Tag Archives: thrifting

heads up: goodwill’s bridal showcase

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Heads up, all you lucky brides-to-be! Goodwill’s Bridal Showcase is happening this Saturday, and it promises to be a good time. Hunt through 2,000+ dresses, including some vintage and designer gowns, priced at $99 and up. (See some sneak peeks of the gowns, ranging in size from 4-22, here.) Bridesmaid and mother-of-the-bride dresses will be available, too, starting at $39. Seamstresses and cleaning pros will be hanging out, offering tips and alteration advice, and suppliers including florists, photographers and photo booth rental companies will be there too, pimping their services. Dressing rooms are communal, so wear underthings you’ll be comfortable being seen in, unless you’re cool with public nakedness, in which case, go you. The sale’s happening this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m, over at Goodwill’s main office at 553 Fairview Ave. North in St. Paul. Good luck!

xo,

Meghan

heads up: president’s day weekend sales

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Hey lovelies, happy Friday!

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If you’re looking to get your shop on this weekend, here’s the scoop on some President’s Day sales.

Today through Sunday

Hope Chest for Breast Cancer: Take 30% off all home decor, lamps and artwork at both the Orono and St. Paul locations.

Saturday Only

ARC’s Value Village Thrift Stores: Save 50% on everything except orange- and white-tagged items Saturday only. Stores will open at 9 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Monday Only

Savers: Take 50% off all used clothing, shoes, accessories and tagged bed and bath items. Sale runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Salvation Army Thrift Stores: This year, the half-off sale at Salvation Army is limited to the downtown Minneapolis location and only applies to the goodies in the Target basement. The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Hidden Treasures Thrift Store: This hole-in-the-wall thrift kicks off a week-long bag sale on Monday—fill a bag of winter clothing or outerwear and pay just $5. Hidden Treasures is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Unique and Valu Thrift Stores: Everything in all five metro-area stores will be half-off! Shops will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Happy shopping!

xo,

Meghan

recently thrifted

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I’ve been laundering sacks upon sacks of spring nighties, slips and caftcans in preparation for this Friday’s lingerie sale at Mighty Swell.

The pink dressing gown in the middle of the first photo is by far my favorite find of the past week. I have the exact same gown in teal and wear it all the time, as evidenced below.

It’s the most comfortable thing ever.

I’ve also been stocking up on girly artwork and boudoir-type necessities for Friday’s event, including these sweet little floral prints. I’m a sucker for circular frames.

Some other choice finds of the week, not pictured: a white leather fold-over clutch, a men’s short-sleeved button-down that’s covered in tiny red anchors, a sweet set of rocks glasses and a couple nice summer dresses.

Have you been out thrifting lately? Did you find anything brag-worthy?

xo,

Meghan

recently thrifted

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Just popping in to share some small finds from the past few weeks…

How precious are these delicate little bow earrings? I can’t recall where I thrifted these, but clearly, I didn’t spend more than 50 cents on them.

I got this deadstock bag at the Burnsville Salvation Army during a yellow tag day, so it cost only $1. (It was from a collection of clothes and accessories Target did with Hamilton Wood Type.) I put it to good use the week after I thrifted it when I was running late and needed to wrap up a belated birthday gift.

On that same trip to the Burnsville Sal Val, I found a vintage sheet set from Stevens Utica, still in its original packaging. (On Etsy, just one used sheet in this pattern sells for around $17!) These I believe will wind up at the store…they’d be great material for a sewing project!

These (blonde) matryoshka dolls are from the Value Village over in Saint Paul. It’s likely that they will wind up in one of Mighty Swell’s grab bags.

Have you been out thrifting lately? Did you find anything wonderful?

xo,

Meghan

recently thrifted, vernon kilns china

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Resisting this set of china at Value Village last Monday evening was impossible. 35 pieces of hand-painted china for $15? How could I possibly not snatch it up?

The pattern is called “May Flower” and it was manufactured from the mid-1940s through 1953 by one of California’s big five pottery producers, Vernon Kilns.

Similarly sized sets on eBay run between $199 (25 pieces) to $270 (40)…not that I plan on selling it or anything. The set’s already settled into my china cabinet, mixing and matching ever so nicely with my collection of my hand-me-down Mason’s Ironstone, a gift from mom when I moved to Minneapolis 10 years ago. Anywho, that’s my favorite find of the week. Did you get out thrifting on MLK Day? Find anything wonderful?

xo,

Meghan

recently thrifted

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Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? I have a short little list I’m working on. In addition to the usual (drink more water, etc.), I have a couple thrifting-related goals. Towards the end of last year, I was alarmed at how thrifting, something I enjoyed so much, started to feel like work, now that it actually is, well, my work. I missed the old, pre-reselling days when I simply shopped at thrifts for fun—no pressure, no competitive feelings—just a girl in search of a good old-fashioned bargain or vintage gem. So, my no. 1 resolution, thrifting-wise, is to recapture the joy of the hunt.

With the intention of getting back to that happy place in 2012, I’ve changed both my mindset and a few of my shopping habits. Visiting estate sales on Sundays is one such tweak. I have one firm (FIRM!) day off a week—Sunday—that I spend however I want. And sometimes all I want to do is visit an estate sale! So last Sunday morning, I did. Over the course of the weekend, I could see that the sale had been ravaged—the rooms were all nearly bare, the carpet littered with leaves and debris. With my old mindset, I might have been disappointed by how empty it was, sad over all the finds I missed. But somehow, knowing that I had chosen to be there on my day of leisure set my mind right. I contentedly made my way around each room, digging through boxes, opening drawers, eyes open. It felt like the old days, like progress was being made. And of course, I found some things I’m excited about.

