Hiya pals!
In case you couldn’t make it to the awesomeness that was Mighty Swell, here are some pics taken by our photog pal Kate NG Sommers Saturday morning. Seriously guys, it was so much fun.
If you did come by, thank you, thank you, thank you.
xo,
Meghan
Hello lovelies!
If you’re in the Twin Cities area, and are planning on coming to Mighty Swell, pop on over to our Facebook page and enter to win $50 worth of vintage goodness from me and Bourbon & Lace. You must enter by 3 p.m. today to be qualified!
Happy Friday!
xo,
Meghan
Howdy ho!
Cute headbands & hair pieces make me weak-kneed, but I’m especially susceptible to splurging when they’re designed and made by my talented pal, April Swinson.
Her one-of-a-kind creations, retailed in her Etsy shop Tulabaru, are put together with the prettiest lace, ribbons, bows and feathers, with a healthy dose of both wearable-ness and whimsy. April thinks nothing of spending hours upon hours poring over drawers of vintage lace, boxes of trim and spools of ribbon, and then incorporates these vintage materials in her thoroughly modern, flattering designs.
I’m so excited Mighty Swell shoppers will have the chance to nab up all kinds of Tulabaru pieces to wear proudly atop their pretty little heads. Read on to learn more about what handmade loveliness will be available this weekend!
Me: How long have you been creating headbands/hairpieces? What kind of things will you be selling at Mighty Swell?
April: I’ve been creating fascinators and other products for nearly two years now. I’ll be selling handmade fascinators, headbands and barrettes that are made with vintage lace, brooches and other goodies I’ve found and collected over the years.
Me: What kind of vintage materials do you work into your designs?
April: I love working with vintage French and Russian lace—it’s always timeless and elegant. I also work a lot with feathers, brooches and old silk bows and flowers.
Me: What are the price points for your items?
April: Price points are based on the time and effort required to make the piece as well as the cost of the materials used. It’s important to me that Tulabaru is affordable for all and most items are priced between $25 and $50, with some goods being sold for under $20.
Me: What are some of your favorite things you’ll be selling?
April: I’ve been experimenting a lot with velvet—velvet bows on clips, headbands and barrettes especially. There’s also a handmade hat that I’ll be selling that I’m particularly fond of… it’s a beautiful sea-foam green with a removable vintage brooch attachment. The brooch can be removed to wear as, well, a brooch or an attachment for a different headband, etc.
Only a limited amount of Tulabaru items will be for sale this weekend, so hustle in Saturday to get first crack at it. (FYI, more sneak peeks of Tulabaru goodies and other items, up for grabs this weekend, are up on our Facebook page. ) April also takes custom orders, so if you have an idea for an original creation, she’s all ears!
Take care lovelies & we’ll see you back here tomorrow…
xo,
Meghan
Hi there!
Before Mighty Swell pops up, I’m introducing our lovely vendors here on the blog. Today, it’s my pleasure to present Geisha Pearl Vintage, a shop and blog of the same name, created and curated the lovely Kitty Cotten.
kitty cotten geisha pearl vintage
Kitty’s got a gifted eye for finding on-trend garments with a sophisticated, lady-like bent. Effortlessly mixing vintage pieces with designer investments is her particular forte, as evidenced by her enviable collection of outfit posts found here and on her must-read blog. I couldn’t be more excited about having her on board as one of our vendors, and intend on picking her brain for styling tips until she asks me to stop. Anyway, I hope you enjoy learning more about her and about what she’ll be selling next weekend.
Me: What’s the story behind your shop’s name?
Kitty: I have been obsessed with the elegance of geishas since I was younger. They are beautifully posed and flawless on the outside, but what takes place to get them that way is determination, grace and sense of worth. So, where does the pearl come in? I feel that vintage shopping is like looking through many, many oysters to find the perfect piece or in this case pearl. Vintage shopping is not only something that takes great persistence, but a keen eye to spot that can’t-live-without-it garment.
