood, you may have to relinquish your thrifted find back to the rack. Once sweat or blood has set in (and on some vintage pieces, they could have been there for 20+ years), it’s game over. At least it has been in my personal experience. Wah, wah. Sniff, sniff. There are other fish in the sea.

3. If the stain seems to be of the food, grass or miscellaneous variety, you’ve got the green light to buy! When it comes time to check out, don’t be shy about pointing out the blemish and asking for a better, more fair price. After all, you’ve got some work to do!

ONCE YOU’RE HOME

1. Pick a pre-treater. I’ve tried 70 percent of what’s on the market, and my ultimate, no. 1 favorite go-to stain remover is this.

“Hi, Meghan McAndrews here for Oxi-Clean…”

It’s magical. It works awesome on everything EXCEPT silk, silk blends, wool, wool blends and anything labeled dry clean only.

2. Scrape or scratch off as much of the stain as you can and then soak that sucker with the pre-treater. Once the fabric is saturated, I like to rub the pre-treater into the fabric with my finger so it really gets in the fiber. Make sure to stick a rag or paper towel underneath the layer with the stain to absorb the dirty if/when the stain starts to comes out.

3. Put your stained, treated garment on a 10-minute time-out. Watch TV. Unload the dishwasher. Feed the dog. Make a sandwich. Set a timer though, you don’t want to leave your pre-treater on too long. (Trust me, I’ve done that and it didn’t turn out well!)

4. Once 10 minutes go by, start your washer. I wash most everything in cold water on the most gentle cycle. Add in your regular ole detergent (I use Tide plus Febreze Freshness), and then your stained stuff.

5. Let your machine do its thing. Tumble dry more durable pieces (like jeans or linens) on low and lay delicate items flat to dry.

Hopefully your thrifted stuff is stain-free and ready-to-use! Whoo-hoo!

OTHER TIPS

1. If you’ve found a delicate or fragile looking item, use common sense and take it to a professional dry cleaner.

2. Want some eco-friendly options? I was surprised that mainstream “green” lines, like Method and Seventh Generation, don’t sell any kind of pre-treaters or stain removers. I did find the recipes for two D.I.Y. non-toxic stain removers, though, if that sort of thing is up your alley.

I hope this how-to was helpful! If you have any stain-removal tips, please do share!

Until next time…

Meghan

floral denim skirt makeover

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Undeterred by the size 7 tag, I bought this ankle-length, ’90s denim skirt with the magically optimistic hope that it would somehow fit me. “Ha, ha, ha! You’re funny,” said my waist. For a minute, I was sad. I imagined myself hacking three feet of fabric off, making it a mini and wearing it all summer long with my hot new Hasbeens. Sigh. I folded up my fantasy skirt and added to a pile in my basement.

Fast-forward a month and I was sitting on my living room floor, scissors in hand, making that mini dream a reality for my girl Mary, a gal  fully appreciative of the awesome print and circa-’90s tailoring. And I have to say, she looks fantastic in the finished product. Don’t you agree?

Yay floral! P.S. I love her necklace. It’s a little silver fish her boyfriend picked up for her at Via’s.

Speaking of fish, I’m so absolutely stuffed with sushi & am off to the couch to watch Cops the sun set.

Happy Sunday luvs.

Meghan

how to: haggle without being an a**hole

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Well hello there!

To me, the word haggling brings to mind scenes like this.

Dongxiang men haggling over sheep in Gansu province, China.

Stink. Yelling. *shudder*  That said, I’ve learned that putting a few simple haggling, or to phrase it in a more Minnesota-nice way, bargaining techniques, to work, can score you some pretty sweet deals. Here are my top five tips for how to haggle, without being a jerk.

1. Smile! This may be common sense, but a little friendliness can go a long, long way. Start your thrifting trip by greeting who’s working with a smile and a quick hello. If they seem open to chit chat and they’re not a total creeper, it doesn’t hurt to ask how their day’s going, right? Indeed it does not.

2. You’ll never get any kind of deal unless you ask for it. To quote Wayne Gretzky (wait, what?), “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” Straight-forward, simple questions, like “Can you go lower?” opens the door for dialogue. It’s not my style to get into back-and-forth banter about a specific price a la Pawn Stars, but you can if you want. The worst that’s going to happen is they’ll say no! And don’t forget tip number one—smile and be nice.

2. Play dumb.  (I rock at this one!) Hand-written labels and tag-less items are common occurrences at thrift stores, so it’s not completely off-base to ask if something’s priced accurately. Example: Asking whether a number was a seven or a one on a tag saved me six bones on the most adorable, ’60s-era summer dress at Salvation Army a few weeks back. Other “dumb” questions to ask: Is this price right? Is this on sale?

3. Point out any imperfections, cracks, stains, holes, undone hems, chips or missing buttons. I use this trick all the time, because frankly, most stuff at thrift stores is slightly (or not-so-slightly) jacked up. Find something busted on what you want to take home and point it out! I’ve saved many a dollar by saying, “Hey, this is ripped/cracked/stained a little here. Can you go any lower on it?” Ninety percent of the time, this works.  Helpful hint: Don’t try this with every item in your basket, or you’ll look like an ass.

4. If you’re buying a lot of stuff, the more room you have for negotiation. I once went to the register with an armload and asked if the price on a leather jacket was right (tip number two at work!). The guy working lowered the price by $20 dollars, I think because it was thrown in with so much other stuff. Ask if one expensive item can be marked down, or if you can save on the lot as a whole. If you’re buying a lot of one kind of item, ask if you can get a deal on the entire shebang, rather than paying per piece.

5. Be willing to walk away. Sometimes, things just don’t work out, and my bargaining advances have indeed been rebuffed. Yes, putting things back and walking out empty handed can be a bummer, but remember, you can always go back and get what you wanted if you decide it’s worth paying full price. Odds are, it will be there. And perhaps, if you wait long enough, it will be on sale.

Well, I hope these tips come in handy on your next thrift-store shopping trip. Let me know how it goes if you give any of them a try!

Changing gears, how on earth is tomorrow Friday? I’m not complaining, but really?! This week’s been a blur of busy, and I couldn’t be happier to be starting off my night with an hour-and-a-half Thai massage from my pal Katie. My poor knotty back cannot wait!

xoxo,

Meghan