This class photo, featuring the home’s owner (the teacher, pictured in the top left corner), was tossed on a bed with towels and linens. Easily overlooked by others; a gem to me.

I have a horrible habit of leaving a trail of jewelry around my house. In nearly every room sits a bangle, a pair of earrings, a brooch, a necklace or some combination thereof. Meaning, I never pass up the opportunity to pick up a pretty vintage catch-all or box. This one, adorned with cute little forget-me-nots, now sits atop my commode.

A couple vintage hymnals to add to my collection. The one on the right bears an inscription from 1913!

It’s likely that this stunning crewel pillow will end up at shop, not because I don’t love it, but because it doesn’t go with my living room’s color scheme. It has the most gorgeous detail!

I was so happy to find this vintage Salton bun warmer for mama Kate. She complimented mine at a soup swap I hosted last fall, and I’ve been on the hunt for her ever since. P.S. If you ever find one of these at the thrifts, buy it! They’re wonderful, especially in the winter.

 Other things I came home with, not pictured: some vintage stationery and postcards, a cool tiny hand-carved cactus knick-knack & a couple more pieces of sheet music. My grand total was $5, but enjoying the fun of the search…well that was simply priceless.

xo,

Meghan

heads up: MLK day sales

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A photo from Dr. Martin Luther King’s memorial service, 1968, on display at the Muhammad Ali Center inLouisville.

For those of you lucky enough to have tomorrow off, let me just say, I’m jealous. There are so many great opportunities for savings at the thrifts! Here’s a quick round-up for you…

Savers
Tomorrow, take 50 percent off everything (excluding new/red-tagged merchandise).  Hours of operation? 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Unique and Valu Thrifts
Enjoy 50 percent off your entire purchase at all the area Uniques (and the always-awesome Valu Thrift) tomorrow. Stores will stay open until 9 p.m.

Goodwill
Stock up on blue tagged items at your nearby Goodwill and save 50 percent. Stores will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Salvation Army Thrift Stores
Nothing fussy at good ole Sal Val, just 50% savings at all of their nine metro area locations. FYI, the Target basement downtown is packed with Christmas returns—brand-new merchandise they can’t put back on the shelves at the regular stores because its been opened. I bought my honey a brand new Food Saver Vacuum Sealing Machine (regular price $150) for $30 last time I was there. I also spied new Keurig machines, chafing dishes and crockpots, all priced to go.

ARC’s Value Village Thrift Stores
Monday marks the finale of Value Village’s weekend-long half-off everything customer appreciation blowout. It might be picked over, but then again, they might have restocked a bunch today—you’ll never know unless you go! Stores will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Have fun shopping!

xo,

Meghan

heads up: bag sale at resale 101 starts today

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ReSale 101 is ringing in the new year with a killer bag sale—fill a grocery bag with orange-tagged clothes for only $5! Other savings in store include 75% off all Christmas merchandise and 50% off some household and vintage items, shoes and accessories. In other words, tons of deals! The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. today and then from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow through the Saturday. Check out my initial impressions of ReSale 101, including pics of the store, here.

Happy shopping!

xo,

Meghan

how to: make tea-tin candles

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I have this horrible tendency to hang on to way too many things, vintage tea tins being one of them. Which is why, in the course of the past week, my kitchen has been transformed into a veritable tea tin candle-making factory. If you, too, find yourself in a last-minute gift-making frenzy, here’s the how-to.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

❤ Miscellaneous vintage tea tins—all of mine were from thrift stores, where you can find them easily, priced anywhere from 25 cents to $2.

❤ Microwavable soy wax—a four-pound box of microwavable soy wax ($10 at Michaels’s with a coupon) flakes made three average-sized tea tin candles.

❤ Wicks of the extra-large variety (tea tins are pretty big in diameter, so you need a fat wick)—also available at Michael’s

❤ Silicone chalk (for the tins that are not water-tight)

❤ Wick holders (optional)

❤ Newspaper (not optional)

 

HOW TO MAKE

1. Test your tins. Fill your tins with water to see if they leak. If you find some are not water-tight, seal the inside bottom rim, corners and sides with a silicon chalk. Do not be an eager beaver and skip this step! (Unless scraping a counter-full of wax off with an old credit card sounds fun—then by all means, skip away!) Follow chalk dry time instructions before moving on to step two.

2. Cover your work space with newspaper. (Again, please learn from my mistakes!) Center your wicks in the middle of your tins, making sure the bottom of the wick is flush with the base of the tin. I prefer to use wick holders to accomplish this. (If you don’t want to buy holders, you can dip the bottom of the wick in melted wax and then stick/center in the bottom of the tin.)

3. Melt your wax—fun! I melted four-plus cups at a time in my glass liquid measuring cup. Four cups took about 4-5 minutes to melt entirely, quite a bit longer than the box o’ wax predicted. If you have a thermometer to test the temperature (per package instructions), feel free to do so. I did not and everything worked out just fine.

4. Fill your tins on up with wax, but not all the way up, just close to it. Wicks will need adjusting after you pour the wax; this is totally normal. It’s also normal to run out of wax before a tin is full. Just get going on nuking the next batch right away and add it when it’s done.

5. Leave your tins alone for 45 minutes to an hour. Go watch a Golden Girls episode, read a magazine or take pictures of your cat…I’m not one to judge.

6. After an hour or so has passed, poke a few holes near the wick, going all the way to the bottom of the tin. This allows air to escape and makes for a more evenly topped candle. Top off your candles with a little more wax.

7. Leave them alone again, this time for a while. In a few hours time…boom. Tea tin candles are ready to go. Cozy on up and enjoy your handiwork.

xo,

Meghan