Me: Your style is really eclectic. How would you describe it?
Kitty: I see my closet and bookshelf filled with everything from polished cardigans to sky-high, furry leopard wedges. Mix together a heap of Olivia Palermo and the Olsens with a dash of Carrie Bradshaw and I think you would wind up with…well, me.
Me: Tell me about some of your favorite pieces you’ll be selling at the sale.
Kitty: I have two polka dot dresses that are to die for! One is black and white long sleeve mini and the other is a short tank dress in soft brown with large white polka dots. The brown one also has the most amazing wide belt in the same fabric! I really love them both. They would both go with anything—a pair of flat oxfords and a satchel for day or you could glam either of them up at night with faux garter tights, chunky heeled pumps and a beautiful statement necklace.
Besides all of the lovely dresses that will be available, I have racks of vintage blazers, blouses, jackets, sweater and lots of pretty accessories!
Come browse Geisha Pearl’s beautiful vintage finds on October 2 & 3 and go home with a treasure all your own. Find all the details on our fancy new website and RSVP on Facebook here.
xxxooo,
Meghan
Hey lovelies!
Rae and I have been brainstorming up ways to make Mighty Swell the cutest pop-up shop on the planet without emptying our bank accounts. We’ve stockpiled the standard rolling racks, but are also scoping out other less traditional (and perhaps less expensive) ways to display merchandise. Here are a few of my favorite ideas that have caught my eye.
Belting up a body form, like the clever folks at Haberdash Vintage did, allows shoppers to see how they would look on an actual human form, and makes them easy to take off and try on.
I love this idea from Girls Love Shoes for displaying heels! Plus it’s shop-able from both sides and the grids would be light and easy to set up.
I see letterpress boxes like this all the time at flea markets for super cheap. Apron Thrift Girl just did a tutorial on how-to prettify the plain wood & use it for jewelry display, too, that caught my eye. The one pictured below is available here for $98.
We also have plans to cover the back wall of Umber with a rad collection of art that’ll be for sale, and make that area a sort of lounge-y/living room type space with chairs, books, mags, etc. Since we have so much stuff to hang, it’s definitely going to look a lot like this—packed. (How pretty is that pink chair, btw? Want it!)
Not sure yet what we’re going to do with the heaps of pretty purses and bags we have to unload. Maybe we’ll just pile them in a heap like London-based pop-up Rag & Bow did? Hmmmm.
I’m digging this antler jewelry display & the idea of hanging clothes on chains against the wall. Thank you Amanda, for sending!
What else should we consider as temporary retailers? What kind of merchandising/displays would you like to see at the sale? I’m all ears!
xo,
Meghan
Hi y’all!
It’s my great happiness to introduce you, dear readers, to Mighty Swell, an affordable vintage shopping event, popping up at Umber Studios on October 2 & 3.
Here’s the story: Girl blogger and thrift-store shopping addict starts an Etsy shop. Girl is busy. Like, super busy. Time-consuming shop up-keep quickly gets relegated to back-burner. Girl’s soon up to her ears in adorable vintage and starts to freak out. First girl blogger meets another girl blogger and Etsy seller with similar stresses. The vintage-loving duo team up and a pop-up shopping event, unlike any other in the Twin Cities, is born. A mighty swell idea in their eyes!
Gah, what else to say?!! I couldn’t be more excited about this event! Rae and I are working hard to make Mighty Swell the kind of shopping event we’d want to go to. What would we like to see there? (Wearable vintage from the ’50s to the ’90s!) What price points would we like to see? (Sensible ones!) What kind of atmosphere? (Unstuffy & fun!) I’ll be blogging about the planning process as this month progresses…hopefully you won’t mind the occasional update. : )
If you’re in the Twin Cities area, here are all the details you need to know.
When: Saturday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 3, 12-5 p.m.
Where: Umber Studios, 3109 East 42nd Street, Minneapolis
We’re on Facebook & Twitter too!
xxxooo,
Meghan
high plains thrifter 
